Feeling more connected to the land, the party experimented with their new powers, and found rewards from the nature around them. In the forest, Ghalwin was gifted a steed Familiar, who took the form of a Fey Elk. It displayed an uncommon intelligence and understanding, and representing his true belief in the ancients, the paladin named them Verity. Atlas received further powers to protect him from the evil realm, learning how to make a dome of force to shield them while they rested. Shakti, meanwhile, used this time to develop a relationship with the saber-tooth, magically charming the beast and instilling a mental connection with her. She got the tiger to trust her, and named her Shredder, as her plate mail and fearsome fangs bore resemblance to some cheese grater from hell.
Around midday, the caravan was approached by a single stranger. Atlas identified him as a werewolf scoping for silvered weapons, and Ghalwin got testy with the stranger. Revealing that he knew his secret and intimating that they possessed powerful magic, Atlas successfully intimidated the werewolf to back off, and to ensure that none of his pack pursued them. Further on, they had another brief encounter with "Bonerider"; the skeleton dropped an empty wine bottle bearing an old label that read "The Wizard of Wines Winery, Red Dragon Crush, 331422-W".
That evening, the Pack came to the Raven River Crossroads and found that they did not need to cross the River, instead sloping southwest into a minor valley. As they made camp, protected by Atlas' "tiny hut", Ghalwin saw flickering torchlight approaching and woke the party. He was intrigued by it and went to investigate, but remembered stories of spirits called Will-o'-wisps that appeared playful, but would lead people to their death. He did not take the bait, and the party was safe to rest before continuing on their travels.
Before noon, their travel slowed as the Old Svalich Road turned into more of a muddy dirt path with well-worn wagon grooves They were not accosted until mid-afternoon, when a different flicker from the woods caught their eye; Ghalwin approached a man flashing a mirror, dressed in clothing not native to Barovia. He identified himself as Adrian Martikov, and tersely told the party to turn around as the Wizard of Wines was closed. Ghalwin was able to explain their situation, their intention, and their deal with his younger brother Urwin. Though Adrian was perturbed, he was relieved that help had arrived, and he guided the caravan to a hidden area of the forest.
There, five Martikov adults and four children had been hiding, having fled the winery after blights laid siege to their home. They kept the building for two straight days before realizing it was a lost cause, and had been in the woods for five days, unsure of how to re-take their home. The patriarch and ultimate decision maker of the Keepers of the Feather, Davian, was a proud and sour old crow. He berated Adrian for bringing the Pack to their hiding place, berated Urwin for revealing their secret (despite his son not being there), then berated the Pack for trying to help them.
Though they were unable to properly get through to Davian, the Pack nonetheless decided to help the Martikovs retake the winery, and Adrian was extremely grateful. He relayed that they grew their wine through three magic Stones, though two had gone missing in the past ten years; this had caused Urwin's fallout with his father. He also gave a general overview of the Wizard of Wines layout. Their plan was simple to begin with: they would approach the winery at the dead of night, hiding out in the surrounding forest, and scout their next move. Ghalwin decided against bringing Verity and their caravan, but Lance and Shredder joined them.
Once there on a hillock, however, the Pack changed their scouting plan when Shakti spotted that blights were hiding in and amongst the vines. Scouting would take magical resources, and Atlas liked their odds in a land battle. They began to charge, Braveheart-style, and screamed down the hill until they saw that more than 30 needle blights began to rise. They changed their plan again mid-charge, and decided to run straight through the vineyard, up the loading docks, and crash into the winery itself. Atlas summoned spiritual guardians to aid them as Shakti launched a moonbeam; though shot at with needles and swiped at by blights, they managed to breach the Wizard of Wines.
Ghalwin jammed a crowbar into the door and braced himself against the oncoming horde, as Atlas and Shakti entered a large room of fermentation vats. Shakti spotted a druid pouring a liquid into one of the vats in the balcony above, and she dashed across the room to secure another door. Atlas saw a small creature shuffling into a broken vat, and his twilight spirits noticed what he could not: twenty-four twig blights were jammed inside, ready to pounce. He approached, and his spirit guardians vanquished every one of them before they could even leave the vat.
Meanwhile, Shakti heated the doorknob's metal to ensure anyone who gripped the knob would be burned; as she did so, a druid leapt onto her from the balcony above!