The party of adventurers were promptly able to clear out the remaining magic users and Vine Blights that were holding Davian Martikov captive at The Wizard of Wines Winery. With a dying breath, the last of the Forest Folk laughed as it chocked on blood, telling the group that they have not succeeded and that "Wintersplinter marches onward". After unbinding Davian, he was able to send a raven out to gather the rest of his family.
Now able to safely come back to the winery, the Martikov Family told the party about the history of the vineyard including information about the winery gems, a secret of the family that helped the grapes grow into a suitable crop for wine. The family rewarded the party with ample gold and a very rare bottle of Champagne du Corbeau. They informed the group of the first winery gem that went missing 10 years ago and was used to grow the crop used for this champagne. The 2nd gem was also taken only as recent as a month ago. As this was all being explained to the group, a very pale Elvir Martikov broke the news that the third and final gem had been pulled from the ground and stolen during this latest siege of the vineyard. When asked where they thought the Plant Blightsand Forest Folk could be coming from, the party was directed Eastward to a place called Yester Hill as the family heard about dark gatherings amassing there. Adrian Martikov asked the group to help investigate as soon as possible, for without the Winery Gems, Barovia would be left without their fondest pastime. When asked about the reason for the gems being stolen and if the family had heard of this "Wintersplinter" the only response was, "nothing that could be good."
The Martikovs invited the party to stay the night for dinner and safe rest if they wanted. Adrian Martikov also stated that the party could accompany them the following morning on their trip back to the major settlements to deliver the already prepped and barreled wine. While helping the family clean up the mess, the party found broken glass lined with a putrid, thick, black liquid that was quickly determined to be poison. Suspecting the wine to be tainted, the group began to investigate further.
