After breakfast, Giles encourages everyone to leave as quickly as possible.  He nods and smiles to the Vistani, thankful for their cover and hospitality through the evening, but word of Strahd’s chamberlain has given him the chills and he feels that speed on the road is the most important.  “Rita” must be escorted away from the area as soon as possible, and they must make their way to Vallaki before nightfall, so early departure is best.  

Giles says “Hmm.” when Soren speaks, describing the horses and the driver.  “Have you ever seen anything like that before?  This is getting stranger and stranger… and more dangerous.  Well, let’s move on then.”  

Giles perception on the road : 19, and with guidance : 2 = 21

(Passive : 14)

You depart the Vistani's Tser Pool encampment without ceremony and follow the short wagon trail back to the Old Svallich Road.  With an anxious look in both directions, there is no sign of the dark carriage and you turn toward Vallaki.  The sky is the same grey cloud cover, mottled light to dark, and the air is cool and breezy.

For now, the little girl is content to walk on her own.  Before you left, Ireena purchased a small pair of shoes from a Vistani cobbler.  They are much more comfortable than the tattered slippers Saskia had been wearing.

It is not long before you come to a gap in the forest and a bridge.  The bridge crosses the River Ivlis.  It flows east from here toward the quiet pool where the Vistani make their camp.  Looking west from the bridge you see where a great waterfall spills from high cliffs into a pool, billowing forth clouds of cold mist.  Behind the falls, tall, snow-capped mountains rise.  Ahead of you, across the bridge, cliffs soon rise and you can see the spires of Castle Raveloft in the distance.

As the party crosses the bridge, Giles and Soren both spot a group of human men approaching the bridge, coming in the opposite direction on the Old Svallich Road.  They are on foot, dressed in a manner similar to the Vistani you just left, and all of them are smoking.  They are traveling at the same hurried pace that you are.  It is only a matter of seconds before both parties spot each other.

Giles spots the crew coming toward them and has a bad feeling in his gut, that these are likely the Vistani that are in service of the dark lord that is master of the castle above them.  He hisses to the others in a low voice, “Off the road, into the woods, on the right, now!”  And he follows at the leading edge, attempting to get out of sight.  His lips murmuring, he quietly says to himself “Tymora, don’t fail me now…”.   

What appears to an outside observer is a mirror image of Father Giles, jauntily walking down the path, counting gold pieces into a sack of gold.  He has a light spring in his step, then he looks up and sees the front leader of the men marching down the road, and he shoots his hand out, making a special hand that flies forward, pushing him back.  Then, he starts to run off the path to the left side of the road, pointing back if they follow and casting toll the dead on the leader.  He runs 120 feet off the trail… then mysteriously disappears.  

As soon as the men start to run after him, Giles says “Hurrry, now!  Burr, carry Saskia and run across that bridge!”  With the diversion, they hope to make it across to safety.  

Zefla starts up the bridge, her attention is drawn to the waterfall and she admires it until Giles hisses at them.

She pauses a second as she lets the words register, then runs off into the woods as he directs.  Once there, she looks back and her mouth drops open as she is seeing two Giles.  Wasn't one Giles enough?  She tries and hides in the woods, hoping the child stays quiet.

Giles:

 Stealth  15

The four Vistani stop and stare at 'Giles'... until he telekinetically shoves one of them and takes off into the forest.  They charge across the bridge to where 'Giles' entered the forest... and stop.  They point, gesture, and argue in an animated fashion amongst themselves.  They don't seem to doubt the illusion.  Rather, they seem torn over whether to pursue 'Giles' or not.

Then one of them shakes their head and there is the faint sound of ringing bells.  "That little puțoi is casting spells at us!"  Two of them draw light crossbows and the four of them depart into the forest, in pursuit of 'Giles.'

Burr picks up Saskia and does as bidden....

Like Zefla, Soren is staring at the waterfall and up the mountains, then back at the castle, brooding over the story the Vistana told the previous night about Strahd's battle with the powerful mage.  Maybe if they never found the wizard's body, he is not actually dead like Raquon of Greyhawk is.  Just hiding.

At Giles' signal, Soren promptly hides in the woods with the others and Nettle flies to the treetops, behind some branches and out of sight.  At Giles' diversion, Soren merely smiles and shakes his head.  Lady Fortune, Tymora, is full of mischief and so are her followers, the not-Father being no exception.

When the coast appears clear, Soren follows over the bridge and Nettle flies down to settle on his shoulder once more.  While impressed by Giles' trick, Soren and the owl both keep a watchful eye in case there are other Vistani or other lurkers hiding near the bridge, reaching for Silvanus' Guidance.

Soren Perception plus Guidance:  7 + 4 = 11 (d20 roll was a Nat. 1)
Nettle Perception at advantage due to Keen Hearing and Sight:  17

"Well done, not-father!"  Soren exclaims sincerely once the danger is past.  "But the image of you that you... created to harass them?  I think it still looked like you?  Exactly like you.  Those Vistani may tell other Vistani to look for someone matching your description.  Maybe even those at the camp we just left.  I do not think it is safe to make enemies of these people, even if they are allied with Strahd.  Perhaps especially not if they are."

