Imps Will Kill You

The travelers woke up with new excitement, especially Cinna, who had gotten a good night’s rest thanks to her new yoga program that she “borrowed” from the castle before leaving it. After completing their preparations, the group plans to head out from Vallaki to the wilderness to look for the mad mage of Mount Bartok in search of aid in dealing with the hags hunting Geoff and maybe even in changing the current rule in the land. Not even the rain pouring down from the Barovian sky deterred the group from setting off soon after breakfast.

The first notable landmark on their quest was the south shore of Lake Zarovich. On the lake, the group notices a small rowboat. They also observe a humanoid standing up in the boat, lifting up what looks to be an unconscious body over its head and chucking it into the lake. The lost travelers immediately spring into action; within seconds, Cinna turns herself into an octopus, and Bart and Marillion teleport themselves onto a (slightly unusual) island beside the boat. The island then turns out to be a giant crab, who understandably is not too happy with the newcomers on his back. At this point, an underwater combat breaks out. During the fighting, the group polymorphs the giant crab into a tiny one, only to have Bart damage it enough for it to be turned back, breaking one of the boats Darren and Geoff had brought from the shore, putting Cinna at risk of drowning. Luckily, Xuza’s ability to walk on water allowed them to rescue Cinna, and the group emerged victorious, managing to save the little girl who was unconscious body.

When the dust settles, the group turns their attention to the saved girl and the man in the boat who had tried to drown her. Bart identifies the girl as Arabelle, a Vistani girl from the camp outside Vallaki. The man identifies himself as Bluto and states, “appeasing the god of the lake in hopes of better fishing fortune,” as the reason for trying to murder the innocent girl. Since Bluto does not have all his Mumins in the house, the group takes pity and spares his life. However, Cinna does use her telepathic ability to scare Bluto into appeasing his sins by working at the orphanage. As for the other NPC, Arabelle seems relatively ungrateful and quickly leaves the group by running into the forest, having first “relieved” Bart of 10 gold coins.

The group’s second attempt at crossing the lake went much more uneventfully. They used the remaining water-walking time by pulling the boats across, allowing the non-water-walking members of the group to rest. Cinna decided to forgo her chance of rest to continue her exercise regimen, a decision she would regret only a few hours later.
After crossing the river, the members of the lost travelers who had dragged the boats demand a rest, so the group sets up a temporary camp. Cinna forgoes her second chance at rest, even though her friends strongly suggest she should, as she had nearly drowned mere moments ago.

After catching their breath, the group sets out toward the wilderness. They estimate a 3 -4 day trip to the mountains. With Cinna taking the lead, the first few hours in the jungle-like wilderness go by relatively smoothly. Bart felt he was being observed, but as no one else seemed to notice, he shook it off.

After about four hours in the wilderness, the party runs into an imp riding a Glabrezu. The situation quickly turns hostile. While the initial part of the battle went well, and the imp quickly lost its life, the party soon finds itself at death’s door in a dire situation. The group is saved by a last-minute intervention of Strahd Von Zarchovich, who saves a dying Cinna and gives the party enough time to finish the Glabrezu.

When the chaotic situation calms down, the group realizes that Xuza has lost their life, and Cinna has gotten very close to doing so. The party decides to retreat back to Vallaki, aiming to ask Jeny to resurrect Xuza. Before getting a move on, Xuza unexpectedly comes back to life. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, Xuza had been sent off to the Barovian afterlife, where he was approached by what initially looked like Eilistraee. The figure offers to bring Xuza back to life as long as Xuza agrees to stop Marillion from reaching the amber temple and freeing a dark power. Returning to life, Xuza decides to share his experiences in the afterlife, especially his realization that no soul can escape the afterlife. However, he does not mention anything about Marillion’s goals and his bargain with Shami to the rest of the party.

The travellers return (again pushing into the night) to Vallaki. On the way back, they meet Tepurin Amarinovich Petri Vallakij, cousin of Danike Martikov, who is out in the forest looking for a cure for his vampire-bitten sister. Realizing the late hour, Tepurin joined the travellers back to Vallaki, sharing stories from his past while learning about the capabilities of his new companions.