Monday, July 20, 2026

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #229

 

Ritter Estate Hunting Cabin


Session 229- A Return to Barovia Part 79; Borca 6

7/19/2026

  • A scream is heard from Victor’s room in the middle of the night.  

    Tim and Fecus respond to the attack on Victor.

  • Victor’s room is filled with poison gas and a pale, dark-veined 

    woman is trying to escape through the window.

  • Tim casts Telekinesis on the figure and pulls her into melee 

    range of himself and Fecus.  A quick skirmish ends with Tim 

    casting Sleep on her.

  • The Abbot responds during the conflict to remove Victor by 

    flying him out the window of the bedroom.

  • Dmitri arrives at the conflict as the assassin is subdued by 

    Tim’s magic.  Tim and Fecus want to interrogate her; Dmitri 

    suggests the oubliette under the wine cellar in the basement 

    of the house.

  • Dmitri leads Tim and Fecus and their prisoner downstairs 

    through the wine cellar and shows them the hidden trapdoor 

    in the floor and the key to it that hangs on a peg nearby.

  • Dmitri emphasizes the importance of staying quiet and 

    keeping the area clean to minimize the possibility of 

    upsetting Vera, who is focused on preparing the household 

    for its upcoming Summer Garden Party Series event.  He 

    then returns upstairs.

  • Tim and Fecus wait for the assassin to wake up.  When she 

    does, she tries to poison them from her position in the 

    oubliette, but Tim and Fecus were expecting her to do 

    something like that and they are able to step away from the 

    locked grate in the floor and avoid her poison gas cloud.

  • They have a strange conversation with her, trying to ascertain 

    her motives to injure Victor.  She tells them that she was 

    following their group and picked Victor to target, because she 

    saw him as the weakest link in the party.  Tim casts ESP on 

    her while Fecus continues questioning her.  They learn she is 

    not motivated by gold, but a different currency that is not 

    available to them.  Tim is able to get a visual of immense 

    gardens and a veiled figure who appears to control the 

    gardens and adjacent perfumery.  From what they have 

    learned about the Darklords of Borca in their brief time in 

    the domain, they suspect that the figure and gardens are 

    related to Vana Boritsi.  Tim Wizard Locks the oubliette and 

    he and Fecus return to the main floor of the house.

  • When they return to the main floor, they realize that it is 

    breakfast time.  A servant approaches them with letters on a 

    silver platter.  They have received 2 letters, one of them is an 

    invitation to Darklord Ivan Dilisniya’s estate and the other is 

    from Franco Ritter, inviting them to come investigate something 

    at his estate before the Summer Garden Party Series event he 

    is hosting within the week.

  • Anya, the youngest sister, tells Team Rams that Vera, Aurek, 

    and Natalia have left the estate to complete administrative tasks 

    in the city of Sturben.  She gives them a warning that 

    Lord Ivan Dilisniya is so very boring.  Dmitri offers to accompany 

    Team Rams to either the Ritter Estate or the Dilisniya Estate; 

    he's eager to get out of the party planning and social stress of his 

    own household.

  • Team Rams and Dmitri have breakfast and then pack up and 

    leave Esecklae.  Their trip is uneventful as they travel through 

    the Founder’s Forest.

  • They cross the bridge over the Vasha River and begin 

    approaching the hunting cabin they were instructed to meet an 

    employee at as per the letter’s instructions.  Dmitri is familiar with 

    its location; he used to hunt with his brother-in-law Charlie Ritter 

    when Charlie was still alive.

  • Arriving at the hunting cabin, Dmitri knocks and calls out for Mario, 

    the Ritter Estate employee they are supposed to contact.

  • No response at first, then the door quickly opens and Dmitri is 

    pulled inside and the door is slammed shut in the rest of the 

    Team’s faces.

  • Team Rams immediately break into a weird scene going on in 

    the cabin.  There is a summoning circle with a demonic ooze 

    (Adult Oblex) sitting in it.  It is wearing the face of a skeleton and 

    it says “You shouldn’t be here”.  The other weird part is there is a tall, 

    gaunt man standing in the corner over the limp figure of Dmitri, 

    who was chloroformed or otherwise made unconscious.

