A commune below,
A madhouse above,
The town of Krekz,
Fits like a glove.

Grave robbers at night,
A pool of true light,
Such a muddle of messages,
What’s wrong and what’s right?

A death in the family,
And mongrels set loose,
This place is unbalanced,
And you’re trapped in it’s noose.

But surely the Abbot,
A man of the cloth,
Will calm your frayed nerves,
With his veges and rabbit.

A hot meal, some wine,
And sensible company,
Why it’s another fine day,
In fair Barovia!

The Abbot ushered you to the table, setting steaming hot bowls of rabbit and vegetable stew in front of you (after Zandeyr had given you a subtle nod of approval following his taste test). His movements and presence continued to impress on you a sense of great grace, though you couldn’t pinpoint why that was. A task that become all the harder once he started to tell the story of his history in the Abbey.

He claimed to have arrived over a century ago, coming here to continue the noble legacy of Saint Markovia. At first he continued to run the Abbey as she had, a shelter for the downtrodden and ill, healing the sick and tending the old. At some point in his duties, a family of inbred lepers going by the name Belview arrived and petitioned for shelter.

The Abbot took them in gladly, and set about trying to cure their maladies. He succeeded in removing the leprosy, for which they were eternally grateful. He explained however that the Belview’s had a very unusual view of their humanity, insisting they not merely be cured, but improved. They wanted to merge their human souls with those of animals, seeing that as an ultimate expression of god’s will.

Being a man of good faith, the Abbot took them at their word, and started experimenting with blending human and beast. Alas his early attempts proved less than viable, and he struggled to help the Belview’s with their desires, with many fatalities. They were not deterred however, continuing to breed with each other and provide more fodder for experimentation.

One day a stranger arrived at the Abbey, introducing himself as Vasili von Holtz. The Abbot could sense the man was evil, but he was also able to offer great insights into the biological process the Abbot was pursuing — so great, indeed, that the Abbot found himself trusting the man despite his nature.

The effect of this forbidden lore on the Belview subjects was immediate — suddenly the Abbot was creating the merged species the Belview’s dreamed of. Strange combinations of man and spider, woman and wolf, and everything in between became possible. There were of course still failures, but the strike rate grew immensely. Flying was very high on the request list — you would have seen the result of one outside. Unfortunately she must be kept chained up due to a less than balanced mind.

The Belview’s kept breeding with each other too, and the results were often bizarre — but they were happy. Mind you, they were also slowly getting madder and madder. So much so that the Abbot now keeps over 60 of them caged up in the western wing of the Abbey. He took some offence when you referred to them as animals, saying he preferred the term ‘mongrelfolk’, as they were more than animal, even if slightly less than human.

At this point you were confused and horrified by equal measures. Who was this person, and what had he created? His presence had such a powerful aura, and yet he was complicit in the creation of what could only be described as abominations to the Morninglord — and any sane person or god. Equally confusing was his openness — he was making no effort to hide what he had done, and was still doing.

Garn and Viktor subtly cast their spells to detect what kind of person this man was, and both were shocked to discover he was a celestial being — but an evil one?! You also determined there was an object of great holy power somewhere in the vicinity of the large sun icon hanging above the hearth — could this be the Tome Madam Eva had foretold?

Zane meanwhile had spent the time during the conversation studying the Abbot carefully, looking for any clues that might help should things turn ugly. Even Zane’s nerves were rattled when he determined that the Abbot was a man of great power, doubling at least the proficiency and constitution of any of your group. This would not be a fight to be entered into lightly.

Zandeyr too was not idle, and had been quietly examining the pale and listless woman who sat with you. His skin crept as he noticed she appeared to be sewn together, with stitching around her wrists, shoulders, and even her face. It was fine work, but it was also disturbing. More disturbing was that she barely responded when he took her hand, and that that hand had no pulse.

The Abbot continued his story, led by your increasingly concerned questioning and probing. He revealed that the mysterious visitor who had revealed the secrets of breeding was eventually unveiled as Strahd von Zarovich himself. He confessed that he found himself empathising with the Dread Lord, finding his story compelling and deserving of sympathy.

