Who knows, you might actually be the one to finally break the curse!"
*Clears throat* foreshadowing?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Veronica hesitates for a moment, then decides to take a seat by the fire.
"We were expected?" she says skeptically. "Then perhaps this is a kidnapping... if that is the case, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt my family would pay anything for my return. If anything, they would probably see this as a perfect opportunity to be free of me."
There is a slight tremor in her voice, betraying the fact that she is more scared than she would like to let on. But... as she opens her mouth to speak, you may catch a glimpse of her oversized canine teeth. Any of you who are familiar with folklore, and especially the natives of this land, may realize that the woman appears to be a vampire...
The Vistani elder puffed on his pipe and replied Veronica, "I'm sorry to hear that young lady, family is all we have. Those who would abandon a child don't deserve the blessing of having one."
"There are no kidnappers around this fire," said Oleg in a reassuring voice, "but such scum do exist in Barovia. If you followed the dirt track here to the Old Svalich Road and followed it west, past a set of great gates, you would soon see a rundown windmill. The worst kind of child-stealers inhabit that old ruin..."
The elder reached out and clubbed the back of Oleg's head with his pipe.
"Ow! I have spoken too much. It is bad luck to talk of that place and its occupants. Stay away from it!"
Garavon looks with distrust at the Elder, though he has never met one of the Rhenee which he perceives these people to be related to, stories of their duplicity with strangers abound. "There would seem to be nothing for it, but to see this Madam Eva. Perhaps you would be so good as to announce us? It would be considered impolite to enter a woman's abode unannounced." He winks at the children as he moves to stand outside the Madam's entrance.
To the others: "I am Garavon of the Silverwood, within the Duchy of Ulek. I was answering the Duke's summons for militia in hunting raiding Goblins in the mountains when this strange fog appeared." He glances at the woods from which they immerged. "I heard the most disturbing... laughter...within the fog. I suspect great enchantment at work in our summoning, but by whom?"
Veronica does her best to relax... if she has been abducted (which it appears she has... in a manner of speaking), it doesn't seem that these people are the culprits.
"Most parents don't birth to monsters," she sighs. "But... thank you. My name is Lady Veronica Osborne. I left my family home because I couldn't bear to see the fear in my own parents' eyes any longer... but I know not how I came to be here. I heard a man's voice... and I was seized by phantoms in the fog... then I was here..."
She looks at the others who just emerged from the woods.
"Did something similar happen to the rest of you, then?" she asks.
Victoria sits down next to Veronica, and sighs. She's heard about what her dad experienced when he arrived at Barovia: a man's mocking laugh, and ghostly hands clawing at him, when he almost fainted...
"Same... It was... scary at the least. I was only wandering around the forest, but I went off the path, and now we're all here...
"I'm Victoria Traakimash, but you can simply call me Vicky. It's... nice to meet you all."
Out of Character:should I roll deception about the hands and voice or not? Victoria is scarred by her father's experience (if it wasn't obvious enough), and has multiple times been reminded of it by him and his wife.
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Skanon gave Oleg a quick nod and looked down at the ground for a moment as he thought about what he had said. "Hopefully, although that is up to fate and perhaps a little luck to. Thanks and I wish you luck and safe travels friend." He winced slightly when he saw the older man hit him with his pipe before hesitantly walking over to Garavon and the outside of Madam Eva's tent.
As he looks between the others who had also emerged from the woods he swallowed before slowly raising his hand slightly. "I...I also had something of a similar vein happen to me. I heard something that I thought was laughter while I was struggling to navigate through the fog and I must admit that I thought I had seen spectral hands but I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if it was real." He pause for a moment before realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet. "My name is Skanon, before I found myself lost in the fog I was going to visit a family that I had helped in the past. But looks like that won't be happening anytime soon."
Gaelyn… slowly… sheaths his sword and follows the others into the firelight. He listens closely to the other lost souls and the answers given by these Vistani.
Barovia? Was that in the High Forest? Why hadn't the scouts mentioned it in their evening report? This was either a strange dream or the work of some devilry. Gaelyn tries to “steel” his mind against enchantments, like his mentor tried to teach him, just in case, but he only manages to get a headache.
Well, whether it be a dream or devilry, the only way out seemed to be to go along with it.
Gaelyn cautiously sits beside the white-haired elder and picks up a half-empty wine bottle. He sniffs it, sips it, then takes a good swig. He coughs a little, but chuckles.
He takes out two daily rations from his pack and sets them near the elder. “For the hospitality,” he says, then puts a silver coin on top. “And for the wine.”
Gaelyn nods towards Oleg, but addresses the elder. “I don't have that sort of coin either. Not yet. But if I can be of some other help to you or these people, let me know,”he says, patting his sword.
Well… no time like the present.
Gaelyn stands up, adjusts his buckles and belts, and - with an unease that would probably follow him for days to come - strides over to Madame Eva’s tent to stand with Garavon and Skanon.
