Arc H - The Lost Soul - Curse of Strahd: Reloaded

_An adventure for five 5th-level characters._ In this arc, following either a ghostly visitation at the Blue Water Inn or a wary bargain at the Baron’s mansion, Victor Vallakovich asks the players to help him restore the soul of Stella Wachter to her body by finding a means of accessing the Ethereal Plane, where her spirit is trapped. To do so, the players must help Victor obtain the heartstone of a **night hag** by the night of the full moon, which will take place on the sixth day after the players first arrive in Vallaki. Should the players accept Victor’s request, he tells them that Stella, from her place in the Ethereal Plane, has seen a **night hag** preying upon the dreams of several members of the Barovian refugee camp. He advises them to visit the camp to investigate the hag’s location while he prepares the rituals necessary to transport the players to the Ethereal Plane and return Stella’s soul to her body. In the refugee camp, the players can learn about the peddler Morgantha, who has regularly sold dream pastries to the refugees and several Vallakians since the refugees’ arrival nearly three months ago. While there, the players can also meet Franz, a widower refugee who has suffered from a wasting disease for the past two nights. Franz confesses to the players that he sold his children, Myrtle and Feodor, to Morgantha two days ago to pay for his dreams, and that he is now suffering the penance of his sins. The players can learn from the refugees that Morgantha hasn’t visited the town since Franz sold her his children. Shortly after speaking with Franz, the players receive a *sending* spell from Victor inviting them to return to the attic of the Baron’s mansion. There, Victor provides them with two paths they can take in order to obtain the night hag’s heartstone: they can bargain with her to obtain it, or they can attempt to seal her in a binding circle and then kill her. If the players select the latter, Victor tells them that he will need an additional day to research the binding circle before they can set off for Morgantha’s lair. When the players return the following day, Victor anxiously informs them that he has been unable to find a means of performing the binding ritual. However, Stella can inform the group that a similar circle of enormous size surrounds the entirety of Wachterhaus, which Stella saw while exploring through the Ethereal Plane. If the players request Lady Wachter’s help, she assists them only if they have already won her favor by killing Izek Strazni, or if they can persuade her to lower the binding circle around Wachterhaus to allow Stella to communicate her presence. Otherwise, Lady Wachter assumes that they and Victor are playing a cruel joke upon her and dismisses them with disgust. If the players successfully obtain Lady Wachter’s aid, she and four of her **cult fanatics** join the players for a journey to Morgantha’s lair at Old Bonegrinder. Lady Wachter warns the players that they will need to obtain the names of all hags within the windmill in order to bind them, lest any members of the coven escape to attack her or her cultists. Once the players have obtained the names of Morgantha’s daughters (and, hopefully, rescued the children imprisoned inside the windmill), Bella Sunbane and Offalia Wormwiggle, Lady Wachter leads her cultists in creating an enormous binding circle that binds the **night hags** to the Material Plane, allowing the players and Victor to destroy them. If the players fail to obtain Lady Wachter’s aid and instead elect to bargain with Morgantha for a loan of her heartstone, Morgantha agrees to lend it to the players on the condition that the players promise to later deliver a *soul leech* to the desk of Strahd’s chamberlain, Rahadin, whose twisted soul Morgantha craves. As collateral, Morgantha takes the players’ dreams, preventing the players from gaining the benefits of a long rest if they fail to fulfill Morgantha’s request within the next thirteen days. Should the players successfully obtain a heartstone through assault or negotiation, Victor sends the group—and Lady Wachter, if she is present—into the Ethereal Plane to perform the ritual and defend Stella’s spirits from a tide of ravenous spirits intent on taking her soulless body for their own. The horde, however, is not alone, and their leader—a sadistic **gallows speaker** dominated by the spirit of Leo Dilisnya—bears an ancient enmity for the house of Wachter... > [!lore]+ **The Fate of Stella Wachter** > > Three years ago, Victor found a spellbook in his father’s library, as described in **N3t. Victor’s Workroom** (p. 109). It was not, however, just any spellbook—it was the lost spellbook of the lich Khazan himself, long thought destroyed in the accident that had led to Khazan’s death. Victor studied its secrets intensely, using Khazan’s precise notes and his own powerful intellect to master many of the spells within. > > Six months ago, Victor met Stella Wachter, the youngest child of Lady Fiona Wachter, while skipping stones by Lake Zarovich. Stella and Victor were surprised to find that they shared a mutual interest in magic, myths, and philosophy. Despite their parents’ clear disapproval, the two became fast friends. > > After swearing Stella to secrecy, Victor shyly showed her his spellbook and some of the magic he could perform. Stella was fascinated, and immediately volunteered to serve as his research assistant, an offer that left Victor stunned and flattered. > > When Strahd awoke from his hibernation, Victor and Stella agreed that escaping his tyranny was imperative. (Victor also hoped for an opportunity to escape his parents’ grasp, while Stella hoped to bring her family with her from Barovia.) The two dove together into a new research project: the construction of a teleportation circle capable of escaping Barovia. > > Ten weeks ago, their prototype teleportation circle was complete. After the two performed some minor experiments using undead rabbits Victor animated from animal bones, Stella excitedly insisted on a live, human trial and volunteered to go first. Victor reluctantly did so—and tragedy struck. > > Neither Stella nor Victor could have known it, but the Mists of Barovia formed a unique metaphysical barrier against Victor’s teleportation circle. The spell failed—and the psychic backlash briefly exposed Stella’s soul to the raw energies of the Ethereal Plane. > > There, the vengeful spirit of Leo Dilisnya, a **gallows speaker** lured by the magical beacon of Victor’s spell, sensed the presence of its ancient enemy and struck, severing Stella’s soul from her body. > > Before Leo could kill her, however, the ghost of Erasmus van Richten swiftly swept her away, concealing her from sight. > > Back on the Material Plane, when the smoke and light cleared, Victor saw Stella standing limply at the center of the circle, her eyes dull and unresponsive. > > Terrified that his father might learn of Victor’s magical abilities—or, worse, blame Victor for Stella’s fate— Victor told him that she had abruptly become catatonic for no apparent reason. Vargas, displeased with Stella's presence from the beginning, was all too glad to have an excuse to be rid of “the Wachter girl,” and directed Izek to return her to Wachterhaus immediately. Fiona was horrified by Stella’s fate and began plotting the downfall of the Vallakovich family in quiet fury. > > Victor spent two weeks wracked with guilt and sorrow before, strangely, one of the servants mentioned seeing a spirit resembling Stella in the mirror in his mother’s parlor. It was through the *spirit mirror* that Victor learned that Stella’s soul still lived in the Ethereal Plane—and it was through that mirror, communicating with handsigns and lip-reading, that the two—now aided by the ghost of Erasmus van Richten—began to work to restore Stella’s soul to her body. > > Since then, Victor has been rapidly attempting to enhance his magical abilities, either to somehow repurpose the faulty *teleportation circle* to restore Stella’s soul or to become powerful enough to cast the high-level _etherealness_ spell in Khazan’s spellbook. > > However, both Victor, Stella, and Erasmus have recently realized that they are running out of time. The Border Ethereal is full of other wandering spirits, many of whom are far less friendly than Stella herself, and Erasmus can’t keep her safe forever. Worse still, Stella’s spirit appears to slowly be fading, drawn further and further away by the pull of the Ethereal Plane with each passing day. If her soul isn’t returned to her body soon, Stella may lose herself—forever. # H1. Erasmus' Plea Shortly before dawn on the first night after the players reach 5th level, the party is awoken in the night by the sound of a window slamming open and the feel of a cold draft filling the room. Closer inspection reveals that one of the windows has flown open, seemingly of its own accord. (The window was opened by the **poltergeist** of Erasmus van Richten.) The players can notice that the panes of the windows looking into the room have frosted over, and that their breath now mists in the chill air. Shortly afterward, several items in the room begin levitating into the air, and the shutters to the room’s windows begin rattling. As they do, an invisible finger begins inscribing a message in the frost on one of the windows: *Help Victor.* After a moment, it then adds—almost hesitantly—*Please.* If the players ask for the spirit’s name, it writes its name in the frost: *Erasmus.* If the players agree to carry out his request, the items then fall to the ground and the shutters stop rattling, the frost slowly evaporating. Erasmus’s spirit then departs. While Erasmus’s spirit is present, a player who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Insight or Perception) check senses a ghostly presence within the room—a presence that shines with innocence and a sense of fierce determination. The players can learn from Urwin Martikov, Danika Dorakova, Father Lucian Petrovich, or Lady Fiona Wachter that “Victor” is the name of Baron Vallakovich’s teenage son. # H2. Burgomaster’s Mansion This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area N3t. If the players received [[#H1. Erasmus' Plea]] and ask to speak with Victor, Baron Vallakovich allows them to do so with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check, or automatically if they sufficiently flatter him or if Lady Wachter has already seized power. If the players describe Erasmus's visitation to Victor, Victor glances at the *spirit mirror* in his workroom and says, sounding hurt, “I thought I told you I had this under control!” A moment later, Victor's face softens, and he reluctantly tells the players that “Stella” and "Erasmus" have decided that he needs help, and that they might not be entirely wrong. He then asks the players if they would be willing to assist him “Stella,” and "Erasmus"—the spirit that they encountered—with a particular task. ### What Victor Knows If the players express an interest in assisting him, [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] first introduces them to Stella’s spirit through her reflection in the *spirit mirror.* Stella greets them with a shy wave, but cannot be heard. (Victor explains that her soul is trapped in the Ethereal Plane, and though the mirror reflects shapes from the other plane, it does not transmit sound.) ![[Stella Wachter.png]] "Stella Wachter's Ghost" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> Victor then shares the following information: * Three months ago, Victor and his friend, Stella Wachter, heard that the Devil Strahd had returned to the land and agreed that escape was imperative. Using knowledge that Victor had gleaned from an old spellbook, they began construction of a *teleportation circle* that would allow them to free themselves from the valley. * Ten weeks ago, they’d finally finished a prototype circle. After two experiments involving undead rabbits that Victor animated using bones purchased from Szoldar and Yevgeni, Stella insisted on volunteering as a live, human trial. However, the test went horribly wrong—the circle failed to teleport Stella’s body anywhere, and the backlash exposed her soul to the Ethereal Plane. * During the brief moments that her spirit was within the Ethereal Plane, Stella was attacked by a dark shadow, whose claws severed her soul from her body. She would have died had Erasmus not spirited her away to safety. * After two weeks of worrying that he had accidentally somehow destroyed his friend’s mind, Victor learned that one of his parents’ servants had seen the ghost of a young woman reflected in a mirror in his mother’s parlor. Victor learned that the mirror was a *spirit mirror* that reflected both the Material and Ethereal Planes. Using it, he was able to see and communicate with Stella’s wandering spirit—first through gestures and crude lip-reading, and eventually through handsigns learned from a book in his father’s library. * Since then, Victor and Stella have been working hard to restore her soul to her body, but nothing has worked. In the meantime, Stella has had to conceal herself from the many wandering spirits that roam the Border Ethereal, many of which would harm her if they could. * Stella feels like she’s slowly losing memories of her life, even as her form in the Ethereal Plane is slowly growing more insubstantial. Sometimes, she can’t tell whether she’s herself or someone else; when that happens, she feels as though a part of her is curled up in a warm and wet place, with a comforting heartbeat echoing through the darkness. * To make matters worse, the tether between Stella’s shoulder blades that once connected her soul to her body is slowly growing shorter, leaving Victor fearing that she has little more than a week left before she disappears forever. (The shorter it gets, the more frequent Stella’s visions become, and the foggier her memory grows.) * Neither Victor, Stella, nor Erasmus know the identity of the spirit that severed Stella’s soul from her body. However, Victor can inform the players that Erasmus has seen it haunting the Ethereal Plane around Vallaki numerous times since its arrival—seemingly searching for Stella—and has identified it as a *gallows speaker*. (Erasmus, who learned of the creatures while reading his father’s notes, has provided Victor with all of the information about gallows speakers provided on p. 234 of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft.) * If asked why they haven’t sought others’ help, Victor stubbornly insists that he doesn’t trust Lady Fiona Wachter; that his own father, the Baron, would be worse than useless; and that he and Stella are perfectly capable of solving her problem on their own. If confronted with the fact that he and Stella *haven’t* been capable of solving her problem on their own, Victor’s face crumples, and he briefly looks to be on the verge of tears as he struggles to find a retort. Victor is surprised to hear of the “hauntings” that his family has experienced in the mansion floors below. However, Stella’s spirit—looking bashful—uses handsigns to communicate that she never intended to scare anyone, but that after accidentally learning that she retained some small ability to interact with the Material Plane, she couldn’t resist playing an occasional practical joke on an unsuspecting victim. (If the players ask why she hasn’t used this ability to communicate with her mother, Lady Wachter, Stella confesses that some strange force prevents her from entering the grounds of the estate.) If the players agree to help him and Stella, Victor shares with them the following plan: * To guide Stella’s soul back into her body, he needs to find a way to enter the Ethereal Plane in his own, mortal body and perform an altered version of the teleportation ritual from the other side of the veil. * There is a spell—*etherealness*—that would allow him to enter the Ethereal Plane using his own power, but despite his best efforts, he has been unable to master it thus far, and is unlikely to be able to cast it before Stella’s soul disappears into the Deep Ethereal. * In the book *Ethereal Entities: Denizens of the Unseen Realm,* written by the archmage Mordenkainen, Victor learned of a ritual that can replicate the effects of the *etherealness* spell for up to nine creatures. The ritual must be performed on the night of the full moon, and requires the heartstone of a **night hag** as a material component. > [!info]+ **When’s the Full Moon?** > > The players’ first full moon in Barovia always takes place on the night of their sixth full day in Vallaki. (For example, if the players arrive in Vallaki on Sunday night, the full moon will take place on Saturday night.) Victor is aware of this date. Victor informs the players that Stella, while exploring the Ethereal Plane, has regularly seen a gaunt, female figure with sallow, gray-blue skin, deep-set eyes, matted hair, small ram's horns, and a wide mouth of sharp, yellowed teeth haunting the area of the Border Ethereal that overlaps with the Barovian refugee camp. While neither Victor nor Stella are sure what the night hag wants with the refugees, Victor is confident that Stella’s description perfectly matches the appearance of a **night hag** as described in Mordenkainen’s book. Victor asks the players to visit the refugee camp and investigate the night hag’s presence. While Stella has only seen the hag in the Ethereal Plane thus far, Victor strongly suspects that her interest in it extends into the Material Plane as well. While the players investigate, Victor will continue his research into the *etherealness* ritual and the ritual to return Stella’s soul to her body. If the players express an interest in it, Victor is glad to lend them his copy of *Ethereal Entities* to read. > [!lore]+ **Ethereal Entities** > > _Ethereal Entities: Denizens of the Unseen Realm_ by Mordenkainen is a slim hardback book with a leather cover dyed a deep, midnight blue. Its title and author's name are embossed in silver script along the spine and front cover, and the corners of the book are adorned with small, silver filigree resembling ethereal wisps. Its pages are filled with neatly-written text and beautifully detailed illustrations. > > The book is a treatise on the Ethereal Plane and the creatures that dwell within or visit it. It contains all of the information provided in **Ethereal Plane** (Dungeon Master's Guide, p. 48), as well as a bestiary divided into the following three sections: > > - _**Etherborn: Natives of the Deep Ethereal**_, containing information about creatures that are said to dwell solely in the Deep Ethereal, such as the mythological mistfiends, ethershades, and shimmerlings. > - _**Phantomfolk: Travelers from the Border Ethereal**_, containing information about incorporeal creatures that dwell in the Border Ethereal and often cross into the Material Plane, such as **ghosts** (_Monster Manual_, p. 147) and **phantom warriors** (_Curse of Strahd_, p. 235). > - _**Veil-Walkers: Visitors to the Ethereal**_, containing information about physical creatures that can cross into the Ethereal Plane, such as **night hags** (_Monster Manual_, p. 178), **nightmares** (_Monster Manual_, p. 235), and **phase spiders** (_Monster Manual_, p. 334). (See **Matrons of Malevolence** below for the chapter on night hags.) > > The subsection discussing **phase spiders** includes a brief sidenote discussing the immunity that most incorporeal undead have to elemental, natural, and nonmagical weapon damage while on the Material Plane, as well as the natural means that phase spiders have developed to counteract those immunities through the use of their fangs and venom. It notes that a spellcaster can deal damage to an incorporeal spirit normally by using a phase spider's fang as an additional material component to cast their spells, while a martial combatant can deal damage to an incorporeal spirit by coating one weapon or up to three pieces of ammunition with phase spider venom or holy water. > > The subsection discussing **night hags** includes a brief sidenote discussing a ritual that uses a night hag's ***heartstone*** and the energies of a leyline to replicate the effects of the *Etherealness* spell for up to ten individuals for one hour on the night of the full moon. > > The chapter regarding **night hags** is titled "Night Hags: Matrons of Malevolence." It reads as follows: > > <hr> > > Sly and subversive, night hags are the epitome of wickedness. They represent all that is evil and cruel in the world and want nothing more than to see the virtuous turn to villainy: love turned into obsession, kindness turned to hate, devotion to disregard, and generosity to selfishness. > > Once, night hags were creatures of the Feywild, a realm of enchantment and beauty. However, their foulness saw them exiled to the bleak realm of Hades long ago, where they degenerated into fiends. The foul taint of Hades twisted their once-fey nature, and the night hags have long since spread their malevolence across the Lower Planes. > > Though night hags resemble withered crones, there is nothing mortal about them. Their withered faces are framed by long, frayed hair and curled ram's horns; horrid moles and warts dot their blotchy pale-blue skin; and their long, skinny fingers are tipped by claws that can slice open flesh with a touch. > > All hags possess magical powers, including the ability to alter their forms or curse their foes. A hag also bears some resistance to magic and mortal weapons alike, though the touch of silver wounds her like any other. > > Arrogant to a fault, hags believe themselves to be the most cunning of creatures—and very often are. They are open to dealing with mortals, and will always keep their word—but a bargain with a hag is always dangerous. Hags enjoy watching mortals bring about their own downfall through these bargains, which often involve compromising their principles or giving up something dear. > > A night hag's ultimate prize, however, is the soul of a corrupted mortal. While her victim sleeps, the night hag passes into the Ethereal Plane through the aid of her twisted onyx heartstone—an artifact that allows her to become Ethereal at the speed of thought. There, she invades her victim's very dreams, filling their head with doubts and fears in the hope of tricking