Kora raises her eyebrow at the man and wonders if he blatantly ignored her question as to how to get home or if it got lost in the middle of her siblings questions.  Either way, she wasn't impressed.  Why should they help this man?  We needed to help their mother.  

She breathes a sigh of relief when the conversation turns to things that actually matter to them.  She sighed, she understood the barter system.  If this man actually could give them some information as to finding who they needed to, she supposed they could help him in return.  She just hoped that this Vallaki town would be in the same direction they needed to go.

Anthony continued to ignore the drink but did pick at the turkey provided mostly to be polite, raising his eyebrows at the others to show some manners. These people clearly had almost nothing and were living in terror, so it was a generous show of hospitality. 

Otherwise, he felt uneasy about this whole business. In some ways his foster siblings were still just kids. Tactless, impatient, and with tunnel vision on what they each thought they wanted. Acting more like a gaggle of people who just happened to be going the same direction than a cohesive group with a shared purpose. They could use a team meeting sooner rather than later. Hopefully before someone agreed to run errands for this shifty creep who seemed a little too worried about what was going on in his sister’s drawers for Anthony’s taste.

Aoelwyn said she’d bargained her soul to get what little information she had before sending them off to finish her doomed quest with no real direction. Name dropping her contacts and enemies probably wasn’t the smartest play here. And Anthony didn’t consider himself a particularly smart man, so if he thought it was a bad move…. Oof. 

Even so, through the whole conversation, he kept his best goofy goober smile plastered to his face except for the occasional break to chew the offered turkey and make the appropriate yummy sounds. Eventually, shoving the platter toward Jared guessing him to be the one in the group most likely to have an appetite to match his. 

Ismark sips his wine patiently as he is barraged with a stream of questions. He sets down his glass for the first time since you began talking to him, his cheery demeanor fading away and being replaced by solemnity. He says with a faint smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "Since you're all new here, it makes sense that you don't know much about this land." He sighs and tiredly rubs his temples before continuing.

"About four hundred years ago, the Devil, Count Strahd von Zarovich came to our lands. He was a mortal man once, but he was cursed to become a vampire after a night of wanton bloodshed." He shakes his head somberly as he continues. "No one knows what happened that fateful night, but Strahd rose the next day as the scourge of Barovia."

"He haunts the halls of Castle Ravenloft just a bit northwest of here. You can actually see the castle on a clear day. He rarely leaves his castle, but he does so to feed upon the blood of us who are still living. If he kills someone while drinking their blood, they rise as his undead spawn the next evening."

"The Devil has recently been preying upon my sister. Thankfully, vampires cannot enter a home without an invitation, but that doesn't stop the Devil from sending other foul minions to do his bidding. He has charmed my sister twice now to get her to leave our home so he could feast upon her, but we've always managed to get her back before he killed her. My father died a few days ago during one of the attacks. His poor heart simply couldn't deal with the stress of being attacked every night for the past month. Strangely, no monsters have attacked our home since his death." 

"The village of Vallaki is to the east of here. We Barovians aren't the most adventurous souls, so we don't tend to travel between towns very much," he says with a slight chuckle. "I really don't too much about Vallaki besides the fact that it is safer than Barovia, and it's burgomaster is Vargas Vallakovich."

He shakes his head as he says, "Unfortunately, I know nothing of a Van Richten or Azalin. Perhaps someone in Vallaki or Krezk, a town even further east, might know about them. They have a lot more people than this village does."

At Anthony's comment about someone traveling the mists, Ismark raises an eyebrow and asks, "Do you know a vistani then? They're servants of the Devil, and He allows only them to travel the mists. Never trust a vistani; they're nothing but a bunch of swindling swine!"

Akyan and Anthony

Staying quiet to slowly process the information, Anthony tried to put some pieces together. Aoelwyn had 'sold her soul', meeting with ravens. This Strahd, the devil-vampire was labled by one of this Azalin guy's servants as 'betrayer'. These were prison realms of some kind. Aoelwyn had wanted... what exactly? For them to come here and play jailer? Seemed like not the best strategy. Vistani knew something about the mists.

He glanced at the women again twitching his eyebrows up. Regardless, sounded like they were heading to the next town. And maybe making their own deal with the devil. But he'd wait to see what his companions had to say.*

"I gather then we need to find a Vistani if we want to get back home. So, it was Strahd von Zarovich who sent all those monsters to attack this village. We should not linger here. Ismark can you tell me where we can find the Vistani" says Aoufie

So, within this land there is Barovia village, Vallaki, and Kresk that is oppressed by a powerful vampire. This whole place reeks of trouble and danger. 