“I'm Gaelyn Umber, a soldier with the Roving Regiment, Lord’s Alliance. We were camped for the night in the High Forest and something just felt wrong, so I took a little walk and… well, I guess I got turned around in that gods-forsaken ghost-fog same as everyone else.”
He drains the rest of the Vistani wine and looks at the empty bottle like it knows the answers but won't tell him.
“This is gonna be a good story for the lads. If we ever get out of here.”
He will wait until everyone is ready before ducking into the tent of Madame Eva.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
{DM note: Sorry Garavon! I’ve completely mixed up Ulek and Urnst, my bad. For Victoria, you will have to roll only if any of the other characters want to perform an Insight check on your story.}
“Thank you kindly Gaelyn,” said the elder as younger members of the Vistani got up to put Gaelyn’s gifts away. “If I may return one kindness with another, heed my words friend, Lord Strahd sees all in his domain. The wolves and bats of Barovia are his eyes and ears. Should you spot one observing you from the darkness, know that you are being watched.”
The elder barked at a teenaged Vistani girl with long wavy black hair tied back with a bandanna, she was seated at the edge of the fire closest to Madam Eva’s tent, “Nimira! Stop staring at Garavon lest your eyes fall out. Go and introduce our guests to Madam Eva.”
Nimira headed to Madam Eva’s tent, gave a small smile and whispered to Garavon when she was sure the elder wasn’t watching, “Hi, are you a lord or a knight? You’re very…” she paused, “...formal?” Garavon and Gaelyn heard her mutter under her breath, “Oh gods I’m an idiot,” as she quickly lifted Madam Eva’s tent flap and declared, “Madam Eva! The adventurers are here! We’ve got two military types out by your tent, they are Garavon of the Silverwood and Gaelyn Umber of the Roving Regiment. There’s three more by the fire, Lady Veronica Osborne, Victoria Traakimash, and Skanon no last name.” Garavon and Gaelyn heard Nimira add quietly to Madam Eva, “we’re not sure what they do,” and she ran back to join the Vistani by the fire.
{DM note: I will assume the characters make their way into or around the tent eventually to move the story along.}
Magic flames casted a reddish glow over the interior of the tent, revealing a low table covered in black velvet cloth. Glints of light seemed to flash from a crystal ball on the table as a hunched figure peered into its depths. As the crone spoke, her voice cackled like dry weeds.
“At last you have arrived!” Cackling laughter burst like mad lightning from her withered lips.
“I see you Garavon of the Silverwood, child of the forest, defender of Ulek, and you Gaelyn Umber of the Roving Regiment, loyal brother-in-arms, slayer of evil.” Madam Eva closed her eyes and stroked the air in the direction of the other three adventurers like she was feeling the strands of a giant invisible web.
“I see you too Skagon,” she said with her eyes still closed, “a guide in the darkness, and a friend to those in need.”
Her hands moved closer and her movements got smaller, as if Madam Eva was trying to separate hairs from each other. An eternity seemed to pass until finally she said, “Lady Veronica Osborne and Victoria Traakimash, I see new hope born from old scars, before you lies a chance to break the curse that once decided your fates.”
Madam Eva gave the group a toothless grin and said, “The threads of fate are woven, to leave these lands and return home, you must break the curse that afflicts both Barovia and its dark master, Strahd von Zarovich.” She made a point of not looking at Vicky as she said this.
“Your fortunes shall be read with my Tarokka deck. This knowledge I give freely to arm you against the terrible darkness.”
She produced a worn deck of cards and split them into two, laying each half on the black velvet table with one pile of cards much thicker than the other. Madam Eva gave each separate deck a quick shuffle and began drawing from them.
Common Deck rolls: 21337
High Deck rolls: 127
{Beginning of DM's explanation:
The Tarokka Deck of Cards is split into 40 cards in the Common Deck and 14 cards in the High Deck.
Madam Eva drew 3 from the Common Deck and 2 from the High Deck.
Here are the card values, suits, and names that have been converted into dice rolls.
Common Deck
Die roll 1-9: 1-9 of Swords
Die roll 10: Master of Swords
Die roll 11-19: 1-9 of Stars
Die roll 20: Master of Stars
Die roll 21-29: 1-9 of Coins
Die roll 30: Master of Coins
Die roll 31-39: 1-9 of Glyphs
Die roll 40: Master of Glyphs
High Deck
Die roll 1: Artifact
Die roll 2: Beast
Die roll 3: Broken One
Die roll 4: Darklord
Die roll 5: Donjon
Die roll 6: Ghost
Die roll 7: Executioner
Die roll 8: Horseman
Die roll 9: Innocent
Die roll 10: Marionette
Die roll 11: Mists
Die roll 12: Raven
Die roll 13: Seer
Die roll 14: Tempter
The card reading interpretation will be posted in a moment...