it into performing evil acts in the waking world. > > Night after night, she continues her visitations until the victim finally expires in its sleep—at which point she traps its corrupted soul in her soul bag as a dark trophy of her success. The blacker the stains upon the soul, the greater the night hag's bounty. > > Like all hags, night hags propagate by snatching and devouring human infants. A week later, the hag gives birth to a daughter who appears human until her thirteenth birthday—at which point the child transforms into the spitting image of her hag mother. > > Some hags raise the daughters they spawn, creating covens that magnify their power. The members of a coven gain a slew of unnatural abilities, including the power to control the elements and—once each day—to dispel foreign magic in the vicinity of their lairs. As is true for all hag magic, however, such power comes at a price—for a wound suffered by a single hag in a coven is suffered by all. > > To combat their inherently selfish natures, the hags in a coven must enter into a written contract with the others, signed by each hag's true name. The hags of a coven guard their contract jealously, often sealing it within the heart of their lair, ever-careful to keep their names from falling into enemy hands. > [!info]+ **Harvesting Phase Spiders** > The players will later encounter **phase spiders** in Argynvostholt and have an opportunity to harvest their fangs and venom to combat the **phantom warriors** that lurk there. See [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor#M4c. Spiders’ Ballroom|Arc M - Argynvost's Beacon]] for more information regarding the harvesting and use of phase spider parts. # H3. The Refugee Camp If it's been at least six hours since Lady Wachter's inauguration in [[Arc F - Lady Wachter's Wish]], the refugee camp has been relocated to N8. Town Square (p. 119). (The refugees are still living in tents, however, while Lady Wachter works to find them suitable housing.) If Lady Wachter hasn't yet relocated the refugees, when the players first enter the refugee camp, read: <div class="description"> Past Vallaki's gates lies a cluster of ramshackle tents huddled against the wall, as though seeking shelter beneath the looming silhouette of the town's palisade walls. The tents themselves are laid out in a simple two-sided thoroughfare, with crude wooden barricades and muddy ditches beyond the far side facing out against the dark forest beyond. Through gaps in the threadbare canvas, you can see crude wooden pallets, makeshift bedrolls, and the occasional battered cooking pot. Small, low-burning cookfires dot the grimy narrow avenue, and piles of sticks and half-rotted logs rest haphazardly beside them. Dozens of people, their bodies gaunt and their faces drawn, move slowly about the camp. Their eyes are sunken and hollow, their clothes hanging loose on their thin frames. A few of them huddle about the campfires, bodies hunched against the chill air and hands outstretched for the meager warmth. </div> ## H3a. Inside the Camp If the players enter the camp, they are soon warily greeted by Emeric, a melancholy older man with graying hair, and Magda, a grief-stricken young woman with deep circles under their eyes. (While the camp doesn’t have any official leadership, Emeric and Magda were part of the initial wave of refugees from Barovia, and have pioneered the effort to welcome and organize the newcomers following Strahd’s siege.) Emeric and Magda are cautious of outsiders, but curious to know why the players have come to their camp. (Magda is briefly hopeful that the players are servants of Baron Vallakovich and that they have come to invite the refugees into Vallaki—a hope that Emeric, pointing to the players’ strange appearances, soon disabuses her of.) Emeric and Magda can share the following general information about the camp (modified as necessary depending on current events): * The first Barovian refugees arrived at Vallaki's gates three months ago, but were barred from entering. When they attempted to breach the gates by force, the guards summoned a man they called Izek, who bore a twisted devil's arm and conjured fire to drive the refugees back. * Since then, the refugees have set up camp outside the town's walls, clustering together for protection and warmth. They've managed to secure some minor necessities, such as the tents, by bribing the guards at the gates, but have been unable to persuade the guards to allow them entry or to even invite the town's Baron to discuss their plight. * Swarms of bats and packs of wolves have plagued the camp each night since they've arrived. Thankfully, no one has died yet, but several refugees have been wounded. * Due to losses they suffered on the road and the threat of the Devil in Castle Ravenloft, the refugees are unwilling to risk the journey back home, instead hoping to wait until the Baron sees reason and allows them to enter the walls. * Roughly one-quarter of the refugees have become addicted to "dream pastries," a foodstuff sold by the peddler Morgantha. These refugees seek an escape from the misery and despair of their situation. Those who eat a dream pastry fall into a trance as described in Dream Pastries (p. 125). (Emeric and Magda can add that Morgantha hasn't been to the camp in a few days.) If the players mention Ismark or Ireena, Emeric and Magda can tell them that many are cold toward Ireena, and all are unwilling to accept her offers of help. Some blame her, as well as Ismark "the Lesser" and the late Burgomaster of Barovia, for their failure to protect them from Strahd's awakening and invasion. Others recall a superstition that red-haired Barovian woman bring misfortune, and suggest that Ireena herself has brought a curse upon their people. None have any wish to deal with her further. If the players ask about the **night hag**, Emeric and Magda exchange glances and inform them that their description matches that of a recurring nightmare that Franz, another refugee, has been suffering for the past two nights. Emeric and Magda are glad to take the players to see him, but warn them that Franz, a widower, has recently lost his children as well and is likely still grieving or disturbed. Magda further adds that Franz has suffered from a strange wasting disease ever since the nightmares first began, and offers her hope that the players may be able to treat him. ## H3b. Franz’s Tent Emeric and Magda lead the players to a small, lonely tent set up at the end of the camp’s muddy avenue. When the players enter, read: <div class="description"> Within this sagging, cramped tent lie three stained pallets, two of which are child-sized. An old and patched stuffed rabbit lies across the closest pallet, its black button eyes staring sightlessly into the air. A young woman kneels in the mud beside the full-size pallet, clutching a bundle of wilted herbs in one fist and holding a damp rag over the forehead of a frail, gaunt-looking man lying across the pallet. The man's skin is pale and drenched in sweat, his clothes torn and ragged. Wispy, scraggled hair rises from his wrinkled scalp, while his face, illuminated beneath the dying light of a single, sputtering candle, is etched with exhaustion. A full moment passes before you realize that this ghost of a man is likely scarcely older than thirty. </div> The man is Franz. The woman is his sister, a woman named Nyanka. Nyanka has been tending to Franz since morning, but has been unable to identify or treat his condition. Upon seeing the players, Franz wheezes with laughter and asks whether they are demons sent by Mother Night, come to drag his soul into the Mists. Nyanka apologizes for his behavior and mentions that he’s been delirious ever since the nightmares and sickness began. If the players ask Franz about the **night hag**, he first demands that Nyanka, Emeric, and Magda depart and leave him alone with the players. (None of the three other refugees mind this request.) Franz can then share the following information with the players: * Three months ago, not long after his wife, Alana died of illness, Franz joined the first two-dozen refugees who left the village of Barovia for the fortified town of Vallaki to the west. Franz brought their two children—seven-year-old Fyodor and five-year-old Myrtle—with him to Vallaki, hoping to keep them safe from Strahd’s servants. * A few weeks after arriving in the camp, Franz began to purchase dream pastries from the peddler Morgantha. The visions brought by these pastries allowed him to dream of Alana, returned to his arms as though she had never died at all. * Franz purchased Morgantha’s dream pastries regularly, spending hours, then days lost in peaceful dreams. Eventually, however, his savings ran out, and Morgantha refused to sell him additional pastries—unless he paid a terrible price. * Three nights ago, Franz led Fyodor and Myrtle down past the tree line at the edge of the woods. There, Morgantha placed the children into a magical sleep and stuffed them into a sack that she carried over her shoulder. In return, she promised Franz as many dream pastries as he could eat, each time she returned, for the rest of his life. * As Morgantha turned to depart, Franz heard Myrtle cry out for him in her sleep, and immediately regretted what he had done. He demanded Morgantha return his children at once; when she laughed and told him their bargain was final, he attempted to take his children by force. With a wave of her hands, however, she put him to sleep—and when he awoke, she was nowhere to be found. * Franz searched the woods for hours, but found no trace of Morgantha or his children. When he finally collapsed, exhausted, back in his tent at the camp, he suffered terrible nightmares, which have repeated each night since. * In the nightmare, he is strapped to a millstone, its four arms raised above him. On his chest sits a gaunt, female figure with sallow, gray-blue skin, deep-set eyes, matted hair, small ram's horns, and a wide mouth of sharp, yellowed teeth, holding a twisted onyx-black stone against his forehead and whispering of damnation. In the background, he can hear Fyodor and Myrtle sobbing beyond his view, a pair of high-pitched cackles, and the sound of a windmill’s blades grinding in the wind. * For the duration of the nightmare, Franz is paralyzed and unable to look away or even twitch a single muscle. Each time he awakens, his body wastes away before him. (Morgantha hasn't returned to the camp since the first nightmare.) With a croaking voice, Franz begs the players to save Fyodor and Myrtle from Morgantha’s clutches. While he believes that his current condition is a curse sent by the gods as punishment for his sins and welcomes the penance of death, he believes that his children don’t deserve the suffering that Morgantha is likely inflicting upon them. He can offer the players no gold and no treasure for their efforts—only his gratitude. If the players ask, Franz can tell them that his sister Nyanka, who currently believes the children were devoured by werewolves in the Svalich Wood, would gladly watch and care for them while he recovers. "I know I don't deserve to be their father," he rasps, tears falling from his eyes. "All I want is to see them safe and happy." Before the players leave Franz’s tent, he grabs for the closest one and rasps, "I could feel it—the heart of the windmill—three black hearts beating as one in the millstone beneath me. The gnarled arm holds the key." He then collapses, falling into a deep, fitful sleep. > [!abstract]+ **Franz’s Fate** > > The players can identify the nature of Franz’s current condition by consulting *Ethereal Entities* or by asking Dr. Rudolph van Richten for a diagnosis of his symptoms. If consulted, Van Richten informs the players that the only true way to end a **night hag's** ***nightmare haunting*** is to kill the hag herself or to strike a bargain with her. # H4. Victor’s Plan This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area N3t. As the players depart the refugee camp, one among them receives the following *sending* spell from [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]]: “Did you find her? Come back to the attic. I have a plan.” When the players return to Victor’s workroom at the Burgomaster’s mansion, he provides them with the following information: * There are two possible ways to obtain a heartstone from a night hag: willingly, or by force. * To obtain the heartstone willingly, the players must likely bargain something of great value in exchange for a loan of the heartstone. Hags are legendary dealmakers, and can be trusted to hew to the letter of their word—but *only* the letter. * To obtain the heartstone by force, the players will need to incapacitate or kill the hag. However, this is far more difficult for multiple reasons. First, hags tend to gather in covens of three, a practice that makes each hag stronger and provides easy access to allies. (Victor asks the players nervously whether the hag is known to have any “sisters” or “daughters.”) Second, **night hags** in particular can use their heartstones to flee into the Ethereal Plane as soon as they feel threatened—an escape mechanism that can’t be counteracted. * To prevent the hag from escaping into the Ethereal Plane mid-combat, the players will need to seal her in a binding circle before initiating hostilities. Victor also advises the players to obtain silvered weapons, which will be needed to bypass the hags’ strong demonic defenses. ### The Heart of the Windmill If the players tell Victor about Franz's words, he recognizes the "twisted, onyx-black stone" as resembling the description of a night hag's heartstone provided in *Ethereal Entities.* Victor isn't sure what Franz meant about "the heart of the windmill." (He's sure it's not a heartstone, because night hags always keep their heartstones on their person.) Victor recalls seeing information about the windmill in an old book of records in his father's library. (Victor recalls the book bitterly because Vargas made him write a report on Vallakian history as punishment when Victor spoke ill of the town's founder, Boris Vallakovich.) Upon retrieving the book, Victor opens it to reveal a blueprint of the windmill, located alongside the original assignment of land from Baron Boris Vallakovich to Gustav and Elisabeth Durst. He points out excitedly that the design for the millstone contains a compartment built into its side—likely as a place for storage. If the hags are hiding something other than a heartstone in the windmill, it's likely located in that compartment. ### The Binding Ritual Victor anxiously informs the players that he has been unable to find a means of performing the binding ritual. Turning to the relevant page in his spellbook, he shows them an illustration that depicts a binding circle, but complains that the book itself provides no information about how to actually create one. Soon thereafter, Stella’s spirit can be seen excitedly gesturing from the *spirit mirror*. As he interprets her handsigns, Victor’s eyes widen and his face pales. “You can’t be serious,” he stammers. “Absolutely not!” If confronted by the players, Victor reluctantly reveals that Stella claims to have seen a similar binding circle while exploring the Ethereal Plane, but on a much larger scale: an enormous circle that surrounds the entirety of Wachterhaus and prevents her from entering the grounds. (Stella has been attempting to enter the estate in order to communicate with her mother, but has failed due to the circle’s presence.) Stella suspects that her mother, Lady Wachter, might know how to create one to bind the hags as well. Stella, through Victor, suggests that the players visit Wachterhaus to request Lady Wachter’s help in binding the night hags. Stella warns them that her mother is a cautious and skeptical woman, especially where the Vallakoviches are concerned; if Lady Wachter doesn’t believe the players’ story, they will likely need to ask her to disable Wachterhaus’s protective circle in order to allow Stella to show her presence. > [!lore]+ **Wachterhaus’s Protective Circle** > > **_The Betrayal of Leo Dilisnya._** Strahd von Zarovich made many enemies over the course of his many conquests. One of them was a man named Leo Dilisnya, who hated Strahd for the death of his brother, Reinhold Dilisnya, the captain of a platoon that Strahd had knowingly sent to die in order to win a battle against the Order of the Silver Dragon. > > When Strahd settled in Castle Ravenloft, Leo—a member of the Ba’al Verzi, a mysterious guild of assassins—began to plot his revenge. Hoping to gain closer access to Strahd, Leo became a castle guard, wearing the Von Zarovich livery while preparing the right moment to strike. > > That moment finally came on the morning of Sergei’s wedding. With all attention focused on the blushing bride-to-be, Leo disguised himself in assassin’s clothes and climbed the stonework to reach Strahd’s private chambers. Even taken by surprise, however, Strahd was more than a match for Leo, disarming him of his cursed Ba’al Verzi blade and sending him fleeing through the window. > > **_A New Opportunity._** Bitter and enraged, Leo hid himself away in his quarters to lick his wounds—until he learned that Sergei had been found murdered in his quarters, and that Strahd had chased Tatyana into the gardens while vowing to take her hand in marriage. Seeing an immediate opportunity, Leo gathered a contingent of the castle guards and directed them to attack Strahd in vengeance for the death of the beloved prince, Sergei. > > However, Leo’s plot did not go unopposed. Leo’s elder sister, Lovina Wachter née Dilisnya—now the wife of Vladislav Wachter—led her family’s personal guards in Strahd’s defense. Leo’s traitorous guards drove the Wachters into **K62. Servants' Hall**, killing Lovina’s husband and butchering many of his relatives. There, Lovina and her family took shelter alongside Katarina, a castle servant and (unknown to Strahd) Strahd’s secret half-sister, in K65. Kitchen (p. 78). > > When Strahd arose as a vampire, Leo fled into K23. Servants' Entrance (p. 59), down through **K62. Servants’ Hall**, and through K67. Hall of Bones (p. 78) into K68. Guards' Run (p. 79). As Strahd pursued, he slaughtered the guards terrorizing the Wachters, and—in a moment of rare lucidity—thanked the Wachters for their loyalty and allowed Lovina and Katarina to depart in peace. As Strahd bathed the stone of Castle Ravenloft in the blood of the castle guards—both innocent and traitorous alike—their spirits combined in death to form a dreadful **gallows speaker** (Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, p. 234) that would haunt Castle Ravenloft for years to come. > > **_Leo's Punishment._** Leo successfully escaped Castle Ravenloft along with a half-dozen of the traitorous guards. Years later, however, with Lovina’s aid, Strahd tracked Leo to the darkened corridors of the now-abandoned Abbey of Saint Markovia. > > Strahd transformed Leo into a vampire spawn and, with Lovina’s approval, entombed him in a mausoleum beneath the Wachters’ manor where he would suffer for his crimes for all eternity. As a safeguard in the chance that Leo somehow escaped, Strahd crafted for Lovina a magical ruby amulet that, when broken, would kill Leo instantly. > > **_Enter Fiona Wachter._** Centuries passed, and Fiona Wachter was born, the daughter of Balthazar and Lavinia Wachter and the younger sister of Frederich Wachter. Although Fiona’s parents never told her the true nature of the vampire sealed below their estate, they often told her of the “monster in the basement” that fed on disobedient children and forbade her from ever entering the cellar. > > When she was sixteen years old, the teenage Fiona had an explosive argument with her parents and brother. In her anger, Fiona toppled a shelf of fine porcelain and jewelry—including, among them, the magical amulet that Strahd had once forged for Lovina Wachter. Though Fiona had no knowledge of Leo’s existence or the amulet’s true nature, Leo died the moment that it shattered, his soul finally freed from the prison of his body. > > **_The Haunted Estate._** Soon after Fiona fled from Wachterhaus, Leo’s spirit—now a part of the **gallows speaker** that had arisen from his compatriots’ gruesome deaths centuries before—returned to haunt and terrorize the estate. Objects were found in strange places, and food mysteriously spoiled. Portraits were found damaged or defaced, and the family was often awoken by chilling howls or loud knocks on their doors and windows. > > Fiona’s father, Balthazar Wachter, sought the advice of an amateur occultist that dwelled in Vallaki. The family stripped the flesh from Leo’s bones and sealed them in a chest under lock and key. That, however, only enraged Leo further. That same night, the **gallows speaker** began appearing to the Wachters as an apparition in reflections in mirrors and windows. Within days, it had escalated its activities to physical violence, throwing items across rooms, shattering glass windows, and even starting spontaneous fires. > > Desperate for a solution, Frederich Wachter, Fiona’s elder brother, learned that a powerful witch named Baba Lysaga dwelled in the swamps of Berez nearby. Alone, and without his parents’ knowledge, Frederich traveled to Berez in search of answers. When a **will-’o-wisp** lured Frederich into a hidden bog, however, he was rescued by Fiona herself, who had since become a student and disciple of Baba Lysaga. > > Frederich begged her to return to Wachterhaus to help them, but Fiona—wary of her brothers’ intentions and still harboring resentment from her fight with their parents—lied and told him harshly that Baba Lysaga had no magic with which to help him. (In truth, Baba Lysaga taught all of her students the means to create a protective circle soon after they arrived in Berez, as a means of defense against the **phase spiders** that haunted the swamps.) > > **_Leo's Revenge._** Despondent, Frederich returned to Vallaki empty-handed. Bereft of a better solution, Balthazar Wachter obtained candles, incense, and holy invocations from the occultist and led the family in a seance to exorcise the spirit from Wachterhaus. > > The seance, however, proved unsuccessful. Rather than banishing Leo’s spirit, it provided him an opening into the Material Plane that allowed him to fulfill