Panting and smiling, Giles continues running until they cross the bridge on the other side, seeking to get out of sight beyond a bend or off the road again, into cover.  “Thank you.  I’ll remember that.  Those Vistani looked - different to me, I think they would have attacked us, and been very interested in our dear ‘Rita’ here.  I’ll have to remember not to appear as happy-go-lucky Father Giles counting his big sack of gold the next time I see the Vistani.  Hah!”  He says with a chuckle.  “On to Vallaki.  Let’s keep moving..”

As the party jogs across the bridge, Ireena says "That was impressive magic, Father.  Father Donavich never used magic like that.  But Soren makes a point... if you encounter that group of Vistani again, they will remember your face."

Saskia is equally impressed.  As Burr carries her, she squirms to look at Father Giles. "Can you make another me?  Oh, please make another me, next!  We could pretend to be sisters!"

As you pass back into the forests on the other side of the bridge, the Vistani have still not come back out of the woods.

The road moves nearer and nearer to the tall cliffs to the west, until the forests on your left vanish and the road begins to rise, climbing higher and higher.  On your right, a steel forested slope rolls back down into the valley.

Eventually you reach a canyon and the road begins a series of tight switchbacks, rising several hundred more feet in less than a mile.  When it is over, the road continues, now at the elevation of the cliffs from which Tser Falls pour.  To your right, even higher cliffs rise, the tall plateau where Castle Ravenloft sits... the castle now out of sight further to the east of your current position.  The road levels off here, and the walk becomes easier after the long climb.  

Everything is still grey and sunless, but there is still something awe-inspiring about about the scenery.  Behind you, the land falls away, granting you a clear view of the lowlands where the Village of Barovia lies.  On your right, huge cliffs of granite rise, with little fingers of pine forests trying to hold onto the sides as they climb.  Two your left, another forest spreads out, with craggy hills rising until they reach snowy mountains.

You continue a hurried pace not sure when that dark carriage may return this way, or some other danger may loom.  But so far you have not encountered anyone but those four Vistani.  It seems even the main roads in this land are lightly traveled.

Coming around a bend, you see a great stonework in front of you.  Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on the left and meeting the cliffside on the right,are high stone buttresses looming gray in the mid-morning light. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework, blocking the road. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.  

The top of the stone gates is at least 40'.  "I did not know there was another one of these," Ireena says.  "There is a gate like this east of the Village of Barovia.  It marks... the end.  The gates open when approached, but beyond there is only the choking mist.  It parts for the Vistani but not for anyone else."

She looks genuinely worried.  "I don't... how can we reach Vallaki?  It should be this way!"

[Sample art to help imagine the gates]

As if in answer to her worries, there is a loud squeal of rusted iron rubbing against rusted iron, and the closed gates stir.  They swing open before you.  No guardsmen are seen, and no mechanism is visible to explain how they are animated.  Once open, the gates reveal no mist on the other side, just the continuation of the Old Svallich Road.

Zefla stands there and takes in the great wall in front of her.  She listens to Ireena, "There is another one of these at the East end?  I wonder what created them and are the heads chopped off of the warriors at that wall as well?"

She involuntarily jumps back a bit when the gates swing open.  She pauses a moment, "Well, I would offer to sneak through and make sure the coast is clear and all that, but after the loud announcement of our presence by the rusty gate, there is no need for that.  Shall we?"

Keeping her eyes peeled for archers or any other creatures lurking around, she slowly starts walking through the gate.

Perception  16

Burr nods, a slight hope lights in his heart that this gate may lead out of Barovia but he squashes it down.

" Indeed, everyone through!"

Seeing Zefla keeping a sharp eye out for an ambush, Soren silently nods to concur.  The huge mass of worked stone makes him uneasy in any case.  Only natural stone should be so enormous.  Mountains and cliffsides.  He eyes the giant statues warily.

"Ir- ah... Rita.  Are these guardian figures known from the history of this land?"

In the apparent presence of more magic, as the vast doors grind open, Soren and Nettle too look for danger.  Enemies or traps at or beyond.

(Nettle is much less distracted than Soren).

Soren Perception plus Guidance:  7 + 3 = 10 (Nat. 1 again on the d20!)
Nettle Perception at advantage due to Keen Hearing and Sight:  22

If seeing none, they make haste through the gate while it is open.

Quote from kqstark >>

Zefla starts up the bridge, her attention is drawn to the waterfall and she admires it until Giles hisses at them.

She pauses a second as she lets the words register, then runs off into the woods as he directs.  Once there, she looks back and her mouth drops open as she is seeing two Giles.  Wasn't one Giles enough? 

Giles:

In your head you hear Zefla's voice.. How are you doing that?  How do we know which one is the real you??

((Before)) : 

Giles is grinning like a madman the whole time as he is creating the duplicate of himself, and causing the figure to jauntily walk up the road.  When he has a moment, he glances over at Zefla and tries to reply in his mind to her.  

