After the battle, the group decided to make sure Volenta was dead. They fashioned a wooden stake from pieces of Wintersplinter and drove it through her heart. Bramo took her skull mask and her dolls from her body. Then the group took a short rest to heal up and bandage their wounds. They discussed whether or not to risk exploring the hill further but decided they must at least investigate the large tree they’d seen on their ascent.
The group left the circle of stones and headed across the hilltop to a clearing in the trees. There in the center of the clearing was a large, black tree, twisted and hideous dripping a bloodlike sap from it. Bound at the center of the tree was their friend, Lucien Brightburn, the undead knight they’d met on their first night in Barovia. The tree was surrounded by more of the blights and Lucien cried out for help, believing the blights were trying to sacrifice him to the tree.
The group fought their way into the grove, killing needle blights along the way. Once they were inside the grove, vine and twig blights sprung out around them closing in from all sides. McCoy and Riley worked their way around one side of the tree with support from Lancelot and Ireena while Johan circled around the other side of the tree to free Lucien.
Elora and Bronwyn worked side-by-side at the entrance of the grove firing off spells at the blights and supporting the group. Bramo circled around behind Johan to back him up. Johan made his way up the tree and released Lucien who dropped down from the tree and joined the fight cutting down the blights with his longsword.
Working together, the group made short work of the blights and were left to study the tree. Elora identified it as a Gulthias Tree, the twisted remains of a vampire improperly staked which grows into a font of evil and was the source of the blights. McCoy determined that this was the corruption Kavan had asked him to purge and resolved to destroy the tree.
The group found an armored skeleton at the base of the tree and a magic axe embedded in its trunk. Johan tried to remove the axe from the tree, but thorns sprang from its handle stabbing him. Riley tried instead and was able to pull it out without a problem. She found the axe to be extremely light, its handle carved with images of leaves and vines, and it cut easily through plants. Working together with the axe and fire magic from the spellcasters, the group spends an hour to cut down and finally destroy the Gulthias Tree ending the threat of the blights and restoring the natural order.
The group asks Lucien how he ended up tied to the tree. He explains that he heard a rumor a magic, glowing light being brought to the hill and thought it might be the “sun” he was searching for. He made his way up the hill but was overwhelmed by the Wild Folk and the blights. They captured him and tried to sacrifice him to the tree, but it didn’t work due to his undead nature. The group explained that the light was not a “sun,” but rather a magic gem that had been stolen from the Martikovs. They said they were returning there to spend the night and Lucien asked if he might accompany them. They told him he was welcome to do so.
The group made their way across the hilltop and back through the circle of stones. As they exited the far side of the circle, the saw Strahd there mounted on his nightmare steed staring off the edge of the hill at a ghostly image projected on a wall of mist. The group tried to sneak past him, but Lucien, not knowing the situation, hailed and greeted him.
Strahd returned their greeting. He explained the image he was looking at was a mirage of his homeland which the Dark Powers had created to torment him. It forever reminds him of the home he can never return to. The group asks who the Dark Powers are and question whether he is the supreme power in Barovia. Strahd explains they are powerful entities, something like gods, but not gods, powerful forces of darkness that transformed Barovia into his prison. The only person he cannot grant passage through the mists is himself. The Dark Powers are also the ones who continually deny him Tatyana.
McCoy suggests that the Dark Powers are the true enemy and that perhaps they could join forces with him to defeat them.
Strahd tells them he noticed they had disrupted the Wild Folk’s plans and made quite a mess for them. He also noticed that they have killed one of his Brides and this has made him very upset. He asks that the group return Volenta’s mask to him. Bramo, supported by Riley and Johan reluctantly approaches Strahd and hands over the mask. When they do so, he stares down at them and tells them, “When someone you love dies, I want you to know that it was me.”
The group start making excuses for why they killed it and that it was self-defense. Strahd cuts them off and tells them they should go. The group departs hastily.
Using some clever rope tricks taught to them by McCoy, the group manages to descend the hill using the ropes and take the ropes with them. They reach the base of the hill and return to Kavan’s grave. Kavan’s spirit appears again and he praises them. He marks McCoy’s face with spectral blood markings that match his own. He instructs McCoy to tell any Wild Folk he meets that he is the Chosen of Kavan the Bloody. He carries on their traditions and honors the Ladies Three.
