Zathon stands taking in the view, wondering what all went wrong here. Then he turns and enters the house once more, catching them discussing burying the father. He is aware of the ceremony that Anthony speaks of but it's a pricey ask. 

"I'm ready to leave, I don't mind helping bury the man." It would be far from the first time he's had to do such a task.

"I am willing to help lay your father to rest as well. Though Anthony is right a pyre may be better as the church has not been a place of sanctity and worship for quite some time" says Aoufie willing to go along with whatever Ismark and Ireena decide to do with their father's remains. 

"Would you want to bury him in the backyard?"  Kora too was ready to get a move on.

The brother and sister look contemplative and almost a bit surprise, almost like the thought of burying their father  anywhere other than the graveyard or even cremation never elven crossed their mind. From the superstitious and deeply traditional vibe you get from the Barovian townsfolk, you get the feeling that doing anything against tradition, like not burying someone near a church, is frowned upon by the community.

Ireena and Ismark share a look before they nod. “Yes, having a pyre in the backyard might be for the best,” Ismark says. 

Jared just listens and says nothing. 

After a bit of preparation in their backyard, Ismark and Ireena solemnly carry their father out to the small pyre they erected. As they carry the further Burgomaster out to what is soon to be his fiery grave, you see the corpse's face looks peaceful and calm, a contradiction to the nature of the land you are within. Ireena and Ismark gingerly set him down upon the pyre. Both Ireena and Ismark reach up to their necks and undo necklaces from which dangle small metal medallions. They place them on their father's chest, and thenIreena takes a few steps back as Ismark fumbles for a bit in an attempt to light the prepared wood. Once a spark catches, the dry wood quickly ignites, and soon a blazing pyre is well on its way to reducing the Burgomaster to ash and smoke, finally freeing him from the horrors of living in Barovia. 

Kora stands back and let's the siblings have their space.  She thinks a lot of Aoelwyn and the fact they missed their mom's funeral.  She wonders about her siblings and how they are taking this, she finds she is glad she is still with them since things have taken such a bad turn.

As Ireena asks about heading out, Kora nods and gets ready to go.

Jared helps when needed but watches the process with a bit detached.
Once the party is ready to move:
"What route do you intend to take?" he asks. "Is there a main road or are we heading over less-than-ideal routes?" 

Aoufie stands in silent as the Burgomeister is burned with such a peaceful look on his face. In his heart he thinks about Aunty Grym and though he is saddened he does feel better as a part of him have come to terms with Aunty Grym's passing. He nods and is ready to leave towards the Vistani camp. 

Official church business isn't really Anthony's wheelhouse. Finding faith was a more personal journey for him and not a straight path by any means. Still a lot of bumps and obstacles in that road in fact. Even so, as the closest thing this group has to a priest, he feels obligated to say something.

"All pain has its lessons..."    He paused, scrubbing his hair. He was no preacher. "They can be difficult to see in the moment... Anyway. My condolences." 

Otherwise, he was ready to go.

Taking one last solemn look at their father, the siblings turn away and begin the dreary march towards Vallaki, leaving behind the rotting village of Barovia. As you leave town, the cobblestone underfoot quickly gives way to a sodden trail with wagon ruts etched deeply into the earth. Ireena and Ismark keep to themselves for the most part as you travel, and so silence becomes the group's constant companion. There are no signs of wildlife as you trek across the hills of Barovia. Everything you see almost has a grayish tint to it, as if the color and vitality had been leeched out of the land. 

A few hours of walking later, you come across an old wooden gallows that creaks in a chill wind which blows down from the craggy mountains to the west. A frayed lenght of rope dances from its beam. The well-worn road splits here, and a signpost opposite the gallows points off in three directions: Barovia Village to the east, Tser Pool to the northwest, and Ravenloft/Vallaki to the southwest. The northwest fork slants down and disappears into the trees, while the southwest fork clings to an upward slope. Across from the gallows, a low wall, crumbling in places, partially encloses a small plot of graves shrouded in mists. 

As you study the signpost, you hear a creaking noise from behind you, coming from the gallows. Where there was nothing before now hang two lifeless, gray bodies. The breeze turns the hanged figures slowly, and their cold, dead eyes seem to fix upon you as they face your direction. 

While everyone sees two random people dangling from the gallows, Aoufie instead sees two harengons hanging in their place. Though their clothing is torn and he hasn't seen them for years, Aoufie recognizes them as his long-lost parents. Their lifeless bodies sway in the wind as their glassy eyes seem stare and Aoufie, and he swears he can almost hear his mother's voice whispering tenderly upon the bitingly cold breeze, "Aoufie, oh my precious Aoufie. It has been so long since we've seen you." His keen ears catches his father's whisper next, "Yes, come home with us. We can be a family again." A third noose drops from the gallows between the two bodies, beckoning towards the harengon bard. 

A bolt of fear and sadness travels down the length of Aoufie's spine. "Momma...Papa" He always knew there was a chance his parents have perished, but to see them here in Barovia like this was almost too much as his heart felt like a giant was squeezing it too hard. He slowly reaches out to them with his hand but stops midway. They were not here when he first arrived and though he is no wizard he does have some familiarity with the arcane arts. He turns to his siblings "Do you see what I see? I see my parents as corpses hanging from the gallows and speaking to me. Please I need to know if you see this as well." 

A bit of uncertainty crept into his voice as he asks this question as his sanity is surely being put to the test. 

Anthony was on alert, as the others likely were. "This isn't right. They looked human to me, but... I doubt that's what they are anymore." Readying his weapons and scanning the area for other threats.

"Your parents?  No, Aoufie, two human corpses just appeared and they are not speaking.  I don't know what kind of magic this is but I think we need to move along."  Kora shivers as she watches the bodies stare at her.

Zathon steps forward to cut Aoufie's path off if needed, keeping his eyes on the corpses as he speaks.

"Do not listen to whatever they tell you. This place is filled with darkness, do not let it twist you."

Jared casts his eyes around to see if there may be anything or anyone else near the party that may be influencing everyone.
Perception: 21

Looking about, Jared doesn’t spot anyone or anything that could be using magic nearby. Knowing about the nature of the valley, maybe the corpses are just some kind of natural phenomena? Jared does notice that the corpses are ever so slightly translucent, making him think that they might just be illusions.

Aoufie heeds his sibling's advice and backs away as he lets out a breath, he did not know he was holding. "Yeah, let's get out of here." When ready he will begin walk towards the Vistani Camp. 

Jared will pick up any rock near by and throw it at the "translucent" corpses. 

Akyan had hung back for the funeral, and hasn't spoken much for the duration of the trip. He too had felt the pangs of grief when thinking of Aoelwyn.

Once again he had taken up the position of rearguard, trying to stay alert. When Aoufie explains what he's experiencing, he grunts in agreement with Zathon. It's best not to mess with strange magic.

Perception: 5