The party is a close knit bunch of adventurers and friends.
| Barth | Slowpoke | Loki | Lupus | Oscar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vladimir “Tepes” Basarab | Janosh Aurelion | Jodariel Akuma | Aculeus Floreo | Dungeon master |
Welcome to Barovia, where there’s darkness, mist and gloom.
Vallaki, where everyone seems happy on the surface. When caught not being happy one can be sent to the camp to be turned. The baron holds weekly festivals to ‘Keep out the devil’, even saying the name Strahd is taboo.
There is a new bakery selling strangely addicting goods, Sold by the boy Ludwig. He gets them from Morgantha, meeting her at the sunset gate.
| People | Main Locations |
|---|---|
| Martikovs | Bluewater Inn |
| Riktavio | Bluewater Inn and around the city |
| Father Lucien | The church |
| Miśa the cat | The church |
| Mistress Claudia Balasco | The Orphanage |
| The children and Milivaj | The Orphanage |
| The baron and Izek | The mansion |
| Toymaker Blinksi | Blinskis workshop |
| Fiona Wachter | Seemingly abandoned building |
| Ludwig | Town square |
| Blinski and Piccalo | Toy shop |
| Rauli the blacksmith | Smithy |
Festivals
Buildings
Church of the Morning lord. Lead by Father Lucien. the bones of St Andral were buried here, which Milivaj stole and sold.
| Father Lucien | |
|---|---|
| Father Lucien is the man leading the church of St Andral, devout follower of the morning lord and generous person. He funds the Orphanage next door and keeps in god’s good graces. |
The bones of St Andral have kept the church safe from harm, free from fiends and undead. This all changed when the gravedigger Milivaj Needed money to feed the children in the orphanage.
He sold it to someone wealthy, leaving it in a bush in front of a dilapidated house, later finding 350 gp where it was.
Current suspects are the Wachter’s.
A large runestone dons the wall as you enter the church. It reads in common:
The Story of St Andral.
Andral Karsten was the morninglord priest of New Valekia, the wealthiest and most populous town in the valley. He was a most holy man who believed the church of the Morninglord should use its resources to care for the poor rather than hoard its wealth. Unfortunately, the exposed position of New Valekia meant the town was easy prey for the hordes of beastmen who used to plunder the valley. Father Andral was therefore a tentative ally of the Von Zarovich family, who pledged to drive the beastmen away. Andral was wary of Barov von Zarovich’s ambitions though, especially after he proclaimed himself king on no authority other than his own. He could never quite articulate his suspicions of Strahd, but they ran even deeper. However, even Father Andral had to concede that Strahd was a tactical genius whose martial abilities far exceeded his father’s. With Strahd commanding the armies of the valley, Father Andral began to hope that his people might one day be free.
But after Strahd drove the beastmen out of the eastern valley, they fell hard on New Valekia, occupying the town and using it as their last stronghold. Father Andral led the townsfolk in passive resistance against them, for which he was taken captive. The beastmen tortured him for seven days and seven nights, commanding him to renounce his faith, but he never wavered. On the dawn of the eighth day, Strahd’s armies arrived outside New Valekia and purged the beastmen, but the aid came too late: Andral was dead. After his martyrdom, the people of New Valekia began to venerate Father Andral, he ascended to saintdom and became celestial. With his ascension he came to consecrate his surroundings all of which he touched, protecting this church from the forces of evil to this very day.
A book which Lucien gave the party reads
Sister Markova never trusted the Von Zaroviches. She didn’t like the way they claimed everything in the valley as theirs—even her fellow nun at the Abbey of Krezk, Sister Tasha Petrovna, whom King Barov Von Zarovich conscripted as his family healer. King Barov’s personal priest, Ciril Romulich, was a greedy and venal man who couldn’t cast a cantrip to save his own life, and Barov brought his army to the gates of the abbey and demanded the monks hand over Sister Tasha after word of her healing touch spread. Fortunately, he did not know that Sister Markovia had a similar gift.
She pleaded with anyone who would listen, the Krezkovs, the Basarab-Idostrovnas, Father Andral –not to support him. But she was safe behind the walls of the abbey, and the people of New Valekia and Krezk were not, and soon they all turned to King Barov and his son Strahd to drive out the beastmen.
Sister Markovia watched from her abbey as Strahd first liberated the valley, then consolidated his power, then turned on his allies.
