Half a day earlier, Jon had decided to take Fluffy out of the village, deeming it not safe for the wolf judging by the angry and threatening glares the from the townsfolk. Wolves in Barovia were associated with Strahd and harbingers of evil.

Thus it happened that when the attack on the village came, Secomber and Fluffy were far from the safety of the walls. The pair had stumbled upon an old charcoal burner’s cabin, long abandoned and slowly being reclaimed by the mist shrouded forest and Jon decided to hole up there and wait out the danger now posed by what sounded like hundreds of wolves that had descended upon the area.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts to remain hidden, the pair were discovered and surrounded by what turned out to be a pack of werewolves, led by Emil Toranescu and his wounded mate Zuleika Toranescu. It was only the presence of Fluffy that kept Jon from being torn to shreds on the spot. Emil seemed to take a liking to the halfling and offered him a dark gift, stating that it would only be offered once.

Politely but firmly declining, Jon and Fluffy were left in peace as Emil tended to his wounded bride, who healed with unnatural speed in spite of being hit with an envenomed crossbow bolt.

The next morning, Jon discovered that the werewolves had fought and killed a pair of wolf hunters from Vallaki nearby. Jon divested the mutilated corpses of several valuable items before returning with Fluffy to Vallaki, unsure of what his next move might be and with the words of Emil Toranescu echoing in his mind. To make matters worse, Jon’s sleep of late had been plagued with strange nightmares, making his sleep fitful and not at all restful…

Jon was not excited by the prospect of returning to town with Fluffy, and breathed a sigh of relief when he encountered the party leaving the village by the now damaged East Gate. Relief quickly turned to despair as he saw the body of Breeze, covered by a tarp, in the back of the wagon.

Onika simply admonished the halfling for disappearing and informed him that the party would immediately be traveling to the Abbey of St. Markovia, there to find the mysterious Abbot of the Morninglord, said to have the power to raise the dead. Jon was also shocked to learn of Ismark’s death, the kidnapping of Ireena, and that Izek Strazni had chosen to accompany the party… now intent on finding his long-lost sister even if it meant confronting Strahd in his keep.