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The bones of St. Andral
After their meeting with the Baron, the party escorted Ireena to St. Andral’s Church, hoping it would be a safe refuge. On the way in, they briefly met Henrik van der Voort, the local coffin maker, before speaking with Father Lucian. He revealed troubling news: the blessed bones of St. Andral—what kept the church hallowed ground and safe from vampires—had been stolen the night before. Unless the bones were recovered before the upcoming festival, the church’s protection would fail, leaving Ireena in danger. The party split up to investigate. Evidence at the crypt suggested the thief escaped through a window, while questioning the altar boy Yeska pointed them toward Milivoj. Confronted at his home, Milivoj eventually confessed that he had stolen the bones for Henrik in exchange for money. The party, along with Father Lucian and Ireena, went to Henrik’s shop at the stockyard. The place was boarded up, and when Henrik refused to open the door, they forced their way inside. Henrik admitted the bones were upstairs but warned them that vampires were hiding there. The party pushed forward anyway. Upstairs, they found the bones—but triggered a poisoned trap in the process. Moments later, vampires attacked from the next room. During the fight, they discovered one of them was Volenta Popofsky, one of Strahd’s favored minions. The party managed to defeat the vampires and recover the bones, but Volenta escaped through a window. Without hesitation, Caspian leapt after her, beginning a rooftop chase through Vallaki as the session came to a close.
The bones of St. Andral
- After their tense encounter with the Baron Vargas Vallakovich, the party escorted Ireena toward St. Andral’s Church, hoping to secure her safety. As they entered the church grounds, Caspian narrowly avoided colliding with a passerby—only to sidestep another person who stumbled and spilled a handful of nails across the ground. The flustered man introduced himself as Henrik van der Voort, the local coffin maker and occasional carpenter. He mentioned that his shop was located at the south end of the Arasek Stockyard before hurrying off.
- Inside the church, the party approached Father Lucian Petrovich, the priest of St. Andral’s Church. Avery led the conversation, explaining that they had been sent by Shaggy to escort Ireena here for protection. The discussion was interrupted by Milivoj, who regarded the party with open hostility. He asked whether Father Lucian wanted him to escort “these outsiders” from the church grounds. Father Lucian dismissed the suggestion and ordered Milivoj away.
- Once alone, Father Lucian revealed troubling news. The church had long been protected as hallowed ground by the blessed bones of St. Andral, preventing vampires from entering. However, the bones had been stolen the previous night. Unless they were recovered before the Festival of St. Andral, the protective ward would fail, leaving both the church and Ireena vulnerable. He also admitted that the only person he had told about the bones was an eight-year-old altar boy named Yeska.
- The party split up to investigate. Kaz and Avery examined the crypt and its surroundings, discovering a strand of short black hair, disturbed dirt, white flower petals, and a large footprint beneath a window—suggesting the thief had escaped that way. Meanwhile, Sophia and Caspian questioned Yeska. The boy insisted he hadn’t told anyone about the bones, but admitted he had seen Milivoj digging near their resting place and overheard part of a suspicious conversation. When the group regrouped, all evidence pointed toward Milivoj.
- Father Lucian led them to Milivoj’s home. A woman answered the door, children playing around her while others peeked nervously from behind furniture. When Avery asked for Milivoj, one child claimed he was sick. Avery pressed the matter, and Milivoj soon appeared from upstairs, several children clinging to him like branches. The moment he saw the party, he went pale, gently ushered the children away, and listened as the group confronted him. After much reluctance, Henrik's request, tempted by the promise of money.
- With Father Lucian and Ireena in tow, the party made their way to Henrik the Coffin Maker’s Shop. Every window was boarded over, preventing any view inside. Caspian attempted to pick the locks on both the front and back doors, only to find them already destroyed after Henrik refused to let them in. In response, Avery kicked in the back door.
- Inside, they found Henrik waiting for them, already aware of why they had come. He told them the bones were upstairs and offered to return them—on the condition that the party deal with the vampires currently residing there. At the mention of vampires, both Sophia and Caspian stiffened before Sophia charged upstairs, Caspian close behind.
- They located the bones in an upstairs room, Kaz stepping protectively in front of Caspian as Sophia opened the closet containing them. A hidden trap dart coated with poison shoots out and hits Sophia in the hand. Out from the closet a noisemaker starts screeching "Is no fun, is no Blinsky!". As the party attempted to escape, vampires emerged from the adjacent room, forcing them into battle.
- #battle As the fight raged on, Caspian’s fury grew when he realized that one of their foes was Volenta Popofsky, one of Strahd's favored minions. The party managed to defeat the vampire spawns, except Volenta, who fled through a window. Without hesitation, Caspian leapt after her, following the scent of her blood into the streets below.
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