When word reached Krezk that Strahd had risen from his grave and become undead, Sister Markovia, who by this time had become head of the abbey, knew she could wait no longer. She declared open revolt against Strahd, and the faithful of Krezk rallied to her. Strahd responded by sending a pack of his new spawn to slay her and raze the abbey. Much to his surprise, she repelled them with holy magic and righteous fury. She then led a march on Ravenloft, gathering more followers along the way. Even the people of Barovia, the Order of Silver Dragon and the ancestral homelands of the Von Zaroviches joined her army. She very nearly ended Strahd’s reign almost as soon as it began.
No one knows exactly what happened in Castle Ravenloft, but she was never seen again. The few stragglers from her army limped back to the abbey with the terrible word. The brothers and sisters knew they could not stand against Strahd, but they canonized Markovia and renamed the abbey in her honor, a quiet act of resistance against their undying tyrant. Then they closed the doors and settled in for the long siege. The act of honoring St Markovia’s heroism might have made her acencion to celestial saintdom, if she even acended at all. Markovia’s acencion is a mystery still debated to this day.
Brother Dago Avanovich
Scribe of the Abbey
The inn and tavern held by the Martikov Family. A two stort building with a tavern on the first floor and sleeping quarters on the second.A family of ravens can be seen perched on one roof, where they nest and are taken care of.
| Riktavio | |
|---|---|
| Half-elf Carnivalmaster from a faraway land. Knows more than he tries to let on. Follows the party around sometimes. Bought toys from Blinski to spread them around to those in need. |
A shipment of alcohol is late from the Martikov winery. This has almost never happened before, follow the road to the winery and retrieve the shipment.
Across the Road from the church of St. Andral lies a house of noticeable size, Its purpose being a home for those children who do not have one, Funded partly by donations from people, partly from the church and Father Lucien.
Dozens of different children, Who all seem happy, if not a bit annoyed at the Mistress For making them work all the time.
The children saved form the night hags were brought here to live.
Notable children
* Freek
* Mirtle
* Connor
* Tessa
| Claudia Balanco | |
|---|---|
| The headmistress of the Saint Andral Orphanage. With a hard not going to back down attitude but kind as she helps the children brought to her orphanage. |
| Milivaj | |
|---|---|
| Gravedigger and young adult. Cares deeply for the children of the orphanage and will do what he must to protect them. Millivaj grew up in the Orphanage and has been working as a gravedigger for a long time now. | |
| As the going got tough for the children and they lacked food. Milivaj took it on himself to provide, learning of the bones of St Andral were hidden in the Church under a statue. He took it and shortly thereafter received a letter, from someone with poor handwriting. He was to leave the bones in a bush on the Zarovitch road (near the dilapidated house). The night after was a sack with 350gp. Clearly sold to someone wealthy and knowing of the goings on. | Bones |
| Tessa | |
|---|---|
| A handmaiden working for Mistress Balasco, dependable worker and carer for the smaller children. Got the guards to get the 4 strange people after the events with the shadow demon, understandable though. |
| timeline | image |
|---|---|
| A child was possessed by a shadow demon after coming into contact with a demonic locket. The demon murdered his parents, being now the sole owner of the body and keeping it from decaying while he’s inhabiting it. He was taken to the orphanage, where he was uneventfully for a while. Until he pushed Cedrik out of the window, killing him. After boarding the window up Milivaj buried the kid, and through a set of events was marked by the demon, slowly getting weaker and succumbing to this necrotic illness. The Shadow Demon was looking for a stronger host to possess. Though unlucky for it, The demonic locket was found and inspected by Father Lucien and Mistress Balasco. One day came The party and slew the shadow demon, shattering the locket and its ties to both Millivaj and the world. |
A two story building with drapes covering all of the windows. Fancy and befitting that of the Baron, Art lines the walls of the second floor hallway, strangely nostalgic to Aculeus. On the first floor there is a guest room, taken care of by the wife of the baron, it is very neat pink and pretty.
“All will be well!”
| Vargas Vallakovich | |
|---|---|
| The Burgomaster and self-proclaimed Baron of Vallaki (New Valekia). Seems to be suffering from some sort of Bipolar disorder, where he switches from extremely cheery to serious. His room is packed wall to wall and ceiling to ceiling in books | |
| He fears Strahd and believes keeping a jovial appearance keeps the devil away and banishes him from Vallaki. | View on Strahd |
| Izek Stratzni | |
|---|---|
| Captain of the guard with a fiendish arm. And adopted son of Vargas the Burgomaster. Mean attitude and not the most liked. |
Orders dolls, ever in creasing in detail with an uncanny resemblance to Ireena.