Strahd had apparently once loved a Barovian woman named Tatyana deeply, but she did not return his affections. Worse still, she fell for Strahd’s brother Sergei and they were to be betrothed. This sequence of events drove Strahd to despair, and in his despair he murdered Sergei before the marriage could take place. The killing of Sergei cursed both Strahd and Barovia, the land over which he ruled.

The Abbot became convinced over many years of study and meditation — and consultation with Strahd — that the curse could be lifted if only Strahd could find true love once more. Reuniting Strahd with Tatyana — or a substitute — would break the dread curse he had entered into on that fateful night, freeing both Strahd and Barovia.

As he spoke, the Abbot suddenly recalled he had not introduced Vasilka, his wordless companion. He told her to welcome you, and she responded by slowly looking to each of you and bowing her head. She did not speak, and soon went back to blankly staring into nothingness.

He then calmly explained how he had built her for Strahd. From the remains of Krezk villagers the mongrelfolk retrieved for him. He intends to educate her in the finer points of etiquette and love, before presenting her to Strahd as his bride.

This left you reeling. The pressure in the room seemed to increase with each new revelation, as you struggled to keep a civil tone and not betray your true feelings. You decided you needed to get out of here sooner rather than later, and that meant requesting the help you had come for.

Viktor and Bannor slowly brought the conversation around to Arabelle. The Abbot confirmed he could indeed resurrect the dead, though he claimed it was no small job, demanding much power and focus. Attempts to appeal to his sense of loss and empathy — or indeed the need to introduce more good to this accursed land — didn’t seem to convince him in the slightest, as he talked of scales and balance in the world that should not be meddled with except in dire circumstances.

Eventually you stumbled on a theme that seemed to spark his interest. Realising that his drive to remove the curse was paramount, you proposed that maybe Arabelle was destined to the the bride that Strahd had so long sought. Perhaps if she was to live, the land and it’s master would be healed. Zandeyr also chimed in, pointing out apologetically that — and no offence meant — Vasilka was extremely unlikely to satisfy one as ancient and learned as Strahd. She was a fine… speciman, but she was barely alive, let alone the salvation for Strahd’s curse.

Even as you spoke these words you almost choked them back, realising the implications, but it was too late. The Abbot pounced on them, relishing the possibility, and he also sensed your unease.

He asked if you would be willing to give Arabelle to Strahd. If she grew of age, and Strahd came calling, would you give this innocent to the Devil Strahd.

Again you felt you minds bruised with confusion and your souls confronted. But you forced out the words he wanted to hear, that you would if it were her own choice, free from any influence or compulsion. You felt like you were betraying some unknown force as you spoke through gritted teeth.

He seemed pleased. Almost excited. But he had one more twist.

He asked if you were aware of the recent death of the Burgomaster’s child, Ilya. When you said you were, he told you how their family had established and run Krezk for many a century, and that with the death of Ilya came the likely death of Krezk, for who would rule in their place? So he posed a question to you: given he has but one ressurection to grant, who would you choose — Ilya, or Arabelle?

An impossible choice lay before you. Bannor and Zandeyr argued strongly for Ilya, believing Krezk needed the Krezkov family more than the Vistani needed Arabelle — and putting your own needs above the citizens of Krezk seemed too selfish to consider. Viktor and Zane pushed for the opposite, saying that your were here under a promise — almost an oath — and to break that would be tantamount to betrayal. Viktor also made the strong argument that Arabelle’s death was in some ways your own doing, your lack of intervention as you watched Bluto tip the struggling sack into the lake still haunting his — and all of your — thoughts.

This was enough to convince Zandeyr, and Xarann and Garn siding with father and son allowed Bannor to gracefully withdraw his claim. The Abbot listened to your decision with interest, placing your needs above those of Krezk clearly intrigued him. But he was also pleased that the vision of Arabelle with Strahd may one day be realised.

He smiled and you watched with amazement as, with no ceremony and little of the effort he had earlier spoken, he placed his hands on Arabelle, closed his eyes, and within seconds her chest heaved a massive gasping breath inwards, and her eyes sprung open. She was alive!

