The Ladies Three and the First Folk

Player-known lore compiled from sessions 8, 9, 20, 21, and 23. The party has not met the Ladies Three directly; knowledge comes from monuments, Kasimir Velikov, Lady Fiona Wachter, Urwin Martikov, and Davian Martikov. Chronology hub: History of the Valley.

The Ladies Three

Who they are

• Three pre-Strahd goddesses who once watched over the valley (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Known collectively as the Ladies Three (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Individual names: The Seeker, The Weaver, and The Huntress (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Ezra (Lady Night, goddess of the mists) is not one of the Ladies Three — "something else entirely" per Lady Fiona Wachter (Session 21 @ 00:53:51)
• Fiona would not recount Ezra's full tale when asked (Session 21 @ 00:53:51)

Worship and decline

• The First Folk of Barovia worshipped the Ladies Three (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Worship fell out of practice centuries ago when Strahd von Zarovich invaded and conquered the land (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Much lore was lost with that decline (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Fiona framed them as powers native to the land before the Zarovich line ever came — older than Strahd's rule (Session 21 @ 00:51:35, 00:52:14)

Unconfirmed: Strahd connection

• Fiona: rumors of some interaction between the Ladies Three and Strahd (the devil), but lost lore prevents her from saying more (Session 21 @ 00:53:51)
• Party label: Unconfirmed — heard as rumor only

The First Folk

Who they were

• Original inhabitants of the Barovian valley who worshipped the Ladies Three (Session 21 @ 00:52:14; Session 9 @ 01:46:29)
• Kasimir Velikov: First Folk inhabited the valley ~1,000 years ago; "no longer with us" as a culture (Session 9 @ 01:46:29)
• Kasimir: dusk-elves came after the First Folk but before Strahd (Session 9 @ 01:46:29, 01:47:08)
• Monuments and altars around Vallaki are not dusk-elf work — they are First Folk remnants (Session 9 @ 01:46:29)

Descendants today

Fiona and Kasimir agree survivors persist as reclusive descendants:

• Fiona: forest and mountain folk are the only remains of those who worshipped the Ladies Three (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Kasimir: descendants inhabit the woods and mountains and are reclusive (Session 9 @ 01:46:29)

Forest folk encounter — druid in the trees (Session 20)

East of Vallaki on the road toward Old Bonegrinder Windmill, the party met a figure perched in a tree watching them (Session 20 @ 01:10:00).

Appearance & behavior:

• Gaunt, wild-haired, bare feet; tattered gown of stitched animal skins (Session 20 @ 01:12:33)
• Red streaks on cheeks; fang-shaped streaks under lips (Session 20 @ 01:12:33)
• Spoke in riddling, mocking tones; claimed to be "one with the forest" and "played by none who call these woods their home" (Session 20 @ 01:14:57)
• Said they meant no harm and were not a toll-collector; urged the party to move on (Session 20 @ 01:13:38, 01:14:57)
• Arcana 6 — party detected no magic from them (Session 20 @ 01:14:08)

Fiona's read afterward:

• Identified the figure as a druid of the forest folk (Session 20 @ 01:16:46)
• Unusual to see one this far east — normally not found so far from Svalich Woods homes (Session 20 @ 01:16:46)
• Wondered if they are expanding beyond the woods or being driven out by something (Session 20 @ 01:16:46, 01:17:18)
• Fiona deferred pursuit — more pressing concerns at the windmill (Session 20 @ 01:17:18)

Party link: Mercurio asked Fiona whether forest folk included "the druid that we saw earlier" when she named the groups; she confirmed (Session 21 @ 00:53:41).

Mountain Folk sighting (Session 23)

South of Old Svalich Road during travel to Wizard of Wines:

• Cloaked figure spotted in southern hills—party read as Mountain Folk shaman (Session 23 @ 01:25:31)
• Mercurio Performance 20 + Religion 17 during flute song—brief vision of mountains and old gods (Session 23 @ 01:26:50)
• Figure fled; party continued toward winery (Session 23 @ 01:27:30)

Forest Folk invasion of Wizard of Wines (Session 23)

Neyavr 4 at dawn—Forest Folk druids drove Davian Martikov and family from Wizard of Wines (Session 23 @ 03:00:03):

Swamp Witch: Baba Lysaga (heard as Baba La Saga / Babylissaga)—dwells south in Berez (Session 23 @ 03:00:03). Unconfirmed: whether she mind-controls druids (Session 23 @ 03:14:26).

