Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #223

 

Front Row Seats to Lady Fern Tenebre's Puppet Show

 

 

Session 223- A Return to Barovia Part 73; Darkon 10

5/17/2026

• The 2nd Strahd Puppet contains “Who’s Your Darklord?  

  Puppet Show presented by Lady Fern Tenebre” tickets.

• They beach their canoes and hike towards Lady Fern’s lair, 

  using the provided map.

• As they move through the last mile of foggy forest, they 

  encounter spider webs and trapped small prey.  Eventually, 

  the last quarter mile yields an audience of Giant Spiders 

  whispering about Arach Nacha and Tiamat forbiddance against 

  touching Team Rams on their approach to Lady Fern’s lair, 

  for now.

• Approaching the pool and waterfall, they see a ticket booth 

  at the top of the path that winds behind the middle of the waterfall.

• They recognize Rennas Quillhand, apprentice librarian, as 

  the ticket taker.  He waves and asks for them to present their 

  tickets. 

• Team Rams walk up to the ticket booth and give Rennas 

  their tickets.  He stamps everyone' s hand or wrist with a 

  green leaf stamp.  Or is it a dragon scale?

• Nola, the housekeeper from Riverview Rest Inn, meets them 

  at the waterfall and ushers them into the main chamber of this 

  cave complex that is large enough to have a pool with an island.  

  The island is somewhat obscured by a green and gray patchwork 

  stage curtain.

• There are theater seats at the edge of the pool.  They have 

  snack bags sitting on each seat.  Nola gestures for Rams to 

  seat themselves.

• A light shines from a balcony upon the island and the curtain 

  disappears, revealing Lady Fern.

• She presents the following puppets in an extended and mocking 

  show:

• Elise and the Infinite Mountain, left pinky claw

• Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, left ring claw

• Azalin Rex, left thumb claw

• Darcalus Rex, right thumb claw

• Ivan Dilisnya, right pinky claw

• Vana Boritsi, right ring claw

• She offers the adventuring party the opportunity to travel to Borca 

  through a portal she controls.  She mentions something called the 

  Game of Domains….

• She throws the Elise Puppet to Elise, followed by the Dr. Viktra 

  Puppet.

• When they ask about Patrina, Lady Fern says she’s unimportant 

  and is a pawn to vampires.

• Someone asks Lady Fern about Elyra, she gets very intense and 

  tells them that Elyra is HERS.

• When the offer to allow transit to Borca is presented, Lady Fern 

  explains she will allow Team Rams to re-enter Darkon when they 

  are finished in Borca, except for Elise, who she seems to dislike.

• Lady Fern reveals that she killed Patrina’s brother Kasimir.

• Her puppet show wraps up.  End session.

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #222

 

Lady Fern and her Darklord Puppets

 

 

Session 222- A Return to Barovia Part 72; Darkon 9

5/10/2026

• Team Rams quietly paddle the 3 canoes back to Nevuchar Springs 

  with their fallen comrade Fritigern’s corpse.

• When they arrive back at the river docks near sunset, they get 

  funerary materials for Fritigern’s burial at sea.

• They row out and say goodbye to their adventuring companion.  

  Words are said before the lit arrow is fired at Fritigern’s pyre.

• Team Rams row back to town and go have a drink at the Riverview 

  Rest Inn.  They learn that Patrina and Elyra arrived down at the beach 

  near the Shrine of Ezra that morning.  Elyra was quickly taken by 

  figures from a canoe on the river.  Toret Lirael saved Patrina from 

  drowning with little thanks.  Patrina Teleports away from Nevuchar 

  Springs.

• Phinara, the owner of Riverview Rest Inn, mentions her housekeeper, 

  Nola, disappeared either late last night or very early this morning.

• Team Rams decide to go speak to Toret Lirael to learn more about 

  what happened on the beach.  Toret Lirael was cleaning the Shrine 

  of Ezra that morning when Patrina and Elyra arrived suddenly at the 

  beach.  Patrina had landed in the surf and was tangled in seaweed 

  and possibly drowning; Elyra landed further up the beach and seemed 

  ok. Toret Lirael went to assist Patrina.  While doing that, a canoe with 

  3 figures in robes rowed up to the beach and Elyra was collected and 

  rowed away.

• Patrina nearly attacks Toret Lirael during the rescue from drowning.  

  She then Teleports away.

• Shelby casts Augury: Weal (Woe actually) to follow the canoe.

• Gugula uses the Luba’s Tarokka Deck to cast Scrying on Patrina.  

  Patrina fails her Save Vs. Magic.  They observe her in a city to the 

  west, petitioning vampires of the Kargat to pursue Team Rams, who 

  she says are in league with Strahd and the Eternal Order in Nevuchar 

  Springs.

• That night, Team Rams camp at the Shrine of Ezra.

• The next morning, they buy another canoe and paddle quietly up the 

  Vuchar River.  They name their canoes Pinto (#1), Santa Maria (#2), 

  and Nina (#3).  As they near the Shroud upstream, they are observed.

• Lady Fern Tenebre flies out of the Shroud and lands on the Vuchar 

  River bank, introduces herself, and reveals the Tiny Doll/Puppet 

  Strahd.

• She throws him into Shelby and Victor’s canoe, Nina.

• Then she pulls out 2 more puppets from under her wing, another 

  Strahd and an Azalin Rex.  She then puts on a mocking puppet show 

  with the 2 tiny darklords.

