Page 147 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

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past decade are now empty, thanks to the Abbot's No one from the village visits the abbey anymore. The
sneaky mongrelfolk gravediggers (see area S6). abbey's bell rings at odd times, day and night, and the
place is filled with baleful screams and horrible, inhu­
KREZK LORE man laughter that can be heard throughout the village.
In addition to the information known to all Barovians
(see "Barovian Lore" in chapter 2), the villagers of Krezk S4. POOL AND SHRINE
(called Krezkites) know the following bits of local lore:
Residents never leave the village for fear of being at­
tacked by wolves, dire wolves, and werewolves. Even under gray skies, this pool at the north end of the
About once a month, a wagonload of wine arrives village shimmers and sparkles. Near its shore sits an
from the Wizard of Wines (chapter 12), the winery and old gazebo on the verge of collapse. A wooden statue
vineyard to the south. The business is owned and op­ of a mournful, bare-chested man, its paint chipped and
erated by the Martikov family. faded, stands in the gazebo with arms outstretched, as
, Burgomaster Krezkov recently lost his fourteen-year­
old son, Ilya, to illness. Ilya was the last of the four though waiting to be embraced.
Krezkov children.
, A pool at the north end of the village provides fresh The pool is fed by an underground spring and was
water throughout the year. Next to the pool, the vil­ blessed long ago by Saint Markovia. Its waters defy cor­
lage's ancestors built a shrine to the Morninglord in a ruption, and anyone who drinks from it for the first time
gazebo. It's known as the Shrine of the White Sun. gains the benefit of a lesser restoration spell. (The water
, The Abbey of Saint Markovia is named after a priest once had even greater magic but has weakened over the
of the Morninglord who took a stand against the devil years:) The water otherwise tastes sweet and fresh.
Strahd. After a fierce uprising, Markovia and her most The gazebo is so frail that it \\>'Ouldn't take more than
loyal followers stormed Castle Ravenloft, only to be a strong wind to knock it over. IJ remain.s !!tan?ing be­
destroyed. .. cause it's protected from the el.ements by the surrnund­
, The abbey was once a hospital and.a co11ve11t: �ut it ing trees, walJs, and cliffs. I.he StfltU!!. is a depiction
fell on hard times after the land;was swallowed up by · · of the Morninglord, positioned :s9 tl:iat qe is reaching-
the mists. Some of the. cle,rgy.'..f�ll pr,�y� to Strahd, while . toward the east (the dawn).Locals refer to the s��t!le :•
others went mad and.eithef st"at:�ed•themsel'ves to . and gazebo as the Shrine df tli(fy�ite �un, though they
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,
death or turned to ta�:riib;ii�m:·: ,: ' ' ' . '' have no idea why their ancestors named it so. ' .
The head_ of the ab Bey, cailed �imply Jhe Abbot, ar- - . ·. _,,:: .. :_"" . .,. ·--.. ·· ' .. .. - -·
-
: , . rived over a century ago and hasn't aged a day sjnee. . FORTUNES OF· RAVENLOFT .. · ::· ':
\\ i:;: .. _ . ·. ·He occasionally visits th·e Shrine of the White Sun but i If your card reading revea\s'.th�t'..{�reasure is here, the
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:·-,,//?,,, >';: . � d�esn't talk much, and he demands tribute in the form ·, item is hidden under the' gazebb'. The gazebo must be
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('.,t'i.P.lfr/':;. . of wine. No one knows his true name or where he '. torn down to n;a�h it, and doing'that doesn't sit well
:+:/tff":: '-· came from, and many believe he's Strahd's servant or_, with the 1oca·1s. 1£-t11� characte·rs damage the gazebo and
>�\)\:,: · the vampire himself in disguise. · .: cion't repa:ir it, afly Gharisma checks they make to shift
· ·
•'I .. .' .�. ·� �
; . ; ) he attitu'des oftlu�:villagers have disadvantage.
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