Madam Eva flipped over the first card and said, “This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy. The treasure you seek is hidden behind the sun, in the house of a saint.”
The One of Glyphs depicted a Monk.
She flipped over the next card. “This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope. I see a garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden, but to the guardian.”
The Two of Glyphs depicted a Missionary.
Madam Eva flipped over the last card from the thicker (Common) deck. “This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight. There is a town where all is not well. There you will find a house of corruption, and within, a dark room full of still ghosts.”
The Nine of Swords depicted a Torturer.
She moved on to the first card from the thinner (High) deck. “This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. Search for a troubled young man surrounded by wealth and madness, his home is his prison.”
The card depicted a Donjon. (Dungeon)
The last card was flipped. “Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality, this card will lead you to him. He lurks in the darkness where the morning light once shone - a sacred place.”
The card depicted an Artifact.
Madam Eva looked at each of you and said, “You’ll want to start your fight against the darkness in the east, in the Village of Barovia. I see a few of you are confused.” She cackled to herself, it was almost like she had known which route the conversation would take. “King Barov von Zarovich was Strahd’s father and Strahd named this land and a village after him. Both bear the name of Barovia. He named the castle from which he rules Castle Ravenloft, after his mother Queen Ravenovia.”
She cleared her throat with a dry hacking cough before continuing, “The burgomaster of the village has a daughter, Ireena Kolyana. She has become the target of Strahd’s obsessions. Go aid her and you’ll learn more about these lands and its dangers. You can follow Oleg and his family on the morrow as they head east. The Vistani alone are granted safe passage through Strahd’s lands. If Oleg resists, you can tell him the request came from me.
Or if you wish to brave the unknown yourselves, keep your eyes sharp and blades close. May the threads of fate be ever in your favor adventurers.”
{DM note: It would help if the characters made their intentions known, whether they planned to follow Oleg the next morning, head west right now in the night instead of east, go back into the forest, follow the river, etc.
I'll assume the whole party goes along with the option picked by the most players, unless a player states explicitly that they intend to split from the party if the party does not head in the direction they want.
Moving forward, this will be how the party travels.}
Veronica glances at the others... she's not sure how she, or they, will be able to help with anything, but if it's their best chance at getting home, they might as well try.
"As strangers here... I think it would be prudent to travel with Oleg rather than attempt to find our way unaided,"she says. "Unless of course one of you is more familiar with this land...?"
Another thought occurs to her, though... does she even want to return to her own land? To those who fear and hate her? Is this 'Barovia' really any worse?
Skanon thought about what had been said as he looked towards the others and then towards the way they had entered the tent. While the task ahead of them would likely be more dangerous than anything he had faced back home he was willing to help even though there was no guarantee that he'd make it out of here alive.
"Traveling with Oleg and his family in the morning doesn't seem like such a bad idea." He says with a soft yawn. "My mother always told me that traveling while tired could lead to an unfortunate accident, definitely when you're in unfamiliar territory. That being said who knows what dangers lurk in the woods, I think it'd be..." He trails off slightly not wanting to ramble on.
Vicky thinks for a moment, weighing out the options... Trying to think clearly, she recalls the tarokka cards: 'A garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden, but to the guardian.' ,
'A sword of sunlight. There is a town where all is not well. There you will find a house of corruption, and within, a dark room full of still ghosts.' ,
'Search for a troubled young man surrounded by wealth and madness, his home is his prison.' ,
'Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality, this card will lead you to him. He lurks in the darkness where the morning light once shone - a sacred place' ,
'The burgomaster of the village (of Barovia) has a daughter, Ireena Kolyana. She has become the target of Strahd’s obsessions. Go aid her and you’ll learn more about these lands and its dangers.'
"I think it best to follow Oleg, too. We do not know of the horrors that could happen. If the Vistani, like himself, are gifted safe travel through this... place. We might as well follow with him, lest we get attacked. And, if we could be watched at any time, any place, it's best we are with the Vistani.
"Unless you two have any objections?"
Vicky then risks a glance at Veronica: 'How would she know? Was it a wild guess? A simple question? I best ignore it...' .
Out of Character, the uncoloured speech is Vicky thinking, and the bold speech was her recalling the cards' descriptions.
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
The Village of Barovia is the closest settlement to Castle Ravenloft and lies in its shadow. It is a miserable place, where most of its shops are closed and the village itself is rumored to be heavily predated upon by the devil Strahd due to its proximity to his castle. The village's burgomaster (the equivalent of mayor) is a man named Kolyan Indirovich who has a son named Ismark Kolyanovich and an adopted daughter named Ireena Kolyana.
You have not ventured into the village before as it sits on the eastern end of Barovia, while your home is toward the western end. Barovia is not a safe place for long journeys and there was no good reason for you to travel to the village.
Garavon is naturally suspicious of the Madam and her presentments. If true, what form of magic was it? Divine, Arcane or Infernal? Certainly, not of Nature?
