Morgantha

Source characterization: RAW night hag, homebrew expanded (see also The Pie Mill (reworked Old Durst Mill), the Pie Mill)

Role: Proprietor of the Pie Mill; seller of dream pastries

Key characterization principles:

  • Met by the party near Tser Falls in Session 3 (canon); no one has eaten her pastries yet.
  • Daughters: Bella Sunbane and Offelia Wormwiggle (the Session 10 Prep doc’s spelling; RAW spells it “Offalia,” and an earlier entry here had “Ophelia”), repulsive even in their human disguises.
  • [IDEA — NONCANONICAL] 2026-09-19:
    • The mill is shrouded by obscuring magic and sits off the road.
    • She sells pies at daybreak outside Vallaki for 1 gp each, to refugees and to hooked Vallakians who walk out to buy them.
    • She’s preparing to vend at the Festival of the Blazing Sun and is welcome in Vallaki — Izek hasn’t run her out.
    • Carries about 2 gp and a bag of sentimental items (a wooden sun pendant, a fishing tackle, Stella Watcher’s diary).
    • Her dream pastries are a heavily weakened version of Strahd’s Winter-Worm poison, and she may be involved in crafting it. She has been gathering its sedative ingredient, cat-o’-nine-tails, in play.
    • Travels with Elaine. See Strahd’s Machination: Poisoning the Winter Worm and Planned Encounters for the Next Session (A).
  • [IDEA — NONCANONICAL] Session 10 Prep doc (current): she has a meat pie and a vegetable cheese pie left (1 gp each), sells a “purified valerian extract” herbal remedy, sells at dawn every other day, and — only if the party buys a pie — warns them about “the fool Vargas’ attack dog, Izek.” A Divine Sense read-aloud is written for her. See Road to Vallaki — Morgantha & Elaine.

Current narrative status: Met in Session 3. Session 10 (canonical): met again on the road to Vallaki, pushing a cart with her “granddaughter” Elaine, who was reading Stella Watcher’s diary aloud. Introduced herself as “Morgantha… everyone knows me as the pie lady.” Had seven pies left (four veggie-cheese of stewed local root vegetables, three meat), 1 gp each; offered four-for-three plus an introduction to Vallaki, then sold all seven to Reyna for 7 gp. Said the pies hold “natural herb remedies passed down for generations” that make you very relaxed and help some sleep — Lycius ate a cheese pie, got blissfully sedated and fell asleep. She sells outside Vallaki’s gates every other day, can enter the town as a vendor, and will vend at the coming festival. She called the Vallakians “profiteering vultures” robbing the Barovians and warned about Izek. The mill sits southwest off the road, hidden in trees — “follow your nose.” Ireena said the old Durst mill was sold after the Dursts died and is now a bakery known for “fluffy, dreamy pastries,” and that a rival family (transcribed “the Andersons” — confirm) resents the new owners. She left quickly after the sale. The party now suspects the pies are drugs. Her daughters were not seen. That the pastries are a weakened form of Strahd’s poison remains [IDEA — NONCANONICAL].

Session 11 (canonical, by reputation): Many of the refugees are eating her pies, and have been for weeks; they bring pleasant dreams some don’t want to wake from. Theren found a heavy dose of the Tser Falls sedative herb in one; its filling was slimy, its “cheese” boba-like globules of liquid. It resisted Lyasra’s purify food and drink. Kasimir said she has sold in Vallaki for about three months and is a festival favorite. Not confirmed as the source of the worms: Emeric is infected without having eaten one.

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