Introduction: Welcome back! This week, we recount a grim session from our Barovia campaign, where "even divine wings rot into bone, and the only victories are measured by who escapes alive". Barovia, the "cursed valley" from Curse of Strahd, has "no patience for heroes," a truth cruelly reinforced in Vallaki (Vuh-LOK-kee), a city that "devours outsiders". Vallaki: A City Under Martial Law: Once Barovia's "only semi-safe haven," Vallaki is now under Lady Wachter, "Strahd’s aristocratic sycophant," and her "bureaucrat-enforcer," the Reeve Ernst Larnak. It operates under "martial law" with guards, "wardens" in black robes wielding "necrotic magic," and ever-present alarm bells. These "Devil-worshipping enforcers" with "amulets of Asmodeus" cast "life-draining, soul-rotting spells". Our Trio: • Sören Ironwood: An Aasimar Paladin whose "angel wings rot into skeletal batwings" in Barovia, a "vampire’s parody of heaven". • Radley Fullthorn: A "sardonic bruiser" Human Eldritch Knight. • Traxidor: A Half-elf Cleric of Light, the party's "healer and conscience". The Spark of Heresy: The party was in Vallaki to acquire a wedding dress for the Abbot’s flesh-crafted bride, Vasilka. However, disaster struck when Sören "manifested his angelic wings" outside a manor. In Barovia, divine revelation "terrifies," and his "grotesque bone and bat-flesh" wings caused a secretary to scream "Heretic!," drawing guards. This is "classic Barovia storytelling": Sören’s "greatest gift became his noose". The Fight and the Reeve's Execution: Combat inside the manor quickly became a "slow-motion disaster". The party was "worn down" by guards, wardens, and "spells of necrotic energy". Barovia "doesn’t fight fair; it exhausts you, then punishes desperation". They finally confronted Reeve Ernst Larnak, a "cold professional" with a sword and "poisoned bolts," using cover and the threat of reinforcements. In a "bold mystic move," Sören used Misty Step—a short-range teleport spell—to enter the room, and "got a blade in the back for his trouble". The Reeve then delivered a "Coup de grâce. Execution." Sören, the paladin, was "cut down and finished off while his friends watched helplessly". Retreat and Ruin: Radley and Traxidor chose "the smarter, crueler thing: they fled," escaping to the Blue Water Inn. This act of survival left Sören’s body behind, "claimed by Vallaki’s wardens," his "celestial blood spilled". Barovia reduces heroes to "evidence bags in a tyrant’s investigation". Why Did Sören Die? Sören's death wasn't from giving up, but from a convergence of factors: • Poor Tactics: The party "split the party" and "bottlenecked ourselves in a hallway". • Underestimation: They "underestimated how strong Vallaki’s wardens were". • Reckless Move: Sören "misty-stepped into a closed room with no backup"—a spell "terrible if you teleport into danger". • Deadly Foe: The Reeve was "not just a bureaucrat" but a "deadly assassin" and "both administrator and assassin, backed by the whole machinery of Vallaki". Strahd's Shadow: Even absent, Strahd's "fingerprints were everywhere". Vallaki's collapse and the wardens are all "his order imposed on chaos". Sören’s fall "becomes one more ghost in the valley," feeding Strahd's legend. Next Time: Will Radley and Traxidor recover from this loss? Will they dare to bargain for Sören’s body, or will Strahd simply keep him as another pawn?