"I am agreed. Let us follow this Oleg on the morrow. Till then, is there someone tell us what else of danger we might encounter in this realm? Animals? Monsters?
If no further information is forthcoming, Garavon will return outside where he will rest against a wagon wheel.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"Gaelyn, it appears that, unless you would rather split ways from our... foretold gathering here, we may as well take you with us tomorrow. Yet please, feel free to object!"
Vicky waits for Gaelyn's answer (if there is one) before going out and committing the cards to memory. (I feel it's best to roll flat intelligence with no proficiency) INT for memory: 9. She then goes up to Oleg (if he's currently playing his accordion) and says, "You're pretty good at that! Have this!" and she passes him a silver piece, and then hums to the tune, tapping on the ground with her fingers. "Sounds like we're coming with you tomorrow, with your family, to... Barovia? I don't get why it's name is the same as it's... forest? Big gap in the gapless forest? And what of these strange places the others have mentioned? Are they in this place, or from where they come from? Correct me if I am wrong. Either way, I have never been here not very long, and know not much about this place..."
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
The five adventurers made for strange bedfellows, but unity in a hostile land was a valuable asset and so you spent the night resting with the Vistani.
Oleg gladly accepted the silver piece from Vicky. With his palm greased with coin, the Vistana (singular form of Vistani) was more than happy for the characters to accompany him and his family east.
Veronica, Skanon, and Vicky stayed up as late as they could whilst still getting sufficient rest for the journey tomorrow. They joined in at the fire and tried to glean as much information as possible about Barovia and its dangers.
Garavon returned to the group by the fire like an elf with a mission, he could afford to stay up much later due to his elvish nature and required only a shorter time spent in a trance where many others needed a full night’s rest. He respectfully quizzed the Vistani regarding Barovia well into the night and tried to piece together all the information he had long after the others went to bed.
{DM note: It sounds like the party intends to spend some time gathering information about the dangers they may face. I’ll use the character with the highest modifier and give them advantage from the rest of the party helping them. Garavon does some additional piecing-together of information after the others go to sleep.}
Veronica rolls Persuasion with advantage. DC is 13.
1917
Garavon tries to figure out the magic used by Madam Eva. DC is 20.
The Vistani were too drunk to give coherent answers, serious questions quickly devolved into pointless anecdotes. Their protected status within Barovia seemed to have given them a skewed perspective about the true dangers of the land.
Try as he might, Garavon was unable to figure out the magic used by Madam Eva to perform her foretelling.
When morning came, the light mist that lingered beneath the overcast sky while worrying, was nothing like the malevolent fog from the night before and seemed relatively safe for travel. Oleg, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a middle-aged woman with the same dark hair as the rest of the Vistani, wrapped in colorful shawls, was seated in the driver’s seat of one of the wagons hitched to a draft horse. Two young children, a boy and a girl, shared the seat with her.
“Oleg’s sleeping off the drink,” she said with a beneficent smile and pointed at the wagon behind her. You could hear heavy snoring coming from the wagon. “I’m Marta. Let’s go, the village is not far.”
As you traveled, Marta gave you the lay of the land. Barovia was a valley running east to west, with the Old Svalich Road, the road upon which you were traveling, running in the same direction. The soaring peak to the north was Mount Baratok, and the one bordering the South was Mount Ghakis. Castle Ravenloft sat on its own commanding position at the base of Mount Baratok, and the village of Barovia was right beneath it.
Along the way, you saw an old disused gallows creaking in the wind sitting opposite a small graveyard filled with unmarked graves. You also crossed a stone bridge spanning a gushing river far below that churned a brilliant winter blue.
In addition you…
{DM note: rolling a d20 per half hour of travel for random encounters. They occur on an 18 or above when traveling on a road in Barovia.}
The muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobblestones. The tall shapes become recognizable as village dwellings. The windows of each house stare out from pools of blackness. No sound cuts the silence except for mournful sobbing that echoes through the streets from a distance. To the north, Castle Ravenloft pierced the sky like a black lance, backed by the towering Mount Baratok.
You arrived in the center of town from the west. Though almost all the village's shops were closed and boarded up, you could see two that were open. One had a sign that read, “Blidrath’s Mercantile” and the other read “Blood on the Vine Tavern".
You could see a church steeple to the north and Marta pointed out the largest building in the village to the south. “That’s the burgomaster’s mansion,” she said before taking the village’s east exit, “may fate watch over you adventurers.”
*Clears throat* foreshadowing?
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Hope I've made your day!
Veronica hesitates for a moment, then decides to take a seat by the fire.
"We were expected?" she says skeptically. "Then perhaps this is a kidnapping... if that is the case, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I doubt my family would pay anything for my return. If anything, they would probably see this as a perfect opportunity to be free of me."