Wizard assault and staff destruction (Session 24)

Neyavr 10 afternoon—party infiltrated occupied Wizard of the Wines via secret cellar (Session 24 @ 00:25:55):

Standing stone near winery (Session 23)

• Wolf carving above three-pointed star on standing stone west of vineyards (Session 23 @ 02:24:50)
• Party declined to investigate (Session 23 @ 02:24:50)

Flute of Silence and megalith melodies (Session 23)

• Mercurio's Flute of Silence — +1 Vicious Mockery DC; deeper magic undiscovered; megalith-melody connection (Session 23 @ 01:32:15)
• Identify ritual: flute may connect to megalith melodies heard at windmill and elsewhere (Session 23 @ 01:32:36)
• Mountain Folk shaman fled when Mercurio played; party suspects shaman/megalith/flute link (Session 23 @ 01:26:50; Session 23 @ 01:33:24)

Megaliths and the Raven–Star Symbol

First discovery — road to Vallaki (Session 8)

Near Old Bonegrinder Windmill on the approach to Vallaki:

• Mossy stone slab (~6 ft) on cracked stone circle, just off the road (Session 8 @ 01:09:35)
• Carving: crude raven over a three-pointed star (lichen-lined grooves) (Session 8 @ 01:09:35)
• Arcana 10 — no active magic detected; folk-magic-ish vibe from the carving itself (Session 8 @ 01:11:55)
• Ireena Kolyana: ravens bring good fortune in Barovia; unfamiliar with star symbolism; carving seems very old; Barovia is conquered land — perhaps a remnant of an older civilization (Session 8 @ 01:12:50)
• Mercurio wondered if linked to decapitated gate statues; Ireena: "Perhaps" — Unconfirmed (Session 8 @ 01:13:23)

Note: Valley-gate headless statues bear the von Zarovich raven crest (Session 2 @ 02:55:21) — separate from megalith folk carving unless future evidence links them.

Second site — near windmill after hag fight (Session 21)

~100 feet from Old Bonegrinder Windmill on a neighboring hill (Session 21 @ 00:42:44):

Physical layout:

• Large circular stone slab surrounded by four pillars on a mossy hill (Session 21 @ 00:32:42)
• Center slab: same raven over three-pointed star carving as the road megalith (Session 21 @ 00:32:42)

Magical investigation:

Party plans: Irredel / Sylalys to prepare Dispel Magic and return after rest — not yet cast at session end (Session 21 @ 00:38:24, 00:43:12)

Raven behavior: Ravens were common on the approach, but avoided the windmill area — giving it a wide berth (Session 21 @ 00:42:44)

Monuments valley-wide

• Fiona: monuments to the Ladies Three scattered about the valley (Session 21 @ 00:52:14)
• Urwin: many monuments like the windmill stones exist across the valley; tied to ancient deities once in these lands, but names and lore long lost to him (Session 21 @ 01:44:37)

What the Keepers Know

Urwin Martikov (Keepers of the Feather / Blue Water Inn):

• Knows the stones exist and that similar monuments dot the valley (Session 21 @ 01:44:37)
• Familiar with the raven + three-pointed star symbol visually — does not know its significance (Session 21 @ 01:45:14)
• Not religious; has not encountered Ezra directly — only heard the name (Session 21 @ 01:48:08)
• Urwin runs a network of ravens across Barovia that can aid the party (Session 21 @ 00:41:07)
• When party asked if raven-star imagery connected to Keepers: Urwin recognized symbol but could not explain it (Session 21 @ 01:45:14)

Barovian Raven Lore (context)

• Common belief: ravens bring good fortune in Barovia (Session 8 @ 01:12:50)
• Megalith carvings feature ravens prominently — party has not confirmed a doctrinal link to the Ladies Three via that symbol alone

Geography (context)

• Svalich Woods — pervasive forest across much of Barovia; especially dense in the far east, far west, and north. Vallaki lies within a dense stretch just south of Lake Zarovich.
• Balinok Mountains — mountain range surrounding the Barovian valley; home to mountain-folk descendants of the First Folk (Session 21 @ 00:52:14; Session 20 @ 01:21:41)

Historical Layering (party timeline)

Open Questions

• What do the Ladies Three represent individually beyond their names?
• Did the Ladies Three truly interact with Strahd? (rumor only)
• What is the softer melody beneath the corruption curse at the windmill megalith?
• Will Dispel Magic reveal the buried folk magic?
• Why are ravens avoiding the windmill hill?
• What is driving forest folk east toward Vallaki?
• Is the raven–star symbol a sigil of the Ladies Three, the First Folk, or something else?
• Relationship between megaliths and decapitated valley-gate statues — party speculation only

Sources by Session