Vishnadd
In the near darkness of the clammy cellar, Gabrielle Aderre sat on the floor in a corner, mindless of the broken glass and pool of blood-red wine. The words of her mother echoed relentlessly in her memory.
"The Mists take you, traitor. May you know your child's betrayal and realize too late the depths of its evil!"
Gazing into her son's eyes before he locked her away, Gabrielle had at last realized the meaning of Isabella's curse. The illusions that had cloaked her mind slipped away, and she had remembered, Malocchio's father.
She screamed then, as the winged beast clawed in her unshackled memory, gloating over his conquest. Gabrielle hurled all the wine bottles she could find against the cellar walls, fighting the remembered fiend. In her shattered mind, he spoke with her mother's voice.
"A man, a babe, a home - these things can never be for you, Gabrielle, for tragedy will be the only result."
As her sanity slipped away, Gabrielle Aderre sobbed in a corner, oblivious to the pool of blood-red wine that seeped slowly across the cold stone floor towards her.
One of the more spectacular estates along the river, known as old Haptmeyer residence or simply "Cliff House" by the townspeople, has been largely deserted for the past seven years, ever since the deaths of Lord and Lady Haptmeyer. According to local tales, Lady Haptmeyer found her husband in the arms of a pretty house servant, and during the violent argument that ensued, the noble pair battled on a high balcony, plummeting over the edge to their watery deaths. The destruction of the Haptmeyers was one of Gabrielle's early triumphs as lord of Invidia.
When returning to Karina for the Carnival, Gabrielle chose to use the estate as her home base for old time's sake. Posing as a long-lost relative of the Haptmeyers, Gabrielle brought a few of her furnishings from Castle Loupet to turn the desolate manor into a home away from home.
Malocchio is now master of Cliff House. Having grown remarkably during the first night of Fulltide, the unnatural young man took her unawares when she returned from her last encounter with the player characters. With the help of the servants he had stolen away from her, he robbed her even of the illusion of being in control and locked her in the wine cellar. Then he went the day amidst the citizens of Karina, taunting and breaking them as he pleases. Should the heroes be in town, the Dungeon Master may wish to stage an encounter with the new, more powerful Malocchio. Unless summoned by his raven guardians, he returns to the estate at dusk.
Getting There
Locating Cliff House is not difficult. After accepting the sphere of binding from Marcella, the heroes and Raul can easily locate the Haptmeyer estate by asking directions at one of the outlying farmhouses, although they will be warned that it is haunted. As the heroes pass farm houses on their way to the estate, they hear the sounds of children playing and babies crying, echoing the haunting by Leyla.
The heroes are not alone in their interest of Cliff House. Both Matton Blanchard and the Midnight Slasher also have business at the Haptmeyer estate: one for love, the other for revenge. Even if the heroes refuse to join Matton's service, they encounter the wolfwere near the entrance of the estate. Scared away by the ravens, he was planning to wait until dark before approaching the house. Now that he sees the heroes, he will attempt to join them, begging for their aid if he must. It is clear that it pains him to do so.
Finally, the Midnight Slasher has been spying on the estate, hoping for an opportunity to catch her hated enemy, Gabrielle Aderre, unawares. She will use any disruption created by the heroes as an opportunity to sneak into the mansion.
The Haptmeyer estate stretches from the Curricula road to the cliffs towering above the Noisette river. A two-story mansion with a steeply-peaked roof and large, leadlined windows that stare darkly from its facade, Cliff House stands at edge of the precipice, sternly overlooking the ashen waters below.
The manor house is surrounded by a few low outbuildings and a ring of brightly colored sugar maples, now at the height of their fall colors. Spreading out from the manor house along the river, long rows of vineyards are tangled and overgrown after years of neglect.
Formerly one of the most spectacular residences along the Noisette, the estate is now a lamentable state of disrepair. Despite its deserted appearance, the outer boundaries of the estate hold several dangers for intruders. A variety of wild animals, including poisonous snakes, giant ravens, and dire wolves - all summoned by Malocchio - slink about the outer estate, serving as guardians. These creatures tend to congregate in specific areas of the estate, as detailed below, but it is still possible to encounter groups of wild animals wandering among the outbuildings and vineyards.
