Difference between revisions of "Kresk Village"

Revision as of 09:48, 8 July 2018

Minimum PC Level

(Level 5) Village of Krezk: Page 143 ([1])

Ambient Audio

Kresk Village ambient audio by Sword Coast Audio

Map

[2]

The Burgomeister Dimitri Krezkov

When you run important NPCs it is important to have vital info close at hand so you don't have to go search for it. If you don't immediately know the answer to "What did your child die from?" or some other question that the NPC would be intimately familiar with, that can cause issues - it breaks verisimilitude and also the PCs can't help but be suspicious of the answer even though they recognize you are only human and looking up the answer. Here are the things you need to know off hand that the players will quiz you on: (reddit)

Dimitri had 4 children. Make up names for the first 3. The most recent one to die is Ilya at age 14. He died 7 days ago. Make up a disease. I used Consumption, but a fantasy disease works just as well. (reddit)

The book suggests you force an insight check to figure out that Krezkov is distraught, but this is really important to the mood, so I would just have an appropriate PC autopass the check when it seems logical to drop that nugget of information. (reddit)

Don't be afraid to have Dimitri be a great all around guy in these encounters. Good NPCs are so few and far between in Ravenloft that this guy really helps lighten the mood. The valleys aren't as deep if they aren't around mountains. (reddit)

The Pool and Shrine

This encounter is awesome. READ THE DEVELOPMENTS SECTION AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER! I accidentally played this development incorrectly twice. Again, here are the quick reference facts you need to know: (reddit)

The final box of grey text and the lightning bolt hits the pool regardless of if Ireena takes the watery hand or not (Both of my groups didn't let her take it). This part is really cool. If you have a sound effect available for a thunder crack, this is the time to bust it out. People around the pool (15 ft) take a Dex check or get knocked prone. People IN the pool take a Con check to avoid a stupid amount of lightning damage. (reddit)

Something New

This event is another Must Run event in my mind. It lets the characters in on a really important piece of lore which explains Barovia. I had Anna Krezkov be the midwife rather than bring another NPC in - That way, the burgomeister can ask one of the PCs to perform a blessing for the newborn. Again, this is a spot where I had one character autopass the insight check because it is integral to the setting. (reddit)

Something Borrowed

This development is important, but it is more of a development that will come into play if the PCs don't intervene. Both my groups were basically tripping over themselves to get up to the Abbey. The Abbey is a great encounter and here is how you assure the PCs are interested in going there: 1. Volunteer some of the Krezk Lore from page 146, esp. regarding the Abbott. 2. Have the dinner bell ring while the PCs are there, accompanied by screams and laughter from the Abbey. 3. Make sure to mention that several of the graves in Krezk have been robbed (due to the Mongrel gravediggers, but they don't know why, and apparently neither to the Krezkites.) and the corpses stolen. (reddit)

The most important part of the development is that you want the Burgomeister to know that the Vallakovichs have a wedding dress. This is delicious because by this time in the campaign, your party will almost certainly have run afoul of the town of Vallaki. Now they have to develop a heist plan, which is always a hoot. (reddit)

The Atmosphere in Kresk

Unlike the dreary and depressed Village of Barovia and super corrupt Vallaki, Kresk is a much more tight-knit town. While the town itself is sizable, most of that space is taken up by the residents’ farmland. Kresk’s actual population is comprised of no more than a couple hundred people. It’s the kind of place where everybody knows everybody’s business. The town is quaint. It’s communal. It’s home. (reddit)

The Story of Kresk

Here’s where things branch off from the written campaign. This is where I expanded on the written material a lot. Preemptively, I’d like to say that I borrowed and adapted quite a bit from the narratives found in the Adventure League modules of Curse of Strahd. Specifically, I added content from “The Broken One” and “The Tempter” modules. (reddit)

I'd also like to say that in this version, not a single NPC is "good." Every single one is corrupt in some way or has some sort of crime in their past. I really wanted Kresk to mess with my players, showing them that the people they trusted each have darkness in them. There will also be some hard decisions coming their way: to forgive these NPCs, punish them, or make sure they see justice? There's no right answer, but this will sure as hell mess with their morals. (reddit)

The Setup

Food Stores for Winter

Winter is fast approaching this year and Kresk is getting ready to hunker down. The cold kills what few crops they have (mostly root vegtables) and their farm animals must be carefully tended too and distributed evenly so that everyone survives the coming months. This happens every year and the locals are used to preparing for Winter. (reddit)

The Burgomaster’s Son is back from the Dead

In this version of Kresk, the events of “Something Old” should already have occurred prior to the PCs arrival. (reddit)

Essentially, the Burgomaster’s last remaining son, 14-year-old Ilya, has recently died from natural illness. In a last ditch effort to save their child, both Dmitri and his wife, Anna, took Ilya’s body to the Abbott in hopes that the holy man could revive the child. Having Dmitri go to the Abbot, rather than having the Abbot come to Dmitri, keeps the Abbot a bit more mysterious in my opinion. (reddit)

However, Ilya was dead for about a month before his parents finally got the idea to take him to the Abbey. The Abbott, while compassionate, doesn’t perform such miracles after someone has been dead for so long. He knows the consequences could be dire. But after seeing the extent of Dmitri and Anna’s despair, the Abbot relents and raises Ilya. (reddit)

Outwardly, Ilya is completely normal. He’s healing well and he’s very happy to be alive again. (reddit)

Livestock is going Missing

Recently, the town’s main livestock count in coming up short. Mainly, the collection of sheep shared by the village is dwindling and nobody knows why. (reddit)

From the established fact that those animals are needed for the locals to survive the winter, this is a really big deal to Kresk. The town’s survival could be compromised if this keeps up. (reddit)

What’s happening to the Sheep?

This is the immediate story quest that will present itself to PCs on their arrival, and solving it will unravel a whole lot more. (reddit)

Ilya is Actually a Monster

The truth is Ilya Kreskov did not come back from the dead quite right. The Abbott warned that there might be consequences to bringing back someone who had been dead for more than a few days, but even he couldn’t have guessed what’s happened to Ilya. (reddit)

Ilya’s body and soul have been tainted from his time in the Barovian afterlife. He’s been cursed with gluttony, to the point where he is perpetually hungry. At first, this only means that he eats bigger meals than a normal child would, which is easily excused by the fact that he’s been recently revived. However, as time goes on, Ilya’s hunger grows and grows to the point where it physically pains him unless he’s eating something. It eventually gets to the point where Ilya is quite literally always starving to death. (reddit)

And you guessed it. That’s where the sheep are going. Anna Kreskov, in a desperate attempt to save her son, has been quietly stealing livestock to feed him. She knows that something’s not right with Ilya’s growing hunger, but she also loves her son too much to let him die a second time. Dmitri has no knowledge of this and is kept busy with running Kresk. (reddit)

Endgame

After Ilya’s hunger destroys Kresk’s food stocks, he moves on and starts eating the residents instead. All of this will eventually culminate into a fight with Ilya’s pained and monstrous form. By this point, his hunger will have stolen any humanity he has left as well as altered him physically. (reddit)

So that’s great and all, but how does this story present itself to your players? Here's the step-by-step adventure. (reddit)

