Vistani

Known throughout the Land of the Mists, Vistani (singular: Vistana) are a people with a unique understanding of the Domains of Dread and the hidden paths between them. Following itinerant traditions, many Vistani travel between domains, learning much of hidden lands, the many faces of evil, and the strange wonders of the Mists. A people unto themselves, Vistani refuse to be captives of a single domain, the Mists, or any terror.

Vistani Culture

Unlike the denizens of individual domains, Vistani are inhabitants of the Land of the Mist as a whole. Although they trace their origins to the same world as Barovia, many Vistani look toward the future, learning from their traditions and from one another to better face whatever lies ahead.

Vistani bands consist primarily of one or more extended human families who can trace their heritage back to age-old Vistani clans. Over generations of exploring the Mists, though, individuals of other ancestries have been accepted into some clans and now are full-fledged members of Vistani culture.

As they travel, members of a Vistani band walk, ride on horseback, and drive ledge wagons, stopping at night to set up camp. Vistani bands occasionally camp near welcoming communities to trade and resupply, but rarely stay more than a week—though this can be complicated if a Darklord closes a domain’s borders. Most bands make their living primarily through craftwork (especially delicate silversmithing), horse rearing, and trading wares carried between domains.

Meetings between Vistani bands are opportunities to trade, catch up with friends, and share both news and warnings of dangers ahead or behind.

Vistani Magic and the Mists

Vistani pass their varied teachings through their families as stories and songs, detailing lessons learned from generations of travelers, warnings specific to visited domains, and traditional magic. Spellcasters aren’t uncommon among Vistani bands, with many favoring divination magic for the practical help it provides in avoiding danger. Spellcasters often incorporate their people’s traditional divination tools into their spellcasting, including the fortune-telling cards called tarokka decks.

With their experience navigating the Mists, many Vistani understand how to employ Mist talismans to reach specific domains, or possess the Mist Walker Dark Gift, allowing them to make their way between domains. Vistani don’t enter the Mists lightly, though, knowing that each such passage holds inherent danger. Caravan leaders ensure that every family member is accounted for before moving on, ensuring no one gets lost in the Mists.

VISTANI CHARACTERS

Being a Vistana makes a character part of a larger family and cultural tradition. Most Vistani are human, but many bands incorporate other peoples, particularly halflings, wood elves, orcs, and tieflings. Vistani have a range of skin, eye, and hair colors. When players create Vistani characters, consider asking them the following questions.

Did you leave your clan’s caravan? If so, are you seeking to right a wrong done to them, or to spare them from harm? If not, how do you balance your adventures with your family’s travels? Are there ways you and your family keep tabs on one another?

How much do you know about navigating the Mists? Do you know how to travel between domains? Do you use divination magic to guide your fate? Or do you know little about it, having left navigation to others?

How do you feel about being away from your people? Do you enjoy socializing with a variety of people? Did you seek a settled life? Do you want to finish your tasks quickly and return to your family?

Famed Vistani

Some Vistani are legends among their people, and their bands might be encountered anywhere. The individuals noted here number among the most famous Vistani band leaders:

Hyskosa. A renowned poet and storyteller, Hyskosa leads a caravan that embraces the Mists and goes where they lead it. As a result, his clan is unmoored from time and reality, appearing in different ages, in strange versions and configurations of domains, and even on worlds beyond the Domains of Dread. His lyrical accounts of his travels are often viewed as prophecies.

Madame Eva. A controversial figure among Vistani, Madame Eva made a bargain with the vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich. As a result, the evils that lurk in Barovia avoid Vistani. However, Madame Eva and her followers occasionally ally with the infamous count, giving them a sinister reputation.

Mother Luba. The halfling Mother Luba is known for putting unquiet spirits to rest and transporting wayward souls through the Mists to their rightful homes. Those wicked spirits beyond her aid she trapped within her tarokka deck, which became known as Luba’s Tarokka of Souls.

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Deception, History, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand

Tool Proficiencies: One type of musical instrument or artisan’s tools

Languages: One of your choice

Equipment: A hunting trap, a Barovian token or set of tattoos marking your loyalty to your traveling Vistani clan, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 60 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Use the tables for the outlander background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as a member of an traveling Vistani clan.

Even if you have left your tribe behind (at least for now), you hold to the traditions of your people. You will never cut down a still-living tree, and you may not countenance such an act being done in your presence. You will always offer good drink to those who thirst from their travels.

Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your clan or some aspect of Vistani philosophy or culture (perhaps even the clan’s Matriarch herself). Your ideal is a personal choice that probably hews closely to the ethos of your people and certainly doesn’t contradict or compromise what being a Vistana stands for.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home.
2	I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of newborn pups.
3	I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to.
4	I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature.
5	I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear.
6	I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
7	I feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
8	I was, in fact, raised by wolves.

d6	Ideal
1	Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
2	Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. (Good)
3	Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. (Lawful)
4	Might. The strongest are meant to rule. (Evil)
5	Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
6	Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me.
2	An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.
3	I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland.
4	I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend.
5	I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it.
6	It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe.

d6	Flaw
1	I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
2	There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
3	I remember every insult I’ve received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s ever wronged me.
4	I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies.
5	Violence is my answer to almost any challenge.
6	Don’t expect me to save those who can’t save themselves. It is nature’s way that the strong thrive and the weak perish.