Anborn was wondering what the group was doing here. Rescuing Arabelle was fine, but he was beginning to feel like this was becoming a diversion from what really mattered. He walks over to Winter to speak with her, since he seemed to get along with her better than anyone else. Relatively speaking. "Rescuing Arabelle was a good idea and I'm glad that the drunken child-killer is dead, but I'm beginning to think that we're doing a babysitting job instead of the task we have to do. And five gold says that her father is a drunken lush that won't be able to help us at all." 

Elya looks over as Anborn takes Winter off to the side, I wonder what they're talking about... whatever, you're not here to listen in on other people's conversations.

She sniffs the air, smelling the liquor on the air and muttering under her breath, "Drinking? Who could get drunk while their child is nowhere to be found? Hopefully it's just someone else's alcohol, and not her father's... but from the smell, I'm not so sure."

She then goes into the tent, following Arabelle in.

Winter had paid the child no regard, allowing the others to take care of all that. At most, the bounty hunter would tell the girl her name and leave her be, children only left a sour taste in her mouth after all. She kept herself relatively quiet arriving at the camp, her eyes flickering from the group to the onlookers then to the tent the child had been pointing excitedly to, folding her arms in front of her chest before being pulled into a conversation with Anborn. She raises an eyebrow, confused and slightly taken aback at his sudden talkativeness... With her anyways.

"Afraid of babysitting, are we?" She quips, giving a look over to the child entering the tent before returning to meet Anborn's gaze. "Our original reason for coming here seems to have grown into something more than just a simple mission, but that seems to be a recurring theme in these parts. Are you afraid of a little commitment too?" There is a small smirk playing at the corner of her lips once again. "I'll bet against that, sure. Get your coin ready, hot shot."

"I'm not afraid of anything. I'm just shit with kids and I don't like wasting time by playing nanny. Especially if we're not getting anything out of it."

LUGASH

Piled outside the wagon are several empty casks of wine. From inside the tent comes the crack of a whip followed by the howls of a young man. Three sputtering campfires fill the tent with smoke, and through the haze you see six Vistani passed out in various places on the dead grass. A barely conscious and shirtless teenager hugs the central tent pole, his wrists bound with rope and his back streaked with blood. An older, larger man in studded leather armor lashes the young man with a horsewhip, causing him to scream again. Standing in the bigger man’s shadow is a third man also clad in studded leather. “Easy, brother,” he says to the whip-wielding brute. “I think Alexei has learned his lesson.”

"Father!" Arabelle cries, running to her father, the man who was watching the other man whip Alexei. They embrace in a hug, and Alexei sighs in great relief.

"Arabelle!" Lugash says, overjoyed, "You're alive! Where were you?! Who..who are these people?"

"They are the ones who saved me, Father." Arabelle announces.

Lugash puts Arabelle down. He walks to the party. "Is this true?" he asks, looking over you all. "Then it is all of you whom I must thank. You have saved my daughter."

Raising an eyebrow at the boy being whipped, "Indeed, we had received a tip and were overjoyed to find that we had not been too late. I must inquire, what has this young man done to deserve such a lashing?"

Corrin moves closer to the whipped boy (if allowed), examining his wounds. "Yes, what lesson makes it necessary for a group of men to stand around and watch another being whipped?" he says, looking harshly at the others under the tent. 

Anborn slips five gold pieces into Winter's palm and closes her fingers over them. "Let's not mention the drunken lush comments, shall we?" He whispers. 

"He was the one responsible for watching Arabelle." He says plainly. "He is being punished for failing to keep a watchful eye on her. It is the Vistani way."

As Corrin approaches Alexei, he shifts away in protest, indicating he wishes to be left alone. He appears to be doing his best to accept the punishment he has been judged with. "Leave me be." Is all he says.

Lugash leads you all outside. "Now that my daughter has returned safely, I wish to reward you. You may take one item from our treasure cart." He points to the cart.

"Fish lady, the key you found in the lake should open it." Arabelle says with a playfully wicked smile, as if you and her share a secret.

