Keepers of the Feather
The Keepers of the Feather are largely as described in Keepers of the Feather (p. 98), The Martikov Family (p. 174), and U6. Standing Stones (p. 165). The high-ranking membership is dominated by the Martikov family, with patriarch Davian Martikov directing the order’s activities.
However, more than a dozen other members are also scattered incognito throughout Barovia, with most stationed in and around the town of Vallaki.
The Keepers, despite their lycanthropic nature, are spies— not warriors. With the sole exception of Muriel Vinshaw, a young wereraven with a fiery temper and a streak of defiance, the Keepers are reluctant to take up arms in battle. Few are trained in martial combat, and fewer still have the stomach for violence or blood.
More importantly, one of the Keepers—a young wereraven named Elric, Muriel’s former romantic partner—recently accompanied Doru’s mob of Barovians to Castle Ravenloft, and was killed in the slaughter. Fearing Strahd’s attention, the rest of the Keepers are now laying low, hoping to keep their members safe and their secrets out of the vampire’s hands.
That doesn’t mean, though, that the Keepers are staying idle. Their spy network—led by Urwin Martikov and his wereraven associates—has tendrils that reach throughout the valley and mountains, gathering constant intelligence from the flocks of ravens that soar through the skies. Some among the Keepers joke that not a twig could be snapped in the Svalich Woods without Urwin knowing of it—and, sometimes, they wouldn’t be far wrong.
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History
Pyoor Twohundredsummers was based in the Village of Barovia at the Blood of the Vine Tavern.
As the oldest of the ravenkin, Pyoor arrived with the race when it first came to Ravenloft two centuries before the current time of the Forbidden Lore boxed set. He became drawn to Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and saw his fate bound to the fate of the artifact.
As he entered over a hundred years old, most of the ravenkin forsook the search for the artifact. Pyoor's driven nature, even obsession, ensured he did not give up hope, rather he believed it was still possible. Even when the vast majority of his kindred gave up on him, he continued the search to retrieve the artifact, destroy Strahd von Zarovich 1, and free Barovia from its curse.
He swore an oath to find the Icon before he perished. To help fulfill his goal, Pyoor founded the Keepers of the Black Feather. Unfortunately, old age eventually caught up with him, and he perished in 755 BC before fulfilling his oath.
The Keepers of the Feather are a small, organized underground of wereravens who oppose Strahd von Zarovich 1. While they can do little by themselves to fight him, they instead offer support and supplies to adventurers who find themselves trapped in Barovia.
With the recent deaths of Urwin Martikov and his son Bray Martikov, as well as the attack on the Wizard of Wines winery, the Keepers of the Feather are in a bit of disarray.
Continuity
The Keepers of the Feather are a group of wereravens in the Forgotten Realms Campaign. Many of the wereravens that have been shown belong to a family known as the Martikovs, once based in Vallaki, where they ran the Blue Water Inn.
For many years, the Keepers of the Feather ran the Wizard of Wines Winery south of Krezk, and delivered wine to both Vallaki and Krezk for the good of the townspeople. However, it was eventually taken over by druids and their twig blights, stopping the flow of wine.
After Strahd von Zarovich 1 was killed and the mists connecting Barovia and Faerun reopened, it is unknown where the Keepers of the Feather currently are.
Basic Information
Base of Operations
Status - Active
Relationships
Allies
Enemies
Strahd von Zarovich 1
Barovian Druids
Role in Plot
One day in the Blue Water Inn, Jolyne overheard two of the Martikovs discussing wine shipments, and in this discussion the name "Keepers of the Feather" was mentioned. She remained ignorant of its true meaning until the night that Xhantharykk], under Strahd von Zarovich 1's' control, exploded the inn's barn. They arrived in wereraven form to douse the flames and combat any potential threats, but were met only with the Curse of Strahd Party. They revealed their true nature as lycanthropes, as well as the purpose of their group.
Once things had calmed down, the Curse of Strahd Party agreed to investigate the missing wine shipments for the Keepers, and fled the town of Vallaki after the chaos that had ensued earlier that evening.
The Curse of Strahd Party put off visiting the winery in favor of gathering more resources to kill Strahd. Eventually, they made their way to the Wizard of Wines Winery, and discovered it had been completely overrun by twig blights. Davian Martikov met with them, and putting aside his frustration at the party's late arrival, helped come up with a plan of attack. Once they treated Urwin Martikov's wounds, they assaulted the winery and killed every twig blight and druid inside, as well as the massive Wintersplinter.
Davian informed the party of their wine and the magical seeds necessary to make it. He told them where the remaining seeds were, and asked them to return them if they came across any.
The Curse of Strahd Party ventured to the Ruins of Berez, where one of the seeds was said to be located. Once there, they met Celia, who warned them of the dangerous hag who lived in the ruins. Despite this, they continued onward, fighting off the hag and retrieving the seed from her enchanted hut. They returned the seed to Celia, and she presumably brought it back to the Keepers.
Relationships & Affiliations
The Curse of Strahd Party
The Keepers of the Feather were approached by the Curse of Strahd Party in Vallaki. They stayed at the Blue Water Inn, initially unaware of the Martikovs' identities and the existence of their organization. Brom Martikov quickly became familiar with a few of them. Eventually, when Xhantharykk Quelzorladar lit their barn aflame due to being under Strahd's control, they aided in dousing the fires in their wereraven forms, revealing their true nature to the party.
