Chapter Thirty Nine: The Battle Continues With Kolyana
Ireena Kolyana: “I hear bats and marching!”
Galan: “Form up! Form up! Stand together!”
An ungodly stench approaches; Sir Ly recalls the same odour from the cemetery in the village.
A Ghast possibly? It is approaching directly from the tomb in front of us.
Suddenly Frimly’s voice can be heard:
Frimly: “There are two skeletons in front of Sergei’s tomb! Thora is with them but not being attacked!”
Galan: “She is being used as bearded bait!”
The door of another CRYPT 35 opens. The smell of the Ghast is coming from CRYPT 36.
Galan: “Sigune protect the rear while Sir Ly and I will take care of the Ghats!”
Sigune runs but pauses inexplicably on the way, hunched over the body of the Vistani.
She returns
A ceramic flask containing a ‘Potion of Healing’ (lilac odour) is handed immediately to Sir Ly who gulps it down, regaining a large number of hit points. Mirafir casts the spell on the scroll.
It is ‘Rary’s Mnemonic Enhancer’. Meanwhile Frimly goes to the other Vistani wizard’s corpse to look for anything useful.
Bats suddenly fly out and start to put out the torches with the movemment of air that they cause while flying!
Frimly: “Wizard, catch!”
Calls Frimly. It is a ‘Magic Wand’!
Two more CRYPT doors can be heard opening.
Thora seems to be held, and stands directly before Sergei’s tomb.
Galan: “It is a trap!”
Mirafir: “We have no choice! The count is in there!”
Frimly sneaks off.
Father Tobias: “I am blind, I am feeble! Strahd come out!”
Count Strahd: “You call and I come!”
He drops three stakes on the floor. The three Vampires must now be regenerated!
Count Strahd: “Come now priest, how brave are you?”
There is no responce from any of our Adventurers.
Count Strahd: “Ireena Kolyana! Which one of them has it?”
Ireena Kolyan: “Oh it is the priest! You are right, they are evil! They left Gertruda! They are just interested in treasure!”
Mirafir ascertains that she has been ‘Charmed’.
Count Strahd fires off 5 ‘Magic Missiles’ at Father Tobias!
Sigune and Mirafir try to disbelieve that it is indeed Count Strahd Von Zarovich and both fail.
Galan sneaks round behind him and tries to hit him but fails.
Mirafir holds up the ‘Magic Wand’ and blasts a ‘Ray of Lightning’ – it blasts through the ‘Illusion’, killing the Vampire Helga and also hitting Galan, who uses the one and only wish he had on his ‘Luck Blade’ to resist the effects of the ‘Lightning Bolt’.
Ireena Kolyana is now hopelessly confused:
Ireena Kolyana: “I-I-I”
She flees in the direction of a CRYPT, grabbing one of the remaining torches still burning.
Sigune: “Ireena Kolyana, come back! It is a trick of Strahd. The count has confused your mind!”
Frimly looks in CRYPT 25 and finds a skeleton inside with a polished skull.
The sound of sword play can be heard from the entrance to Sergei’s tomb. Sigune and Sir Ly race to Thora’s aid. She is battling two Wraiths!
Thora fights fiercely. Sigune smashes a Skeleton with the ‘Black Mace’, Sir Ly then smashes the other. Galan takes a potion from Frimly and takes it to Mirafir who pours it into the ‘Jug of Khazan’!
It turns into poison!
But only when Galan says: What’s the worst that can happen!
Nightmare horse suddenly appears in the opposite side of the catacombs!
Sir Ly and Sigune strike at thier Wraith – Sigune with a 20! Her blow unleashes the hidden power of the ‘Black Mace’ and delivers a crushing blow to the Wraith but it is still up. Thora also hits the Wraith she is fighting!
The Wraith hits Sir Ly! He feels his strength being draining away!
Frimly asks for the ‘Potion of Polymorph’ and Mirafir hands it over to the Thief.
Galan wants Mirafir to cast Sthe Spell ‘Shield’ on him but with the limited spell points at his disposal he asks Galan to wait.
The Wraith battling with the Paladins hits Sir Ly again, draining his strength even further.
Thora and the 2 Paladins finish off the Wraiths.
Thora: “You took your time”
The company is now all together and before the portcullis to Sergei’s tomb!
A ‘Slow’ spell is cast. Galan and Sir Ly are slowed.