The Swamp Fane
The Swamp Fane is an area of tiled stone that lies within the circle of standing stones in the Rotting Marsch. It is devoted to the Weaver, one of the Ladies Three, but has become corrupted by Strahd von Zarovich. Today, it forms one of the three anchors tying him to the land of Barovia and protecting him from harm.
Long ago, Strahd desecrated the Swamp Fane, perverting its power for his own ends through
the use of blood magic and fell rituals carried out beneath the light of the new moon. In doing
so, he channeled its energy to provide himself with resistance to fire, cold, lightning, thunder,
and acid damage. So long as he remains bound to the Swamp Fane, Strahd cannot be truly
slain; instead, he revives by the will of the Dark Powers in his coffin at Castle Ravenloft 24d6
days after his destruction.
To break this connection and deprive Strahd of the Fane’s boon, the PCs must carry out a ritual
once performed by initiates of the priesthood of the Weaver. They can learn of this ritual from
Elder Ormir, a Mountain Folk priest residing at Yaedrag in Tsolenka Pass. To complete this
ritual, the PCs must first obtain the spindle of the Weaver from Baba Lysaga, who has
commandeered it as an arcane focus; and the shuttle of the weaver from the Weaver’s reliquary,
which is buried at the center of the circle.
Areas of the Swamp Fane
A dozen moss-covered menhirs form a near-perfect circle in the spongy earth. These
weathered stones range in height from 15 to 18 feet, and the northernmost stone appears to
bear ancient carvings. The ground within the menhirs is filled with a similar circle of flat,
unmarked stones, tiled across the soil like a featureless gray mosaic. A three-foot-wide patch
of earth lies at the center of the circle of tiles. Clusters of frond-bearing flowers with triads of
angular white petals sprout from around each menhir’s base.
The flowers are sanziene plants. The PCs can mash or grind them (e.g., using an herbalist’s kit,
an alchemist’s kit, or simply the flat end of a dagger) into a paste, which can then be applied
around one’s eyes to reveal hidden features of the area. One flower provides sufficient paste for a single creature’s use.
If the PCs have not previously encountered Muriel Vinshaw elsewhere, they can find her here,
as described in the book. You can find more information about Muriel in the guide to the Village
of Barovia. If Muriel is present, add:
A wary-looking peasant woman lurks behind the tallest stone, a streak of blue bangs falling
across the right side of her face. She clutches a rusty lantern in one hand and a dagger in the
other.
A creature that steps onto the soil within the menhirs feels an uncomfortable prickling on the
back of their neck. The space within the circle of standing stones is desecrated ground,
providing all undead standing within it advantage on their saving throws.
Reliquary
Buried two feet beneath the patch of earth at the center of the circle is the Weaver’s reliquary:
an ancient stone box fitted with a weighty stone lid that seals it shut. The lid is carved with the
sigil of the Weaver: a spider. The reliquary contains the stone shuttle of the Weaver. If the
shuttle or reliquary are removed from the circle, both items vanish and reappear in their original
position beneath the earth.
Carving of the Weaver
A creature who inspects the northernmost menhir finds the following image carved into its stone
surface:
Carved into the stone surface of this moss-covered menhir is the graven image of a cross-legged woman with six arms, three on either side. Six ancient runes are carved into the stone above her head, each rune forming a vertex of a three-pointed star.
On the left side, the woman’s lowest arm holds a carving of a mortar holding a flower with
three triangular petals and a pair of leafy fronds on either side. The middle arm holds a pestle,
appearing to mash the mortar’s contents. The fingers of the upper arm are pressed against
the woman’s face, just beneath her eyes.
On the right side, the woman’s lowest arm clasps a thread between two fingers, a spider
hanging from the end. The middle arm holds a weaver’s spindle, wound with thread. A carved
line of thread connects the spindle to a weaver’s shuttle, which the woman holds aloft with her
upper arm, nearly touching one of the runes overhead. The carved line of thread continues
from the shuttle to the end of the nearest rune.
The flower depicted perfectly resembles the tri-petaled flowers (the sanziene plant) within and around the Fane.