Fidatov Storyline

Story Overview

Finding some extra food stores for Kresk involves going on another mini adventure. To reiterate, I heavily borrowed and adapted the following plot from CoS's Adventurer's League modules, "The Broken One" and "The Tempter."[3]

Fidatov Manor

The players will get a clue from Luca Barbu, Kresk's village simpleton, that leads them to the Fidatov Estate.[4]

When they arrive, the players will find the fanciest mansion they've seen in Barovia thus far. Not only that, but Lady Fidatov is actually hosting a ball that day. Players will be whisked away into a world of lavish finery, food, and music, before finally meeting the lady of the house.[5]

Lady Fidatov will gladly entertain her guests, as a well mannered woman should, but in the end flatly refuses their request to aid Kresk.[6]

A Curse Takes Hold

Shortly after nightfall and Lady Fidatov's refusal, a curse suddenly takes hold of the manor. All the guests fall over dead and the house itself rapidly ages and deteriorates before the players' eyes.[7]

The players will likely want to know what in the world just happened and start exploring. They'll find some documents and letters detailing a tragedy that has befallen the house as well as evidence of a horrible curse.[8]

They'll also find that the heart of this curse might be somewhere in the center of the Fidatov family hedge maze... along with the family's amassed treasure.[9]

The Maze

Wanting to lift the curse will lead the party to the maze. They'll have to brave the maze and the beast that guards it in order to get to the center.[10]

Once in the center, the party will show down with a ghostly version of Lady Fidatov, who is actually a being mixed with the very essence of the curse. Once defeated, the curse is lifted.[11]

The Fidatov Family

Here's a bit of history on the Fidatov family and the role they play in my version of Barovia.

Location

The Fidatovs are one of the oldest families in Barovia and have amassed a great deal of wealth and land throughout the years.[12]

The estate isn't just the manor, it's the main house, some large gardens (including the hedge maze) and some surrounding farms, all technically owned by the Fidatovs. The peasants who work the farms are all pretty much vessels of this aristocratic family.[13]

The estate is not actually located in Kresk, but instead is in the surrounding woods. It's not isolated enough to have many threats from the wilderness and Strahd respects the family enough to protect the estate from most harm. That is, until the curse took over of course.[14]

Profession

The Fidatovs are primarily known as mixture of bankers, architects, and locksmiths. They're very good at managing money as well as building vaults to keep said money safe. If there's a complicated lock or a guarded building anywhere in Barovia, the Fidatovs are most definitely the creators.[15]

Because of the Fidatov's expertise, the manor itself is very well built. There is more than one door with an advanced lock that even a rogue with thieve's tools would have trouble cracking. And the detailed locking mechanism on the family tomb in the center of the maze is nothing to sneeze at either.[16]

The Fidatov's history with locks and buildings doesn't stop with the physical, however. Certain ancestors in the family were also known to have dabbled in magic to strengthen their creations.[17]

In this version, one of the Fidatov ancestors is actually the architect behind Castle Ravenloft. Artimus Fidatov's model of Ravenloft can be found in the Amber Temple, where Strahd had it moved to keep the plans safe from his enemies during construction. Artimus is not in Ravenloft's crypt however, but in the Fidatov family crypt instead.

Van Richten's Tower is also an original Fidatov creation, long abandoned by the family. The magic and mechanisms that make up the tower were all experiments made by long dead ancestors.[18]

The Manor

The main house of the Fidatov family is a grand thing to behold. Though only two stories tall, it's an architectural marvel, made of mostly marble and detailed finishings.[19]

The doors throughout the manor are not made of wood. Instead, each one is a heavy iron piece with a hollow center filled with a series of gears and mechanisms. Once locked, these mechanisms all snap into place to make the most fortified doors in pretty much all Barovia. The Fidatovs liked locks and vaults, remember. The doors throughout the manor are extensions of that fact.[20]

As a result, the manor doors are nearly impenetrable. To completely knock them down and off their hinges would require a DC 35 Athletics check. The locks are so intricate that to pick them would require a DC 30 Dex check. Even a high level rogue with thieves tools would have trouble in this house.[21]

Every door in the house has a separate, unique key. However, there is a single skeleton key capable of opening every door in the house. Lady Fidatov has left the skeleton key with the head servant of the house since he would use it far more than she.[22]

Despite the locking mechanisms, most doors in the manor are always unlocked for convenience. The doors to the outside are locked each night by the head servant, Taltos, after Lady Fidatov turns in for the evening. And the doors to the art gallery and the private study are always locked unless the lady herself is inside the rooms. Lady Fidatov carries the two separate keys to these rooms on her person normally.[23]

Lady Marilena Fidatov

Marilena is currently the only Fidatov left in her line. When the players meet her, she's in her late twenties. She's the head of the house and owner of the estate and funds.[24]

A Mathematician

Unlike her forefathers, Marilena has no gift for architecture or magic. However, she is something of a mathematical genius. She's that person that counts cards at a blackjack table without actually meaning to simply because she can't turn off her brain.[25]

Marilena keeps tedious care of her books, managing the estates and funds of not just her family, but of a collection of other noble families in Barovia.[26]

The only person in Barovia better at bookkeeping and mathematics is Lief Lipseige, the old man currently living in Ravenloft. When Lief finally dies of old age, Strahd plans on entrusting his bookkeeping to Marilena as a replacement.[27]

Snooty, But Kind

Marilena is most definitely a high-born lady. She's got all the manners of a queen and has expensive tastes. However, she doesn't actively spurn or abuse the poor or low-born. Instead, she pities the less fortunate, giving them the same sort of attention one might give a favored pet.[28]

Marilena isn't one to actually bully another person, but she can be condescending. She enjoys picking on others in the same way a school girl might tug on another's pigtails just to annoy them.[29]

A couple examples from my campaign:

The rogue in my campaign canonically can't read. He has street smarts in spades, but literacy isn't something he picked up. When Lady Fidatov showed the party her library, she asked the rogue what his favorite kind of stories entailed. He gave a vague reply about stories with lots of adventures. Marilena then specifically picked a book off the shelf and gifted it to the rogue, telling him that it'd certainly meet his tastes. The rogue was very gracious and thanked her, never knowing that she'd just given him a cookbook.[30]

The warlock in my party is the only girl on the team and she's been quite literally dragged through the mud more than once. During the ball, Lady Fidatov actually whisked the warlock away to her walk-in closet and had a mini Pretty Woman session with her. She had a wonderful time dressing up my warlock in pretty dresses, the same way a young girl might dress up a doll.[31]

The Ex-Boyfriend

Lady Marilena was actually engaged to Dmitri Kreskov for a time, originally arranged by her father before his passing. Neither of them really loved each other, but it was decent match. Dmitri stayed in the relationship for the Fidatov money while Marilena stayed in the relationship for the Kreskov name and influence.[32]

However, when it became clear to Marilena that Dmitri only wanted her money, she ended the relationship. She had no feelings for the man either and saw no reason to continue their dalliance.[33]

Unfortunately, Dmitri was downright pissed when Marilena broke off the engagement. He was young and hot-headed at the time and wanted revenge.[34]

First, he argued with Marilena and they had a very public fight, much to Marilena's embarrassment. Manners and saving face mean quite a bit to Lady Fidatov, so this was particularly insulting to her.[35]

