Having broken into the Coffin Maker's Shop, the Pack moved to investigate. Henrik van der Voort pleaded with them to stop, clearly terrified of whatever rested upstairs. He stalled and refused to give anything up on his captors, and Shakti noticed they were being watched through the broken window. The spy was Ernst Larnak, a thief and messenger in the employ of the Wachters; Vallaki's second-most important family had extended them a dinner invitation. Recognizing they needed more information before pursuing any lead, the Pack left coins for the broken window and headed out to explore the town.
Jarmo hired two children to guide them to Blinsky Toys, where they met the eccentric Gadof Blinsky and Piccolo, formerly Rictavio's monkey. The workshop was full of twisted curiosities, among them a doll that bore an unsettling resemblance to Ireena Kolyana. Jarmo pressured the toymaker into admitting he had been regularly commissioned by Izek Strazni to produce new dolls, all in her likeness. Gadof also shared his great ambition: to one day see the "clockwork man" crafted by the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg, believed to be kept somewhere in Castle Ravenloft. He asked that if the party ever found it, they bring it to him. They left with gifts in hand; a mummifying matryoshka set for the orphanage children, a headless doll with exchangeable heads for the Vistani girl Arabelle, and a ventriloquist-style Strahd dummy for Ghalwin.
The Pack made their way to Arasek Stockyard, where they met the owners Yelena and Gunther Arasek. They found several items of potential use, including a carriage, horses, and a suit of plate mail. An inscription inside the breastplate indicated it had belonged to an Orc named Brokk. Ghalwin also learned that Yelena might be able to fashion armor for Lancelot, though it would take days. Before leaving, the party noted that a large cat-like creature was living in Rictavio's wagon, snarling and reeking of raw meat. They chose not to investigate further, stepping away as carefully as they had arrived.
Danika Dorakova had been expecting them when they arrived in the Blue Water Inn. She revealed that she was a Wereraven, immune to conventional harm. She introduced her children, Brom and Bray, and they were joined by her husband, the cook Urwin Martikov. After some deliberation, Urwin disclosed that he was the spymaster of an organization called the Keepers of the Feather, a society of wereraven spies dedicated to protecting Barovia. He offered some information on the village of Krezk but was reluctant to go further; past adventurers, he explained, always wound up giving intelligence to Strahd. To earn his trust, Ghalwin volunteered to travel to the Martikov family winery, the Wizard of Wines, and find out why shipments had stopped; the absence had left the Inn in a difficult position.
While there, they spoke again with Rictavio, who remained charming and guarded in equal measure. They danced around the subject of the creature in his wagon; he feigned surprise and promised to look into it. Little else was learned, and the party returned to the orphanage to repair the morning's damage and rest before dinner at the Wachterhaus that evening.
That evening, they dined with Nikolai II and Karl, as well as the boys' mother, Fiona Wachter. After a pleasant but unproductive meal, Fiona dismissed her sons and came to the point. She wanted the party to befriend Vargas Vallakovich and report back anything compromising they found. Her contempt for the Vallakovich family's authoritarian methods was plain, and her interest in some form of revolution barely concealed. She also raised the subject of Strahd, suggesting the vampire lord might be somewhat misunderstood; Ghalwin quietly noted a faint fiendish presence beneath the house.
The party repeatedly asked to see her daughter, and Fiona eventually relented. Stella Wachter was locked in her room like an animal, and appeared to believe she was a Cat. Fiona told them that Stella had been engaged to the Baronet Viktor Vallakovich, but had returned from the Vallakovich mansion completely unhinged, and the wedding was called off. Still visibly furious, Fiona asked the Pack to investigate Viktor and find out what he had done to her daughter.