Overgrown with vines and seemingly abandoned. The Wacther house is filled with secrets and neat on the inside.
The baron ostracizes everyone associated with the house.
| Fiona Wacther | Ernst Larnak |
|---|---|
| Lady Wachter is a noble woman getting on in the years. She is disliked by the baron but dislikes him in turn. Currently the main suspect in bone posession | Servant of the Wachter household and Fiona Wachter in particular. Ernst is a diligent servant (maybe more) and does most of the busywork of the household. Actus polite and seems to work in her mistress’ best interest |
Mr Blinski. Monkey(Piccolo)- gifted by Riktavio. Pretty depressing toys, one magical.
Black pearls from the Salenka pass. Brought by hunters.
Aculeus bought a wind up raven
| Mr Blinski | |
|---|---|
| Current owner and toymaker of the Blinski toy company. Is accompanied by a monkey called Piccolo. Seems good hearted and afraid of Izek |
Toys
Aculeus bought a wind up raven
A small rundown town along the Old Svalich road.
| Ireena Kolyanovich | |
|---|---|
| Red hair eyes and youthful appearance.21 years old and the Adopted daughter of Kolyan Indirovich. Strahd has taken intrest in her as have many others. Izek seems obsessed, ordering dolls from Blinski that look like her. Though they never seem to have met. | |
| Many times has Strahd Sought her out and bit her neck. He wishes to get Ireena as one of his many wives. Ireena dislikes him and is afraid of him. | Strahd |
| long ago there was a girl with scarlet hair, a long lost lover of Strahd, that appears to reincarnate again and again over the years. | Curse of Strahd |
| Ismark Kolyanovich | |
|---|---|
| Brown hair and eyes. Ismark is the son of the previous burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich. He is capable in combat but now infected with the curse of lycanthropy. Good heart but shy. Bit aloof and a playboy, he quite enjoys partying. | |
| Ismark is the son of Barovia’s burgomaster Kolyan Inrovich. He has lived most of his life in his father’s shadow, leading the villagers of Barovia to refer to him as “Ismark the Lesser”. His young life has been spent in training in the hopes of freeing his people from their ruler, the devil Strahd. Ismark is concerned for his adopted sister, Ireena Kolyana. For the past few weeks the undead have attacked the burgomaster’s house on an almost nightly basis. The constant stress of these assaults led to Ismark’s father’s death some three days ago, and Ismark is now seeking the aid of anyone who would stand with him against Strahd. | background |
Hail thee of might and valor,
I, the Burgomaster of Barovia, send you honor - with despair. My adopted daughter, the fair Ireena Kolyana, has been these past nights bitten by a vampyr. For over four hundred years, this creature has drained the life blood of my people. Now my dear Ireena languishes and dies from an unholy wound caused by this vile beast. He has become too powerful to conquer. So I say to you, give us up for dead and encircle this land with the symbols of good. Let holy men call upon their power that the devil may be contained within the walls of weeping Barovia. Leave our sorrows to our graves, and save the world from this evil fate of ours. There is much wealth entrapped in this community. Return for your reward after we are all departed for a better life.
Kolyan Indirovich Burgomaster
| Rose and Thorn | |
|---|---|
| The older kids of the durst family, may they rest in peace |
My most pathetic servant,
I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.
You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a bastard son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.
Your dread lord and master,
Strahd von Zarovich
I don’t know how much longer I can hold on with this. Why My Lord was I able to be persuaded into duing these dastardly deeds. The priest i Village Barovia is preaching that you have left our land My Morning Lord. I like my fellow barovians are waiting out for your Messiah. Don’t abandon me because of this operation, My Lord. Let The Shepard come soon.
My Beloved Children,
I wish I could do what all fathers do and tell you that monsters aren’t real. But it wouldn’t be true.
Life can create things of exquisite beauty. But it can also twist them into hideous beings. Selfish. Violent. Grotesque. Monstrous. It hurts me to say that your mother has turned into one such monster, inside and out. And I’m afraid the disease that afflicted her mind has taken hold of me as well.
It sickens me to think what we’ve put you through. There is no excuse. I only ask of you, though I know I do not have the right to do so, to try and forgive us. I despise what your mother has become, but I love and pity her all the same.