Then, Dmitri got a horrible idea. He managed to get his hands on some poison and snuck it into the wine for Marilena's upcoming party. IF AT ANY POINT during this module, the players investigate the wine cellar, they'll be able to find an empty vial wrapped in a handkerchief. The handkerchief has the initials D.K. stitched into the corner.[36]

Even though Dmitri only meant to poison Marilena, he actually ended up poisoning all the guests at the ball. That evening, everyone in the Fidatov house died horrible, violent deaths.[37]

The Curse

As the poison took hold of Marilena, she openly shouted in frustration, cursing whoever had done this to her and begging anyone who would listen for help. And, strangely enough, someone answered. One of the Dark Powers heard Marilena's call and laid a curse over the entire estate, farmlands and all.[38]

An Eternal Groundhog's Day

Marilena desperately wanted more time. And so, the Dark Power that answered her gave her all the time in the world. Marilena and the entire Fidatov estate are cursed to relive the same day, over and over, forevermore. The catch, however, is that the ending poisoning and deaths are much more grotesque and violent at the end of each night. Here's the general sequence of events.[39]

Morning and Daytime

The Fidatov estate is alive and working. The farmers tend their crops and Marilena readies her home for the party that night. Servants bustle around the manor as they too prepare for the festivities, cooking fine foods and getting the musicians in place.[40]

Many of the guests are already onsite and are staying somewhere on the estate. The journey to the estate can be hard for some of the more distant upper class families, so Marilena graciously lets them stay for a few nights when they visit. Some guests will stay in the main manor and others in some of the surrounding buildings on the estate.[41]

Afternoon

By the late afternoon (about 3pm), the party gets started. Most of the guests have arrived and everyone proceeds to have a marvelous time. There's food and wine to go around and many of the guests take part in dancing.[42]

The conversations are pretty superficial. The guests themselves all know each other from similar parties and engagements, so they don't have much new to talk about except idle gossip.[43]

It is around this time that Dmitri's paid servant slips the poison into a barrel of wine in the cellar.[44]

Evening

Shortly after nightfall, Lady Fidatov remarks that she isn't feeling very well and retreats to her private salon with the aid of her head servant, Taltos. Shortly after, Taltos races from the room in a panic and declares Marilena dead.[45]

All at once, all the guests begin to wretch. They vomit blood and endure great pain. This wasn't how the real deaths occurred on the first day. Yes, they were poisoned, but the guests all died more subtly from it. These deaths are much more grotesque and amplified by the curse.[46]

The house rapidly ages and the bodies rot. The house itself suddenly looks like it's been abandoned for decades, with floors sagging and walls caving in. The bodies age as well, but not as much. They appear to have been there for only a few days. They're covered with flies and maggots and are still juicy.[47]

Lady Marilena's soul merges with the curse and manifests as a banshee above her body. She wails and flees to the family crypt to guard her treasure, which she believes in under attack. Remember, the crypt is in the center of the hedge maze.[48]

Lastly, a handful of ghouls manifest in the manor. They were drawn to the bodies somewhere along the line and then got swept up into the curse as well, becoming permanent fixtures of the manor at night.[49]

Dawn

At morning's first light, everything resets. The manor is restored and the guests are alive. The servants get to work on readying the house for the party and no one remembers the previous night, not even Marilena.[50]

The Fidatov Estate has been living the same day for the last fifteen years. The entirety of Barovia has appropriately aged around them, and yet they stay the same, never the wiser. Every so often, a relative of one of the missing guests comes looking for them, and is either swept up into the curse or killed by it. After a time, people stopped looking into the Fidatovs and their lands.[51]

IF YOUR PLAYERS KILL MARILENA DURING THE DAY

This can definitely happen, especially after the players discover Marilena's soul is somehow tied to the curse. They might figure it's easier to go after her human self during her party than the horror fest that occurs after dark. If this happens, however, it only expedites the curse for that day. The moment Marilena is murdered, all the guests begin to die as usual and the house instantly ages. A darkness falls over the estate like a faux nighttime, still brighter than actual night, but dark nonetheless. The following dawn, it all resets.[52]

Part 1

Now that you know the background of this house, how does it actually tie into Kresk and your players? Here's the step-by-step adventure.[53]

Luca's Letter

Sometime during the events of my last post, Luca Barbu should give the player's the following note. The letter was meant for his father, but was never received because of Costel's recent death. Luca has held onto the letter because of its link to his father, but hands it over to the party member he's deemed "his friend." This may happen if a party member saves him from the mob, or perhaps after defeating Ilya. Whenever the party does receive the letter, they won't have time to properly react to it until after they've defeated Ilya anyway, so the timing isn't terribly crucial.[54]

Lady Marilena actually did receive whatever note Costel sent her about Ilya and his worries. And Marilena responded to the note before the party began that day and therefore before the curse took hold that night. The next day, she had no memory of receiving or responding to a letter from Costel Barbu.[55]

My Dear Costel,

Forgive my abruptness, but you are in grave danger. The boy you describe clearly carries a dark curse. You must flee with your son to my estate. We have ample stores laid up for the winter and can shelter your family and friends. Please do not trouble yourself with a response, I will see you soon enough.

Your friend in joy and strife,

Marilena Fidatov

Arriving at the Manor

The players will inevitably follow the promise of provisions to the Fidatov Estate. If they ask anyone from Kresk about the Fidatovs before leaving, the townies can tell them that they're a wealthy family. No one in Kresk has really heard from them for a long time, but there's rumors the house has lavish parties almost every night![56]

When they get to the front doors, the PCs are greeted by Taltos, the head of household. He's a little pompous, but very obviously cares about the estate and Lady Fidatov. The party will likely have to negotiate with Taltos to get into the house. Mentioning Kresk or Dmitri at all will definitely get them in, though Taltos will likely frown at their adventuring attire before doing so.[57]

When they get inside, they will be relieved of their weapons (not allowed in the house, of course!) and find that the party has gotten started. Try to guide your PCs so that it's late afternoon when they arrive, and they walk into a party of well dressed people and extravagant foods.[58]

Party Mingling

Taltos will leave the PCs to mingle with the guests for a little bit. They'll probably want to take the opportunity to mingle. The guests certainly like talking with the PCs. They're so used to the same old, boring crowd, the adventurers are quite interesting to them.[59]

At this point, certain rumors to drop during the mingling include:[60]

Lady Fidatov recently broke off her engagement with Dmitri Kreskov. Yes, that Kreskov! What do you mean his wife? You must be talking about another Dmitri, dear.[61]

The Fidatovs are renowned for their architectural work. Did you know one of their ancestors actually built castle Ravenloft?[62]

The gardens here are lovely! You should walk them before the sun sets today. But make sure to avoid the hedge maze. They say no one can go in there but Lady Fidatov herself without getting lost.[63]

The location of the family crypt is a big secret. Each time we gather for one of Marilena's galas, we like to take guesses on where it might be. My bet is that it's somewhere in the cellar![64]

Meeting Lady Fidatov

When Lady Fidatov meets the party, she's delighted to have guests. Though she wouldn't normally invite lower born people to her events, she's still a very gracious hostess.[65]

