Session 25 - WHAT???

Visiting the Burgomaster and asking for a wedding dress went kind of as expected until the party were overheard by his wife, who knew of a dress maker, Cordyer in Vallaki who could help for 50Ep make a dress which she said she would cover if they could use one of the raise dead spells to bring her son back.

They agreed to go with her the following morning, and decided to stack the quests and escort Ireena to Blinkski's toys at the same time, Ismark and Ireena agreed this was the right approach and that they will leave at dawn. 

The party meet the next morning and after exchanging some WTF looks as they never mentioned the Burgomasters wife was joining them to Ismark and Ireena and visa versa they head off.

They hit that all too familiar part of their travels where they encounter a out of place looking pair of Scarecrows on either side of the path.  

Immediately skeptical they attack and the scarecrows animate and fight back, they quickly discover however that being made of hay is no match for people attacking with fire. Snowball at this point throws down an illusion card which takes the form of a Ogre Mage

During the attack Mulberry casts thunderwave which deafens Baromar for a short time, Snowball attempts to inspire him but he struggles to hear, and instead considers a firebolt to the back as a potential alternative to Bardic Inspiration.

From the fog ahead they hear a grating guttural laugh, and a familiar figure emerges to face them, and proceeds to attack the Ogre while the rest of the party kick Baba Lysaga's ass from a distance. 

Ireena, Anna and Ismark hide in the forest knowing who the aggressor is and what they are capable off, while the party fight her to a near death. Baba Lysaga uses misty step and disappears, zombie snowy owl searches for her but only sees a swarm of insects in the forest. Pallas uses his magical insight to determine that Baba Lysaga misty stepped away then transformed into the swarm of insects to her escape. 

Anna fills the party in on who Baba Lysaga is, and how she was Strahds nanny when he was a child and how she wants him to love her as a mother but she is terrified to ask that of him as the rejection will kill her, so she wanders Barovia doing things that will help his cause. She is responsible for the evil druid plans and poisoning of the winery for example.

The party continue to Vallaki where they head to Blinkski's toys. There they meet Gondorf and his monkey Piccolo. Gondorf realizes that Ireena is to be his charge, and he also works out that her fathers servant was threating to burn down his store should he refuse to make toys for her.

Meanwhile Mulberry bored with the human speak strikes up a conversation with Piccolo and works out that the creepy AF toys that Gondorf had made freaks him the hell out, they pack up the toys and Piccolo is much happier. In doing this they see a puppet with the likeness of Strahd, and a doll which looks a hell of a lot like Ireena, they determine this is designed to look like Tatyana (Strahds long lost lover) and the likeness with Ireena is perhaps why he is obsessed with her. 

They leave Ireena who is going to learn to make Blinkski toys and Gondorf who agrees to make less creepy toys and head to Cordyers Dress Emporium.

Cordyer greets Anna as an old freind, but struggles to help with a dress as she has 4 brides she is making dresses for (Vanastra, Gruylyn, Magbis and Jenlenthe) and no extra materials to make another. As a result of being charmed by Mulberry they eventually work out paying a bride to delay her wedding would cost them about 100ep and agree to pay it off. 

Cordyer needs a couple of days to finish the dress and work out which Bride will agree to the money in exchange for delaying their wedding.