Entering the Captured Winery#

After climbing up the cargo lift at the winery’s loading dock, the group encounters a scrawny druid, covered in vines. While the group manages to push back the druid and to stop the blights from climbing up the cargo lift, Stephania opens a secret door to an adjacent room — one that later proves to be her bedroom, once the master suite of the winery.

The group slips through the secret door, sealing it behind them without being seen.

The Fate of Dag Tomesko#

From here, they proceed cautiously toward the kitchen, where Stephania tells about the vanishing of her husband, Dag Tomesko. He had volunteered to scout the winery after it was overrun but has not been heard from since.

Determined to uncover the truth, the group presses into a hallway. As Stephania describes an office at the far end - once used for wine-label printing - Reese catches the murmur of a voice coming from within. The eerie words echo the druid’s incantations from earlier.

Stealthily, they advance and peer inside, where two vine-covered creatures suspend a humanoid corpse in the air. A druid stands before it, sifting through the corpse’s exposed torso as if searching for something.

At the sight of the body, Stephania lunges forward, a scream rising in her throat. But before the sound can escape, Thaddeus pulls her back, muffling her cry with a firm hand.

Sensing an opportunity, Reese casts Detect Thoughts to pry into the druid’s mind. He glimpses fragments of intent — the druid seeks something within the body, something “which makes them change”.

The group launches a swift and decisive ambush, dispatching the druid and her blights before they can react. Stepping closer, Thaddeus examines the corpse, his eyes narrowing at the unnatural shape of its lungs — elongated and structured not like a mammal’s, but in the shape of a T.

Confronting Adrian, it’s apparent that he knows what the druid was referring to. Yet he refuses to speak.

Twigs and Stones May Break Your Bones#

Stephania, overcome with grief, crumples before her husband’s lifeless form. But there is no time to mourn — Reese senses another presence near the main fermentation vats. “We only need to distribute it. The heretics will pay.”

Acting swiftly, the group overwhelms the druid lurking nearby, but before they can catch their breath, two groups of blights erupt from within one of the wine vats. The creatures surge forward.

Stephania, standing at the forefront, is gravely wounded. She turns to Adrian. “I can’t take this anymore.” Then she flees.

After dealing with the blights, the group decides to prioritize clearing the winery over interrogating Adrian.

In the glass workshop, they uncover a staircase leading to a basement, where chill clings to the air. A thin mist swirls around rows of wine racks.

There the group comes face to face with another druid, accompanied by more blights. A brutal battle ensues. The druid falls, but not before Ilizeiros is struck down. At the same time, Adrian flees, following his sister. The group retreats, carrying Ilizeiros back to Stephania’s bedroom.

They ensure he is stabilized, though their respite is brief. The battle for the winery is far from over.