My own Ravenloft Campaign

[ArtEChoke]

Just an FYI, clicking on the link for the latest journal entry comes up broken, but by following the naming convensions for the older ones:

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Smok ... _19-21.doc

I was able to download it.

The current link is:
http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Smok ... n19-21.doc

and doesn't work.

Very entertaining Jennifer, I've been enjoying your cruelty.

[Jennifer]

Hi all,
Well, it is nice to see you all still enjoy the campaign. My victims, pardon I mean players, still enjoy it as well.
I am coming up to a little problem however. Count Strahd is getting a bit more involved in the character's lives. (In sessions soon to be published here I think) The characters do not like this and try to flee. Now I was wondering, is Strahd able to close the borders of his domain when he sleeps during the day? Otherwise the players will never be able to leave Barovia.

Jennifer

[Ultramyth]

I believe, if the borders are already closed, they remain as such until he wills it otherwise - however, during such times, Barovia is closed off to everyone (or rather, everyone is shut in, I think you can still get in?).

However, if it's just a case of letting the PC's go before they warrant enough attention for him to close the borders... Well, I'd imagine he'd have an agent or another on the job, trying to delay them until nightfall.

Most likely, even in his slumber, Strahd is so connected to his land that should he will it, any creature he does not want to leave when felt near the borders, would automatically cause the poisonous mists to rise... trapping them until Strahd wills otherwise.

[Jennifer]

Hi ultramyth,
Thank you for your input, i was thinking along the same lines. Strahd can probably close the borders even when 'asleep' or at least keep them closed during the day.

I think things have gotten a bit out of hand. Strahd has defenitely noticed the players. he has proposed marriage to one of them (well I say propose, it was more of a 'it's gonna be your signature on this contract or your brain' situation). She is prettely trying to delay things. But it is not working.

I have another solution, however. sanctuary at a church. A church is of course always the last refuge of the hopelessly hunted. They should be safe there for a bit. They think.

anyway I will keep you all updated through my journals in the smoking room.

Jennifer

[Jennifer]

Hi all,
as of today, new campaign journals are published in my ongoing ravenloft campaign. You are now fully up to date with the antics of my players. I would like to know what you think of this and how you like it.
We stopped playing over the summer holidays, but we will start again in september, that first sesion should be impressive to captivate the attention of the players again.

I hope you will enhoy it as much as i have.

Jennifer

[Gorthaur]

Wow, what an ending and a cliffhanger!!! Well I yearn to hear more of your campaign and the details of Accian's godhood.

BTW which level are your pc's after 30 session's in RL??

[Jennifer]

Hi gorthaur,
well at the start of the summer holidays, you must do like all the soaps do and go out with a bang. Accian's player saw a revelation like this one coming and it worried him no end. This is somewhat more original than trapping the main players of the cast in a burning house.

we will start playing again in september and I should be thinking about where it will go from here. Now that the morninglord moves in the world, the god of the true word will make is influence felt as well.

The party is now on the verge of becoming level 6. So still pretty low, but I find it works well. It means they have leveled about every 5 sessions. The players seem to like it as well. But as they are on the verge of becoming rather more powerful, i should supply them with more powerful weapons. I have given Demjana one, but she tries to discard it. (unsuccessfully).

jennifer

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Wow... now that is a cliffhanger all right. Very nice work. I do love the bickering your characters get into, as well.

What was the deal with the underground temple in the Boyar's house? Was is a morninglord temple? or a cult of Erlin? or something else?

[Joël of the FoS]

I loved the interaction with Strahd, and the reaction of the burgomaster. Here's another one that will losse his head soon

Same question for the underground temple - what was happening there?

Joël

[Jennifer]

Hi all,
I have no idea who erlin is and what he does. Strangely enough the party does not seem to be very interested in the underground temple either, even though it is not as if they see those every day.

I was amazed myself that the party took so little interest in Alexei Petrovich and his family even though they are pretty important to the history of one of the characters and even more important to the future of the storyline. They took hardly any interest in the family or in their secret religion.

Oh well, not really my problem if they do not pick up hints.

jennifer

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

IIRC, Erlin is an underground (figuratively, not literally) death cult, growing popular in Gundarak as a bit of national pride. It's in Gaz I. I believe it was Nerull in some 2e products, but name changed in 3e like Bane was to The Lawgiver.

[Jennifer]

Hello everybody,
In the smoking room you can now read my final ravenloft session. The campaign ended rather aprubtly after it became clear that 3 of my 5 players had serious time managment issues. Rather than removing old players and finding new ones, I stopped the campaign alltogether. I did not feel like introducing new players into this tightknit group.

I hope we will be able to come together one more time to play a proper ending to the campaign, but for now this is the last session. This campaign, the players and in no small way your comments have really helped me develop as a GM and as I also immensely enjoyed mastering this campaign, it was a succes all round.

*blows nose loudly and unladylike*

Please let me know what you think of it and what you thought of the campaign as a whole.

Jennifer

[Joël of the FoS]

This last adventure was a lot of fun. Bravo for DMing your campaign that way, it must have been very entertaining.

Sorry it has ended, I would have like to see the result of Gabrielle's scheme against Mallocio...

Joël

[Jennifer]

Hi joel,
Yes, too bad the campaing ended when it did. I too would have liked to have seen how the party would have handled Gabrielle (Demjana was defintiely on a suidcide course, pissing off two darklords). What would they have done about Accian, his celestial father and the signs that all is not as it seems with the cult of the morning lord.

And those were only the direct threats to the party. There were so many things going on in the backgound. Would Scott have married his Rosalinde? Would Raven have a confrontation with Baron Urik? Would Laurent finally have some sort of musical breakthrough, he always seemed the most underdeveloped character to me. What was going on with the Petrovich family?

Really too bad it ended like this, there still so many possibilities to explore.
*start sniffling again*

oh well, perhaps i will start a new campaign in the future. who knows.

Jennifer

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Sad to see the end, but don't despair. Who knows when you might be able to gather the group together again in the future? It could happen.
For a while there, I was expecting a climactic battle with Strahd. What caused them to forgoe the plan of Demjana agreeing to the wedding while the others freed her brother? That would've been one great way to end things...

Still, any time you can use Gabrielle is a good time, in my opinion.

I'm very curious to know what your plans were for the Morninglord/Accian. Feel like sharing? Was there some demon involved in impersonating the Morninglord? (that aura around the temple seemed like a reality wrinkle to me...)