Giles walks through the gates, scanning the edges of the woods, looking for any movement.  As the directions and location become unclear, Giles says to Soren, “Can you bring out that map?  Does it show the location of these gates?  I remember that we head north to Vallaki, we haven’t passed that road have we?  We still need to keep moving forward, I suppose.”  His hand goes down and rests on the latch of his crossbow.  

Once they are past the gates and no threats or watching Vistani have been perceived, Soren duly produces the map at Giles' request.

He points wordlessly to the stretch of road between the village of Barovia and the town of Vallaki where it passes just to the southwest of Castle Ravenloft, with the road running diagonally straight, southeast to northwest.  Forest to the left and dark castle to the right.

There appears to be a small black line across the road just there which might represent this grand gate.  If so, it would mean the party is roughly around the halfway point of the journey to Vallaki.

Burr nods wordlessly.

Thats a dumb place for a gate.....

If the map is correct, and that black line represents a gate, then you are still on the right road.

With Zefla and Nettles keeping keen eyes on the walls and ramparts, you slip through the open gate.  There are no traps or ambushers - indeed, there is not another soul in sight.  Saskia looks up at the big statues in awe.  "Is that big statue the devil Strahd?" she asks.

Answering both Soren and Saskia, Ireena replies, "I only have heard and seen the gate east of my village.  It is said it is far older, dating from some time before Barovia was founded. or Strahd came to this land."

And then to Zelfa, "... and as I recall, the statues at the other gate were missing their heads as well."

Once all of you are through, the gate creaks slowly closed again behind you.  There is no gatesman or other sign of how it closes.  Somehow, the gate just seems to know when to open and close all on its own.

The road continues and it isn't long before you come to a crossroad.  On your right, and canyon opens up in the cliffs.  While it may have once been a natural formation, piles of old slag stone are evidence it was widened by miners or stoneworkers, and a road forks off, turns and climbs sharply.  A pair of black obelisks flank that road, adorned with carved stone ravens in mock-flight.  In calligraphic script, both obelisks are carved 'Castle Ravenloft' with arrows pointing up the mountain road.

Past the crossroads, the cliffs continue on your right but the forest thins on your left.  There are still patches of wood, but they are broken up now by overgrown and untended fields.  Occasionally you pass an old barn or farmhouse, but all appear abandoned and some are near to collapse.  In the distance, perhaps two or three miles off the Old Svallich Road, you spot a tall windmill on a hill.  The blades of the mill are slowly turning, but whether that is proof it is in operation, or just the blades spinning idly in the wind is impossible to say.

You appear to be passing into what is, or was, the 'breadbasket' of this land.  Even abandoned, many of these fields still hold foodcrops, but grown wild.  Gnarled and untrimmed apple trees cover one hill, while another hill is covered with grapes, their trellises collapses and the stunted grapes growing along the ground.  Another field is full of pumpkins, one as large as a wagon.  Still other fields, perhaps left alone for much longer, show signs of small trees and thickets as the forests slowly reclaim the land.

The road is empty and you feel like you are making good time.  Saskia now rides on Ireena's shoulders.  She asks many questions, though none about the four of you.  She still seems nervous around you, though she seems fascinated by Zefla.  The girl sometimes stares, though she quickly averts her eyes if she gets caught.  Most of her questions are about the sights you pass.  In addition to abandoned farms, there are the occasional wells, roadside campsites, and a handful of cemeteries.  

Who's well is that?

Is it safe to camp here? 

Who do you think is buried in there?

Ireena takes the questions in stride and does her best to provide comforting answers to the child, though its clear she does not know.

The great cliffs on your right slowly disappear behind you and are replaced by more fields.  Two hours past the windmill, and you come across more densely clustered abandoned farms.  And, it seems, a few not so abandoned.  Off to your left, you can spot a few distant figures in a field.  behind them, the smoke-puffing chimney of a farmhouse is just visible over 10' wooden walls which surround the home.  While these are the only people you spot, there are a few other homesteads within sight of the road that shows signs of life or activity.  One fortified compound near the road is painted along the side in tall letters, NO SHELTER.  Another has a less inhospitable sign hammered to a post:

Seeking mule

Willing to barter

It isn't much further before you see the town walls of Vallaki.  The Old Svalich Road meanders downhill into a lowland.  Before you descend, you can spot a vast, misty lake north of the town.  Dark, brooding mountains rise to the north and, further off, to the south. The woods recede, revealing a sullen mountain burg surrounded by a wooden palisade.  This 15-foot-high wall encloses the town, its vertical logs held together with thick ropes and mortar. The top of each log has been sharpened to a point. Thick fog presses up against this wall, as though looking for a way inside, hoping to catch the town aslumber.

The dirt road ends at a set of sturdy iron gates with a pair of shadowy figures standing behind them, inside. Planted in the ground and flanking the road outside the gates are a half-dozen pikes with wolves’ heads impaled on them.

[Sample art for imagining the Town of Vallaki]