Before talking about Kresk or anything else the party mentions, she insists on taking them on a tour of her manor. It's more of a peacocking situation, with Marilena showing off her finery and wealth and making small talk. As she makes her way through the tour, there are several little moments where role-play can be fun.[66]

In the library, she may gift a player with something from her collection. To rent of course. She's not one to deny literature to the curious.[67]

In the ballroom, she may invite one of the party members to dance. Play her up like it might just be an insult to refuse her. Even if the PC rolls a terrible performance check and utterly fails at dancing, Lady Fidatov is more amused than anything. A good quote for this moment from the AL module: “Can you dance? I say that a person who can’t handle the waltz can’t be trusted to handle anything else, either, if you know what I mean.”[68]

In the dining room, food is being laid out for an elaborate feast. One of my favorite quotes from the AL module should be used here. "Oh, you simply must try this. It's to die for."[69]

Lady Fidatov does NOT take the tour through the kitchens (too many servants), the bedrooms upstairs (propriety, for goodness sake!), her private salon, her private study, or the art gallery.[70]

Asking for Help

When the tour is finished, Marilena takes the PCs to her private meeting room on the the first floor. It's there that she hears them out on Kresk's plight. If Dmitri comes up, she refuses to acknowledge it, staying silent from manners alone and tactfully avoiding the subject. Remember, with the curse in place, Marilena only broke up with Dmitri a few days ago, not fifteen years ago. Their public fight is still very fresh to her and she is quite bitter.[71]

Because of the breakup, Marilena is feeling horribly resentful. She downright refuses to help Kresk or Dmitri. She claims it's nothing personal, but it very much is.[72]

However, Marilena isn't about to take out her frustrations on the messengers. She compliments the PCs' honor and invites them to stay for the rest of the ball and then for the night. They can then return to Kresk in the morning, well rested.[73]

If the players are more insistent or are making some pretty good arguments to sway her, you can have Marilena relent a bit. Have her tell the players that she'll take the night to consider their proposal. They'll speak more on the matter the following day. This should be reasonable enough for your PCs.[74]

Part 2

Now your players are staying the night. Let them enjoy the rest of the evening, perhaps even get into some light hearted shenanigans. My players spent fifteen minutes tactfully stealing a fancy man's fancy hat. It was one of the most smoothly implemented plans they've had thus far, actually. And then, when you're ready, the curse takes hold.Here's a nice excerpt, somewhat edited, from the AL module to help narrate this moment.[75]

The shattering of glass halts a dozen conversations all at once. Lady Fidatov sways slightly and motions discreetly to Taltos, who helps her from the couch and out of the room—Taltos closing the doors behind them. Moments later, a terrible scream rips through the manor.[76]

The musicians play on for a moment and then stop, confused as to why everyone has stopped dancing. All conversation comes to a halt. The doors crash open and then Taltos barges back into the room. “Poison! The Lady has been... “[77]


Suddenly, a finely dressed guest coughs and stumbles. He puts his hand to his lips and it comes away covered in blood. He falls to his knees, choking and clutching at his throat. All around you, the rest of the party guests begin doing the same. Some fall to the floor while others rush for the exits.[78]

All around you, the guests gag, retch, and fall to the floor— their bodies twitching and wracked with spasms. Candles and lamps flicker as a chill wind rips through the room. The screaming continues, louder and more insistent than before, one voice of terror becoming a chorus.[79]

After the transformation is over, here's one last little excerpt.[80]

The elegant manor house has transformed into a scene of horror and destruction. Everything seems to have changed; fine draperies now hang tattered and rotted, the floors are stained and cracked, and even the walls and ceilings sag a bit.[81]

Everywhere you look you see the dead: piled in corners, splayed across the back of a chair, hanging limply in the jagged glass of a shattered window. Though the immediate danger seems to have passed, you think you can still feel the slosh of wine within your own belly...[82]

At one point during all this, go ahead and have your players roll some constitution saving throws. They aren't part of the curse, so they're not actually in any danger of poisoning, but they certainly don't know that. Don't tell them the results of their throws and if they ask, only say, "You'll see."[83]

Part 3

Next up is a sort of scavenger hunt through gory hell. In short, your players will learn that Marilena's ghost is the source of a curse and that she's hiding in the family crypt. They'll have to learn the location of the crypt (In the center of the maze) from some notes in Marilena's private study. However, the study is locked pretty heavily, so they'll have to find Taltos' body to get the Manor's skeleton key.[84]

Once they figure out the location of the crypt, they'll also learn that the crypt is locked by a complicated, twin locking mechanism. They'll need 2 different family crests, which also dual as keys, to open it. These can be found in the art gallery. Once they've retrieved the crests, they'll be able to head to the maze and the crypt in the center.[85]

Marilena's Ghost in the Private Salon

This will most likely be the party's first stop. Marilena was the first to go down from the poison, so they'll want to investigate her.[86]

When they enter the salon, they find Marilena's corpse laying on a central couch. You should describe to your PCs how the area around the corpse seems to ripple and warp, almost like a distortion in their very reality. They feel like if they could just touch it, they might figure out what's happening. You know, some nice description-y thing like that.[87]

Suddenly, there's a rush of wind and Marilena's ghost rises out of the body. Marilena is a very confused spirit. She looks at the party in surprise and screams at them, asking, "What have you done to me!?" She then mutters a series of run-on statements that don't make much sense before declaring that she's going to go rest with her family. She doesn't care that they're dead, she knows they'll be comforting! May everyone else rot in hell![88]

Marilena then flies through the walls and out of the room in the direction of the gardens. Make sure to note that she takes the distortion with her, implying that the key to fixing whatever just happened is linked to her spirit.[89]

The Skeleton Key Found on Taltos' body

So now the PCs are going to have to figure out the location of the family crypt. Even if they're not quite sure that's what they're supposed to do, they'll likely want to explore the manor anyway. Inevitably, they'll discover the two locked doors to the gallery and study right next to the salon.[90]

Eventually, they'll wonder upstairs. I placed a pack of 5 ghouls in one of the old guest rooms for a short encounter. At this point, my party was level 6 and cut through the ghouls pretty easily. It was nice to compare to their first ghoul encounter at the Death House, oh so long ago. Those ghouls hurt them pretty badly back then so I think it felt kind of empowering to them to be able to win this fight so easily.[91]

Taltos' body is in a secret room beyond Marilena's walk-in closet.[92]

The secret room was more of a private praying room for Marilena. She didn't use it very often since she wasn't terribly religious, but there's an altar in there to the Morninglord along with a collection of rarer books.[93]

The secret room lies behind a wall mounted mirror in the closet.[94]

What happened:

Firstly, remember that the curse sort of fast-forwards time each night. One night curse-time encompasses several days would-be-real-time. That's why the bodies rot and the house ages. In the eyes of the curse, these days of rot actually took place, but crams them all into a single night, every night.[95]

Taltos fortunately hadn't had any wine the night of the party. He'd been very busy working and hadn't indulged himself. Unfortunately, he was therefore one of the only level headed witnesses to the mass execution of Lady Fidatov's party goers.[96]

Taltos wasn't the only one who hadn't partook in the wine. A handful of other guests and at least half the servants remained unaffected as well. However, seeing everyone dying pushed most of those people into a frenzied panic. They blamed each other for the poisoning and actually attacked one another, guests killing servants and servants killing guests. Taltos hid during most of this carnage.[97]

