Arc E The Missing Vistana

The Town Square §

The town square shows some signs of life. There’s people all around, some going in and out of various shops and houses. There’s stalls that appear to have been possibly for a farmers market at one point, although they are long abandoned and mostly falling apart. You see remnants of banners and confetti littered around. All around various posts you can see posters saying The Wolf’s Head Jamboree. Some kids are playing with toys near a tree while their parents watch from a nearby bench.

Blinsky Toys §

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This cramped shop has a dark entrance portico, above which hangs a wooden sign shaped like a rocking horse, with a “B” engraved on both sides. Flanking the entrance are two arched, lead-framed windows. Through the dirty glass, you see jumbled displays of toys and hanging placards bearing the slogan “Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!”

Entering the store, you see working on a toy behind the counter a heavyset man, in his early 30s. He has a dark beard, and is wearing a jesters cap that has claerly been eaten to death by moths. On his shoulder, staring down at his work, is a small monkey wearing what looks to be a tutu.

The man looks up to see you all enter. “Wyelcome, friends, to the House of Blinsky, where hyappiness and smiles can be bought at bargain prices. Perhaps you know a leetle child in need of joy? A leetle toy for a girl or boy?”

Creepy Toys in Blinskys §

• A headless doll that comes with a sack of attachable heads, including one with its eyes and mouth stitched shut (price 9 cp)
• A miniature gallows, complete with trapdoor and a weighted “hanged man” (price 9 cp)
• A set of wooden nesting dolls; the smaller each one gets, the older it gets, until the innermost doll is a mummified corpse (price 9 cp)
• A wood-and-string mobile of hanging bats with flapping wings (price 9 cp)
• A wind-up musical merry-go-round with figures of snarling wolves chasing children in place of prancing horses (price 9 sp)
• A ventriloquist’s dummy that looks like Strahd von Zarovich (price 9 sp)
• A music box that depicts a weasel chasing a small primate around a workbench of some sort.
• A pipe organ that uses the moving air to move colorful flags shaped like those wacky waving inflatable tube man things. Looking closer you can see each one is painted like a person dying in a horrible way
• A puzzle of magnets that, when assembled correctly with the right dice roll, becomes an animate creature for 5 minutes. The “solution” and the resulting animal is different for everyone.
• A silver clockwork goose that becomes animate but is coin-operated. Lesser coins provoke a worse temperament for the goose.
• A coin-operated mechanical pony with no head, that normally cantors along a per-programmed route. There’s a small chance it breaks and bucks the rider off.
• A mechanical scribe shaped like a gnomish child that writes dirty limericks.
• A miniature siege engine that can shoot copper coins with decent speed and accuracy.
• A fortune-telling machine that issues fortunes by randomly dispensing color-coded marbles.
• A small monkey in a tutu similar to the one on Blinskys shoulder, except this one has a cigar with a constant smoke emitting from the tip
• A doll that looks remarkably like Ireena Kolyana (not for sale; see below)
  • Blinsky makes special dolls for the burgomaster’s henchman, Izek Strazni (see area N3 and appendix D). Izek doesn’t pay for the dolls but instead threatens to burn down Blinsky’s shop unless the toymaker delivers a new doll every month. Every doll is modeled on a description given to Blinsky by Izek, and each doll has been closer to capturing Ireena’s likeness than the last. file:///C:/Users/Matthew%20Gardner/Downloads/413410-d100_Blinsky_Toys.pdf As the characters explore the shop, Blinsky cheerfully tells them about his inspiration for making toys: the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg, and his greatest invention that was lost to the ages: a clockwork man said to lie somewhere in Castle Ravenloft.

If the players ask Blinsky about the doll resembling Ireena Kolyana (see Creepy Dolls, p. 118), he anxiously insists that it is not for sale and asks them to choose another toy. If the players demand an explanation for its eerie resemblance, they can coax a fearful Blinsky to share what he knows with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion or Intimidation) check or by taking the doll for themselves. Blinsky is clearly terrified of Izek’s wrath, and will do anything to ensure that the doll is delivered on time.

If the players ask Blinsky about Piccolo, he can inform them that he received the monkey just over three months ago, from a traveling scholar named Alanik Ray.

As the characters exit Blinsky Toys, they can see Izek Strazni and two guards arrive to post new proclamations, as described in N8. Town Square (p. 119).

Vistani Camp §

Exiting the town to the Southwest you head towards the forest. A short ways in, the trees part and you see a small grass covered hill with low houses built into its sides. Fog obscures the details, but you can see that these buildings have elegantly carved woodwork and decorative lantenrs hanging from their eaves. Atop the hill, above the fog, is a ring of barrel-topped wagons that surround a large tent with a column of smoke pouring out through a hole in the top. The tent is brightly lit from within, and even at this distance, you can smell the odors of wine and horses that emanate from this central area.

The Vistani Encampment §

Horses §

The hilltop is covered with steaming piles of horse dung. More than two dozen horses are tethered to stone blocks inside the circle of wagons but outside the tent. Most of the animals are draft horses, but a few of them are riding horses equipped with saddles.

• 24 draft horses and 6 riding horses are tethered here

Luvash’s Wagon §

This barrel-topped wagon is nicer that the others. Drapes of golden silk hang in the windows, and the wheels have gold, sun-shaped hubcaps. An iron chimney pipe protrudes from the roof.

Luvash’s wagon is a mess inside. Empty wineskins, dirty clothes, and mangy furs are strewn about. A small hammock strung across the width of the wagon under the driver’s seat serves as Arabelle’s bed. A burlap doll with button eyes lies in the hammock; Arabelle has no other possessions.

A small iron stove in the middle of the wagon keeps the interior warm.

Treasure. The wagon’s “golden sun” hubcaps are worth 125 gp apiece (500 gp total).

