Shadow over the Festival

Final Preparations#

After leaving Blinsky’s shop, the party surveys the town square and scans for the dissent mentioned by Fiona Wachter. Most people are busy building a platform and something made of wicker. A few others are in stockades; upon asking them why they’re there, the party is reminded that criticism of the baron or the festival is illegal. Not too concerned about the punishment, the party returns to the Blue Water Inn.

Upon returning, the party takes a seat at Rictavio’s table. He is familiar with the mist that encircles travelers and forces them into these lands, and the Vistani, who appear to have mysterious ways around that mist. Rictavio has been in Barovia since the mists led him here around 7 months ago, of which he spent the last month in Vallaki. He continues to tell stories in exchange for slightly obfuscated tales of the party’s adventures in Barovia:

• In the story of a thief and a bag, a thief stole a powerful artifact from a wizard and escaped into a magic bag of holding. The wizard, however, became aware of the hideout, cursed the bag, and thus prevented the thief from ever escaping. The thief did not succumb, being kept alive by something unnatural while he withers away. Now the saying goes that he moves from bag to bag to steal and potentially even find an escape…

• The story of the smiling bride, told by a local: a noble woman was poised to marry a landowner. However, the bride was killed the night before the wedding, with a smile carved into her face. Soon after, a similar fate befell the husband, and eventually even the priest. The villagers then buried the bride’s body in a lead coffin - but learned soon after that the murders did not stop. They say sometimes a grinning bride walks the streets and tells jokes to lonely people, who then never stop smiling ever again.

In between stories, the party asks about Rictavio’s cart, but he appears worried and evasive, only saying that the wagon contains his livelihood. Urwin brings Rictavio a neatly packed box of food for someone else - getting suspicious, the party makes a plan to follow him. In the end, however, Rictavio doesn’t do anything remarkable, but it remains unclear if he caught wind of his pursuers. All Thaddeus finds out is that there is apparently a remarkable piece of craftsmanship at Castle Ravenloft: a clockwork man created by (apparently well-known craftsman) Fritz von Werg for a Duchess Dorfniya Dikisnya.

The party returns to the inn, where soon after, Rictavio returns as well. He shares a last unexceptional story of a man scared of a chicken. He also mentions that people say the Vistani serve the Devil and are thus barred from entering the city. He then retreats into his chamber.

The Festival of the Blazing Sun#

After a night’s rest, the party is relieved to find Ireena well at the church. They tell her about the doll in her likeness, but she is unaware of any particular danger. She wants to attend the festival with the clerics from the church, and Thaddeus gives her a potion to change her appearance, should she be followed and need to escape.

As the time for the festival draws near, the town guard starts to herd the inhabitants toward the town square; the party tries to make them aware of Rictavio’s cart and the creature therein, but the guard simply remains confident they’ll get everyone to the festival.

Arriving in the town square, they see the pedestal with a wicker bowl is finished. As the sky grows even darker, a parade arrives with townspeople, sun symbols, fake smiles and a guard escort. Among them is Baron Vallakovich and his wife, as well as Father Lucian (of the local church). The baron climbs the pedestal and gives a speech, praising the morning lord. As he turns to the wicker bowl to “challenge the shadows,” he is backed by monotonous chants from the crowd:

All will be well!

As Baron Vallakovich puts his torch to the wicker, an unnatural downpour starts - after frantically trying to light the wicker, the rain finally puts out his torch. At this moment, a single person in the town square bursts out into sick laughter, echoing all over the now dead silent crowd. The baron turns and orders his guards to arrest that laughing man.

Vallaki's town square during the Festival of the Blazing Sun

Reese - not having time for subtleness - directs a fiery spell at the wicker bowl, lighting it up. At that exact moment, the man stops laughing. The guards’ attention now divided between Reese and the previously laughing man, Reese and Thaddeus scramble to escape by chanting “All will be well!” Luckily, the crowd picks up the cue and returns to their all-encompassing chant, making it impossible for the guard to trail them.

All will be well!

The baron pulls the previously laughing, now chained laughing man behind his horse through the streets, up toward his mansion on the other side of the city. With the crowd immediately dispersing, the party returns to the inn.

Storm brewing over the vineyard#

At the inn, a restless Urwin calls the party over, immediately informing them that Adrian returned from the vineyard to warn of the forming storm clouds over the druids’ hills. Claudiu has run off to these hills south of the vineyard to avenge his father. His worried mother Stephania went after him, and Davian was too proud to ask the party for help again. The party immediately takes off on horses in order to arrive before nightfall at the hills.

As they arrive, storm clouds gather over the druids’ hill…