For each turn that the heroes spend outside Cliff House, there is a 1 in 10 chance of encountering 2-7 poisonous snakes, 2-8 giant ravens, or 2-5 dire wolves. These animals will attack the heroes immediately and pursue them either to the boundary of the estate, or the threshold of Cliff House. The animals will neither leave the estate nor enter Cliff House unless given permission by the Dukkar.
A large scale map of the estate has been included on the colored Map Sheet. Important areas of interest are detailed below.
Poisonous Snakes (2-7): INT Animal (1); AL N; AC 6; MV 15; HD 2+1; hp 12 each; THACO 19; #AT 1; Dmg: 1; SA: Poison; SZ S; ML 8; MM/320; XP 175.A. VineyardsGiant ravens (2-8): INT Animal (1); AL N; AC 6; MV 3, Fl 18 (D); HD 3+2; hp 16 each; THACO 17; #AT 1; Dmg: 3-6; SZ S; ML 12; MM/27; XP 175.
Dire wolves (2-5): INT Low (6); AL N; AC 6; MV 18; HD 4+4; hp 28 each; THACO 15; #AT 1; Dmg: 2d4; SZ L; ML 10; MM/362; XP 270.
The vines of the Haptmeyer estate were once known to yield the best red wines of Karina. Now the snarled vines have produced nothing but food and shelter for birds and a variety of small animals. The vineyards could provide excellent cover for the party, should they decide to approach Cliff House stealthily. To thwart such an advance, Malocchio has summoned a dozen poisonous snakes, which have curled themselves among the snarled grapevines. While not fatal, the serpents' poison causes 2-8 hit points of damage, and a numbing paralysis that lasts for 2-8 turns (saving throw negates, onset time 1-6 rounds).
B. Outbuildings
The outbuildings, once used as wine production facilities, have stood vacant for the past seven years; all of the serviceable wine making equipment was carted away long ago for use at the other local wineries. The great barn now serves more sinister purpose, and curious explorers are in store for a grisly sight. Over fifteen servants and bodyguards perished during the fight between Gabrielle and Malocchio. Their bodies were deposited in the open building, where they were discovered by some of the dire wolves. Now halfeaten corpses scatter the area, along with 3-12 dire wolves. The animals are sleeping, and will rest in the barn unless awakened by clumsy explorers or summoned by Malocchio.
C. Stables and Carriage House
Of all the outbuildings on the estate, only the stables and carriage house have seen recent use for their original purpose. The outer doors to these buildings have been shut to keep out the wild animals patrolling the estate.
Inside, explorers will find a team of six black draft horses in the stables, well fed and recently tended, along with tack, harness, saddles, and feed. A new carriage and wagon sit in the carriage house, used to transport Gabrielle and her entourage from Loupet to Karina for the festival. The servants that tended these areas either died in the recent struggle between Malocchio or Gabrielle or are now stationed inside the manor.
D. Silver Maples
Several silver maples skirt the perimeter of the estate. Amidst their neon yellow and bright orange leaves roost a large flock of giant ravens, Malocchio's primary allies. The ravens perch in separate trees, making it impossible to dispatch them all with a single spell; they can congregate in a single spot within a single round to repel unwanted intruders. The sturdy birds are two to three feet tall, with wingspans of 9-10 feet. Their calls alert the guards inside Cliff House of visitors, and one or two birds will be dispatched to fly circles around Karina. This sign is a clear summons for Malocchio, who teleports home immediately.
E. Cliff House
After the strange deaths of Lord and Lady Haptmeyer, greedy relatives and thieves stripped the estate of furnishings and valuables. The majority of Cliff House is empty and contains little of interest for the party. A floor plan for the old mansion has been provided on the color map included with this adventure.
Malocchio has stationed Gabrielle's former bodyguards inside Cliff House to guard Gabrielle during his absence (designated by an B on the floor plan). When the heroes approach within fifty yards of the house, the guards stationed near the windows open fire with their bows. After the heroes have infiltrated the house, the guards set up an ambush in the great hall. The charmed guards will fight to the death to prevent the heroes from reaching the wine cellar, where Gabrielle is imprisoned.
