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Session 37 – 2021-09-25

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Session Summary

Session 37 – The hunt for White Claw begins!

At the start of this session, we were still having a conversation with The Abbott. We were discussing the return of the light to Argynvosthold, and of the hope it had brought the community of Krezk. He was also sure, the rest of Barovia, or any part of it where the light reached, would also have lifted spirits. He also warned us that by bringing the light back into this world, Strahd would not take kindly to this.

The questions turned to asking how the Abbott gets a message to Strahd, how did he let Strahd know he should come to the Abby to see Vasilka. We tried several times to get him to reveal how he gets messages to him but he would only say that, “I have my ways!”. Snoggly attempted to get the Abbott to see that what he was doing bordered on assisting the horrors of this land. He shouldn’t believe that Lathander condones this! Of course, he said all of this with his usual tact and courtesy.

The group was done here and decided it was time to get back to investigating the White Claw incidents and begin their search. We decided to approach the home of Meric, the blacksmith’s apprentice. We went to the house where the attack took place and searched for any clues. We found blood stains and claw marks on the doors, a bloody path to the door. We didn’t find anything else. We followed the trail to see if we could determine where they took Meric. We followed it to the wall and then north along the wall until the trail stopped. The wall was twenty feet high at this point.

We searched the area and didn’t find any secret doors in the wall or hidden trap doors in the underbrush. Misty climbed the wall and back down the other side, and didn’t find a trail. We used rope to raise Haldar to the top of the wall and down the other side. He too, found nothing. After much debate, we decided that Misty can track with smell and Zanfyr can turn into a dog and track as well. We returned to the house and picked up Meric’s scent and the followed it back to the spot in the wall but this time, Zanfyr turned into the woods and found a bunch of rocks. There was also noticeable scent of electrical energy scorching the area.

Also on the rocks, we found scorch marks. We found chalk marks on the rocks and that’s when Snoggly recognized that this was a teleportation circle. This one is destroyed but there is another one, the one they teleported to. Rinn thought this might have been destroyed from use but Snoggly explained that no, it was destroyed by someone after the fact. Rinn surmised that there might be someone in town helping White Claw.

We moved to site of the first attack and searched there as well. This site is a shrine near a pond on the north side of town. We found bits of clothing and blood, signs of an attack. Zan the pup and Misty started trying to track the people by their smells. They followed the smells further north to the wall and then to a circle of stones that was still intact. Apparently, someone tried to cover it up but failed. We decided to leave town and make our way west and search for any signs of the White Claw or his victims. Rinn sent Boo out to fly back and forth to see if he can spot another circle of stone like the one here.

We exited the town and began to make our way up the road. We decided that we needed to rest as it was getting late, so we set up the hut and turned in. Dain read more on the Tome of Strahd. Misty broke out a book and red some as well. Kyana takes the first watch. Later in the night, she started hearing some a growling sound nearby. Looking outside the hut, to the south, she sees a large wolf like creature sniffing at the ground. She wakes Haldar and Dain and points out the wolf. Dain see’s the wolf and also a second wolf. This one was more to the west of us.

The wolves slowly moved closer and closer to the hut, following a scent that has gotten their interest. They were big and evil looking wolves. One of them finally managed to bump into the force what is the wall of the hut. The second wolf finds the other side of the hut. They growl and move around the dome, sniffing at the ground. After about ten to fifteen minutes, they slowly start to move off. Once they were completely out of site, we decided to go back to sleep. Misty and Rinn wake for the next watch. Misty borrows Kyana’s herbalism kit sets out to make something. The rest of the night is quiet and passes without anything else happening. Misty presented each of us with a bag of herbs meant to mask our scent.

Rinn starts off by trying to see if he can communicate with Boo. He must not be within range because he can’t seem to find him. Meanwhile, we made our way out to the main road and began heading West. Haldar moved off the road a little to one side while Zanfyr moved a little off the road on the other side. Rinn kept looking in both directions for ground objects and occasionally to the sky for Boo. Based on the direction the wolves of last night took, we headed west/southwest. We made our way down the road and eventually found a group of tracks that move across the road and southwest towards the river into the woods. It was slow going but we followed them.

After about an 1/8 of a mile, the trail turned more westerly. Rinn moved a little further south than the rest of the group and noticed a smell. He messages Haldar and the rest of what he smelled. Everyone began trying to find the smell. We moved a little closer to the river. Haldar finally sees some carrion birds in the trees and finally Haldar finds the body of a male. It appears to have been attacked by animals. Haldar finds wolf tracks, some larger and some smaller. They moved off to the west. He’s about the right age to be Harcus. We followed the tracks west and as we do, Haldar determines that we are following about 10-12 wolves.

The wolves move up and down the rock cluster. We keep following the tracks. The tracks moved up and through some foliage. Haldar sees a little game path and looking beyond that, he sees a cave entrance. It’s fairly concealed. We start spreading out and making our way toward the cave. Dain makes a loud bang stubbing is metal boot on a rock. We paused for a bit and nothing seems to respond to the noise. Rinn tries to reach out to Boo again and still doesn’t reach him. He finally just dismisses him back to the pocket dimension and the calls him back out. Boo if very talkative describing the various bugs and such that he saw and even ate out there. He did not find a circle of stone though.

We moved in closer on the cave and took up positions around the entrance and further out.

That is when the fun ended!