In this act, the players are lured into the haunted Death House, which mystically transports them into the land of Barovia. As the players gain their bearings, they travel to the village of Barovia, where they meet burgomaster Ismark Kolyanovich and his sister, Ireena Kolyana, and learn about the mysterious Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire that has recently awoken to plague the Barovian valley. The players are asked to escort Ireena to the nearby town of Vallaki for safety; if the players agree, Ireena also asks them to assist in the burial of her late father, Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich. While at the local church, the players meet Doru, a **vampire spawn** at war with his bloodthirsty nature, and have an opportunity to reconcile him with his father, the priest Donavich. Upon receiving a warning and invitation sent in a dream from the Vistani seer Madam Eva, the players depart the village of Barovia for a Vistani encampment at nearby Tser Pool. Following a brief encounter with Strahd himself, the players receive a mystical Tarokka reading from Madam Eva, who foretells the location of three mystical artifacts—and a companion—who will help them defeat Strahd. As the players travel to Madam Eva's camp and the nearby town of Vallaki, they encounter a number of characters with ties to possible future adventures, as well as some adversarial encounters that will test their tactics, coordination, and combat skill. Upon their arrival in Vallaki, the players can find shelter at the Blue Water Inn, and—if she is with them—help Ireena seek shelter at St. Andral’s Church. The act ends when the players take their first long rest in Vallaki. # Milestones The players begin this act at 2nd level and should end it at 4th level, gaining milestone XP when they successfully do any of the following: * discover the secret staircase in Death House (200 XP) * successfully escape Death House (400 XP) * bury the remains of Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich in the cemetery of the village of Barovia (400 XP) * reconcile Doru with his father (100 XP) * receive the Tarokka reading from Madam Eva (500 XP) * escort Ireena to Vallaki (250 XP) * find lodging in Vallaki (1,000 XP) # Timeline * [[Arc A - Escape From Death House]]: The players enter Death House, defeat the Flesh Mound, and emerge into the Svalich Woods on Octyavr 27, 735 B.C. (Barovian Calendar). * [[Act I - Into the Mists/Arc B - Welcome to Barovia]]: The players arrive in the village of Barovia and meet Ismark and Ireena on Octyavr 28. * [[Act I - Into the Mists/Arc C - Into the Valley]]: The players receive the Tarokka reading on Neyavr 1, arrive in Vallaki on Neyavr 2, and encounter Baron Vallakovich the morning of Neyavr 3. > [!info]+ **The Barovian Calendar** > The current Barovian year is 735 B.C. (Barovian Calendar). The Barovian calendar has twelve 28-day months, which are named as follows: [^1] > > | Month | Barovian Name | Gregorian Name | | :---: | :------------ | :------------- | | 1 | Yinvar | January | | 2 | Fivral | February | | 3 | Mart | March | | 4 | Apryl | April | | 5 | Mai | May | | 6 | Eyune | June | | 7 | Eyule | July | | 8 | Avgust | August | | 9 | Sintyavr | September | | 10 | Octyavr | October | | 11 | Neyavr | November | | 12 | Dekavr | December | [^1] Barovian Calendar, *The Travelogue Wiki*, https://travelogue.fandom.com/wiki/Barovian_Calendar (last visited Mar. 29, 2024).