10 Ataudes

Here is the session summary translated to English, strictly following the format and information provided in the transcript.

Dinner with Betrayal and Bones in the Night

PCs present: Pulgar, Ceres, Broseph, Feyre, Hulio, Erdan, Renoir (Yankee/Nacho).
NPCs present: Yesca (altar boy), Father Lucian, Lady Wachter (Fiora/Fiona), Nicolai and Karl, Henrik van der Voort (coffin maker).
(Note: Strahd, Irina, Victor, and Madame Eva are mentioned but are not physically present in the scenes).

Major developments and loose ends:

• Major developments: The group has reunited with Feyre after her encounter with Strahd. They have discovered who stole the sacred bones of Saint Andral and have managed to recover them by infiltrating the carpentry shop. Furthermore, they have discovered that Lady Wachter is a staunch loyalist of Strahd and have rejected her offer to assassinate the burgomaster.
• Loose ends:
  • They know there is a nest with at least half a dozen vampires (or spawn) sleeping in dirt boxes in the upper floor of the coffin shop.
  • Irina remains captive in the burgomaster’s mansion under threat of marrying Victor, the psychopathic son who is performing teleportation or summoning rituals with dead cats and mannequins in his room.
  • They still need to investigate what happened to the Wine Mage’s shipment.
  • They must decide whether to visit Madame Eva or bring Irina’s brother from Barovia to take charge of the political situation.

Session Joke:
The highlight of the night goes to the infiltration of the coffin shop. Broseph sneaks in by rolling extremely high on Stealth, believing it to be a routine break-in at an empty house, and calmly searches the room of the carpenter who sleeps with his eyes open. The comedic contrast arrives when Renoir, who has gone invisible, rolls Perception inspired by the bard, and points out a trail of blood leading to a room full of boxes with dirt. The group suddenly realizes that the poor carpenter is sleeping wall-to-wall with half a dozen vampires, causing silent panic, as they slowly close doors and flee the house with the unanimous idea of returning during the day to set the entire building on fire.

Scene 1: The Reunion and the Rumors

PCs present: Feyre, Pulgar, Ceres, Broseph, Hulio, Erdan, Renoir.
NPCs present: None directly.
Place(s): Inn in Vallaki.
Any loot obtained: None.
Summary of the scene:
After a couple of days separated from the group, Feyre reunites with her companions at the village inn. She tells them that she managed to escape from Strahd thanks to the help of a flock of crows that distracted him. The group updates her on the situation in Vallaki: Irina is being “hosted” (held captive) at the burgomaster’s house and they want to marry her off to his son, an aspiring necromancer. They also tell her about the missing bones of Saint Andral, the imminent dinner to which they have been invited by Lady Wachter, and the mysterious delay in the local wine shipment.

Scene 2: Yesca’s Confession

PCs present: Ceres, Hulio, Feyre, Broseph.
NPCs present: Yesca (Scared teenager with a shovel in his hands; archetype: Manipulated/repentant pawn), Father Lucian (Compassionate and mediating priest; archetype: Spiritual guide).
Place(s): Cemetery behind Saint Andral’s church.
Any loot obtained: None.
Summary of the scene:
Guided by Father Lucian, the group amicably corners Yesca in the cemetery as he digs a hole. Broseph stays to watch outside the iron gate. Ceres stealthily casts Zone of Truth. When Yesca realizes he cannot lie, he panics and tries to flee, but Hulio catches him mid-air by grabbing his shirt. Once on the ground, Yesca confesses that he stole the bones because Henrik van der Voort, the reclusive coffin maker with whom he used to drink, offered him a good sum of money for them.