  • The ooze begins to move outside the circle, inching towards Tim.  

    Tim casts Faerie Fire on the creature and Team Rams quickly kill it.  

    The man in the corner seems sad that the creature is deceased, 

    saying that it was helping him remove painful memories from his mind.  

    He allows Team Rams to collect Dmitri and revive him from his 

    unconscious state.

  • Dmitri suggests that they go talk to Franco Ritter directly, to find 

    out what is really going on here.

  • They leave the hunting cabin, and arrive at the golden arch marking 

    the entrance to the garden of Vetistiqua, the Ritter Estate proper.  

    Waiting at the arch is Franco Ritter who explains that his daughter, 

    Mimsy, has gone missing and he needs her found before the 

    Summer Garden Party Series event in less than a week.  This is 

    the year of her debut.  He is also concerned that the estate needs 

    some slimes and oozes cleaned up before the party.  Team Rams 

    agree to help Franco Ritter find Mimsy and if they have time after that, 

    they will help eradicate the menaces corrupting the estate.

  • Ermordenung (Nostalia Romaine) imprisoned and interrogated = 

    1800 XP

  • Adult Oblex killed = 1800 XP

  • Total XP = 3600 XP

  • Tim and Fecus each receive 1200 XP

  • Gugula and Shelby each receive 600 XP





Friday, July 17, 2026

Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles Session #37

Moving through the Spire of Iron and Crystal

 

 

 

Session 37- Inside the Spire of Iron and Crystal Part 3

6/29/2026

  • Danika and her adventuring party along with Radomir and his 

    adventuring party circle around the first level clockwise to 

    Room #5 and they enter Room #4 without the door trap taking 

    effect, yet.

  • They then go through several already explored Rooms #2, #1, 

    and #12.

  • Entering Room #15, they encounter 3 Slitherrats… 1 escapes 

    using its Special Ability: Slide Through Crystal.  The combined 

    adventuring parties fight and kill the remaining 2 Slitherrats.

  • Moving into Room #16, they find the escaped Slitherrat.  It is 

    quickly dispatched (Danika crits!)

  • In Room #17, they encounter the Korog Technician and 

    2 Oozeanderthals.  In the fight, the Korog Tech uses his Wand of 

    Paralyzation against Pavel successfully, but is ultimately killed.  

    The 2 Oozeanderthals escape after taking damage in the fight.

  • The adventurers chase the 2 Oozeanderthals into Room #18.  

    The monsters escape using the Teleport pad.  The adventurers do 

    not follow.

  • 3 Slitherrats killed = 360 XP

  • Korog Technician killed = 240 XP

  • Wand of Paralyzation (4 Charges)

  • Total XP = 600 XP

  • Danika receives 300 XP

  • Hynek and Pholos each receive 150 XP

Monday, July 13, 2026

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #228

Drinks Before Dinner at the Nuikin Estate

 

 

 

Session 228- A Return to Barovia Part 78; Borca 5

7/11/2026

  • Team Rams and the Nuikins have left the House of Lament 

    as night falls and a rainstorm begins.

  • Dmitri and Aurek suggest camping instead of trying to travel 

    in the downpour.  Team Rams agree and are grateful for the 

    prepared Dmitri, who skillfully sets camp.

  • Dmitri sits the first 2 watches and Fecus takes the 3rd watch.

  • As they move through the Founder’s Forest, Victor seems to 

    be feeling like the party is being followed.  A deer comes 

    crashing across the trail, and he attributes his paranoia to 

    having heard the deer before anyone else noticed it.

  • In the early afternoon, they pass through the village associated 

    with Esecklae, the Nuikin Estate.

  • Arriving at the Nuikin Estate, they are greeted first by Aurek 

    and Dmitri’s youngest sister, Anya Nuikin.  She is beyond 

    delighted that her sister-in-law, Natalia, is alive and well.

  • The oldest sister, Vera, although pleased her sister-in-law is 

    alive and returned to the household, is wondering how this will 

    affect the family’s reputation as the Summer Garden Party Series 

    rapidly approaches.  She’s already re-arranging her schedule 

    and plans, trying to factor how the guests, Team Rams, that her 

    brothers have brought home will affect the delicate social 

    standing that each family maneuvers to improve each and 

    every day, especially during the Summer Garden Party Series.

