This church is dedicated to the Sorted/Morninglord and named after St. Andral, whose bones once rested under the altar (see the 'Bones of St. Andral" section).
Non-Playable Characters:
This slouching, centuries-old stone church has a bulging steeple in the back and walls lined with cracked, stained glass windows depicting pious saints. A fence of wrought iron encloses a garden of gravestones next to the church.
A thin mist creeps among the graves. This church is dedicated to the Sorted/Morninglord and named after St. Andra!, whose bones once rested under the altar (see the i'Bones of St. Andra!" section). Father Lucian Petrovich (LG male human priest) oversees the church·and does his best to raise spirits. Assisting him is an orphan and altar boy named Yeska (LG male human noncombatant). A brawny lad with a perpetually furrowed brow named Milivoj (see below) tends the grounds and digs graves.
At night, the church is pa.ckd ith 2d6 + 6 frightened Vallakian adults (LG male and female human commoners) and 2d6 equally terrified Vallakian children (LG male and female human noncombatants). Father Lucian offers his nightly congregate in his prayers and the promise of St. Andral's protection. Among Father Lucian's nightlyflock is a sa"d old oman named Wllemina Rikalova. Her son, the shoemaker Udo Lukovich, has been imprisoned for speaking out against the burgomaster
(see area N3m). She prays that her son will be set free.
Milivoj (N male human commoner) is rarely seen without a shovel, which he wields like a club. Modify his statistics as follows:
, His Strength is 15 (+2).
, His melee weapon attack bonus is +4, and he deals 4 (ld4 + 2) bludgeoning damage when he hits with the blunt head of his shovel.
Milivoj rejects the burgomaster's proclamation that "All will be well!" and is frustrated that he can't protect his younger siblings. He wants to be free of Barovia's curse but sees no hope of escape.
BONES OF ST. ANDRAL
Until recently, the church was protected from Strahd's depredations by the bones of St. Andra!, which were sealed in a crypt beneath the church's main altar. But now the church is at risk because someone broke into the crypt a few nights ago and stole the bones. Until recently, Father Lucian was the only person in Vallaki who knew about the bones, but he recalls mentioning them to Yeska over a month ago to put the fearful boy at ease.
After the bones were stolen, Father Lucian asked Yeska if he told anyone else about the bones. The boy nodded but wouldn't divulge a name.
The culprit is Milivoj, whom Father Lucian correctly suspects. But the priest has been reluctant to confront Milivoj because the lad is so ter;nperamental. Father Lucian has not reported tqe theft for fear of the distress
.• that thi ·es i:riig'taue. ad he doesn't want to rin the burgomaster's festival If the party includes a good-aligned cleric or ·paladin, Father Lucian ri(nti.on.s the theft in the hope that the characters can provide assistance.
St. Andral's crypt is a 10-foot-square, 5-foot high chamber beneath the chapel. To reach the crypt, Milivoj used his shovel to pry up the chapel floorboards. (The boards
have since been replaced.) If one of the characters confronts Milivoj and succeeds on a DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check, he admits that Yeska told him about the bones. He also admits to passing along the information to Henrik van der Voort, the local coffin maker (area N6), and to stealing the bones for Henrik in return for money to help feed his younger sisters and brothers.
The theft of the bones has left the church vulnerable to attack by Strahd's minions (see "St. Andral's Feast" in the "Special Events" section at the end of this chapter). If the bones are returned to their resting place, St. Andral's church once again becomes hallowed ground, as though the building was protected by a hallow spell.
Father Lucian Petrovich (LG male human priest) oversees the church and does his best to raise spirits. Assisting him is an orphan and altar boy named Yeska (LG male human noncombatant). A brawny lad with a perpetually furrowed brow named Milivoj (see below) tends the grounds and digs graves.
Among Father Lucian's nightly-flock is a sad old woman named Willemina Rikalova. Her son, the shoemaker Udo Lukovich, has been imprisoned for speaking out against the burgomaster (see area N3m).
#### ST. ANDRAL's CHURCH
This slouching, centuries-old stone church has a bulging steeple in the back and walls lined with cracked, stained glass windows depicting pious saints. A fence of wrought iron encloses a garden of gravestones next to the church.
A thin mist creeps among the graves.
This church is dedicated to the Morninglord and named after St. Andral, whose bones once rested under the altar .
Father Lucian Petrovich oversees the church and the local orphanage, he does his best to raise spirits of the locals.