Wagon of Sleeping Vistani §

Heavy snores come from within the wagon, nothing of note around though.

Wagon of Gambling Vistani §

Loud voices and laughter spill from this barrel topped wagon. You hear some clanging of drinks, rolling of dice, and shouts of joy from inside.

The Vistani Tent §

As you duck inside the tent, you hear the sound of splintering wood and shattering ceramic. Blinking through the haze of smoke that fills the interior, you see three sputtering campfires burning low with embers. A total of six Vistani sit around the hearths, watching the source of the commotion with solemn, sympathetic looks.

A shirtless young man kneels on the dead grass by the center of the tent, his eyes downcast and his face pale. Beside him, a broken wooden crate sits amidst a pile of broken pottery shards, several of which are still wobbling from the force of impact.

A dozen feet from the kneeling youth stands an older, larger man wearing studded leather armor and a thick, well-trimmed beard. His eyes are bloodshot, and his right hand is trembling. He appears to be leaning his weight against a makeshift wooden crutch for support; looking down, you see that his lower right leg is wrapped in blood-stained bandages.

“You were supposed to keep her safe!” the larger man bellows hoarsely. He whirls, his hand grabbing blindly as if for something else to throw. Sweat beads on his forehead, and he chokes back a sob of rage. “My little girl! And now—”

He wavers unsteadily—and stumbles. In a blink, a third man, also clad in studded leather and wearing a fine-trimmed goatee, steps out from his shadow and catches the larger man on his shoulder before he falls. “Easy, brother,” the third man murmurs. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.” He glances up and catches sight of you, his brow tightening almost imperceptibly. “And it would appear that we have company.”

The shirtless man is Alexei. The larger man is Luvash. The man with the goatee is Arrigal.

If the players do not respond first, Luvash hails them warily and—leaning back on his crutch to conceal any weakness—asks them their business. If the players share that they have come to deliver Madam Eva’s gift, Luvash tells them that Arabelle—his daughter—has recently gone missing.

Luvash can share the following information with the players:

• One day before the players’ arrival in Vallaki, Luvash’s nephew, Alexei, was tasked with watching Arabelle play in the nearby woods while Luvash mediated a dispute between two Vistani families.
• Instead of watching Arabelle, Alexei got drunk on wine. When he woke up, Arabelle was gone.
• Alexei claims that Yan, a long-time member of the encampment, gave him the wine and had vanished when Alexei awoke.
• Luvash led the search for Arabelle, joining more than a dozen Vistani and nearly that many dusk elf scouts from the hovels below the hill. Luvash himself had to return to the encampment after his right leg was caught in a wolf trap, leaving him too wounded to walk.
• The search parties haven’t yet found Arabelle. However, a dusk elf named Savid found Yan’s decapitated body lying in bloody grass near the Luna River, surrounded by signs of a fight.
• Savid also found a strange signet ring lying in the grass, which seemed to have been dropped in the struggle. Luvash gave it to Kasimir, the dusk elves’ leader and foremost scholar, to identify, but hasn’t received any useful news or information.

Luvash believes that the sigil on the signet ring may lead him to Arabelle’s location. Though Kasimir has been unable to make sense of it, Baron Vargas Vallakovich of Vallaki is rumored to own an impressive library of books, which could hold the key to identifying the ring. However, the Vistani and dusk elves are forbidden from entering the town.

Luvash asks the players to recover the ring from Kasimir, then research its sigil in Baron Vallakovich’s library. Should the players return to him with actionable information about Arabelle’s whereabouts—or, better yet, Arabelle herself—Luvash promises to give them a valuable reward. (If pressed, Luvash can promise the players a sum of 500 gp—or an assortment of treasure worth as much or more.)

If the players accept Luvash’s mission, he directs them to E2b. Dusk Elf Hovels to meet with Kasimir.

Note

If the players offer to track Arabelle from the place she disappeared, Luvash can direct them to a point near the Luna River, about a mile south of P. Luna River Crossroads (p. 40). As the players travel there, they pass through [E5a. Luna River Bridge](https://www.strahdreloaded.com/Act+II+-+The+Shadowed+Town/Arc+E+-+The+Missing+Vistana#E5a. Luna River Bridge) and [E5b. Luna River Crossroads](https://www.strahdreloaded.com/Act+II+-+The+Shadowed+Town/Arc+E+-+The+Missing+Vistana#E5b. Luna River Crossroads).

A player who searches the area where Arabelle disappeared and makes a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check can identify three sets of adult-sized footprints in the muddy grass nearby. One of the sets comes from the north and ends in the grass; the second set comes from the north, then continues to the southwest and ends at the base of a tree trunk thirty feet away; and the third set comes from the western woods and continues toward the river bank, where it ends. No tracks continue from the opposite side of the river.

A player who inspects the footprints and makes a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check can discern, from the pattern of movement and bloodstains on the grass, that the first and third individual briefly fought, and the first one died. The second individual then fled, vanishing into the canopy of the trees. The third individual, carrying something heavy—perhaps the weight of a child—then waded into the river.

Because the river has washed any traces away, the third individual’s trail can’t be followed any further. (Searching the entire length of the Luna River for the third individual’s precise exit point is a fool’s errand, and an impossible task.)

The Dusk Elf Hovels §

You see scattered about the hovels about 10 guards keeping watch. There’s nothing else to callout, each house looks about the same with the ornate wood decoration and lanterns hanging.

• Talking to guards
  • Where are Vistani? - At the top of the hill
  • Where is Kasimirs Hovel? - gives directions. “Kasimir did just return from a long and arduous journey though. Don’t disturb him beyond what you must.”

Kasimirs Hovel §

There are three guards clad in gray cloaks standing watch over this house. They have angular features and long black flowing hair half hidden under their cowls.