his murderous vengeance. Two weeks later, the Baron’s guards found the three Wachters dead—though by all signs untouched—on the floor of Wachterhaus’s master bedroom. Leo had killed them before returning to haunt Castle Ravenloft, satisfied with his revenge at last. > > **_Fiona's Return._** Two weeks later, one of Baba Lysaga’s other disciples, following a routine trip to Vallaki to obtain supplies, told Fiona that her family had been found dead in their house in the midst of a seance. Realizing the depths of her mistake and overcome with guilt, Fiona confronted Baba Lysaga and told her that she intended to return to her family home. Baba Lysaga banished Fiona for her decision, and Fiona departed Berez for good. > > Soon after her return to Wachterhaus, Fiona—now bearing the title of “Lady Wachter” following her parents’ death—determined that a spirit had been responsible for the death of her family. Although the spirit appeared to have departed, she feared that it might choose to one day return. With the magic that Baba Lysaga had taught her, she established a protective circle around the entirety of the Wachterhaus estate, barring any ethereal creature that may wish to cross its boundaries. The **gallows speaker** hasn’t returned in all the years since then, but Lady Wachter renews the protective circle once each year, both out of habit and from a wariness that her parents’ killer might one day return. # H5. Wachterhaus This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area N4. Wachterhaus is as described in [[Arc F - Lady Wachter's Wish]]. Visitors to the estate are received as described N4a. Front Door and Vestibule (p. 110). Players that have previously dined with Lady Wachter are welcomed and swiftly admitted, while players that have not previously done so are asked to make an appointment for the following day. Players who insist that they are here to assist Stella, Lady Wachter’s daughter and make a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check can bypass the need to make an appointment and are admitted immediately. Upon entering the manor, the players are ushered into N4i. Parlor (p. 112), where [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] greets them shortly thereafter. Haliq, Lady Wachter’s valet, serves tea to her and the guests a few moments later. Lady Wachter then asks the players what brings them to her manor. If Victor Vallakovich is accompanying the players, her eyes visibly narrow, and her voice is polite, but cold. If Victor is not with the players, her demeanor is far warmer and more comfortable. If the players reveal Stella’s fate, Lady Wachter’s eyes tighten, and she asks them for a full explanation of how Stella came to inhabit her current state. When the players have finished their story, Lady Wachter states that she believes them to be playing a cruel joke upon her and her family, and asks whether they have any means of proving their claims. The players can persuade Lady Wachter to deactivate the protective circle around Wachterhaus and allow Stella to manifest there (and so prove the players’ story) with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check. The players succeed on the check automatically if they have previously won Lady Wachter’s favor (such as by killing Izek). Lady Wachter is shocked by and wary of the players’ knowledge of the protective circle and demands to know how the players learned of it. If asked, she is willing to share the following information about it: * When Lady Wachter was a young woman, her parents and brother were killed in a mysterious incident that left their bodies apparently unharmed. Lady Wachter was the sole survivor, having been away from Wachterhaus at the time of the killing. * When she returned to Wachterhaus, she determined that a malevolent spirit had been responsible for her family’s death. Though the spirit appeared to have departed by the time Lady Wachter returned, she was wary of the prospect that it might one day return. * Using magic that she had learned from her mentor, Lysa, Lady Wachter erected a protective barrier around Wachterhaus that would prevent any creature within the Ethereal Plane from crossing over the boundary of the property. Upon agreeing to deactivate the protective circle, Lady Wachter retreats to N4o. Master Bedroom (p. 113) and retrieves the scale model of Wachterhaus from the high shelf beside the iron chest. She then returns to the parlor and sets the model upon the central table. With her eyes closed, Lady Wachter murmurs an incantation, causing a circle of ethereal grey light to briefly manifest around the scale model before vanishing again. She then informs the players that the circle has been lowered and sits back expectantly on the sofa while sipping her tea. Assuming the players do not otherwise intervene, the scene then unfolds as follows: * A few moments later, Stella—unseen, but present in the Ethereal Plane—levitates a peony from a flower vase on a nearby side table and deposits it in Lady Wachter’s lap. * In disbelief, Lady Wachter drops her teacup on the parlor floor, where it shatters. She picks up the peony, her hands trembling with emotion. She notes, with a quavering voice, that peonies have always been Stella’s favorite flower. “If this is some kind of trick—” she warns. * Before Lady Wachter can finish her warning, Stella moves the teacup shards across the floor, forming the shape of a crescent. Lady Wachter’s eyes fill with tears, and she calls out Stella’s name, looking around the room almost as if she expects to see her daughter there. (The crescent resembles the crescent-shaped birthmark on the fur of a cat that Stella kept as a child, which was named Luna.) * Haliq, Lady Wachter’s valet, opens the door to the room and asks if Lady Wachter was calling for someone. Lady Wachter wipes her eyes, shakes her head, and dismisses him. After a moment, she wipes her eyes and says, “Let us assume that I believe you. What need have you of me?” If the players successfully persuade Lady Wachter to assist them and ask her for aid in creating a binding circle to entrap the hags within the Material Plane, she reluctantly and cautiously reveals the following information: * She is indeed capable of crafting such things, though she is long out of practice. To create a circle large enough to entrap an entire windmill from a distance would require the aid of several of Lady Wachter’s “associates,” whose aid it may take some time to secure. (Lady Wachter can direct Ernst and Haliq to recruit her associates—four **cult fanatics**—and gather them within as little as four hours if necessary.) * There are two ways for such a circle to work: it can keep things out, or it can keep things in. To keep the hags from escaping the circle, the players will first need to secure the true names of any hags within the windmill, including those that are not the players’ primary target. Should even a single hag remain free to escape, it could attack Lady Wachter and her associates and bring the entire circle crashing down. If Victor is present, or if he is informed of the need to obtain the hags' true names, he recalls the relevant section from *Ethereal Entities* (see **Matrons of Malevolence** above) and shares it with the players, pointing out the section that discusses coven contracts and wondering aloud where Morgantha's coven might have hidden their contract. If Lady Wachter is informed of the possible presence of children within the windmill, she insists that the players rescue them before making any assault. (Fortunately, she notes, the players’ efforts to obtain the hags’ names may prove a useful distraction that allows others within their group to raid the other rooms of the windmill in the meantime.) If the players and Lady Wachter come to an agreement, she promises to meet them—along with her associates—at Vallaki’s eastern Morning Gate at the allotted time, once she’s prepared herself for the journey. # H6. The Old Svalich Road ## H6a. The Morning Gate If the players recruit [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] to their cause, she and her four **cult fanatic** associates meet them promptly at the Morning Gate at the chosen time. Lady Wachter has exchanged her dress for a practical pair of pants, flat-soled leather boots, and a chain shirt tucked under a forest-green tunic, with a round-headed mace hanging from her belt and a black hooded riding cloak covering the ensemble. Majesto, her **imp** familiar, accompanies her in **crow** form. The fanatics are as described in N4t. Cult Headquarters (p. 114) and are named Andrej, Boris, Miruna, and Ruxandra, respectively. None of the fanatics are particularly talkative. ## H6b. The Druid The journey from the Town of Vallaki to Old Bonegrinder is five-and-three-quarter miles long and takes two hours. Midway through the trip, the players are disturbed by a rustling in the trees above. Read: <div class="description"> A gaunt figure with wild hair and bare feet crouches on a thick, gnarled branch above your heads, wearing a tattered gown of stitched animal skins. Red streaks run across its cheeks, with two more fang-shaped streaks staining the skin beneath its lips. It stops, sniffs the air, and laughs like a lunatic. “Little songbirds wandering the dark woods?” it asks, leering down at you. </div> The figure is a **druid** of Yester Hill, and a spy for Strahd. They intend no harm toward the players, but are eager to provoke them in interesting ways. If [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] is with the players, the conversation proceeds as follows unless the players intervene: * Lady Wachter steps forward and says, “I am no songbird, child of Yester Hill. You know me, and my sign. Do the Forest Folk demand tolls to travel the Svalich Wood?” * The druid’s eyes linger on Majesto, and they reply, “No tolls, dear ones. Mere . . . curiosity. You keep strange company, daughter of Mother Night.” * Lady Wachter replies curtly, “My company is no concern of yours. Trouble us no more, and tell your master that the House of Wachter remembers its debts.” * “Debts indeed!” the druid rasps. “But to whom, this one wonders?” With a mud-stained grin and a cackle, they vanish into the trees and disappear from sight. If the players ask about her conversation with the druid, Lady Wachter is willing to provide the following information: * The individual was a druid of the Forest Folk, a loose society of hermits that dwell amidst the Svalich Woods and generally shun the civilized settlements. The druids treat Yester Hill, a hill at the southwest edge of the Barovian valley, as a sacred place, and worship Strahd as a deity for his control over the land and weather. * Lady Wachter first encountered and learned of the druids while a student of her mentor, Lysa. Lysa, a woodswitch who dwelled in the swamps of Berez, was a worshipper of Mother Night, a deity of darkness, trickery, and the occult. Lady Wachter was never able to hear the “voice” of Mother Night (as Lysa called it), however, and adopted the faith of Ezra soon after returning to Vallaki. * Lysa did not take Lady Wachter’s departure lightly. A prideful woman, she considered her students her children, and took Lady Wachter’s decision to return to Vallaki as a personal betrayal. Lady Wachter has been banished from Berez ever since. * Lady Wachter’s “debt” to Strahd arises from his effort to save Lady Wachter’s ancestor, Lady Lovina Wachter, from death at the hands of the traitor Leo Dilisnya centuries ago. When a traitor and assassin named Leo Dilisnya murdered Lovina’s husband and attempted to kill Lovina as well, Strahd defended her, then hunted Dilisnya down to punish him for his treachery. House Wachter has remained loyal to Strahd ever since. # H7. Old Bonegrinder This scene takes place in Chapter 6: Area O. Old Bonegrinder is largely as described in Chapter 6: Old Bonegrinder (p. 125). However, there are no ravens at or near the windmill. Additionally, Freek is named Fyodor instead, and both he and Myrtle are the children of the Barovian refugee Franz. Finally, the millstone in O2. Bone Mill (p. 127) bears a stone keyhole on one side, and contains a compartment that holds the hags' contract. If [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] is present as the players approach the windmill, she first gathers the players, [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]], and the four **cult fanatics** in a darkened copse of trees beside the Old Svalich Road to assemble a plan of attack. Lady Wachter then attempts to confirm the following details: * how many hags reside in the windmill, and how the players intend to obtain their names * whether there are children within the windmill, and how the players intend to rescue them * how the players intend to combat the hags once the binding circle is raised Lady Wachter is glad to offer the players the service of her **imp** familiar Majesto as a scout. (Majesto can use his **crow**, **spider**, and **rat** forms to surveil the exterior and interior of the windmill while remaining invisible using his ***invisibility*** ability.) Meanwhile, Victor offers to aid the players in retrieving Franz’s children from the windmill, using his *misty step*, *fly*, and *greater invisibility* spells as-needed to assist with the rescue mission. > [!info]+ **Layout of the Windmill** > The windmill rests upon a small, bare, grassy hill approximately one thousand feet in diameter, with a hilltop approximately four hundred feet in diameter. Its north and western edges are flanked by the trees of the Svalich Wood, which press closely toward its base. > [!info]+ **Victor's Spellbook** > Victor's spellbook largely contains the spells described in N3t. Victor's Workroom (p. 109), except it also contains the _sending_ and _fear_ spells and does not contain _remove curse._ On the day he ventures to Old Bonegrinder, he has largely prepared the spells described in the **mage** statblock, but has prepared _blight_ instead of _cone of cold_. However, Victor warns the players that, according to *Ethereal Entities*, hag covens often possess the ability to dispel enchantments while within close proximity to their lair. Once Lady Wachter's binding circle is erected, he'll need to stay close to the windmill to protect it with his *counterspell.* As such, he'll need to conserve his strength—and, specifically, his 5th- and 4th-level spell slots—until then. (**Under no circumstances does Victor spend his 5th-level spell slot before the end of the battle with the hags.**) > [!abstract]+ **Bargaining with the Hags** > > If the players visit Old Bonegrinder without first obtaining Lady Wachter’s help, they can attempt to bargain with the hags in order to obtain a *heartstone.* The players do not need to first disguise themselves as dream pastry addicts to do so—Morgantha is always happy to do business with willing customers. > > To borrow Morgantha's heartstone for a period of three days, the players must promise to undertake a particular task for her. As a form of insurance to ensure their compliance, Morgantha takes their dreams as collateral once the players accept her offer, bottling them up in a glass vial that she wears on a cord around her neck. > > Morgantha warns the players that, if they fail to complete her task within fourteen days, fail to return the heartstone within three days, or betray her, she will immediately devour their dreams, preventing them from gaining the benefits of a long rest forever. (Morgantha can devour the players’ dreams as an action while the vial is in her possession.) > > If the players complete Morgantha's task within the allotted time, however, she will release their dreams and allow them to return to their owners. In either case, the players can take long rests normally until the fourteen days have elapsed. > > Morgantha’s task is simple. The players must deliver a **soul leech**—a Tiny **fiend** resembling a leech with ghost-white, translucent flesh and purple-blue veins, and which Morgantha has imprisoned in a corked glass vial—to the office of Strahd’s chamberlain, Rahadin. Upon arriving in Rahadin’s office, the players must uncork the vial and allow the leech to attach itself to the underside of his desk, where it will render itself invisible and virtually undetectable. > >![[Soul Leech.png]] >"Soul Leech" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> > >The players can convince Morgantha to reveal her plans for the leech with a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check: When Rahadin returns, the leech will secretly attach itself to his flesh, ensuring that—when Rahadin eventually dies—his evil soul will be ensnared and entrapped in Morgantha’s *soul bag,* where it will be transformed into a **soul larva** that Morgantha can use for nefarious purposes. > > Morgantha can tell the players that Rahadin’s office is located in the cellar of Castle Ravenloft, not far from the kitchens. However, Morgantha won’t share where she obtained her information. (Her source is, of course, the **mongrelfolk** Cyrus Belview, the unwitting bearer of the coven’s *hag eye.*) > [!info]+ **The Megaliths** > > The megaliths beyond Old Bonegrinder demarcate the boundaries of the Mountain Fane: the shrine to the Seeker of the Ladies Three. Once atop the windmill's hill, the players can see the megaliths in the valley below. Read: > ><hr> > > A circle of tall, slender megaliths stands shrouded amidst thick clouds of fog at the forest's edge below, with only the stones’ jagged tops visible as they poke through the mist. > > <hr> > > The area within the cloud of fog is heavily obscured. If the players investigate, they find that a five-foot-diameter stone of smooth, black onyx is half-buried at the center of the circle. The stone has no visible marks or symbols upon its surface, and is impervious to all damage and attempts to move it. > > One minute after the players enter the cloud of fog, their presence draws the attention of four **vampiric mists** (Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, p. 250). The mists swirl about the players lazily for three rounds, after which one mist attempts to use a single ***life drain*** attack on the nearest player, like a shark inquisitively nipping its prey. If the players remain within the fog, all of the vampiric mists attack the following round. ## H7a. Raiding the Windmill The players can obtain the hags' true names by retrieving the contract from the locked stone compartment in the millstone in O2. Bone Mill (p. 127). One of the arms of the millstone in the bone mill is more gnarled than the rest, and is visibly segmented at the end. Twisting the end of the gnarled arm detaches it, revealing an iron key hidden inside. The players can unlock the millstone compartment by using the iron key, or by succeeding on a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves' Tools) check. The compartment contains the hags' contract, as well as the treasure described in O3. Bedroom (p. 127). The hags' contract is written in Abyssal on a piece of leather made of human skin, and is signed with their true names at the bottom: Morgantha Stormreaver, Belladonna Sunbane, and Offalia Wormwiggle. (If none of the players can read Abyssal, Lady Wachter is able to read the hags' names instead, having learned the language's alphabet as a student of Baba Lysaga.) > [!info]+ **Damaging the Contract** > The hags' contract, which has AC 20 and 1 hit point, is immune to all damage except damage dealt by the hags' own ***claws*** attack, a fact that a player can recall with a successful DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check. If the contract is destroyed, the coven is disbanded, leaving all three members to use the statistics of an ordinary **night hag**. The stone compartment also contains a *charm of mass heroism*, resembling a golden medallion adorned with three interlocking rings engraved at its center. > [!item]+ **Charm of Mass Heroism** > As an action, the wielder of this charm can give any number of creatures within 30 feet the benefit of a *potion of heroism*. Once they do so, the charm vanishes from their person. Fyodor and Myrtle are imprisoned on the third floor of the windmill and guarded by the **night hags** Belladonna "Bella" Sunbane and Offalia Wormwiggle, as described in O3. Bedroom (p. 127). However, Fyodor and Myrtle have no particular knowledge of Ireena or Ismark, and wish only to be returned to their father, Franz. ![[The Three Hags.png]] "The Three Hags" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> ### Distracting Morgantha This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area O1. If one or more players knock on the door to O1. Ground Floor (p. 126), Morgantha descends from O2. Bone Mill (p. 127) and opens the door to greet them. She is glad to invite the players inside, and asks if they have come to purchase her wares. > [!info]+ **The Hag Coven** > > While Morgantha and her two daughters are all within 1 mile of one another, they share the statistics of **The Bonegrinder Coven** and **The Nightmare Three**, rather than using their individual **night hag** statblocks. > > While the coven exists, damage dealt to each individual hag is instead subtracted from the coven’s hit points, causing similar wounds or injuries to visibly appear on the bodies of all three hags. (If damage is dealt to multiple hags at once, the damage is subtracted from the coven’s hit points that many times.) > > The hags do not gain access to the **_Shared Spellcasting_** feature ordinarily available to hag covens. However, each hag within the coven retains the use of her **_Innate Spellcasting_** and **_Night Hag Items_** features, as well as her **_Claws_**, **_Change Shape_**, **_Etherealness_**, and **_Nightmare Haunting_** actions. The players can convince Morgantha that they are visiting to purchase additional dream pastries with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Deception) check. Alternatively, if the players use a different convincing cover story, they can convince Morgantha that they’re harmless with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Deception) check. If the players successfully convince Morgantha that they're addicted to dream pastries or are otherwise harmless, Morgantha informs them that her current batch of dream pastries is still baking and invites them to remain until