Curse of Strahd Session 2: Where the Wolves Walk Like Men

Following a visit to the Vistani camp and a prophetic reading from Madame Eva, the party attempted to return to the village of Barovia. Their journey was interrupted by a pack of wolves that pursued them through the dense woods. The party initially fled but eventually turned to face their pursuers in a defensive formation. Lucian provided divine support with Bless, while Chaya summoned a spectral spiritual weapon to strike back at the beasts. The encounter took a dark turn when one of the wolves underwent a violent transformation, splitting its skin to reveal a towering eight-foot-tall werewolf form. During the combat, Riordan entered a 'rune of rage,' dealing a devastating critical blow that caused severe organ damage to one of the wolves. Gretch provided tactical assistance by coating the enemies in a shimmering 'fairy fire' powder, which he described as rainbow-colored snot dust. Despite the werewolf's attempts to flee back into the shadows, Riordan successfully grappled the creature and knocked it unconscious, choosing to capture it rather than kill it. The party then debated the risks of lycanthropy infection, with Chaya performing medical checks to ensure no one was compromised. The party decided to transport the unconscious werewolf and a dead wolf back to the village, hoping to check on the safety of Ireena and Ismark. Upon entering the village of Barovia under a cold, dark rain, they found the streets eerily silent and abandoned. They encountered a sickly, shoeless man shambling through the mud, whom Gretch named 'Bob.' The man was quickly identified as a mindless zombie with a broken jaw and sunken eyes, a grim sign of the village's deteriorating state. Chaya used Sacred Flame to destroy the zombie, offering a prayer for its soul. However, both she and Vesper experienced a disturbing phenomenon: instead of the usual divine warmth associated with their faith, they felt only a hollow pit in their stomachs. This realization suggested that the souls in Barovia are trapped or that their connection to the divine is being dampened by the realm's dark master. The session ended with the party standing in the rain, burdened by their prisoner and the growing weight of the land's hopelessness.

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