As we rejoin our heroes
As the battle for the bones continues, our heroes try to destroy the remaining vampire spawn. Jaylin battles the Devil’s bride, charring her flesh with a fireball that easily finds its mark. Tilly steps forward with a strike of her sword and twist of her dagger, but she stumbles against the force of evil in the sacred space. Even as her attempts to strike fall short, Vadu slashes violently in her direction.
Tilly drops to her knees in pain. Aydin steps forward to protect his friend and deals a heavy blow to the fiend before them. Ireena and Vasilli come to the aid of their companions, pushing Ludmilla and Vadu back. There is seemingly no end to the resolve of Strahd’s minions to do the Devil’s bidding, as they appear to bounce back from every strike without missing a single beat.
No End in Sight
What will our heroes do to survive this onslaught and fulfill yet another noble quest?
Term answers the question in everyone’s mind with a blow to Nimira, even as Ireena targets Ludmilla in the same instant. Thaldir reaches a helping, healing hand to his sister-from-another-mister, Tilly. Tilly reaches into her bag to retrieve a healing elixir and regains some of her strength.
She sends inspiration to Aydin, but it seems to have been in vain. Vadu, angered by the comradery of our adventurers, deals a critical slash to Aydin. He returns the crushing favor with a true strike to her face.
Hope continues to fade as Syrren falls with a critical blow from the demonic Nimira. He pulls himself into an open doorway and summons his immovable rod to make a refuge. In the next terrifying moments of battle, Tilly releases her raven to distract the spawn Vadu. He is undaunted and continues to strike and deal her venomous bite.
My Brother’s Keeper
Suddenly, the rugged, strapping Izek runs into the room, shouting for his brother Syrren. “Is my brother safe?” With a mighty blow, he strikes Vadu. Vadu continues to slash wildly. Soon, a bloody Syrren hits Vadu with a searing fireball. Term continues to disarm Nimira with great precision. Ireena disengages to join the battle against Vadu. Fireball proves its worth once again, as Jaylin deals the fatal blow to the menacing Vadu.
Our heroes turn their attention to Nimira, who tries to flee to the door. As he runs by, he angrily bites Aydin, but is thwarted by a blow from Vasili. He strikes at Izek, only to be on the receiving end of his razor sharp weapon. He reels from these attacks, even as Aydin nearly ends his existence with a critical strike.
Nimira proves an even more formidable opponent than Vadu, continuing to hold his ground against a circle of her foes. Though he is taking blows from every side, most ominously from the giant Izek, he continues to slash and bite at every turn. Tilly, once again, is on the receiving end of demonic ire. Izek saves the day with a final fiery mortal strike.
And Then There Was One
All that remains is the Devil’s shrieking bride, Ludmilla. By now, all our heroes are bleeding from deep wounds, and Thaldir lies unconscious on the ground. Ludmilla shows the crew no mercy, and it’s clear our heroes have resolved to treat her similarly. With every shred of damage to the evil beast, she seems to heal more quickly.
The Plight of Pyrrus
When the day seemed darkest, the band of noble warriors deals a succession of crippling, thrashing blows, with the large-and-in-charge Aydin dealing the fantastic, final blow.
With this Pyrric victory, they drive a final stake through each of the vampire spawn, secure the church doors, and prepare their bunks.
And now, they settle in for a much needed rest on the sacred ground they defended with their lives. One wonders what tomorrow will bring…