The man chuckles. "No, we're going past the gate, through a clearing, and past a crossroads. That's where Madame Eva is."

Amelia, who has been silent all the way, finally stands, staring at the thick, clouded sky.

“The land of darkness is near,” she declares. “Even if the mist blocks the sun, there is no place my lord's light cannot touch!”

To confirm her words, she casts a *Light* spell on her gauntlet.

“How long will it take to reach Madame Eva?” she asks.

OOC:Apologies for the delay; I was too busy yesterday. Also, just a quick note—Amelia has stocked up on 10 days’ worth of rations.

"Once we reach the gate it'll be about 2 and a half hours left. Speaking of the gate, here we are."

The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. 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. As the lead wagon approaches, the gate swings open, allowing the caravan to pass through.

"More magic. This place is strange indeed." Kessintra tilts her head as the the gates open by themselves and the wagons head through, studying the statues more closely as they pass by.

Perception 7 -.-

"Everything seems rather weathered. Does no one care to repair it?"

All you can see is the moss clinging to the weathered statue.

"No one cares enough. The lord of the domain has more entertaining things to do, and everyone else is worried about their lives."

That’s understandable. Trivial things like gates and statues mean nothing when one’s life is at risk. How far is it to the clearing?

Zan silently watches, half listening to the conversation as they travel. His senses trained on their surroundings as they make their way to the madame Eva person.

"At our pace, it'll be about a third of an hour before we reach the clearing. From there, you'll be able to see the town of Barovia."

Does anyone want to do anything the downtime to Madame Eva/the town?

Kessintra will do her daily lyre practice to help calm the spirits for a while. If she doesn't do it they can become rather distracting. She will also ask if they have any clothing they wouldn't mind selling her, so she can blend in better in this land.

Performance 12

Garrick will practice with his infused repeater hand crossbow trying to improve his accuracy. The others will yell out targets and Garrick will attempt to shoot it. His infusion allows for unlimited magic ammo which disappears on hit or miss so he isn’t leaving any bolts in their wake.

Amelia stays on high alert as they move through the ancient gate, her caution unwavering even after they pass through. The vision from the Elffather warned her: this place is like a giant mousetrap—easy to enter but nearly impossible to escape, unless one can break free from within. She turns to the old man and asks him.

“The people here, you say they live in constant fear. What threatens them? Does it have anything to do with the cursed prince you mentioned before?”

The man gives you an off-putting smile and says, "You'll find that there's nothing in this land not related to our price."

After a while, the trees part to a large clearing that can only be described as foreboding. To the left of the wagon runs a river clear as a blue winter sky. Up ahead is a village, though you can only see a few people through the streets.

The wagons make their way through the clearing, eventually passing through the gloomy settlement. Tall shapes loom out of the dense fog that surrounds everything. 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. Of the very few people rushing through the streets, all of them are human. The wagons show no sign of stopping as they go right through the village.

Kessintra studies the settlement carefully as they pass through. It's so quiet that she might've thought it abandoned if not for the villagers in the streets and the quiet yet noticeable sobbing. The sound reminds her of the spirits...Ugh, she'll have to do something about it then.

"Hm, looks like most here are human," she remarks, wondering if the elves and other races have their own towns in Barovia. "Shall we stop and check what the crying is about?" She asks, glancing at the others. "I uh...can't let it go without investigating. Part of my new path."

The elder rebukes, "We must get to Madame Eva as soon as possible. If you'd like, we can take you back here after you speak with her."

Garrick puts his  hand on Kess’ shoulder showing his support and unity. We are here as a favor to you, not as subordinates. If you must continue on your path, let us out here and we will make our own way. My friend says she needs to stop here for a little while, then that is what we will do. Seems like Madame Eva has been waiting a long while for some adventures; she can wait a few extra hours. 

The elder looks annoyed, and takes a moment to think things through. Eventually, he yells "Stop the wagons!" The lead wagon stops, and the others follow suit. "Make it quick. We'll leave as soon as you all return."

(Woops, my phone was being weird and posted things twice)

Garrick looks to Kess, Lead the way. I will follow and lend support as needed. Whispering he says, we should try to make this quick, we are in their land and don’t want to overplay our welcome here.

"Of course. We'll be back." Kessintra hops out of the wagon, nodding to Garrick and following the crying sound to it's source.

Perception 13 to find it fast