Rose, I wish I could see you blossom into a strong, beautiful woman. Thorne, Walter, I wish I could be there for you. But I can’t. This is the only way.
Goodbye.
The vistani are a group of traveling story tellers and merchants. The only people who have been granted the abiliy to freely enter and leave Barovia.
As the saying goes “Everyone is welcome at vistani fires.”
Madam Eva
Charone and Dina
Elf Kasimir Fletcher, wants to speak to party.
Arrigal and Luvash
The leaders of the camp
described as having a wicked heart
Said to be aligned to Strahd
| Fortune from Madam Eva | The Mists |
|---|---|
| This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. A Vistani wanders this land alone, searching for her mentor. She does not stay in one place for long. Seek her out in the mists. |
| Esmeralda D’Avenir | |
|---|---|
| Student of Van Richten. A vistani orphan, who went to learn with the Famous Van Richten, she now looks for her master to get his help. |
The ancient vampire ruler of all of Barovia.
Count Strahd has found a way to tie himself to the land, on a very base level. Replacing The wildmother’s fanes almost complately, with corrupting bloody trees.
Welcome to Barovia. Please accept this gift of arrival.
Best of regard
-Count Strahd von Zarovich
| Rahadin | |
|---|---|
| The Elf followed by the screams of his victims. Strahd’s right hand man. Could be the broken elf mentioned in The broken one fortune |
| Anastrasya Karelova | |
|---|---|
| One of Strahd’s wives, leads the lycan pack though commanding Keril. Vampire who once charmed and chomped on Vlad |
Sister Tasha Petrovna was conscripted a long time ago to be the healer of the Zarovitch family. Kept correspondence with Mrs Durst, gave her advice.
My Dear Mrs Petrovna,
Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home is very good advice indeed. Tonight’s ceremony will proceed as planned when the moon is at its highest peak - without, of course, the attendance of Mr. Durst. I must agree with you that, yes, with such an innocent sacrifice our proceedings may have better results. Although, “innocent” is not quite the term I would use.
My Thanks,
Mrs Elisabeth Durst
Long long ago, they used to be followers of the Wildmother. A family of Wine makers and were-ravens, merchants and innkeepers. They keep their nature secret and head down, acting as knowledge keepers and snoopers.
The Martikovs, owners of the Bluewater inn in Vallaki
| Muriel Martikov | Urwin Martikov | Danika Martikov |
|---|---|---|
| Daughter of Urwin Martikov. A cheerful maiden garbed in black. She has eyes and ears everywhere in Vallaki and has a curious habit of becoming a Raven. | Owner of the Bluewater inn. Takes care of the Ravens who live there. Knows the family secret of how they maintain the plants for winemaking, the fane gems. He had a *falling out with Adrian after loosing a gem**. | Wife of Urwin Martikov, works in the Inn. |
A two story building, winery, made by the Martikovs. On the barrels is burnt “Wizard of wines”
Second floor has a painting of Davian with his kids, including A blond haired girl that turned out to be Umbra, mother of aculeus.
| Davian Martikov | Adrian Martikov |
|---|---|
| Eldest Martikov, Father of Adrian, Urwin, stepfather to Umbra floreo and by extention Aculeus. Was tortured by the beast people. | Son of Davian, Brother of Urwin Martikov. Married to Elvira Martikov. Great with a bow and arrow, dedicated family man. Slightly suspicious of Aculeus and his magic. |
Lycans in the forests around and west of lake Zarovitch. They worship Mother Night also known as Levia’tel. Lead by the pack leader Keryl They follow the orders of Anastrasya and by extension Strahd.
Skenis The Lycan captured by the party and who bit Ismark Dislikes all of the above, feels Keryl is bringing the pack down along with him.
Recently Diez (“diets”) an ex follower of strahd has joined the following.
| Melora The Wildmother | |
|---|---|
| The Wildmother Melora is the maternal diety of nature and the wilds. The Wildmother is shown as a beautiful woman with green skin nearly swallowed by a wild, tangled wreath of hair, leaves, and vines that dwarf her lithe form. Her chosen avatars, the Dryads and the Eladrin, take on this form in her grace. |
The realm of The Wildmother Melora extends to wherever the seas shift and the land grows wild. As the keeper of the wilderness, Melora represents the wild creatures of nature, the rush of the angry rapids, and the heat-heavy stillness of the desert. Druids and Elves worship her, as do hunters, accepting her guidance to exist harmoniously within savage lands.