• Shelby pours Holy Water all over the Tiny Puppet Strahd.  It dissolves 

  into an ashy goo in the bottom of the canoe.

• Lady Fern flings the other 2 puppets into the Pinto and Santa Maria 

  and says she needs to make new puppets.  She then invites Team 

  Rams to come visit her in her lair while she constructs more puppets.

• The Azalin Puppet had landed in the Santa Maria.  Fecus found a map 

  to Lady Fern’s lair in the Azalin Puppet.

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #221

 

The Font of Darcalus Rex

 

 

Session 221- A Return to Barovia Part 71; Darkon 8

5/3/2026

• While the Green Shadow Dragon disappears into the Shroud, 

  Fritigern sprints into the Gloaming Spire. 

• The various dolls in Team Rams backpack gesture to get the 

  attention of Gugula and Fecus.  The party run after Fritigern 

  and encounter the deadly situation of a Slithering Tracker 

  emerging from the Font of Darcalus Rex.  The Slithering Tracker 

  kills Fritigern as he calls out the name of his wife and children 

  and begs to see their faces.

• Team Rams fight and kill the Slithering Tracker and proceed to 

  the 2nd floor that is open and empty.

• On the 3rd floor, Shelby and the Abbot fail their Save Vs. Magic 

  and have divinatory hallucinations.

• Shelby has a vision of Fritigern reaching towards power, 

  then the Green Shadow Dragon, then herself.

• The Abbot feels both memory loss and soul fragmentation.

• On the top of the Gloaming Spire, Shelby fails another Save Vs. 

  Magic, and again has a strange vision.

• Shelby has a vision she is pulled towards the Font and it 

  introduces itself as her Darklord, Darcalus Rex.

• Slithering Tracker killed = 700 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive = 233 XP

• Gugula and Shelby each receive = 117 XP

Happy Full Moon in Scorpio

Solo Grinder Session #13

 

 

 

Solo Grinder #13 actual play is out.  

The Substack has the Solo Grinder Campaign actual play reports and the Year of the Goat Campaign actual play reports exclusively.  And free;)  Year of the Goat Campaign is a mostly one-on-one Lamentations of the Flame Princess game.  It is set in the same world as the Ox--->Tiger Campaign (when that campaign is not twirling through the Mists of Ravenloft).  Solo Grinder is my first Solo RPG actual play experience.  Base rules are Scarlet Heroes by Kevin Crawford, but many mods have since accrued in 13 sessions.  Fun stuff!  Happy Full Moon in Scorpio!

Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #220

 

Lady Fern Tenebre

 

 

Session 220- A Return to Barovia Part 70; Darkon 7

4/26/2026

• The party buys 3 canoes to traverse the Whispering Swamp.  

  The produce merchant that sells them the canoes warns the 

  swamp lives up to its name with strange whispers luring 

  travelers into traps and dangerous creatures, such as a Gnoll 

  pack.

• Tim casts Mend on all the canoes before the teams board.

• Boat 1 Tim, Gugula, and the Abbot

• Boat 2 Fecus and Elise

• Boat 3 Shelby, Fritigern, and Victor

• At sunset the 3 canoes depart in a light drizzle, weaving through 

  some confused channels and getting a little off course before 

  finding the defined channel through the first third of the swamp.  

  Shelby casts Giant Strength on Fecus.

• During the second third of the swamp they paddle through a thick 

  fog, hearing giggles and whispers, but they remain on course.

• The last third of the trip is foggy, the giggles and whispers continue 

  until the Gloaming Spire.

• Tim and Fecus “suit up”.  Each have a way to Fly (Tim has the 

  Cloak of the Bat, Fecus has a Magic Carpet) a way to be Invisible, 

  and Fecus uses his X-Ray ring to view the interior of the 

  Gloaming Spire.

• The members of the team that stayed on the ground by the boats 

  are attacked by 4 Gnolls.  Two Gnolls are 1 shotted by PCs then 

  Elise stuns the last 2 Gnolls.

• Something hurls Fire Bolt, then Cone of Cold down at the flying 

  and invisible Tim and Fecus.  The CoC is hard on Fecus when he 

  fails his Save.  Tim made his Save, so only took half DMG.

• Tim casts Dispel Magic and Patrina’s Invisibility is dispelled.  She is 

  now visible at the top of the Gloaming Spire.

• Fecus uses Sovereign Flame power to Fly up and not reach Patrina 

  in time as she Teleports herself and Elyra away from the 

  Gloaming Spire.

• After the party recovers for a minute after the quick fight with Gnoll 

  and Patrina, the team notices the sun rises and a Green Shadow 

  Dragon slowly flies out of the Shroud to circle before sitting on top 

  of the Gloaming Spire.

• She laughs and says “You let her escape.  She has probably 

  returned to the Grotto.”  Then Lady Fern Tenebre flies back into 

  the Mist.

• Tiamat’s voice in Tim and Shelby’s head “She is one of my 

  Daughters.”

• 2 Gnolls killed = 94 XP

• 4700 GP = 4700 XP

• Carnelian 50 GP = 50 XP

• Tourmaline 100 GP = 100 XP

• Total XP = 4944 XP

• Tim and Fecus each receive 1648 XP

• Gugula and Shelby each receive 824 XP