Journal of Rollo Lavius 2

Entry #316 - Father Donovich

(G316 27/05/2017 via Roll20 - AP(GM), JF, MJ) RL6

DAY 343 (10th Alturaik)(February) cont ...

The fighting continued in the cellar. I found it hard to identify some of them, but there was a powerful skeleton, some of the superior zombies and another strange thing that reminded me a bit of the morgh we once encountered in Sasserine.

Danovich the cleric, died quickly in the melee, as Sylvia and Ashlyn fought beside my sleuth of bears. It was he that had slain poor Mr Badgerington.

Sylvia tried again and again to turn the undead, but they were too strong, so she swapped to healing Ashlyn as she held back the zombies. Tie-pie summoned a flaming sphere and I hit them with a splinter bolt. I then also summoned a sphere.

Yli's arrows did deadly damage from above, destroying the skeleton. Then Tie-pie's sphere killed the 'morgh'. My bears did damage, but primarily held the monsters at bay while Yli and Tie-pie shot at them from above. The last zombie was finished off by a lightning bolt from the sorcerer.

I flew back up, once the fighting was over, and turned into my human form. I mourned for Badger, but there was work to do. We searched and looted the church and found Danovich's journal.

An entry caught my interest;

''

There is a book, the Tome of Strahd, that might shed light on the steps necessary to destroy the monster of the castle. It is well known that Strahd kept meticulous notes from ancient times on all he did or said. Perhaps some weakness of his could be found there. This tome was once located in Ravenloft's library, but now I'm not sure where it is. I asked Madam Eva about it, and she mumbled something indecipherable. Why do seers always speak in riddles?

Ireena Kolyana is not the natural daughter of Kolyan Indirovich. Ireena never knew, but old Kolyan found her one day at the edge of the Svalich Woods near the very foot of Ravenloft's crag. Kolyan adopted her as though she were his own and loved her dearly.

''

After we had finished here, I turned into a giant owl and took Badger's body into the forest. I placed him in the roots of an oak tree by a stream, as good a spot as a badger could hope for as a final resting place. I was sad, but had comfort in knowing he was in a better place. I returned and met the others at the tavern. Everyone seemed in a better mood as killing Danovich's undead had had the affect of stopping the dead from rising. The remaining zombies could be more easily dealt with and no more would come to torment the townsfolk.

Free drinks all round, but I was in no mood for it. I thought of waiting a while before summoning another animal companion but after talking to Yli he convinced me this was as good a time as any.

Ideally I would have preferred to do it out in the forest, but gauged the chances of performing the 24 hour ritual unmolested was slim, so I began upstairs in my room. I warned the landlord to expect something big and hairy this time tomorrow.

DAY 344 (11th Alturaik)(February)

It was a long druid ritual, similar to the one that I used to awaken Rolanda the Rat. Not long after ten in the morning a huge dire wolf arrived in town and padded into the inn. I can just imagine their faces as it walked past the bar and up the stairs. Dire wolves are the size of horses!

It entered my room and sniffed at me, then licked my face with it's massive tongue. I stood up and ruffled his fur. He was a young male, tall and powerful looking, nearly the height of a man and nine feet long.

He was going to be a lot harder to get into pubs and things than a badger so he needed all the help he could get to appear inoffensive to humans.

'Greetings to you, my friend,' I said. 'I will call you Fluffy.'