  • Rams are shown guest rooms by household servants, and they 

    are able to bathe and change into dress clothing that Vera 

    somehow provided in correct sizes for attending the family 

    dinner later.

  • Bathed and correctly dressed, Rams are gathered up by Dmitri, 

    who takes Team Rams to the salon/drawing room adjacent to 

    the dining room and serves them cocktails while they wait for 

    dinner.  Aurek and Natalia arrive in time to briefly chat with the 

    party before the dinner bell rings and everyone is escorted into 

    a lavish and luxurious dining room.

  • Vera asks members of Team Rams if they are willing to join the 

    Nuikin family in attending the different Summer Garden Parties 

    hosted at the various noble estates of Borca.  Tim and Fecus 

    speculate that this could be an excellent cover for searching for 

    the Vorpal Sword.

  • Vera explains the struggles and disappointments of last 

    Summer Garden Party series that she and Anya suffered, 

    partially due to her brothers disappearing before they could be 

    drafted to attend any of the events.  Vera worries that Dmitri’s 

    behaviour might be interpreted as a slight against one of the 

    Domain’s Darklords, Vana Boritsi.  The third sister, Katya Nuikin, 

    also seems to vex her older sister, and she is conspicuous in her 

    absence during dinner.  Dmitri mentioned to Team Rams during 

    the walk through Founder’s Forest, that Katya has been a bit of a 

    wild card since she was widowed by her husband, drowning her 

    sorrows in carousing and gambling.

  • Team Rams agree to attend the first Summer Garden Party event 

    at the Ritter Estate.  That is Katya’s dead husband’s family, and 

    Vera is anxious about this particular event, because she herself 

    can’t attend it; she has other business she must attend.

  • Vera is pleased to have appropriate representation to send to the 

    party and immediately begins making new notes in her appointment 

    book, as the rest of the people at the dinner table finish their meal.

  • After dinner, Victor pulls Tim aside to ask him if he felt like he was 

    being watched while Team Rams was getting ready for dinner.  

    Tim hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary, but suggests that 

    maybe Victor should implement some kind of magical wards on his 

    guest room.










New Moon in Cancer Tomorrow; Mercury Still Retrograde!

Cancer Reluctantly Handing the Baton to Leo

 

 

 

Dear Monday Morning Blog Readers,

The weekly notes for the Ox Gives Way to Tiger Campaign will be posted this evening.  We played Session #228 last night, and there was a bit of a tone shift as the inimitable Team Rams dipped their toes into the social pool of Borca.  I hope this Mercury Retrograde hasn't been too trying for you all!  I'm navigating it ok, but we won't be out of the woods for another week and a half or so.  What about the New Moon in Cancer tomorrow?  What new things will it bring out in the next lunar cycle?  I don't know about anyone else, but as someone with strong Leo placements in my personal chart, I get more excited about late July and the sign change.  The Crab Gives Way to the Lion, and all is fixed, warm, and well.  But hey, don't sleep on the Crab, some of them have a mean right hook, haha!  And they lead they way into the Astrological Summer, so we give thanks for them and their tender insides protected by their hard exteriors;)  

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi to the folks that are showing up to read what I write here about my games and let you know you'll get the next installment of Ox Gives Way to Tiger later today.  And stay tuned later in the week as a new actual play post of Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles get released Friday morning.  I've been alternating running Ctyri Ctvrt Chronicles for my player and he runs his own game for me; so fun to play and not have the pressure of being the DM sometimes!  And it wouldn't be a Moon Cycle post if I didn't mention my Substack.  I have a new (and free) offering over there.  I've expanded the Mock Orange Cairn media empire into video production and I am in the beginning stages of a Solo Campaign that will be updated, hopefully on a weekly basis, but we'll see if that is an achievable pace for me on the production end of things.  For those of you whose particular interest is the Ravenloft setting, the new Solo Campaign is set in several Domains of Dread.

For those looking for a more astrological slant, my advice is very Crab-like today, "Keep the soft insides inside, keep the hardshell hard, and punch above your weight class!"