The Bones of St. Andral

Walkthrough

Getting the quest

Several people in Vallaki can tell you something has gone wrong at the church, and any of them puts the quest at Rumored:

• the gate watch, if you ask "Heard anything interesting?": Father Lucian has stripped his altar;
• Urwin Martikov at the Blue Water Inn, asked the same: Milivoj is spending more on bread than he earns, and the coffin maker has had a night delivery of big crates;
• A Big Dog sunning itself in the square, if someone can cast Speak with Animals. It saw the gravedigger carry a sack of old bones to the coffin maker's back door, and it shows you a Ring of Protection in the mud by the stocks.

The quest proper starts with Father Lucian at St. Andral's Church, in the churchyard north-east of the square. He's there at any hour except while the festival is running. The first time you meet him, he tells you the saint's bones were taken from the crypt three nights ago. While they lay there, nothing dead could enter the church, and only he and his gravedigger knew how the lid comes off. The quest moves to Asked.

Step by step

1. Promise Lucian. Say "We'll find the bones" (Liriel +2, Godrick +1). The Religion DC 12 question, offered only at this first meeting, tells you what made the bones holy.
   • Before you leave the church, read the church register: only Lucian and Milivoj know the way of the lid.
   • Go down the crypt stair and search the saint's sarcophagus (DC 12). Scrapes on the lid show it was opened by someone who knew the trick.
   • The vestry chest holds Holy Water and six candles, but it's Lucian's.
   • Lucian will give you two Holy Water for a 25 gp donation, and the church sells potions and scrolls.
2. Make Milivoj talk. Milivoj digs graves in St. Andral's churchyard by day (except during the festival). Once Lucian has told you about the theft, accuse him: "The saint's bones. You know where they went." He'll confess to any of these:
   • Insight DC 12: you spot stone-box dust under his nails.
   • Intimidation DC 13 (Thistle +1, Liriel -1). If it fails, he turns hostile.
   • Persuasion DC 13.
   • With no roll: the lid scrapes, Henrik's confession if you went to Henrik first, the dog's story, or 20 gp to match what Henrik paid him (Kip +1).

   Each of the three checks gets one try only, so the other routes are your fallback.

   He sold the bones to Henrik the coffin maker for 20 gold, enough to feed his brothers and sister through the winter. The quest moves to Milivoj Confessed, and you choose:

   • "We won't tell Father Lucian it was you" (Wren +2, Kip +1, Liriel -1);
   • "Father Lucian deserves to know" (Liriel +1, Godrick +1, Wren -1);
   • give him 10 gp for the little ones (Kip +2, Godrick +1, Liriel +1, Wren +1).

   He warns you to go to Henrik's in daylight.

3. Question Henrik. The Coffin Maker's Shop is in the lower town, south-west of the square, and it's barred at night. Henrik keeps his back to the storeroom door the whole time you talk. To make him crack, say "Milivoj sold you the bones of St. Andral" (after Milivoj has confessed), or use Insight DC 11 (he's terrified of that door). Then:
   • Persuasion DC 12: he confesses either way. On a failure it just comes out in a whisper.
   • Intimidation DC 12: he confesses on a success. On a failure he screams, the things in the storeroom wake, and the storeroom fight (below) starts at once.
   • "We'll see for ourselves": you skip the confession.

   If he confesses, the quest moves to Henrik Confessed. A driverless black carriage brought him crates, and then a voice in his head told him to buy the saint. What's in the crates sleeps by day and is waiting for the church to be "just a church". The bones are in the small crate by the back wall, wrapped in an altar cloth.

   While you're in the shop, his order book confirms the story. A Search can turn up a coffin with a false bottom (Investigation DC 14) hiding Slippers of Spider Climbing, and his cashbox (lock DC 12, his money) holds 20 gp.
   

