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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Endur" data-source="post: 3335889" data-attributes="member: 3346">Thredra responds, "The Count also asked that I congratulate these heroes on their rescue of the village.  "Ismark, you personally were asked to attend so that you could be confirmed in your position as Burgomaster of Barovia, and for one thing more.  It has been many years since the Burgomaster of Barovia has raised rents or taxes on the villagers.  The Count is authorizing you to raise rents and taxes so that a suitable reward could be paid to these adventurers for their efforts.  The Count trusts your judgment on how much to raise in rent and taxes.  The Count will expect an accounting in writing the next time Cyrus visits the village to collect supplies."And now that we have discussed ancient curses and monetary rewards, let us discuss the doom that I mentioned earlier."That grief-stricken fool Danovich caused much death and destruction with his theft of the Liber Blaspheme.  The book was far too dangerous to be read unless equipped with a prepared mind and significant magical protections.  Since then, we have put in place additional protections to make sure that no more of the ancient texts are stolen."Yet there are many coincidences about this whole affair.  Too many coincidences."How did Danovich know when to sneak into the castle and steal that book, only that book from an entire library?"Why did the wolves of the Svalich forest attack Danovich's son in broad daylight in the middle of the village, something they had never done before?"How did Danovich, a priest of Pelor, learn some of the most powerful black magic arts so that he could bring his son back as an abomination and blight Barovia with a zombie plague?"It is too many coincidences to be believed.   Some other agency must be at work.  An evil force that plots destruction for Barovia."There have always been rumors that some of the wolves of the Svalich woods walked on two legs instead of four.  Yet even if the wolves are supernaturally aggressive, that would not explain Danovich's mastery of the black arts."But a coven of Demon-worshipping witches?  That might explain who taught Danovich the black arts.  The witches might even have assisted in casting the Zombie Plague upon Barovia, content to let Danovich take the blame if their fiendish plot failed.  They might have guided Danovich to the book.  They might even have manipulated the wolves into slaying Danovich's son, to provoke Danovich into reading the book."But how would you fight such a coven?  During the day, they would be disguised as normal villagers and go about their business, the hex sign hidden beneath their clothes.  They could be sitting in church next to you, singing hymns.  Any woman in the village could be a member of the coven.  "Unless perhaps you knew where and when the coven gathered.  Then you could obliterate them when they gather and prevent them from casting further plagues of undeath.  "Such a coven could gather anywhere, but if the members met in the village they would not long be a secret.  Likewise, although they could gather together at any time, night would be the time when the fewest people would notice their gathering."If they are casting spells during their gathering, it is possible they may want to go to a site that increases the effects of their summoning spells.  There are few such sites near here.  The most prominent site is the ruins on top of Lysaga hill.  "The witches might also pick a time and date that is most effective for black magic.  Perhaps midnight on the night of the new moon."This is all theory and speculation I have gleaned from ancient texts, of course.  But an educated guess says that if you strike Lysaga Hill on the night of the new moon, you will save Barovia from destruction."It is several weeks before the next night of the new moon.  I am not sure what efforts you could pursue in the meantime, but I am sure you have your own thoughts on the matter.  Perhaps you could drive the wolves away from the village while waiting for the coven to come out into the open."  </blockquote>

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