Bildrath's Mercantile
Sparse light gleams from gaps in the boarded-up windows of this building. A sign over the door creaks on its hinges, proclaiming “Bildrath’s Mercantile.”
In normal times, Bildrath replenishes his stock through trade with the far-roving Vistani. His prices are high, but the townspeople rely on the mercantile for hard-to-come-by items. However, Bildrath closed shop when the zombie invasion began, and he will not open it again to regular business until the infestation is quelled.
Bildrath (N male human warrior 4; Profession [shop-keeper]) is holed up alone in the building with his rather dim nephew, Parriwimple (NG male human warrior 9). Bildrath sends Parriwimple out to help repair the barricade if it is breached, but otherwise commands his nephew to remain in the shop and defend it against shoplifters and zombies alike. He sends anyone seeking sanctuary across the street to the Blood of the Vine tavern (area E5).
Parriwimple serves as Bildrath’s stock boy, and his uncle occasionally asks him to carry items out from the back room. The width of his shoulders and the muscles rippling beneath his leather jerkin reveal Parriwimple’s prodigious strength. However, he is extremely simple-minded. On no account does Bildrath allow Parriwimple to accompany the PCs, whether to quell the zombies or to undertake some other task. Parriwimple is dedicated to his uncle and would not follow the PCs even if his uncle gave permission. In his own dim way he knows that to cross the master of the castle is death—or worse.
Development: Persistent PCs might get Bildrath to open his shop to them even before the zombie incursion stops. This requires a helpful result on a Diplomacy check; has atti- tude starts as unfriendly for this purpose, but a 50 gp bribe raises his starting attitude to indifferent. Once the store is open, PCs can buy anything they can normally find in a village—Barovia has a 200 gp limit (DMG 137), but the markup on all items is 50%. Bildrath himself serves customers. He never bargains: “If you want it badly enough, you’ll pay—you won’t fi nd another shop in this town.”
If asked about Strahd, Bildrath gets a nervous look in his eyes and refuses to speak on the topic. He doesn’t actually have any information—he’s just afraid.
An agent of Strahd named Lucian has recruited Bildrath as a spy. (For more about Lucian, see area K72 on page 172.) Bildrath has received a few pieces of correspondence from Lucian, asking about how things are going in town and requesting reports on any newcomers or other interesting events. Since the correspondence always includes 5 platinum pieces, Bildrath has never seen any reason not to comply.
He sees himself not as an agent of evil but as merely an observer. He doesn’t know anything more about the mysterious Lucian.
Fortunes of Ravenloft: Depending on the results of Madam Eva’s fortune-telling, either the Sunsword or the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind might be hidden in the back room of Bildrath’s Mercantile. Bildrath does not know the item is in his shop, and he does not normally allow anyone back there but Parriwimple. However, a 50 gp bribe is sufficient to persuade him to change his mind. Finding the item requires a successful DC 22 Search check. Alternatively, with a successful DC 20 Diplomacy check, the PCs can convince Parriwimple to look around in the back room. He searches diligently and returns with the item after about 20 minutes.
In either case, Bildrath claims the item belongs to him (even though he didn’t know he had it), and he is loath to hand it over without payment. It is clearly of fine quality, and he demands fair market value: 1,500 gp for the Holy Symbol, or 3,335 gp for the Sunsword. The PCs might be able to drive down the price somewhat through haggling, but they cannot persuade Bildrath to simply give them the item.
