Ismark pauses, staring glumly into the table. The last wisps of smoke dance from his mouth, and his pipe lays forgotten in his hand. He takes a deep breath, and speaks. "I had a sister. Once. Her name was Ireena. She was... everything, to me. When my father passed, she was all I had left. With all my words, I can't describe just how much of a wonder she was. It seemed like she excelled at anything. Fighting skill, beauty, bravery, she had it all. Perhaps that was why the devil took an interest in her. He came to her in the night, took hold of her with his powers and drank her blood. I tried to save her... I was a fool. I now know that there is no hope in standing against the devil.

"I thought that the town of Vallaki, hidden from the view of the castle, might provide a haven for her. Who knows, it may have. She never made it that far. My father had recently passed away at this time, and I had to stay behind, to make sure Barovia did not fall into darkness without a Burgomaster's guidance. I hired a group of experienced-looking adventurers from beyond the Mists to take her to Vallaki. Days later, they returned, without my sister and some number of their company. They said that they were crossing Tser Falls, when the devil appeared before them in all his foul glory, demanded they give Ireena over. When they refused, he slew one of them without a second thought. No matter what they tried, they could not stop him from advancing on my sister. The only one who could stop him was her. They told me that she took her own life, tossed herself from the Falls. The vampire, in a rage, hunted them like a wolf. I never saw any of them ever again."

Ismark picks up his pipe again, takes a drag, only to find that he is sucking nothing but ash; the pipe has gone out. He coughs. "Well. There you have it. Twenty-five years later, and you show up, the spitting image of my sister. Maybe a little older. I can't say that I don't find it odd."

Thalia stays  quiet while Ismark speaks. Something about him demands respect... Or was it care? Thalia couldn't be sure. She absentmindedly moves a hand to her neck as if that same vampire bit her, though Thalia has never been bit by anything -- vampire or lover. She can't quite put her finger on it, but the story about this Taer Falls and his sister drowning herself made her stomach twist into knots. She grimaces at the thought of something so sad.

She offers Ismark a kind smile, "I'm sorry for what happened. It sounds terrible. You lost someone important to you all because of some lonely, pathetic vampire. Seeing you and hearing your story... It has steeled my resolve. I have to find a way home. I'm sure my father is besides himself with worry..." Thalia stares at the dirty tavern floor as she speaks, fixated on a random footprint. 

Mr. Fox did everything for Thalia even if they weren't blood. She knew in her heart that he loves her like his own flesh and blood. It could even be a bond stronger than that. Ismark clearly had trouble moving past the death of his sister. She couldn't do that to her father. If she stayed gone too long, he might think her dead. Of course, based on what Ismark told her, she ran the risk of becoming monster food at random... Or worse. Then it occurs to her. She has something, some proof, that she could show Ismark.

"Ismark, what do you make of this?" Thalia reaches into her pouch at her side to produce the tarot card. 

(If she still has it!)

Ismark's brow furrows as he looks at the card. It's a beautiful thing, really, so delicately painted it seems as if no human hand could have created that image. At last, Ismark speaks. "It looks like a Tarokka card, like those used by the Vistani. Like those three in the corner there. I don't pretend to know much about them, but rumor says that they have some sort of prescient powers, and they use the decks to tell the future. Sometimes even influence it. I don't really trust them: once your future is told, it's told. Not much you can do to change it at that point. How did you come across it?"

"Ah... well about that. An old woman came to me, she knew my name but I didn't know her, and she gave this to me... she told me it would take me somewhere, but I thought it was metaphorical!"

"Not many old women around here. Disease gets most before long. Only one I can think of is the pie lady, but she's probably not who you're looking for. I'm sorry that I can't be of more help."

Thalia's face falls as she pockets the card once again. She was so certain Ismark would know. Still, "That's okay, Ismark. I'm sorry that I'm just... adding to the misery? This doesn't seem like a great place to live." She leans back and crosses her arms as she thinks. "So these Vistani people, you say they deal with cards like these? I feel like... that's the only clue I have so far. Do you think those 3 might help me?" 

Thalia looks over to those women, tries to make eye contact, and smiles brightly.

"Those three? Perhaps. They own this place, I think, though I've never really seen them take an active hand in managing it. They just sit there, a lot of the time, have for as... long as I can remember."

As Thalia glances over, the Vistani return the gaze coolly, with a smile playing faintly on one's lips. They make no motion to gesture her over, just look at her.

"They are... a tiny bit scary." Thalia admitted. She was reconsidering if only because they reminded her of the mean girls back at home. The sort that liked to whisper about you right in front of your face. "Well... are there any trustworthy Vistani people around? Or maybe a wizard or someone like that?" Thalia was digging, but barring any other leads, she would inevitably need to approach the mean girl trio.

"Well, there's a Vistani camp around here, a bit down the road. They're not awful folk, all things considered, but I still wouldn't travel alone. The woods are dangerous, especially at night. These three are the only ones who tend to stay in town. As for a wizard... well, if you're looking for some big magic fellow to go fix all your problems, believe me when I say we would have availed ourselves of them already. I have some books in my library that might be to your liking, but I know of no such thing."

