Page 148 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

S5. WINDING ROAD succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check can climb
over the low outer wall without waking them. If one or
more characters fail the check, or if the characters open
The switchback road that hugs the cliff is ten feet wide the gates, the guards rouse themselves and stumble
and covered with loose gravel and chunks of broken rock. forth to confront the trespassers.
The gate guards are Otto and Zygfrek Belview, two
The ascent is slow and somewhat treacherous, and the lawful evil mongrelfolk (see appendix D). They sleep
air grows colder as one nears the top. under piles of musty animal furs. Both are loyal ser­
vants of the Abbot, yet not so good at guarding. If the
characters seem friendly, the mongrelfolk escort them
The road climbs 400 feet, doubling back on itself twice to the courtyard (area S12) and ask the characters to
before reaching area S6. wait there while they fetch the Abbot (area S13). If the
characters seem hostile, the mongrelfolk let them enter
AREAS OF THE ABBEY but don't accompany them willingly.
The following areas correspond to labels on the maps of Hanging on the inside wall of each guard post is a net
the Abbey of Saint Markovia on pages 149 and 153. woven from twigs and pine needles, as well as a shovel.
The mongrelfolk that infest the abbey are all de­ Otto and Zygfrek cover themselves with the nets when
scendants of one family-the Belviews-and all suffer they skulk through the village at night in search of fresh
from some form of madness. Whenever the characters graves to dig up.
interact with a mongrel folk who isn't detailed here, roll
on the Indefinite Madness table (see "Madness Effects" ROLEPLAYING THE MONGRELFOLK
in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide) or choose Use the information below to roleplay the mongrelfolk
from the available options on the table to determine how guards, Otto and Zygfrek.
that particular mongrel folk's madness is expressed. Otto Belview. Otto is 4 feet, 9 inches tall and squats
Most of the mongrelfolk in the abbey are locked up instead of standing upright. He looks like a beardless
because they can't be trusted to wander about unsuper­ dwarf with patches of donkey flesh covering his face and
vised. The only mongrelfolk who are free to move about body. He has one human ear and one wolf's ear, and a
are the Abbot's gravediggers, Otto and Zygfrek, and his protruding wolf's snout and fangs. His arms and hands
faithful, two-headed manservant, Clovin. are human, but his legs and feet are leonine, and he
Clovin Belview rings the abbey's bell (area Sl 7) when has a donkey's tail. He can barely speak
the Abbot decides it's time for dinner. The toll of the bell Common, and his laugh sounds like
causes all the other mongrel folk in the abbey to hoot a donkey's bray. He wears a plain
and holler with excitement as they wait to be fed. wool cloak.
The windows of the north wing are made of leaded
glass that is translucent-good for letting in light but not
good for seeing through. The windows of the east wing
are broken outward and have damaged shutters.

S6. NORTH GATE OTTO BELVIEW

The road from the village climbs above the mist to the
wide ledge on which the abbey is perched. A light dusting
of snow covers the trees and the rocky earth.
The gravel road passes between two small, stone
outbuildings, to either side of which stretches a five­
foot-high, three-foot-thick wall of jumbled stones held
together with mortar. Blocking the road are iron gates
attached to the outbuildings by rusty hinges. They ap­
pear to be unlocked. Viewed through the gates, the stone
abbey stands quiet. Its two wings are joined by a fifteen­
foot-high curtain wall. A belfry protrudes from the roof­
top of the closer north wing, which also sports a chimney
billowing gray smoke.

The iron gates are unlocked but squeal loudly when
someone opens them.
Two gate gu!rds ar.e oh duty, but they aren't awake
'
when the chai:acters arriye (see below). Characters who

CHAPTER 8 f THE VILLAGE OF KREZK