When it was over, Taltos was the only one left alive. In the aftermath, he followed a sort of inner, compulsive need to keep up the house and tried to clean up some of the bodies. But after a few days without sleep, he realized the futility of his actions and took his own life.[98]

When the players find the secret room on the second floor, they'll find Taltos and the skeleton key. They'll also find his final note, detailing what happened.[99]

Lady Marilena is dead.[100]

She is gone. Gone, along with everyone else. I swore to her father that I would serve this household as long as I lived in exchange for my life... the life of a simple thief at that... and serve I have. I have been by my Lady's side since she was a young girl and watched her grow with pride.[101]

And yet, now it has all ended and I am at a loss..[102]

There was something in the food. In the wine, perhaps? Perhaps both? I know not. But without warning, Lady Marilena fell ill and died, followed by the majority of the guests. The few who were left fell into a panic and turned murderous against one another. I hid like a coward and then like a fool thought I could somehow make things better by cleaning up what was left behind.[103]

I see now that there is no point. No point to taking care of this house when the Fidatovs no longer live. I wish to join them. I wish to join my Lady.[104]

The Location of the Crypt found in the Private Study

Skeleton key in hand, the PCs are now able to open the two locked doors on the first floor. One goes into the private study.[105]

Most of what's in the study includes old books on taxes records and money keeping. Boring really, but very important to bankers. Theres also a little money in a chest for a player that'd like to nick it.[106]

But most importantly, the PCs will find Lady Fidatov's private journal with the following entry:

The time has come to break things off with Dmitri. He has been an enjoyable plaything, but he grows increasingly insistent that we should marry. He believes himself irresistible, that I am in love and therefore stupid. But I play the game far better than he realizes. To think that I would give over not just my fortune, but dominion over my lands, over my very life, to a man? The idea sickens me.

The servants tell me that he has been roaming the manor at night, looking in the library for clues to where the vault might be hidden. Such foolishness. My father was no fool, and neither is his daughter. There is no vault because my ancestors stand eternal guard over our treasure in our crypt. Only the twin crests of the greatest scion of our family, Valetian Fidatov, can open the way and disable the wards. Well, the second-greatest scion of our family, after me, of course. Two crests for two fountains in a terrible labyrinth... such a wonderful trick.

Dmitri was never going to get what he wanted, but he is still going to be upset when I end our dalliance. I shall tell him tonight and send him on his way quietly. I don’t want him to make a scene at my party next week. And besides, perhaps there will be a new suitor or two to consider...

This should tell the players all they need to know. The family crypt is at the center of the maze and to open it, they'll need two family crests. The locks to the crypt are hidden in the maze under the guise of fountains. Put the two crests in the two fountains, and bingo, the crypt opens.[107]

The Crests/Keys found in the Art Gallery

Now here's where I put in a pretty intense battle. I put it in mostly cause I thought it'd be spooky and interesting, but turns out it almost wiped my party. But, after thinking about it, I think I'd still do it the same way.[108]

The Crest Location

The art gallery is filled with a mixture of portraits, mirrors, and mounted crests. It doesn't take too long for the players to come in, look at the crests and read the plaques to figure out which one they need.[109]

However, when they find the appropriate plaque, the crest isn't there. It's missing off the wall![110]

Then, the players notice a mirror on the opposite wall. When they look in the mirror, the crest is mounted where it's supposed to be in the reflection, but not on the wall in real life. Naturally, players will try to investigate. When a player touches the mirror, their hand goes right through. They're able to step through the mirror and literally into a mirror dimension.[111]

BUT. When a player steps into the mirror, their reflection steps OUT. Dun dun dun![112]

The Unintentionally Super Intense Mirror Battle

You know, there's probably something out there about not having your PCs fight their evil twins. There's probably a nice little post, saying, "Hey, it's hard bro!" But alas, I did not find that post. Thus began the session where I almost made my players literally kill themselves. Here's how:[113]

Mirror Room Origin

So this is actually really simple. Like I've said before, the Fidatov family is known for their complex locking mechanisms, and they've been known to use magic to make those mechanisms even more effective.[114]

Once upon a time, a Fidatov mage was trying to figure out a complex way to hide items from those who might steal them. So they created a mini mirror dimension connected by 5 mirrors that could produce a shadow/reflection protector.[115]

The mirrors and their magic were created to guard objects. In this case, the Fidatov crest. The master/ruler of these mirrors is always the currently head of the Fidatov line, currently Marilena. She has no need to visit the family crypt very often, so the key stays within the mirrors.[116]

Marilena keeps the art gallery locked to protect others who might stumble upon the mirrors. She knows how dangerous they can be and wants no one to fall accidentally into this magical defense mechanism.[117]

The Physics/Rules of the Mirrors

The mirrors create a reflection dimension of the room in which they're placed. They can only reproduce a limited amount of space within them, so taking the mirrors outdoors would be completely useless. If the the space they're reflecting is too large, no alternate dimension will be produced at all.[118]

All five mirrors must be reflecting the same space for the magic to take hold. If one mirror is taken from the others, no alternate dimension is produced.[119]

Objects and spells can pass through the mirrors without interference. If someone were to throw a dagger at their Reflection, for instance, it would pass through the mirror into the other dimension and actually hit the Reflection (if it beats the AC like a normal attack role of course). Similarly, if a Reflection casts a spell, it can be cast through a mirror and into the real world.[120]

This means that the mirrors cannot actually be broken in the real world. If someone tries to swing at the mirror, their weapon will just pass through. A person would have to remove the mirror from the others, thus deactivating the mirror dimension, to turn it into a normal mirror. Then it can be broken.[121]

The Reflection Monsters

When anyone (PCs and NPCs alike) step in front of one of these mirrors, they create a Reflection. A Reflection copies all the traits and abilities of its creator, but exists entirely within the mirror dimension.[122]

This also extends to the creator's current physical health. If the creator of a Reflection only has 5 HP left out of 30, a Reflection with also only have 5 HP.[123]

To create a Reflection, literally just make copies of all your PC's character sheets. Those are the stats you need.[124]

A Reflection's sole purpose is to guard a certain object, assigned by the mirror's master. They do this unrelentingly and will kill without prejudice if the object is threatened.[125]

A Reflection cannot be reasoned with. It is a construct that has no soul or mind of its own. However, it can speak, if only to mimic the voice and words of its creator.[126]

If the creator of a Reflection dies (i.e. a PC), the Reflection also disappears.[127]

A Reflection cannot leave the line of sight of at least one of the mirrors. If it does, it ceases to exist.[128]

If the Reflection's creator leaves the line of sight of all of the mirrors, the Relection also disappears.[129]

A Reflection and it's creator cannot exist in the same dimension at the same time. If someone enters the mirror dimension, their Reflection enters the real world. If they leave the mirror dimension, their Reflection reappears in the mirror.[130]

If a Reflection is reduced to 0 HP, it disappears. However, it can be reproduced if a person exits the room and then reenters the room, thus creating another Reflection.[131]

Even though a Reflection is, yes, a reflection, it can move independently during the battle. It doesn't have to actually copy all of its creator's actions/movements.[132]