There is a slight tremor in her voice, betraying the fact that she is more scared than she would like to let on. But... as she opens her mouth to speak, you may catch a glimpse of her oversized canine teeth. Any of you who are familiar with folklore, and especially the natives of this land, may realize that the woman appears to be a vampire...
The Vistani elder puffed on his pipe and replied Veronica, "I'm sorry to hear that young lady, family is all we have. Those who would abandon a child don't deserve the blessing of having one."
"There are no kidnappers around this fire," said Oleg in a reassuring voice, "but such scum do exist in Barovia. If you followed the dirt track here to the Old Svalich Road and followed it west, past a set of great gates, you would soon see a rundown windmill. The worst kind of child-stealers inhabit that old ruin..."
The elder reached out and clubbed the back of Oleg's head with his pipe.
"Ow! I have spoken too much. It is bad luck to talk of that place and its occupants. Stay away from it!"
Garavon looks with distrust at the Elder, though he has never met one of the Rhenee which he perceives these people to be related to, stories of their duplicity with strangers abound. "There would seem to be nothing for it, but to see this Madam Eva. Perhaps you would be so good as to announce us? It would be considered impolite to enter a woman's abode unannounced." He winks at the children as he moves to stand outside the Madam's entrance.
To the others: "I am Garavon of the Silverwood, within the Duchy of Ulek. I was answering the Duke's summons for militia in hunting raiding Goblins in the mountains when this strange fog appeared." He glances at the woods from which they immerged. "I heard the most disturbing... laughter...within the fog. I suspect great enchantment at work in our summoning, but by whom?"
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
Veronica does her best to relax... if she has been abducted (which it appears she has... in a manner of speaking), it doesn't seem that these people are the culprits.
"Most parents don't birth to monsters," she sighs. "But... thank you. My name is Lady Veronica Osborne. I left my family home because I couldn't bear to see the fear in my own parents' eyes any longer... but I know not how I came to be here. I heard a man's voice... and I was seized by phantoms in the fog... then I was here..."
She looks at the others who just emerged from the woods.
"Did something similar happen to the rest of you, then?" she asks.
Victoria sits down next to Veronica, and sighs. She's heard about what her dad experienced when he arrived at Barovia: a man's mocking laugh, and ghostly hands clawing at him, when he almost fainted...
"Same... It was... scary at the least. I was only wandering around the forest, but I went off the path, and now we're all here...
"I'm Victoria Traakimash, but you can simply call me Vicky. It's... nice to meet you all."
Out of Character: should I roll deception about the hands and voice or not? Victoria is scarred by her father's experience (if it wasn't obvious enough), and has multiple times been reminded of it by him and his wife.
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Hope I've made your day!
Skanon gave Oleg a quick nod and looked down at the ground for a moment as he thought about what he had said. "Hopefully, although that is up to fate and perhaps a little luck to. Thanks and I wish you luck and safe travels friend." He winced slightly when he saw the older man hit him with his pipe before hesitantly walking over to Garavon and the outside of Madam Eva's tent.
As he looks between the others who had also emerged from the woods he swallowed before slowly raising his hand slightly. "I...I also had something of a similar vein happen to me. I heard something that I thought was laughter while I was struggling to navigate through the fog and I must admit that I thought I had seen spectral hands but I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination or if it was real." He pause for a moment before realizing he hadn't introduced himself yet. "My name is Skanon, before I found myself lost in the fog I was going to visit a family that I had helped in the past. But looks like that won't be happening anytime soon."
Gaelyn… slowly… sheaths his sword and follows the others into the firelight. He listens closely to the other lost souls and the answers given by these Vistani.
Barovia? Was that in the High Forest? Why hadn't the scouts mentioned it in their evening report? This was either a strange dream or the work of some devilry. Gaelyn tries to “steel” his mind against enchantments, like his mentor tried to teach him, just in case, but he only manages to get a headache.
Well, whether it be a dream or devilry, the only way out seemed to be to go along with it.
Gaelyn cautiously sits beside the white-haired elder and picks up a half-empty wine bottle. He sniffs it, sips it, then takes a good swig. He coughs a little, but chuckles.
He takes out two daily rations from his pack and sets them near the elder. “For the hospitality,” he says, then puts a silver coin on top. “And for the wine.”
Gaelyn nods towards Oleg, but addresses the elder. “I don't have that sort of coin either. Not yet. But if I can be of some other help to you or these people, let me know,” he says, patting his sword.
Well… no time like the present.
Gaelyn stands up, adjusts his buckles and belts, and - with an unease that would probably follow him for days to come - strides over to Madame Eva’s tent to stand with Garavon and Skanon.
“I'm Gaelyn Umber, a soldier with the Roving Regiment, Lord’s Alliance. We were camped for the night in the High Forest and something just felt wrong, so I took a little walk and… well, I guess I got turned around in that gods-forsaken ghost-fog same as everyone else.”
He drains the rest of the Vistani wine and looks at the empty bottle like it knows the answers but won't tell him.
