It is with a heavy heart that I write the events that took place today, as it was earlier today that everything started to fall apart. How I wish that I could go back to more simpler times, away from this cursed land, for I would still have some of my old friends by my side.

Disaster struck when we woke up and searched the rest of the house for possible treasure. In one room, we found a statue of a man holding a dark orb. Titus reached up for the orb as the boy touched the statue. I’m not sure what triggered it, but afterwards, we were assaulted by five shadows. They surprised us and focused on those two and I, as I fought to protect them, with Eliza and Len firing magical spells.  We had to be careful when facing their blows, or else they would drain us of our strength. 

During the battle, I was left with a choice: I could choose to save Titus, who was drained multiple times by a single shadow, or save the boy, who faced two of the creatures at once. In that moment, I fought to aid the boy, hoping that I could deal with his shadows fast enough to save Titus. In the end, I was not fast enough to save my old friend, who fell to the ground when he no longer had the strength to support his armor, and was promptly struck down.

The shadows were defeated but we had lost one of our own. We made the decision to leave the house with Titus’ corpse in tow. That proved to be difficult as the house tried to kill us by emitting poisonous smoke from the chimneys and trying to cut us down with spinning blades at any doorways. It was rough but the four of us managed to escape, although we were injured. We were outside, freed from the house, which turned back to normal. Strangely enough, we found a gift basket with a bottle of wine, welcoming us to Barovia.

My companions made the choice to take some of Titus’ belongings, as he had no longer needed it. Although I do not approve of taking what belonged to my former comrade, I did decide to grab a letter from the guild he served at. It was my intention to bring it to his family or friends away from Barovia to let them know what happened to Titus. Then, we set his body in the house, and set it all aflame. Although I thought Titus deserved better than to be among the ashes of a cursed house, I knew that a shadow would emerge from his body had we not done it. I took some comfort believing that the house was destroyed for good and that we were saving others from it.

We sought out the tavern so that we could rest and recover in peace. It was at the Blood on the Vine that we learned how terrible this land was. While we drowned out our sorrows with wine, two adventurers overheard us: Balli, a pragmatic dwarf warrior, and Kolkori, a half-orc of few words. They told us that they too had lost their companions to that house a month ago, and while they burnt it down to the ground, it came back. It tore me apart to hear not only that my efforts to keep others safe was doomed to fail, but that there was no escaping Barovia either, under the cruel rule of Strahd von Zarovich.

Another man, a native to Barovia named Ismark, told us that the letter that had sent us to Barovia was fake, and gave us the letter the real burgomaster sent for us. He tried to warn us away from Barovia, as his family was haunted by a vampire, but alas, it was too late for us. Ismark suggested we go to see Kolyan, as it was not too late to save Ireena, and gave us directions to his house before leaving. My companions and I decided to rest before going to see him, with Kolkari and Balli agreeing to join us. 

We met later that night at the tavern, although we were now short two. I do not know where they went, but Len and the boy were missing. All that was left of my old group was Eliza. The loss of Titus weighed heavily on me still, even with Eliza to comfort me. Then, there was the idea of who would lead us now that he was gone. I do not think that Eliza wants to lead while I am still uncertain on if Kolkori or Balli will follow us. With that in mind, the duty of leadership may very well fall onto me, although how I will do with that is beyond me.

The four of us left for the burgomaster’s house, only to find it in shambles, as it had seemingly endured many attacks. We met Ireena for the first time, as she kept the doors closed for us, accusing us to be spies of Strahd. Our attempts to change her mind failed, and it was only by the intervention of Ismark, who revealed himself as her older brother, that we were granted entrance into the house. Ismark’s heritage wasn’t the only secret he kept from us: that Kolyan is dead within a makeshift coffin, as his heart couldn’t bear the constant assaults from Strahd’s minions. 

They explained how Strahd had already bitten Ireena twice, and upon their next meeting, he would turn her into a vampire spawn. Ismark asked us to escort him and Ireena to Vallaki, a town which opposes the reign of Strahd. Ireena insisted that her father is buried before leaving, despite the threat to her life and Ismark’s comments that the church’s priest, Father Donavich, was quite mad. Although he couldn’t be buried until dawn, per the religion they followed, Ismark led the way so that we could carry the coffin to the church.

On our way, we met two strangers. The first, an old native to the land named Morgantha, was seen giving baked pies and taking children. There was some debate on how we should handle that situation, which I learned was normal in Barovia. While I wanted to strike her down for her evil ways, I was convinced otherwise, with Balli and Eliza coercing Morgantha to release the child. The second was a fellow adventurer, a half-elf woman named Stephanie who was “chosen” by her goddess. She was timid and easy to startle, and as she was on her way to the church as well, so she decided to join us.

