Ox --->Tiger --->Rabbit --->Dragon --->Snake --->Horse Campaign Session #224

 

House of Lament

 

 

Session 224- A Return to Barovia Part 74; Borca 1

6/7/2026

• Fecus finds an under-the-seat trinket.  A tiny spool of black thread 

  that never runs out.

• Tim finds an under-the-seat trinket.  A bottle of invisible ink that can 

  only be read at sunset. 

• Nola ushers Team Rams past the Concession Stand and into the 

  Theater Gift Shop where Rennas sells Tim Lady Fern Plush Dragon  

  Grants Magic Aura once per day. And Fecus Lady Fern Plush 

  Dragon Grants Spider Climb once per day.  Tim buys 10 tins of 

  Darcalus Rex Mints.

• Rennas stamps the programs of everyone but Elise.  He leads them 

  into the Portal Room.  The portal is seemingly an Ivy Arbor filled with 

  mist.

• They walk through the Portal and arrive on a bald hilltop that has a 

  grim black tower and 3 story manor house standing upon it.  It is 

  weather beaten and covered with ivy.  The front door stands open 

  with a light flickering inside as 2 men move equipment in from the 

  porch like they just arrived as well.  Dmitri calls out and identifies 

  himself as the team approach.  He welcomes them and introduces 

  them to his older brother Aurek.

• Aurek tells Team Rams he needs their help with holding a Seance 

  with the Spirit Board.  He explains he is searching for magic to 

  release his wife from her statuette.  Tim provides a Planchette that 

  he found in his hand after the Portal transit.

• Aurek offers payment for exploration of the House of Lament and 

  Seance participation. 200 GP/Day per party member for exploration.  

  100 GP/Seance per party member for participation.

• Seance 1 Theodora introduces herself.  Her message is Seek the 

  Witch Stone = planchette moves to candle image.

• Afterwards they leave Aurek alone in the parlor while they explore.

• Gugula begins experiencing haunting visions in the ballroom and 

  conservatory.  In the ballroom, she joins the side of Lady Silvra.

• In the conservatory, the old implements and pots fly around the room, 

  but don’t hurt anyone.

• They find a doll in the dining room.

• The session ends with the party in the kitchen.  Fecus found a vial of 

  poison in the pantry.

Sagittarius Full Moon Is Over, Now What?

Feed Cat, Carry Wood, Then Roll Dice

 

 

 

 "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." 

-Zen Proverb

 

"Before DMing, chop wood, carry water.  After DMing, chop wood, carry water."

-DM Bast Proverb

 

The Zen version reached my awareness when I was just a shaver... now as a more grizzled version of myself I have adapted it.  So what am I trying to express to you today?  Everyday life happens before and after the game, and it is even happening while the game is being played by you.  And sometimes it intrudes on the magical and liminal space you created within the ritual of the weekly game.  

 

So one of us in the group celebrated a birthday (Happy Belated B-day to you, player of the Mighty Tim!), one of us got sick (me), and now that I am physically recovered I get to go back to handling the wood (get your mind out of wherever it is, lol;).  I'm not the chopper, but I do cart it around and stack it to great effect! 

 

The main campaign should resume this Sunday, barring any unforeseen circumstances.  I think the party's intention was to travel to Borca to locate a Vorpal Sword. 

 

Summer this year might have fewer sessions of the main campaign on deck.  The time for real life adventures is bubbling up.  Thank you for your continued readership.

 

Have you caught up on my Substack, yet?  It is where I post the actual play reports for my solo game(s) and the Year of the Goat Campaign. 

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!