Stone Tiles
If a character who has not previously received the boons of the Forest or Mountain Fane holds
both the spindle of the Weaver and the shuttle of the Weaver while standing in the circle of
menhirs, read:
The stone spindle begins to glow with a faint ethereal light, glimmers of fae radiance beginning to gather about it. Wisps of misty light are pulled from each glimmer, collecting around the spindle’s central spike until it glows with strands of luminescent thread. As quickly as it is created, the thread is spun through the air into the central cavity of the stone shuttle, vibrating with energy.
[To the character holding the artifacts]: As soon as the shuttle is full of radiant thread, a strand
of light weaves deftly from its center and wraps tightly around your arm. It hums audibly, and
feels strangely and pleasantly warm. The strand continues weaving around your forearm like
a snake, terminating at the top of your finger where it hangs, patiently, for your response. As
your finger traces through the air, it leaves a trail of shimmering green light in its wake.
If this character takes either artifact beyond the radius of the circle or relinquishes either artifact to another creature takes either artifact, these threads begin to fade; once they vanish, any activated runes are extinguished, forcing the ritual (see “Consecrating the Fane”) to start anew. (Quick-thinking and perceptive creatures can immediately return to the circle or return the artifacts to their original bearer, preventing the threads from vanishing completely). Stowing or dropping either artifact does not cause the threads to vanish
If a character grinds the flowers of the sanziene plant and smears the resulting paste around or beneath their eyes, two unseen things become visible:
● The following phrase appears beneath the carving of the Weaver, written in smeared, jagged crimson letters: BEWARE THE WATCHERS.
● Six carved, chalk-white runes become visible atop certain stones in the circle, as depicted in the image below.
If a creature carrying the shuttle and spindle stands atop one of these stones and uses an action to trace the shape of its respective rune in the air, the tile is activated and shines with viridian light. (The tile is extinguished if the consecration ritual fails or succeeds, if the bearer exits the circle, or if the bearer relinquishes the shuttle or spindle to another creature).
Once a tile is activated, its traced rune is connected to any also-activated neighbors by a strand of ethereal green light, as given by the dotted lines in the diagram above.
Special Events
Consecrating the Fane
To carry out the ritual of the Weaver, the bearer of the spindle and shuttle of the Weaver must stand atop each of the six rune-marked tiles (in no particular order) and use an action to trace that tile’s rune into the air using the ethereal viridian thread stored in the shuttle of the Weaver. The fey energy created in activating a tile generates additional threads of light that the bearer of the spindle and shuttle can use to defend itself. Immediately after using the ritualist uses their action to activate a tile, the newly activated rune shines with fae energy, erupting with radiant strands of light in a five-foot radius.
Each hostile undead creature in that area must make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw (with advantage, due to the desecrated ground). On a failed save, the target takes 1d6 radiant damage. The radius increases by five feet and the damage increases by 1d6 for each additional activated rune (e.g., if three runes are activated at the time that the ability triggers, the light deals 3d6 radiant damage in a 15-foot radius).
Once all six runes are activated, the strands of light connecting them form the three-pointed star of the Ladies Three, consecrating the Fane and severing its connection to Strahd (see “The Ritual Succeeds” below). However, to do so, the characters must first combat several attacks launched by Strahd’s undead guardians (see “Defending the Fane” below).
Defending the Fane
When he claimed the Swamp Fane as his own, Strahd redirected its power to create many malevolent spirits and bind them to his will. These spirits serve as his faithful guardians of the Fane, and are reborn and conjured whenever a new creature attempts to carry out the ritual of the Weaver.
Immediately after a character uses the Weaver’s artifacts to activate a rune within the circle, if no other runes are activated, these malevolent spirits begin to climb forth from the muck and mire nearby, assuming the forms of malignant undead as they shamble forward. Each undead guardian is surrounded by a shimmering aura of necrotic energy.
These undead seek to destroy or drive away the creature performing the ritual, or to hinder the ritual’s ultimate completion. Each undead guardian gains the following action:
Extinguish Rune. This creature visibly channels the negative energy it carries toward an activated tile of the Weaver. At the start of this creature’s next turn, if it is standing atop the activated tile, the tile is extinguished and must be reactivated for the ritual to continue. If this occurs, this creature is immediately reduced to 0 hit points and is destroyed. Destroying this creature or moving it off of the targeted tile before the start ofi ts next turn interrupts this action.