"I think I might take my chances with the ones down the road. These sisters... they look like they would bully a puppy if they could," Thalia eyes them suspiciously. She apparently has decided to liken them to her childhood bullies. She didn't like people who acted superior to others. A friendly person would say hi or wave or something. These sisters just stared at Thalia, and that pissed her off for some reason. "You can keep your books, I don't think I have time to do any light reading... unless I am truly stuck here for good."

Thalia stands up and nods at Ismark. "Alright, well, I guess I'll be seeing you around." She moves to leave.

"If you need me, my mansion is down the street across from this place. It's obvious enough." Despite his words, Thalia can't help but think she'd have more luck finding him right back here at the tavern, rather than actually taking care of official affairs at his mansion. The events with his sister seem to have hit him hard, hard enough to fall back to ol' reliables: the pipe and the bottle.

As Thalia exits the building, she finds herself at the closest thing to a town square this dismal little village possesses. Down the street the Burgomaster mentioned, Thalia can indeed see a large house, half-shrouded by the mists. Also on that road sits another apparent place of commerce, with a sign reading "Bildrath's Mercantile." Behind, up the hill, a sagging church sits. All around, the streets seem to close in on her, empty and at the same time crowding her in. Where is Thalia headed?

(I'll assume you're familiar enough with the layout of Barovia to find your way around to where Thalia would head next, of course without metagaming.)

(Ye! I know all too much, but Thalia won't aimlessly go trying to find Morgantha or anyone LOL)

Thalia made a mental note in her mind of the Burgomaster's house. So far, he was the only person she's seen that looked reliable and personable, albeit when she first saw him she wanted to punch his lights out for his creepy gape. Thalia went to the side of the street and checked her backpack. She actually had some supplies, but she guffawed at her map case. She enjoyed venturing out into the woods and often needed a little guidance to get back home, else she'd probably end up across the world. If she was to try to find her way home, she'd have to act like an adventurer...

They were conniving thieves. All of them. Loose morals and greedy.

This was the impression most adventurers gave Thalia, anyway. No good deed goes unpaid. 

With that assessment, Thalia decides to head into the mercantile, hoping to possibly buy a map and tools. As she walked to the door and put her hand on the handle, she wondered if they would accept her 'foreign' gold here.

There is a quiet clatter as Thalia opens the door. Further inspection shows that its source is a bell connected to the door, that would have sounded if it wasn't so rusted over and the clapper wasn't missing. Items of all shapes and sizes can be found here, on the walls, the tables, some scattered on the floor. Most are covered in a light layer of dust. Most of the stock here looks to be cheap adventuring gear. Most of it is in the open, though there are a few items hidden behind glass, though they don't look particularly valuable. One of these glass cases is smashed, some shards still sitting inside it and on the floor around it. Despite this, a couple new items have been laid atop the shattered glass as if it wasn't even there. Across from Thalia, behind a short counter that is slightly less dusty than anything else, an old man sits dozing in a chair. Thalia's entrance does not seem to have roused him, and thus he doesn't introduce himself, but she can assume that this is the store's titular Bildrath.

Thalia does a quick look around to see if anything of interest can be seen as she walks towards the man... quietly. (Perception: 8 and Stealth: 19)

The poor lost woman will form a fist to keep from trying to steal anything. In such a dire situation, it can be hard not to return to her old tricks. At least, she thought first she should scope out the situation and really get a grasp of what's going on. She could risk run in's with the law if she at least knew what she'd be getting into. So far, this whole village struck her as an "eye for an eye" type of law... though Ismark didn't give that impression. He just seemed sad.

"Good... day," Thalia lingers on good for too long. She actually can't tell exactly what time it is. Only that it probably isn't the dead of night. "How are you today, Mr. Bildrath I presume?"

The man's eyes crack open slowly, despite Thalia's sudden introduction. His eyes follow her, occasionally scanning over the shop, and Thalia notices that the left one moves slightly slower than the right. He sits up, bones cracking, and looks at her suspiciously. "That's my name... interested in anything you see?" Thalia sees very little besides basic adventuring equipment.

Does Thalia see a mace or a quarterstaff per chance?

She would see both, though they certainly don't look like they've been maintained.

"You wouldn't happen to be keeping the good stuff in the back, would you? I'm going to need to set off, I think, and I would like something sturdy to knock people with... But probably something that won't break from a single swing."

The old man coughs one, twice. Thalia can't tell if it was because of a grim laugh, or merely the result of lungs withered by age. "We- I've got what I've got. Only the best, here. Now are you going to buy something, or are you going to keep wasting my time?"

"Oh? Were you doing something important just now?" Thalia is feeling sassy since this old man is apparently sassing her. She probably shouldn't try to do this, but sometimes it's hard for her to hide the fire.