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After calming her — helped by the Abbot himself who seemed to bless her in some way that steadied her panicked nerves — she asked a few tentative questions about what had happened. Somehow her possible betrothal to Strahd was raised, and before you could stop him the Abbot explained to her why.

At first horrified, she suddenly shook her head as if to free it of some thought, and declared that he was probably no match for her, given her great intelligence. You noticed she also started fixing her hair and commenting on her lovely looks — comparing them most favourably to poor Vasilka. Xarann and Garn took her to a quiet corner of the room to settle.

You thanked him deeply for what he had done. He nodded and told you he would revive Ilya soon too — the choice he had given you clearly more of a moral test for him to enjoy than any real limitation to his powers. Your sense of horror returned with a vengeance.

Zane was desperate to get out of there, but there was still the mystery of the object hidden somewhere in the sun decoration. Viktor started to query the Abbot closely, trying to get him to question his motives and actions. It was a fruitless task, as he was clearly convinced of the path he had chosen — he was following the Morninglord’s guidance after all.

You also tried to pry out of him whether a Vistani wanderer had been here recently, knowing that Madam Eva’s other prophecy foretold that a Vistani who could help you would be located in this Monastery. The Abbot became noticeably more reticent at this point, his answers shorter, and lacking in detail. “There were often Vistani visiting, delivering wine, but none stayed long”. “Perhaps there had been a woman more recently, but he had not noted anything special”. “All Vistani wander, so asking if there was one who did not stay in one place for long was nonsensical”.

Eventually you had to be blunt, and asked if you could study the sun symbol more closely. The Abbot paused, looking behind him at the object, before nodding acquiescence. Viktor, Bannor and Zane approached it for closer study, while Zandeyr tried to distract the Abbot with detailed conversation about the ‘mending’ process that had created Vasilka. Bannor had several closer looks at the wall and sun sculpture, but could see nothing of note. It reminded you of his struggles with the wickerman, and the famous stories of Mister Marko’s epic trap finding failures. What is it about Rogues?

Zandeyr’s ploy didn’t work — the Abbot seemed to have a preternatural sense of what was going on around him, stopping Bannor the moment he started to inch his way up the wall to the hanging symbol. Zane meanwhile had made his way up the wooden stairs toward the landing above, hoping for a better angle on things. As he moved toward the landing, the lovely stringed music grew louder, in stark contrast to what he glimpsed lay above: a plinth with a body laid upon it, covered in a black cloth.

He looked away quickly, and down the face of the wall from above. And he saw something — the wall fell behind the sun symbol, but there was clearly a niche of some kind hidden there. The artefact you sought must be there.

Zane retreated back downstairs and whispered his findings to Viktor, who immediately asked the Abbot what lay there. The Abbot shrugged and said it was merely a book. When you asked if you could study it, he shook his head and said your minds were not ready for it. Nothing you said could convince him.

You were so close. But Zane’s earlier warning was clear in your minds — this was not a fight you wanted to have.

You made your farewells, thanking the Abbot profusely for what he had done, despite your deep reservations about his motives. He said you were more than welcome to return, and thanked you in kind, explaining that it was a long time since he had had such a stimulating discussion — it was not often ethics, divinity, and the nature of good and evil were the food of his dialogues with others.

As you exited the town, you managed to convince Arabelle to hide herself so as not to add to the Burgomaster’s recent loss. He met you and was sorry to hear your mission had failed. He asked if it was worth his while making his own pilgrimage to the Abbot to beg his assistance with Ilya. You told him it was, though perhaps not immediately. He thanked you, and farewelled you sadly as you left the walled village.

A slow journey through the shrouded woods of Barovia took you back to the Vistani camp, where you witnessed the deeply moving reunion of father and daughter. A hug that seemed to never end and tears of joy and love made the time spent in the nightmare of the Abbot’s company seem almost worth it.

Luvash eventually turned his attention to you, his face full of wonder and gratitude: “Come, my brothers, come tell me what you need. We are yours to command.”

Session played: October 28 2019