However, a Reflection might choose to do so anyway in order to confuse other party members. This plays a nice little game of Which is the Real One!?[133]

Results of the Mirror Battle

I can imagine this might go differently in other campaigns with different parties, but this was a super intense fight for mine. My players were pretty broken and bleeding by the time they escaped the room, and they didn't even have the crest by the end of it. One of the sneaky Reflections rolled a nat 20 on a slight of hand check on their turn to pickpocket the crest from a PC.[134]

My players ended up locking themselves in the study for a long rest, trying to survive the night. However, this turned out to be a good thing. Because when they woke up, they discovered the Manor all nice and beautiful again. The guests, Taltos, and Marilena didn't recall ever having spoken to them either. Without taking that rest, my players would never have discovered the Groundhog's Day effect of the curse.[135]

My players were then able to intimidate and persuade their case to Marilena that something was UP. She and all her guests were poisoned and they needed the crest for the family crypt now.[136]

Marilena, as the ruler of the mirrors, was able to go and retrieve the crest for them without incident, so they didn't need to fight their reflections again.[137]

Then, they were off to the maze. Marilena abjectly refused to go to the maze with them, showing obvious fear about the place as well as being more than a little bitter about being strong armed into giving up the crest.[138]

In Summary

At this point, the players know there's a curse and they've got the keys they need to break it. Marilena's ghost must be expunged to stop all this and she's in the crypt at the center of the maze. The maze itself turned into another epic for my group, so I've decided to move it into a separate post. Stay tuned for the maze and the finale of the Kresk story saga![139]

- Mandy[140]

Part 1 Prior to Kresk

In order for this to go more smoothly narratively, there are a couple things you should establish prior to the PCs reaching Kresk. You can do this in conversations with other NPCs throughout their journey. (reddit)

There’re rumors that the great and holy Abbott of Kresk brought someone back from the dead. Because Kresk is so closed off from the outside world, these rumors are pretty nondescript. But it’ll drop a nice hint to your party before everything goes down. It’ll also plant a seed that resurrection is possible if one of the PCs die in game, which comes in useful later. (reddit)

The weather in Barovia is pretty stagnant, but it’s technically autumn when the players start the campaign. Really, Barovia has two main climates. For spring, summer, and autumn, everything is on the chillier side of temperate. The normal Barovian environment. Winter, however, involves intense frosts and exceptionally long nights, but not necessarily heavy snowfall. Luckily, winter only lasts a couple months. Establishing the coming winter will help make the missing livestock a big deal to your players. It’ll also probably inspire more than one “Winter is coming” joke. ;) (reddit)

Staying in the Burgomaster’s House

When your players get to Kresk, they’ll end up staying in the Burgomaster’s house. Remember, there aren’t any inns in Kresk since the town doesn’t welcome outsiders. Taking up the empty beds in Dmitri’s house is the player’s main option for room and board. (reddit)

At dinner that night, you should play up the family dynamic. Dmitri, Anna, and Ilya are a lovely family and they overall have a kind disposition. (reddit)

Things to bring up during dinner:

Ilya has a huge appetite. He doesn’t talk much throughout dinner because he’s busy stuffing his face. Play this up as amusing; a growing boy who needs his nutrition. Dmitri might even laugh and tell Ilya to “Slow down and remember to breathe!” (reddit)

Dmitri and Anna are happy to tell the party that their son is back from the dead. It’s the greatest miracle in their lives, after all, and they see no reason to hide a blessing of the Morning Lord. They freely talk about the Abbott’s kindness and extraordinary power. Evening mentioning this should chime some alarm bells in your players’ heads. (reddit)

The people of Kresk all work together to survive. Dmitri doesn’t mean to be rude or forward, but he’d very much like the players to help out around town; to earn their keep so to speak. If the players ask how they can help, Dmitri will tell them about the preparations for winter and, inevitably, the missing sheep. (reddit)

Exploring Kresk

In the following days, the players will likely want to make good on helping out Kresk. There are other things they may wish to do at this point as well and you should totally let them. They have time before Ilya’s hunger consumes him. For instance: (reddit)

Players can go explore the Shrine and Pool.

Players may want to go straight to the Abbey. This will likely be a longer dalliance, but still isn’t any problem.

If your players do avoid the livestock issue, make sure to keep hinting at it. The longer they wait, the more worried the Kreskites become about making it through the winter. Each time the players see Ilya, he’s eating. Hint away! (reddit)

Part 2 Investigating the Missing Livestock

When your players show interest in figuring out this little mystery, you should get things rolling with a bang. Quite literally overnight, all the sheep in Kresk’s collective pen have gone missing. However, not only are they missing, but also the farm is covered with blood. (reddit)

Depending on where your players are, you’ll need to weave this in a little differently. (reddit)

If your players want to look into this the morning after their dinner with the Burgomaster’s family, have a local villager burst into the home in the morning asking for Dmitri’s help. Unfortunately, Dmitri, Anna, and Ilya are all out at the moment, so your PCs will have to do. (reddit)

If your players are somewhere else in town or are returning from the Abbey, have a local run up to them in a panic. The Burgomaster is requesting the players’ immediate assistance. (reddit)

Luca Barbu

The commotion will lead the players to Luca’s farm. Luca is the village simpleton and essentially a gentle giant. Though he’s not bright, he can look after the sheep with his heart of gold. Unfortunately, Anna Kreskov has been using Luca’s mental handicap against him to steal sheep for her son. (reddit)

I took Luca directly from the Adventure League modules. This is the description they give of Luca:

Luca was supposed to be watching the sheep and is the only one in charge of them. Despite his mental handicap, he does a really good job of this. He’s kind of a sheep whisperer. Luca’s a better fit for the job than players might first think. (reddit)

Luca’s father, Costel Barbu, used to help keep track of the sheep as well. However, he recently died. Costel left a couple weeks earlier to go and see about the missing wine deliveries. Unfortunately, he had an unfortunate encounter with some wolves and never returned. (reddit)

Finding the Clues

Your players will have a little time to look around the sheep pen and question Luca. Here are some facts about the scene of the crime. (reddit)

In the Sheep Pen

There were supposed to be over three-dozen sheep in the pen. They usually have closer to 50, but Anna’s continual theft over the last couple weeks has dwindled their numbers. Now, all three-dozen remaining sheep are gone too. (reddit)

Ilya devoured the sheep, skin and bones, leaving little behind. So there actually isn’t that much blood in the pen. Certainly not enough to encompass so many sheep. There are also no carcasses and only a few scattered sheep bones. (reddit)

The only footprints in the pen are sheep and human. (reddit)

The few sheep bones left behind have bite marks on them. A well-rolled skill check can tell your players that the markings were made by rows of sharp teeth, not unlike a shark bite. (reddit)

Questioning Luca

I also took this directly from the printed module, "The Broken One", so I’ll share that here. (reddit)

During the investigation Luca fixates on one of the characters and declares that they are friends. It might be whichever character first showed him any kindness, the character with the highest or lowest Charisma, or—ironically—the prickliest and gruffest member of the party. Luca refers to this character as his “friend”. This chosen character has advantage on all skill checks made to persuade, intimidate or deceive Luca, though failure in these checks can send Luca into a rage. 
Luca is willing to tell his "friend” what he knows about the disappearance of the livestock. Luca won't volunteer any information; the characters have to ask targeted questions, but they can learn the following: 
􏰀 (reddit)