They requested the group's aid in saving their winery near Krezk. However, the party dedicated themselves fully to gathering resources to defeat Strahd, and the winery was overrun by druids and twig blights in this time. They did eventually arrive, and helped slay every intruder. They even recovered one of the magical seeds necessary to create their wine from the deadly Ruins of Berez.
The Keepers of the Feather
They will present themselves as a secret society that opposes Strahd, training ravens as messengers and spies. At this stage, the players will be able to use the Keepers to send messages around the region, scout out dangerous locations, and receive occasional updates of current events elsewhere in Barovia.
The Keepers of the Feather are hesitant to reveal their lycanthropic nature, or to commit to physically fighting alongside the party. However, because Amari knew the truth, Davian has given his word to aid them. The players are not the first adventurers that the Keepers have assisted, and the Keepers would rather they not be the last. The Keepers’ central goal is the maintenance and expansion of their intelligence network; should the players fail, the Martikovs and their allies will do their best to retrieve their gear, consolidate their findings, and prepare for the next group of adventurers. Any physical aid they provide will be limited to tactics and mobility alone. A pair of wereravens in hybrid form can provide an emergency airborne evacuation to any single PC.
Under no circumstances will the Keepers of the Feather offer to spread their lycanthropy to a player. Unlike the werewolves, the control they exercise over their lycanthropic nature is a gift from the wind spirit, Stribog, obtained through intimate rituals and months of transformation and meditation. A Keeper of the Feather would sooner die than allow their gift to be stolen and misused by someone with no appreciation for the care and control it requires.
The Keepers of the Feather
The Keepers of the Feather are the sole organization actively working against Strahd in Barovia, and the Martikov family sits at the core of the operation. As the largest single family in Barovia, as well as the sole purveyors of the Wizard of Wines winery, members of the Martikov family can find a welcome place near everywhere they go. As a secret society, the Keepers of the Feather are largely unknown by the average Barovian and Vistana.
While wereravens are immune to direct weapon damage, they can be overwhelmed and killed in other ways. In Barovia, the Keepers of the Feather are heavily outnumbered by creatures that would kill them if given the chance. As such, they prefer to avoid direct combat wherever possible.
A Network of Ravens
Functionally, the Keepers of the Feather operate as a decentralized spy network that employs the local raven population within the valley as spies and messengers. Because a wereraven can speak with natural ravens while transformed, the birds themselves can carry simple verbal messages to other agents throughout Barovia.
All natural ravens in Barovia reflexively defer to the Keepers of the Feather, but not all ravens are actively employed as spies or messengers. The Keepers do, however, maintain several hosts of ravens throughout the region assigned to warn travelers of danger; monitor specific enemies (including Baba Lysaga, the werewolves, and the hags of Old Bonegrinder); and inform the Keepers of the entry of any outsiders into Barovia. The reports provided by the natural ravens tend to be simplistic, and require confirmation by a Keeper agent if further investigation is merited.
Barovia is host to a scattering of Nests, which house a group of wereravens who “command” a resident flock of ravens. The Blue Water Inn is one such Nest, as is the Wizard of Wines (though not all Nests lie in civilized areas, or even human-built structures). The leader of an individual Nest has a large amount of autonomy, but ultimately reports any notable information to Urwin Martikov, the spymaster of the Keepers and the owner of the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki.
There are limits to the knowledge of the Keepers of the Feather. Ravens tend to avoid entering homes or similar structures, both for reasons of subtlety and instinct. The Keepers are aware of any movement between towns, and are generally kept informed of notable events in the wilderness of Barovia.
The Wereravens’ Disposition
The Keepers of the Feather were formed two centuries past to support one of the earliest rebellions against Strahd von Zarovich. While that revolt failed, the Keepers were able to fade quietly into the background, and have worked subtly against the Devil’s machinations ever since.
Any non-evil party interested in bringing about Strahd’s downfall will have the wereravens’ support. This support, however, will not always be obvious. Earlier on, the Keepers will do their best to aid the players without revealing their true nature. Members of the Keepers of the Feather may act as “quest givers,” pointing the party toward hidden secrets, potential allies, or notable dangers. Danika and Urwin Martikov especially can provide intelligence to the party in the form of rumors. If the party is stripped of gear, the Keepers will personally see that their belongings are restored.
What the Wereravens Know
The Keepers of the Feather know that Morgantha and her children were, in truth, a coven of hags that abducted children and baked addictive pastries from their bones. They were fully aware that open combat against the hags was suicide, and instead did their best to rescue any children when the coven was absent or distracted. A raven was permanently stationed near the windmill, and made an effort to warn away any travelers who approached the structure. As the Keepers were careful to always operate in raven form around Old Bonegrinder, the hags had not been able to ID them, though the coven harbored a deep mistrust of the ravens of Barovia. It was because of that stationed raven that the Keepers were able to save Ireena from the Night Hag trying to take her to Castle Ravenloft.
The Wizard of Wines
The Martikovs were aware of the blight infestation at the winery when they gave the quest to the players, but were powerless to clear it out. The druids of Yester Hill had never controlled an army of that size, and the blights within and without easily outnumbered those wereravens who were capable of combat. Due to Urwin’s feud with his father Davian, Danika and Urwin Martikov had been kept in the dark regarding the winery’s situation, and were hoping to steer a group of adventurers toward the winery to investigate the reason for the delayed shipment