Krezk

Krezk is a walled village in the Northwest of Barovia. Its inhabitants fear Strahd von Zarovich so completely that they minimize contact with the outside world as much as possible. The only people the regularly allow to enter are those bringing shipments of wine from the Wizard of Wines Winery.
The village is mostly a collection of small cottages, sitting at the foot of a steep mountain. Five hundred feet up the precipice sits the Abbey of Saint Markovia, in which dwells the enigmatic Abbot. The people of Krezk strive to be as self sufficient as possible. They grow many trees, as well as beets and turnips for food. They also keep chickens, hares and small pigs. They are extremely wary of outsiders, and believe no interaction is worth the risk of attracting the attention of Strahd.
In the north of Krezk stands a gazebo next to a small pool and a shrine to the Morninglord.
Recently graves have been found dug up, and bodies missing. The people hear rummaging at night, but have not been able to discover the source of the robberies. Our mighty heroes, upon exploring the Abbey, found it was the Bellviews, a family of mongrelfolk living there, who stole the bodies for the Abbot's wicked experiments.

Krezk Lore

In addition to the information known to all Barovians (see "Barovian Lore" in chapter 2), the villagers of Krezk (called Krezkites) know the following bits of local lore:
Residents never leave the village for fear of being attacked by wolves, dire wolves, and werewolves.
About once a month, a wagonload of wine arrives from the Wizard of Wines (chapter 12), the winery and vineyard to the south. The business is owned and operated by the Martikov family.
Burgomaster Krezkov recently lost his fourteen-year-old son, Ilya, to illness. Ilya was the last of the four Krezkov children.
A pool at the north end of the village provides fresh water throughout the year. Next to the pool, the village's ancestors built a shrine to the Morninglord in a gazebo. It's known as the Shrine of the White Sun.
The Abbey of Saint Markovia is named after a priest of the Morninglord who took a stand against the devil Strahd. After a fierce uprising, Markovia and her most loyal followers stormed Castle Ravenloft, only to be destroyed.
The abbey was once a hospital and a convent, but it fell on hard times after the land was swallowed up by the mists. Some of the clergy fell prey to Strahd, while others went mad and either starved themselves to death or turned to cannibalism.
The head of the abbey, called simply the Abbot, arrived over a century ago and hasn't aged a day since. He occasionally visits the Shrine of the White Sun but doesn't talk much, and he demands tribute in the form of wine. No one knows his true name or where he came from, and many believe he's Strahd's servant or the Strahd himself in disguise.
No one from the village visits the abbey anymore. The abbey's bell rings at odd times, day and night, and the place is filled with baleful screams and horrible, inhuman laughter that can be heard throughout the village.

Maps

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  Krezk

Type

Town

Population

1500

Inhabitant Demonym

Human