Ep. 12: Festival of the Blazing Sun
DnD Curse of Strahd Recap — Apr 29, 2021
Days Spent in Barovia:
- Aashuri & Therean: 7
- Jihyo: 373
Morning of the Festival
Last session, our drupe troupe of three: Jihyo the half-elf fighter, Therean the half-elf bard, and Aashuri the aasimar sorcerer rested for the night before the day of the Burogmaster’s festival. Aashuri stayed at the Blue Water Inn with Arabelle, while Jihyo, Therean, and Izek stayed overnight over in Wachterhaus.
In the morning, everyone was ushered to the town square for the Festival of the Rising Sun. While Arabelle stayed with the innkeeper’s family, Aashuri rejoined the rest of the party. Lady Wachter and her faction were palpably excited for what they believed would be the impending revolution against Burgomaster Baron Vargas and his family. Although distrustful of Wachter’s plans, they decided they would follow along and see what would happen. Jihyo relayed some information to Aashuri about her dreams and about the importance of ensuring Victor Vallakovich remained in their custody until the Vargas appears.
Rainy to Stormy
As the morning wore on, the slight rain turned heavy. Under threatening skies, a parade of unhappy children dressed as flowers trudged through the muddy streets to the town square, leading the way for a group of sorry-looking men and women carrying a ten-foot-diameter wicker ball. The burgomaster and his smiling wife, who held a sad bouquet of wilting flowers, followed the procession on horseback.
As weary spectators watched from their stoops, the ball was borne to the town square. There, it was hoisted and hung from a fifteen-foot-high wooden scaffold, and townsfolk took turns splashing it with oil.
Before the wicker sun could be set ablaze, the sky tore open in a sudden downpour. “All will be well!” cried the burgomaster as he brandished a sputtering torch and marched defiantly through the rain toward the wicker ball, only to have his torch go out as he thrusted it into the sphere.
A singular laugh erupted from the crowd, drawing the burgomaster’s fiery gaze as well as gasps from the townsfolk. The other guards stood aghast at Lars’s ill-timed outburst. The burgomaster immediately called for the arrest of the laughing guard for his “spite.” With his order for apprehending the guard, the crown erupted. Lady Fiona Wachter did not even get the chance to step forward, her prepared speech completely unneeded to incite an uprising.
The people displayed their pent up anger, seeking to take out their rage upon the world. Despite the rain, the mob managed to get some torches going and indiscriminately lit fires to the main stage. Consumed by the mob, the Vallakovich family was tied up in preparation of a lynching. The wicker sun caught flame, falling and bursting, spreading the fire to a few of the surrounding houses. Some of the mob also moved toward the burgomaster’s mansion, where the house was looted and also set ablaze, the fires spreading to the surrounding buildings.
As the mob continued their frenzy, the party spotted Lady Wachter standing somewhere high, atop a cart with an elevated vantage point. She shouted about the failures of the Burgomaster and preached that this was Vallaki’s new age brought on by destiny itself. Her sermons encouraged the mob’s hysteria. As she watched the fires and carnage, her eyes brimmed with excitement and she wore an elated, crazed grin.
Jihyo’s Persuits
Seeing the mob threatening to kill the burgomaster’s family, Jihyo rushed toward the burning stage. Therean and Aashuri, uncertain of Jihyo’s goals, moved forward through the crowd as well. The mob, sensing the party’s goals were not aligned with their own, began to attack the party as they made their way through them, using stones, torches, and makeshift weapons to attack. With Izek moving with them, it only fueled their distrust and hysteria.
Aashuri decided to redirect her attention to Arabelle’s safety, only to witness something strange. The two children of the Innkeeper, Brom and Bray, transformed into ravens and began to attack any member of the mob that would get close to their mother or Arabelle. All the same, Aashuri decided to push forward toward the family.
Therean, with the assistance of Izek who eagerly protected him, was able to reach the stage sooner than Jihyo. In an act of kindness and mercy, Therean frightened off some of the mob from the stage and then helped to cut free the Vallakovich family. Angry and distrustful, young Victor Vallakovich refused to remain with them and casted invisibility to escape everyone, including the party.
With the burgomaster’s family freed, Therean returned to the center of the mob to assist Izek, who struggled to keep the angry citizens at bay, even with the magical flames he casted from his monstrous red arm. Seeing the opportunity before her, Jihyo rushed onto the stage at last to confront Baron Vargas. In her rage, she did not wait to confirm if the Baron could even recognize her. Cutting his leg at his Achilles tendon, she towered over him and told him her grievances. He took everything from her, and he and his son were going to suffer for it.
Remembering Norganas’ title as “the finger of death”, Jihyo pointed her finger at Vargas. In an instant, he writhed and screamed in sudden and absolute agony loud enough to be heard throughout all of Vallaki, before crumpling to the ground in a heap. For a moment, he lay still. Then he arose. Vargas had become an undead, mindless corpse.
Aashuri, Therean, and Izek focused on protecting themselves in the angry mob, whittling them down until the crowd dispersed from the square to begin their looting and rioting elsewhere in town. Fire could be seen surrounding them in the immediate area. It seemed about a quarter of the town was being consumed by the flames, raging so brightly that it would probably take days for them to go out, even with the rain.
Next Episode: (13) Returning Arabelle
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