Assisting him is an orphan and altar boy named Yeska, a brawny lad with a perpetually furrowed brow named Milivoj tends the grounds and digs graves.
At night, the church is packed with 2d6 + 6 frightened Vallakian adults and 2d6 equally terrified Vallakian children. Father Lucian offers his nightly congregation his prayers and the prom
ise of St. Andral's protection. Among Father Lucian's nightly-flock is a sad old woman named Willemina Rikalova. Her son, the shoemaker Udo Lukovich, has been imprisoned for speaking out against the burgomaster . She prays that her son will be set free.
Milivoj is rarely seen without a shovel, which he wields like a club. Modify his statistics as follows: , His melee weapon attack bonus is +4, and he deals 4 (ld4 + 2) bludgeoning damage when he hits with the blunt head of his shovel.
Milivoj rejects the burgomaster's proclamation that "All will be well!" and is frustrated that he can't protect his younger siblings. He wants to be free of Barovia's curse but sees no hope of escape.
Bones of St. Andral
Until recently, the church was protected from Strahd's armies by the bones of St. Andral, which were sealed in a crypt beneath the church's main altar. But now the church is at risk because of Baron Vargas and his crusade against the church of the Morninglord. Father Lucian is worried that they are no longer safe in the church and does not want the Baron's men to desecrate them. But the bones are also the church and its followers defence in the town and the priest is now at the crossroads of a difficult decision.
But the decision was made for him when the bones went missing. He suspects Milivoj and asks the party to help him recover the bones as it pains him too much to accuse one of his "sons".
St. Andral's crypt is a 10-foot-square, 5-foot high chamber beneath the chapel. To reach the crypt, Milivoj used his shovel to pry up the chapel floorboards. (The boards have since been replaced.) If one of the characters confronts Milivoj and succeeds on an Intimidation check, he admits that Yeska told him about the bones. He also admits to passing along the information to Henrik van der Voort, the local coffin maker (area N6), and to stealing the bones for Henrik in return for money to help feed his younger sisters and brothers.
The theft of the bones has left the church vulnerable to attack by Strahd's minions (see "St. Andral's Feast" in the "Special Events" section at the end of this chapter). If the bones are returned to their resting place, St. Andral's church once again becomes hallowed ground, as though the building was protected by a hallow spell. These bones belong to Argynvost and if they are returned to Argynvostholt, they will restore the honour of the knights and bring peace to Argynvost's spirit.
Inhabitants:
Lucian Petrovich (Priest)
Yeska (Altar Boy)
Milivoj (Gravedigger)
At Night:
2d6+6 commoners (adults)
2d6 children
Willemina Rikalova (sad old woman)
St Andrals Feast
The Feast of St. Andral
According to the RAW material, this event is pretty rushed and barren. I briefly went over some of the problems with the canon quest at the end of this Vallaki post, which I won't reiterate. Instead, I'll focus on reorganizing and running the quest, as well as the potential consequences in its aftermath.
Rather than a simple event or an exciting fight, the Feast of St. Andral has several different parts all connecting and interweaving. It's both a search quest, a who-dun-it quest, and a potential disaster event. Don't expect to handle it all in one session, but rather stretch it out and weave it into the main story.
Searching for the Bones
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Setting up the Quest
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The Church
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Lucian will happily show the players the location where the bones used to be in an effort to aid their search. He'll first make sure the church is otherwise empty and tell Yeska to watch the doors.
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The altar at the head of the church is a large, stone dais carved with sun motifs. There's a small switch on the underside of the altar's lip that allows the altar to be slid out of the way, revealing a short staircase down into a tiny crypt. The crypt itself is no more than a 10x10 room with stone walls and a long stone table. St. Andral's bones used to lay atop the slab before they were stolen.
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THE BONES MUST BE PLACED ON THE SLAB TO RECONSECRATE THE CHURCH. SIMPLY HAVING THE BONES ON SITE AT THE CHURCH WON'T HELP. That's all. Sorry for the scary caps, but ya know. Important details and all that.
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If the players question Lucian and Yeska, refer to my NPC post for their personalities.
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The Orphanage
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No matter how the questioning goes at the church, the PCs should next find themselves looking for Milivoj.
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The players can find the teenager at St Andrals Orphange, where they'll follow a mini adventure. While technically, yes, the orphanage is an optional step in the search for the bones, I feel like it adds some much needed pacing to the story. Otherwise, determined players could blast their way straight to the coffin shop and into disaster. This'll help stretch things out and give players time to acclimate to Vallaki.