they're done. Until then, she's glad to make smalltalk. The players can also persuade Morgantha to invite her daughters down into the kitchen (in order to lure them away from the children upstairs) with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Persuasion or Deception) check. If they succeed in doing so, Bella and Offalia introduce themselves with a pair of clumsy curtsies. On a failure, a wary Morgantha claims that her daughters are, unfortunately, too busy to speak with visitors, but that she would be glad to relay any compliments or other comments to them should the players desire. She then asks the players what they thought of her dream pastries and what dreams they experienced upon eating them. A player can ease Morgantha's paranoia by sharing a story of a beautiful dream that they experienced after eating a dream pastry and succeeding on a DC 16 Charisma (Deception) check, which succeeds automatically if the player is telling the truth. On a failure, Morgantha gets suspicious. (See **Morgantha Gets Suspicious** below.) Unlike their mother, Bella and Offalia are easily distracted. They can be lured to O2. Bone Mill (p. 127) or O4. Domed Attic (p. 127) with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Performance) check and any reasonably relevant means (e.g., a *minor illusion* spell). ### Morgantha Gets Suspicious This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area O1. If the players fail to convince Morgantha of a comforting cover story, she immediately becomes suspicious of their motives and presence. Too wary to entertain their presence any longer, she says, regretfully, that she and her daughters are tired, and asks that the players return the following day to speak further. (A player who succeeds on a DC 17 Wisdom (Insight) check discerns that Morgantha is suspicious, not tired.) If the players leave, Morgantha watches them depart from the window, then ascends to O3. Bedroom (p. 127) one round later to alert Bella and Offlia of the players' suspicious visit. If the players fail to leave, after a brief period of time (during which she reveals nothing of note to the players), Morgantha briefly excuses herself to withdraw a tray of dream pastries from the oven, then calls upstairs, “Girls, it’s time to taste the fresh batch!” (The dream pastries are obviously near-raw. Morgantha’s words are a signal informing the other two **night hags** that undesired guests have arrived in the windmill and must be dealt with.) While Bella and Offalia descend from O3. Bedroom (p. 127), Morgantha smiles pleasantly at the players and informs them that her daughters are her most valued taste-testers and she is always grateful for their opinions. (“Folks warn you about old age, but it’s true,” she says pleasantly. “It can be so difficult to run a business like this on your own.”) When Bella and Offalia arrive, they greet the players with awkward, overdramatic curtsies. Bella then frowns and exclaims, “Mother! I thought you said you were going to get the front door fixed!” Assuming the players do not interfere, Bella sweeps across the room toward the front entrance to the windmill. She then pretends to inspect the hinges, obstructing the players’ exit, and complains, “Its squeaking is driving me mad!” Morgantha replies, “Don’t worry, child—I’ll make sure those little squeaks come to an end.” Morgantha, Bella, and Offalia then immediately move to attack. If the players are defeated, Morgantha also feeds the two strongest players the concoctions from O1. Ground Floor (p. 126) marked "Laughter" and "Mother's Milk," infecting one of them with cackle fever and poisoning the other with *pale tincture*. The players then reawaken 1d4 + 1 hours later in the attic of Old Bonegrinder. See **Escape From Old Bonegrinder** below for more information regarding the players’ escape. ## H7b. Claiming the Heartstone ### The Binding Circle If the players successfully obtain the names of Morgantha’s daughters and rescue the children imprisoned inside of the windmill, [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] directs her four **cult fanatics** to form a five-pointed formation around the base of the hill where Old Bonegrinder sits. [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] warns the players that the hags are likely to be dangerous enemies and advises them to activate the charm immediately before hostilities erupt. Lady Wachter then warns the players that, once raised, the binding circle will last for only ten minutes. She further informs them that, should she or any of the four **cult fanatics** be knocked unconscious, the ritual will immediately fail and the hags will be free to escape. (Due to the height of the hill, it is unlikely that the night hags will be able to attack the cultists during the battle.) When the players direct her to do so, Lady Wachter begins the ritual. Read: <div class="description"> Lady Wachter raises her hands toward the darkened sky. Her voice, firm and resonant, booms through the stillness of the air as words of power roll off her tongue. Lady Wachter’s four followers soon join the chant, raising their arms as their voices swell in harmony with hers. The air around the hill begins to crackle and hum, the atmosphere tinged with the scent of ozone. Small clouds of mist begin to rise from the ground beneath the ritualists, extruding long tendrils of wisping fog that bathe the earth in pale, ethereal light. As the chant continues, the billowing clouds of mist grow brighter, casting long, dancing shadows across the sides of the hill. The fog seems to undulate in rhythm with their words, the very air seeming to thrum with arcane resonance. From deep within the seas of roiling grey, you think you can almost hear a woman’s distant, murmuring voice, joined by the echo of a thousand whispers. The tendrils of fog interlock—and snap together, forming a circle: a tight ring of shimmering, swirling mist. Lady Wachter’s hands curl into fists, and she pulls both arms across her chest. In a low, melodic voice, she recites a trio of names again and again: “Morgantha Stormreaver. Belladonna Sunbane. Offalia Wormwiggle.” Her gaze meets yours, and she gives a single, near-imperceptible nod. </div> The circle, which extends five hundred feet vertically into the air, remains for the next ten minutes. During this time, any night hags named by Lady Wachter who remain within the circle cannot use their ***etherealness*** ability to enter the Ethereal Plane. ### Confronting the Hags This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area O. As the players ascend the hill, Lady Wachter’s crow familiar, Majesto, gives a haughty, defiant caw and joins them from the skies, assuming its true **imp** form before becoming invisible. Meanwhile, [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] casts the *mage armor* spell on any players who request it. He also uses a single fourth-level spell slot to cast *greater invisibility* on himself. Victor reminds the players that, according to *Ethereal Entities*, he'll need to remain close to the windmill—within sixty feet—in order use his _counterspell_ to protect the circle from the coven's ability to dispel it. He asks the players to protect him accordingly. As the players approach the windmill, if the night hags have noticed the children's disappearance, the hilltop around the windmill is now sparsely filled by the hundred **toads** once stored in Morgantha's wooden trunk in O1. Ground Floor (p. 126). (Morgantha released them in order to use the coven's ***Amphibious Cacophony*** lair action to lure the children back to the windmill.) If the players aren't invisible, Morgantha leads her daughters out of the windmill to meet them as they approach, arranging herself and her daughters directly in front of the door of the windmill and greeting the players once they approach within thirty feet. The following conversation then unfolds unless diverted, though the hags attack in self-defense if necessary. Morgantha greets the players warmly and congratulates them on taking their "ransom." She then asks, pleasantly, what items or boons they've come to bargain for. If informed that the players want to borrow a heartstone, Morgantha is glad to allow them to do so for a period of three days—if the players return the "livestock" that they "stole." (Unless the players were detected doing so, Morgantha hasn't yet realized that the players stole the contract.) If the players challenge Morgantha's predation of Franz and the children, she scoffs, noting, "Child, their souls were forfeit from the moment that they were born into these Mists—a soul bag larger than any one I could craft, and holding a far deeper evil. What difference does it make who claims them, or when?" Morgantha declines to explain her statement further, noting only that "darker powers" than Strahd von Zarovich command the Mists that encircle the valley—and that she may be willing to share more information if the players return the children. (If the players then do so, Morgantha shares the three secrets noted in **Morgantha's Plea** below.) ![[The Bonegrinder Coven.png]] "The Bonegrinder Coven" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> ### Battle with the Hags The hags fight in self-defense, or if the players make clear that they will not otherwise return the children or the coven's contract. The combatants fight as follows: > [!info]+ **Lair Actions** > > While the coven is within 100 feet of the windmill, it can take lair actions as long as it isn't incapacitated. > > In both phases, on initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the coven can take one of the following lair action options centered on or originating from the windmill, or forgo using any of them in that round: > > - **_Warding Wind._** The coven casts _warding wind._ > - **_Gust of Wind._** The coven casts _gust of wind._ > - **_Amphibious Cacophony._** The coven causes the frogs in the grass around the windmill to croak a strangely hypnotic song. Each creature within 120 feet of the windmill that can hear the frogs must succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or use all of its movement on its next turn to move as far as it can toward the mill. > - **_Dispel Magic (1/day)._** The coven casts _dispel magic_ at 5th level. <div class="statblock"> <h2>The Bonegrinder Coven</h2> Trio of three medium fiends, neutral evil <hr> Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 210 (28d8 + 84) Speed 30 ft. <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>18 (+4)</td> <td>15 (+2)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>18 (+4)</td> <td>14 (+2)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Skills Deception +8, Insight +7, Perception +7, Stealth +7 Damage Resistances cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered Condition Immunities charmed Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Primordial Challenge CR 14, or 12 when fought with silvered weapons Proficiency Bonus. +5 <hr> Hag Coven. The coven includes three hags: Morgantha, Bella, and Offalia. A hag acts on her own initiative, keeps concentration and suffers conditions independently, and has her own action, bonus action, reaction, and movement. Any damage a hag takes is subtracted from the coven's hit points. (If multiple hags take damage from the same source, the coven loses hit points that many times.) Magic Resistance. The coven has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. Spellcasting. The coven's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). Complex Casting. If a hag casts a spell on her turn using a bonus action, she can also use her action to cast a non-cantrip spell on the same turn. Second Phase. If the coven is reduced to 0 hit points, its statistics are instantly replaced by those of **The Nightmare Three**. Its initiative remains the same. Excess damage doesn't carry over to its new form, but it retains any conditions it had in its previous form. <h3>Actions</h3> Blindness/Deafness (Bella Only). Bella casts blindness/deafness. A target takes an additional 7 (2d6) necrotic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. Putrid Radiance (Bella Only). 2nd-level necromancy, 30 feet, components V S M, instantaneous. Effect:: Dim, greenish light bursts within a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on a point that Bella chooses within range. Each creature within that area must succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 radiant damage and be poisoned until the end of its next turn. Ray of Enfeeblement (Offalia Only). Offalia casts ray of enfeeblement. A target takes an additional 9 (2d8) necrotic damage on a hit. Acid Arrow (Offalia Only). Offalia casts Melf's acid arrow. Ray of Sickness (Morgantha Only). Morgantha casts ray of sickness. Withering Rot (Morgantha Only). 1st-level necromancy, 30 feet, components V S M, instantaneous. Effect: Necromantic energy washes over a creature of Morgantha's choice within range, which must make a Constitution saving throw. The target takes 13 (3d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Crown of Madness (Bella Only). Bella casts crown of madness. A target takes an additional 5 (2d4) psychic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. (Bella can use her bonus action to maintain control over the target, rather than her action.) Phantasmal Force (Bella Only). Bella casts phantasmal force. A target takes an additional 5 (2d4) psychic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. Cause Fear (Offalia Only). Offalia casts cause fear at 2nd level. A target takes an additional 5 (2d4) psychic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. Bestow Curse (Offalia Only). Offalia casts bestow curse with a range of up to 30 feet. A target takes an additional 7 (2d6) necrotic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. Hold Person (Morgantha Only). Morgantha casts hold person at 3rd level. A target takes an additional 5 (2d4) necrotic damage if it fails the saving throw, or half damage on a success. Lightning Bolt (Morgantha Only, Recharge 5-6). Morgantha casts lightning bolt. Claws (Any). Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) slashing damage. <h3>Reactions</h3> Spectral Shadows (Bella Only). 1st-level illusion, self, components V S, instantaneous. Effect: In response to being hit by an attack, Bella can use her reaction to briefly conjure two illusory duplicates in her space. The attacker must roll a d6, hitting Bella on a 5 or 6 and hitting a duplicate otherwise. Maniacal Mirth (Offalia Only). 1st-level enchantment, 30 feet, components V S M, instantaneous. Effect: In response to taking damage from a creature that Offalia can see within range, Offalia can use her reaction to force that creature to make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature falls into fits of laughter, falling prone and becoming incapacitated and unable to stand up until the end of the creature's next turn, or until it takes damage. Witchlight Arc (Morgantha Only). 1st-level evocation, 30 feet, components V S M, 1 round. Effect: In response to taking damage from a creature that Morgantha can see within range, Morgantha can use her reaction to send a beam of crackling blue energy toward her attacker, forcing them to succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 6 (1d12) lightning damage. On a failure, the beam forms an arc of lightning connecting Morgantha to the attacker until the start of its next turn. While the arc lasts, Morgantha has resistance to all damage, and each time she takes damage, the connected creature takes the same amount of damage. Misty Step (Any). In response to taking damage, a hag can use her reaction to cast misty step. </div> ![[Bella.png]] ![[Offalia.png]] ![[Morgantha.png]] "The Nightmare Three" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> <div class="statblock"> <h2>The Nightmare Three</h2> Trio of one medium fiend and two huge fiends, neutral evil <hr> Armor Class 17 (natural armor) Hit Points 210 (28d8 + 84) Speed 30 ft. <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>21 (+5)</td> <td>15 (+2)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>18 (+4)</td> <td>14 (+2)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Skills Deception +8, Insight +7, Perception +7, Stealth +7 Damage Resistances cold, fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren't silvered Condition Immunities charmed Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 16 Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal, Primordial Challenge CR 15, or 13 when fought with silvered weapons Proficiency Bonus. +5 <hr> Hag Coven. The coven includes three hags: Morgantha, Bella, and Offalia. If the coven is reduced to 0 hit points, all hags die. Until then, a hag acts on her own initiative, suffers conditions independently, and has her own action, bonus action, reaction, and movement. Any damage a hag takes is subtracted from the coven's hit points. Nightmare Forms. In this phase, Bella assumes the form of a Huge crocodile, Offalia assumes the form of a Huge elephant, and Morgantha is surrounded by a shroud of swirling shadows. Magic Resistance. The coven has advantage on saving throws against spells and magical effects. Charge (Offalia Only). If Offalia moves at least 20 feet straight toward a target and then hits it with a gore attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 11 (2d10) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 18 Strength saving throw or be pushed up to 10 feet away and knocked prone. <h3>Actions</h3> Bite (Bella Only). Melee weapon attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d10 + 5) piercing damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 17). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and Bella can't bite another target. Tail (Bella Only). Melee weapon attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target not grappled by Bella. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. Gore (Offalia Only). Melee weapon attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 +5) piercing damage. Eyebite (Morgantha Only). Morgantha casts or uses eyebite (DC 17). A target that succeeds on the saving throw is dazed instead until the end of its next turn. (A dazed creature can move or take one action on its turn, not both. It also can’t take a bonus action or a reaction.) <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Tail Swipe (Bella Only). Bella swipes her tail in a 10-foot cone. Each creature within that area must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 9 (2d8) bludgeoning damage and falling prone on a failure. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half as much damage and doesn't fall prone. Hallucinatory Mist (Bella Only). Bella sprays a 30-foot cone of pearlescent mist. Each creature within the mist must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be dazed until the start of Bella's next turn. (A dazed creature can move or take one action on its turn, not both. It also can’t take a bonus action or a reaction.) Stomp (Offalia Only). Offalia stomps the ground around her. Each creature within a 5-foot radius must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 11 (2d10) bludgeoning damage on a failure and half as much damage on a success. Fiend's Trumpet (Offalia Only). Offalia releases a sonorous, low-pitched trumpet from her trunk. Each humanoid creature within a 60-foot radius must make a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or subtract 1d4 from their next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Enervating Ring (Morgantha Only). Tendrils of inky darkness reach out from Morgantha, touching each creature within a 10-foot radius. Each target must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) necrotic damage and be slowed until the end of its next turn. (A slowed creature must spend 1 extra foot of movement for every foot it moves using its speed, attack rolls against it have advantage, and it has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.) Inflict Nightmares (Morgantha Only). Morgantha conjures a cloud of ethereal mist around a creature she can see within 30 feet, forcing it to succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until it takes damage or another creature uses its action to shake them awake. The creature takes 9 (2d8) psychic damage at the end of its turn if it's still stunned. <h3>Reactions</h3> Tail Lash (Bella Only). In response to taking damage from a creature within 10 feet, Bella makes a tail attack against her attacker. Tusks (Offalia Only). In response to taking damage from a melee attack, Offalia makes a gore attack against her attacker. Shadow Step (Morgantha Only). In response to taking damage from a creature that she can see, Morgantha instead takes half as much damage (rounded down) and teleports up to 30 feet. Matron's Rebuke (Morgantha Only). In response to taking damage from a creature within 60 feet of her that she can see, Morgantha points her finger and surrounds the creature that damaged her with writhing shadows, forcing it to succeed on a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw or take 11 (2d10) necrotic damage. Absorb Elements (Any). In response to taking acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage, the hag uses her reaction to cast absorb elements. </div> > [!combat]- **Balancing the Hags** > Due to the phase mechanic, this is a series of two consecutive **bruising** combat encounters against a party of five 5th-level players, a CR 6 ally (Victor Vallakovich), and a CR 1 ally (Majesto), and will consume approximately 34% of their total maximum hit points for the first phase and 58% for the second phase (for a total of 92% of their maximum hit points). For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the hags’ hit points to 156 in each phase. For their first phase, reduce: their ***blindness/deafness*** and ***putrid radiance*** actions and their ***bestow*** ***curse*** bonus action to 5 (2d4) damage; their ***ray of enfeeblement*** and ***ray of sickness*** actions to 7 (2d6) fire damage; their ***withering rot*** action to 10 (3d6) damage; their Melf’s Acid Arrow action to 7 (2d6) damage and 3 (1d6) the next turn; their ***crown*** ***of*** ***madness***, ***phantasmal*** ***force***, ***cause*** ***fear***, and ***hold*** ***person*** bonus actions to 4 (1d8) damage; and their ***lightning*** ***bolt*** bonus action to 21 (8d4) damage. For their second phase, reduce: their ***charge*** feature, ***stomp*** bonus action, and ***matron’s rebuke*** reaction to 7 (2d6) damage; their ***bite*** attack to 12 (2d6+5) damage; their ***tail*** and ***gore*** attacks to 10 (2d4+5) damage; and their ***tail swipe***, ***enervating ring***, and ***inflict nightmares*** bonus actions to 7 (2d6) damage. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the hags’ hit points to 183 in each phase. For their first phase, reduce: their ***blindness/deafness*** and ***putrid radiance*** actions and their ***bestow curse*** bonus action to 6 (1d12) damage; their ***ray of enfeeblement*** and ***ray of sickness*** actions to 7 (2d6) damage; their ***withering rot*** action to 10 (3d6) damage; their ***Melf’s Acid Arrow*** action to 9 (2d8) damage and 4 (1d8) the next turn; their ***crown of madness***, ***phantasmal force***, ***cause fear***, and ***hold person*** bonus actions to 4 (1d8) damage; and their ***lightning bolt*** bonus action to 25 (10d4) damage. For their second phase, reduce: their ***charge*** feature, ***stomp*** bonus action, and ***matron’s rebuke*** reaction to 9 (2d8) damage; their ***bite*** attack to 16 (2d8+5) damage; and their ***tail swipe***, ***enervating ring***, and ***inflict nightmares*** bonus actions to 7 (2d6) damage. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the hags’ hit points to 237 in each phase. For their first phase, increase: their ***blindness/deafness*** and ***putrid radiance*** actions and their ***bestow curse*** bonus action to 7 (2d6) damage; their ***ray of enfeeblement*** and ***ray of sickness*** actions to 9 (2d10) damage; their ***withering rot*** action to 15 (6d4) damage; their ***crown*** ***of madness***, ***phantasmal*** ***force***, ***cause*** ***fear***, and ***hold*** ***person*** bonus actions to 6 (1d12) damage; and their ***lightning*** ***bolt*** bonus action to 32 (13d4) damage. For their second phase, increase: their ***charge*** feature, ***stomp*** bonus action, and ***matron’s*** ***rebuke*** reaction to 11 (2d12) damage; their ***bite*** attack to 18 (2d12+5) damage; their ***tail*** and ***gore*** attacks to 16 (2d10+5) damage; and their ***tail swipe, enervating ring***, and ***inflict nightmares*** bonus actions to 9 (2d10) damage. > [!design]- **Design Note: Innate Spellcasting** > Multiple spellcasters in this guide, including the hags of Old Bonegrinder, have had spell slots replaced with at-will abilities. This change has been made to simplify the process of controlling these characters in battle. However, this is an intentional abstraction made solely for the sake of combat, which is guaranteed to end after a limited number of turns. This change does not indicate that these spells can be cast an unlimited number of times outside of combat. ***The Coven.*** The hags begin in their **Bonegrinder Coven** phase. Each hag prioritizes a different target—Bella attacking whichever player seems most attractive, Offalia attacking whichever player seems most confident, and Morgantha attacking whichever player seems physically strongest. (If two hags share the same preferred target, they have a brief argument, after which one of them shifts to target the next player who meets her qualifications.) When the hags assume their **Nightmare Three** phase, Bella assumes the form of a monstrous giant crocodile, its scales jagged and irregular and its eyes glowing with a baleful light. Offalia takes the shape of a demonic elephant, its skin mottled with black veins and its tusks blackened and twisted like corkscrews. Finally, Morgantha's skin becomes pitch-black, her eyes becoming inky voids as shadows swirl around her. ***Victor Vallakovich.*** In battle, [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] remains invisible through the use of his *greater invisibility* spell, remaining within 60 feet of the windmill at all times. Victor casts *counterspell* at 3rd or 4th level as-needed to counter Morgantha's *lightning bolt* and *eyebite* spells. Otherwise, he casts *magic missile* at 2nd and 1st level to avoid collateral damage and minimize the hags' magic resistance. Victor retains his lone 5th-level spell slot to cast *counterspell* in response to the hags' ***dispel magic*** lair action. (See **Dispel Magic** below.) ***Majesto.*** In battle, Lady Wachter’s **imp** Majesto uses his ***sting*** to attack whichever hags are currently concentrating on spells. ### The Hags' Failed Escape The coven conserves its ***dispel magic*** lair action for the bulk of the encounter. On her first turn after the coven's **Nightmare Three** phase is bloodied, Morgantha attempts to use her ***etherealness*** action to escape—which is prevented by Lady Wachter's binding circle. > [!info]+ **Bloodied** > A creature is **bloodied** when reduced to half of its ordinary maximum hit points or fewer. Horrified by Morgantha's failure, the coven uses its ***dispel magic*** lair action at the next available opportunity. When it does, read: <div class="description"> The air grows thick with power—and then a terrible, screeching groan cuts through the wind. As the coven's eyes glow with unified purpose, the massive vanes of the windmill begin to rotate—slowly at first, then gaining momentum, the creaking of its ancient wood melding with the grinding of its weathered gears to form a terrible cacophony. The wind betwixt the vanes shimmers with shadows, shrieking with a baleful glee as the windmill's crescendo becomes a blur of light and dark. Then, with a sound like booming thunder, a shockwave of arcane force bursts from the vanes' central joint, distorting the very air with the intensity of its power. "Begone!" screech the hags. </div> [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] immediately responds by casting *counterspell* at 5th level. Read: <div class="description"> With a flourish of his hand and a whispered incantation, Victor conjures a complex tapestry of sigils and runes in the air before him. The coven's blast, a swirling maelstrom of shadows and baleful light, meets the shimmering shield of Victor's counterspell—a radiant lattice that shimmers with power. For a moment, the two forces collide in a deafening clash, a spectacle of light and dark that seems to strain the very air around it. Then, with a resonant sound like the shattering of glass, Victor's spell triumphs—and the coven's shockwave dissipates, its dark energy unraveling into harmless wisps of shadow. The hags release a bloodcurdling scream of rage, their voices melding into a single, resonant note of high-pitched fury. </div> ![[Victor's Counterspell.jpg]] "Victor's Counterspell" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> Immediately following Victor's _counterspell_, Morgantha calls for a parley, promising to reveal three pieces of secret knowledge to the players in exchange for the coven's lives. Morgantha initially refuses to reveal anything until Lady Wachter’s binding circle is taken down, but can be convinced to share one of her three secrets as a show of good faith if the players threaten to kill her otherwise. Morgantha's secrets are as follows: * Strahd’s most carefully guarded secret is a temple of forbidden lore hidden in the mountains. It is known as the Amber Temple, and it is the place where he first met the entity with which he forged his terrible pact. (Morgantha doesn’t know the temple’s location or the nature of Strahd’s pact.) * Strahd von Zarovich seeks to escape from the grasp of the Mists. He has prepared a dark and secret plot to do so, harnessing the power of three ancient shrines to defy the will of the Dark Powers that rule this land. (Morgantha doesn’t know the specifics of his plot or the nature of the shrines, but knows that one of the three shrines is located among the circle of standing stones located at the base of the windmill’s hill.) * Unbeknownst to Strahd, a traitor lurks in his midst: his eldest wife and **vampire spawn** Sasha Ivliskova. (Morgantha is wildly amused by this treachery, and has taken no action to warn Strahd of her conflicted loyalties.) Before the binding circle is lowered, the players can also demand that Morgantha lend them a heartstone with a successful DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check. If persuaded to do so, Morgantha commands Bella to produce her heartstone, which—after a loud and vehement dissent—Bella grimly offers to the players. If Morgantha’s request for parley is denied, the coven fights to the death. ## H7c. Escape From Old Bonegrinder If the hags knock the players unconscious, the players awaken 1d4 + 4 hours after their defeat in O4. Domed Attic (p. 128). They have been gagged and bound using ragged strips torn from bed sheets and dirty clothing, which have the statistics of *hempen rope*. The two strongest members of the party have been infected with cackle fever and poisoned with *pale tincture*, respectively. While the players’ legs are bound, they are **restrained.** While the players’ hands are bound, they move at half speed, have disadvantage on weapon attacks, and can’t use somatic components for spells. The players find that they are also surrounded and guarded by six **dretches**, which Morgantha has summoned from the barrel of ichor in O1. Ground Floor (p. 126). Their weapons, magic items, arcane or druidic focii, holy symbols, and armor have been confiscated and placed in the empty crate in O3. Bedroom (p. 127). ### Morgantha’s Interrogation As soon as the players awaken, Morgantha mounts the ladder to the attic and leers over them, still wearing her humanoid disguise. She chooses a player, seemingly at random (though making sure to choose the player infected with cackle fever), and removes their gag, though not their binds. Morgantha then pleasantly asks them to tell her who they are and why they have come to the windmill. ***Defying Morgantha.*** If the player proves obstinate or defiant, Morgantha releases her disguise and returns to her horrifying **night hag** form. She leans in close toward that player, baring her sharp, yellowed teeth, and whispers in their ear, “Children always fancy themselves heroes in their dreams. But dreams can so easily become nightmares—and nightmares are my bread and meat.” Morgantha then casts *bestow curse* on that player, cursing their Constitution saving throws and recasting the spell if it is initially unsuccessful. Once the player is cursed, Morgantha draws a single claw across that player’s cheek, making an ***unarmed strike*** against that player and choosing to deal 1 damage on a hit. (Assuming the player expended hit dice to recover hit points during a short rest while unconscious, this shouldn’t render that player unconscious.) Any damage taken forces that player to make a Constitution saving throw against the effects of cackle fever. Morgantha continues to make small scratches across the player’s flesh until the player succumbs to the effects of cackle fever, forcing all other humanoids in the attic to make DC 10 Constitution saving throws or be infected with cackle fever themselves. Morgantha then warmly informs the players that there are two children imprisoned in the bedroom below. Tonight, the hags will kill them and grind their bones into flour to make more dream pastries. When the players inevitably fall asleep, the hags will ensure that they suffer horrible nightmares and gain no rest from their sleep. In the morning, the players will be fed the dream pastries made from the children’s remains and provided an additional opportunity to answer Morgantha’s questions. Morgantha then wishes the players “sweet dreams” and exits the attic, leaving the players alone in the darkness guarded by the six **dretches**. See **Escaping the Windmill** below. ***Answering Morgantha.*** If the player instead confesses to plotting to kill Morgantha and steal her heartstone, she strokes the player’s cheek softly and says, “Such *brave* children you are.” She clicks her tongue, shakes her head sadly, and says, “And look where that gets you. If you wanted to borrow my heartstone, all you needed to do was ask.” Morgantha is willing to bargain with the players by freeing them and lending them the use of her heartstone. She asks the ungagged player which among them is qualified to speak for the rest of the group. Morgantha then re-gags the first player, ungags the chosen player, and sweetly invites that player to join her on the ground floor below for a more in-depth and civilized discussion. She offers to unbind that player’s legs (though not their hands) as a sign of good faith, but warns them that any attempts to escape shall cause their friends to suffer gruesome punishments. If the player agrees to Morgantha’s terms, she unties the bindings around their legs (though not their hands) and instructs them to descend the ladder and stairs to the ground floor. Bella and Offalia are waiting to meet the player in O3. Bedroom (p. 127), and roughly guide them down the stairs before sitting them down on the toad-filled trunk in O1. Ground Floor (p. 126). See **Morgantha's Request** below. ### Morgantha’s Request If a player agrees to bargain with Morgantha for her heartstone and the players' escape, Morgantha follows them into the ground floor kitchen. Upon entering the room, the player can immediately see that the fire in the oven has reduced to embers, casting a dim, crimson glow on a lumpy, man-shaped form wrapped in a burlap sack within. Quiet, pleading grunts occasionally escape the figure in the oven. (The figure is actually the remaining three **dretches** stacked upon one another’s shoulders, and have strict orders from Morgantha to remain in the oven and occasionally make panicked grunts.) Morgantha thanks the player for their willingness to bargain, and praises them for their friends’ clear faith in them. Morgantha is glad to lend the players her heartstone for a period of three days. However, because the players have broken her trust by attempting to murder her and her daughters, the players must first bargain for their freedom. To win their freedom, the chosen player must immediately perform a small task for Morgantha. (Once they’ve done so, Morgantha is glad to discuss the terms of any loan of her heartstone.) Additionally, as collateral to ensure that the players do not raise their hands against Morgantha or her daughters again, each of the players must willingly provide each of the three hags with a lock of hair, a nail clipping, or another part of their body. (Morgantha doesn’t reveal it to the players, but she plans to use these body parts to create a trio of protective amulets for the hags to wear. A hag wearing such an amulet is under the effects of a permanent *sanctuary* spell against any creature whose body parts are contained within the amulet.) ***The First Task.*** If the player asks about Morgantha’s “small task” or indicates an interest in accepting the deal, Morgantha stands beside the figure in the oven and gently strokes its “cheek.” “This is Franz,” she says sweetly. “Franz has been a very bad man.” She turns to the player and rolls a bundle of kindling in her left hand as she picks up a flickering candle with her right. “Franz needs someone to punish him for his bad decisions. Will you do that for him?” She extends the kindling toward the player and smiles cheerfully as, behind her, the figure in the oven begins grunting more loudly. To complete Morgantha’s task, the player must light the kindling on fire, place it in the oven, and pile the fire high with additional logs of wood, thereby burning “Franz” alive. As the oven grows hotter and the damp sack slowly catches fire, “Franz’s” grunts grow faster and more desperate, the figure wriggling until it finally falls still. The entire process takes a little less than five minutes once begun. If the player agrees to complete Morgantha’s task, Bella unties the binding around the player’s hands and directs them to begin. As the player works, Morgantha praises them, saying, “Everything becomes as it should. The hero, bringing justice to the villain.” Throughout the process, Bella and Offalia giggle and clap their hands, encouraging the player to work faster and faster. ***The Second Task.*** When "Franz" finally dies, Morgantha claps the player on the shoulder and says, "Well done. How did it feel, dearie, to bring justice to a man like that?" Regardless of the player's answer, Morgantha then provides the player with a pair of scissors and asks them to complete the second part of their deal: to willingly provide a lock of hair, nail clipping, or other small body part, and to convince their friends to do the same. If the players fulfill this part of the deal, Morgantha distributes the body parts among three glass vials, with each vial carrying a piece of each player’s contribution. A hag wearing such a vial is under the effects of a permanent *sanctuary* spell against any creature whose body parts are contained within it. Morgantha distributes the vials to herself and her daughters, and then directs Bella and Offalia to release the players and lead them down to the kitchen. > [!abstract]+ **A Twinge of Conscience** > > If the player refuses to complete Morgantha’s task, intentionally delays the process, or attempts to flee, the coven attacks. As the player falls into unconsciousness, Morgantha strokes their hair and whispers, "A pity. I'd thought of you as stronger stock. We'll have to try again tomorrow." The player later awakens back in the attic with the others. Proceed to **Escaping the Windmill** below. ***The Bargain.*** If the player completes Morgantha’s request and successfully delivers the body parts she needs to craft her protective amulets, she is willing to lend them her hearthstone for a period of three days in exchange for a promise to undertake a particular task. The players must deliver a **soul leech**—a Tiny **fiend** resembling a leech with ghost-white, translucent flesh and purple-blue veins, and which Morgantha has imprisoned in a corked glass vial—to the office of Strahd’s chamberlain, Rahadin. Upon arriving in Rahadin’s office, the players must uncork the vial and allow the leech to attach itself to the underside of his desk, where it will render itself invisible and virtually undetectable. The players can convince Morgantha to reveal her plans for the leech with a DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check: When Rahadin returns, the leech will secretly attach itself to his flesh, ensuring that—when Rahadin eventually dies—his evil soul will be ensnared and entrapped in Morgantha’s *soul bag,* where it will be transformed into a **soul larva** that Morgantha can use for nefarious purposes. Morgantha can tell the players that Rahadin’s office is located in the cellar of Castle Ravenloft, not far from the kitchens. However, Morgantha won’t share where she obtained her information. (Her source is, of course, the **mongrelfolk** Cyrus Belview, the unwitting bearer of the coven’s *hag eye.*) As a form of insurance to ensure the players’ compliance, Morgantha takes their dreams as collateral once they accept her offer, bottling them up in a glass vial that she wears on a cord around her neck. Morgantha warns the players that, if they fail to complete her task within fourteen days, fail to return the heartstone within three days, or betray her, she will immediately devour their dreams, preventing them from gaining the benefits of a long rest forever. (Morgantha can devour the players’ dreams as an action while the vial is in her possession.) If the players complete Morgantha's task within the allotted time, however, she will release their dreams and allow them to return to their owners. In either case, the players can take long rests normally until the fourteen days have elapsed. > [!info]+ **Curing Cackle Fever** > Players infected with cackle fever can use Morgantha's heartstone to cure their illness as described in Night Hag (Monster Manual, p. 178) ### Escaping the Windmill If Morgantha abandons the players in the windmill attic, they are approached shortly thereafter by Lady Wachter’s **imp**, Majesto, in his invisible **spider** form. Majesto whispers the following information to the players: * The creatures guarding the players are **dretches**—dull-witted, repulsive demons with an ability to exude a fetid cloud of disgusting green gas when disturbed, which will surely alert the hags if triggered. However, the only language they speak is Abyssal, and their sense of hearing is quite poor, allowing the players and Majesto to scheme without the dretches noticing. (Majesto, a devil, finds the dretches disgusting and unpleasantly uncivilized.) * Lady Wachter, her cultists, and (if he wasn’t captured) [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] are hidden in a grove a short ways away from the windmill. They’re glad to help the players escape if possible, though Lady Wachter isn’t confident in their ability to face the hags in open combat. * While he’s here, Majesto is glad to serve as a distraction or helping hand, whichever the players require. (Majesto is quite selfish, however, and will refuse any course of action that might lead to his death—despite Lady Wachter’s ability to resummon him—unless the players remind him of their mission to save Stella Wachter and succeed on a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) check.) Every twenty minutes, two of the six **dretches** guarding the players return to the barrel of ichor and dissolve, whereupon Morgantha knocks on the barrel, summoning them anew, and sends them back to guard the players. (This “recycling” process takes approximately five minutes each time.) Shortly after dusk, Morgantha vanishes from the windmill, entering the Ethereal Plane to torment Franz in the Barovian refugee camp. Bella and Offalia remain in **O3. Bedroom** to guard Myrtle and Fyodor, taunting them with tales of their imminent and terrible deaths to pass the time. Unlike their mother, Bella and Offalia are easily distracted. They can be lured to O2. Bone Mill (p. 127) or O4. Domed Attic (p. 127) with a successful DC 13 Charisma (Performance) check and any reasonably relevant means (e.g., a *minor illusion* spell). If rescued, Fyodor and Myrtle have no particular knowledge of Ireena or Ismark, and wish only to be returned to their father, Franz. If the players do not escape and rescue Myrtle and Fyodor by midnight, Morgantha returns soon thereafter and uses her lair actions to put the children to sleep. Bella and Offalia then slit the children’s throats, skin them, and grind their bones between the millstones in **O2. Bone Mill.