- The fence is broken. Today Luca went to get stones to fix the fence. All day Luca is getting 
stones. (The fence is not broken; this was Anna's idea to get Luca away from the sheep pen that Luca has fixated on. Luca wasn't there to witness Ilya come and eat all the remaining sheep.)
􏰀 (reddit)

- Luca can't count the sheep 'cause he got kicked in the head.
􏰀 (reddit)

- Daddy went away. He never said goodbye. Luca thinks Daddy is in the dirt.
􏰀 (reddit)

- Luca's favorite sheep is Brownie. Brownie was nice to Luca and always let him pet her. One-day Brownie was gone. Eugen said Luca is just a dunderhead but Luca knows that Brownie is gone. Brownie is in the dirt. (reddit)

Part 3 The Mob Cometh

When you decide the time is right, the situation will further escalate. Word has gotten around that Kresk's main livestock is gone. With winter right around the corner, they're a big chance they might starve in the coming months. What was once an anxious worry over a handful of missing sheep is quickly turning into full blown panic. (reddit)

As your players proceed with their investigation, villagers begin to gather around Luca's farm. You can mention them in passing as simple "onlookers" there to see the carnage. But as their numbers grow, their tensions rise. (reddit)

Anna and Dmitri Kreskov also show up during this time. Dmitri enters the sullied farm wide-eyed and stunned. He's shocked by the missing sheep and as scared as the rest of his people. However, he's doing his best not to show his fear, staying silent instead. While Dmitri's silence doesn't hinder matters, it also doesn't help them. (reddit)

Anna Ignites the Mob

Anna was not present to see Ilya eat all the remaining sheep and certainly didn't advocate the act. This was Ilya acting on his own due to his frenzied hunger. However, Anna still loves her son more than anything and is willing to do whatever might be necessary to save him. Seeing what's become of Luca's farm, Anna knows that her son's ailment is in danger of coming to light. (reddit)

Anna uses the heightened fear of the spectators to insight a mob. She openly shouts above the crowd that Luca is at fault, claiming that he is the reason the sheep are gone and that Kresk will starve. She's more than willing to use poor Luca as a scapegoat if it means protecting her boy. (reddit)

Even though this is a calculated move on Anna's part, you should play it like she's simply voicing the Mob's collective thoughts. Anna herself is very worried about her son, so describing her as wide-eyed and afraid wouldn't be inaccurate. Your players just won't figure out her real reasons for being so scared until later. (reddit)

How your PCs react.

During the Mob confrontation, the players can do a few different things. "The Broken One" module gives a decent write up of each of these options, but I'll summarize them for you here. No matter what happens, they all end with a scream coming from somewhere in the nearby streets. (reddit)

Calm the Mob

Luckily, Kresk is quite small and so is the mob. There are no more than fifty-ish people present at this time. It is very possible for your players to calm the mob with reason and words. (reddit)

Let your players have some time to role-play. This might be a great time for your charismatic player character to step up to the plate. (reddit)

Should the PCs manage to quell the mob, go ahead and spare a moment to mention that Anna looks downright pissed. However, before they can investigate, a scream echoes from somewhere nearby. (reddit)

Fight for Luca

Your players might be filled with righteous indignation that the mob is going after a sweet soul like Luca. Your party may fight back against the mob. (reddit)

However, if the fighting results in the death of a villager, the mob will dissipate rather quickly as they are overcome by fear. Your party will earn a pretty bad reputation as murderers in Kresk. Even though they're right in defending Luca, the local Kreskites will never forget that the party killed their own. They won't be as trusted or as welcome in Kresk after this. (reddit)

Otherwise, the encounter will end the same as calming the mob, with Anna's angry glare and a scream coming from somewhere nearby. (reddit)

Flee with Luca

The party may just "nope" the heck out of there, grabbing Luca and making a break for it. You should have a tense little scene where the party is actively running from the mob. (reddit)

This ends when the party turns a corner and sees a woman in the middle of the street as she lets out a loud, anguished scream. (reddit)

Throw Luca to the Mob

Maybe everything fails. Maybe you've got some morally questionable players. Maybe your players have decided that Luca is at fault from misinterpreting some evidence. Either way, it is entirely possible that your party might just hand Luca over to the mob. (reddit)

Should this happen, describe the horror to your players as Luca is swallowed by his fellow Kreskites and beaten to death. Luca's meant to be an innocent, so letting this happen should make your players feel pretty awful. (reddit)

When Luca is dead, the Mob turns angrily towards the party. It is then that the scream comes from town. (reddit)

Confronting Ilya

The Scream

The scream comes from a woman in town. Ilya, still starving even after devouring all the sheep, has turned to eating people to satiate his hunger. This woman, a random villager, was on her way to investigate the commotion of the mob when she stumbled across Ilya hunched over and eating another villager. (reddit)

When the party hears the scream, they likely rush off to investigate. They'll arrive just as Ilya dives at the woman to attack her. The final battle will quickly ensue after this. (reddit)

Ilya Battle

Ilya has turned into a monster. He's completely emaciated, his bones pushing up from beneath his pale skin. He's covered in blood - both sheep and human - and he thinks of nothing but quenching the hunger that's causing him so much pain. When he opens his mouth, his jaw quite literally unhinges and peels open down the sides of his neck, revealing rows upon rows of sharp, jagged teeth. (reddit)

Should your party try to call out to Ilya to try and talk to him, he openly weeps and begs for food. His hunger is quite literally killing him and he's in so much agony, reason can't find him. (reddit)

Here's the stat block I used for Ilya:

Onlookers/The Remaining Mob

Should other commoners still be with the party when the fight gets started (if they were chasing the party through the streets for example), the civilians turn and flee in terror at the sight of Ilya. They don't want to stick around with a monster on the loose, after all. (reddit)

Aftereffects

When the battle is over and Ilya is slain, there's still some things to be wrapped up. (reddit)

Anna

After Ilya is dead, Anna bursts from the crowd and screams, "No!" She rushes over to Ilya's body and weeps over him. (reddit)

The players should be able to tell from her reaction that it's likely Anna knew what was going on all along. If the players take the time to question her, she admits to everything. If the players chastise her, she merely says, "He's my son. What else could I do?" (reddit)

What happens to Anna is entirely up to your players. They just killed the worst monster Kresk has seen in decades, after all. They currently have huge sway over the town. Most likely, the villagers will want to give Anna a public trial that will probably result in her execution or exile. Your players can heavily influence this decision. Maybe your players actually forgive Anna and convince the rest of Kresk to do the same. It's really up to them. (reddit)

Dmitri

Dmitri is a totally broken man after this. Not only is his last son dead, but said son is the murderer of other villagers. His wife may also have been executed or exiled at this point. On top of everything, Kresk doesn't have enough food to make it through the winter. Dmitri lapses into a catatonia from the heartbreak. (reddit)

With Anna and Dmitri pretty much out of the picture, it's now up to the players to save Kresk from starvation. Luckily, there's a rich lady in the woods beyond Kresk that may just have enough to go around. Stay tuned for my write up and revisions of the Fidatov Manor, the next step in rescuing the people of Kresk. I'll also be doing a much shorter post on Kresk's shrine and another long one on the Abbey. Enjoy! (reddit)