Lugash gives her daughter a look, "Come, Arabelle, let's go inside." He looks to you all, "Thank you again for saving my daughter. You have earned my respect this night. You may stay and rest here if you'd like. No one will bother you." 

Unless anything else is said, Arabelle and Lugash go back into the tent.

The whipping does not continue.

"Well, it looks like this night wasn't entirely fruitless." Anborn says once Lugash and Arabelle have departed into the tent. "Perhaps his treasure cart has what we're looking for. But it looks like he forgot to unlock it."

Elya stares at Alexei, her face going blank for a moment.

"We all pay penance in our own way... I find your customs... educational."

As she sees Corrin move towards Alexei, she blocks him with a stiff arm, the blank look still on her face.

As Arabelle speaks up, she looks at her with a forced smile and laughs, "Thank you for the advice, Arabelle."

She bows her head towards Lugash, "May the waves be calm for you and yours, as often as possible."

She heads off to find somewhere to rest, unless anyone else has any need of her.

Winter gives Anborn a smug smirk, gladly accepting the easy gold. "Sure thing." The rogue quietly pockets the coin then goes back to watching the scene before her then quickly turns to exit the tent as soon as they were escorted out. Once the group was left alone she said just loud enough for them to hear. "Warm welcome." 

She always seems to have a smile at my expense. Still, at least there's some member of this group that isn't constantly getting pissed at me.

I'm just going to assume since we talked about it in discord, but there's no official post, that's good enough to continue.

Inside the Vistani treasure wagon is a massive chest that the key Elya found at the bottom of the lake opens. Inside, there is lots of coin and trinkets, some weapons, but what truly shines is what appears to be a holy symbol in the pile. You take it, and as you touch it, you are filled with a vision.

YOU HAVE FOUND THE HOLY SYMBOL

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is a unique holy symbol sacred to the good-hearted faithful of Barovia. It predates the establishment of any church in Barovia. According to legend, it was delivered to a paladin named Lugdana by a giant raven — or an angel in the form of a giant raven. Lugdana used the holy symbol to root out and destroy nests of vampires until her death. The high priests of Ravenloft kept and wore the holy symbol after Lugdana’s passing. The holy symbol is a platinum amulet shaped like the sun, with a large crystal embedded in its center.

MECHANICS:

The holy symbol has 10 charges for the following properties. It regains 10 charges daily at dawn.

Hold Vampires. As an action, you can expend 1 charge and present the holy symbol to make it flare with holy power. Vampires and vampire spawn within 30 feet of the holy symbol when it flares must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a target is paralyzed for 1 minute. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect on itself.

Turn Undead. If you have the Turn Undead or the Turn the Unholy feature, you can expend 3 charges when you present the holy symbol while using that feature. When you do so, undead have disadvantage on their saving throws against the effect.

Sunlight. As an action, you can expend 5 charges while presenting the holy symbol to make it shed bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. The light is sunlight and lasts for 10 minutes or until you end the effect (no action required).

Anborn takes the Holy Symbol. "Well, it turned out that this wasn't a waste after all. One down, four to go. What do you want to go after next?"

Corrin admires the symbol that Anborn holds. "That'll come in handy," he says. "Perhaps, now we find that sword. I think one of our warriors would welcome an edge in battles against these fiends."

"The sword... '"I see a wall of bones, a chandelier of bones, and a table of bones - all that remain of enemies long forgotten."' Right? Maybe a graveyard or a mausoleom? Worst case scenario, it's in Caste Ravenloft. I think that book might be there too. Perhaps we should ask the Vistani if they know of anything?"

Song looks at the Holy Symbol in Anborn's hand. Perfect choice. Hopefully we won't need all too often...

"We already asked the Vistani if they know anything. I doubt that they know anything that Madam Eva told us. But if the sword was in Castle Ravenloft, I imagine that she would've said so."

"Fortunes are so rarely so distinct, even for those with powerful sight." Orilo comments on while pinching the bridge of his nose. "May learn more from Vallaki, or Dusk Elves here. Though might want to ask for introduction." He sighs and looks to Anborn and the others. "Unless you are all confident of needing it not. Though they are long lived, and would know things, I imagine."