Upon hearing that this Ismark fella doesn't hold any information for the group to solve the murder of their mother, Jared leans back and mutters.
"Oh well."
This Ismark guy holds no more interest for Jared so he will keep an eye on the other patrons in this common room. 

"That is all very troubling, and I of course empathize with how you are feeling, Ismark. I know if any of my siblings were in such a dire situation I would do all I could to get them to safety. I do hope you understand that this area is new to us, and we are all still digesting everything. We'll discuss the matter between ourselves, and get back to you with a solid answer. Does that sound alright?" 

As a paladin Zathon has a distinct distaste for fiends, and those who would spread such evil, but he is devoted to his family. They have to come first right now.

"Well," Ismark replies, "the vistani are nomads, so they tend to wander around a lot. I heard there's an encampment near Zarovich Lake to the east, but that's just hearsay." 

To Zathon, he nods his head and says, "Of course. While you discuss, I will go check on the crying person mentioned earlier. Feel free to come find me when you're done."

With that, he stands up and heads out the door. As he stands, you can see he has a lean, but muscular frame, the body of a warrior. A longsword in a leather sheath hangs at his side, its battered hilt and pommel bearing the scars of combat. He moves with a warrior's grace, a testament of at least some martial prowess. He leaves you to discuss the circumstance you know find yourself in, visitors in the cursed valley of Barovia.

What about you ladies, would you warn ignorant travelers to steer well clear of the Vistani because they're all servants of the devil Vampire Strahd?" The trouble maker in him can't resist a little cheekiness in his smile." Better to make friends with the caring shepherd of Barovia?"

All three women look up from their conversation in surprise as Anthony addresses them. The woman on the left, sporting rather large nose, indignantly blurts out, "We don't all serve him!"

The woman in the middle, her hair done in a complex weave of braids, sharply elbows the big-nosed woman in the ribs, eliciting a small gasp of pain. Braided woman hisses something under her breath to the woman on the left, her face dark with annoyance. She turns to Anthony, a scowl upon her face. "Watch your tongue, boy," she snaps. "Not all vistani are as crooked as that boorish oaf believes. Best not to talk about things you don't fully understand."

The third woman, a short and plump thing, purses her lips silently, watching the scenario unfold. 

One of the men who was eating the his soup slowly stands and makes his way over to the barkeeper and drops a few copper pieces on the wooden bar before making his way out the door. He distrustfully eyes the group with a dour expression on his dirty face before exiting the establishment.

Anthony chuckled at being called boy. "At your advice, I'll keep an open mind going forward. " He gave a more respectful nod. "Any other advice is appreciated."

Zathon waves goodbye to Ismark. He then actually begins to partake in the meal that was set before them, it would be rude to leave it, and he is actually hungry from all the walking about. 

"Anthony, are you causing these pretty ladies trouble?" he asks with a slight smile, very aware of Anthony's proding nature.

Kora turns to the women as well, interested in the exchange.  "Yes, please forgive him.  He enjoys pestering people when he shouldn't, but please could you help us understand?  As you have very well put together, we are not from here and feel quite lost at the moment."  She takes another sip of wine as she waits for the women to respond.

Anthony hid a grin behind scratching his nose and snuck a wink at the quieter, watchful woman, but added nothing more to the conversation, letting his siblings attempt to charm and flatter.

Something about that Ismark and his story rubbed him the wrong way, but if some woman was being harassed and they ended up heading the same direction, there wasn't much reason to not let her travel along. And... there were more selfish reasons, but thinking them made him feel worse about himself than normal, so he left those thoughts at the back of his mind.

Akyan listens carefully to what Ismark has to say. The way the man immediately groups all of these...Vistani together as servants of evil reminds him of how most view his kind...which in turn makes him question it. Words like these shouldn't be shunned, as usually they are relatively true. His single encounter with another of his kind was testimony enough for that, however there is always an exception. He glances at the women at the other table, noting their interest while still listening to the conversation.

He remains silent as the man get up to investigate the crying, as the drow is still trying to get an idea as to what his siblings are wanting to do. The only reason he could see for not helping the Ismark, is the possibility of immediately making an enemy of Strahd. Not that he wasn't already their enemy, it's just doing something like this would immediately let the devil know where they stand.

He also watches as Anthony addresses the three women. Seems he noticed their looks earlier as well. The woman's reactions to his friends words confirm his suspicion. "So you three are Vistani then?" Akyan addresses them as he slowly stands. "I'm no stranger to such accusations either. And I certainly will not take a single man's word when he describes an entire people." Moving over to stand by Anthony and Kora he continues as bluntly as ever, "So enlighten us. I'd prefer to hear more than one view of this land, and as my siblings have mentioned, we need to know what to expect from this land and it's people."

