The New Members Arrive/Downfall of Lady Wachter

You shot her in the back. Good job, heroes.

DAY 10 - DAY 13

Situation at The Martikov Winery as of Day 10

• Davian, the patriarch wereraven winemaker, must get back to the winemaking.

• The ceremony to re-attune the Gem takes place in the morning of day ten.

• The wine for Purple Grape Crush #6 is safe for now.

• The Red Dragon Crush Gem is still at large, believed to be in the Swamp of Berez.

• The Champgn Du Le Stomp went missing ten years ago.

• The residents of the winery focus on their work, maintaining constant vigilance for Druids.

• After the ceremony, their first goal is to bottle the available wine and ship it out.

  
  

Keepers of the Feather

• A clandestine group of wereravens and some humans who secretly oppose Strahd.

• They operate as spies conferring with ravens to be their eyes and ears.

• Davian is the Gang’s most reliable resource for Barovian knowledge.

Marta and Hans from Vallaki. Arrive on Day 10. Tell of attack by Wintersplinter and Wachter Coup. PCs remember the couples’ faces from Blue Water Inn.

• Lady Wachter along with two dozen cultist arrived at the Baron’s mansion on the night the PCs left.

• She has claimed rulership over town and openly declared allegiance to Strahd.

• Captain Korga has switched sides to Wachter.

• Wintersplinter destroyed part of the southern wall. Killed 6 guards, 2 Cultists, and 10 townsfolk. Finally killed by guards and cultists.

• Some cultists used occult magic to fight Wintersplinter.

• The Baron is in public stocks under constant guard

• The Baroness is imprisoned in her mansion.

• Baron’s son Victor escaped out the attic window, turns out he’s a mage of some power.

• Victor warded the attic, two cultists were killed, and now nobody will go up there in fear of more traps.

• Ireena still in St Andral’s.

The Gang focused their attention on the news delivered by Hans and Marta. Smugly, Moss, Mamol, Sleeps, Grant, and Elyrion leave the winery and go to Vallaki.

Vallaki​

Day 11(daytime): They arrived in Vallaki. Cultists of the Frog Demon Bobugbubilz are present amongst the guardsmen. They are clearly Lady Wachter loyalists and seem to have some authority.

The Gang visits St. Andrals, after that they scope out The Baron’s Mansion where the Baroness is reportedly in prison. Ernst, Lady Wachter’s servant, is discovered watching the Gang.

They also spot the Baron in public stocks.

Day 11-12 (around midnight): The Gang infiltrates the Baron’s Mansion, rescues the Baroness, finds the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind buried in the Baron’s attic. Later that evening they free the Baron from the stocks.

Day 12 (daytime): The Gang receives a letter, delivered by Ernst, from Lady Wachter. Here are the contents of the letter...

I will pay you the respect of being blunt:

Fact #1 Ernst observed you studying the old mansion of the former Burgermeister.

Fact #2 Former Baroness Lady Lydia Petrovna is freed from the old mansion less than 24 hours later.

Fact #3 Former Baron Vargas was quietly freed from his stocks

Fact #4 You alone have the ability and potential motivation to accomplish this.

Despite our differences, I believe we can come to a peaceful solution.

It’s either peace or mutually assured destruction.

Please meet me at my estate in eastern Vallaki.Make arrangements with my servant Ernst.

Sincerely,

Burgermeisterin Fiona Wachter

A Most Loyal Servant of Strahd

The Gang decides that they must eliminate Lady Wachter and reinstall Baron Vargas as leader of Vallaki. They believe he is the lesser of two evils.

They inform Ernst that they will meet with her at noon tomorrow.

Day 12-13 (around midnight): The Gang infiltrates Lady Wachter’s home. Unfortunately, Lady Wachter’s home is heavily guarded. The exterior is protected by 6 cultists, 2 guardsmen with halberds, and Captain Korga (bandit captain stats). The interior is protected by 4 cult fanatics who are playing Pedro upstairs near the Lady’s bedroom.

The Gang ambush the Cult Fanatics and repel the mooks coming from the exterior. In the middle of the fight, Blalach emerges from a linen closet and helps the Gang.

Smugly goes into Lady Wachter’s room and finds Lady Wachter trying to escape out of the 2nd story window, while Captain Korga waits below. Smugly beats her up, but she still manages to escape. Grant pushes Smugly out of the way and finishes off the usurper with an arrow. Captain Korga escapes.

Blalach explains that he was ambushed and held prisoner. Captain Korga and the cultists (great band name) were planning to sacrifice him. Blalach wants revenge on Korga. The Gang obliges and they hunt him down and kill him.

The Gang will be 6th level after the next Long Rest.

DAY 13-DAY 16

Aftermath of the Usurper Killed in Vallaki​

Fiona Wachter: Believes she’s a cat. Needs Greater Restoration. Stays with Father Lucian at first, eventually adopted by Baroness Lydia Petrovna.

Nikolai and Karl Wachter: The Venture Brothers. Irresponsible and dumb, but not malicious. Take over the estate.

Baron Vargas: Negotiate with PCs about Influence in Vallaki. The loss of Izek and the traitorous Captain Korga, plus the coup, has greatly weakened the Baron politically. He is vulnerable to another coup.

Father Lucian: With the addition of Fiona, who needs her own room, Ireena is now sleeping on a pew. Not the best of living situations, but safe.

Ireena: Her Hope Rating is doing ok, but it will inevitably dwindle with time.

Morgantha: Elderly lady who sells Dream Pastries. She’s said to live in the Old Windmill. An old guard shares the story of Baker Valentine from Barovia Village.

A couple of years ago the Baker’s two teenage daughters named Ophelia and Bella went missing. His wife died of a broken heart. Soon after that, Valentine decided to start a new life in Vallaki. He hired some folks to accompany him.

When they passed near the Old Windmill, he was greeted by Morgantha who was flanked by the Baker’s daughters. The trio invited the baker to the decrepit windmill. The rest of his hired guards were too scared to go. They pleaded with the Baker to come to his senses. He refused and they parted ways, the Baker to the windmill and the rest of the crew to Vallaki.

On DAY 17 the Gang returned to Yester Hill