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Optionally, either before or after the Orphanage is a great time to have Ernst Larnak approach the party and invite them to Wachterhaus to meet Fiona.
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The Coffin Shop
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Henrik is a dead eyed loner and isn't much of a conversationalist. He's the kind of guy that only says one word when he can't get away with answering in grunts. He's an older man and has been completely worn down by the passive horror of Barovia. He finds no joy in life but also knows that death must be worse and so fears dying. Overall, Henrik is a super depressing individual. Play him like a more mature, dour version of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh and you'll be on the right track.
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Questioning Henrik
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Once again, Henrik is incredibly reticent. Your players should find him a bit frustrating to talk to. If players get into the shop, Henrik tells them to simply get out. He doesn't threaten to get guards as Henrik certainly doesn't want the authorities to find the vampires upstairs.
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If asked about the bones, Henrik denies any knowledge of them. The phrase, "I don't know what you're talking about." should come up a lot. Rolling decent insight will easily tell players that Henrik is lying, but his answers remain steadfast.
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If the players actively threaten Henrik, either with bodily harm or threatening to report the man to the authorities, Henrik will relinquish that the bones are upstairs, but he doesn't say exactly where. He doesn't mention the vampires at all.
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If asked for his motives, Henrik stays silent. Remember that this is a man of few words. He's not about to embellish a whole sob story to the party. Plus, he finds the vampires a lot more threatening than the adventurers.
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Avoiding the Second Floor
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Since the vampires' arrival in his shop, Henrik has been completely avoiding the second floor. He's got a bedroll against the wall in room B and has been sleeping there for the last few months.
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If players seem keen on taking Henrik upstairs, he absolutely digs in his heels and refuses to ascent the stairs. There isn't a threat in the world that will get him up there and his obvious fear should set off some alarm bells with the players, hopefully making them more cautious.
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If players ask Henrik why he's so afraid, he stays resolutely silent. But his lack of an answer should read as answer enough.
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The vampires won't fight the party simply for a fight. Now that they're awake, their goal is to terrorize Vallaki, not kill the adventurers. Instead of attacking the party, they'll use their actions to disengage and head for the door, moving as quickly as they can.
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Once out on the streets, they'll split up and start taking down townspeople.
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This minor change will help your party survive this as written TPK. The vampire spawn will only fight the party if they are outright cornered and forced to do so.
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A Feast Indeed
The direct text tells us that the Feast event is confined to the church. While the church is definitely a major location throughout this quest, I changed this, allowing the vampire spawn to run around Vallaki all they wanted, mowing down one person after another.
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The Vampire Spawn
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Overall, the vampire spawn are starved for blood and therefore lack most of their social abilities. They're also under the explicit orders of Strahd to kill and drink from as many different native Vallakians as they can during the Feast until Strahd says stop. Even if they drink enough to regain some of their humanity, they'll continue to hunt down civilians throughout this event.
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If, by chance, you're in need of some spawn role playing, here are some quick options you may use for the spawn present during this event.
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Eren - was once a young farm girl. Once she recovers from her bloodlust and is freed from the event, she flees Vallaki into the woods.
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Vadu - was once a an uneducated peasant with abusive parents. He revels in his vampiric power and will do anything Strahd says.
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Tereska - An honestly cruel individual who lives for the kill.
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Ulrich - was a middle class young man who happened to catch Strahd's eye several decades ago. Once he recovers from his bloodlust and is freed of the event, he recognizes the monster he's become and looks for a way to die.
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Nimira - Desperately seeks Strahd's approval and follows his orders and wishes religiously.
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Rivia - Insane. She has no mind of her own and follows her most beastial instincts.
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Liliana - Delusional and vain. She tries to murder any girl she thinks is prettier than she seduce/bite any man she finds exceptionally handsome. Ugly people are below her regard.
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A Race of Priorities
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As the vampire attack on Vallaki commences, things get crazy. This can be a really fun, chaotic chase sequence as well as a moral dilemma. Do the players prioritize the bones or focus on saving civilians? Do they waste precious time questioning Henrik?
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Dem Bones
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If the single vampire spawn stole the bones, the players can have an exciting chase sequence through Vallaki as they try to run this vampire down. For the sake of plot, I'd have the spawn head for the church. While not entirely the best thing to do on the spawn's part, the church is a beautifully dramatic place for a Strahd encounter. Plus, the church is on the opposite side of town from the coffin shop, giving the chase ample room.
