Session 22: The Mists’ Long Passage
At a glance
- Starting location: Rooftops above Martira Bay’s Rat House
- Ending location: Aboard the River Dancer, facing an unidentified swampy landmass in the Mists
- Characters present: Ignatius, Rage, and Carver, with Captain Snowmane, Hyskosa, Lafing, Armond Duvalle, and the rest of the company
Summary
The party waited on the Rat House rooftops while the guard response gathered below. Ignatius crept to the edge and overheard a furious Khargat vampire supervising the investigation. The vampire blamed the failure of a plan that had made people feel safe, then turned into a bat and flew into the Rat House. With the guards lingering, the party fled across the roofs and into the alleys.
An ambush followed: a sword swept into the party’s path, and four guards with a captain attacked. The fight was brief. The party defeated the patrol, took guard cloaks to help them pass unnoticed, and claimed a pistol for Carver along with two suits of chainmail and several swords.
A patrol captain’s sudden blade checked the party in a Martira Bay alley. View image record.
They returned to Black Lily’s manor long enough to report to their companions and rest. Carver found Voss in better spirits. Lafing kept watch through the night and reported an unnerving lockdown: patrols passed constantly, but no civilians appeared in the streets.
The next morning the party tried to pass the Rat House on their way to the River Dancer. Rage wore a guard cloak and posed as an escort for Carver and Ignatius, but the building was still surrounded by guards. They abandoned the attempt and made for the docks.
The River Dancer had already left the quay and lay moored in the harbor. A dinghy brought the party to the ship, where Quartermaster Armond Duvalle assigned cabins and explained that the journey should take about fifteen days. During Mist travel, the ship’s doors and windows would be secured, though the decks still needed patrols.
Snowmane set the steamboat moving into the Mists. Hours later, cold closed around the vessel; an iceberg drifted past and ice seemed to hem in the ship. Snowmane identified the border of Lamordia as their first waypoint, then turned the River Dancer away and continued on.
The River Dancer passed Lamordia’s icy border beneath a white hull and red paddlewheel. View image record.
At sea, Rage and Snowmane gave the souls bound to Rage’s trophy necklace proper funeral rites. The unicorn’s magic had only hidden the necklace temporarily; it had reappeared the following morning. With this burial, the curse was finally resolved.
Rage and Snowmane gave the souls bound to the chain their final rest. View image record.
On the next stretch through the Mists, a shadow moved at water level and vanished. The River Dancer stopped for the night near a smaller Vistani vessel skirting the fog. Hyskosa hailed it and exchanged greetings with its sailor, Arrigal. Arrigal said he came from their homeland of Barovia and warned the party to be cautious before sailing away.
Rage’s evening performance delighted the crew, and he and Snowmane later retired to her cabin. Carver took a turn at the helm that night at Snowmane’s request, managing capably enough that she promised to continue his instruction.
The next day the ship followed a grassy towpath through the Mists at a crawl before abruptly leaving it behind. Late in the day, Snowmane cried out from the helm. Pale, weak, and weeping, she said only that she would not go back. Ahead waited a swampy landmass no one had identified.
The sight of the swamp left Snowmane unable to hide her fear. View image record.
Key events
- Ignatius overheard a Khargat vampire at the Rat House; it transformed into a bat and entered the building.
- The party defeated a guard patrol, took disguising cloaks, and recovered a pistol, two suits of chainmail, and swords.
- Martira Bay appeared to be under a near-total civilian lockdown.
- The party boarded the River Dancer and began the passage toward Barovia.
- The ship reached Lamordia’s icy border, then traveled onward through the Mists.
- Rage performed funeral rites at sea with Snowmane, finally resolving the curse on his trophy necklace.
- Hyskosa spoke with Arrigal, a Vistani sailor who warned the company about Barovia.
- Snowmane broke down on sighting an unidentified swampy landmass.
Decisions and consequences
- The party left the Rat House behind. The Khargat investigation and the building’s chanting remain unresolved as the company departs Martira Bay.
- The party committed to the voyage. They are now aboard the River Dancer, moving through uncertain routes in the Mists toward Barovia.
- Rage honored the dead. The funeral rites ended the curse that had remained despite the unicorn’s temporary intervention.
People
- Captain Snowmane: Led the River Dancer into the Mists, helped Rage lay the dead to rest, and became distraught at the sight of the swamp ahead.
- Armond Duvalle: The River Dancer’s quartermaster; assigned cabins and explained the ship’s Mist-travel precautions.
- Arrigal: Vistani sailor on a smaller vessel, who warned the party to be cautious in Barovia.
- Hyskosa: Hailed the Vistani vessel and exchanged greetings with Arrigal.
- Lafing: Kept watch at Black Lily’s manor and reported the heavy patrols.
Places
- Rat House: Still occupied by guards after the vampire flew inside.
- River Dancer: The party’s secured vessel for travel through the Mists.
- Lamordia: The icy border Snowmane named during the voyage’s first leg.
Rewards, losses, and character changes
- Carver: Took a pistol from the defeated guard patrol; its properties and ammunition are unknown.
- Communal loot: Two suits of chainmail and swords recovered from the patrol; exact sword count and custody are unrecorded.
- Rage: His cursed trophy necklace reappeared after the unicorn’s temporary magic, then was finally resolved through funeral rites at sea.
Open questions
- What plan had the Khargat vampire lost at the Rat House, and what was it trying to restart?
- Why is Martira Bay under such intense guard control?
- What danger does Arrigal fear in Barovia?
- What did the shadow beneath the water belong to?
- What lies in the swamp ahead, and why does Snowmane fear returning there?
Next session
- Immediate situation: The River Dancer has reached the edge of an unidentified swampy landmass. Snowmane is overwhelmed at the helm.
- Likely goals: Steady Snowmane, identify the swamp and its danger, and continue the passage toward Barovia.