McCoy asks for more information on the Fanes and the Ladies Three. Kavan explains they were powerful demigods and spirits of the land itself. The fanes have each been desecrated by Strahd who stole their power and made it his own. He tells them there is a way to reconsecrate the fanes and even bind themselves to their power. It will require a ritual at each of the Three Fanes, each one honoring one of the Three Ladies. The ritual will require the use of an item empowered by the Ladies.
McCoy asks if he can use the Blood Spear for that purpose, but Kavan explains it must be an item which contains the power of the Ladies themselves and indicates the magic gemstone they recovered. McCoy asks if the ritual will destroy the gem, and Kavan says he does not know. He tells him that the shrine of the Mountain Fane is at the peak of the hill, beneath the Gulthias Tree they destroyed.
The group thanks Kavan for his help and depart. They discuss the implications of using the gemstones to reconsecrate the fanes. McCoy believes it is something they can do later before confronting Strahd. They worry whether they can convince the Martikovs to part with the gems when the time comes. They conclude that if the gems will allow them to destroy Strahd and free the land, they will no longer be needed to make wine, and the Martikovs will agree.
They return to the Wizard of Wines where a grateful Davian greets them. He is overjoyed that the vineyard is saved and that they can continue production of the Grapemash No. 3, even if it is an unremarkable wine. He greets Lucien as a friend, mistaking him for a paladin of the Morninglord. He invites them all inside to share wine and celebrate. At the table, he asks Lucien to remove his helmet. McCoy covers for him and explains that Lucien is badly disfigured and uncomfortable showing his face. Davian respects his wishes and provides a tube Lucien can use to sip his wine.
The group discuss their plans to retrieve the other gemstones with Davian including a lead they have on the third gem at the Abbey of St. Markovia. Davian doesn’t understand what the Abbey has to do with his missing gem, but he is grateful for any help they can provide. He is excited at the prospect of recovering a second gem which would allow them to resume production of the Red Dragon Crush.
Since the group is headed to Krezk, he advises them to bring a shipment of wine with them. He explains that Krezk is an isolated community that will not allow outsiders in their walls, but they are overdue for a shipment of wine and it will show they are friends of the Martikovs. He tells them that the Krezkovs are an old, noble family and friends to the Martikovs. He is a friend of the Baron Dmitri and the Baroness Anna. He tells them that the Krezkovs once owned the winery before his family married into it and eventually took it over.
The group thank Davian for all his help and head to bed. McCoy eats another of Granny’s dream pastries before resting for the night. Since Lancelot, Johan, and Riley also ate pies that day, they all have sweet, pleasant dreams while the others have restless nights.
McCoy recalls the name of his ship, the Augusta. He sees it in the middle of a storm caught between a whale and a giant squid locked in battle. Lightning crashes all around them. He sees himself in the water and a dark-haired woman reaching out to embrace him. She presses hard against him in the darkness. Then he recalls an earlier time on a pleasant day. One of his shipmates, Patton “Tomato” Stanton is angry again, his short temper getting the better of him as his face turns bright red like a tomato.
Riley dreams about being reunited with her family. They are all alive and well as are her old war comrades who had died in battle. She is not cursed and does not have the tattoo marking her. Lancelot is there, and they are all happy.
Johan dreams about working in his shop with his family who are also alive. His boys are getting big and strong and preparing to take on new responsibilities. Johan’s wife, Abilene, teases him about getting fat.
Bramo sleeps a deep, deep sleep from which he cannot be roused.
In the morning, Lucien says goodbye to the group, saying he will travel Southeast. He has heard that a ruined manor lays in that direction. There is said to be a bright beacon in the manor, and perhaps it is the “sun” he is searching for. He wishes them well; sure their paths will cross again.
Elora borrows leather rain cloak from the Martikovs to deal with the cold weather in Krezk while the others wear the black cloaks they took from the Durst House.
The group heads out in the Martikov’s wagon with Elvir and Dag towards Krezk. They reach the Raven’s River Crossroads and see a strange sight, a skeletal horse and rider carrying a dark lantern on the far side of the bridge. The rider gallops in their direction as Elvir and Dag panic. The rider passes them by and heads towards Vallaki. The group are concerned this is an ill-omen and Death itself may be riding to Vallaki or the Vistani Camp.
