The Silent Vines
Hook
The Wizard of Wines once supplied all of Barovia, but its grapes have stopped growing and the crisis has divided Urwin from his father.
Evidence
- Vidic identified the Wizard of Wines as a Keeper contact point.
- Urwin said his family has run Barovia’s only winery for generations.
- The grapes recently stopped growing, halting production.
- Urwin’s father blames him for the crisis.
- Urwin still shared a taste of the famous wine with Rage, showing that some stock remains.
- The company salvaged a barrel from Watcher House and agreed to split its sale proceeds with Urwin. The winery remains out of production; recovered stock does not resolve the failure of the vines.
Current understanding
The winery’s failure threatens both a major Barovian tradition and a Keeper family, but the company does not yet know whether the cause is natural, magical, or hostile.
Open questions
- Why have the grapes stopped growing?
- What does Urwin’s father believe Urwin did wrong?
- Is the crisis connected to Strahd, Vallaki’s politics, or the dangers in Barovia’s wilds?
- How much wine remains, and what happens when it is gone?
Next steps
- Visit the Wizard of Wines and speak with Urwin’s family.
- Examine the vines and learn when the failure began.