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On the opposite end, if the players manage to grab the bones and run, screaming like banshees as they flee for the church, have a few of the spawn chase them. It'd be the same fun chase sequence, but they're the ones being pursued. ;)
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Helping Civilians
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As the party runs through Vallaki, the screams of civilians will grow as town wide panic erupts.
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Taking the time to corner a single vampire spawn and fight them will definitely give Strahd more time to get to Vallaki. If the party does this multiple times or otherwise takes the time to guide the masses through the disaster, Strahd gets ever closer. Leave it to your DM judgment on when Strahd gets to Vallaki.
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Strahd's Arrival
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When Strahd does make it to Vallaki, give him an entrance. This dude is a complete badass and absolutely terrifying, so be sure to play him as such. Riding a flaming horse across a darkened sky is really impressive.
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Make sure to have the people of Vallaki go absolutely nuts when they see Strahd in the sky. They may even notice the vampire lord before your players do. Yes, vampire spawn are terrifying, but they're nothing compared to legendary Devil himself. As far as Vallakians are concerned, this might as well be the apocalypse.
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Finale
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Location
- The location of this Strahd encounter doesn't really matter. Most likely, it'll happen at the church as the characters try to get the bones in place. However, if it's more logical for your campaign, it can most certainly happen in the streets of Vallaki.
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Meeting Strahd
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Depending on how you've run things up to this point, this might actually be the first time your party is officially meeting Strahd. During this encounter, he has one main goal: destroy the bones of St. Andral.
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However you deem appropriate, have Strahd descend on Beauchephalus and meet the party. Remember that once he's in town, Strahd can easily outpace the party on his nightmare. Flying through the sky, this guy is crazy fast.
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If the party is chasing the spawn with the bones, the spawn flees into the church. When the party enters behind the spawn, they see Strahd standing before the altar and the spawn handing him the sack of bones.
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If the party has the bones and they're running towards the church, they burst through the front doors and see Strahd waiting for them.
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If the party has the bones and is fighting in the streets, Strahd descends and confronts them in the middle of everyone.
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If the party doesn't have the bones and got preoccupied fighting, Strahd descends and meets them in the streets and the spawn runs out and gives him the bones.
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Destroying the Bones
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This is a great role play opportunity to really amp up how utterly overpowered Strahd is to your party. Play this dude like a freaking god. If your players attack him, he bats them away like flies. Strahd has no intention of killing anyone, but instead wants to school them.
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If Strahd has the bones, he makes a show of destroying them with magical fire. Maybe he'll even dramatically and derisively recount the story of St. Andral, which I detailed in this post (https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/90syxm/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_the_church_of_st/), while he does so. Bad guy monologuing is so much fun, after all.
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If Strahd doesn't have the bones, he uses the most quick and efficient methods to retrieve them from the party. Vampire Charm, suggestion and other such spells go a long way. And then he'll go off monologuing and burning anyway.
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Propositioning Ireena
- If Ireena (or the Ireena equivalent PC) is still around, Strahd takes the time compliment and flirt with her a little. He'll politely ask her to join him in his castle and proclaim his love and devotion for her.
- In this instance, Strahd won't use Magic, charm, or force to persuade Ireena. Such methods are only alienating, after all, and he wants Ireena to fall in love with him for real. Even if she overtly refuses him, Strahd remains unfazed. It's only a matter of time in his eyes and this is all part of the courtship. He may even offer Ireena some kind of gift. That's up to you as the DM.
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If the Players Reconsecrate the Church before Strahd Arrives
- After the bones are returned to the crypt, the players successfully reconsecrate the church. If this happens, Strahd awaits them outside the front door and has a super passive aggressive conversation with the party. All the while, the screams of civilians echo through Vallaki.
Aftermath
Following Strahd's appearance and attack on the town, Vallaki goes into high alert. There are more guards on the streets from then on and the party should sense an overall state of unrest amongst the populace. They can still go about their business exploring the town and meeting NPCs, but the conversations will be a bit different, of course.
If the Feast happens and causes a lot of turmoil - or if the timing is just overall wrong - you can have the Burgomaster pass an edict postponing the Festival of the Blazing Sun for a day or two, giving the party more time to recover and explore. You don't want to run one disaster directly on the heels of another. You should try to give a session or two of down time and roleplaying before running the shitstorm that is the Festival. Otherwise, your players will likely feel rushed and disappointed.