Session #1: Welcome to Barovia

Though it's been two weeks since the first game, I've been lax in posting an account of what happened during the session. This post is meant to remedy the situation, as session #2 is scheduled for tomorrow evening.

Myself, Amy, Alex, Mike, and Jeff were in attendance. We spent the better part of the first two hours finalizing characters, buying equipment, and shooting the breeze. We didn't start playing until about nine, and we drew to a close well after midnight.

To set the record straight, I'm setting this adventure in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, precisely where the adventure suggests it be placed. Why? Well, I've got a ton of FR material laying about, and if the campaign goes to its conclusion, we may, in theory, want to continue adventuring with the same characters in the Realms.

Since Adam wasn't present, I made an excuse for his character -- he's traveling on another wagon (the chow wagon, to be exact), which was a few days behind the rest of the carnival due to a broken axle. The rest of the crew and their multitude of wagons and red-shirt NPCs ended up at the Weary Horse Inn, where they stayed the night and arranged to set up a single tent for an evening's worth of entertainment for the local inhabitants. Word went out, and a good-sized handful of bored locals (mostly farmers, rangers, and miners) showed up the following evening to see the entertainment. Little else need be said.

The next morning, they set off toward Barovia. Little could be seen through the mist, which grew ever thicker as their altitude increased on the winding uphill road. They eventually came to the gate, which opened ominously for them. In true adventurer style, they continued on, and only Drezz (Jeff's character) turned around to test if the gates would open to allow them egress from Barovia.

They wouldn't.

On towards the town. Pulling into the outskirts, the wagons were brought into a clearing. Gavrin, the manager, ringleader, MC, and barker of the show, put the player characters to work by sending them into town to ask for permission to set up the carnival in a nearby clearing.

Entering the town proper, it quickly became evident that something was terribly wrong. The windows and doors of the buildings along the road had been either boarded up or broken in, and the sounds of screams and moans could be heard in the direction of the town center. The wrongness of the situation was only confirmed when the characters encountered a mass of zombies, accompanied by a couple of carcass eaters and a deathlock.

The fight was intense, but quick. Jelani, Amy's cleric, had some good turn checks, which forced most of the zombies back. The remaining creatures were laid low by Drezz and Benson (Alex's paladin), with Norm (Mike's sorcerer) tossing some magic missiles for good measure.

With the undead foes defeated, we ended the session. It was already late, and we were all tired. I'd encountered a somewhat painful furniture malfunction earlier in the evening: the ancient fold-up chair I've sat in for years broke beneath me. As a result, my back and butt were both quite sore.

And now, we wait for the second session to begin, roughly twenty-six hours from now. I plan to prepare pulled beef BBQ sandwiches for the assembled crew prior to the game. Should be tasty.