Shrines to The Wildmother are known as Fanes of the Land, and has a special connection with the lands around them. The Fanes stand immortalized through wooden reliefs and carved stone idols found in overgrown groves and by rural shrines.
The stone monuments marking a fane of the wildmother her true form revealed in a dream
| Forest Fane of the Wildmother | |
|---|---|
| Blue eyes like the midday sky with skin as green as the fauna that surrounds her, Long hair dotted by the occasional flowers like lilies on a patch of bright spring grass. This is what a fane of the Wildmother looks like. A maiden fairer than one can bare laying their eyes on. |
Hidden in the swamp of Berez there lie a fane.
South of the winery, there lies the stones of a Fane. Overgrown by a Bleeding tree the pin that connects him to the land.
Descendants of druids who worshiped the land as the Wildmother, they now have grown bestial and serve Strahd as the land.
The ones south of the winery are lead by the Matron.
Sister of Umbra Floreo, Old blood flows in her veins, she follows Strahd and shares aculeus’ powers.
The swamp of Berez lies south of Vallaki. The witch in the woods. Waldhexe Berez is an old swamp, filled with forests, beastfolk and a witch of the forest, Waldhexe. Recently, the night hags have taken up residence in the swamp.
Though hags are sylvan by nature, these ones appear to be corrupted in some fiendish way.
The two hags Morgantha and Ofilia worked in the windmill, making pies… out of children… Then they decided to kidnap Gertruda to turn her into a hag. they got someway done when the party arrived, killed Ofilia, saved Gertruda and almost killed Morgantha. She got away and later kidnapped Gertruda in the night by using magic to go etherial. Lately she has been meeting in the Vallaki western gate, with Lawrence making him sell the pastries.
The hags are now in the swamps of berez, the ruins of Berez, Morgantha has taken two girls, including gertruda to make them part of the coven.
| Gertruda | |
|---|---|
| Young girl stolen by the hags, to be turned into one. She has a scar in the shape of an upside down bowl with a dot on her forehead. She has a good heart and is afraid of what is happening to her. She was brave in getting the little ones out of the tower. She has a mother in the town of Barovia and a dog to help us find her. |
| Granny Morgantha | |
|---|---|
| Evil bitch. Meets Ludwig at the sunset gate. |
One year ago, There was a wizard that travelled Barovia. He gathered troops and lead a rebellion against Strahd. Though he failed. Finding him would prove a useful ally in the fight against the undead tyrant. Madame Eva has told us to seek him out. Sightings of a man shooting lightning from his fingers are heard north of lake Zarovich.
Legendary hunter of beasts. He was blessed with long life by a litch. He studied the arts of hunting, creating potions, medicine and writing his research down. Erazmus, his child was killed by him after being turned into an undead.
In Van Richten’s study was his burnt diary, only a few pages ledgible.
For more than three decades now, I have undertaken to investigate and expose creatures of darkness to the purifying light of truth and knowledge. “Hero” I am named in some circles; “sage” and “master hunter” I am called in others. That I have survived countless supernatural assaults is seen as a marvel among my peers; my name is spoken with fear and loathing among my foes.
In truth, this “virtuous” calling began as an obsessive effort to destroy a vampire that murdered my child, and it has become for me a tedious and bleak career. Even as my life of hunting monsters began, I felt the weight of time on my weary shoulders. Today I am a man who has simply lived too long. Like a regretful lich. I find myself inexorably bound to an existence I sought out of madness and, seemingly, must now endure for all eternity. Of course I shall die, but weather I shall ever rest in my grave haunts my idle thoughts, and torments me in my dreams.
I expect that those who think me a hero will change their minds when they know the whole truth about my life as a hunter of the supernatural. Nevertheless, I must reveal, here and now, that I have been the indirect yet certain cause of many deaths and the loss of many good friends. Mistake me not! I do not merely feel sorry for myself. Rather, I come to grips with a devastating realization: I see now that I am the object of a baleful Vistani curse. More tragically, the nature of this hex is such that I have not borne the brunt of it; instead, far worse, those who surround me have fallen victim to it!
