Session 41 - Reading the Ashes

 As the party take down the last beserker a figure appears from behind them, introducing himself as Sirixus an acquaintance of Van Helsing and also stuck in Barovia fighting for a way out. Sirixus is clad in red and black splint mail with an ornate helmet, he is carrying a variant long sword with a slender blade and a wicked sharp edge. 

He watches as the party take down the final enemy and as Mulberry scrapes some ash off his arm, Mulberry blows the ashes on a cleaner flag stone, and Gnarvick reads them. They determine that the unnamed beserker was orphaned as a young child and spent time as an indentured servant in one of the inns scattered around Barovia. He was treated well and raised by the inn keeper after seeing his parents brutally murdered by wolves. 

One night in the inn a group of beserkers came in for wine and food, and offered to apprentice him into their way of life. He agreed and trained with them for a long time. As a young adult he found love, albeit forbidden by the beserker code, with one of his fellow brothers in arms. They had been keeping this love a secret for a long time and had plans to run away together to a remote part of the Svalich woods where they could be themselves. 

As the reading and reciting is taking place little tooth is sniffing at Sirixus ultimately deciding that he is ok. Snowball patches up Grumdur with cure wounds and the party continue to explore the rooms at the front of the temple. 

The discover the body of a Wizard clutching a wand, which Pallas takes for later identification (Wand of Secrets) and Baromar decides to take the wizards robes (and whatever is left of the corpses dignity) as a memento, and shoves them in the Bag of Holding. 

They prepare to enter the room where Snowy Owl was taken positioning themselves around the door. Mulberry surprises the group by wild shaping into the dire wolf that the party had just killed.  

The throw open the door and immediately three floating skulls with strange green flames surrounding them turn to face the party, their eyes glowing with red intense fire. 

Mulberry runs in and tries to catch the ball (Flameskull) and fails, Gnarvick throws down some acid and also misses. Pallas uses Edrich blast and its game on. 

Grimdur and Baromar rush in and take down the first of the three, Denzel fires his long bow from just outside the room, and critically misses, instead it heads straight for Baromar, who was lucky enough to be holding a dodge action and gets out of its way. 

The party take down the second and as the remaining one is on its last err legs, its eyes glow far more intensely and it attempts to fireball the party only to have Pallas Counter spell it, and its life is ended by Sirixus.

Looking around the room they spot a few feathers around a scorch mark and everyone observes a moment for snowy owl. 

The party spot in one very charred end of the passage the remains of a wizard clutching a staff. Pallas picks this up and a fragment of the dead wizards soul imparts itself on him, in the form of a Character flaw "You crave power and will do anything to get more"

The explore some of the rooms off the side of the hallway and discover a model of Castle Ravenloft, and a chest. As Pallas explores the chest he discovers a map case with Artemus embossed on it, they determine this was where the architect of Ravenloft must have done his design work.

Pallas discovers a false bottom in the chest and finds a book in there. He tells the party that the book is on the economics of Barovia and slips it into his pouch. The book is actually  a Tome of Understanding, that if read and followed will increase the players Wisdom stat by 2.

The party cast a tiny hut after shoving the bodies of the beserkers into one of the smaller rooms, and decide to take a long rest in there. Pallas identifies the wand (Wand of Secrets) and the staff, (Staff of Frost) and Snowball summons another snowy owl zombie (because no one has nice things in Barovia).