The group want to give chase, but Elvir and Dag refuse. The group isn’t sure they can catch the rider in the wagon, but they’re sure they cannot on foot. Reluctantly, they turn north towards Krezk and pray for the best.
Thirty minutes later they reach the walled village of Krezk. It is cold here and snow covers the tops of the trees and the houses. As they approach the stone gate, they see two panicked guards on the wall. The guards cry out and demand they identify themselves. Dag tells them they are from the winery with a shipment of wine for the village. The guards relax and allow them inside. The group can see that the two men are wounded. They ask what happened.
The guards explain that the village was attacked the previous night by a pack of vampires. Half of the village was killed in the attack and none of them have slept. They instruct the group to bring the wine to the home of the magistrate, Baron Krezkov.
Heading over to the home, they are greeted by Dmitri and Anna Krezkov, both dark-skinned, older humans with white hair. They both appear hardy and armed for battle bearing some minor wounds. The Krezkovs explain that their village is a small commune. The village is completely enclosed by the stone wall which contains a forest they maintain for lumber and fuel with their small houses built between the trees. Each family works together to support the community and their house their livestock indoors due to the cold.
Dmitri explains that the walls have kept them protected from wolves and werewolves for years, but they were useless against the vampires who climbed or flew over the walls. They have never faced a vampire attack before and have no idea what could have caused it. Anna tells them there is no inn or tavern in the village, but they are welcome to stay in their home if they are willing to contribute to the chores and burying of the dead. The group agrees.
The group sets about cleaning up the village and burying the dead. Everywhere they go they can see the carnage wrought by the vampires. It is clear that the casualties described to them were not an exaggeration. While working with Dmitri they can tell something else is bothering him. He confesses despite the previous night’s tragedy all he can think about is his son Ilya who died a few days ago and was buried in their family plot. Ilya was their fourth and final child, dead at age 14, the victim of a strange wasting disease the children seem to suffer from.
No one knows what the disease is or how to cure it. He knows that he and his wife are too old to have more children, so their name will die with them. He has been considering going to the Abbot and begging him to bring his son back from the dead because he knows the Abbot possesses that power.
The group ask about the abbey and Dmitri tells them it was once a convent and hospital founded by the great priestess of the Morninglord, Saint Markovia. She led a rebellion against Strahd hundreds of years ago but was defeated. Her followers were trapped inside the abbey by Strahd’s army and driven mad and starved. The abbey lay empty for centuries until the Abbot arrived about a century ago and reopened it. The Abbot is a handsome, young man who rededicated the abbey to healing people.
Dmitri explains that people sometimes travel to the abbey to be cured, but few return. The abbey bells chime at strange hours and they can often hear cries and maddening laughter coming from the abbey. The Abbot sometimes comes to visit the Shrine of the White Sun here on the north side of the village. The Abbot is quiet, but sometimes asks for wine.
The group decide to head up and visit the abbey. They note a large graveyard surrounding the abbey. They enter through a rusted gate which wakes two sleeping guards, Otto and Zygfek. Otto is a short, braying man with dog, lion, and donkey features. Zygfek is a quiet wolf/lizard woman who covers herself with a cloak. They are both Belviews and as eccentric as the other members of that family, shambling around and braying in a half-speech. The group explain they are there to see the Abbot and the two escort them inside.
As they enter, they note that the “guards” on the walls of the abbey are scarecrows in cast-off armor. Otto leaves them in the courtyard while he speaks with the Abbot. Zygfek keeps to herself and mutters how pretty she is. An ominous well sits in the center of the courtyard and muffled cries can be heard coming from its perimeter. Otto returns and ushers them inside the abbey.
They enter a large hall with stairs leading up and down with pleasant music drifting down to them from above. Seated at a long table is a handsome, dark-skinned man with a clean-shaven head and a neat beard dressed in white and gold robes with a large holy symbol of a sun around his neck. Seated next to him is a woman dressed in a nun’s habit. Her skin is patchwork and stitched together. She has red hair and a passing resemblance to Elora and Ireena.