I have related the tragic story of how my only child Erasmus was taken by Vistani and sold to a vampire. I explained how Erasmus was made a minion of the night stalker, and how it was my miserable part to free him from that fate at the point of a stake, What have i neglected to illuminate before is how i tracked Erasmus’s kidnappers across the land, or how I “extracted” Erasmus’s whereabouts from them. In fact, the Vistani that took Erasmus with my own, unwitting permission. They had brought an extremely ill member of their tribe to me one evening.
and insisted that I treat him, but I was unable to save the young man’s life. In fear of their retribution. I begged the Vistani to take anything of mine if only they would withhold their terrifying powers, of which I knew nothing. To my lasting astonishment, they chose to surreptitiously take my son in echchaange for their loss! By the time I realized what had occurred They were already an hour gone.
Incensed beyond reason, I strapped the body of the dead young man to my horse and doggedly followed the Vistany caravan through the woods, naively allowing the sun to set before me without seeking shelter from the night. Shortly after darkness fell, I was beset by undead that would have slain me, had not their master, a litch, intervened and spared my life, for reasons I do not completely understand. He somehow detected me and with his powerful magic, took control of a pack of zombies that wondered in the forest. He spoke to me throufh the mouths of the dead things and placed a magic ward against undead on me, then animated the dead things and placed a magic warf against undead on me, then animated the dead Vistana and bade it to tell me where I could find its people. Unfortunately (i say in hindsight), the plan worked. I found the child-stealeres, and ny unwelcome entourage included a growinf horde of voracious undead that could not touch me, thanks to the lich’s ward.
When I found the caravan, I threataned ro set the zombies on the Vistani unless returned my dear boy. They replied that he had been sold to the vampire, Baron Metus. Something inside me snapped. I released the zombies, and the entire tribe was eaten alive.
Yet the story has not ended. Before she died, the leader cursed ne, saying. “Live you always among monsters, and see everyone you love die beneath theur claws!” Even now, so many years later, I found my dear Erasmus made into a vampire. He begged me to end his curse, which I did with a heavy heart. The darkness had torn him from my loving arms forever, and I foolishly believed that the curse had exacted its deadly toll. I wept until an insatiate desire for vengane filled the bottomless rift in my heart.
Town to the northwest of Barovia. With religious history and the origin of both St Markovia and Sister Petronova
Square pillared castle, one tower gleaming with yellow or gold, a symbol of the morning lord.
The Holyplace of Krezk, holysite devoted to The Morning Lord.
A holyfied lake.
Aculeus has started to trust his Teammates, he is beginning to open up as a person to them.
Vladimer
Hard minded individual with skills to back it up. He does what needs to be done, I want to make sure he doesn’t need to do the wrong things.
Jodariel
Don’t know too much about her, curious why she left home.
Janosh
Knows He has a grand destiny in helping the people of Barovia and wants to help out a kindred spirit.
Ismark
Kind but stubborn man who wants to protect his sister. I shall stop him from turning into something unnatural. Teasing him is fun.
Ireena
Capable and kind person who seems to have lots of mystery surrounding her, and why? Need to get her to a safe place and find out some day.
Welcoming mystical travelers of the mists with a strong oral tradition and deep-rooted hospitality.
Madame Eva
Fortune teller who read the parties fortunes and appeared in their dreams. Aculeus is in awe of her abilities and is driven to find out what the prophecies were about and what they might lead to.
Charon and Dina
The Vistani who greeted the party at the Tser pool. Homely and welcoming.
Arrigal
Tricked the party into following him to Barovia. Is described as having a rotten heart and being in cahoots with Strahd. Aculeus dislikes him for tricking the party. Large burlap bag and packages. Follows Strahd.
Esmeralda
Great fighter, looking for her master. Seems trustable.
Lucien
Trustable and generous person.
Wachter
Slightly suspicious but might be of use
Blinsky
Sad that he’s not getting much work
Baron
Delusional and paranoid, at least he tries to keep the devil out
Izek
Creepy and serious, strange that he’s creeping on Ireena
Riktavio
Interesting, seems to be a decent person, strange though.
Balanco
Keeps the children busy and takes care of them.
Milivaj
Sold the bones of St. Andral to keep the children fed, good person but must make up for selling the bones.
Tessa
Good girl, role model to the younger ones
Crocus
Aculeus’s oldest friend, a raven that had accompanied him long before he joined the druids. “I wish i knew where he was, I wish I knew he was safe”
Vassili Van Holtz
Traveling doctor and medicine man, seems to have a thing for Ireena. Want to learn some of the medicine of this land from him.
Skenis
Lycan of Keril’s pack. Does not like following him or Anastrasya
Davian
Eldest, most knowledgeable and trustworthy, seems interested in the Wildmother.
