Recovering the Bones
We began outside the Coffin Maker’s Shop, which appeared silent and locked up, with doors barred and grimy, iron-framed windows latched from within. Father Lucian asked if anyone had any spells like Mage Hand or Misty Step, with which a window could be stealthily opened, but none knew the spell. Instead, Choppy used Elementalism to coax the dusty window grime into a latch-opening shape, creating an entrance for the party.
Once inside, you encountered Henrik van der Voort in his first-floor workshop; seeing you and Father Lucian, he knew the jig was up and he came clean about the Bones of St. Andral. According to Henrik, several weeks ago he was visited by a female vampire named Volenta Popofsky who offered him some “company” if he would invite her into his shop. The lonely Henrik, to his almost-immediate regret, allowed her to enter. She took a look around, pronounced the place charmingly macabre, and politely threatened to burn it to the ground unless he allowed her to use it as a base for her machinations. Terrified at the realization he was now a hostage in his own home, Henrik capitulated and Volenta quickly made herself at home. Henrik said she disappeared into the upstairs storage room, from which a flash of green light emanated shortly thereafter, followed by two additional vampire spawns. Volenta told Henrik to steal the bones by whatever means necessary, removing the Church’s holy protections so that Volenta could enact whatever unspeakable horrors she had planned for the day of St. Andral’s Feast.
Henrik told you the bones’ location (in his bedroom upstairs, in the wardrobe’s false bottom compartment) and warned you about the three coffins and their inhabitants. You debated whether to retrieve the bones first or ambush the vampires. Finding a runic trap of Hold Person barring your path to the vampires’ coffins, you decided to fetch the bones. Taking extreme cautions with the wardrobe, Varnish detected several traps—a Poison Needle embedded in the wardrobe’s small brass lock, which he failed to disarm and took some damage from, followed by a tripwire leading to a noisemaker bearing the insignia and slogan of Blinsky Toys, which he successfully disarmed. Traps nullified, the party recovered the bones as well as Henrik’s entire (though meager) life savings and moved to depart.
A Dance with Volenta
Before leaving the workshop, however, you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch a vampire unawares and decided to ambush the sleeping trio. Fig used their acrobatics to vault over the trap, landing stealthily and rolling to a position from which they could stab one of the coffins with their katana. Meanwhile, Arden attempted to disarm the trap by tossing gently sliding a 2x4 plank onto it. Realizing it didn’t do anything, he jumped over the trap to join Fig in attacking a coffin while its inhabitant was unaware. Choppy took his turn attempting to erase the trap with his Elementalism spell, which might have worked but instead caused a small commotion when the mass of water sloshed through the cluttered storage room, waking the sleeping vampires. Fig scored a stabbing blow on Volenta before she awoke, while Arden’s greatsword glanced off a different wooden coffin before all three vampires emerged and attacked.
Volenta recognized the players, calling them her “Lord’s new toys” who were “less impressive” than she expected before boasting that neither they nor “Ludmilla, Anastrasya, or my Lord’s skinny new plaything could hold a candle to my vision… Once I make the pews of your little church run red with blood, my beloved will recognize the real gem of his ream—me!” She spoke manically, gleefully relishing the chance to test her sadistic alchemical inventions on hostile subjects while she danced around the room, body contorting in unnatural ways to support her gravity-defying movements across the walls and ceiling.
A thrilling melee ensued! Father Lucian joined the fray and cast Spirit Guardians, filling the room with a galaxy of spectral suns burning brightly and preventing affected enemies from regenerating health. Volenta tossed a flask of concentrated alchemist’s fire at Varnish and Choppy, setting the bard ablaze and incinerating the trap of Hold Person. Arden and Fig made quick work of Tanya, one of the vampire spawn, while the other (named Ilenka) spider-climbed across the ceiling over to Varnish, whom she grappled, bit, and dragged into an adjoining room. When it appeared Arden and Fig had finally defeated Volenta, she cracked a charred, black wooden stick that released a cloud of thick, opaque smoke, obscuring the sight of her grotesque transformation into a second form. Though they managed to land a few more hits, Volenta fled out a window and across nearby rooftops (hey, nobody ever said vampires were honorable fighters), her extended limbs enabling her to gallop on all fours like some kind of bat-wolf-human hybrid. She howled threats back at the players as she ran.