Scene 3: Loot Distribution and Dark Secrets

PCs present: Pulgar, Broseph, Renoir, Ceres, Hulio, Erdan, Feyre.
NPCs present: None.
Place(s): Inn room.
Any loot obtained: A manual/magic training book (+2 Constitution), 30 silver pieces, 12 electro pieces, and a lot of platinum pieces (about 63 pieces per person are distributed).
Summary of the scene:
All gathered in the room (while Renoir pretends to go for a bath), Pulgar lays a cape on the table with the loot they took from Strahd’s castle. They give the magic book to Hulio, who will have to read it and exercise every morning for six days to gain the benefits. They distribute the coins to maintain common funds. During the chat, Broseph reveals to Erdan what he saw in the burgomaster’s son’s room: a circle etched on the floor, animated cat skeletons, and child mannequins, deducing that he is trying to summon demons or teleport. Erdan is deeply affected and depressed by the evil of Barovia.

Scene 4: Dinner with Lady Wachter

PCs present: Ceres, Hulio, Renoir, Erdan, Feyre. (Broseph stays outside).
NPCs present: Lady Wachter (Thin, pale woman with a Victorian hairstyle and a stern expression; archetype: Conspiring noble), Nicolai and Karl (Drunk and ill-mannered young men; archetype: Spoiled rich kids), Lady Wachter’s Spy (Servant; archetype: Infiltrator).
Place(s): Dining room of Wachterhaus (Wachter Mansion).
Any loot obtained: None (except for salty soup that Renoir tries to empty without eating using Sleight of Hand).
Summary of the scene:
Two of Lady Wachter’s drunk sons escort the PCs to the mansion. Broseph decides not to enter and stays outside to spy. In the dining room, Lady Wachter serves them soup (attended by the spy the group already knew). The conversation turns political and tense. The noblewoman harshly criticizes the burgomaster, calling him demented for defying Strahd. When the PCs question Strahd by calling him a tyrant and a sociopath, she defends him as the rightful lord and reveals that she wants to rule Vallaki in his name. She offers the group a magic item if they assassinate the burgomaster. The group rejects the proposal for moral reasons; Lady Wachter, disgusted by their “prejudices,” leaves the dinner and abandons them halfway through.

Scene 5: The Coffin Maker’s Shop

PCs present: Broseph, Renoir, Pulgar, Ceres, Feyre, Hulio, Erdan.
NPCs present: Henrik van der Voort (Reclusive man, sleeping with his eyes open in his bed; archetype: Terrified civilian).
Place(s): Coffin shop (ground floor full of mold, and alcove/workshop on the upper floor).
Any loot obtained: A sack with Saint Andral’s bones, a sack with 30 silver pieces and 12 electro pieces, and a crumpled child’s drawing. Mundane adventuring gear (nails, rope, grappling hook, blankets).
Summary of the scene:
Taking advantage of the night, the group decides to raid the coffin shop. Broseph skillfully forces the back lock and enters stealthily. After searching the ground floor (full of closed coffins), he goes up to the second floor with Renoir, who is under an invisibility spell. Broseph enters Henrik’s room, barricades the door, and discovers a false bottom in his closet, stealing the sacks with the coins and Saint Andral’s bones. Meanwhile, Renoir inspects a trail of blood in the hallway that leads to a room with large boxes full of dirt. They discover that at least half a dozen creatures are sleeping inside with a strong trace of necrotic and undead magic (vampires). Totally terrified, they unbar the door and silently flee the house.

Scene 6: Bones Secured and New Plans

PCs present: Broseph, Pulgar, Ceres, Renoir, Erdan, Feyre, Hulio.
NPCs present: Father Lucian.
Place(s): Saint Andral’s church and inn.
Any loot obtained: A vial of holy water.
Summary of the scene:
The group goes to the church at dawn to return the bones to Father Lucian. The priest is immensely grateful and promises them healing and help in the future; he also gives them holy water as a gift. They secretly inform him of the presence of the vampires in the carpentry shop. After leaving a donation in the collection box, the group debates their next move: they consider setting fire to the carpentry shop during the day to kill the vampires, hesitate on how to rescue Irina (or if they should give her a dagger to defend herself), and decide that the next morning they will go shopping, look for a map, and plot a route to the Wine Mage or back to Barovia to speak with Madame Eva and Irina’s brother.