Adrian
Devoted to family, doesn’t quite trust the party yet, but seems like a good person.
Elvira
Nice and calm, knows some things about medicine.
Muriel
Sweet and smart, shes both capable and trustworthy. Stood up for the party.
Urwin
Dedicated to his business at the inn, he seems like a nice person, cares for ravens.
I’ve been told my mother Umbra and father Fenrin were an unlikely pair, one a brooding noble working as a knight and one a druid who cared for the forests nearby. My father never blamed me for what happened, my mother dying in childbirth, though the medics say she was gone for most of the night before I first cried out a breath. It was a dark moonless night, or so it was supposed to be, had the moon not lit a red hue on the land below. It didn’t help that my mother was rumored to be dealing in dark rituals, as city folk often are suspicious of the rarer magics and druids were rare in cities. Nothing was ever confirmed of dark rituals and my father protected her honor to all his ability.
Though I was fed and taken care of, I never felt in place in that dingy city, not with the rumors that lay around me and my family, the hushed whispers and stares, my unnaturally white hair only making it worse. Maybe they were right in condemning me, people seemed to get hurt around me, shrinking back whenever they felt my unnaturally cold skin. But what could i do about it…
| Umbra Floreo | Fenrir Floreo |
|---|---|
| Kindhearted druid of the Wildmother, died giving birth to Aculeus under a red moon | Ex knight and diplomat, father of Aculeus. A kind and charismatic man. |
Once I grew of age to depart on my own. I said goodbye to my father, though no tears were shed by either party for we knew it was for the best. I left to follow the same path my mother came to the city with, through two harsh moons I reached a circle of druids, where i first say the gentle magics of the druids.
I had entered the circle of Dreams, where i spent the next decade of my life, the ways that once seemed strange, the whispers of sylvan that made the world bloom now becoming clearer. I grew to love the flowers that lined the grove and people who were so kind and unjudgemental. As I saw animals and friends get hurt, I learnt to heal, through herbs and potions and a hint of magic.
One cold night a red moon rose again, leaving with it a dream, one that would lead me to my new family… and Barovia.
Your dreams take you and you realize you are in a forest. In front of you is a rare light violet flower. The flower peaks your interest and you study it until you are interrupted by Crocus, who is strangely chirping more violently than normal. When you notice and look up at Crocus, you also see that a strange fog has surrounded you withing this forest grove. The forest seems much more dark now than when about a minute ago, you start to head back. The mist is obscuring you way forward and you almost find it hard following the way home to the Circle of Dreams. Your walk turns into a light jog as you swear the mist is providing resistance in your strides forward.
When you are almost home, you distinguish some beams of light piercing the mist from were the encampment is. You speed up your movement as you now see the darker shade of mist rising towards the sky from the encampment, only it is not mist but black smoke rising. As you move you start to hear the fire and agonized wails coming form The Circle.
The wind dashes you with cold and humidity as you struggle to move forth through the fog. As you break though the misty veil you witness a horrible scene. The encampment is ablaze, half dead people and corpses of both the druids and your peers litter the ground. A dozen vile, feral humanoid creatures feed from the peoples’ necks and continue the desecration of this holy site of nature.
One person stands out among the chaos. A tall man, back towards you with fine garments and a long maroon cape facing The Fane, your Circle’s shrine to The Wildmother. The Fane lies desecrated and broken while the man stands proudly and victorious. The man turns towards you and locks eyes. Though you can not see his face, for it is obscured by shadow, you still see his jet black hair and snow white complexion. You feel his red eyes piercing you with a look. His face forms a grin and he raises a hand up in the air. This prompts all the creatures to stop feeding from the corpses and turns their attention to you.
The man clenches his fist, which prompts his spawn to start sprinting towards you. You manage to shoot a some of your assailants with your crossbow, but you are quickly overwhelmed and fall to the ground with a pile atop. When you are pressed into the ground it seems as the ground rots and gives into the weight, causing you to sink like quicksand from under you. Like falling through rotten branches the ground breaks, opening into an endless dark abyss as you start falling. The vile spawn above you fall as well and you feel your soul sinking, until you reach dark nothingness.
