Vintage Alliances

Summary

The party took refuge at Van Richten's Tower, solving the door puzzle with Ezmerelda's help. Over a Long Rest, they exchanged intelligence; Ezmerelda assessed them as unprepared for Strahd but provided valuable lore on the Tome of Strahd. She pointed them toward the Wizard of Wines Winery. Upon arrival, the party met the displaced Martikov family, led by Davian, who revealed an estrangement with his son Urwin. The Martikovs explained that Druids have seized the winery—the source of Barovia's hope. The session concluded with Linus's familiar scouting the captured building to prepare for an assault.

Ezmerelda's Tower

The party followed Ezemeralda to a tower built on a small island, sitting on a small lake, connected to the shore by an artificial causeway. There was a Vistani wagon parked at the front, which she said was trapped and advised the PCs not to mess with it.

She the proceeded to the front door, that had a circle with some engraved lines and figures. Ezmerelda started to make some gestures with her arms and hands, that the adventurers realised were matching the engraved figures. After all gestures were done, the door unlocked with a faint, but noticeable, electrical blue glow.

Once inside, they proceeded to the top floor using a platform-like elevator, controlled by four golems that obeyed Ezmerelda's command. As the party was pretty beaten they didn't talk much and proceeded to a long rest. The night went by with no problems, and in the morning the group had a conversation.

Ezmerelda told them she was a vampire hunter, and even though she is a vistana, she didn't share their love for Strahd. Quite on the contrary, she made her way into Barovia while hunting the vampire lord.

Her plan is to storm the castle, and she was hoping to use the help of the enemies of Strahd that the tarokka cards had showed to her. However, after assessing the party she told them blatantly that they are not ready for such confrontation.

They shared the Tome of Strahd with her, which she found really helpful, and jotted down some notes of her own before returning it to them. She also said they could return to the tower in case they found other relics that they might want some assistance with.

Finally, the PCs shared their plans with her and asked about the Winery. To which she explained how they could reach it, and that she hadn't been around it for a couple of days.

They left the tower soon after.

Approaching the Winery

After following the road as instructed, they saw the vineyard ahead and the winery amongst it. But before reaching the end of the road they saw a hooded figure standing at the edge of the woods.

Klildar went forward to greet an old man, wearing a heavy cloak, decorated with small mirrors and some glinting items, and leaning over an ornate cane.

After a short exchange, other figures emerged from the woods, two human man, a human woman and a few children. They introduced themselves as the Martikovs, the owners of the winery. Their patriach, Davian, was the one that initially greeted them.

They reported that a few days ago some Druids that follow Strahd attacked the winery, setting some vines on fire, and trying to raid the place. The Martikovs were able to stave off this attack, but a couple of days after they returned in greater numbers and took over the winery, while the family fled the building and hid in the woods.

The PCs learned that Urwin, the owner of the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki is Davian's middle son, and that the two of them have been estranged for a while.

Davian explained the role of the winery for the vale of Barovia, its wine is like a lifeblood, that helps to keep the spirits of its citizens up in this bleak place. The family doesn't charge a dime for the wine, relying on donations from the towns.

Finally, they asked the PCs for help on driving the Druids out of the winery, and shared some information: there were three or four druids, that can control several humanoid-looking plan creatures, and that there was a cart with three barrels of wine in the docking bay.

The party agreed on helping them and went ahead to scout the property, under the cover of the woods.

Scouting the Winery

Hidden by a small patch of woods north of the building, they were able to do some reconnaissance using Linus' familiar, Onofre, the raven. Once he returned they knew about the location of two Druids, and started to plot a plan.

That's where the session ended.

Party Members

• Alfbern - Level 5 Elf Druid (Ziro)
• Klildar - Level 5 White Dragonborn Paladin (Fábio)
• Jon - Level 5 Human Ranger (Ricardo)
• Linus - Level 5 Human Wizard (Daniel)

Important Items/Events

• Alliance with Ezmerelda: Established the Tower as a safe haven (for now) and gained a powerful ally, though she will not join the party directly yet.
• Lore Drop: Ezmerelda analyzed the Tome of Strahd, potentially unlocking new information for the players.
• Quest - Retake the Winery: The party agreed to clear the infestation for the Martikovs.
• Martikov Family Drama: Learned that Urwin (Blue Water Inn) is Davian's son and they are estranged.
• Intel on Enemies: Confirmed presence of Druids and "plant creatures" (Blights).