We dropped off the coffin and entered the church together. I realized that Ismark was quite right with his assessment of Father Donavich, whose voice was hoarse from praying for his son, who was chained up in the basement, screaming. The priest explained that his son, Doru, joined a mage who attempted to overthrow Strahd, but returned as a vampire spawn a year ago. This led to a rather large debate among the group on how we should deal with Donavich and Doru. Balli and Stephanie thought that Doru could be saved, while I wanted to strike him down, for vampire spawn are evil, and my oath to Torm requires me to strike down any evil I come across. Eliza pulled me aside and convinced me to hold my blade for now, although I am not sure how intact my oath will be if I continue pushing aside slaying creatures of darkness.

Donavich promised that he would bury Kolyan come morning, and that we would come to the funeral. On the way out, Stephanie purposely sought out Morgantha, who she met prior. I stayed away from the conversation, as I did not want to have the conversation of whether I should act or not a third time tonight. From Morgantha, Stephanie learned of a temple in the mountains which held ancient lore, which could possibly have the secret of saving Doru. Stephanie agreed to join us to Vallaki, as it was on the way to this temple. We retired back to our rooms to sleep until morning.

I do not know where my path will take me, for I’ve been told there is no escape from Barovia. I believe this may all be a test from Torm, as to how my oath will remain in this land of darkness, as well as an opportunity to deliver justice upon the forces of darkness. Although I have lost many friends, I now have a new quest before me, and that is to protect the children of Kolyan. I just pray that when the time comes, I will be able to stand against Strahd himself.

We’ve awoken in the house, and continued on with our investigation. Sure enough, we found a secret door leading to an attic, and there, we found the children’s room. The children, Rose and Thorn, were locked in their bedroom and starved to death. It sickened me to realize how terrible their family was and hoped they found some peace in whatever afterlife awaits them.

Sadly, that is not the case, for their spirits haunted their bedroom. They were supportive of us and showed the way to the basement, which can only be accessed through a secret door. When we tried to leave, Rose and Thorn grew agitated, for they were afraid of being left behind. Rose ended up possessing Eliza, and I was possessed by Thorn. 

I am thankful to say that the possession still left me in control, but Thorn left a notable impact in my head. I was suddenly afraid of everything, including the stairs that led down to the basement. Titus chided me for my childish fear, and I do not blame him at all. I hate to share the details even in my journal about my fear of everything, but I will say that there were times where I broke into tears because I was so afraid. As a paladin of Torm, who took an oath to destroy any evil plague that threatens the common people, this was highly embarrassing. Eliza was of great help during this shift of personality. I am certain her possession made her more assertive and she helped me through my fears.

Thankfully, our possessions did not last for long. We ended up finding the tombs the children were supposed to be buried in. We brought their corpses to the tombs and laid them to rest, and the ghosts left us be. I am thankful that my courage returned to me and pray to Torm for forgiveness for my weakness. I hope that I may never experience such overwhelming fear again.

We searched the remaining tombs, which belonged to the rest of the family. We were briefly assailed by a swarm of insects. There was an extra tomb, which had Titus’ name engraved on the door. The tomb was empty, although Titus swore that his corpse was in the coffin. I hope that my companion was only just seeing things, although I’m not sure what that means for us.

Over time, we explored the rest of the basement, with ominous chanting keeping us on our toes. We encountered a grick, which Len and the boy were able to deal with their magic. Titus unlocked several treasure chests of treasure belonging to the cultists. Titus deemed that the silver shortsword would go to me, which I am sure will prove to be valuable. We both chided Len for wanting to wear an eyepatch with a gem and use a hairbrush with silver bristles. They were treasure to be sold, not to be used, and I am sure that once we find a merchant, we will have plenty of gold coins to go around.

We grew closer to the source of the chanting after encountering a pack of ghouls that we dispatched with ease. I still hear the chanting in my head at night. “He is the Ancient. He is the Land.” We went deeper into the house’s basement, to find a room of shallow water blocked by a portcullis. I lifted up the portcullis for the group, and we arrived on a platform with an altar. The chanting changed as spectral figures emerged. “One must die! One must die!” The spirits of the cultists were calling for us to sacrifice one of our own.

