Overview
A stone bridge carries the road over the Ivlis. East lies the village of Barovia, west Tser Pool and Vallaki, north the river track to the falls; south, a steeper road climbs toward the castle on its cliff. A gallows stands beside the signpost, and behind it a field of unmarked mounds.
Resting: Risky: a rest here can be interrupted.
Getting here
Ways in
- The travel map: The Ivlis Crossroads, in Barovia.
Ways out
| # | Exit | Leads to | Only when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Old Svalich Road, east to the village | the travel map | |
| 2 | The Old Svalich Road, west to Tser Pool and Vallaki | the travel map | |
| 3 | The river track north, to Tser Falls | the travel map | |
| 4 | The road south, to Castle Ravenloft | the travel map | false |
Map
Key: gold, people; red, containers; purple, hidden finds; teal, skill checks; white, exits; orange, traps. The numbers match the lists on this page.
Close up
the gallows, a signpost
the bridge parapet, a raven on a fencepost
the road south
People
Who turns up at points in the story (4)
- Corporal Vell, The castle road (#5): when night and name ilse varga and quest kestrel company at or past the count and level ≥ 5 and not kestrel vell rests
- The Huntsman, The east road (#6): when night and quest the counts huntsman at hunted
- Gavril, The crossroads (#7): when night and quest the counts huntsman at hunted and hunt quarry is “gavril”
- Iosif the Tinker, The castle road (#8): when quest.the tinkers wagon isn't done and not wagon slain; or when wagon slain and quest.the tinkers wagon isn't done
What to find
| # | Where | What | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | the bridge footings (hidden) | Potion of Healing | Search: Perception DC 13 |
| 13 | a mound that isn't as old as the others (hidden) | Boots of Elvenkind | Search: Perception DC 14 |
| 14 | a hollow behind the milestone (hidden) | Wand of Web | Search: Investigation DC 14 |
| 15 | a farmer's cache behind the field wall (hidden) | Gauntlets of Ogre Power | Search: Perception DC 14 |
The containers here also get random magic items and potions, rolled for a party of level 4 the first time you come (Random Treasure). Hidden finds need a Search (F) nearby; the party's best roll counts.
Skill checks
| # | Where | Check | Try | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Unmarked mounds | Survival 13 | Read the disturbed earth | finds Boots of Elvenkind |
| 10 | the bridge parapet | Athletics 12 | Climb down to the bridge footings | finds Potion of Healing; on a failure: 1d4 cold damage |
| 11 | the road south | Survival 14 | Read the tracks on the castle road | lore: The road to the castle |
Fights
- On the gallows the hanged man lifts his head. Behind him, all across the field, the mounds begin to split., in The River Ivlis Crossroads: Strahd Zombie. Part of The Hanged Man at the Crossroads.
- Kestrel Patrol, in The River Ivlis Crossroads: Vampire Spawn, Strahd Zombie. Part of Count Off.
- Kestrel Patrol Reached, in The River Ivlis Crossroads: Vampire Spawn, Strahd Zombie. Part of Count Off.
- The black horse in the traces stamps once, and the empty harness beside it swings. Pale shapes slide out of…, in The River Ivlis Crossroads: Nightmare, Wight, Specter, Zombie. Scales with your level. Part of The Grey Mare.
By party level (the first line your party fits is the fight you get)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when mare saved and level ≥ 5: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), The Footman (Wight), The Second Footman (Wight), 3 × Specter, 4 × Zombie (2900 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when not mare saved and level ≥ 5: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), The Footman (Wight), The Second Footman (Wight), 3 × Specter, 4 × Zombie, Steaua (Nightmare) (3600 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when mare saved and level ≥ 4: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), The Footman (Wight), 2 × Specter, 4 × Zombie (2000 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when not mare saved and level ≥ 4: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), The Footman (Wight), 2 × Specter, 4 × Zombie, Steaua (Nightmare) (2700 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when mare saved: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), 2 × Specter, 3 × Zombie (1250 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when not mare saved: The Lead Horse (Nightmare), 2 × Specter, 3 × Zombie, Steaua (Nightmare) (1950 XP)
- The Huntsman sets the pack on you with one note of the horn, and the hounds come up the road in silence., in The River Ivlis Crossroads: The Count's Huntsman, Nightmare, Dire Wolf. Scales with your level. Part of The Count's Huntsman.
By party level (the first line your party fits is the fight you get)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when hounds called and level ≥ 10: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 4 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (6500 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when level ≥ 10: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 8 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (7300 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when hounds called and level ≥ 9: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 3 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (6300 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when level ≥ 9: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 6 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (6900 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when hounds called and level ≥ 8: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 2 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (6100 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when level ≥ 8: The Count's Huntsman, The Huntsman's Mare (Nightmare), 4 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (6500 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when hounds called: The Count's Huntsman, Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (5200 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads: The Count's Huntsman, 3 × Hound of the Hunt (Dire Wolf) (5600 XP)
- The green wagon stands up off its wheels, and two of the trinkets on its hooks open their own small mouths., in The River Ivlis Crossroads: The Tinker's Wagon, Mimic. Scales with your level.
By party level (the first line your party fits is the fight you get)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when level ≥ 6: The Tinker's Wagon, 3 × A Trinket (Mimic) (4250 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads, when level ≥ 5: The Tinker's Wagon, 2 × A Trinket (Mimic) (3800 XP)
- The River Ivlis Crossroads: The Tinker's Wagon, A Trinket (Mimic) (3350 XP)
Quests and lore
- Count Off: Ilse Varga's mercenary company marched into the mists a year ago at the invitation of someone who signed himself S. She was meant to march…
- Grandda's Trail: Thistle was raised in the deep woods by a trapper called Fen Burley. He followed a wolf the size of a pony into a wall of fog and never…
- The Count's Huntsman: On cold nights a horn sounds in the Svalich woods, and in the morning whoever the count is displeased with lies under the crossroads…
- The Grey Mare: The black carriage that drives itself stopped by Radu's horse pen, and left a purse on the gatepost. Now his best mare is tied at the…
- The Hanged Man at the Crossroads: A young Vistana hangs from the gallows where the Old Svalich Road crosses the Ivlis, and a girl at Tser Pool is waiting for her brother to…
- The Tinker's Wagon: A Vistani tinker sells trinkets from a green wagon at the crossroads, and the travellers who buy from him don't come back down the road.
- The Wizard of Wines: Druids from Yester Hill have driven the Martikov family out of their winery and taken the magic gems, the family's three vine stones, that…