You enter into a small, cozy vestibule several degrees warmer than the chill mists outside. The walls of this small chamber are decorated with hanging sketches and portraits of proud and wise-looking elves with dark skin, tree-borne spires carved of dark wood, and artistic depictions of constellations and celestial bodies. Two curtains of dark brown fabric obscure the entrance to another chamber beyond.

Beyond the curtains lie a larger chamber, lit and heated by a fireplace at the north end. An old green rug sits facing the fire, just beside an old wooden table flanked by several chairs. The left-side wall of this comfortable room bears a dozen cubbyholes bearing leather-bound books and small wooden statuettes of elven figures, while the wall to the right bears a faded tapestry of a lush and beautiful forest beneath a noonday sun.

Sitting on the green rug, facing the fire, meditating is a man. He has long gray robes that are tattered at the edges from age. His robes differ from the rest with red decoration and trim. His hair is long and black, his skin dark. He turns to look at you, “Hello? Welcome, what is it you require?” he says, seemingly discomforted and confused by your presence. You can see that he recently sustained a black eye and several cuts across his cheek. His right hand and forearm are almost a pale blueish white, the skin puffy and blistered.

KASIMIR IS LIKE DOCTOR STRANGE in how he speaks and acts

• DC 12 medicine check identifies his arm as having frostbite

The Ring §

If the players ask for the signet ring, he produces it from his cloak and wishes them luck, noting that he could not identify it himself—odd, he thinks, given his knowledge of pre-Barovian heraldry and his long history in the valley. (He isn’t sure whether the Baron’s library might hold more information, but believes it a lead worth pursuing.) The symbol on the signet ring resembles the connected series of lines depicted on V2. Tower Door (p. 169), but rotated counterclockwise such that the shape is vertically symmetrical. A tiny arcane rune has been carved into the metal above each of the two unconnected ends of the series of lines.

Kasimir notes that the runes are the symbols of the evocation (left) and necromancy (right) schools of magic, respectively, but confesses that the ring has shown no reaction to any kind of magic.

His Injuries §

If the players ask Kasimir about his injuries, he claims that he had been hiking across Mount Ghakis, but fell when the frozen bluff he’d been walking on crumbled beneath his weight. If the players ask him why he was visiting Mount Ghakis, he discloses only that he was searching for something of personal significance. (If the players push harder, Kasimir politely asks them to avoid intruding too deeply into his private matters.)

History of the Dusk Elves §

Kasimir will share the following tale

Even now, nearly five centuries past, the memories are sharp and clear in my mind, like shards of broken glass. I was a mere century old when my people lost their freedom—when the tyranny of the von Zarovich clan rose like a shadow across the land.

It was not Strahd that shattered the peace, but his father, King Barov von Zarovich II. In those days, our people dwelled in Othrondil, the Forest of Twilight. A council of princes ruled us, led by Erevan Löwenhart, my uncle and a master in the art of bladesong. When King Barov’s eyes fell upon our lands, he demanded our fealty—our tribute to the borders of old Zarovia, the kingdom his ancestors once ruled. Erevan, who practiced the style of the lion and bore the lion’s sigil, was never one to bow, however, and refused. His act of defiance ignited the fires of war.

Barov’s conquest was swift and brutal. His forces, joined by Rahadin, my cousin, and a traitor to our people, laid waste to our kingdom. I was a mage and scribe in Erevan’s court—I saw Rahadin shatter Erevan’s blade and execute his family, marking the end of the royal line. My people were subjugated; those that resisted were hunted like rabbits.

Barov ruled over us with an iron fist—and when he died and his son, Strahd, came to power, we rose in rebellion, leading the charge for freedom. But Strahd was even more cunning and cruel than his sire. He quashed our revolt in a matter of days, and slaughtered our people in a genocide that left less than a hundred alive. He left us, the survivors, to the mercies of the Vistani, who took us into their caravans and led us to sanctuary in this valley.

Strahd’s hunger for conquest, however, was endless. Within a year, the last of his enemies had fallen, and he had claimed the valley for his own, naming it “Barovia.” We found ourselves trapped, imprisoned in the heart of our conqueror’s new empire. By then, however, we had built a home here, and chose to remain—hoping, in our heart of hearts, that the Vistani’s kindness would keep us safe. And so here we have remained ever since.

Random other things §

If asked about the different factions and locations throughout Barovia, Kasimir can provide the following information:

• The Forest Folk. “Their ancestors first discovered this valley thousands of years ago. They are a reclusive people, however, and today serve the Devil and his servants.”
• Argynvostholt. Kasimir shares the information in Vallaki Lore (p. 96).
• The Amber Temple. Kasimir pauses thoughtfully, then shares that the Order of the Silver Dragon was once rumored to guard “secrets hidden in amber,” and that their revenants and spirits yet haunt Argynvostholt to this day.
• The Werewolf Den. Kasimir shares that the werewolf pack has historically been bloodthirsty and brutal, but become far more reserved—even peaceful—a decade after Strahd entered hibernation. “I presume it was a change of leadership,” he notes, “following the absence of pressure from the castle. With Strahd awoken, however, their aggression has reemerged.” (Kasimir doesn’t know where their den is, but knows that their activities have historically been focused on the western half of the valley.)

Lake Zarovich §

The path ahead is uneven, littered with pebbles and overgrown in parts by moss and wild grass. To the left, the trees of the Svalich Wood stand tall and foreboding; to the right, a chill breeze sweeps in from the lake, tinged with a faint, brackish scent and the damp earthiness of old silt. Other than the mournful croak of a distant raven, the only sound that breaks the eerie silence is the squelching of mud beneath your feet and the quiet lapping of the waves against the shore.