Ignoring the group's fascination with the women, Jarred turns to them and asks:
"You guys are honestly thinking about helping this guy out, are you? I know Mum would do it but, we got here because we were going to find a way to sort out her murder."

Anthony shrugged. "Sounds like we might be going the same way," He says quietly. "But I'd rather hear what the woman has to say. She might have a different story than her brother. Might be a good idea to... discretely ask about Aoelwyn in town. She's been to Barovia. Might be a good idea to try to retrace her steps. She didn't leave us much else to go on." 

"We were going to end up here eventually, making allies here is important, and helping the guy is just the right thing to do. She was here, and wandered back and forth between here and home. There has to be people she knows here. I think we should also befriend the Vistani. They know about the mist more than anyone else it seems."

Anthony shot Zathon a look. He agreed, but wasn't sure it was wise to say aloud in mixed company.

That and making allies meant making enemies. More and more it looked like they were picking sides in a war. The bigger question was, which side had Aoelwyn put herself on and why. It was easy to be misled when dealing with devils and creatures that could subvert one's own thoughts.

At Akyan's persuasive words, the woman in the middle purses her lips, her narrowed eyes examining the group suspiciously. She opens her mouth to say something, but the silent woman on the right cuts her off. "We would love to answer some of your questions," she says in her soft voice. The other two woman turned to her, indignant expressions painted upon their faces. The big-nosed woman begins to object, but the woman on the right raises her hand to cut her off. She says stern, but still soft voice, "They've been nothing but polite so far, well, except for that one." She nods her head to Anthony at her comment before continuing. "I believe helping out some unfortunate guests would do you two some good, you prunes." With that, she rises to her feet and crosses the room to join the group, leaving her flabbergasted companions with their mouths open in shock at the table. 

Arriving at the table where the group rests, the chubby woman does a dainty curtsy and says with a shy smile, "My name is Sorvia. My two sisters over there are Alenka and Mirabel." She gestures to the two other women across the room, who finally seem to come to their senses and also make their way over to join the group. Sorvia turns her attention towards Akyan and opens to mouth as if to say something, but she wavers, suddenly uncertain of herself. She starts nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress as her sisters arrive. After a moment of awkward silence, she looks to her annoyed sisters who look back at her expectantly. Steeling herself with deep breath, she begins uncertainly speaking in her quote voice. "Well, to answer your question Mr. Elf, yes, we are vistani."

Mirabel, the tall woman with the elaborate braids, rolls her eyes and says, "Way to state the obvious, Sorvia. At least tell them something useful."

Sorvia, with her face flushing with embarrassment, shrugs and says even more quietly, "I, I didn't know what else to say."

Mirabel folds her arms in front of her chest in and raises and eyebrow and says, "Obviously." She sighs heavily begins rubbing the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Alenka, do you want to take over for Sorvia?"

Alenka, the large-nosed woman, rolls her eyes and sighs as she shakes her head in annoyance. Despite this, she starts speaking, much to the apparent relief of Sorvia. "Honestly, we don't know too much about Barovia either. Most of us just pass through the area, but there are a few of us that live here. What I know about Strahd is that he came from a royal bloodline from a distant land. He ended up conquering the valley and naming it after his father, King Barov. From my experience, most of the natives aren't very kind or welcoming to strangers, especially vistani."

The other two sisters nod in agreement, and then Mirabel picks up where Alenka left off. "I don't know what Strahd sees in the wretches that live here, but he's taken several consorts over the centuries. As far as I know, he's had only one true love many years ago: a Barovian peasant girl named Tatyana. I have no idea what came of her, but I wouldn't be surprised if he killed her and transformed her into one of his undead puppets. Am I missing anything, sisters?"

Not meeting anyone's eyes, Sorvia quietly says, "There's a windmill between here and Vallaki. You should avoid it at all costs." At the mention of the windmill, the Alenka and Mirable stiffen noticeably. You notice a flicker of fear flash through their eyes in the moment of somber silence that follows Sorvia's comment.

"Anyways," Mirabel says, breaking the icy silence. "If you're going to be spending a lot of time here in Barovia, you should go visit Madame Eva to have your fortunes read." The other two woman nod their heads wholeheartedly in agreement. "She's camped near the Tser Pool. She's the greatest seer of this century, and she should be able to help you much more that we can."