4. Fight the spawn once, by day or by night. Whichever you do first, the other fight never happens.
   • The storeroom, by day. Step through the storeroom door and the crate lids lift. The spawn start the fight surprised. At level 5 it's two Vampire Spawn (3,600 XP, between moderate and hard for four level 5 characters). At level 4 it's one spawn and two Swarms of Rats (1,900 XP); below that, one spawn at 50 HP. Winning moves the quest to Spawn Destroyed. Destroying Strahd's spawn here also draws a little more of his attention.
   • The vigil, by night. After dark, tell Lucian "We'll keep vigil here with you tonight" (Liriel +2, Godrick +2, Thistle +1). (By day, "Is the church in danger?" gets you an invitation to come back at dusk.) He bars the doors and lights every candle, and the spawn come in through the windows, not surprised. At level 5 it's two spawn and two Swarms of Bats (3,700 XP). At level 4 it's one spawn and two bat swarms (1,900 XP); below that, a spawn at 55 HP and one swarm. Winning moves the quest to Vigil Kept. The storeroom is empty after that: go back by day and take the bones from the small crate. There's no fight left there, and the journal's hint says only to go in by day and take them back.
   • Either way, vampire spawn have 90 HP and AC 16 and shrug off necrotic damage. Holy water deals radiant damage to them, so bring Lucian's.

   

5. Bring St. Andral home. Give the Bones of St. Andral to Lucian with "We've brought St. Andral home". The quest ends at Bones Returned.
   • He gives you two Holy Water and his blessing (Liriel +5, Godrick +2; Kip, Thistle, Wren and Ratatouille +1).
   • This is Vallaki's milestone level, if the festival hasn't already given it.
   • If you shielded Milivoj, Lucian decides not to ask who took the bones. Otherwise he says he'll speak to Milivoj, and that hunger was not his sin.
   • If Ireena is with you, he offers her sanctuary on the spot.

Choices and endings

• The church is holy ground again. Ireena can take sanctuary there (Sanctuary), and Strahd can only call to her from the churchyard gate.
• The saint's niche opens. In the crypt it holds a Mace of Disruption.
• The altar blesses you. Religion DC 13 in prayer at the altar gives 1d8 temporary hit points.
• At the festival. If you stand with the town at The Festival of the Blazing Sun, the crowd parts for Lucian because they know who brought the saint home.
• The Keepers of the Feather. With the bones home, Urwin will tell you about the Keepers after the festival, even in the Baron's town, or before it if you fed the raven on the road.
• Henrik sleeps again and offers you his wares, plus a free coffin if you ever need one.
• Liriel and Hedda. With Liriel in the party, the return is a step in Carry the Dawn. Hedda feels it too, if Cold Prayers is under way.

If you're stuck

• Milivoj won't talk about the bones. The accusation only appears after Lucian has told you about the theft. Milivoj is in the churchyard by day only.
• The coffin maker's door is barred. It's barred at night. Go by day, which is also when the spawn are asleep.
• You can't start the vigil. Lucian only offers it at night, and only before either spawn fight has happened.

Rewards

• Holy Water ×2
• A level (milestone)

What your companions think

• Liriel Dawnsong: +5 you brought St. Andral home to his church; -1 you took a frightened gravedigger by the collar; -1 you kept Milivoj's secret from Father Lucian; +1 you told Milivoj that Father Lucian deserves the truth; +1 you gave Milivoj gold for his brothers and sister
• Godrick Pendlebrook: +2 you brought St. Andral home to his church; +1 you told Milivoj that Father Lucian deserves the truth; +1 you gave Milivoj gold for his brothers and sister
• Kip Smudgewick: +1 you brought St. Andral home to his church; +1 you matched Henrik's price for the truth; +1 you kept Milivoj's secret from Father Lucian; +2 you gave Milivoj gold for his brothers and sister
• Thistle: +1 you brought St. Andral home to his church; +1 you took a frightened gravedigger by the collar
• Wren Featherfoot: +1 you brought St. Andral home to his church; +2 you kept Milivoj's secret from Father Lucian; -1 you told Milivoj that Father Lucian deserves the truth; +1 you gave Milivoj gold for his brothers and sister
• Ratatouille: +1 you brought St. Andral home to his church

Fights

• Crate lids lift on their own, slowly, the nails squealing out one by one. What climbs out has been waiting in…, in The Coffin Maker's Shop: Vampire Spawn, Swarm of Rats. Scales with your level.

• Glass bursts inward along both walls of the nave. Pale shapes come through the windows head first, like…, in St. Andral's Church: Vampire Spawn, Swarm of Bats. Scales with your level.

Journal

Related

• People: Town Guard, Henrik van der Voort, Father Lucian, Urwin Martikov, Milivoj, A Big Dog
• Places: Vallaki, The Coffin Maker's Shop, St. Andral's Church, The Blue Water Inn
• More in Vallaki: Black Roses, Lady Wachter's Book Club, One Lantern Too Many, Ribbons, The Attic Circle, The Cat in the Window, The Count's Portraitist, The Doll Collector