It’s not long, however, before the air is tinged with the faint scents of fur and a familiar, metallic tang. Ahead, you can hear the sound of rushing water, and see a place where the dark waters of the lake flow swiftly into a river that disappears southward into the dark woods.

A small, crudely built shack stands tucked away near the water’s edge, its timbers worn and weathered with age. Not far away lies an old stone slab, resting on a cracked, mossy stone circle.

• The wolf hunters are home when they visit
• They visit during the day around noon after picking up the first silvered weapon
• If the players choose to investigate the slab, they find that it bears a carving of a butterfly, the grooves lined with lichen and moss. Szoldar and Yevgeni don’t know what it means

You knock on the door and hear some grumbles from inside, and what sounds like the slamming of a knife into wood. Heavy footsteps approach the door and it swings open. You see an older looking man with longer black hair. He’s got a short beard and moustache, and plenty of scars on his face from battle with all sorts of creatures you can imagine. His cloak is made of wolfskin with tons of stitch marks connecting various pieces together and a fur lining.

“What is it you want?”

Answers

• Yevgeni will quickly call for Szoldar if they inquire about guide or directions

Yevgeni heads back in towards a table where he is skinning a large dead wolf. Szoldar comes towards you, wiping his hands of some old blood. He is a fair bit older than Yevgeni, balding with gray hair. He has a large beard matted and tangled together from years in the woods.

• Szoldar will give directions should the players request as long as the players promise a round of drinks when they return
  • Exit Vallaki from the western Sunset Gate, then cross the bridge that fords the Luna River.
  • Take the northern branch of the Luna River crossroads, which is marked “Lake Baratok” on a nearby signpost.
  • Continue down the path as it bends through the woods, before ultimately arriving at the lake.
• He will offer for the two to serve as guides and travel help if paid, 5gp, much more should they need to go into the night as that is far more dangerous
• Regardless of choice, he will say “Fair warning, there are many a werewolf on the Svalich Road and the northern path. The local pack tends to hunt nearby, especially around Lake Baratok. They’ve gotten much more agressive lately, I expect a new alpha has taken over more reckless than the last. Not sure where the den is but keep an eye out for anything strand or unusual in your travels.”

Entering the shack

The walls of this cramped shack are stained dark with age and use. Knives, cleavers, traps, and chains hang from the walls, each one well-cleaned and oiled. Animal pelts hang from the rafters, their empty eyes seeming to watch you as you pass.

Leaving the shack Aum Naum. You are aware of a feeling growing inside you. Your mouth kind of…watering a bit. Those dream pastries. They’re pretty good. Make a constitution check. DC 14

• If success, no problems right now. (Will have nightmares tonight due to not eating a dream pastry) Next DC is 10. Addiction ends at 6 (need to resist for 3 days OR just not eat one for 7 days will work too)
• If fail, since there is no dream pastry nearby, you have disadvantage on skill checks (not attack rolls, just skill checks) and ALSO have nightmares
• If fail and you DO have a dream pastry, gain 1d10 temp hp and you have good dreams. Next DC is 16

Svalich Road §

You head back to Vallaki and then set off on the path towards the Luna River Crossroads. The path narrows here, flanked by dense, towering trees. Up ahead, you can see an old wooden bridge come into view, its age-worn planks spanning the rushing river below. As you approach, you can see the dark river tumbling over the smooth stones of the riverbed, bordered on either side by gnarled bushes and trees.

As you step onto the bridge, your boots echo against the old, damp wood. To the north, you can see the river meander upstream around the tree line before vanishing around a curve. To the south, the river winds like a ribbon between its banks, then gradually vanishes into mist.

Halfway across the bridge, you notice something odd: a small scrap of white material fluttering on the surface of the far side of the river, caught on a tree root a dozen yards downstream.

If the players retrieve the scrap of material, they find it to be a small, soaked white handkerchief, monogrammed with the embroidered red initials “R.V.R.” (Arabelle left this clue while travelling to Vallaki with Van Richten.)

The road comes to an X intersection, with branches to the northwest, northeast, southwest, and southeast.

Scattered across the intersection are four small dead saplings, their branches and trunks blackened and gnarled. Some lean at slight angles, while others stand stubbornly upright, their twig-like structures idle and quiet in the windless air.

Nearby, a pair of scarecrows appear to have been mounted along two separate trees, bodies hewn of rough straw and weathered cloth clinging to twisted, low-hanging branches. Their painted sackcloth eyes seem almost mocking, and black raven’s feathers poke from their stuffed guts.

The lower half of a snapped wooden signpost thrusts upward at an angle near the eastern elbow of the intersection. The top half of the sign, featuring arms pointing in four directions, lies in the weeds nearby.

• Easily can put the sign back together or figure out where it points.
  • Krezk and Tsolenka pass to the southwest
  • Lake Baratok to the northwest
  • Vallaki and Ravenloft to the northeast
  • Berez to the southeast
• If Szoldar is accompanying the players, he warns them that the saplings and scarecrows are new additions to the crossroads, and that recent rumors have reported sightings of scarecrows moving of their own volition through the woods.
• If the players approach the snapped signpost or move to leave the intersection, the blights and scarecrows attack.

Lake Baratok §

You come to a cold mountain lake enclosed by misty woods and rocky bluffs. Thick fog creeps across the dark, still waters. The trail ends at a grass-covered causeway that stretches a hundred yards across the lake to a flat, marshy island with a stone tower on it. It’s old and decrepit, with collapsing scaffolds clinging to one side where a large gash has split the wall. Timeworn gargoyle statues, their wings and flanks covered with moss, perch atop buttresses that support the walls. Parked near the base of the tower, within sight of the entrance, is a barrel-topped wagon spattered with mud.

