While Jarmo and Ireena got "comfortable" at the Inn, Shakti and Ghalwin opted not to rest. Still curious about Rictavio's carnival wagon, they slipped through the rainy midnight streets of Vallaki and took cover outside Arasek Stockyard. Over the course of hours, they observed Rictavio at the locked gate; Shakti sent a Crow Familiar to see what he was up to. The old man was far more mobile than he let on, leaping to the roof of his wagon and dropping in piles of raw meat alongside dolls stitched to resemble Vistani. Inside, a Saber-Toothed Tiger, clad in customized plate armor, tore through both with equal enthusiasm.
They returned to the Blue Water Inn and resolved to confront Rictavio in the morning. The bard maintained his joviality while feeding his horse Drusilla, but grew serious as Ghalwin's questions sharpened. Noting that Bray was listening from the rafters, he had the party follow him to his room where he dropped the disguise. Rictavio was not a random half-elf bard; he was in fact the famed cleric and monster hunter Rudolph van Richten. The Doctor had come to Barovia with one express purpose: to kill Strahd von Zarovich.
With his identity exposed, van Richten was no more forthcoming than before. The old slayer had spent months collecting information and was plainly afraid of being found. When the Pack told him that Madam Eva's Tarokka reading had named him as a fated ally, however, he changed his tune. Taking the prophecy at face value, van Richten considered the possible locations of the three artifacts with the party. From what he knew of Barovia, likely places of interest included the grounds of the Wizard of Wines, a ruined fort tied to Silver Dragons called Argynvostholt, and a rumoured temple atop Mount Ghakis.
The Doctor struck a deal with the Pack: find one of the three treasures to prove their reliability, and he would join their quest. He refused to leave Vallaki or abandon his hiding spot in the meantime, but when told of Saint Andral's missing bones, he agreed to help re-consecrate the church. They returned to the Coffin Maker's Shop together, accidentally breaking the lock while trying to pick it. Inside, they cornered Henrik van der Voort, who finally gave way and revealed that six vampire spawn had been living above him for months, under threat of death. A nobleman calling himself "Vasili von Holtz" had approached Henrik and offered gold in exchange for the bones; the vampire spawn arrived shortly after.
Ghalwin sent the coffinmaker to the Blue Water Inn, and the large party made a poor attempt at creeping upstairs. They found a door inscribed with a Glyph, set to signal if opened, searched Henrik's kitchen and bedroom, and reclaimed the gold that had been promised to Milivoj. Then they stepped through the warded door, expecting an ambush. Six vampire spawn of various races burst from crates and barrels, though not all of them went for the kill; most smashed through a window and jumped down to streets of Vallaki, taking the bag of Saint Andral's bones with them.
An undead orc, who they recognized as Brokk, held the party up for several rounds, trading blows with Ghalwin. Jarmo kept dragging the spawn back down as he climbed up the walls, and Ghalwin eventually broke off to chase the bag-carrier, jumping out after the fleeing vampires. He threw open the side door for Lancelot and Shakti while Jarmo, Ireena, and van Richten worked to finish Brokk. They landed hits, but the spawn bolted through the same window as Ghalwin before they could put him down. His shiftiness could not save him, however; Shakti, Wildshaped as a dire wolf, bounded down the stairs and tore him apart as he hit the ground.
The rest of the party descended to street level just in time to hear screams erupt across the square.