** As they do, the vanes of the windmill turn, whipping through the chill night air of the hilltop as the hags perform their gruesome work. ### Finding a Cure As noted in **Cackle Fever** (*Dungeon Master’s Guide*, p. 257), the disease of cackle fever can be cured in one of two ways: * By making successful Constitution saving throws each night until the saving throw DC for the disease drops to 0. * By using magic capable of curing diseases, such as a paladin’s ***lay on hands*** or a **deva’s** ***healing touch.*** > [!info]+ **If the Players Escape** > > If Bella or Offalia find that the players and children have successfully escaped Old Bonegrinder, the two hags split up to search the woods around the windmill, desperate to avoid Morgantha’s wrath when she learns that her playthings have been lost. If attacked, however, Bella and Offalia immediately withdraw into the Ethereal Plane and return to the windmill to await their mother’s instructions. > > That night, and each night thereafter, the three hags scry the players’ current location, using hair clippings taken from one of the players while they were unconscious in the attic. > > Whenever the coven successfully scries the players’ location, the hags proceed to use their **_nightmare haunting_** features on three separate players. As they do, the hags whisper through the nightmares that the players can end their torment by returning Fyodor and Myrtle to the windmill. (If the players do so, the hags honor their word and cease haunting the party thereafter.) The players can identify these remedies, as well as the symptoms of cackle fever, with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check or by asking Lady Wachter for a diagnosis. Though the players cannot find healing magic capable of curing cackle fever in Vallaki, [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]], [[Non-Player Characters#Urwin Martikov|Urwin Martikov]], [[Non-Player Characters#Danika Dorakova|Danika Dorakova]], and [[Non-Player Characters#Father Lucian Petrovich|Father Lucian Petrovich]] can all inform them that the Abbot of the Abbey of Saint Markovia in Krezk is said to be a masterful healer—perhaps even capable of curing their disease by magical means. If the players choose to travel to Krezk, they will need to first gain passage through its gates. See [[Arc I - The Walls of Krezk]] for more information regarding the players’ journey to Krezk and the means by which they can gain entry into the village. # H8. The Ritual Once the players have obtained a *heartstone*, they will need a location at which to perform the *etherealness* and restoration rituals, which must take place on the night of the full moon. ![[Heartstone.png]] "Heartstone" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] informs the players that he will need access to a leyline—a font of natural magic—in order to fuel the *etherealness* ritual. If she is present, [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] informs the players that the cellar of Wachterhaus was built atop one such leyline, and offers its use for the ritual. Otherwise, Victor sheepishly informs the players that he has identified a leyline that runs through Vallaki—and that he believes it to lie somewhere beneath Wachterhaus. If present, Lady Wachter first disables the protective circle around Wachterhaus in order to allow creatures to pass through the boundary of the Ethereal Plane. She then leads the players and Victor to N4t. Cult Headquarters (p. 114), setting her **cult fanatics** to guard the cellar entrances. Otherwise, the players must gain access to the Wachterhaus cellar themselves, whereupon Victor leads them to **N4t. Cult Headquarters** to enact the ritual. The inside of the chamber is largely as described in **N4t. Cult Headquarters**. However, modify the descriptive text to read as follows: <div class="description"> Flickering candles in iron holders fill this room with light and shadows. This room has a ten-foot-high ceiling and a large black pentagram inscribed on the stone floor. At each point of the pentagram rests a wooden chair. Thousands of gouges and scratches line the stone walls around the circle, many stained with faded blood centuries old. The far wall of the chamber bears a three-foot tall carving of a dagger with a curved hilt, with the phrase In Silence, Death carved in twelve-inch letters immediately below it. As you take in the scratches along the walls and ceiling, you notice that most form a particular word, endlessly repeated in the ancient stonework: Traitor. </div> ![[Leo's Dagger.png]] "Leo's Dagger" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> Leo Dilisnya used his vampiric claws to carve these words and images into the stone. The phrase “In Silence, Death” is the motto of the Ba’al Verzi, the secret assassins’ guild to which Leo belonged. Lady Wachter can inform the players that, when she was a child, her parents warned her of a monster that dwelled in the cellar: a terrible creature of ancient hungers and hatreds that longed to be set free. When she inherited the estate following her family’s deaths and descended to the basement, however, Lady Wachter found the room to be empty, with no evidence of any creature but the scratches on the walls. Lady Wachter has been unable to remove the scratches and carvings, despite her best efforts. Though she has no great love for the chamber, she has confirmed that the carvings and stones conceal no magic or hostile creatures, and has found it to be a useful and indispensably secure location. ## H8a. The *Etherealness* Ritual This scene takes place in Chapter 5: Area N4t. If Lady Wachter is not with the players, [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] expresses surprise at the presence of the pentagram, noting with some awe that he could easily repurpose it for the purposes of the *etherealness* ritual. If [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] is with the players, she offers the pentagram for use in the ritual, which Victor gladly accepts. Victor then places the *heartstone* at the center of the pentagram and directs the players to stand just inside the edge of the pentagram circle. If Lady Wachter is with the players, she rolls up her sleeves and enters the circle with them. If challenged, she gives the players a cool, steely look and says, “Of course I’m coming to get my little girl.” > [!abstract]+ **Fiona's Absence** > If the players attempt the ritual without Lady Wachter's assistance, the *etherealness* ritual fails. However, the disturbance draws Lady Wachter to the scene, where she can inform the players—if told and persuaded of their mission—that Wachterhaus's protective circle must first be lowered in order to allow creatures to pass into and out of the Ethereal Plane. When the players are ready to begin, Victor retrieves his copy of *Ethereal Entities* from a pocket in his cloak, using his *mage hand* spell to hold it open before him. Read: <div class="description"> Victor stands just inside the edge of the runic circle, his head bowed as he reads aloud from the old tome that floats before him. Though his right hand shakes and trembles, his left is steady and precise as he draws delicate patterns through the musty air, leaving spiraling trails of pale white light in his finger's wake. He begins to chant under his breath—slowly, at first, then slowly rising in volume and speed. At the center of the circle, the hag's heartstone seems to hum with a subsonic energy that you feel rather than hear. Suddenly, you feel it—a deep shudder of the world beneath your feet, as if the stone floor had momentarily rippled like quicksilver. A thin, white light, mottled with black, inky shadow begins to shine forth from the cracks between the cobblestones, pulsing as if beating in time to a deep, distant heart. The heartstone trembles, then snaps to a perfect, unnatural angle, perfectly perpendicular to the ground below. Its obsidian sheen is replaced by a spectral luminescence that flickers in rhythm with the words of the ritual. Victor's voice grows louder, stronger, ringing clearly through the air as the world seems to quiet around him, the air bending closer as if to listen. The heartstone begins to lift into the air, its surface flashing with a brilliant pearlescence. Even as it does, however, mist roils at the corners of the room, inaudible whispers echoing from its wispy depths. The room begins to quake, the brightness beneath the stone floor flickering between shadow and light. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashes across the walls—a wispy, humanoid shape. It is tall, gaunt, and hooded, its limbs unnaturally long as it reaches its dark claws out toward the circle. Sweat beads across Victor's forehead and his voice quavers, nearly slipping. But he continues to read, his left hand a blur of motion and light as the ritual reaches a crescendoing peak. Victor's voice cuts through the air, uttering a final, triumphant syllable. The clawed shadow vanishes—just as the arcane power in the air surges. The next moment is not so much a step as a lurch, a sensation like being jerked forward by your navel. Your vision warps as if you've plunged underwater, and you can feel your form shifting and rising into the air, like drifting in a dream. And then—the disorientation ends, and the world settles back into place. The chamber around you remains, but now it seems ethereal, faded, and near-translucent. The air around you feels thinner, almost intangible, and clouds of silver-gray mist hang like veils in every direction. </div> The players have arrived in the Ethereal Plane. Neither Victor nor Lady Wachter know what the dark shadow was, though Victor can confirm that it appeared to be attempting to interfere with the ritual somehow. There’s no sign of it now, however. > [!info]+ **Welcome to the Ethereal Plane** > > While the players are in the Ethereal Plane, the following rules govern their vision and movement: > > - All solid objects in the Material Plane, such as furniture and walls, have a translucent, semi-intangible reflection in the Ethereal Plane. Moving the object in the Ethereal Plane moves the object in the Material Plane as well. > - Walls and other solid objects reflected in the Ethereal Plane provide light obscurement and half-cover to creatures behind them. A creature in the Ethereal Plane can move through those reflections as if they were difficult terrain, but take 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. > - A creature in the Ethereal Plane gains a fly (hover) speed equal to its normal speed. > > In addition, incorporeal creatures such as **ghosts** or **specters** become corporeal while in the Ethereal Plane, and lose any damage resistances to acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. (These creatures can still pass through the ghostly reflections of objects in the Ethereal Plane, like any other creature.) ## H8b. The Restoration Ritual After a few moments have passed, the players hear a teenaged girl's voice behind them, joyous and triumphant as it exclaims, "*Victor!*" The voice belongs to the **specter** of the sixteen-year-old Stella Wachter, who floats down to the players from ten feet above the ground. Stella appears largely as she does in life, though her body is translucent and her legs below the knees have begun to fade into mist. > [!profile]+ **Stella Wachter** > **Roleplaying Information.** > ***Resonance.*** Stella should inspire sympathy for her guilt over causing such anxiety and pain to her family and Victor; endearment for her chipper, optimistic attitude; and gratitude for her steadfast faith in the players. > > ***Emotions.*** Stella most often feels curious, excited, apprehensive, thoughtful, cheerful, or determined. > > ***Motivations.*** Stella wants to help Victor master his magic and help her family escape Barovia. > > ***Inspirations.*** When playing Stella, channel Rapunzel (*Tangled*), Ariel (*The Little Mermaid*), and Anna (*Frozen*). > > **Character Information** > ***Persona.*** To the world, Stella is a polite, quiet, and docile—if fidgety—young noblewoman. To her family and friends, Stella is a bright and inquisitive mind with a fierce optimism and an unwavering dedication to those she cares about. > > ***Morale.*** In a fight, Stella would plead for peace, then attempt to flee. > > ***Relationships.*** Stella is Lady Fiona Wachter's daughter and youngest child, the best (and only) friend of Victor Vallakovich, and a friend of the ghost Erasmus van Richten. The following sequence then unfolds, unless the players intervene: * Stella attempts to throw her arms around [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] for a hug—but fails, her arms passing through his body. “Oh,” Stella says, sadly. Victor’s eyes widen, and he begins rummaging through his cloak. “You're losing your tangibility faster than I thought,” he says. “We need to get you back to your body as quickly as possible.” He retrieves a piece of chalk and begins drawing a modified teleportation circle on the ground. * If she is present, [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] approaches Stella as well. “Mother?” Stella says, uncertainly. “Is that really you?” Lady Wachter nods, her face pale, but as hard as stone. “We’re going to get you out of here, Stella. I promise it.” * While Victor continues his preparations, Stella’s spirit floats over to the players. She thanks them for all of their help, and for supporting Victor in a difficult time. “He gets so determined sometimes,” she says quietly, watching him work. “I was so scared that he would hurt himself in his efforts to help me. Thank you for being there for him.” ### The Ghost of Erasmus van Richten Just as [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] is completing his modified teleportation circle, the ghost of Erasmus van Richten (using the statistics of a **poltergeist** without its ***invisibility*** feature) appears to the players. Read: <div class="description"> A soft, boyish laugher echoes through the ethereal fog. A faint, spectral light flickers into being beyond the gray mists, coalescing into a slender, humanoid shadow. </div> If one of the players moves to attack, Erasmus shouts, “Wait! I don’t mean to hurt you!” In either case, continue to read the following: <div class="description"> The spectral silhouette grows in brightness and definition until it assumes a more solidified shape: the ethereal form of a ghostly young man. He appears to be no more than fourteen, his form shimmering with a warm, inviting light that seems to soften the gray monotone of his surroundings. He wears short pants, a loose shirt, and a vest, though his body becomes wisps of curling fog not far below his knees. His eyes glitter with mirth, and an elfin smile plays across his face as his unkempt hair drifts lazily amidst the gloom. When he speaks, his voice is cheery and light, and his fingers twitch with excitement. “Stella! You brought your friends!” </div> Erasmus greets the players and Victor warmly, and Stella introduces him using his full name as he stands beside her. Victor greets Erasmus somewhat stiffly, and a DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check reveals that he is slightly jealous of the younger ghost. (Though Victor has no romantic interest in Stella, he has had few friends throughout his life, and fears losing his only friend to the cheerier, sunnier Erasmus.) Erasmus can share the following information, either at the players’ request or of his own volition: * Erasmus has been helping Stella navigate and remain hidden within the Ethereal Plane since shortly after she arrived. She’s proven a quick study, though Erasmus is wary of her slow disappearance into the Deep Ethereal, and agrees that the players need to get her out of the Ethereal Plane and back to her body sooner than later. * The lost spirits of the Ethereal Plane are more active than usual, and seem to have realized that something important is happening. Most of these spirits have lost much of their minds and memories, so the players will need to be wary of them. * Erasmus wasn’t the shadow that the players saw during the *etherealness* ritual, nor does he know what cast it. However, it matches the description of the **gallows speaker** that attacked Stella when she first arrived in the Ethereal Plane. If asked, Erasmus can confirm that his father is Dr. Rudolph van Richten, whom he followed into Barovia to watch and protect. (Erasmus is, however, understandably uncomfortable reminiscing upon the full story of his death. If asked how he came to be a ghost, his smile turns sad, and he briskly attempts to change the subject.) Erasmus can also teach the players how to move in the Ethereal Plane. (See **Welcome to the Ethereal Plane** above.) When the conversation with Erasmus concludes, Victor directs Stella to stand in the center of the circle. As he takes up a position beside her, Victor informs the players that, once it begins, the ritual will take 10 minutes to complete. During that time, Erasmus adds, the circle’s magic will blaze like a beacon, attracting wayward spirits that might seek to take Stella’s place and return to life by inhabiting her soulless body. As such, Erasmus asks the players and (if present) Lady Wachter to aid him in guarding Stella’s soul until the ritual is complete. ### The Wayward Souls One minute after Victor begins reading the ritual’s incantation from his spellbook, five **specters** appear from the clouds of mist that surround the players in the Ethereal Plane. (While in the Ethereal Plane, these specters have no damage resistances and lose their ***incorporeal movement*** feature). The specters drift through the air toward Stella, reaching out to seize her as they whisper the following phrases in haunted, rasping tones: * “The scent of life. It smells so sweet . . .” * “The veil flickers. It’s so close . . .” * “Please. Please. *Please* . . .” Victor’s panicked eyes flash toward the players, and Stella draws in toward herself, fear evident upon her face. Erasmus and [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] (if present) attack the specters as soon as they draw within 15 feet of Stella’s spirit, urging the players to join them. > [!combat]- **Balancing the Specters** > Due to the specters fleeing, this is a **mild** combat encounters against a party of five 5th-level players, a CR 1 ally (Majesto), and two CR 2 allies (Erasmus van Richten, Fiona Wachter), and will consume approximately 5% of their total maximum hit points. For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce the number of specters to four. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce the number of specters to four. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase the number of specters to six. ***Lady Wachter.*** Lady Wachter still has the statistics of a **priest**. However, she has a different list of prepared spells: * Cantrips (at will): _light, toll the dead, thaumaturgy_ * 1st level (4 slots): _command, sanctuary, bane_ * 2nd level (3 slots): _blindness/deafness, zone of truth, hold person_ * 3rd level (2 slots): _animate dead, spirit guardians_* In battle, Lady Wachter also gains the following reaction: * ***Sentinel of the Veil.*** As a reaction when another creature she can see within 30 feet suffers a critical hit, Lady Wachter can turn that hit into a normal hit. ### The Ghost of Leo Dilisnya At the end of the first round of combat with the specters, any surviving specters flee. The ghost of Leo Dilisnya—in the form of a **gallows speaker** (*Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft*, p. 234) appears a few moments thereafter. Read: <div class="description"> A chill wind rushes in, carrying with it an unmistakable pallor of death and despair. A low, rattling breath rumbles through the air, and, mere feet before you, a figure begins to coalesce in the air above, its form writhing and shifting from the ethereal mist. It is a being of bone and tattered robes, its face a skull that betrays neither emotion nor mercy. Dark, vacant eye sockets stare out into nothingness, its skeletal, claw-tipped hands flexing as it glides silently through the air—the same clawed hands, you realize, as the dark shadow that appeared as you entered the Ethereal Plane. As it moves, its long, flowing cloak billows around it, revealing humanoid visages woven into the fabric itself. Each face in this tapestry bears an ever-shifting expression of pain, sorrow, fear, regret, anger, or despair, their dark mouths whispering a mournful, maddening cacophony. From the clouds of mist bob five wispy balls of light, flickering with soft golden glows as they flank the cloaked figure two to a side, with the final wisp hovering above the figure’s head. Faint and distant whispers ride on a cold and hungry wind beside them, belying the evident warmth promised by their small, lamp-light forms. Between them, the ghostly figure's skeletal jaw opens, its hollow eye sockets a dark, unending void. When it speaks, its hateful voice reverberates through the Ethereal Plane, the sound cutting through the mists like the grinding of bone against bone. "I am Leo Dilisnya," the figure rasps. "And we have come for the blood that is owed." One of its skeletal hands tightens its grasp around a lump upon its chest—an old, leather-bound tome, its cover a deep, crimson red inset with platinum filigree. The figure then reaches out another skeletal hand—a single clawed finger pointing directly at Stella Wachter. </div> ![[Gallows Speaker.png]] "Gallows Speaker" by Caleb Cleveland. Support him on <a href="https://patreon.com/calebisdrawing/">Patreon!</a> The **gallows speaker** is an agglomeration of Leo Dilisnya’s spirit with the spirits of the dozens of castle guards that Strahd slaughtered on the day of Sergei’s wedding. The book held to its chest is the *Tome of Strahd*, which Leo stole from Wachterhaus after killing Lady Wachter's parents during their seance. > [!lore]+ **What Happened to the Tome?