Bodyguards (8); AC 7; MV 9; F3; hp 18 each; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon (short sword: 1-6); AL NE; THACO 18. Studded leather, light crossbows, and longswords.Furnishings and Decor
Except for the two simply-furnished bedrooms, the well-stocked kitchen, and the dining hall, Cliff House is mostly empty, filled with nothing but old broken furniture, fallen plaster from the ceilings, and musty cobwebs in the dark corners. All of the new furniture was recently imported by Gabrielle for the Carnival; since she did not plan to spend much time in Cliff House, except as a place to rest in between her amusements, she did not bother to bring enough furniture to fill the entire mansion. In Gabrielle's well-appointed chamber upstairs, the heroes find a pouch filed with 2-8 pieces of gold jewelry (worth 100-600 gp each), Gabrielle's spellbook (containing the spells listed in the introduction), and her tarokka deck, all in a locked chest by her four-poster bed. Malocchio's chamber contains no treasure.
The majority of Cliff House has been left for the Dungeon Master to fill with whatever additional furnishings, treasures, and adventure hooks as are appropriate for the campaign. There are many published deserted or haunted house adventures that the Dungeon Master may draw upon for ideas, including the House of Lament and the Shadowborn Manor from the Darklords accessory. Cliff House serves as primarily as an eerie, desolate location for the heroes' final confrontation with the Midnight Slasher, Gabrielle Aderre, and the Dukkar.
In the Shadows
The Slasher avoids the party by hiding in the shadows, waiting patiently until all of the bodyguards have been dispatched. When the heroes leave any of the slain or incapacitated guards alone, the Slasher murders the helpless prisoners (or at least mutilates their bodies).
On the door leading down to the basement where Gabrielle is imprisoned, they find the following writing in the guards' fresh blood:
You cannot hide from the shadows.
You cannot run from your fate.
You cannot escape my justice.
Unbeknownst to the heroes, these warnings are meant for Gabrielle, not them. The Slasher continues to evade the heroes until they descend to the basement and release Gabrielle.
How the Mighty Has Fallen
The basement of Cliff House is a series of abandoned stone-lined vaults, culminating in a locked wooden door watched by at least two bodyguards. Once the guards have been overcome (one of them has the key), the heroes can listen at the door, hearing the sounds of a woman crying.
The low vaulted chamber appears to be a wine cellar, but its bottles lie shattered on the hard stone floor. Spatters of blood red wine cover the walls and pooled on the floor. In the far corner, a woman in a wine smeared dress cowers, sobbing quietly. She looks at you and screams, her eyes wide with startled fear. The hysterical madness fades quickly from her intense dark eyes.
"You are not Mother," she says accusingly. "Who are you?"
Gabrielle Aderre is now quite insane, a victim of intense paranoia. Until assured otherwise, she assumes that everyone is plotting against her in a grand conspiracy linking all of her enemies: the Vistani, her Mother, and her vicious son Malocchio, who she will lament was to be her tool of revenge against "you all, but he's just like you!" She voices all of her suspicions out loud. Noticing Raul, she might say, "So the Vistani have sent you kill me. I always knew they would." If Matton is with the party, he rushes to hug Gabrielle, but she slaps him angrily across the face, saying "I killed you once Bakholis, I can kill you again!" Matton grovels at her feet, begging forgiveness and pleading for her love.
Even a brief discussion with the party will reveal she has lost her mind. She implores the party to kill Malocchio, the ungrateful child, when he returns. The Dungeon Master may reveal as many details of the Dukkar's powers as desired, but they are couched in the language of a paranoid madwoman.
Gabrielle's insanity makes her extremely dangerous. During the conversation, secretly roll an evil eye check for each member in the party; each is entitled to a +4 bonus because of the Vistani amulets. Those failing the check are charmed by Gabrielle and sympathetic to her desires and almost tortured by her pain. Take these players quietly aside and inform them that their characters have been charmed, and now regard Gabrielle as a dear friend, whom they must to defend to the best of their ability. The players may retain control of their charmed characters provided they role play them appropriately. If not, then the DM should take control of their characters when events turn against Gabrielle.
Malocchio's Return
The Dukkar returns to Cliff House just after the heroes have released Gabrielle. Time his entrance for a lull in their conversation with the dark lord, or when some of the heroes suspect Gabrielle of foul play. Summoning dire wolves from the estate to attend him, Malocchio confronts the party, smiling with overconfidence. There should be at least one dire wolf per party member.