“This is gonna be a good story for the lads. If we ever get out of here.”
He will wait until everyone is ready before ducking into the tent of Madame Eva.
{DM note: Sorry Garavon! I’ve completely mixed up Ulek and Urnst, my bad. For Victoria, you will have to roll only if any of the other characters want to perform an Insight check on your story.}
“Thank you kindly Gaelyn,” said the elder as younger members of the Vistani got up to put Gaelyn’s gifts away. “If I may return one kindness with another, heed my words friend, Lord Strahd sees all in his domain. The wolves and bats of Barovia are his eyes and ears. Should you spot one observing you from the darkness, know that you are being watched.”
The elder barked at a teenaged Vistani girl with long wavy black hair tied back with a bandanna, she was seated at the edge of the fire closest to Madam Eva’s tent, “Nimira! Stop staring at Garavon lest your eyes fall out. Go and introduce our guests to Madam Eva.”
Nimira headed to Madam Eva’s tent, gave a small smile and whispered to Garavon when she was sure the elder wasn’t watching, “Hi, are you a lord or a knight? You’re very…” she paused, “...formal?” Garavon and Gaelyn heard her mutter under her breath, “Oh gods I’m an idiot,” as she quickly lifted Madam Eva’s tent flap and declared, “Madam Eva! The adventurers are here! We’ve got two military types out by your tent, they are Garavon of the Silverwood and Gaelyn Umber of the Roving Regiment. There’s three more by the fire, Lady Veronica Osborne, Victoria Traakimash, and Skanon no last name.” Garavon and Gaelyn heard Nimira add quietly to Madam Eva, “we’re not sure what they do,” and she ran back to join the Vistani by the fire.
{DM note: I will assume the characters make their way into or around the tent eventually to move the story along.}
Magic flames casted a reddish glow over the interior of the tent, revealing a low table covered in black velvet cloth. Glints of light seemed to flash from a crystal ball on the table as a hunched figure peered into its depths. As the crone spoke, her voice cackled like dry weeds.
“At last you have arrived!” Cackling laughter burst like mad lightning from her withered lips.
“I see you Garavon of the Silverwood, child of the forest, defender of Ulek, and you Gaelyn Umber of the Roving Regiment, loyal brother-in-arms, slayer of evil.” Madam Eva closed her eyes and stroked the air in the direction of the other three adventurers like she was feeling the strands of a giant invisible web.
“I see you too Skagon,” she said with her eyes still closed, “a guide in the darkness, and a friend to those in need.”
Her hands moved closer and her movements got smaller, as if Madam Eva was trying to separate hairs from each other. An eternity seemed to pass until finally she said, “Lady Veronica Osborne and Victoria Traakimash, I see new hope born from old scars, before you lies a chance to break the curse that once decided your fates.”
Madam Eva gave the group a toothless grin and said, “The threads of fate are woven, to leave these lands and return home, you must break the curse that afflicts both Barovia and its dark master, Strahd von Zarovich.” She made a point of not looking at Vicky as she said this.
“Your fortunes shall be read with my Tarokka deck. This knowledge I give freely to arm you against the terrible darkness.”
She produced a worn deck of cards and split them into two, laying each half on the black velvet table with one pile of cards much thicker than the other. Madam Eva gave each separate deck a quick shuffle and began drawing from them.
Common Deck rolls: 21 3 37
High Deck rolls: 12 7
{Beginning of DM's explanation:
The Tarokka Deck of Cards is split into 40 cards in the Common Deck and 14 cards in the High Deck.
Madam Eva drew 3 from the Common Deck and 2 from the High Deck.
Here are the card values, suits, and names that have been converted into dice rolls.
Common Deck
Die roll 1-9: 1-9 of Swords
Die roll 10: Master of Swords
Die roll 11-19: 1-9 of Stars
Die roll 20: Master of Stars
Die roll 21-29: 1-9 of Coins
Die roll 30: Master of Coins
Die roll 31-39: 1-9 of Glyphs
Die roll 40: Master of Glyphs
High Deck
Die roll 1: Artifact
Die roll 2: Beast
Die roll 3: Broken One
Die roll 4: Darklord
Die roll 5: Donjon
Die roll 6: Ghost
Die roll 7: Executioner
Die roll 8: Horseman
Die roll 9: Innocent
Die roll 10: Marionette
Die roll 11: Mists
Die roll 12: Raven
Die roll 13: Seer
Die roll 14: Tempter
The card reading interpretation will be posted in a moment...
End of DM's explanation}
Madam Eva flipped over the first card and said, “This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy. The treasure you seek is hidden behind the sun, in the house of a saint.”
The One of Glyphs depicted a Monk.
She flipped over the next card. “This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope. I see a garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden, but to the guardian.”
The Two of Glyphs depicted a Missionary.