With Volenta gone, the party dealt swiftly with Ilenka, saving Varnish’s life in the process. Henrik sheepishly thanked them for saving his shop from the vampires (and the fire), and Father Lucian extended compassion to the ashamed carpenter before returning the bones to their rightful place beneath the Church. Sweet Yeska was none the wiser.
Beseeching the Baron
Having completed their first official big-boy quest in Vallaki, the party proceeded to escort Ireena to the Vallakovich Manor so that she could petition The Baron to aid the refugees camped outside his town’s eastern gates. Arriving at the imposing three-story mansion, you beheld all manner of people coming and going through the front doors, many carrying bundles of kindling into the house. You were greeted at the door by Claudia, the Vallakovich estate’s head maid, who recognized Ireena and the seal on the letter of introduction born by Arden and ushered you into the manor. You passed piles of kindling amassed all around the spacious foyer before ascending a grand staircase to the second floor, where Claudia said the Baron could be found in his library.
Having been introduced by the maid, you entered the Baron’s library to find a lavishly furnished, windowless room. Floor-to-ceiling shelves lined every wall, and the number of books they contained were nothing short of astounding. A brass oil lamp sat atop a large desk in the center of the room, behind which was a comfortably padded chair and with the symbol of a roaring bear stitched into its back cushion. Standing behind the chair, holding an open book, was a bear of a man—Baron Vargas Vallakovich. His breastplate, rapier, silk tunic, and greasy beard glistened in the lamplight. Resting on small rugs to his left and right were a pair of black mastiffs.
The Baron received you with some disdain, at first listening only to Ireena on account of her membership in the Barovian nobility. He cared little for the plight of “those riffraff outside” the walls, and his only concession was to allow Ireena and her companions free passage through the gates should they wish to provide aid themselves. He proceeded to pontificate about his grand plan for the Festival of the Blazing Sun: pointing out the bundles of twigs piled about the mansion’s grand foyer, he boasted of his plan to make burned offerings to the Morninglord in a giant wicker sun—cured meats, incense, jewelry, and so on. “The heavens will see our joy and wealth and look favorably upon us,” he crowed. “Through our good spirits, we shall move ever-closer to our freedom from this fell darkness.”
Turning to the adventurers, the Baron asked for help with a minor haunting problem in his mansion. He explained that, for the past two months, a “spirrit” has been accosting the Vallakovich manor. Servants have seen its reflection in mirrors or darkened windows, and have reported cold drafts, strange sounds, and objects that appear to move of their own volition. It’s gotten so bad that the butler and the baroness’ lady-in-waiting have resigned out of sheer terror. The cook, a doughty woman named Tereska, saw the spirit most recently and nearly resigned as well; the baron convinced her to stay only by (reluctantly) increasing her pay. He explained that this matter should be dealt with quickly and discreetly, because his wife, the Baroness Lydia Petrovna, hosts daily lunches for a group of Vallakian women upon whom Vargas depends for preparing costumes and decorations for his weekly festivals; “it is of the utmost importance,” he added, “that these women remain ignorant of the spirrit’s existence.” In exchange for their help, the Baron agreed to give them free access to his library, should they need it.
An Uninvited Confrontation, An Unexpected Invitation
Departing the manor at dusk, the party had a brief but tense run-in with Izek Strazni, who was returning to the mansion for the evening. You got into a bit of a shouting match about Izek’s general creepiness and cruelty, but Izek’s eyes remained fixed on Ireena, her discomfort mounting until she urged the party to disengage.
After Ireena safely to the church, the party retired to the taproom at the Blue Water Inn. Upon arrival, Urwin informed them that, during the day, a courier in the employ of Lady Wachter came and delivered a letter addressed to Arden:
Description
Link to originalDear Arden and esteemed companions,
I hope this missive finds you in good health and high spirits. Vallaki appears to have been blessed by your presence and the promise of goodwill you bear with you.
It has come to my attention that our paths, though they wind through such trying times, bear a striking convergence. Accordingly, I write to you today with a humble invitation to dine at my home, Wachterhaus, at sundown tomorrow evening. You may find it on Vallaki’s northern road, a short distance from the Zarovich Gate.
I trust that this setting shall provide a quiet and welcoming environment to discuss matters of mutual interest and concern. My doors, as they have always been, stand open to those who wish for the best for the good people of Barovia.
Should you choose to accept, simply present this invitation at the door to my estate. I gladly await your presence tomorrow evening. Until then, I remain,
Sincerely yours,
Lady Fiona Wachter