> 41: - with Aldern's journal, everything becomes clear. Now the connection to the Ezran heresies and the RVT make sense. Very nice weaving together of these plots! I also really get the feeling that this adventure fits perfectly in Mordent now. Abandoned manors, reclaimed by the last scion of a nearly-extinct noble family. Yeah, that's Mordent, all right. I'm still not sure what the title "Skinsaw Murders" has to do with the plot, but maybe once I finally read the adventure, it will make sense.
This is an extremely Ravenloftish dungeon (manor) crawl. I really suggest all DMs should incorporate it into their campaign. It fits in really well, and has its own cool background story.
Yes, I’m good at opening story parenthesis, now I had the chance to close a few ones
> - Chilling description of War. I'm not sure if that's from Mangrum's Death Undaunted text or if you made it up, but it was very evocative. Reminded me a lot of the Ringwraiths from the LOTR movie, and that very visceral, solid evil feel they have. And wow, was he deadly. "Lucky" that Godefroy intervened. I guess not soon enough for Petrak.
Yes, the description is more or less’s Mangrum’s. I can’t wait to add the other ones in the story when they get higher levels.
When later in HoH, there were rumors of cavaliers riding in the night, they were extremely worrying!
> 42: - quite a brutal execution... ew!
Idea straight from the Gaz
> - nice trap at the cathedral. Can't believe they fell for it.
It’s the kind of trap where you have to go even if you know something is probably very wrong. They were expecting trouble (and they got it!)
> 43: - Interesting test for the shield of Ezra. Do your PCs and NPCs really talk so frankly of "levels"? I usually see people try to avoid that much "game-speak". I know back in 1st edition, there were named ranks for each level and some used those, but having a PC say in character something like "I was 5th level and now I'm 4th" is quite rare. I'm interested in how you handle this.
Like you, usually I don’t, but during this inside meeting, when they were all anchorites, I thought it was working. Didn’t really think about it until I read your comment.
Well, should have used something like « when you’ll be able to cast the third rank of holy divine spells », or something like that.
> - Is that Neve Campbell as Nostalia? (I don't recognize Clothilda at that low resolution)
Yes!

It is a pic I’m reusing from an older session, where I identified the actresses.
Clothilda is Clare Danes.
Needless to say, when they got the invitation to diner (which was kind of neat I thought

), they were extremely worrying! They really fear the « white people » (ermordenungs).
As I wrote in the journal, the fact I also had a map where I asked them to point where they were seated was also a cause of stress (even if nothing was going to happen, battlewise)…
Having Nostalia flirt a little with Varadan also made them very uneasy…
> - cute touch on the servants/tasters
Nostalia wanted the PCs to feel safe and be comfortable. She’s a great host, you know!
> - the PCs haven't heard of the Great Upheaval even though it was within their lifetime? Sheltered lads....
This is what I love with playing Ravenloft natives, with PCs who have no previosu knowledge of RL. It’s great to impart them info that way, in a conversation.
And yes, the players in their background know something happened eight years ago : the earth shook, the mist void north of Barovia. But it’s the first time they hear of the GU.
And, the entrance of Ivana in the room surprised them a lot. Cute like a cat, dangerous like a tiger. In game, she was in another private room.
Then of her cousin. Couldn’t resist! There was two goals to this sudden appearance :
1) to end the conversation, after Ivana’s request/threat.
2) introduce this caracter and the coldness between the cousins. Now that Ivan knows about them, I’m sure Ivan would like to invite them to his own manor, next time they are around
It was great session.
> - Petrak lies a lot more than your average priest, it seems. first to War, now to Nostalia...
I think he knows when to keep his card close to him.
> - “so you ask me to remove the emotions from Martha’s little sister too?” - Perfect fey response!
Kind of like the Wishing Imp, be careful what you say and ask around feys
> - Why hello there, Captain Howe and Viktor. Do your players have any clue about your alter ego?
No, of course not. Otherwise, they would not have trusted him
> 44: - Good thing Iesha is mummefied. No smell to reveal that these guys have been carting around a body for what, 2 weeks?
Yes, indeed!
> - Laurie and Bluebeard, eh? A match made in .... well, Ravenloft, I guess.
Yes, an idea I had when writing Blaustein, obviously. Who knows, Laurie might want to inquire, go to Blaustein, and get into trouble.
À la Supernatural, if there was an anger to come between the twins, they’ll split for a moment and then I might have Laurie do this on her own.
> - You are kind to warn them about Darkon's memory effect.
Indeed. I’m not a fan of it and likely it won’t happen. But anything to add stress
> - I do love the Midnight Market. NeoTiamat came up with a great one there. That upside-down gargoyle(?) picture on the invite is unnerving. what is that?!??!?!
I don’t know, from the net, somekind of fey. This invitation was quite neat too, I think. I wanted it to look strange and formal.
> - Wonderful Midnight Market scene. Did the players enjoy it?
They loved it! They really got into it, and had fun.
They knew it was dangerous too, since i twas again those alien thinking feys!
So Martha’s soul is kept by a Red Cap (that will be nice to deal with this guy!) and another problem, this Red Cap is in a Cage in Montarri’s manor!
I will add this to CC’s sequence of adventure. The Whispering Way will need the soul of a changeling for their evil end ritual. If the PC fail, Martha’s soul will be consumed…
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)