12.5 Combate 2

Session Summary: The Battle of the Winery and the Barovian Tomatina

PCs present:

• Pulgar (played by Juan Casanova)
• Ceres (played by Paloma)
• Broseph (played by Juan Maldonado)
• Feyre (Rocío’s character, temporarily controlled by Juan Maldonado)
• Hulio (played by Emilio)
• Erdan (played by Marcos)
• Dietrich (played by Alex)
• Renoir (played by Nacho)

NPCs present:

• Urwin Martikov and his family (in human form and as swarms of ravens)
• Barovian Druids
• Giant Spider
• Twig Blights and Vine Blights

Main events and loose ends:
The group was defending a winery (presumably the Wizard of Wines, given the support of the Martikovs) from a massive siege by plant creatures and druids. After a chaotic combat in which several members of the group fell unconscious or were poisoned, they managed to repel the horde and eliminate the giant spider and several druids, including one that Dietrich decapitated and another that carried a vampiric staff.

• Loose end 1: The druid on the first floor (or upper floor) who was casting ice storm spells disappeared without a trace at the end of the combat.
• Loose end 2: Outside the winery, the scorched corpse of an ally (a man, presumably one of the Martikovs) was found, as if he had burned from the inside due to a very powerful magic that they have not yet identified.
• Loose end 3: Ceres looted the “vampire staff” from a druid’s corpse, but they still do not know exactly how it works or what magical properties it has, other than the fact that the druid healed himself when dealing damage with it.

The Joke of the Session:
The main joke arose when Erdan (Marcos) decided to cast the spell Thunderwave to clear out the plant monsters. The DM (Nemo) described how the explosion not only shattered the enemies but also burst the wine barrels in front of them. A wave of wine swept through the room, mixing with the sap from the plants and the blood from the combat. Alex joked that it looked like “Black Friday,” but the players quickly dubbed it “La Tomatina”, lamenting (especially Nacho) that they had gone there specifically to save the wine and had destroyed it in the process.

Scene 1: Holding the door and the chaos of the Blights

PCs present: Ceres, Pulgar, Erdan, Renoir, Broseph, Feyre, Hulio.
NPCs present: Giant spider (Relentless beast), Paralyzing druid (Savage cultist, gibbering in Druidic), Twig Blights (Mindless infantry or “minions”).
Location: Inside the winery (spiral staircase area and main barrel room).
Loot obtained: None.

Scene summary:
The session picks up at the end of Ceres’ turn, who uses her strength to hold a door with her back to prevent more monsters from entering, while using her Channel Divinity (Preserve Life) to heal Pulgar and Renoir from a distance. Hulio and Feyre are poisoned on the ground due to the giant spider. Erdan uses Tasha’s Mind Whip to stun the spider, which allows Pulgar (hidden in the ceiling rafters) to launch a sneak attack. Meanwhile, a druid paralyzes Renoir, and a tide of twig blights passes over him, leaving him unconscious and bleeding out on the soot-covered floor.

Scene 2: The Tomatina and Dietrich’s arrival

PCs present: Erdan, Dietrich, Pulgar, Broseph, Renoir.
NPCs present: Twig Blights (Mindless infantry), Swarms of ravens (Beastly allies).
Location: Winery barrel room.
Loot obtained: None.

Scene summary:
Dietrich (Alex) finally manages to join the battle by coming down the stairs. He encounters a bleak scene: Renoir is on the ground being trampled by a mob of blights. Erdan casts his famous Thunderwave, bursting the wine barrels and creating “La Tomatina,” which clears part of the room but also scares off the allied ravens. Dietrich pushes through the branches, absorbing immense damage thanks to his heavy armor, and manages to approach Renoir’s inert body to use his Lay on Hands, saving his life just before he failed his death saving throws.

Scene 3: The Vampire Staff and the Bear on the Stairs

PCs present: All.
NPCs present: Staff-wielding druid (Cultist leader, strikes, heals with blood), Horned druid (Fanatical cultist, decapitated), Urwin Martikov and allies (Tactical support, use shortswords).
Location: Spiral staircase and main room.
Loot obtained: A wooden staff (potential “Vampire Staff”).

Scene summary:
The combat reaches its climax. A druid attacks Pulgar with a staff that glows red and sucks the dwarf’s blood to heal the attacker’s wounds. Ceres, without abandoning her position at the door, strikes the druid in the jaw with a critical hit from her hammer, and Pulgar finishes him off with a dagger to the kidney. Ceres keeps the fallen staff. For his part, Dietrich uses a Divine Smite to shatter the head of a horned druid with a hammer blow. Feyre tries to join the combat by transforming into a brown bear, but due to the narrowness of the spiral staircase and because Ceres, Pulgar, and Hulio are blocking the way, the bear gets stuck and has to take a long detour through the lower floor.

Scene 4: Aftermath amidst Sap and Blood

PCs present: All.
NPCs present: Urwin Martikov (Allied leader).
Location: Inside and outside the winery.
Loot obtained: None in this scene.

Scene summary:
Renoir, now up, casts another Thunderwave (this time at level 2) to clear the last of the plant creatures surrounding him, while Hulio recovers his axe and Broseph spends his last magical resources. Urwin Martikov and his men finish securing the area. The DM (Nemo) declares the end of combat as there are no creatures left in the room. However, upon checking the casualties, they discover that the druid who was casting magic from the upper balcony has fled and, worse, they find the corpse of one of the Martikov men outside, completely scorched from within. With the floor flooded with wine, blood, and sap, the group decides to take a breather to investigate what just happened before heading up to the second floor.