** > One hundred years ago, Strahd used his Tome as a repository for his secret plans involving the Grand Conjunction and the Fanes of Barovia. When he began his hibernation amidst the crypts of Ravenloft, he did his best to hide his Tome away, safe from prying eyes. Nonetheless, it was found—by the **wereraven** Livius, who was searching for the legendary _Sigil of the Sun_ (later renamed the _Holy Symbol of Ravenkind_) while Lugdana and Ismark Antonovich kept the guardians of the castle occupied. > > When the trio escaped the castle, Livius shared with them the Tome, wondering aloud which of Strahd’s secrets it might hold. Because they could not open its magical lock, however, Lugdana took the Tome to a bookbinder in Vallaki with a reputation for puzzle-solving and lockpicking, hoping that he might be able to open it instead. > > Lugdana, however, was betrayed. The bookbinder’s apprentice—a scion of House Wachter—overheard their conversation and made plans to steal the Tome instead. The apprentice hid the Tome away in the bookbinder’s desk, then returned that night to steal it. The Tome remained locked away in Wachterhaus until the gallows speaker stole it on the night the Wachters died. (Because her parents died while she was still a teenager, Lady Fiona Wachter never learned of the Tome’s true origins.) The gallows speaker shares freely that it intends to kill Stella’s spirit, followed by Lady Wachter. Once it has done so, it intends to cross over into the Material Plane, where it will kill Lady Wachter’s sons, Nikolai and Karl. If the players obstruct the gallows speaker, it attempts to persuade them to stand aside, providing the following information in support of its argument: * In life, it was Leo Dilisnya, a guard of Castle Ravenloft. When Strahd killed his brother, Sergei, and pursued Sergei’s bride, Tatyana, through the castle gardens, it was Leo who gave the order for the guards to kill Strahd to defend Tatyana and avenge Sergei’s death. * When Strahd became a vampire, he slaughtered his castle guards in a bloody and gruesome massacre. Lady Lovina Wachter née Dilisnya, Leo’s sister and a faithful devotee of Strahd von Zarovich, directed her bodyguards to assist Strahd in the bloodshed. * Leo himself barely escaped, and hid himself away in the deserted Abbey of Saint Markovia on a spur of Mount Baratok. However, Strahd and Lovina eventually found him—and when they did, they turned him into a **vampire spawn** and sealed him in a lightless stone vault beneath Wachterhaus. * They left him there to starve for four hundred years, slowly growing mad as the bloodthirst destroyed his mind and his hatred sharpened and burned. (“Do you have *any* idea what that’s like?” the gallows speaker snarls, the faces within its cloak moaning with a chorus of mournful wails. “*Feeling* your sanity slip away, year by year, as the hunger within you twists and grows, never to be sated?”) * More than thirty years ago, Leo finally died, his spirit arising as a **ghost** that reunited with the tormented spirits of the castle guards, forming a **gallows speaker.** As he lurked unseen among Wachterhaus, he came to learn that he had been granted the release of death on the same night that Fiona Wachter—then a teenager—had fled her family estate, destroying an enchanted ruby gemstone that Strahd had given Lovina’s family as security should Leo ever escape. * Not long after his death, Leo killed the Wachters that remained at Wachterhaus, but was unable to finish the job when Fiona Wachter sealed him out. Now, however, Leo seeks to “rip out the poisoned Wachter family tree, root and branch,” and finally “see justice done.” A player who makes a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check discerns that the gallows speaker’s words are a half-truth at best. If challenged, it reveals the truth: * In life, Leo was an assassin of the Ba’al Verzi who betrayed his order’s vows when he sought to kill Strahd in vengeance for the death of his brother, Reinhold, who Strahd knowingly sent to die to win a battle against the Order of the Silver Dragon. * On the morning of Sergei’s wedding, Leo climbed to the window of Strahd’s royal chambers, carrying with him a cursed Ba’al Verzi dagger that prevented its victims from being resurrected. * When Lovina Wachter’s bodyguards engaged the castle guards to defend Strahd, it was Leo who gave the order to have the Wachters themselves killed, furious that his sister had elected to “betray” him and Reinhold’s memory. If the players ask about the tome clutched to its chest, the gallows speaker shares that it is a ledger of the hubris and crimes of the Wachters' lord, and a reminder of the hatred that kindled the speaker's strength. It cannot be persuaded to surrender the *Tome*, even temporarily. ### Fighting the Gallows Speaker If the players refuse to allow the gallows speaker to kill the Wachters, it vows to tear them apart while Stella and Lady Wachter watch. It then attacks with its **Speaker of the Gallows** form. Lady Wachter leaps to the players’ aid, snarling with defiance. > [!info]+ **How Long Does Leo Speak?** > Unless the players immediately attack it, assume the conversation with the gallows speaker takes more than one minute, but fewer than ten minutes (e.g., for the purposes of determining spell duration). ***Erasmus van Richten.*** In battle, Erasmus fights by hurling furniture at the gallows speaker from range through the use of his ***telekinetic thrust*** feature. ***Lady Fiona Wachter.*** [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] begins by casting *spirit guardians* (radiant damage), which takes the form of thirteen swirling fog-like entities that attack with misty tendrils. On subsequent turns, she casts *blindness/deafness* or uses her ***divine eminence*** feature as she pursues the gallows speaker with her mace. ***The Gallows Speaker.*** Throughout the fight, the gallows speaker taunts Lady Wachter, rhapsodizing at length about the agonies that it will visit upon her and her family. However, it never attacks either Lady Wachter, Stella, or Victor, preferring to focus its attention upon the players who have defied it. In its first phase, the **Speaker of the Gallows**, the gallows speaker never retreats, nor does it reposition except to pursue a target. In its second phase, the **Ba'al Verzi Avenger**, the gallows speaker becomes mobile, attempting to grapple the toughest-looking target with its **grasp of the grave*** feature and dragging them into the upper floors of the house, while using its **wail of the forsaken*** whenever it recharges and its ***Ba'al Verzi daggers*** to attack from range. When reduced to 0 hit points in its second phase, the gallows speaker taunts the players with its dying breath, rasping: “When I failed to kill him, Zarovich took my cursed blade from me. Perhaps I shall still have my satisfaction when he uses it to *carve your hearts from your chests!*” It then lurches forward, skeletal claws grasping for Stella’s throat—and dissipates into mist, the maddened whispers of the many spirits within his cloak fading into silence. When the gallows speaker dies, the *Tome of Strahd* drops to the ground below. See [[#H9. The Tome of Strahd]] for more information about the *Tome* and its contents. <div class="statblock"> <h2>Speaker of the Gallows</h2> Medium undead, neutral evil <hr> Armor Class 13 Hit Points 157 (35d8) Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover) <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>8 (-1)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>12 (+1)</td> <td>18 (+4)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +5, Cha +8 Skills Perception +5 Damage Immunities necrotic, poison Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages Abyssal, Common Challenge CR 11 Proficiency Bonus. +4 <hr> Legendary Resistance (1/day). If the gallows speaker fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Divination Senses. The gallows speaker can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane and vice versa. Wrath of the Traitor. If the gallows speaker is reduced to 0 hit points, the golden wisps around it wink out, revealing five daggers with wavy blades and lacquered hilts colored red, black, and gold. All of the gallows speaker's current effects end, and its statistics are instantly replaced by those of the Ba’al Verzi Avenger. Its initiative remains the same. Excess damage doesn't carry over to its new form, but it retains any conditions it had in its previous form. <h3>Actions</h3> Multiattack. The gallows speaker makes two attacks. Foretelling Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 15 (2d10 + 4) psychic damage, and the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled from the next attack roll or saving throw it makes before the start of the gallows speaker's next turn. Will-o'-Wisp. Ranged Spell Attack: +8 to hit, range 30 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (3d8) necrotic damage. Deathly Visions. The gallows speaker forces a creature that it can see within 30 feet to make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw, flooding its mind with terrifying images of its own violent death. On a failure, that creature is paralyzed until the start of the gallows speaker’s next turn. <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Lash of Souls. Ethereal chains lash out around the gallows speaker, forcing up to two creatures that the gallows speaker can see within 5 feet to succeed on a DC 16 Strength saving throw or take 9 (2d8) necrotic damage and be restrained until the start of the gallows speaker’s next turn. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and isn’t restrained. Wisplight Flare. The gallows speaker directs one of its wisps to a point it can see within 30 feet, where it flares with golden light. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 14 (4d6) radiant damage and be blinded until the start of the gallows speaker's next turn. A creature that succeeds on the saving throw takes half damage and isn't blinded. <h3>Reactions</h3> The gallows speaker can take up to three reactions per round, though no more than one per turn. If it would lose its reactions and isn't incapacitated, it loses one reaction instead. Death's Revelation. In response to taking damage from a creature within range, the gallows speaker attacks that creature with its foretelling touch or will-o'-wisp. Ghostly Step. In response to taking damage, the gallows speaker teleports up to 15 feet away. It can then immediately force each creature within 5 feet of its new location to make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. Each creature that fails the saving throw is frightened until the end of that creature's next turn. </div> <div class="statblock"> <h2>Ba’al Verzi Avenger</h2> Medium undead, neutral evil <hr> Armor Class 13 Hit Points 157 (35d8) Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover) <hr> <table class="ability-table"> <thead> <tr> <th>STR</th> <th>DEX</th> <th>CON</th> <th>INT</th> <th>WIS</th> <th>CHA</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>8 (-1)</td> <td>16 (+3)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>10 (+0)</td> <td>12 (+1)</td> <td>18 (+4)</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <hr> Saving Throws Dex +7, Wis +5, Cha +8 Skills Perception +5 Damage Immunities necrotic, poison Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, stunned Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 15 Languages Abyssal, Common Challenge CR 11 Proficiency Bonus +4 <hr> Legendary Resistance (1/day). If the gallows speaker fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead. Divination Senses. The gallows speaker can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane and vice versa. Incorporeal Movement. The gallows speaker can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. <h3>Actions</h3> Multiattack. The gallows speaker makes two attacks. Ba'al Verzi Dagger. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 30 feet, one creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage and the target must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) necrotic damage and becoming cursed until the start of the gallows speaker’s next turn on a failure. On a success, the target takes half the necrotic damage and isn't cursed. While cursed in this way, a creature moves at half speed and can't regain hit points, and the gallows speaker has advantage on attack rolls made against it. Leo doesn't gain disadvantage on an attack roll made with this attack due to being within 5 feet of a hostile creature. Grasp of the Grave. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 18 (4d8) necrotic damage and the target is grappled until the gallows speaker loses its concentration (as if concentrating on a spell) or until the target uses its action to break free (escape DC 16). (Dragging this target doesn't cause the gallows speaker to move more slowly.) The gallows speaker can then immediately move up to half its speed without triggering opportunity attacks. Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained and takes an additional 9 (2d8) necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns, and the gallows speaker can't use grasp of the grave on another target. <h3>Bonus Actions</h3> Shrieking Souls. A shroud of moaning spirits surrounds each creature within 5 feet of the gallows speaker. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 9 (2d8) necrotic damage and be dazed until the start of the gallows speaker’s next turn. (A dazed creature can move or take one action on its turn, not both. It also can’t take a bonus action or a reaction.) Wail of the Forsaken (Recharge 5-6). The spirits within the gallows speaker’s cloak let out a maddened, burbling cry. Each creature within 60 feet must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the start of the gallows speaker’s next turn. <h3>Reactions</h3> The avenger can take up to three reactions per round, though no more than one per turn. If it would lose its reactions and isn't incapacitated, it loses one reaction instead. Ghastly Foresight. In response to being targeted by an attack or a spell that requires a saving throw, the gallows speaker imposes disadvantage on the attack roll or grants itself advantage on the saving throw. After the roll is made, the gallows speaker can immediately move up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks. Traitor's Noose. In response to being targeted by a melee attack, the gallows speaker manifests a spectral noose that hangs loosely around the attacker's neck, forcing them to make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the attacker is filled with a brief and blinding rage toward another creature of the gallows speaker’s choice, and must instead immediately use its reaction, if available, to move up its speed toward that creature and make the same melee attack against that creature instead. The noose then disappears. Haunting Echoes. In response to taking damage from a creature, the gallows speaker forces that creature to make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, that creature takes 10 (4d4) psychic damage and has disadvantage on the next attack roll or ability check it makes before the start of its next turn. </div> > [!combat]- **Balancing the Gallows Speaker** > Due to the phase mechanic, this is a series of two consecutive **bloody** combat encounters against a party of five 5th-level players and two CR 2 allies (Erasmus van Richten and Lady Fiona Wachter), which will each consume approximately 42% of the party's total maximum hit points (for a total of 84% of their maximum hit points). For parties of smaller or larger sizes, modify the encounter as follows: > > * ***Three Players.*** Reduce Leo’s hit points to 92 in each phase. For his first phase, reduce his foretelling touch attack to to 11 (2d8+2) damage, his will-o’-wisp attack to 10 (3d6) damage, his lash of souls bonus action to 7 (2d6) damage, and his wisplight flare bonus action to 10 (4d4) damage. For his second phase, reduce his Ba’al Verzi dagger attack to 5 (1d6+2) piercing and 10 (4d4) necrotic damage, his grasp of the grave attack to 14 (4d6) initial damage and 7 (2d6) continual damage, his shrieking souls bonus action to 7 (2d6) damage, and his haunting echoes to 7 (3d4) damage. > * ***Four Players.*** Reduce Leo’s hit points to 109 in each phase. For his first phase, reduce his foretelling touch attack to to 13 (2d8+4) damage, his will-o’-wisp attack to 11 (2d10) damage, his lash of souls bonus action to 7 (2d6) damage, and his wisplight flare bonus action to 12 (5d4) damage. For his second phase, reduce his Ba’al Verzi dagger attack to 6 (1d4+4) piercing and 12 (5d4) necrotic damage, his grasp of the grave attack to 15 (6d4) initial damage and 7 (3d4) continual damage, his shrieking souls bonus action to 7 (2d6) damage, and his haunting echoes reaction to 9 (2d8) damage. > * ***Six Players.*** Increase Leo’s hit points to 143 in each phase. For his first phase, increase his foretelling touch attack to to 17 (2d12+4) damage, his will-o’-wisp attack to 15 (6d4) damage, and his wisplight flare bonus action to 16 (3d10) damage. For his second phase, increase his Ba’al Verzi dagger attack to 8 (1d8+4) piercing and 16 (3d10) necrotic damage, his grasp of the grave attack to 20 (8d4) initial damage and 10 (4d4) continual damage, his shrieking souls bonus action to 10 (4d4) damage, and his haunting echoes to 11 (2d10) damage. ### Return to the Material Plane As the teleportation ritual draws to a close, ethereal beads of light emerge around Stella’s ghostly form, clinging to her dress and hair and flickering like fireflies. The following sequence then unfolds unless the players intervene: * Erasmus drifts toward the edge of the teleportation circle. “Are you ready?” he asks quietly. Stella nods shyly, replying, “I think so. A bit afraid.” * Erasmus smiles sadly. “Don’t be,” he says. “Victor and your friends will take good care of you. And even if you can’t see or hear me, I’ll never be far away.” * Stella hiccups, tears glittering at the corners of her eyes. “Thank you,” she says, reaching out a hand. “For everything.” Erasmus swallows, and reaches out toward her hand in turn. “Stella,” he says, beaming through tears. “It was my honor.” For a brief instant, their fingers touch—and then the beads of light around Stella burst into radiant brilliance. She vanishes, leaving Erasmus touching nothing more than empty air. After a moment, Erasmus wipes his eyes on his spectral sleeve and turns to bid the players farewell. If the players attempt to comfort him, he insists that he is fine. “I’m happy for her,” he says softly. “She’s getting a second chance. Not everyone gets that.” If she is present, [[Non-Player Characters#Lady Fiona Wachter|Lady Wachter]] affixes Erasmus with a long, unreadable look, before her gaze abruptly softens, a flicker of warmth in her eyes. Lady Wachter then hovers a hand over Erasmus’s shoulder and says, “Thank you for protecting my daughter. House Wachter owes you an unforgettable debt. Should you ever be in the presence of Wachterhaus, know that you will always be welcome there.” Erasmus smiles and thanks her. [[Non-Player Characters#Victor Vallakovich|Victor]] then asks the players if they are ready to depart for the Material Plane. Before they leave, however, Erasmus offers them the following warnings: * Strange giant spiders pass in and out of the Ethereal Plane amidst the ruins of the town to the southwest of Vallaki. If the players ever travel there, they should be careful. (Victor recognizes these as **phase spiders**, described further in *Ethereal Entities.*) * Strahd von Zarovich occasionally visits the Ethereal Plane astride a demonic horse with a charcoal-black coat and a burning, fiery mane. (Victor recognizes this as a **nightmare**, described further in *Ethereal Entities.*) When the players have bid their farewells, Victor turns to Erasmus and gives him a grateful, knowing nod, which Erasmus returns. Victor then speaks a single syllable, and the Ethereal Plane vanishes in a flare of white light. The players then find themselves returned to the cult headquarters beneath Wachterhaus. Victor immediately moves for the exit to the cellar, frantically calling Stella’s name as he climbs toward N4r. Cellar Entrance. (p. 114) and passes through N4d. Storage Room (p. 112) and N4c. Kitchen (p. 112). If the players follow, they can observe as Victor and Stella meet each other at the foot of N4b. Staircase (p. 110). Victor throws his arms around Stella and the two kneel to the floor, sobbing with joy. The following sequence then unfolds, assuming the players do not intervene: * “I’m so sorry,” Victor sobs, holding Stella tight. “I was so afraid I’d lost you, and it was all my fault.” * Stella cries into Victor’s shoulder, hiccuping repeatedly as she clutches his sleeves. “It wasn’t your fault,” she says. “You *saved* me.” * If present, Lady Wachter steps forward, obviously hesitant and unsure. Stella looks up toward her, releases her grip on Victor, and launches herself into her mother’s embrace. Lady Wachter stiffens, then relaxes, lifting an uncertain hand to gently stroke Stella’s hair. Stella swallows, her whole body trembling as she burrows her face into her mother’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she sobs. “It was my fault—please, don’t blame Victor.” Lady Wachter holds Stella tight. “Hush,” she murmurs. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.” * When Lady Wachter finally releases her, Stella steps forward toward the players—and stumbles, her foot nearly falling out from under her. Victor and Lady Wachter swiftly move to catch her. “You’ve been out of your body for too long,” Victor cautions her. “You need to get used to having legs again.” * Stella nods, then looks around at the players, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you,” she says. “It was so quiet in there—so *cold.* But because of you, I can *feel* again. I can hear the world again. Thank you—from the bottom of my heart, *thank you.*” In gratitude for the players’ efforts, Lady Wachter grants them a *lantern of revealing*, as well as a standing invitation to seek her aid or counsel whenever they find themselves in Vallaki, so long as their efforts do not risk harm to the town or its people. ***Milestone.