The Curse of Strahd, D&D adventure

Arrival in Barovia

Werewolves in the mists, they'd heard. Werewolves in the mists, eating men, devouring women and snatching away children. These rumours had lead Syn, Kallista and Ekemon to the misty forest. The three friends were a queer sight, gathered around the campfire in the middle of the forest path, not least because Kallista and Ekemon were both Tieflings.

Kallista was a curious sight, even for a Tiefling. As a druid, she had attempted to distance herself from her demonic routes and became in tune with nature, a fact that was evident as she prowled around the campfire, with the grace and menace of a wolf, clutching her battered wooden shield and time-worn scimitar ready for any attack. Her curled raven-black hair was knotted and filled with leaves and twigs, and her horns were wrapped with strands of ivy. The druid gave little care to her appearance, and uttered little, preferring to let her imposing manner do all the talking for her.

Ekemon fulfilled a more stereotypical role for Tieflings, but was no less of an oddity. The Tiefling assassin left his short swords on the ground as he tumbled around on the dirt path, playing with his pet mouse, Kelford. His horns filed down to stumps, to aid with stealth, Ekemon was far from an imposing figure, standing only 3 feet tall. His personality as child-like as his demeanour, Ekemon took a great glee in almost everything he did, and was known to giggle madly and unsettlingly in the heat of battle, as he was doing now as he frolicked with his closest friend.

And that leaves us with Syn. Syn was a little under 6 foot, with a round chubby face and a very big axe, that tended to distract people from his less than intimidating physique. He sat on a tree stump, sharpening said axe, as he gazed into the fire, which glistened eerily off of his chainmail.

The fog began to roll in. The fog for which the misty forest was named was heavy, and a perfect white, opaque wisps of vapour that chilled Kallista to her very soul. She was in tune with the land, and this fog made the land scream. She let out a guttural bear-like roar, a wordless call to arms that roused Syn and Ekemon to their feet around the fire, weapons at the ready, conscious now of the looming threat that awaited them, and yet clueless as to its true nature.

The mists began to fade, and the forest came back into view, but it was different. The trees here were bare and skeletal, like hideous hands clawing at the sky. The dirt path was narrower, and stretched out far into the fog. One thing was certain almost immediately. This was not the same forest as before.

"Fuck this shit!" Declared Ekemon loudly. "I'm going home!" He placed Kelford in a little patch, specially reserved for him and headed out away from the fire, before Syn grabbed him by his hood.

"I wouldn't do that." Syn warned.

"Well, no, you wouldn't, that's because you're utterly crazy. I, on the other hand, remember a very nice inn with a very warm fire, and a very attractive bar tender."

Kallista sniffed the air deeply, then parted her lips, baring her teeth. "Fog evil. Fog cold. Fog returns."

Ekemon and Syn stared at Kallista for a second, before Ekemon blurted "Any chance of translating that from creepy shit to common, please?"

"She's saying the fog will roll in again, and it will do worse than give us the jitters." Syn clarified, gathering the bedrolls into his backpack. "So we have to get to shelter. Fast." He adjusted his grip on his axe and started down the dirt path. Kallista followed him silently and swiftly. Ekemon tutted, readied his swords and started after them, into the unknown.

After a good half an hour of trekking down the path, Kallista came to a sudden stop, raising her scimitar and let out a low growl. The rest of the party stopped and readier their weapons with her, getting into the same defensive circle as before. They knew better than to question Kallista's senses, and their judgement was justified as a gaunt figure with wild hair and bare feet bounded towards them on all fours from the woods. They couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman, from the dirt it was caked in and the baggy gown of tattered and stitched animal skins. It stopped and sniffed the air, before laughing like a lunatic. Suddenly the ground began crawling with twig monsters. 6 creatures of wooden hatred with glowing eyes, around the same height as Ekemon. One of them leapt up at Kallista's face, and raked a splintering claw at her cheek. She knocked it back with her shield, letting out a guttural roar as she did so.