Session 20

While Vladimir is down, the group tries again to grab the sword. Bardolf, Pelanil, and Anakir all lay stake. Pelanil is able to shove the other two off of the sword, only to drop it as Vladimir regenerates once again. While the others are fighting over the sword, Anakir is tapped on the shoulder. He turns to find another undead being. It speaks to him, saying, "Come, I know a place to hide. You'll never escape them on your own."

Once Vladimir is knocked unconscious once more, Shalooti pulls the sword away with mage hand. The group follow the undead man up the stairs, as Vladimir and his comrades chase close behind.

Once safe, the man introduces himself as Sir Godfrey Gwilym, in life, a member of The Order of the Silver Dragon. He has lead them to the the East tower of the castle, and all along the stairs and the landings, the party find dragon bones, laid here reverently. Notably missing from the skeleton is the skull.

Godfrey explains:

• This tower used to house a beacon that weakened Strahd
• After Argynvost's death, he and Vladimir retrieved the bones of their friend one by one from Castle Ravenloft
• The party infers that Vladimir and Godfrey were once lovers and that Godfrey mourns the loss of Vlad to evil
• Many centuries ago, a band of enchanted plant creatures lead by a small coven of witches tried to tear down Argynvostholt, brick by brick
  • They stole the skull which put out the beacon
  • This is when Vladimir and the others went mad
  • Godfrey thinks returning the skull will restore the beacon and release his friends
• Godfrey has been unsuccessful in locating the skull and doesn't know where the witches went

Godfrey asks the party to help find the skull, and they agree to do what they can.

Godfrey assures the party the Vladimir and the others won't be able to find them in the tower, so the party settles in for some well-deserved rest. Elora shares some rations with Pelanil who just can't seem to keep them down. Unable to sleep from nausea, Pelanil doesn't get enough rest to heal all the way back up. He spends the night working to transcribe the Tome of Strahd so that everyone can have their own copy. He also retrieves Vlad's sword from Shalooti's butt storage while she sleeps. When the party wakes, they find him in the rafters 30 feet overhead. From that vantage, he can see the lay of the land. Notably, he spots a swampy area by the river to the south.

For the first time since meeting Granny, Anakir doesn't have bad dreams, but wakes feeling refreshed.

After waking, the party notices a chill in the air, as it seems that autumn has begun giving way to winter. Godfrey bids them safe travels, then helps them sneak outside so that they can scale the wall with Bardolf's rope. Metarlos jumps from the roof, and one of his legs comes loose.

As the party leaves the castle, they hear from the front of the building, a resounding "Begone brother!" Pelanil circles the building to find Izek knocking on the front door looking for the group. Vladimir punches him hard enough to knock him off the front steps where he is able to spot Pelanil and catch to with the party.

After two hours of uneventful, but cold and snowy travel, the party finds themselves right outside the vineyard. They spot a man in a cloak off by the edge of woods beckoning them over. Skeptical, the party averts their eyes so the man won't ask them for money. Elora notices a few ravens in the tree above him, and decides to investigate.

The man introduces himself as Adrian Martikov, and says that he initially waved the group over to warn them of the dangers in the vineyard, but seeing that they are capable adventurers, instead asks for their help.

He introduces them to his family:

• Davian: Family Patriarch
• Adrian Martikov: Oldest son (de facto leader of The Keepers of the Feather)
• Stefania Martikov: 2nd born and only daughter (assists both Adrian and Elvir)
  • Husband: Dag Tomescu
  • Children:
    • Claudiu Martikov
    • Martin Martikov
    • Viggo Martikov
    • Yolanda Martikov
• Elvir Martikov: youngest son (runs operations at the winery)

When introducing the group to Davian, the old man is a bit angry that Adrian would invite strangers into their grove in the woods. At first, Adrian is round-about and secretive about his role in the family. However, picking up on his secrecy, Elora tells him that she knows about the The Keepers. Davian becomes irate at this news, slapping Adrian across the face and asking him why he would risk putting the family in jeopardy in this way. Davian storms off into the woods with Bardolf cawing after him.

Seeing that his brother, Urwin, has already told the party about their family's secret, Adrian gives the group a knowledge dump:

• The vineyard was founded many centuries ago when a forgotten mage fashioned three magic gems and planted them in the soil
• Timeline:
  • 10 Years Ago
    • The first gem was stolen and never seen again
      • Champagne du le Stomp could no longer be created
      • Urwin was on watch when this happened
        • Davian blames Urwin for losing the gem which is why they have not been in contact
        • Adrian is the only one who still talks to Urwin
  • A Month or so Ago
    • The forest folk started acting strangely in the woods. The Martikovs started hearing strange stories that they were gathering at Yester Hill for some unknown cause
  • Three Weeks Ago
    • The second gem was stolen in the night. There was no great fight or witnesses
  • One Week Ago
    • The Forest Folk and their blights attacked the winery. The Martikovs were able to defend their home for a time
  • Five Days Ago
    • Two days into the assault, the Forest Folk found and stole the third and final gem
  • Two Days Ago
    • The blights were finally too much for the family to fend off and they had to flee the winery. They've been living in the woods since, trying to figure out a way to win back their home.

Adrian asks the party to help save their home and return the gems before the vines completely wither and die. He seems to know quite a bit about the party, because he asks Anakir not to burn down the whole vineyard with fire.

The group prepares to head into the winery.