Introduction:

Gray smoke issues from the chimney of this large, two story wooden building with a stone foundation and sagging tile roof, upon which several ravens have perched. A painted wooden sign hanging above the main entrance depicts a blue waterfall.

The Blue Water Inn is Vallaki's main gathering place for locals, especially at night. The innkeeper, Urwin Martikov, considers the inn a sanctuary from the evils of this land. In the event of trouble; the windows and doors can all be barred shut from within.

A bed for the night costs $10. Characters looking for something to eat are fed hot beet soup and fresh bread at no additional charge. A cooked wolf steak costs 1 ep.

The inn offers a pint of Purple Grapemash No. 3 wine for 30 cents, or a pint of the superior Red Dragon Crush wine for $1. Urwin is hurt if the characters complain about the wines, for his family makes them.

The inn's wine supply is almost depleted, and the latest delivery from the Wizard of Wines winery is over-due. If the characters claim to be adventurers, Urwin asks them if they would be so kind as to find out what's holding up the latest shipment, promising them free room and board if they return with the wine.

MENU AND QUEST:

Wine Quest

Urwin gives the characters the following quest:
Urwin takes you aside and keeps his voice low. "My supply of wine is nearly gone, and the next shipment is over due. I'll give you what you seek if you bring me my wine. The vineyard and winery is a few miles west of here. Just follow the Old Svalich Road and the signs."

Urwin fails to mention that his cantankerous father, Davian Martikov, owns the local winery and vineyard, the Wizard of Wines (chapter 12). There's bad blood between Urwin and his father (whom Urwin and Danika refer to as "the old crow"). Although Urwin could easily visit the winery himself, he considers dealing with his father to be a worthy test of the characters' competence,
and he makes good on his promise if they complete the quest and return with his wine shipment.

Urwin sends a wereraven in raven form to observe the party's progress from a distance. If the characters get in trouble, the wereraven reports to Urwin at once.

KEEPERS OF THE FEATHER:
Urwin Martikov (LG male human) is a wereraven (see appendix D) and a high-ranking member of the Keepers of the Feather, a secret society of wereravens that opposes Strahd. Urwin's wife and business partner, Danika Dorakova (LG female human), is also a wereraven, as are their two sons, Brom and Bray. The boys have only 7 hit points each and, at ages eleven and nine, are too young to be effective combatants.

At any given time, another 1d4 wereravens (members of the Keepers of the Feather) are present at the inn, either perched on the rooftop in raven form or huddled in side in human form. These wereravens are loyal friends of the Martikovs and help protect the inn. If the characters earn the trust of the wereravens in Vallaki, the Keepers of the Feather will watch their
backs. The next time the characters get themselves in serious trouble, you can have a group of ld4 wereravens show up to rescue or otherwise help them.

Areas:

TAPROOM

Damp cloaks hang from pegs in the entrance portico. The tavern is packed with tables and chairs, with narrow paths meandering between them. A bar stretches along one wall, under a balcony that can be reached by a wooden staircase that hugs the north wall. Another balcony overhangs an entrance to the east. All the windows are fitted with thick shutters and crossbars. Lanterns hanging above the bar and resting on the tables bathe the room in dull orange light and cast shadows upon the walls, most of which are adorned with wolf heads mounted on wooden plaques. The double doors leading into the taproom can be barred shut from within.

Mounted on braces and tucked into alcoves behind the bar are three wine barrels, each one three-quarters empty. Two of the barrels contain Purple Grapemash No. 3 (a cheap wine), and the third contains Red Dragon Crush (a fine wine). A brass spigot is hammered into each barrel.

Danika Martikov usually tends bar while her husband busies himself in the kitchen (area N2e). Their boys, Brom and Bray, scamper about and easily get underfoot. Between dawn and noon, there are no patrons here, and the Martikovs are upstairs in their bedrooms (areas N2o and N2p) or in the attic (area N2q). From noon to dusk, the taproom holds 2d4 local patrons (LG male and female commoners). Between dusk and midnight, 2d8 Vallakians are here. In addition, one or more of the following people might be present during this time.

Wolf Hunters. Szoldar Szoldarovich and Yevgeni Krushkin (N male human scouts) are local hunters who frequent the Blue Water Inn. They kill wolves and sell the meat for a living, and their work is dangerous and bloody. Both men are grim and have haunted looks in their eyes. If the characters are looking for guides or information about the land of Barovia, Szoldar and Yevgeni can be of service. They're willing to serve as guides for 5 gp per day, or to provide directions to important landmarks in exchange for free drinks. They wont travel "this cursed realm" at night unless paid $100 per night.

