Session 30
Krezk Gate
As the group tended to their fireball wounds, the carriage made its way the rest of the way to Krezk. As they headed north, the chill in the air finally gave way to snow. The party exited the carriage and walked up to inspect a closed gate.
As Pelanil checked the gate, a voice piped up from within one of the gate towers. The guard introduced herself as Joanna and asked what the party's business was in Krezk. She immediately recognized Shalooti and claimed to have heard all of her music. She told the group she didn't have the authority to let them in, but that she would fetch Burgomaster Krezkov.
After a few minutes, Joanna and Dmitri Krezkov walked through the gate, and the Burgomaster welcomed the party to Krezk. While he didn't recognize Shalooti, Joanna's recommendation was glowing, so he decided to escort the party to his "mansion" to perform.
The Burgomaster's Mansion
Inside the gates, the party realizes that Krezk is but a small village nestled within a forest and apparently pretty poor. They soon also learn the the Burgomaster's mansion is simply a cottage slightly larger than the others. Pelanil splits off to go directly towards The Abbey on the hill.
Burgomaster Krezkov explains to the party that it would be only him, his wife Anna, and his son Ilya attending the show. The rest of the townsfolk were out preparing for the onset of winter. Shalooti, Bardolf, and Anakir ask what they can do to help, offering to fetch some wine that has not arrived in some time.
The Burgomaster and his wife share the following information:
- Their son Ilya was recently brought back to life by The Abbot
- They had 4 children, all of which died from disease/famine
- Ilya was their last
- They stopped The Abbot at the Shrine of the White Sun and begged for his help
- History of The Abbey:
- The Abbey of Saint Markovia is named after a priest of the Morninglord who took a stand against the devil Strahd. After a fierce uprising, Markovia and her most loyal followers stormed Castle Ravenloft, only to be destroyed
- The abbey was once a hospital and a convent, but it fell on hard times after the land was swallowed up by the mists. Some of the clergy fell prey to Strahd, while others went mad and either starved themselves to death or turned to cannibalism.
- The head of the abbey, called simply The Abbot, arrived over a century ago and hasn't aged a day since. He occasionally visits the Shrine of the White Sun but doesn't talk much, and he demands tribute in the form of wine. No one knows his true name or where he came from, and many believe he's Strahd's servant or the vampire himself in disguise.
- No one from the village visits the abbey anymore. The abbey's bell rings at odd times, day and night, and the place is filled with baleful screams and horrible, inhuman laughter that can be heard throughout the village.
- The town has recently had a problem with livestock disappearing, and they are worried that they may not make it through the winter without that food
- They point the party towards the livestock keeper Luca
After agreeing to a bigger show after the food problem has been taken care of, they ask Shalooti and her "band" to provide just a quick show.
The party performs. Bardolf plays by smashing rocks together, and Escher steals the show by twerking.
After their personal show, the Krezkovs recommend that the party go tend to Pelanil as he may be in danger going to the Abbey alone.
The Abbey
Pelanil makes his way up the steep hill the gates of the Abbey. As he arrives, the bell tolls and he hears the most ungodly and nearly inhuman set of screams, howls, barking, and braying. At the gate, he shouts and he demands to see The Abbot.
At this, two creatures that were sleeping at their posts at the gate, jump up to greet Pelanil. One of them brays loudly and says something incomprehensible in broken common, and the other hides its face.
