Curse of Strahd Session 13: Thunder On The Hill

The session began at the Wizard of the Wines winery, where the party took a long rest following their previous victory over the blights. Chaya took the opportunity to question Davian Martikov about the unsettling behavior of the local ravens. Davian explained that in Barovia, ravens are considered protectors and omens of death rather than its cause, serving as guides for those trapped in the valley. The party then consulted a map and decided to investigate Yester Hill to recover the remaining magical seeds before heading back to Vallaki for the upcoming Festival of the Blazing Sun. Upon arriving at Yester Hill, the party encountered a desolate landscape dominated by black rock cairns, a 50-foot tall wicker statue, and a massive dead tree being struck by lightning. Stoick and Vesper acted as a visible distraction by walking openly up the hill, while the rest of the party attempted to sneak around the perimeter. Gretch utilized invisibility to scale the massive statue after spotting a faint green glow in its head, successfully retrieving one of the missing winery seeds. This theft immediately alerted the hidden druids and berserkers, plunging the party into a chaotic ambush. The ensuing combat was brutal, with Lucian taking significant damage from a druid's sickle and Stoick suffering a devastating critical hit from a berserker's club that left him with severe bruising. Riordan managed to break the enemies' control over the battlefield by knocking a druid prone with an explosive rock, effectively ending an Entangle spell that had restrained Chaya. Lucian utilized a Darkness spell combined with his Devil's Sight to provide a tactical advantage for the front line, while Gretch used Cloud of Daggers to punish the attackers surrounding Stoick. As the battle reached its peak, the sound of heavy hoofbeats echoed through the valley. Strahd von Zarovich arrived on a black horse, his voice magically amplified as he commanded all parties to stop the madness at once. The session ended on a cliffhanger with the Dreadlord's personal intervention, leaving the party's fate and the possession of the recovered seed in immediate jeopardy.