*** Restoring Stella’s soul to her body completes a story milestone. If the players successfully rescue her from the Ethereal Plane, award each player 1,750 XP. > [!item]+ **Spirit Mirror** > > *Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)* > > In addition to its current plane, this ornate bronze mirror also reflects the corresponding location in the Ethereal Plane out to a distance of 60 feet. > > Once per day while attuned, you can use an action to cause it to either shrink to the size of a hand mirror or grow to the size of a full-length mirror. > [!abstract]+ **Van Richten & the Spirit Mirror** > Dr. Rudolph van Richten's curse prevents him from perceiving his son, Erasmus, in the *spirit mirror*. See [[Arc S - The Moonlit Murders]] for more information about lifting Van Richten's curse. # H9. The Tome of Strahd The *Tome of Strahd* is kept closed by a locked steel clasp enchanted with an *arcane lock* spell cast at 5th level. The pass phrase to suppress it is "I come in Dostron's memory." (Only Strahd and his eldest bride, Sasha Ivliskova, know this pass phrase. See [[Arc O - Dinner with the Devil]] for more information about Sasha Ivliskova.) The _arcane lock_ can also be suppressed as normal with a _knock_ spell, a _dispel magic_ spell, or similar magic (e.g., the *antimagic field* surrounding Chapter 11. Van Richten's Tower (p. 167)). The clasp ordinarily takes a successful DC 15 Strength check to break, but requires a successful DC 25 Strength check instead while under the effects of the spell. Similarly, the lock itself ordinarily requires a DC 15 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check to open, but requires a successful DC 25 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check instead while under the effects of the spell. An attempt to pick the lock takes 1 minute to complete. ## H9a. Reading the Tome Once successfully opened, the contents of the *Tome* now read as follows: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/i4euxw/plaything_of_darkness_a_philosophy_students_take/">6</a> <div class="description">I am the Ancient. I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the warrior, I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down my soul as the wind wears stone into sand. All goodness slipped from my life. I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My army settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god's grace or justice. I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones, and brought them here to settle in the castle Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful. I hated him for both. From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others: a rare beauty, who was called 'perfection,' 'joy,' and 'treasure.' Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine. But 'Old One' was my name to her—'elder' and 'brother' also. Her heart went to Sergei. They were betrothed. The date was set. With words she called me "brother," but when I looked into her eyes they reflected another name: "death." It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it, but I had squandered mine. And so I came to hate death—my death. But I would not be called "death" so soon. I made a pact with Death. On the day of the wedding, I killed Sergei, my brother, and sealed my pact with his blood. I found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me, and I pursued. Finally, in despair, she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever. It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found, and not even I know her final fate. Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead, forever. I have studied much since then. 'Vampyr' is my new name. I still lust for life and youth, and I curse the living that took them from me. Even the sun is against me, but little else can harm me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that cursed sword that Sergei brought! I must dispose of that awful tool! I fear and hate it as much as the sun. I have learned much, too, about this land of Barovia. Ancient are its ways, ancient beyond the knowledge of the simple folk of the valley. Ancient gods dwelt in this valley long before my coming, and three hidden fanes still give tribute to their memories. I visited the Swamp Fane, the Forest Fane, and the Mountain Fane, and claimed their power for my own. Their servants now serve me, and thus I have become the Land. Since my passage into eternity, I have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, though she fled from me once again. But she cannot run forever—and I have nothing but time. I write this now to crystallize my rage in the face of time's bitter winds. As the chill of the grave grips my heart, I feel all that I was leave me—the death of the man, and the birth of the immortal. Yet this memory shall persevere, a scion of that righteous fury. I shall bury the past, and so begin anew. I now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle of despair. I have abandoned the riches of my conquests beneath the toll of the belfry, sealed behind a reminder of the treasure I once lost. Yet one day, I shall rise again from the ashes of my glory and reclaim what is rightfully mine.</div> The pages following the legible text are filled with diagrams, equations, and thousands of strange symbols. The symbols are not written language, but a cipher devised by Strahd to conceal his secret plans. (Only the **lich** Exethanter knows the key to decode Strahd's cipher. See [[Arc T - The Amber Temple]] for more information about Exethanter.) Several diagrams appear to depict a large, crystalline human heart, while others depict circles of standing stones. Players who read through these sections find numerous annotations referencing (in Common) an individual named Exethanter. Multiple instances of Exethanter’s name are accompanied by the symbol of the Amber Temple: a thick-bordered equilateral triangle containing an inverted equilateral triangle, which in turn contain a vertical wavy line. (The triangle represents the god of secrets, the inverted triangle the amber sarcophagi, and the wavy line the vestiges sealed within.) > [!abstract]+ **The Symbol** > > The symbol of the Amber Temple can be identified by the dusk elf Kasimir Velikov (who has seen it in his dreams), by the revenant Sir Godfrey Gwilym (who once guarded the Temple), or by Victor Vallakovich (who has seen the symbol in his spellbook). Of these three, only Kasimir and Godfrey know what the Amber Temple is and where it can be found, and only Kasimir—once the players complete [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor]]—is willing to tell them how to get there. # Design Notes: The Lost Soul The original module presents a number of interesting ideas and set pieces—the hag coven at Old Bonegrinder, the dream pastry addicts, Victor Vallakovich's teleportation circle, Stella Wachter's strange illness, and the betrayal of Leo Dilisnya—but ultimately fails to do anything interesting or meaningful with them. In the original module, the players have few to no hooks that lead them to take an interest in any of these elements, and those that *do* present any hooks (e.g., Morgantha's appearance in the village of Barovia) provide little narrative depth to actually explore. As such, this arc aims to comprehensively rework these stray narrative elements into a more cohesive whole that still remains true to the intent and flavor of the original module. * Victor Vallakovich, who most *Curse of Strahd* playgroups inevitably befriend despite his ostensibly Evil alignment, has been altered to be a far more sympathetic character. * Stella Wachter, whose illness inevitably confounds and amuses *Curse of Strahd* players, has been altered to provide a direct tie-in to the hags of Old Bonegrinder and the ghosts of the Ethereal Plane. (Ghosts in particular are an aspect of gothic horror that is sorely undeveloped in the original module.) * The players now have a true opportunity to witness and intervene in the suffering wrought by night hags upon their victims, and to destroy their corruption once and for all. * Finally, the players now have a chance to learn about the dark history of Leo Dilisnya, enhancing the themes developed in the *Tome of Strahd*, foreshadowing Strahd's use of Leo's Ba'al Verzi dagger to seal the leeches corrupting the Fanes of Barovia, and providing emotional closure to Lady Wachter's character arc as it pertains to her deceased parents and brother. This arc also serves to cement Lady Wachter's alliance with the players, strengthening the themes of resonance and unity that run throughout the adventure and providing a clear narrative progression to their relationship in [[Arc G - Lady Wachter's Wish.]] ***Erasmus's Plea.*** Erasmus's visitation has been added to provide a backup hook to this arc if the players miss or decline it elsewhere. Erasmus's presence in this portion of the adventure also serves to provide the players with exposition regarding the **gallows speaker** hunting Stella's soul, and to continue developing the tragedy of the Van Richten family that began in [[Arc F - The Missing Vistana.]] ***Burgomaster's Mansion.*** The *spirit mirror* has been added as a means of explaining Victor's communication with Stella, and as an eventual reward for the players upon restoring Stella's soul. The **gallows speaker**'s attack on Stella has been added to explicitly introduce Leo Dilisnya as an antagonist for this arc (even if his identity is currently unknown to the players). Stella's fading tether has been added to provide a clear countdown for this arc's dramatic question, with her fading memories and strange visions serving to foreshadow the existence of reincarnation in Barovia (a key narrative element in Ireena's character arc, explored further in [[Arc X - Tatyana's Legacy]]). Victor's teleportation circle is now a functional one to (1) make clear to the players that magical escape from Barovia is not possible, and (2) to ensure that the players view Victor as a competent mage, rather than an incompetent one. The *etherealness* ritual has been added to provide the players with a reason to investigate the **night hags** of Old Bonegrinder. The night of the full moon has been intentionally placed on the night of the players' sixth full day in Barovia in order to provide the players with sufficient time to complete other quests in Act II (and therefore reach 5th level) before doing battle with hags of Old Bonegrinder and the **gallows speaker** of Leo Dilisnya—two exceptionally powerful foes. ***The Refugee Camp.*** Franz and his children have been added to provide the players with an emotional reason to dislike the night hag coven, to confirm that Morgantha is a night hag, to provide an additional complication in the players' efforts to defeat or bargain with the coven, to add additional stakes to the coven's defeat, and to provide the players with a means of identifying the location of the coven's contract (and therefore learn the hags' true names in order to bind them). ***Matrons of Malevolence.*** The excerpted chapter on night hags in Mordenkainen's book, *Ethereal Entities: Denizens of the Unseen Plane* has been written to inform the players that (1) night hags are vulnerable to silver and resistant to magic and nonmagical weapon damage, (2) night hags are particularly cunning, yet arrogant creatures, (3) night hags are willing to make bargains and can be trusted to uphold their end of a deal, (4) night hags can instantly and easily escape into the Ethereal Plane through the use of their heartstones, (5) night hags can cast *dispel magic* once per day when in a coven, and (6) a night hag coven's contract contains their true names, and they therefore guard it carefully. ***Victor's Plan.*** Victor has been given the *sending* spell in place of the *remove curse* spell in order to preserve the dramatic tension of the curse of lycanthropy (and thereby encourage afflicted players to seek out wolfsbane in Krezk in order to secure Van Richten's calming elixir, as described in [[Arc E - The Missing Vistana]]). This guide intentionally has Victor give the players a choice between killing and bargaining with the hags. The binding circle has been added to provide the players with the means of killing the coven (rather than allowing them to escape into the Ethereal Plane once threatened). ***Stella's Discovery.*** The blueprint of the windmill has been added to provide the players with the ability to locate the coven's contract and therefore learn the hags' true names for the binding ritual. The binding circle around Wachterhaus has been added to foreshadow the threat of Leo Dilisnya's spirit, and to clearly signal to the players that Lady Wachter is a powerful ally in their effort to save Stella's soul. The leyline beneath Wachterhaus has been placed there to ensure that the players carry out the *etherealness* ritual within Leo Dilisnya's former prison—Lady Wachter's cult headquarters—which is otherwise a foreboding and uncomfortable location. ***Wachterhaus's Protective Circle.*** Leo's assassination attempt has been added to provide Strahd with an inciting incident that spurred the latter to take note of his own mortality, thereby driving him to accept the Dark Powers' pact on the day of Sergei's wedding. Leo's imprisonment beneath Wachterhaus—an artifact of older editions of *Ravenloft*—and his subsequent haunting of the estate have been added in order to convey the depths of Strahd's cruelty, to create a clear antagonist opposing Stella's rescue, and to create an inciting incident that drove Lady Wachter to depart Baba Lysaga's tutelage and return to Vallaki. Lady Wachter's rejection of Frederich Wachter's request for aid serves to create a "loose end" in her history, providing her with a need for emotional closure and a guilt-fueled need for vengeance against Leo Dilisnya's spirit. ***Wachterhaus.*** Lady Wachter's doubt regarding Stella's fate is one of two narrative elements added to ensure that the protective barrier around Wachterhaus is dropped before the finale, therefore allowing the spirit of Leo Dilisnya to attack the players during the arc's climax. (The other narrative element is the leyline beneath Wachterhaus, which requires the barrier to be lowered in order for Stella to participate in the ritual to restore her soul.) Lady Wachter's reliance upon the members of her cult for the binding ritual has been added to introduce the cult to the players, and to discourage the players from attempting any such binding rituals on their own in the future (e.g., in an effort to incapacitate Strahd or his **nightmare**, Beucephalus). ***The Old Svalich Road.*** The **druid** random encounter has been added to introduce the Forest Folk faction prior to their official presence in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]], and to further foreshadow Lady Wachter's relationships with Baba Lysaga and Leo Dilisnya. ***Bargain With the Hags.*** This brief alternative path is offered for parties that may wish to use a diplomatic solution instead of a hostile one, notwithstanding the hags' predation of Franz and his children. The soul leech has been added to provide the players with an additional impetus to raid Castle Ravenloft in [[Arc P - Ravenloft Heist]] and to foster a closer interest in Rahadin, Strahd's chamberlain. This guide intentionally foregoes alternative bargains that the hags might seek to make, such as directing the players to sell dream pastries or kidnap children for them. These alternative bargains fail for multiple reasons: 1. There is no satisfying narrative end to such a "corruption" arc short of killing the hags themselves (the very outcome that the players were trying to avoid), 2. The hags have no way of enforcing such a bargain, 3. While such moral dilemmas may make for great media, few players are willing (let alone eager) to play a child-trafficking/drug-dealing TTRPG, and 4. The players are undertaking such tasks under duress (i.e., to save Stella), and are therefore not truly "choosing" to fall into corruption to the hags' satisfaction. ***The Megaliths.*** The Mountain Fane has been placed by Old Bonegrinder due to its proximity to the eastern Balinok Mountains (which form a clustered mountain range around Castle Ravenloft) and to Madam Eva's current residence at Tser Pool (which provides the players with an easy means of obtaining the third enchanted winery gemstone from her tent in order to restore the Mountain Fane in [[Arc Y - Ladies of the Fanes]].) The vampiric mists have been added to discourage the players from lingering in this area, to create an additional barrier to the leech's demiplane, and to hint to the players that this site is not all that it seems. The onyx stone that conceals the leech's demiplane has been added to prevent the players from restoring the Fane until after they obtain Leo Dilisnya's cursed dagger in [[Arc U - The Amber Temple.]] ***Old Bonegrinder.*** The coven's ***dispel magic*** lair action (and Victor's *counterspell* response) have been added to ensure that the players fight the hags from close range, rather than spamming *fireball* spells from a long distance. The true name requirement of Lady Wachter's binding ritual has been added to provide the players with an additional task to complete before the coven can be defeated, thereby requiring the players to "earn" the right to use Lady Wachter's spellcasting expertise (and thereby preserving player agency). The coven's contract has been added to provide the players with a feasible means of acquiring the hags' true names. The *charm of mass heroism* has been added to provide the players with an additional boost in a difficult, saving throw-heavy boss fight. Freek has been renamed to Fyodor remove the negative connotations associated with the name "Freek." Morgantha's use of the *Laughter* and *Mother's Milk* potions (which also exist in the original module) has been added to prevent the players from easily escaping their bonds or fighting their way free should they TPK to the coven. The *cackle fever* disease also intensifies the weight of the party's TPK, ensuring that the players do not soon forget the consequences of failure should they escape. The coven's separate **night hag** statblocks have been replaced with a single, unified two-phase coven statblock to remove the risk of a "death spiral"—either for the players (due to the hags' *lightning bolt* spam) or for the hags (because a single **night hag** is trivially easy to kill with focus-fire, thereby destroying the coven). The coven's spell list has been replaced to minimize the "swinginess" of save-or-suck spells and to ensure that the players' health is being slowly whittled down with every attack, ensuring that the players feel constantly threatened. The coven has also been given multiple additional viable damage-dealing options in order to ensure that the hags have an actual means of bringing the encounter to a close once they've succesfully debuffed the players or otherwise manipulated the battlefield. The coven's **Nightmare Three** phase has been added to build upon the Rules-As-Written coven's *polymorph* spell, raising the stakes and enhancing the hags' monstrous natures in the climax of the encounter. The coven's statblock, like other solo boss statblocks in this guide, has been revised to include additional bonus actions and reactions in order to promote a dynamic and tactical combat experience for the Dungeon Master and players. Most abilities have been modified to ensure a balanced, winnable, yet challenging encounter for the players. Morgantha's parley has been added to provide the players with a final dilemma: to spare the hags and allow them to continue their evil ways, or to accept Morgantha's information and gain a potential advantage over Strahd. (Morgantha's secrets have been carefully chosen to make the players *feel* that they have gained powerful, secret information, but to ensure that the players cannot take any meaningful action on the basis of that information until later on in the campaign.) ***Escape From Old Bonegrinder.*** Morgantha's demands have been added to provide the players with a feasible way of bargaining for their freedom in a manner that retains the weight of the party's TPK. "Franz's" sacrifice has been added to ask the players to cross their moral boundaries (and therefore promote intra-party character development) in a way that intentionally foregos any real stakes (therefore allowing players to learn and grow from their sins rather than feeling beholden to them). The hags' threat to kill the children and feed them to the players in the morning as dream pastries has been added to create a clear "ticking clock" that incentivizes the players to promptly escape. ***The Ritual.*** The carvings on the walls of the cult headquarters have been added to foreshadow Leo Dilisnya's imprisonment, and to introduce the image of the Ba'al Verzi dagger to the players prior to its recoery in [[Arc U - The Amber Temple]] and its use in[[Arc Y - Ladies of the Fanes.]] The ghost of Erasmus van Richten has been added to this encounter to provide additional support in the players' battle against the **gallows speaker** (a powerful foe), to connect this storyline to Dr. Rudolph van Richten's involvement in [[Arc E - The Missing Vistana]], and to advance the players' connection with the tragedy of the Van Richten family. The attack by the **specters** has been added to partially deplete the players' resources prior to the battle with the **gallows speaker**, to indicate the risk to Stella's soul should the players fail, and to make the gallows speaker more impressive when it subsequently appears. Leo Dilisnya's "argument" persuading the players to stand aside is intended to reveal the history of the Wachter and Dilisnya clans to the players, revealing significant portions of Lady Wachter's history, setting clear stakes for the ensuing combat, and indicating the depths of Strahd's tyranny and cruelty. (This conversation also reveals the nature of the daggers of the Ba'al Verzi, which the players will later encounter in [[Arc U - The Amber Temple]].) ***Return to the Material Plane.*** Erasmus's warnings regarding the **phase spiders** of Berez and Strahd's **nightmare** steed have been added to provide the players with an additional reward upon completing this arc.