The Old Windmill
11th Moon, 735
Cold rain began to fall, drenching the adventurers.
The Old Svalich Road transitioned from being a winding path through the Balinok Mountains to a lazy muddy trail that hugged the mountainside as it descended into a fog-filled valley. In the heart of the valley, the adventurers saw a walled town near the shores of a great mountain lake, its waters dark and still. Ismark said it was the village of Vallaki, their destination. Continuing on, a branch in the road led west to a promontory, atop which is perched a dilapidated stone windmill, its warped wooden vanes stripped bare.
The windmill looked old. The onion-domed edifice leaned forward and to one side, as though trying to turn away from the stormy gray sky. The group noticed gray brick walls and dirt-covered windows on the upper floors. A decrepit wooden platform encircled the windmill above a flimsy doorway leading to the building’s interior.
Perched on a wooden beam above the door was a raven. It hopped about and squawked at the adventurers seemingly agitated. Ahroheim suspected the raven was trying to warn them to stay away. It then flapped its wings and flew east.
To the east, beyond the windmill was the Svalich Forest which seemed to cover the entire domain of Barovia. From where they stood, the adventurers could see a ring of four squat megaliths at the forest’s edge. Ravens circled in the air above the stones. They seemed agitated. An occasional raven or two could be seen diving down towards the top of one of the megaliths, land for a few seconds, then fly back up to rejoin the other ravens.
After a short discussion, Edmont, Luca, Ziri and Skylar walked up to the windmill's front door while Dundolyn and Ahroheim remained at a distance along with Ireena and Ismark.
Near the door, the group could clearly smell the sweet smell of pastries coming from the windmill. Edmont recognized it. It smelled exactly like the delicious Dream Pie he bought for 1 GP from the grandmotherly woman they ran into when they first arrived in the village of Barovia. Edmont recalled the sweet flavorful pie and how, after eating it, he seemed to feel better and was able to fall asleep faster that night.
After knocking on the door, the door opened to reveal a young girl who bore a striking resemblance to the ghost of the girl they saw earlier. Although they couldn't see much, the room beyond was seemingly lit by a hearth. Wooden stairs behind the girl led upstairs. They also noticed small bones and sprinklings of white powder littering the flagstone floor inside.
The four said they were lost and asked for help. When asked she said her name was Bella. When asked if they could speak to her inside, the girl said she wasn't allowed to let anyone in since it was just her sister Offalia and her by themselves. Bella added that her mother went to Vallaki and would be returning soon. She told the group to return down the winding path and take the Svalich Road north. It would eventually lead them to the village of Vallaki.
She said no more and closed the door.
Everyone but Luca and Edmont returned to rejoin the others. Ahroheim made his way to look at the megaliths.
While Luca went back to the front door, Edmont climbed his way to a second-story window. Using his thieves' tools, he quietly opened the shutters and made his way inside. Luca, on the other hand (paw?), knocked on the front door.
"You're still here?" the girl said, sounding annoyed by the intrusion.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Luca said. "We really could use some help. Hey, if you can spare a few minutes I'd like to show you a magic trick or two." The girl watched but was clearly beginning to lose interest in the tabaxi wizard. Luca couldn't help but notice that despite how others in Barovia seemed to be appalled by his and Skylar's appearance, the young girl wasn't reacting at all. Luca sensed something wasn't quite right about the girl.
"I can show you a magic trick too," the girl said. She slammed the door shut! "There, I just made you disappear."
Luca thought she heard the girl laughing--or cackling--from inside. Luca went back to join the others. On the way, she was met by Edmont who seemed disturbed after sneaking his way back out of the windmill.
With the others, Edmont shared what he saw inside the second floor.
He said he saw a large millstone connected to a wooden gear shaft that rose through the ceiling in the center of the room. A wooden staircase continued up to the third floor, toward the sound of loud cackling. He said he also heard what sounded like a young child crying but couldn't be certain. He left when he heard footsteps moving towards the stairs. He barely managed to sneak back out without getting caught.
But what he saw on the millstone disturbed the roguish pirate most. Edmont said the millstone was covered with the same powder and bone fragments they all saw come out of the ghost's eyes and the pile she left behind after she vanished into thin air.
An eerie chill made everyone shiver.
Ahroheim returned and reported seeing a pie similar to the one Edmont ate on top of one of the megaliths, which was what the ravens were interested in. He also described how each moss-covered stone bore a crude carving of a city, each of which was associated with a different season. The city of winter was shown covered with snow, the city of spring was arrayed in flowers, the city of summer had a sunburst overhead, and the city of autumn was covered with leaves.
Upon hearing that, Ismark told them about ancient legends that told of the Four Cities, said to be the cities of paradise where the Morninglord, Mother Night, and the other ancient gods first dwelled. Ismark said no one remembers the other ancient gods' names.
Skylar, a cleric of Bahamut, said the Morninglord was a name associated with the god, Lathander. He is a deity of creativity, dawn, renewal, birth, athletics, spring, self-perfection, vitality and youth. He favors those who dispelled the undead and blessed those who planted new life. The name, Mother Night, might be connected to Shar, widely referred to as the Mistress of the Night. She is the goddess of darkness and the caverns of Faerûn, and is regarded as an evil greater deity. The counterpart to her twin Selûne, Shar presided over caverns, darkness, dungeons, forgetfulness, loss, night, secrets, and the Underdark.
Everyone looked to Ziri, the group's leader to decide what to do next.
Edmont looked towards the old windmill. He couldn't help but think about the Dream Pie he enjoyed eating, but he also felt a wave of nausea wash over him as he considered the ingredients that may have gone into making it.
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