Looking at the wagon closer

Under layers of mud, this wagon sports a fresh coat of purple paint, and its wheels have fancy gold trim. A brass lantern hangs from each corner, and red drapes cover a small tombstone-shaped window on each side. A steel padlock secures the back door, hanging from which is a trio of wooden signs, “Keep out!”, “Home & Property of Ezmerelda d’Avenir”, and “Trespassers will be immediately incinerated”. Beneath that warning on the third sign there’s a frowning face with crossed-out eyes surrounded by a flame.

Approaching the wagon a bit closer you detect a faint scent of sulfur, and you can see the grass around has been tramped down by many feet over time

DC 14 Survival

The tracks were left by a pack of wolves the previous night, but they must have left the wagon alone after some inspection. The wagon couldn’t have been here for more than 48 hours

Inspecting the wagon

Looking at the tracks from the tires, you can see a second set. This is not the only wagon to have been parked here recently, although the second set does seem older, fainter. The tracks lead from the Eastern woods to around here, and then further South on the path away from the lake.

• Following these tracks further south leads to the Old Svalich Road where they then turn East toward Vallaki
• DC 14 Survival you can scertain the second set of trakcs was made the same day the players camkle to Vallaki
• DC 10 Survival following the second set into the woods, where they end in a dark, sheltered hollow. Much of the floor around is stained with bright yellow and white paint.
  • DC 14 Investigation reveals the paint was fairly recent, maybe a few days ago, one day before arriving in Vallaki
  • You also recognize the paint as the same yellow shade on Rictavios Wagon back at the Arasek Stockyard

Inside the Wagon §

Double-Barreled Traps. The vials of alchemists fire have been removed from the wagon’s interior. Instead, if a player opens the door after breaking or picking the lock, two heavy crossbow traps mounted at the far side of the cabin fire, targeting the player immediately in front of the door:

• Silver Barbed Net: Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit. Hit: 5 (2d4) piercing damage and the target is restrained until it is freed. The target can use its action to make a DC 15 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. A creature that attempts to do so must also succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (2d4) piercing damage in the process. Dealing 15 slashing damage to the net (AC 15) also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.
• Bottle of Concentrated Alchemist’s Fire. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit. Hit: 21 (6d6) fire damage. On a hit, the target is also set ablaze and takes the damage again at the start of each of its turns until the fire is put out. A creature within reach of the blaze can take an action to smother the flames using a blanket or carpet, reducing the fire damage by 2d6. Three such actions are needed to fully put out the fire.

Ezmerelda’s Belongings. If the players successfully enter Ezmerelda’s wagon

The following items can be found within the wagon

• A wooden trunk covered with claw marks that holds a b attleaxe, a flail, a morningstar, a light crossbow, and 10 silvered crossbow bolts
• A narrow wardrobe containing three sets of fine clothes, two sets of traveler’s clothes, several pairs of shoes, a harlequin mask, and three wigs
• A lyre with golden strings (worth 50 gp)
• A sculpted wooden cage holding a chicken and a silver ewer (worth 100 gp) with five chicken eggs in it
• A set of copper pots and pans (worth 50 gp)

the following items are contained in a false bottom of the wooden trunk, which requires a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to find:

• The climber’s kit, disguise kit, healer’s kit, and poisoner’s kit
• The wooden box containing the Tarokka cards
• Three sets of manacles
• A wooden chest containing a gold holy symbol of the Morninglord (worth 100 gp), three vials of holy water, three vials of perfume, two vials of antitoxin, a 50-foot coil of hempen rope, a tinderbox, a steel mirror, a sharpened wooden stake, and a spyglass
• Two spell scrolls (major image and remove curse)
• A map of Barovia

If the players enter the wagon by means of the door instead of the trapdoor, Ezmerelda’s chicken squawks angrily at them until they depart.

The Tower §

The tower door is made of iron, with no visible handles or hinges. In the middle of the door is a large, embossed, blank red seal. Carved into the lintel above the door is a word: Khazan.

• Seal appears blank until you approach within 5 feet of the door
  • Eight fist sized buttons grow from the surface
  • Every time you leave and come back the buttons rotate positions but the order is consistent Each of the eight buttons depicts a different arcane rune. A player with proficiency in Arcana, or who makes a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Arcana) check, identifies the runes as the symbols of the eight schools of magic. The order of the symbols, moving counterclockwise around the seal, is always: illusion, abjuration, necromancy, conjuration, divination, enchantment, transmutation, evocation.

A player who compares the platinum signet ring to the symbols notices that the evocation and necromancy runes exactly match the appearance of their corresponding symbols on the door. To unlock the door, the players must press the buttons in the order given by the pattern of crossed lines on the signet ring, beginning with either the evocation or necromancy symbol and moving along the lines in the proper sequence.

The two possible proper sequences are:

• evocation, divination, illusion, transmutation, conjuration, abjuration, enchantment, necromancy
• necromancy, enchantment, abjuration, conjuration, transmutation, illusion, divination, evocation

Each time a button is pressed, its symbol glows with the color of its corresponding school of magic: evocation (red), divination (silver), illusion (purple), transmutation (green), conjuration (brown), abjuration (yellow), enchantment (pink), and necromancy (blue).

A creature that touches any part of the door other than buttons without first unlocking it receives a mild, but painful electric shock. A creature that attempts to break down the door must succeed on a DC 25 Strength check; on a failure, a stroke of lightning blasts out from the door in a straight line 100 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 8d6 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. (Triggering the lightning multiple times doesn’t cause the door to collapse.)

If eight different symbols are pressed in an incorrect sequence, their lights briefly flicker, then go out again. The first time this happens, the griffon statues atop the tower roof—four disguised gargoyles—come to life and attack. The gargoyles fight to the death.

