Page 125 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

stockyard without harming the Wachters and begins to If the characters have rescued Arabelle (see chapter 2,
prowl the streets, looking for an escape. Reports of a area L), the Vistani return Lady Wachter's gold to Ernst
tiger running loose in the streets ruin the festival and and do nothing.
send townsfolk scurrying for their homes. Otherwise, a Vistana bandit watches the road east
The saber-toothed tiger doesn't harm anyone until of Vallaki and reports back to camp if the characters
it takes damage, whereupon it attacks the perceived are sighted leaving. The Vistani, worried that the char­
source of the damage. If he is still alive, Izek Strazni acters might be more than a match for them, send one
gathers six town guards and hunts down the beast with emissary on horseback to race ahead of the characters
the intention of killing it. Meanwhile, Rictavio does his and inform Strahd. If Arrigal is alive, he makes the ride
best to lure the beast back to his wagon while assuring himself. Otherwise, the rider is a young Vistana bandit
townsfolk that it won't harm them. named Alexei (see area N9c).

DEVELOPMENT ST. ANDRAL's FEAST
If he's still in power, the burgomaster conducts an inves­
tigation to find out where the tiger came from. Guards The characters can prevent this special event from
occurring by returning the bones of St. Andra! to the
and local witnesses are questioned. The Wachter boys church (area Nl) or by destroying the vampire spawn
feign innocence, insisting that they were at the festival, hiding in the coffin maker's shop (area N6). If the char­
but Gunther and Yelena Arasek (area NS) admit to hear­ acters stay in Vallaki for three days or more and don't
ing "evil growls" and scratching sounds coming from in­ retrieve the bones or destroy the vampire spawn, Strahd
side the carnival wagon parked in their stockyard. When visits the coffin maker's shop the following evening and
pressed, the Araseks admit to seeing the wagon's "weird orchestrates an attack on the church.
owner" routinely drop food into the wagon through a The vampire spawn begin the attack that night. They
hatch in the roof. They also confess that the half-elf paid cling to the outer walls and roof of St. Andral's church
them for their silence. while four swarms of bats enter the church through
After the burgomaster learns that the tiger belongs to the belfry and terrify the congregation. As the towns­
Rictavio, he commands his guards to arrest the mysteri­ folk flee the church, the vampire spawn leap down and
ous bard. If Rictavio thinks the characters can help him, attack them.
he asks them to distract the burgomaster and the guards During the chaos, Strahd enters the church in bat
while he gathers his horse, wagon, and tiger (in that or­ form, then reverts to vampire form and attacks Father
der). If the characters ask Rictavio where he plans to go, Lucian. Unless the characters intervene, Strahd kills the
he tells them about an old tower to the west where he priest before returning to Castle Ravenloft.
can lie low (see chapter 11, "Van Richten's Tower"). If Father Lucian dies, locals bury his body in the

LADYWACHTER'S WISH church cemetery, whereupon it rises the following night
as a vampire spawn under Strahd's control. If Rictavio
Ernst Larnak (see area N4) begins shadowing the char­ (area N2) learns of the priest's death, he suggests that
acters. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Percep­ the characters burn the priest's body to ensure that it
tion) score of 14 9r higher notice him doing so. If they doesn't rise from the dead.
confront him, he claims that he keeps a watchful eye on
all strangers, though he doesn't mention the name of his DEVELOPMENT
employer. If the characters threaten him, he backs off The attack on St. Andral's church terrorizes and demor­
and reports to Lady Wachter after he believes he's not alizes the town. After a few days, fear turns to misdi­
being watched or pursued. rected rage as townsfolk blame the burgomaster. Baron
Lady Wachter is looking for powerful allies to help her Vallakovich's "All will be well!" mantra can't protect him
oust the burgomaster. If Ernst tells her that he thinks from their wrath. Barring intervention by the characters,
the characters fit the bill, Lady Wachter has Ernst or her the burgomaster's mansion is set ablaze, and t):ie baron,
sons invite the characters to a private dinner at Wach­ his wife, and his son are dragged to the town square,
terhaus. During the dinner, Lady Wachter determines thrown in the stocks, and stoned to death. If he is.alive,
whether the characters have the ability and theresolve Izek Strazni flees the town to avoid a similar fate. Wh�re
to crush the baron. he hides is up to you, but likelylocations'include Old
If the characters refuse he� in:vitation, or tf �hey pro­ Bonegrinder (chapter 6), Argynvosth�lt (�hapter,7), or ·
·
fess to be enemies of Strahd, LadyW�cl!t�.i- marks-them the ruins of Berez (chaptei:· io).· '
incriminating hers.elf. ·. :_<. \/t :) ·. : ·< protect Father Lucian, Slrahd pays a visit to Wachter� •
If the characters thwarf thi �tt�ck' on the chun;� .and
as her enemies and sets outtci-ifestroy t)lem whhout
·
·
� . . ., haus (area N4) and there c�mii6.ses· a l�tter, ��ich he
DEVELOPMtNT ·:•-.. . asks Lady Wachter to deliver t<;> tl\(chara<.ters.·'.fhe
Once she determines that the characters.a're her·ene- letter is written in Strahd s hand and· extehds an invita­
!
·. mies, Lady Wachter hands Ernst a bag of 100 gp (taken tion to the characters to' co,me-t� Cai.tie Ra��nloft. Lady
froin area N4q) and instructs him to deliver it to the Wachter- orders her ;py; Er.nst l'�rnak; or one of her
'
;vistani camp outside town (area N9), ai'ong with a letter sons to take the letter to the characters. If the characters
'
jrorri her that asks the Vistani to dispose of the charac­ : open and read it, show the players "Strahd's Invitation"
:ters once they have left town. The Vistani burn the letter · in �ppendix F. If the characters head toward the castle,
·
after reading it, as per Lady Wachter's request. .. theyJ1ci'11e qp_ thr�atening random encounters on the way.
.
;"0J;;t/i ...
�-� . . . ;
. ·, ·��:· ,'
CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN 0.F VALLAKT -�
. :·/ ���,.�::+· ... '· '\ L