The Fourth Sister

Walkthrough

Getting the quest

This one only opens after The Children in the Mill, and only if the Sarnov children are out of the cages and Morgantha is dead. Then ask Vasile and Petre in the square of the Village of Barovia (10:00 to 17:00, not in storms): "Heard anything interesting?" Their gossip is that Goodwife Sarnov walks up the miller's lane every morning for one plain pastry, from a girl who has her husband's eyes. The journal opens at Rumored, and The Miller's Lane appears on the travel map, half an hour down from Old Bonegrinder.

Step by step

1. Meet Mouse. By day (7:00 to 19:00) a thin girl of twelve sits on a bucket by the lane selling plain pastries: Mouse. She calls Morgantha "Mother" and says she's Mother's fourth, and that she'll be a sister when she's thirteen. The journal moves to Met. Her menu:
   • "(Buy a plain pastry.)" costs 1 gp. It tastes of butter and apple and nothing else.
   • Insight DC 13 ("Watch her while she talks"): her nails are grey at the roots, and she keeps looking down the lane as if somebody's late.
   • "Heard anything interesting?" Granny is coming for her birthday: Morgantha's own mother, Granny Ash, out of the deep wood, to make her a sister on the next dark night. Iron teeth are already pushing through her gums. The journal moves to Granny.
2. Find out who she was (optional, but it decides the ending). Back in the village, Goodwife Sarnov sits on her step on the west side of the village, near Mary's house (8:00 to 18:00, not in storms). She's there once the children are out of the mill. Tell her "There's a girl selling pastries on the miller's lane.", then ask "Tell us about the baby." Her first child, Zamfira, died in her cradle at eight days old, the night kind old Morgantha sat up with her. Nobody looked in the bundle. The baby had a mark on her left wrist like a thumbprint of jam. Then choose:
   • "(Tell her.)" She drops everything and will run up the lane on the night.
   • "(Not yet. Not until it's safe.)" She waits.

   Either way you now know the name. Go back to Mouse by day and say "Show us your left wrist." She has the mark. She tries out the name Zamfira and decides it tastes like soup, the good kind. You must do this by day, before the birthday.

3. Be at her hut after dark. Once the journal is at Granny, Mouse waits by her hut at the millrace every night (19:00 to 7:00) in a clean apron, with a candle in a turnip on the step. Talk to her, and Granny Ash comes out of the trees with her grey dogs.
   • If you named her, she steps behind you: "My name's Zamfira."
   • If you didn't, she takes a step toward the trees. You get one Persuasion DC 15 ("Mouse. You don't have to go to her. Stay with us.") to make her come back and hold on to your belt. If it fails, she goes to stand under Granny's hand. You can still fight for her.

   

   Then decide:

   • "(Hear what Granny's offering.)" She offers a basket of coins for the girl, and her word never to come back to the valley. "(Take the basket and let her go.)" ends the quest in failure (see below).
   • "No.", or "(Stand between them.)", starts the fight.
4. Granny Ash (granny_ash). Granny Ash is a Large hag, twice a man's height, with AC 17 and 184 HP (155 if your party is level 6, 130 below that). She attacks with two iron claws at 10-foot reach plus a bite each turn. Her Crushing Hug (recharge 5–6) restrains a Medium or smaller hero (escape DC 15) and crushes them for 2d10+5 every turn. She has Legendary Resistance twice a day and three extra claw rakes a round. With her:
   • Below level 6: Granny at 130 HP, one of Granny's Dogs (a Dire Wolf) and 3 Needle Blights.
   • Level 6: three dogs and 4 needle blights.
   • Level 7: three dogs, 4 needle blights and 2 Vine Blights.
   • Level 8: three dogs, 6 needle blights and the Hag Garden's Elm (a Tree Blight).

   This is a Moderate-to-High fight for your level. Whoever she hugs needs help fast. Burn through the dogs and blights with area damage, and keep your heavy hitters on her. Winning moves the journal to Granny Slain.

5. Dawn. Mouse comes out from behind the hut and walks all the way round Granny at a distance. Talk to her:
   • If you named her, she's Zamfira. You walk her home, or her mother is already running up the lane if you told her. Goodwife Sarnov kisses her wrist. If Ilka and Toma went home from the mill, Ilka tells her she has Toma's ears. The quest ends at Home.
   • If you didn't, her teeth are grey partway, because Granny didn't finish. Ilinca Vrana flies down and takes her to the Keepers of the Feather. The quest ends at Keepers.

   Either way, Granny's dropped basket holds 300 gp and a Robe of Eyes. Godrick Pendlebrook, Liriel Dawnsong and Thistle +2, and Wren Featherfoot and Ratatouille +1.

Choices and endings

• Home (success): you learned her name and showed her the mark, then beat Granny. Zamfira lives with her mother, Ilka and Toma in the village and bakes plain pastries for Bildrath's. You'll find her on the step beside her mother.
• Keepers (success): you beat Granny without naming her. Ilinca takes her into the Keepers of the Feather, who "have had odder members". Whether she chose you (the Persuasion) only changes a line.
• Given (failure): you took Granny's basket. You get 300 gp and nothing else, and every companion disapproves: Godrick, Liriel and Thistle −3, Wren and Ratatouille −2, Kip Smudgewick −1.

You can't have both baskets: it's 300 gp and the Robe of Eyes for fighting, or 300 gp alone for giving her up.

If you're stuck

• No rumour from Vasile and Petre. Morgantha must be dead and the children freed. A bargain with Morgantha doesn't count, and Mouse never appears on the lane while Morgantha lives.
• There's no "Show us your left wrist." You need Goodwife Sarnov's story about the baby first. The option only exists in Mouse's daytime menu.
• Mouse isn't at her hut at night. She only waits there once she's told you about Granny (the Granny stage), and only from 19:00 to 7:00.
• The birthday doesn't come round on its own. Granny only arrives when you talk to Mouse at the hut, so you can take as many days as you need to find her name first. Just don't talk to her at night until you're ready.

Rewards

• Robe of Eyes
• 300 gp

What your companions think

• Godrick Pendlebrook: -3 you sold a child to a hag; +2 you stood between a child and Granny Ash
• Liriel Dawnsong: -3 you sold a child to a hag; +2 you stood between a child and Granny Ash
• Thistle: -3 you sold a child to a hag; +2 you stood between a child and Granny Ash
• Wren Featherfoot: -2 you sold a child to a hag; +1 you stood between a child and Granny Ash
• Ratatouille: -2 you sold a child to a hag; +1 you stood between a child and Granny Ash
• Kip Smudgewick: -1 you sold a child to a hag

Fights

• Granny Ash comes across the lane with her dogs at her heels, and in the hag garden behind her the blights…, in The Miller's Lane: Granny Ash, Dire Wolf, Needle Blight, Tree Blight, Vine Blight. Scales with your level.

Journal

Related

• People: Mouse, Goodwife Sarnov, Granny Ash, Vasile, Petre
• Places: The Miller's Lane, Village of Barovia
• More in Old Bonegrinder: The Children in the Mill