The Scaffolding §

• Attempting to climb the scaffolding will cause the gargoyles to come to life
• The scaffolding leads to a hole in the wall of the third floor

Inside the tower §

• First floor has a small entryway with a curtain concealing the area beyond
• The flagstone floor is strewn with debris on the first floor. A few old crates are near the wall. In the center of the floor is an indentation, with four pulleys attached to iron chains stretching up through the ceiling. Next to each of the chains are four tall clay statues
  • The four statues are clay golems that defend themselves if attacked. Otherwise, their sole purpose is to operate the elevator, which they do by pulling on the chains. The chains attach to a 5-foot-square wooden platform that normally rests on the fourth floor.
  • If it appears that a creature wants to use the elevator, the golems lower the platform, then raise it to whichever level the creature specifies. They also heed commands issued from above. They obey only commands having to do with raising and lowering the elevator.
  • The elevator isn’t a smooth ride. The platform rises or lowers 5 feet per round, and its movements are jerky. If even one clay golem is destroyed, the remaining golems can no longer operate the elevator and remain motionless until attacked.
  • The crates in this room are all empty.
• The second floor is filled with dust and cobwebs, and the floor is almost entirely rotted. It wouldn’t likely support much weight
• The third floor is in a similar state. A gash in the Northwest wall has left this floor open to the elements and you can even see the floor starting to tear apart in places. You do see a crib along the wall that was left behind, perhaps one of the few remaining signs of this once being a home
• Fourth Floor
  • Unlike the levels below, this room shows signs of recent habitation, and although the place reeks of mold and mildew, it has plenty of creature comforts, including a cozy bed, a desk with matching chair, bright tapestries, and a large iron stove with plenty of wood to feed it. Light enters through arrow slits as well as through dirt-caked windows with broken shutters. You see a standing suit of armor against the wall, in relatively good condition considering the tower around it.. Old wooden rafters bend under the weight of the tower roof, which has somehow remained intact.
  • The armor is just a standard set of Plate Armor
  • A DC 15 Investiagation or ten minute search of the floor reveals two things
    • A colorful beaded bracelet with several wooden charms sized for a child, wrapped around a silvered dagger and a Tarokka card (the Hooded One). (A player who makes a successful DC 13 Intelligence (History or Arcana) check recalls that the Hooded One represents mysteries, newcomers, and hidden identities.)
    • Two burned pieces of parchment amidst a pile of charred ashes in the stove, including a burned page from Van Richten’s journal and a singed sketch of a sign proclaiming Rictavio’s Carnival of Wonders. (The sketch appears to have been made far more recently than the journal entry.)
    • 
  • As the players search the room, any character who looks out one of the windows toward Lake Baratok notices something odd: a patch of lily pads approximately fifteen feet from the shore stained a bright, flamboyant yellow, at clear odds with the muted greens of the lily pads nearby
    • A player who investigates the stained patch of lily pads can find a trio of ceramic pots sunk ten feet below the surface of the water. The pots are each half-filled with rocks; two bear traces of dried yellow paint along their rims and interior, while the third bears traces of dried white paint along its rim and interior. If the player has previously seen Rictavio’s wagon in Arasek Stockyard, they recognize the paint as the same shade as yellow as the sign on the wagon.

The Journal page

For more than three decades now, I have undertaken to investigate and expose creatures of darkness to the purifying light of truth and knowledge. “Hero” I am named in some circles; “sage” and “master hunter” I am called in others. That I have survived countless supernatural assaults is seen as a marvel among my peers; my name is spoken with fear and loathing among my foes. In truth, this “virtuous” calling began as an obsessive effort to destroy a vampire that murdered my child, and it has become for me a tedious and bleak career. Even as my life of hunting monsters began, I felt the weight of time on my weary shoulders. Today I am a man who has simply lived too long. Like a regretful lich, I find myself inexorably bound to an existence I sought out of madness and, seemingly, must now endure for all eternity. Of course I shall die, but whether I shall ever rest in my grave haunts my idle thoughts, and torments me in my dreams.

The handwriting matches the handwriting of the excerpt of Van Richten’s Guide to Vampires found in Arc B - Welcome to Barovia and the manuscript on werewolves obtained in Arc C - Into the Valley. The remainder of the text is unreadable—scorched by heat or burned away to ash.

The Return Trip §

You are able to figure out the way home fairly easily, and begin your trek back to Vallaki. About 15 minutes pass. You hear from the mist ahead, a deep voice. “Who goes there?” You see a large man stepping through, wearing drab clothing and a tattered grey cloak. He has shaggy black hair and thick mutton chops. You can see him leaning heavily on a spear, almost using it as a cane and he has a small bundle of animal pelts slung over his shoulder.

Just behind him, barely visible in the gloom, you can see a grim-faced woman with long dark hair loosely braided. She also has a spear of her own, the tip glinting in the light and wears a cloak wrapped tightly around her chest. Zsolt speaks in a friendly somewhat jovial voice The man continues speaking “My name is Zsolt, this here is my wife Mathilda. We’re trappers from Krezk. Yknow these roads have become quite dangerous for travelers. Would you mind if we travel together?”

Regardless of answer

A light glints in Zsolt’s amber eyes. “There’s been a tale echoing through these woods of late. A tale of a Vistana woman, a kind of phantom, who stalks the paths under the moon’s gaze. They say she’s not of this world, but from the realms of death itself.”

He licks his lips. “She’s said to be a frightful sight, with eyes that burn like embers in the darkness, and an iron leg that shrieks in the night. They say she’s clad in a patchwork of cloaks, like a wandering vagabond, but don’t let that fool you. For in her hand, she carries a wicked blade—a weapon that thirsts for the blood of innocents.”

He chuckles lightly. “And oh, does her blade drink well! She’s been butchering good folk in the woods, they say. Men, women—it matters not. Whip! goes her blade, and off come their heads, trophies for her dark desires.”