Of course, given our bond from our shared adventures, and our will to live, we would not entertain the notion of sacrificing one of our own. In turn, the cultists unleashed a beast upon us called Lorgath the Decayer. We were tired by this point, so we knew fighting it head on would not help. Titus and Len led the group to a secret door that served as a better exit than the sealed portcullis. I realized that Lorgath could attack us as we entered, so I made the choice to hold the line against the monster so my companions could escape.

Lorgath and I traded blows. Even with a portion of Torm’s divinity strengthening my blows and powers, Lorgath was too strong, and he nearly downed me in a single blow. Titus told me to run through the door, which I told him that I couldn’t do so and close the door in time. Len would close the door for me as I slipped through Lorgath’s grasp and entered the secret room as Len closed the door.

We were not safe yet though. I could sense Lorgath heading towards the portcullis, and after enduring a single strike from the monster, I knew it could easily tear down the metal gate. I healed myself to the best of my ability as I quickly rushed over to join the fray. The rest of the group was wearing down Lorgath the Decayer with everything they had, but the monster approached to the point that Titus and the boy were running by the time I arrived. Lorgath would continue to stalk us as long as it lived, so I knew that I must destroy it for good. I called upon Torm’s blessing for one last time, and charged forward with my halberd. With a single strike, I utterly destroyed Lorgath, which was only made possible through my companions weakening it down for me.

The group congratulated me on my victory, which I am thankful for. We then decided to rest for the night. I wanted to leave this cursed house after everything we’ve been through. Titus, however, was insistent on searching a few remaining rooms for any treasure. I hope that whatever treasure we find will be worth our time.

A lot has happened over the day. It all started last night, when a strange man delivered a letter to my companions, Titus, Len, and Eliza, as well as myself. The letter, signed by Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich of Barovia, spoke of a threat that faced Ireena Kolyana, and asked for our aid. There was much debate on whether we should help, given that none of us have ever heard of Barovia, but in the end, we decided to sleep for the night, and travel west to Barovia, as instructed.

This morning, breakfast was more eventful than most. Titus, being an artificer, was able to enchant my armor and halberd, improving them through magic. They will be of great aid in the coming battles, and I am thankful for Titus for the gift. When we set out for the road, we were joined by an orphan boy who tried to pick my pocket the night before. He never gave us a name but calls himself “Big Man.” Ha! As if he was. No, until he proves himself, I shall call him boy, for that is what he is.

By the afternoon, we were nearing the end of our journey, when all of the sudden, a mystical fog overtook us. There was no chance of escape. We were caught within it. I have no idea what force is responsible, but whatever it is, they wanted us to end up in a town unlike any I’ve seen before. I still do not know what this town is called, but I believe that it might very well be Barovia.

We were swept off into another adventure when we found two children, a girl and a crying boy. They claimed their parents were missing, that there was a monster in their basement, and that their newborn brother was stuck in the nursery on the third floor. Naturally, we were inclined to help, and entered the house. That is where our trouble began.

We found that there was more to the house than meets the eye. The first and second floor look tidy and clean, as if someone had been living in the house. And then, the third floor was covered in dust and cobwebs. It was on the third floor where the trouble started, when we were attacked by an animated armor and broom, both of which fell to the magical onslaught of Len, Eliza, and the boy. When we found the nursery, we were attacked by the spectral ghost of the nursemaid. She fell quite easy to my halberd, with Torm strengthening my blow to smite her to whatever afterlife awaits her.

A more thorough investigation revealed several facts. When we looked down on the street, the mist had engulfed the town, and the two children who sent us here were long gone. The newborn boy, the reason why we were here, was never here to begin with. We ended up finding a secret room in the library, revealing tomes of dark magic that were later debunked by Titus to be fake. There was a chest inside of the room with a broken poison dart trap that killed another adventurer. Titus shot the skeleton’s skull clean off with his crossbow, even though it was not undead. We looted the chest, which, ironically, contained a scroll of Protection from Poison. It also contained the book I write in now as my journal.

The skeleton had a letter clutched in its hand. Much to our surprise, the letter had the same seal and handwriting as the one that sent us on our path to Barovia. It was signed by Strahd von Zarovich, and spoke of how a cult lived in the house where they made human sacrifices in the basement. We knew that we were in trouble, but we decided to rest for the night before moving on with wherever our paths take us next.

Truth be told, although Titus thinks we should, I think there is more to the house than we’ve found. The basement that both the children and letter mentioned is nowhere to be found. Additionally, there is no bedroom for the two children, if they even existed in the first place. I hope to search for the missing bedroom and basement entrance, and that we can solve what has brought us here.