Wachter Brothers. Nikolai and Karl Wachter (N male human nobles) are brothers of noble birth. They are brash drunkards always looking for trouble, though they are smart enough not to pick fights with well-armed strangers. They are always on the lookout to recruit members for their mother, Fiona Wachter's political agendas. This usually takes the form of hiring armed thugs to fight Izek's guards, but sometimes they find cult members or importatnt figures like the party.

Rictavio. The Ione guest of the Blue Water Inn at present is a colourfully dressed half-elf bard who goes by the name Rictavio-a false identity adopted by Rudolph van Richten. He regales tavern patrons with stories so outrageous as to be hardly believable, listening to town gossip as he does so and gathering information on the movements of Vargas's and Strahd's men. He's stays at the inn whenever he can, taking advantage of Urwin Martikov's generosity and good nature. He also provides the Keepers of the Feather with information and help when needed.
Rictavio admits to having no musical talent but manages to entertain locals nonetheless with his stories of faraway places.

WINE STORAGE

This hallway contains three curtained alcoves as well as a larger area stuffed with wine barrels. The Martikovs store their wine here. All the barrels have the Wizard of Wines name burned into them. There are nine barrels of Purple Grapemash No. 3 and Six of Red Dragon Crush.

KITCHEN

This room looks like the kitchen of someone who loves to cook. It has piles of pots, walls lined with utensils and shelves of ingredients, and all manner of pleasant odors. Two lanterns hang above a sturdy pine worktable in the middle of the clutter. A pot of soup bubbles on the hearth.

Urwin Martikov, who prepares most of the meals, is found here throughout the day. He occasionally receives help from his two boys, but they are easily distracted. A cupboard against the east wall holds most of the inn's supply of cutlery and dishware, none of it valuable. A door in the west wall leads outside and is usually barred from the inside.

STABLE

The sliding wooden doors on the west wall of this room are held shut by an iron lock and chain. Urwin carries the key to the lock. The doors to the north and south can be barred shut from the inside but are usually unlocked.

You hear the squawking of birds and the plaintive whinny of a horse as you peer inside this stable. The stalls are clean and well maintained. One of them contains a gray mare. A small door is set into the east wall, and a wooden ladder gives access to a loft overhead. Perched on the wooden railing that encloses the loft are dozens of ravens.

Any character who has a horse can keep it here for 1 sp per night. The gray mare is a draft horse named Drusilla, and she likes apples. The horse belongs to Rictavio (see area N2c). The small door in the east wall can be pulled open to reveal area N2g. The loft is described in area N2h.

RAVENS' LOFT

Dim light spilling in through a pair of dirt-encrusted windows reveals piles of hay with pitchforks sticking out of them. Ravens rule this roost-you can see hundreds of them.

GUEST ROOMS

These two rooms have identical furnishings. Two cozy beds with matching footlockers rest in the far corners of this fifteen-foot-square room. Wolf furs are heaped atop each bed. Between the beds, a lamp sits on a table under a shuttered window. Two tall black ward robes stand against the wall by the door. The door to this room can be locked from the inside, and each guest gets a key. Urwin and Danika carry spare keys. The footlockers and wardrobes are empty and are for the use of guests..

Boys' Bedroom

A large, painted toy box rests between two small, cozy beds. Murals of ravens in flight are painted on the walls above the wood paneling.

Brom and Bray Martikova don't spend much time in this room. The toy box contains:a pile of neglected toys, many of them etched with the slogan· "Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!" The toys include the following:
A miniature puppet theater with appropriately sized marionette of a king, a queen, a prince, a princess, an executioner, a tax collector, a dunce, a vampire, and a vampire hunter
A garish toy Vistani wagon hitched to a wooden horse and filled with tiny wooden Vistani figures
A pair of painted wooden clown masks, one displaying a mean scowl and the other a frightened expression
A wooden top painted with images of scarecrows chasing children through the forest
, A stuffed (real) bat on puppet strings

MASTER BEDROOM

Matching end tables flank a large wood-framed bed with a red silk canopy. Across from the bed hangs a tapestry depicting a beautiful mountain valley. The other walls are dominated by a fireplace and a wardrobe.
Urwin and Danika retire to this room every night before heading to the attic (area N2q) to sleep. This room is for appearances only and contains no valuables.
A secret door at the west end of the south wall can be pulled open to reveal the loft beyond (area N2h). A hidden trapdoor in the 8-foot-high ceiling opens into
a secret attic (area N2q).