In this act, which begins the morning after the players’ first full moon in Vallaki, the players receive a pair of invitations. The first, a plea from Urwin Martikov, asks the players to travel to the Wizard of Wines winery to the west in order to investigate a mysterious wine shortage in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]]. The second, a letter from Strahd von Zarovich himself, invites the players to dine at Castle Ravenloft with him and his court on the night before the new moon in [[Arc O - Dinner with the Devil]]. Should the players accept the Martikovs’ mission in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]], they gain two companions for the journey: Muriel Vinshaw, a **wereraven** agent of the Keepers of the Feather; and Ireena Kolyana, who asks to join the players permanently in the fight against Strahd. The players must rescue the winery from the Forest Folk **druids** who have conquered it and, once they have done so, retrieve an enchanted gem from Yester Hill to the south before the Wizard of Wines falls to destruction. Meanwhile, as the players explore other leads across the western half of the Barovia, they can recruit the Vistana monster hunter Ezmerelda d’Avenir in [[Arc K - The Fallen Abbey]], investigate the werewolf pack in [[Arc L - The Den of Wolves]], and uncover the mysteries of Argynvostholt in [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor]]. In the process, they’ll obtain multiple reasons to journey to Castle Ravenloft: to recover the *Icon of Ravenloft* to cleanse the Abbot’s corruption in [[Arc K - The Fallen Abbey]]; to rescue the **werewolf** Emil Toranescu in exchange for the *Holy Symbol of Ravenloft* in [[Arc L - The Den of Wolves]]; and to steal the skull of the dragon Argynvost to bring hope to the land once more in [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor]]. On the last night before the new moon, the players can dine with Strahd von Zarovich and the members of his court in [[Arc O - Dinner with the Devil]]. There, they’ll learn that Strahd will be gone from the castle the following night, creating the perfect opportunity to infiltrate the castle in [[Arc P - Ravenloft Heist]]. Once they have done so, the players must then return to the western valley to purify the Abbot’s soul, defeat the **werewolf** Kiril Stoyanovich, and relight the beacon of Argynvostholt. This act ends at dusk on the first night after the players infiltrate Castle Ravenloft in [[Arc P - Ravenloft Heist]]. However, the players can still complete unresolved arcs from this act even after Act IV begins—assuming, of course, that those arcs are still possible to complete. # Milestones The players begin this act at 5th level and should end it at 8th level, gaining milestone XP when they successfully do any of the following: * defeat the druids occupying the Wizard of Wines winery (2,000 XP) * retrieve the stolen gem from Yester Hill (2,500 XP) * recruit Ezmerelda d’Avenir at the Abbey of St. Markovia (1,000 XP) * bargain with Zuleika Toranescu at the Werewolf Den (1,500 XP) * free Ilya and Zuleika from the den (250 XP) * receive Argynvost’s mission at Argynvostholt (2,500 XP) * put Varushka’s ghost to rest and find her hidden cache in Castle Ravenloft (500 XP) * return from Castle Ravenloft following the dinner with Strahd (3,500 XP) * steal Argynvost’s skull from Ravenloft’s **Hall of Bones** (4000 XP) * recover the *Icon of Ravenloft* from Ravenloft’s catacombs (250 XP) * obtain the *Spear of the Huntress* from King Dostron's crypt (250 XP) * rescue Emil Toranescu from Ravenloft’s dungeons (250 XP) * rescue Gertruda from the master bedroom of Castle Ravenloft (250 XP) * raid Strahd’s hidden treasury in Castle Ravenloft (250 XP) * defeat the Abbot (2,000 XP) * redeem the Abbot after defeating him (500 XP) * defeat Kiril Stoyanovich (2,000 XP) * light the beacon of Argynvostholt (3,000 XP) # Timeline The quests of Act III become available and are resolved as given in the table below. (🟢 signifies a day the quest remains available, 🔶 signifies a day on which a significant event occurs, 🟥 signifies a quest deadline, and ❌ signifies a day the quest is unavailable.) | Arc \ Day of Neyavr | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | | :----------------------- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | J: The Stolen Gem | 🔶 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | | K: The Fallen Abbey | — | — | 🔶 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | | L: The Den of Wolves | — | — | — | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | | M: Argynvost's Beacon | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | 🟢 | | N: Tales of Vallaki | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | O: Dinner with the Devil | — | — | — | — | — | 🔶 | ❌ | ❌ | | P: Ravenloft Heist | — | — | — | — | — | — | 🔶 | ❌ | | Q: A Shining Beacon | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 🔶 | The most common path through Act III is as follows: * **Neyavr 9.** The players receive Urwin Martikov's request to complete [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]] (🔶). * **Neyavr 10.** The players travel to the Wizard of Wines winery and defeat the druids of the Forest Folk there in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]]. * **Neyavr 11.** The players travel to Yester Hill at dawn and stop the ritual to summon the **tree blight** Wintersplinter in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]]. The players then meet Ezmerelda d'Avenir in the village of Krezk and conduct a seance at the Abbey of St. Markovia in [[Arc K - The Fallen Abbey]], then stake out the werewolf den at nightfall in [[Arc L - The Den of Wolves]]. * **Neyavr 12.** The players investigate Argynvostholt in [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor]]. * **Neyavr 13.** The players take a day of downtime. * **Neyavr 14.** The players dine with Strahd at dusk in [[Arc O - Dinner with the Devil]] (🔶). * **Neyavr 15 (New Moon).** The players infiltrate Castle Ravenloft at dusk, then escape through the teleportation brazier in [[Arc P - Ravenloft Heist]] (🔶). * **Neyavr 16.** The players light the beacon of Argynvostholt and defeat the werewolf Kiril Stoyanovich in [[Arc Q - A Shining Beacon]] (🔶). Alternately, particularly swift players might take the following path through Act III instead: * **Neyavr 9.** The players receive Urwin Martikov's request to complete [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]] (🔶), then investigate Argynvostholt in [[Arc M - The Dragon's Manor]]. * **Neyavr 10.** The players travel to the Wizard of Wines winery and defeat the druids of the Forest Folk there in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]]. * **Neyavr 11.** The players travel to Yester Hill at dawn and stop the ritual to summon the **tree blight** Wintersplinter in [[Arc J - The Stolen Gem]]. The players then meet Ezmerelda d'Avenir and conduct a seance in [[Arc K - The Fallen Abbey]], and stake out the werewolf den in [[Arc L - The Den of Wolves]]. * **Neyavr 12.** The players take a day of downtime. * **Neyavr 13.** The players take a day of downtime. * **Neyavr 14.** The players take a day of downtime, then dine with Strahd at dusk in [[Arc O - Dinner with the Devil]] (🔶). * **Neyavr 15 (New Moon).** The players infiltrate Castle Ravenloft at dusk, then escape through the teleportation brazier in [[Arc P - Ravenloft Heist]] (🔶). * **Neyavr 16.** The players light the beacon of Argynvostholt and defeat the werewolf Kiril Stoyanovich in [[Arc Q - A Shining Beacon]] (🔶).