"Mother, I see you have made a mess of things again!" A cold voice echoes from the door.
Turning, you see a copper-skinned young man with dark hair, his eyes like two midnight seas. Dressed entirely in black, with a broad white collar, he looks like an aged version of boy in black you saw at Carnival. He is surrounded by a pack of huge black wolves that are growling menacingly.
Ask everyone in the party to make an evil eye check with the customary bonuses. Those who fail have been charmed by Malocchio and will defend him to the death. Players may retain control of their charmed characters during the final battle provided they role play them appropriately. Malocchio orders his charmed allies and the summoned wolves to slay Gabrielle and her supporters. Both Matton and Raul fight against the dire wolves.
During the melee, it should be relatively simple for one of the heroes to hurl the Vistani sphere of binding at Malocchio - providing of course that the hero carrying the sphere was not charmed by him!
When the Vistani sphere lands at the Dukkar's feet, it explodes in a flash of blinding light, flinging cordlike tendrils of magical energy around his body. For a moment the cords look like glowing iron chains, but then they dissolve, leaving nothing behind but sulfurous smoke.
"What have you done!" Malocchio appears more surprised than hurt,
Although Malocchio can no longer leave Invidia, he can still teleport at will within the domain. Malocchio battles the heroes until wounded for 10 hp of damage. He then teleports away, leaving the heroes to fight the wolves and his charmed allies.
The Slasher Strikes
Watching from the Shadows, the Midnight Slasher positions herself to strike at her hated enemy. At a climactic point in the battle, the Slasher suddenly steps out of the shadows. Give each hero an intelligence check; those who succeed, notice the Slasher.
The movement is almost unseen, but in the corner of your eye, you see a shadow separate from the rest. Then, you see the cloaked figure of the Midnight Slasher leap at Gabrielle, tears streaming from wild eyes. "For Mother and Father!" he shrieks.
This action may have several outcomes, depending on actions, or lack thereof, on the part of the heroes.
On the round of the Slasher's initial attack, a hero (chosen by the Dungeon Master) who noticed her, slays his opponent and is free to help Gabrielle, who merely raises her arms in a futile effort to protect herself. If this hero stands by and lets the defenseless woman be slaughtered, the Dungeon Master should call for a powers check. (Although a she is a dark lord, Gabrielle is still a victim in this case.) The Slasher stabs Gabrielle repeatedly, even after the evil witch is dead, and continues to do so until either a hero or Matton takes action to stop it. Her mask and hat fall from her head, revealing her to be a young woman.
Raul will step up to protect any hero who turns away from the Dukkar's servitors in order to save Gabrielle.
If Gabrielle is killed, Matton is hysterical at the loss of his beloved. Changing into wolf form, he hurls himself at the Slasher. Unless the heroes intervene, the two's struggle carries them through the Solarium and onto the balcony, where they plunge off the cliffs to an apparent watery doom, locked in mortal struggle even as they hit the water far below.
Malocchio becomes the new lord of Invidia. Stunned by his unexpected defeat, he retreats to Castle Loupet to sulk. He will not bother the heroes for some time, but Invidia will soon become an even more unpleasant domain for the Vistani and their allies to travel; while the peoples of the land didn't like them before, at least they didn't have to worry about direct attacks from the lord of the land. This is no longer the case; Malocchio hates the Vistani more than his mother ever did, and he is not prevented from harming them.
If the heroes save Gabrielle, she has retreated deep into the confines of her shattered mind. When the battle is over, she simply stares blankly into space, her lips moving soundlessly. Matton, his heart broken at the state of his beloved, promises to care for her and nurse her back to health. "You will be safe with me, my love," the heroes hear him say, as he tenderly escorts her into the darkness. The pair retreats to the Laughing Maiden, where Gabrielle Aderre will be cared for by the only creature who loves her... a creature she finds repulsive and horrifying. A charmed hero may wish to care for Gabrielle, and may try to prevent Matton from taking her away. In this case, Matton fights to the death. Should the heroes be left with the responsibility of dealing with the insane Gabrielle, see the next chapter, "Further Adventures" for scenario ideas.
Assuming that they defeat the Dukkar, the Dungeon Master should award the party 10,000 XP for completing the final chapter of the adventure. Reward heroes for their initiative and role-playing with individual awards of up to 1,000 XP.