I HATE the whole “Ireena (Tatyana) might escape with Sergei into the pool” bit. (reddit)

As written, stopping her is ultimately bad, but the players aren’t given any clues about it (reddit)

It fees shoehorned in (reddit)

Even if I wink and nod my ass off, it feels like a Deus ex Machina (reddit)

It’s a cheap victory even if they do the “right” thing (reddit)

It leaves so much potential on the table (reddit)

How I see it:

Sergei’s spirit has been trapped in Barovia, just like any other, since his murder (reddit)

He has specifically refused to be reincarnated, because there are advantages to being incorporeal when your hating brother is a vampire (reddit)

Abbey of St. Markovia

As one of the few hallowed places still left in barovia, he has “anchored” his spirit to the pool beneath the Abbey of St. Markovia, in order to maintain his form, he must return there each dawn. (reddit)

Over centuries he has gone from hating, to resenting, to pitying, and finally forgiving Strahd. He’s seen what hatred and obsession have done to his brother, and does not want to become that. (reddit)

With all this time and access to the border ethereal, Sergei has been able to learn many things about the realm he inhabits:

Strahd is a prisoner here himself, destined to relive the loss of his heart’s desire over and over for eternity. So long as this continues, he can never be truly put to rest, and neither can Tatyana. (reddit)

The true power here is a Dark Entity named Sargad the Exsanguinator, the dark power that originally brokered a deal with Strahd. It was freed from the Amber Temple when Strahd sealed their pack by killing Sergei (hence the broken sarcophagus in the amber temple). It delights in Strahd’s repeated torment. (reddit)

He suspects that a shard of the coffin, if used to pierce Strahd’s Heart while he slumbers, might sever his connection Sargad and kill him permanently. (reddit)

The Heart of Sorrow in the tower of Ravenloft is the key to Strahd’s power and relative immortality. Similar to a phylactery of a lich. (This will tie in to the Tome of Strahd) (reddit)

Barovia has been moved to some sort of demiplane, it bumps around the cosmological landscape, occasionally “bumping into” the real world. Sergei has been able to use this... (reddit)

When Van Richten cam to Bariovia Sergei stole/found some of his writings and used them to disseminate his message, in the hope that those who read the writing of a master hunter would be powerful themselves and come to his aid. He was able to pass the items through the barrier in the ethereal when Barovia “bumped against” the real world, though he cannot pass himself. This generally coincided with other Barovia related activity in the normal realm, like werewolf raids, and vistani camps, and undead happenings. Hence the relationship with the character hooks I set up at the start. (reddit)

I want the players to find Sergei at the pool. Here he hatches a plan to kill his brother for good, thus freeing all three of their souls from this curse. He’ll also suggest using an Imprison spell on Ireena, in order to keep her safe. If this happens, or if another of his plans are completed Strahd gets wise to this and thunders “You will not keep her from me brother, not in this life, not in any life!” Cue lightning strike at the pool. The characters will no longer have access to Sergei, but he will have put them on the path to killing Strahd by then. (reddit)

So, all the noise from the Abbey and the stories about the Abbot have piqued the players interest, and now they want to venture to the Abbey. Great. This is a fun session. I made a few mistakes. I even made the same mistake twice. (reddit)

The Gate

First things first, your players will probably talk to the mongrelfolk at the gate. This whole area is actually really fun for the DM, but challenging. If you are someone who does character voices, you have to have animal character voices. Practice these....or just wing it, the players will love it either way. Both of my groups resolved the whole Abbey more or less peacefully so they talked to the gate guards and were then granted an audience with the Abbot. (reddit)

The Well

I actually don't like how there is this mongrel in the well who likes killing people. If PC's are asked to wait in the yard by the well - They WILL peek in the well. If they do, now they get attacked. I had one group who just shot this creature to death in the well, and the other group threw a net over the top. The challenge of this encounter is not if the PCs can kill the mongrelperson, it is "How do we deal with this without drawing bad attention to ourselves". I think the way to handle this is something like "This creature in the well starts to crawl up and it looks like it has murderous intent. How do you keep it from coming out?". This way they know the stakes, and what they must do, and it shows that you are open to creative suggestions, like the net. (reddit)

The Abbot

This encounter is great. As I said, both of my groups decided to talk to him instead of attack. I tried to roleplay the Abbot as aloof and otherworldly. Both my groups agreed to go get the wedding dress which I should cover later. Here are some tips on the Abbot - Have him initially offer to raise up to two people from the dead in exchange for the dress. If there's one thing about PCs that we know - They always try to bargain and persuade for more. Let them do that and then the Abbot will agree to raise 3 people. (reddit)

I hinted at it earlier, but I made one big mistake twice here. In the module, they suggest that The Abbot will give the PC's a tour of his Abbey. Don't do this. There are a few reasons why I suggest this even after running by the book twice. First of all, the haunted upper level of the eastern wing of the Abbey just does not work out if the Abbot is with them. Second, this is probably where your group will meet Ezmerelda. This makes for a really strange meeting if the Abbot is there. Instead of giving a tour, I would have the Abbot say "You are welcome to peruse the grounds of the Abbey. I think you will find remnants of some history here very interesting. Do be careful around the guard. It is my first iteration of making a bride, and it isn't so....refined. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get back to my lessons. Where were we? Ah, Yes. Repeat after me - The rain in tulane falls mainly on the plains." Then let them go off and meet Ezmerelda and check out the rest of the Abbey. (reddit)

Developments

The authors didn't really say what happens when the wedding dress comes in. Yeah, he grants the PC's raise dead three times...but then what? It is really open ended and can go a lot of different ways. Does the Abbot try to draw Strahd to his bride? Does the Abbot ask the PC's to bring the Bride to Strahd? Does the Abbot kill Ireena so that she cannot distract from Strahd? In the group that recovered the dress, Ireena has been stolen from them by Strahd and is planning a wedding. Ismark, the party, and other important characters from Barovia have been invited to the wedding. I may have the Abbot and his Bride show up to ruin the wedding. It would be an incredible climax where all the living flagship characters come to this event. Chaos would be inevitable. (reddit)

The Fate of Ireena

At this point in the campaign, Strahd is going to realize that the players may soon be powerful enough to devise a way to keep Ireena out of his grasp. Especially after the close call with the Pool in Krezk. Unless the PCs go to great lengths to keep Ireena hidden, Strahd is going to get her. He will take hostages. He will trade prisoners. He will charm the barbarian. He will strike when the party is weak after clearing one of the encounters. The module doesn't make it clear, but I think the only possible outcome of the campaign is the capture of Ireena. The only place safe from Strahd is the Hallowed Church in Vallaki, and given the powder keg political landscape of Vallaki and the presence of Izek - That isn't really much safer for the poor woman. My plan? Ireena will give herself up to save the life of an important townsperson or one of the PCs. Strahd will make it clear during an encounter that this is an option, and she will take it confident that the PCs will save her from Ravenloft. Boom. Another reason to go to Ravenloft, and as soon as the wedding invitations come you put the PCs on a time constraint. Oh, and also Ireena is a vampire spawn LOOOONG before the wedding actually happens. (reddit)