The man introduces himself as the Abbot and tells them to “Be not afraid.” He invites them to join him at his table. He wishes to introduce them to someone very special, the vessel he has created for Tatyana’s soul, Verushka. He gestures to the patchwork girl who looks nervous and frightened. Bramo takes a seat next to her inspecting her closely. She is fascinated by his top hat, and he continually swats her had away as he examines her.
Ireena and Elora sit across from the girl with Bronwyn next to them. Ireena points out that the girl’s hair is badly dyed and not even the same color as hers. Johan eyes the Abbot suspiciously, convinced the man is a demon in disguise. Focusing his divine senses on the man, he discovers that the man is not what he seems…he is a celestial! Johan is shocked by this discovery and awkwardly sits next to Bramo and McCoy.
Verushka is wide-eyed and childlike and speaks in simple grunts. Bramo dubs her a “feral Tatyana.” The Abbot explains that he has created many living beings over the years and has been working to create the perfect vessel for Strahd’s bride. He has learned from each of his failed attempts and has been studying the art of creating life from a manual provided to him by Strahd himself.
Bramo is fascinated by this information and asks several follow-up questions. The Abbot casually mentions that he learned early on not to use mechanical materials when the created McCoy. McCoy is outraged at this admission and angrily confronts the Abbot. He denounces him for creating a cursed half-life for him in a mechanical body that cannot feel or touch. The Abbot is unmoved and explains he used the materials he had on hand, fishing McCoy from a shipwreck and assembling his body from the ship’s cannons. He found the result deeply disappointing and discarded it back into the sea.
McCoy is incensed, screaming at the Abbot that was better to leave him dead than to live as is now. The Abbot offers to destroy McCoy if he wishes it. Or he could also make him a new body of flesh, but he must first complete his work on Verushka. Verushka becomes increasingly agitated by the shouting and appears to be afraid.
Johan concludes that the Abbot has been using the villagers of Krezk as raw material for his experiments and is possibly draining their lifeforce causing the “wasting disease” in town. He explains that the group’s actions likely caused the slaughter in Krezk after they identified Escher working with the Abbot. Johan theorizes the slaughter of the villagers was meant to deprive the Abbot of fresh bodies for his experiments.
Elora is distraught at the idea that they have caused such suffering. Ireena consoles her, telling her it wasn’t their fault. They did nothing wrong, and this is all Strahd’s evil. She concludes that Strahd is not very nice at all.
The Abbot explains he is trying to teach Verushka to be human. Elora accuses him of having no idea what it is to be human. The Abbot admits this is true because he is not human. Surprised by this admission, Elora asks if he is not human, then what is he?
The Abbot glows with a bright yellow light that seeps out from his eyes, ears, and mouth. Giant, white, feathered wings unfurl from his back and stands before them in blinding, resplendent glory. He explains that he is an angel of the Morninglord sent here to save Barovia. Everyone can feel the immense, divine power radiating from him.
The Abbot defends his actions explaining everything he has done has been to save Barovia. The land is suffering a blasphemous epidemic of people being born without souls. He is working to discover why this is happening and cure it. He has been working with all the different lifeforms here, studying and experimenting with them. He believes that Strahd is the heart of the land and that in order to cure the land he must appease Strahd. He can do that by creating the perfect Tatyana for him and use his power to place her soul into the body. He only needs to perfect it first.
The group denounce his actions and call him a monster. They tell him is attempts to save Barovia are misguided. The Abbot tells Bronwyn she is a misguided abomination. He can see the foul, demonic corruption inside of her. He offers to save her soul by killing her and freeing her from this corruption. Bronwyn declines and backs away from him saying they should all leave. Johan moves into position behind Verushka.
The Abbot tells them they cannot leave. He has need of them. He turns to Ireena and tells her he needs her face. Ireena is horrified. Elora pulls her away. The Abbot stands and walks closer reaching out towards her as the blinding light spills out of him. Ireena and Elora stagger way from him. He explains that it is a simple transaction. Ireena does not require her face to live. She can function without it. If he had her face, then his vessel would be perfect! She would be an exact likeness of Tatyana.
The group panics. As the Abbot gets closer to Ireena, Bronwyn rushes forward and casts a spell of protection on her so that the Abbot cannot touch her. Johan prepares to seize or destroy Verushka.
Curse of Ravenloft 