Breaking the Curse
When the heroes return to the Vistani, the Zarovan are grim, but nonetheless pleased at the outcome. As the heroes and the Zarovan are gathered around the fire, Raul adds his violin of passion to the regular camp fire, saying that in the mad eyes of Gabrielle Aderre he saw the dangers of letting the past rule the present. As the violin begins to burn, Marcella announces, "It is finished. The curse is broken. Leyla's spirit will now rest in peace."
As evening approaches, the Zarovan make preparations for the prastonata, during which the beautiful seer invites each of the heroes in turn to dance with her around the fire. During the doroq, Marcella states that the present Dukkar is no longer a threat to the Vistani.
Blood Rite
If one hero in particular stood by Raul in his times of need, Raul now feels indebted. He offers to enter into the blood rite with the hero, who would become giogoto, a giogio who is "enlightened, yet not of the blood." The hero is free to refuse the offer without penalty, for counting the Vistani as allies can have its dangers. Assuming that the hero accepts Raul's solemn request, read or paraphrase the following text:
Raul stands face to face with you beside the roaring fire. Drawing forth one of his keen edged knives, he takes your left hand and slices it open with a single deft slash of the blade. He then opens his own palm in the same manner and both of you clasp bleeding hands.
Raul wraps a scarf around the members and says, "Hands bound, blood mingles. I cannot repay you for your act, but I will call you brother (sister)."
While the rest of the Vistani gathers round and chants, you enter a dream state, in which you feel joined to Raul, linked by a powerful and invisible bond. Indescribable images flash before your eyes before you regain consciousness. Perhaps only minutes had passed. Perhaps it was hours. Still facing Raul, your hand and arm are covered with blood.
When at last the two hands separate, they are covered with blood, but the wounds are miraculously healed over. All that remains is a wide purple scar which creases the palm, for ever identifying you as giogoto.
Any Vistana can readily identify the giogoto's affiliation with the Camii, simply by touching the scar and sensing its origins. The hero (and his compatriots) can take shelter from any other tribe in the Kaldresh Tasque. In the future, the giogoto will never be lied to or swindled by any Vistani; and should he consult them for assistance, he will be given a little more information than he asked for.
The blood rite opens the door to many interesting adventures involving the Vistani, should the Dungeon Master care to run an extended campaign in Ravenloft. The Dungeon Master should consult Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani for more information about the blood rite.
Summoning the Mists
After the doroq, Marcella will perform readings for the heroes and answer their questions (as evasively and cryptically as possible, of course). If the Dungeon Master wishes to extended their sojourn in Ravenloft, then Marcella may point them in the direction of a new adventure. If the Dungeon Master wants to conclude the adventure in Ravenloft, read or paraphrase the following.
Looking up from her cards, Marcella squints at you with her intense dark eyes.
"Your homeland and ours are separated by a veil of Mists, impenetrable to all save at certain times of the year. During the second night of Lunaset, the veil is thinnest, and with the aid of a potion one can walk from one world to the other. At midnight tonight, when the moon at its fullest, you must drink the potion I give you and walk into the Mists. I cannot promise where they will take you, but if you are lucky, they will perhaps transport you home. "
As the moon rises over the mountains, and after all the heroes questions have been answered (although perhaps not to their satisfaction), Marcella gives each of them another one of her foul-tasting potions. As the draught takes effect, the heroes nod off to sleep. In their dreams, the heroes glimpse the Vistani dancing around the camp as a cool fog rolls up from the river, blanketing everything in its clammy embrace.
Summoned by the Zarovan, the Mists of Ravenloft return the heroes to the town where they began the adventure, or any other location in the original campaign world where the heroes need to be for their next adventure If the Dungeon Master wants to role-play the transition through the Mists, the party might encounter any number of creatures wandering between worlds during Lunaset, the least of which would be a mist horror.
Although the heroes' original curse from the beginning of the adventure is now lifted, they may still be plagued by lycanthropy, and some of the heroes may have died during the final battle with Malocchio. The party is now free to locate a powerful priest to cure lycanthropy; outside of Ravenloft, a remove curse cast on the third and final night of the full moon should do the trick. A priest may also be needed to raise fallen comrades. Of course, the Zarovan may have cured these afflictions before returning the heroes home.
