Dave Wood's

Campaign

SUPPLEMENTS

Adventures

Roots of Evil

Undead wander about

The group emerges in a forest, the mist burning off, only to reveal strange creatures all about. After a battle with undead, Azalin inhabits one of the fallen undead and flees the scene, leaving behind his phylactery. No sooner does Azalin exit than Strahd appears and unsuccessfully attempts to take the phylactery.

The group are met by the Vistani seer Madame Yvonna. She performs a reading, at which time she identifies the occurrence of the Grand Conjunction, links the prophecy of Hyskosa to it, and discusses the phylactery of Azalin. Madame Yvonna tells the group that they must retrieve the Holy Symbol and the Icon in order to destroy the phylactery, and that they must fulfill the fifth couplet of the prophecy. She claims that fulfilling the prophecy now will cause the Grand Conjunction to collapse. Madame Yvonna warns the party that Azalin will come looking for them and his phylactery after he has rested. Finally, she advises them to seek more information at Castle Ravenloft.

The group travels to Vallaki, encounter vampire women who flee, leaving only a dead man. Lucius raises the dead peasant at his home. Organize the peasants against the coming Conjunction. A Mummy Lord bursts from the forest, kills many, infects a few, but is destroyed by Lumee.

After some trouble with suspicious castle guards, the group are granted an audience with King Barov and Queen Kristiana, both of whom are on the good side. The queen is a high priestess, and she uses her powers to divine more information for the group. Kristiana determines that the Holy Symbol and the Icon must be brought together with Azalin's phylactery on the chapel altar of Castle Ravenloft in order for the Grand Conjunction to be reversed and the phylactery to be destroyed.

Inajira appears

Inajira appears and kills Barov, thinking he is Strahd and hoping to enslave his spirit to ransom against the precious Book of Keeping. The yugoloth immediately realizes his mistake and kidnaps Kristiana, planning to use her as a bargaining chip.

On the path back to Vallaki, the party is approached by Inajira, who tells them about the Book of Keeping and Strahd's pact, made 385 years ago. The fiend explains that Strahd has locked the Book in a vault that can be opened only with the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Until he gets it back, he cannot go home to Gehenna. In short, the fiend promises to return Kristiana safely in exchange for retrieving the Holy Symbol (which he can't touch, either) and liberating the Book of Keeping.

Then Strahd appears and banishes Inajira with a secret word of power. Strahd then tells the group more about the association with Inajira in the distant past. Strahd wishes to dissolve the 385-year-old pact with the fiend. Under the pretense of getting Kristiana back, he tells the group of a plan: They must convince Azalin to send them back to the past, to the day that Strahd made his pact with Inajira, and they must prevent the deal being struck. Strahd suggests that Azalin will cooperate if his phylactery is used as ransom, and he instructs the group on how to hide the item. The group is uncooperative, and Strahd fights them, managing to take Anebroun and Lucius back to Castle Ravenloft.

Crypts of Vallaki

The group realizes that they can use the phylactery to trace Azalin. They trace him to the crypts of Vallaki. Inside the crypts, the group fights many horrors, and Lucius is returned to the group. Strahd returns with Anebroun (now a vampire) and bids the party comply with his wishes. Eventually the party agrees, and Anebroun banishes the phylactery somewhere hidden. Finally Azalin is found and he complies to send the group back in time.

The last couplet is fulfilled

Back in the past, the group manages to undo the binding curse, but they also fulfill the prophecy of Hyskosa. When they return to the present, the group recover the holy relics, but find that Strahd has taken the phylactery.

The group make their way to the hiding place of the Book of Keeping and open the vault. Inajira appears with Kristiana and demands to make a trade for the Book. Then Strahd appears with the phylactery and a stand-off ensues.

Finally, Azalin takes possession of a nearby corpse and the struggle grows more complicated. In the midst of it, Kristiana helps the group destroy the Book. Strahd and Azalin temporarily forget their differences to stop the group, but Inajira runs interference for them, claiming that if he can't go home, nobody can.

The artifacts are placed back on the altar of the church, and the whole place is enveloped in mists...

A pitiful, heartbreaking wail goes up in the fog. Once again, Strahd von Zarovich has come within a fingertip's breadth of achieving his fondest dream, only to feel her slip away.