From out of oblivion, the vestige of an old woman appears before you. The woman is wearing colorful robes of yellows and oranges. She opens her mouth and speak with a broken accent: “I see you Aculeus.” She raises a hand and magically shuffles a deck of cards, plucking out one of them and making it float towards you. “One born from our land, hiding to alter it forever. Will you restore it or let it be I wonder?” The card flips over. It’s a pictured card with the text: The Transmute “Travel to the village of Idsmouth. Find the other.”
After those words you are shot out of you dream. You wake into your bed at an untouched Circle of Dreams, drenched with cold sweat and breathing heavy. On your bedside table, you see a card flipped down. Upon further inspection, it’s The Transmuter
When I woke to find the card of the transmuter, lying on my bedside counter, I grew afraid. What was this dream, no… a vision. I sat upon the bed for a good while, pondering what transpired. Strange grew the quiet, Crocus was nowhere around. He had disappeared in the night, he left and came as he pleased. He knows how to find me, I thought since he always had. I gathered the few belongings i had, deciding to pay heed to the old womans omen, stashing the card I’d been so keenly observing. I went to the Shrine of the Wildmother for the last time, taking my time and raising a patch of narciccuses and wildflowers. The other druids would know why i had left, a new beginning, a rebirth to protect them and whoever i could from befalling to the omens. Off I set towards the tiny town of Idsmouth. The journey was a distance of two moons. My only companion during that time were the plants of the land and Crocus, well the rare few times he was with me. But I reached it, determined to heed the dreams.
Aculeus, born of the land. And believe me they have their eyes on you.
The card of change. Seek a hill with monuments of stone, let guide you wings of ravens.
There you shall find what you seek.
Upon crossing the boundary to Barovia Aculeus felt a shift. His eyes would gleam in the dark like those of a feline’s. He gained the ability to see in pitch black darkness. But that was not all. For he found powers and magic of an unknown origin.
When the party visited Madam Eva the vistani fortuneteller who appeared in their dreams and invited them to Barovia in the first place. Aculeus had his fortune told… “child of the land… what does that mean?… And who will have their eyes on me”
Following the Raven (read as Muriel Martikov) into the forest, a puzzling sight greets Aculeus’ eyes. Guided to a shrine of stone, a Fane of the Wildmother, a feeling of desecration and ruin came over Aculeus as he sees the abandoned and overgrown monoliths covered in moss and dust. Aculeus promises himself and the Wildmother his return, following the party towards Vallaki.
That night in the Bluewater Inn Aculeus has a dream… Opening his eyes, Aculeus looks around at the leaves fluttering in the wind and the myriad of plants surrounding stone obelisks. It takes a moment to recognize, as the world of Barovia and its plants seem sapped of all colors and life, but these are the same obelisks as before… A Fane of the Wildmother. But as it’s supposed to be, one with the world around it, with the life blooming under his feet. As Aculeus turns around, his eyes meet another.
Though Aculeus was shocked, he was not discouraged, as this was a sign, that he was on the right path. As the dryad drew closer, she spoke with a soft and enchanting tone, telling Aculeus of this land. That Aculeus has to be the one to get rid of the Defilement of the land. For after all, he was one of them. Still inching closer, she lay a hand on his cheek and told him of her sisters the other fanes, Swamp and Mountain. Aculeus promised seek them out and restore them, for how could he not. With a smile, the fane kissed him, a gentle kiss, the first one he’s had. And with that he woke. Discovering his skin bearing barklike texture and ears elven sharpness.
After the encounter with beastpeople at the winery, Aculeus dreamed.
He dreamed of chasing green form of a fane. They ran through forest, diving into water after, chasing through trees, looking more and more desecrated. The fane then standing in front of a big dark tree, her gray decayed form of the avatar frowning slightly at me.
3 gifts were given to the Martikovs, gems that make the land grow green. All now taken. It might be possible to use these to restore the fanes and the land. Have to find them first though.
One lost ages ago
One lost track of by Urwin Martikov 15 years ago
One stolen by the Beast people and the Matron less than a week ago to a large hill to the roads south of the winery. Recently retrieved
The blood that flows through Aculeus’ veins is special, the same one that flowed through his mother and her sister. It makes you one with the land, being a part of it, drawing from it. Though now the land is tainted in Strahd’s darkness, it was once the land of Melora, the wildmother and will be once again.
She fled from her sister, taking residence with the Martikovs for a while. They cared for her, until she left Barovia, following a prophecy. Kindhearted druid of the Wildmother, died giving birth to Aculeus under a red moon
Sister of Umbra follower of Strahd. She has the same type of powers as Aculeus.