Madam Eva flipped over the last card from the thicker (Common) deck. “This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight. There is a town where all is not well. There you will find a house of corruption, and within, a dark room full of still ghosts.”
The Nine of Swords depicted a Torturer.
She moved on to the first card from the thinner (High) deck. “This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness. Search for a troubled young man surrounded by wealth and madness, his home is his prison.”
The card depicted a Donjon. (Dungeon)
The last card was flipped. “Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality, this card will lead you to him. He lurks in the darkness where the morning light once shone - a sacred place.”
The card depicted an Artifact.
Madam Eva looked at each of you and said, “You’ll want to start your fight against the darkness in the east, in the Village of Barovia. I see a few of you are confused.” She cackled to herself, it was almost like she had known which route the conversation would take. “King Barov von Zarovich was Strahd’s father and Strahd named this land and a village after him. Both bear the name of Barovia. He named the castle from which he rules Castle Ravenloft, after his mother Queen Ravenovia.”
She cleared her throat with a dry hacking cough before continuing, “The burgomaster of the village has a daughter, Ireena Kolyana. She has become the target of Strahd’s obsessions. Go aid her and you’ll learn more about these lands and its dangers. You can follow Oleg and his family on the morrow as they head east. The Vistani alone are granted safe passage through Strahd’s lands. If Oleg resists, you can tell him the request came from me.
Or if you wish to brave the unknown yourselves, keep your eyes sharp and blades close. May the threads of fate be ever in your favor adventurers.”
{DM note: It would help if the characters made their intentions known, whether they planned to follow Oleg the next morning, head west right now in the night instead of east, go back into the forest, follow the river, etc.
I'll assume the whole party goes along with the option picked by the most players, unless a player states explicitly that they intend to split from the party if the party does not head in the direction they want.
Moving forward, this will be how the party travels.}
Veronica glances at the others... she's not sure how she, or they, will be able to help with anything, but if it's their best chance at getting home, they might as well try.
"As strangers here... I think it would be prudent to travel with Oleg rather than attempt to find our way unaided," she says. "Unless of course one of you is more familiar with this land...?"
Another thought occurs to her, though... does she even want to return to her own land? To those who fear and hate her? Is this 'Barovia' really any worse?
Skanon thought about what had been said as he looked towards the others and then towards the way they had entered the tent. While the task ahead of them would likely be more dangerous than anything he had faced back home he was willing to help even though there was no guarantee that he'd make it out of here alive.
"Traveling with Oleg and his family in the morning doesn't seem like such a bad idea." He says with a soft yawn. "My mother always told me that traveling while tired could lead to an unfortunate accident, definitely when you're in unfamiliar territory. That being said who knows what dangers lurk in the woods, I think it'd be..." He trails off slightly not wanting to ramble on.
Vicky thinks for a moment, weighing out the options... Trying to think clearly, she recalls the tarokka cards: 'A garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden, but to the guardian.' ,
'A sword of sunlight. There is a town where all is not well. There you will find a house of corruption, and within, a dark room full of still ghosts.' ,
'Search for a troubled young man surrounded by wealth and madness, his home is his prison.' ,
'Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality, this card will lead you to him. He lurks in the darkness where the morning light once shone - a sacred place' ,
'The burgomaster of the village (of Barovia) has a daughter, Ireena Kolyana. She has become the target of Strahd’s obsessions. Go aid her and you’ll learn more about these lands and its dangers.'
"I think it best to follow Oleg, too. We do not know of the horrors that could happen. If the Vistani, like himself, are gifted safe travel through this... place. We might as well follow with him, lest we get attacked. And, if we could be watched at any time, any place, it's best we are with the Vistani.
"Unless you two have any objections?"
Vicky then risks a glance at Veronica: 'How would she know? Was it a wild guess? A simple question? I best ignore it...' .
Out of Character, the uncoloured speech is Vicky thinking, and the bold speech was her recalling the cards' descriptions.
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Hope I've made your day!
Does Vicky recognise any of these places / people?
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Hope I've made your day!
For Victoria Traakimash:
Your Barovian upbringing has taught you...
The Village of Barovia is the closest settlement to Castle Ravenloft and lies in its shadow. It is a miserable place, where most of its shops are closed and the village itself is rumored to be heavily predated upon by the devil Strahd due to its proximity to his castle. The village's burgomaster (the equivalent of mayor) is a man named Kolyan Indirovich who has a son named Ismark Kolyanovich and an adopted daughter named Ireena Kolyana.
You have not ventured into the village before as it sits on the eastern end of Barovia, while your home is toward the western end. Barovia is not a safe place for long journeys and there was no good reason for you to travel to the village.
Garavon is naturally suspicious of the Madam and her presentments. If true, what form of magic was it? Divine, Arcane or Infernal? Certainly, not of Nature?
"I am agreed. Let us follow this Oleg on the morrow. Till then, is there someone tell us what else of danger we might encounter in this realm? Animals? Monsters?