Weaker undead guardians prioritize the extinguishing of active tiles (if any), but will attack any creature that obstructs their path. Stronger undead guardians prioritize the destruction of the character performing the ritual, or, if intelligent enough, may take tactical action to harm the ritualist’s allies.
Strahd’s undead guardians begin combat ten feet from the outside of the circle of menhirs. Recall that the area within the circle of menhirs is desecrated ground, giving any undead creature within that circle advantage on saving throws. The natures of these undead guardians (and the rounds in which they emerge) are as follows:
If the PCs seem to be struggling, feel free to decrease the size or difficulty of future waves (and vice-versa if the encounter seems to be too easy). However, all waves from the 6th round onward should feel notably more difficult than the preceding six waves, and the PCs should feel a building sense of tension and danger throughout.
Additionally, if the PCs appear to be completing the encounter without much difficulty, you can have a stinking cloud appear at the center of the stone circle on Round 4 (lasting for two rounds) and a motionless cloudkill appear at the center of the stone circle on Round 7 (lasting for three rounds).
The Ritual Succeeds
If all six rune-marked tiles are activated, the ritual succeeds and the Swamp Fane is reconsecrated.
The six runes and connecting threads of light thrum with energy. Each rune grows brighter, glowing stronger and more vibrant until everything within the circle of menhirs is illuminated in an eerie, viridian fey light. The undead cringe away from his light, their faces and forms contorting in unfamiliar agony.
[To the character performing the ritual]: In that moment, you can suddenly perceive a pair of viridian veins running from the palms of your hand into the loamy soil at the center of the circle. Beside them, however, you can now also perceive a dark, crimson vein, as wide as a tree’s trunk and crackling with malignant black sparks, running from the center of the circle into the gray sky overhead. This bloated, throbbing vein arcs to the east and vanishes out of sight.
As it pulses with malevolent intent, you feel from its opposite end the unmistakable touch of a dark and ancient consciousness. There is a flash of black light from its depths, and for an instant, you perceive the burning scarlet eyes of Count Strahd von Zarovich, their hatred and rage boring into your very soul.
The six points of light and six connecting threads shine ever-brighter, until their intensity consumes your vision. Threads of viridian light stretch from the emerald veins bonded to your palms, burning with life, and wrap across the throbbing vein’s surface. These burning fey threads spiral like snakes, constricting and binding the crimson vein—and then, with a thunderous snap, sever it completely.
The sense of Strahd’s enraged consciousness vanishes—replaced with a burning warmth that runs from the palm of your hands deep into the very core of your being.
You hear a voice—a woman’s, distant at first—speak softly: What once was stolen, I now give freely. Accept my boon, champion of the Swamp Fane.
As you watch, small black tattoos in the shape of spiders appear in the palms of your hands, directly where the veins of life meet your skin.
[To everyone]: The undead shriek in pain, powerless to resist as the brilliant light burns through them. Each fell creature in turn collapses to the ground, its flesh and essence sloughing into a thick, gray sludge.
As you watch, a shimmering green liquid begins to condense around the strands of pulsing light, flowing forth to the swampy soil below. Wherever the liquid touches the earth, it devours the gray undead sludge. In its place, the grass grows lush and green, red and brown-speckled toadstools sprouting in small, well-rooted colonies across the spongy, moss-covered soil.
When the liquid reaches the outer menhirs, it flows not out, but up, covering each standing stone until the circle glimmers with ethereal fey light. As the shimmering liquid slowly evaporates, each menhir is left covered in lush, green vines that stretch from stone to stone, covering the air above the circle with a canopy of life. Dozens of small, beautiful spiders begin to emerge from the spaces between the vines, spinning silvery-gray threads until the circle glistens with dew that clings to the newborn webs.
The prickling, squeamish feeling that you’ve felt since entering the stone circle has gone, replaced by a soft, gentle sensation of warmth and peace.
With the Swamp Fane reconsecrated, Strahd loses his resistance to fire, cold, lightning, thunder, and acid damage. The creature who carried out the ritual gains these benefits instead.
To desecrate the Fane once more, Strahd must first slay the creature who completed the consecration ritual before performing a new corruption ritual. The corruption ritual takes three days and nights, and must begin on the night of the new moon.
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