He pauses, and his lips spread into a wolfish grin, “But I’m sure we’ll have naught to worry about with fine, strong folks like you on the roads. And besides—how deadly can a tale truly be?”

Responses

“I mean, do you all have good steel to defend yourselves, should the murderess find you upon the road home?” They reveal their arms if any

• If Masque shows a silvered rapier, roll a deception check against partys passive insight. If fail, someone notices a slight glint of fear in his eyes but he continues.

You see a slight smirk creep across his face. “You seem to be mighty warriors indeed! But it seems you’ve lack something important” They ask what it is “Silver” his eyes flash with hunger, and you see his body start to crack. Bits of fur coming through, the dark hair growing like weeds covering his whole body. The clothes he’s wearing only slightly rip at the edges. Mathilda in the back is also contorting and her body shifting in the same way. The two let off a growl and lunge forward. INITIATIVE

Back in Vallaki, Confront Van Richten §

Just Arc E - The Missing Vistana - Curse of Strahd: Reloaded

• Van Richten is like Geralt mixed with Alastor Mad Eye Moody from Harry Potter
• When they arrive at the stockyard they see

You see Rictavio, kneeling down by his wagon. He appears to be adjusting the spokes of the rear left wheel.

• If they don’t confront him yet, they can perception check
  • DC 16, they notice he is repeatedly adjusting and readjusting the same spoke, and his lips are moving as if hes speaking with someone
• He continues his task for 5 full minutes, longer than the task should normally take.

Confronting him

Ah hello. You all are guests at the Blue Water Inn as well are you not? What brings you all the way out here to my wagon?

• Van Richten denies their claims, feigning ignorance

If he is shown the journal page, the players threaten to blow his cover in some way, or he believes the players truly wish to help Arabelle:

Come come, quick form a circle” he says. His gaze hardens, no longer the face of a mere storyteller. This is someone who has lived a long and storied life. His fist tightesn around his cane, his voice a near whisper. “Are you servants of Strahd? Think carefully and truthfully, I am not afraid to dispatch you if necessary”.

If they muster evidence of good faith, succed on a DC 15 persuasion

He sighs and says “here form a wall around the wagon, we mustn’t let others see”

If they antagonziae him or fail to convince him:

You see him starting to get more angry and he opens his mouth to speak but before words come out, another voice speaks. From inside the wagon, a young girls voice quietly rings out “They mean me no harm. Please, open the door”

Rictavio produces a key from his sleeve and opens the door. You see inside the wagon a soft bed of straw, a comfortable blanket, a few books, and a young Vistana girl. She is clutching a plush saber toothed tiger to her chest and wearing a beaded necklace with a carved amulet. You assume this to be Arabelle, the missing vistana.

Arabelle says “hello friends, thank you for coming to find me. I am sorry for any wounds you may have sustained along the way.” Van Richten his eyes widened with a slight bit of shock says “You expected them?” “Of course I did, I had a premonition that someone would follow our tracks and I left multiple clues. A Tarokka card, braclet, a handkerchief, and a ring. I wanted to guide them to me. Thank you Dr. Van Richten for your efforts to keep me safe, but we both knew this plan couldn’t last forever. With our friends here, a long term solution is likely within reach”

During this conversation, Van Richten can also reveal the following information if he hasn’t already:

• Until recently, Van Richten had been laying low in the tower at Lake Baratok. However, that changed when he saw a Vistana man bringing a wriggling sack to a golden-haired vampire spawn on the banks of the Luna River. (Van Richten recognized the vampire as a man named Escher, a bard from Barovia who had joined the Barovians’ revolt.)
• Van Richten attacked the pair, killing the Vistana and scarring the vampire, who fled. Upon opening the sack, he found a young Vistana girl within.
• The girl, who introduced herself as Arabelle, was uncertain of why she had been kidnapped. Van Richten used his talisman of echoes to interrogate the dead Vistana’s severed head, and learned that Strahd had issued a bounty on young girls matching Arabelle’s precise and unique description: dark-haired and olive-skinned, with lavender irises. Van Richten and Arabelle agreed that returning her to the Vistani camp would leave her exposed to Strahd, and was therefore too dangerous.
• The two returned to the tower at Lake Baratok, where Van Richten had previously hidden his horse, Drusilla, and a covered Vistani wagon that he had first used to enter Barovia. Using his hat of disguise, Van Richten adopted the dead Vistana’s guise and snuck into the Vistani camp by Vallaki to steal three pots of paint, which he used to disguise his wagon as “Rictavio’s Carnival of Wonders.”
• Van Richten and Arabelle then traveled to Vallaki, with Van Richten adopting the identity of Rictavio to hide in plain sight. Arabelle has remained concealed in his wagon ever since.
• While the tower at Lake Baratok contains a permanent antimagic field that would block Strahd’s scrying, Van Richten believed that Strahd would be well-aware of this fact, and that the tower would therefore be among the first places he looked.
• As such, Van Richten, who already wore one such amulet, gave Arabelle a spare amulet of proof against detection and location that he had once given to—and then received from—one of his students. (If pressed, Van Richten admits that the amulet once belonged to Ezmerelda d’Avenir, but does not discuss the matter in further detail.)

Arrigal Arrives §

You see emerging from the shadows of a nearby alley, an older man with black hair. You recognize this man from the Vistana camp, this is Arrigal. He was the right hand man of Luvash, Arrabelles father. “Thank you Sir for the ‘fascinating story’, and thank you all for your ‘aid and guidance’. Arabelle, come. It is time for us to return” Van Richten immediately says “You, you spy! You serve the devil! I saw you whispering to a bat in the woods, Arabelle you must remain here. Please” turning to you all, “defend her from this evil!” Arrigals hands go to hthe shortsword and dagers on his belt, Van Richten prepares to draw his sword cane for battle. Arrabelle turns to you all and quietly asks “please, help them see reason here. There is no need for bloodshed”

Arrigal is ignorant of Strahd’s bounty on Arabelle and truthfully shares this if asked, finding the notion preposterous. If asked whether he would give Arabelle up to Strahd if commanded, he fiercely and truthfully rejects that he would ever do such a thing.

