The Wizard of the Wines
Wine is the lifeblood of Barovia. Without it, many would succumb to their despair. Occasionally, a Vistani traveler brings wines from distant lands, but they are often not keen to share. Thus, most of Barovia's wine comes from the Wizard of the Vines winery and vineyard. It was centuries ago, before even the time of Felis and their Harmony, that the vineyard was established. It has changed hands across several families in the generations since, and is now tended to by the Martikovs. They provide the wine for free to the people of Barovia.
The current head of the Martikov family is Dariy Martikov. Living with him at the vineyard is his oldest son Adrian, his daughter Stefaniya, and his youngest child Emil. Also present is Adrian's husband Valeriy, Stefaniya's husband Dorofey, and Stefaniya's four children, teenaged Isidore, twins Martin and Viktor, and infant Yelizaveta. To the last, they are all wereravens, and the adults are all members of the Keepers of the Feather . Should it come to combat, the children are noncombatant wereravens with 7 hit points each, with the exception of Lizaveta who is 1 hit point.
The winery is known for three wines: the unremarkable Russet No. 3, the slightly more tantalizing Pink Dragon Mash, and the sweet and aromatic Perfume Crush (based on Gewürztraminer white wine.) The secret to each of these three wines is three magical "seeds," each about the size of a pinecone, which are planted in each of the three orchards used to produce the wine.
When the party approaches the vineyard, there is not a single seed remaining. The seed responsible for Perfume Crush was stolen ten years ago by unknown forces, an event for which Ivan Martikov is blamed by his father. He was on watch the night that it went missing, and to this day he denies his father's accusations of sneaking off with his then-fiance Danica. The bad blood between them has resulted in a decade of no contact between the two men. The second gem, used to make the Pink Scale Mash, went missing during an attack on the vineyard by Baba Lysaga's scarecrow constructs. Dariy believes it is in her possession. The third gem, responsible for the Russet No. 3, was stolen eight days ago by the Barovian Druids. Upon discovery of its great power, the druids returned hoping to find more magic. They were easily able to drive the Martikov family from their home.
After being driven from their homes, the Martikovs are currently taking shelter in a large wagon parked at the lip of the valley overlooking the vineyard.
As always, replace twig blights with shroom blights, needle blights with corpse blights, and vine blights with root blights. These statblocks can be found at The Elder Fungus and Blights.
W15.
W9. Fermentation Vats
The druids are not poisoning the vats. Convinced that the Martikovs are hiding more magical treasure from them, but unsure of its location, the druids have taken to smashing everything they can, including the fermentation vats, in hopes of finding more treasure.W10. Glassblower's Workshop
The treasure is not here. Instead, if the Fortunes of Ravenloft say a treasure is here, it is in the Treasure Room.W15. Brown Mold Treasure Room
It takes some effort to push open the secret door, and you are greeted by a blast of cold air. A dark tunnel stretches for about fifteen feet, ending in a door beneath a worn stone archway. If the players open the doors, read: You step into a room that is surprisingly well lit, but you quickly see why: the ceiling of this room is cut to reveal the sky above behind large stained glass windows depicting forest scenes in monochrome. Player 1 sees: At the back of the room is a large wooden curio with five spaces inlaid in its face. Carved in the arch of its top is a phrase in Celestial: "We [Are] Keep Feather, Her Strength." Two spaces are already filled in. Sitting on the ground in front of the curio are three more runes. Player 2 sees: At the back of the room is a mural depicting clouds that upon closer inspection are just flocks of corvids, with rain that upon closer inspection is feathers falling down. At the top of the mural is a rune. Player 3 sees: At the back of the room is a mural depicting humanoids of various species flexing, lifting large objects, and hurling spears and rocks over large distances. At the top is a rune. Player 4 sees: At the back of the room is a mural depicting humanoids of various species arm in arm. At the top is a rune.If the Fortunes reveal that there is a treasure here, it is kept in this puzzle room. If the Fortunes did not reveal a treasure here, then there is 1d4 -1 healing potions and the Cloak of Ravenkind. The treasure in this room is in a large curio with five spaces going down the its doors, which swing open outward. Carved across the top of the curio is the phrase, "We [Are] Keep Feather, Her Strength" in Celestial. Each blank space corresponds to a word in the phrase (with the words "We [Are]" counting as one word,) and for each blank space there is a corresponding rune. Once one rune is placed, you have three seconds to place the other two, or it will fall from its place and you will have to start over. If you put them in the wrong order, a spectral warrior (stat block of a skeleton) spawns in a random room. If you put them in the wrong order four times, a spectral guardian (stat block of a ghast) spawns in a random room. When the characters enter the room, only one of them sees the cabinet. The others see an otherwise identical room with a hint. The characters can still hear each other, but cannot see each other, or see what the other sees. They must describe to each other what they see in order to solve the puzzle. When the players enter the room, assign each of them a room.
- Player one sees the puzzle with no hints. They see the curio, with its five spaces, five "key" runes, and the phrase they must translate. The runes for "Keep" and "Her" are already filled in.
- Player two sees the "Feather" rune.
- Player three sees the "Strength" rune.
- Player four sees the "We [Are]" rune.
W16. Loading Winch
The druid has a Fungal Staff.Special Events
Fungal Soldier Attacks. If the characters leave the winery and return at a later date before dealing with the Fungal Soldier (see The Elder Fungus and Blights), the enormous blight is sent from Yester Hill to ravage the vineyard and destroy the winery. The characters arrive to find the grapevines trampled and the winery in ruins. The blight's tracks are clearly visible on the trail to the south. Characters who follow the tracks catch up with the Fungal Soldier as it slowly makes its way back to Yester Hill. Three days after the attack, Baba Lysaga sends seven scarecrows from Berez to guard the vineyard, discouraging the wereravens from attempting to re-take it. The scarecrows attack anyone who crosses the vineyard or approaches the winery. The Martikovs do not all survive the attack. Adrian, Dorofey, Emil, and Viktor are lost in the attack. The rest of the family manages to escape to the Bluewater Inn, if it still stands. Dariy and Stefaniya are lost to despair, and morale in the valley sinks to an all-time low as word of the winery's destruction spreads.
Type
Vineyard / Orchard
Parent Location
Characters in Location
Related Report (Primary Locations)