If no further information is forthcoming, Garavon will return outside where he will rest against a wagon wheel.
"ALWAYS GIVE A MONSTER AN EVEN BREAK!"
1st Edition DMG
"Gaelyn, it appears that, unless you would rather split ways from our... foretold gathering here, we may as well take you with us tomorrow. Yet please, feel free to object!"
Vicky waits for Gaelyn's answer (if there is one) before going out and committing the cards to memory. (I feel it's best to roll flat intelligence with no proficiency) INT for memory: 9. She then goes up to Oleg (if he's currently playing his accordion) and says, "You're pretty good at that! Have this!" and she passes him a silver piece, and then hums to the tune, tapping on the ground with her fingers. "Sounds like we're coming with you tomorrow, with your family, to... Barovia? I don't get why it's name is the same as it's... forest? Big gap in the gapless forest? And what of these strange places the others have mentioned? Are they in this place, or from where they come from? Correct me if I am wrong. Either way, I have never been here not very long, and know not much about this place..."
Look at it! Beauty! A spoiler!
Look what you've done, spoiling it for you and everyone who can see this screen. You're a disgrace, you know that, right? You have nothing to be ashamed of but yourself, you moster!
But to be completely fair, every monster has a cute side, like have you seen people draw goblins? Goblins look so cool! You're fine, you may seem like a monster, but I bet you're cute on the inside!
Hope I've made your day!
The five adventurers made for strange bedfellows, but unity in a hostile land was a valuable asset and so you spent the night resting with the Vistani.
Oleg gladly accepted the silver piece from Vicky. With his palm greased with coin, the Vistana (singular form of Vistani) was more than happy for the characters to accompany him and his family east.
Veronica, Skanon, and Vicky stayed up as late as they could whilst still getting sufficient rest for the journey tomorrow. They joined in at the fire and tried to glean as much information as possible about Barovia and its dangers.
Garavon returned to the group by the fire like an elf with a mission, he could afford to stay up much later due to his elvish nature and required only a shorter time spent in a trance where many others needed a full night’s rest. He respectfully quizzed the Vistani regarding Barovia well into the night and tried to piece together all the information he had long after the others went to bed.
{DM note: It sounds like the party intends to spend some time gathering information about the dangers they may face. I’ll use the character with the highest modifier and give them advantage from the rest of the party helping them. Garavon does some additional piecing-together of information after the others go to sleep.}
Veronica rolls Persuasion with advantage. DC is 13.
19 17
Garavon tries to figure out the magic used by Madam Eva. DC is 20.
Arcana: 17
Nature: 6
Religion: 19
The Vistani were too drunk to give coherent answers, serious questions quickly devolved into pointless anecdotes. Their protected status within Barovia seemed to have given them a skewed perspective about the true dangers of the land.
Try as he might, Garavon was unable to figure out the magic used by Madam Eva to perform her foretelling.
When morning came, the light mist that lingered beneath the overcast sky while worrying, was nothing like the malevolent fog from the night before and seemed relatively safe for travel. Oleg, however, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a middle-aged woman with the same dark hair as the rest of the Vistani, wrapped in colorful shawls, was seated in the driver’s seat of one of the wagons hitched to a draft horse. Two young children, a boy and a girl, shared the seat with her.
“Oleg’s sleeping off the drink,” she said with a beneficent smile and pointed at the wagon behind her. You could hear heavy snoring coming from the wagon. “I’m Marta. Let’s go, the village is not far.”
As you traveled, Marta gave you the lay of the land. Barovia was a valley running east to west, with the Old Svalich Road, the road upon which you were traveling, running in the same direction. The soaring peak to the north was Mount Baratok, and the one bordering the South was Mount Ghakis. Castle Ravenloft sat on its own commanding position at the base of Mount Baratok, and the village of Barovia was right beneath it.
Along the way, you saw an old disused gallows creaking in the wind sitting opposite a small graveyard filled with unmarked graves. You also crossed a stone bridge spanning a gushing river far below that churned a brilliant winter blue.
In addition you…
{DM note: rolling a d20 per half hour of travel for random encounters. They occur on an 18 or above when traveling on a road in Barovia.}
10 1 1
The journey was uneventful.
The muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobblestones. The tall shapes become recognizable as village dwellings. The windows of each house stare out from pools of blackness. No sound cuts the silence except for mournful sobbing that echoes through the streets from a distance. To the north, Castle Ravenloft pierced the sky like a black lance, backed by the towering Mount Baratok.
You arrived in the center of town from the west. Though almost all the village's shops were closed and boarded up, you could see two that were open. One had a sign that read, “Blidrath’s Mercantile” and the other read “Blood on the Vine Tavern".
You could see a church steeple to the north and Marta pointed out the largest building in the village to the south. “That’s the burgomaster’s mansion,” she said before taking the village’s east exit, “may fate watch over you adventurers.”