Episode 55

This is Episode 55 of Dice, Camera, Action.

The Party
(Anna) Evelyn - Human Paladin of Lathander

(Holly) Strix - Tiefling Sorcerer

(ProJared) Diath - Human Rogue

(Nathan) Paultin - Human Bard

(Sam Witwer) Mordenkainen, the Mad Mage

Vasilka
Paultin's shadow has pulled the group back into Barovia so that Paultin can link up with the dark powers and his shadow can link up with him. The dark powers want Paultin to be the new ruler of Barovia. To do this, Paultin will have to marry the flesh golem bride, Vasilka.

Paultin and the Abbot are facing off in the chapel where the wedding is about to take place. The rest of the group is on the roof of the chapel.

The heroes are on the roof, planning to disrupt the wedding somehow. A wereraven boy lands on the roof and tells the group that help is on the way, and to wait for them.

The situation between Paultin and the Abbot is diffused. As the situation was diffusing, Escher was messing with the rotting corpse of Falkon. Later, Paultin smells corpse-stink on Escher's hand and was about to ask when Vasilka enters the room. Escher asks where her bridesmaids are.

Vasilka opens her mouth to speak. She makes a croaking noise.

Doru's Return
Up on the roof, the church bells ring. The belfry is right above the group. The doors to the chapel open and a line of ghosts enter.

Doru spots the group and crawls up to the rooftop. Evelyn approaches him, friendly. She tries to grab him and rolls a natural 20! He turns into a bat.

Down below, Escher says that it's time. He's all keyed up. The witches are supposed to be the bridesmaids, but they've gone missing.

Paultin finally gets to asking about Escher's hand smelling gross, Escher takes him to see the corpse. It's Falkon. Escher says that he blames Strahd for his death. Escher's plan is for the wedding to happen, and then once it is complete, they'll kill Paultin's shadow. There's only one thing that can hurt the shadow. The sunsword!

Up above, Strix uses magic to make herself look like Strahd.

The wedding starts. The group is about to spring into action. The wereraven kid tells them to wait - it's not time.

The Wedding
The ceremony starts. Paultin's shadow looms near the altar, watching intently as the Abbot performs the ceremony. It's not so much a wedding as an incantation. Evelyn gets the sense that once Paultin says "I do", the spell is completed and Paultin will be the new ruler, trapped in Barovia.

Doru points out that Evelyn that is a construct. She could marry Paultin and embrace the darkness. Evelyn is deeply offended at the idea of embracing evil and starts going off on him about Lathander.

Suddenly, a mob of villagers led by Ismark breaks into the church. The group can see that Ismark had already beheaded 3 of the witches and he's holding their severed heads.

Wereravens are with him, as is Mordenkainen, who is drinking buttermilk!

Evelyn tackles Paultin and demands to know if he was actually going to marry the golem. Paultin doesn't answer.

The Abbot strikes her with his mace for 25 points. Escher grabs Paultin and pulls him to his feet.

Mordenkainen saw to it that the villagers all have polearms - each a different type.

Return of Ireena
The group sees that the Abbot tinkered with the golem. Vasilka now has Ireena's head. The head is frozen with the same scream on her face that she had when Strix accidentally knocked her off the nightmare and she fell to her death.

Diath is horrified when he spots the brooms of the witches flying right toward him.

Strix wants a broom to keep. She grabs one and she's pulled off her feet. Diath leads the brooms on a chase.

Ismark is going after the bride. Escher tries to stop him, but Ismark pushes him into a fire.

The villagers drag down the Abbot. Mordenkainen uses Bigby's crushing hand to do a lot of damage to the bride.

Paultin spots his shadow creeping up on Evelyn. He runs over and attacks it. Natural 20! The shadow is obliterated! It scatters like a bunch of bats. He hears Strahd's voice howl. It looks like Paultin successfully destroyed what was left of Strahd.

Lightning hits the chapel. The dark powers are not happy. The roof crumbles. Strix, luckily, is outside the building, flying on the broom.

The only creature still on the roof when this happens is Waffles.The owlbear falls. Diath catches her.

A chunk of the roof falls on Escher.

In the sky, the clouds take the form of a giant face. It looks like Strahd. Lightning flashes and Strahd's visage is torn apart. The chapel flickers between night and day.

Mordenkainen realizes that this flickering indicates that there's a fracture in time. If the group stays here, they're going to travel either to the past or the future.

Izek throws a ball of flame at Diath and calls out, "Lorcatha scum!"

Diath is getting beat down by the witch brooms. Strix casts dispel magic and all of them clatter to the floor. The one remaining broom lands next to Strix and pats her. It doesn't want to be dispelled. Strix keeps it.

The waffle crew is fading away. They're going back in time. Mordenkainen hands them a 10 foot pole, an iron spike, a flask of oil and buttermilk.

End of session.