Session 4: Hans Joins Up

The adventurers’ foray into the cursed land of Barovia continued in the grim shadow of the Morninglord's temple. Having just vanquished Doru, the vampiric spawn of the village priest Donavich, they confronted the weeping father. Overcome with a strange mix of grief, resignation, and perhaps relief, Donavich resigned himself to his fate and whatever consequences were in store for his actions. Seeing an opportunity, the party chose not to enact justice, but to leverage the priest’s sins. They blackmailed Donavich, binding him to their service with the promise of secrecy. His knowledge and position, they reasoned, would be a valuable asset.

A Necessary Deception

Leaving the tormented priest to his thoughts, the party made their way to the Blood of the Vine tavern to report to Ismark, the acting burgomaster. To protect their new clerical asset, they concocted a story: they had discovered a humanoid monster in the cemetery, the likely culprit behind the recent disappearances, and had dispatched it. Ismark, desperate for any good news, accepted their tale.

He then presented them with two pressing tasks. First, he needed help transporting the body of his father, the former Burgomaster Kolyanovich, from their sealed mansion to the church for a proper funeral. Second, and more urgently, he begged the party to escort his sister, Ireena, to the relative safety of the fortified town of Vallaki, far from the predatory gaze of the devil Strahd, who had been harassing her.

The Sickness at the Neizekov House

Their conversation was interrupted by a panicked villager who reported that a man named Dolan Neizekov had fallen gravely ill. Fearing the familiar curse that turned the dead into undead monsters, the neighbors were preparing to board up the family's home, trapping everyone inside. Ismark, overwhelmed, gave the party his leave to investigate.

At the Neizekov home, the adventurers found Dolan on his deathbed, surrounded by his despondent family. While one of the party members, Lorian, attempted to diagnose the man’s physical condition, another, Getafix, went outside and cast Speak with Animals to interview the family’s mule, Hans. The mule revealed that its master had fetched water for him from the town well just before falling ill, and that the water "tasted like shit." A subsequent examination of the water confirmed a subtle, cloying scent of rot and death. The well was clearly the source of the sickness.

Cleansing the Well

As they pieced together the mystery, Dolan Neizekov breathed his last. Within moments, he rose again—no longer a man, but a zombie. The party reacted instantly, dispatching the creature before it could harm its grieving family. After convincing Ismark to lead the family away, the adventurers acquired Hans the mule, hoisted Dolan's body onto its back, and delivered it to Donavich for funeral rites.

After a long rest, the party proceeded to the town well. The stench of death grew stronger as they approached. Dropping a magically summoned frog familiar, "Kitty," down the 50-foot shaft, they discovered the well opened into a large, submerged cistern. At the bottom, five shambling undead corpses waded through the corrupted water.

What followed was a slow, methodical extermination. With Lorian and Gowain rappelling down ropes, they picked off the zombies from a safe distance with crossbow bolts and sacred magic. The creatures, trapped in the watery chamber, stood no chance. After clearing the cistern of the immediate threat, the party began the laborious process of hoisting the bodies out and using magic to purify the town's only source of fresh water, bringing the session to a close at the lip of the now-cleansed well, a pile of corpses at their feet.

Threads/Open Questions