As the conversation unfolds, Arrigal makes clear his belief that Van Richten has kidnapped Arabelle for nefarious purposes. Although Arabelle protests Arrigal’s accusations, Arrigal replies, “Hush, girl—it is clear this man has deceived you. I cannot speak to what nefarious plans he had for you, but he has clearly preyed upon your naivete. You will return to camp with me at once.”

If the players ask Van Richten for proof that Strahd sought to kidnap Arabelle, Van Richten retrieves the wooden box containing Yan’s severed head from the hidden compartment of his wagon, as described in V7. Tower, Fourth Floor (p. 171). He then offers to allow one of the players to use his talisman of echoes to interrogate Yan’s head to obtain the evidence they seek. Five sample answers a players might receive are given below:

• What is your name? Yan.
• What lord did you serve in life? The vampire, Strahd von Zarovich.
• Did that lord command you to kidnap the girl Arabelle? He did, through his servant, the vampire Escher.
• What did he ask you to do with her? He bade me to take her to the Luna River, where she would be brought to Castle Ravenloft.
• How did you die? A blade sliced my head from my shoulders from behind.

Yan might also reveal the following information if asked using one of the players’ five questions:

• Yan served Strahd loyally because he was promised riches and power in exchange for his service.
• Yan didn’t know what Escher or Strahd planned to do with Arabelle.
• Yan received his orders at dusk on the day before the players first arrived in Vallaki (i.e., on the same day the players received their Tarokka reading and first encountered Strahd).

If Yan reveals his loyalty to Strahd and his instructions to kidnap Arabelle, Arrigal is shaken, but not entirely convinced—until Arabelle speaks up to confirm Van Richten’s story, calmly reporting that Yan kidnapped her, Van Richten rescued her, and she overheard Yan asking another man whether “the lord” would pay his debts in exchange for the “whelp’s delivery” before hearing the exchanging of coins shortly thereafter.

Brokering an Agreement §

Van Richten is unwilling to allow Arrigal to take Arabelle back to the Vistani encampment. However, Arrigal is unwilling to allow Van Richten to keep Arabelle hidden in Vallaki, away from her family. It is up to the players to broker an agreement between them.

As they do, keep the following interests in mind:

• Van Richten wants to prevent Strahd’s spies from finding Arabelle.
• Arrigal wants to keep Arabelle with her family—and especially her father, Luvash.
• Both Van Richten and Arrigal want to keep Arabelle comforted and safe.

When a final agreement is reached, Arabelle places a small hand on one of the players’ arms and softly thanks them for their efforts. If the players do not intervene, she then steps forward and takes Van Richten’s hand in hers. The following sequence then unfolds:

• Arabelle thanks Dr. Van Richten for helping her, and informs him that he’s a good man—a sentiment that his son agrees with.
• The blood drains from Van Richten’s face, and he sways on his feet, as though he’s about to faint. “My son?” he croaks.
• Arabelle pats the back of Van Richten’s hand, and tells him that his son has been keeping her safe in the wagon. She promises him that his son loves him very much, and shares her belief that he has been keeping Van Richten safe as well. (Van Richten quietly thanks her, now resembling a weary old man far more than a veteran monster hunter.)

The Prophecy §

A few moments pass, and everyone starts making the necessary preparations. Suddenly Arabelle staggers, her eyes rolling back into her head as the whites become the color of storm clouds. When she speaks, her voice seems to echo with the sound of a second, far older womans voice as she delivers a prophecy

In darkest night, the light shall flee, No dawn to break, with no reprieve. From the grave, the dead shall climb, Their restless march a baleful sign. At castle’s peak a heart beats red It’s hunger dep and ever-fed. Should silence fall, the skies shall crack. A thousand souls in torment black

Arabelle falls over unconscious.

• DC 10 medicine check, she is clearly unharmed merely asleep. Within a few minutes Arabelle wakes up again, retaining no memory of the prophecy she spoke.

Van Richten is troubled by Arabelle’s prophecy, and the resemblance it bears to Madam Eva’s warning on the Svalich Road. Nonetheless, in gratitude for the players’ aid, he bequeaths to them his talisman of echoes.

Arrigal is similarly grateful for the players’ assistance in recovering his niece. He is glad to promise that, notwithstanding his oath of loyalty to Strahd, he will refrain from reporting Arabelle or Van Richten’s true locations to Castle Ravenloft, and will avoid reporting the players’ movements for as long as he can.

In addition, though he won’t take up arms against Strahd or cease his work as a spy, Arrigal offers to deliver false information to Castle Ravenloft once when the players request it—but no more than that. He won’t deliver any information that is obviously false, however, and he provides no guarantees as to how long or whether Strahd will believe his information.

If one of the players was infected by a werewolf’s bite on the Old Svalich Road, Van Richten shares that he is capable of brewing an elixir capable of suppressing the curse of lycanthropy for a single night, rendering the player a docile wolf during a full moon, rather than a raging werewolf.

To do so, however, he requires a supply of wolfsbane, a flowering plant said to grow along the shores of a blessed pool in Krezk. (See Arc I - The Walls of Krezk for more information about the players’ efforts to gain entry to Krezk.) Van Richten is glad to brew one portion of the elixir for each wolfsbane flower that the players fetch for him, a process which requires six hours and a number of additional ingredients.