Page 116 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

The four people are town residents (LE male and female The stockyard is a general store and a facility where
human cult fanatics) whom Lady Wachter has seduced storage sheds can be rented. It is owned by a middle­
with promises of power, wealth, and long life. They are aged married couple, Gunther and Yelena Arasek (LG
members of her "book club," eagerly waiting for Lady male and female commoners). They sell items from the
Wachter to join them, read passages from her manifesto Adventuring Gear table in the Player's Handbook that
(see area N4q), and maybe conjure up a few coins. Rest­ have a price of 25 gp or less, but at five times the price.
ing on the fifth chair, quietly eavesdropping on the cult­
ists, is the lady's invisible imp, Majesto. R1cTAv10's CARNIVAL WAGON
The cultists are gathered here in secret and attack the The colorful half-elf bard Rictavio (see area N2 and ap­
characters to protect their identities. They are evil Val­ pendix D) paid Gunther and Yelena a generous amount
lakians of no great importance who are tired of living in of gold to watch his carnival wagon, no questions asked.
fear and poverty. Use the "Barovian Names" sidebar in If the characters approach the wagon, read:
chapter 2 to generate names for them, if needed.
The imp doesn't get involved in the fighting unless The wagon suddenly lurches, as though something big
Lady Wachter is drawn into the conflict, in which case it
fights to protect its mistress. has thrown itself against the inside wall. You hear the
The pentagram is a nonmagical decoration, though cracking of wood, the scraping of metal, and the snarl
Lady Wachter would have her cultists believe otherwise. of something inhuman. Upon closer inspection, you see
that the sides of the wagon are spattered with dry blood.
N5. ARASEK STOCKYARD
You also see an inscription on the wagon's door frame
that reads, "I bring you from Shadow into Light!"
This large stockyard has several locked sheds along
its periphery and lies adjacent to a roomy warehouse. Rictavio carries the key to the wagon door. The lock
A wooden sign above the front gate reads "Arasek can be picked but is rigged with a poison needle trap
Stockyard." (see "Sample Traps" in chapter 5, "Adventure Environ­
Parked at the south end of the stockyard is a sturdy ments," of the Dungeon Master's Guide).
Inside the wagon is a saber-toothed tiger with 84
carnival wagon, its colorful paint peeling off. Faded let­ hit points. It is clad in specially fitted half plate (AC 17)
tering on its sides spells out the words "Rictavio's Carni­ and has been trained to hunt evil Vistani. The tiger rec­
val of Wonders." A heavy padlock secures the back door. ognizes Vistani by·sm�iLand, to a lesser extent, by the
fancy garb they wear: This-tiger has a challenge rating of
.
.
3 (700 XP).
--- CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN Of VALLAKl I ---=oe-
�
rr5
--ss:: • ___ ��rz ""-&