At Sergei's question, Ireena responds a bit loudly to be heard over the river and rain. "This is the Tser River." She shivers underneath her raincoat, her pale skin tinged with blue around her eyes and mouth despite the many layers of fur she has wrapped around herself for warmth.

Ismark adds, teeth chattering, "Rumor has it that this river is fed by the tears of the damned." He chuckles before asking, "How did you all meet up?  We're you all friends?" Thunder rumbles angrily overhead.

((A bunch of pictures have been added to the Discord of you haven't looked at it for a while))

"I came to these lands alone." Leann says with a glance to the others of the group. "After a short while here I found myself drawn into a house, that then would not allow me to leave. These people I now travelw ith found me there, and rescued me from the house."

Alev nods to Leann, then replies. "We are travelling together because we were all sent to do the same job. It's just work." He explains to Ismark. "We were supposed to hunt down a pack of werewolves..."

He looks down at the river. "Instead, we ended up here."

Sergei recalls the look of damage done to the houses in the village and asks

“are you aware of werewolves in the area?”

Also he’s curious about the papers they had found in the death house. He’s brought it up before but it was lost in the shuffle. Maybe now would be an okay time to examine them? Perhaps Ismark and Ireena know something about it? Is there some value there?

(post #157)

 (Here's the actual link, for the DM to make it easier to find.)

(S/N: Probably not a good idea to try and look at papers in heavy downpour..)

"The avian has it right. Though its not impossible some might have seen or heard of one another from different jobs. Ones unrelated to menbeasts."  Rudick chimed in. "I myself am part of the Lord Alliance... not that such matters much here in this dreary place." He groused.

“I was contacted by my......guild leader..and offered the contract to hunt a werewolf. We set out together, making good time, tracking the beast. We tracked it through some big Gates, we found a body, looked like it ‘ad bin mailed by the beast we was tracking. And then.....we happened upon a girl....”

skip trails off as he remembers the horror house, being possessed, the death of comrades

((Yeah, I would wait to check out the papers until you have shelter of some kind.))

Ismark lets out a short burst of laughter as he kicks a puddle of water that splashes all over Ireena, She glares at him and says while Ismark smiles impishly, "There has always been werewolves in Barovia. They are servants of Strahd, and most of them have given up what little humanity they have to the beast inside them."

Ismark asks, "So, it seems as if you are going to be stuck here for a while." He shrugs and continues, "What do you want to know of our lovely home?"

Sergei:

"Does the weather ever clear up so it's not misty or raining?"

Ismark scrunches up his face for a moment before saying, "I think I've seen the sun once, no, twice in my whole life. If it's not raining, it's going to be foggy. The weather is up for Strand to decide." Ireena nods in agreement.

Rudick "hmph'd" at the news, but otherwise didn't sound all too surprised at it. "If such is so, then all the more credence given to how the mist abruptly thickened when the little scamp slipped away." He mentions. "Granted, some of us noted that when he corralled us to the house. Presumably as a means to test us. But, be that as it may, what do you know of the other... villages.. provinces.. other places in general in Barovia. Even if its just heresay and rumor, it might spare us trouble to know of it. And, what can us of what resistance has been put against him beyond just our destination?"

Alev doesn't take well the news that this Strahd guy can control the weather, and looks around for the monstruous mist they had encountered before. Just how powerful is this vampire anyways?

"I have a question... Was this place always like this, then?" He asks. "And I'm not talking about the weather, I'm talking about all this vampire overlord nonsense, the ghosts, the monsters, the werewolves and all that creepy stuff!"

The grin falls from Ismark's face as he answers, "No, it wasn't. Long ago, our ancestors made an unforgivable sin that has been long forgotten. As punishment, the gods sent the devil Strahd to us as an eternal punishment and curse."

 Ireena adds, "The Morninglord used to watch over us, but he no longer hears our prayers. The Night Mother has punished us with Strahd."

"What was this great sin that would warrant such a punishment?" Leann asks with a frown.

Ireena shrugs an says, "We don't know. What we did has been lost to the ages. Only Strahd knows what happened know."

Ismark adds, "The vistani probably know as well, but they don't say anything about it." Ireena nods in agreement.

Sergei loses interest in the conversation. He goes off a little ways by himself and wonders how he's going to get out of this place, this mess. He morosely conjures little books in his hands using minor illusion and pretends to read them, thinking back to when he lived with his parents and his biggest worries were his studies.

"And my question?" Rudick repreats after grumbling for moment. "For that matter, who is this Night Mother? A goddess? Or some other dark being to plague these lands with her presence?" He requested bluntly, and only following taking a moment to steel himself in a controlled breath. For even before he spoke, just thinking of the question alone tickled long thought suppressed orcish leeriness involving the realm of divine, imagined or otherwise.

"The Night Mother is the goddess of darkness, death, and despair. She and the Morninglord had an agreement on how they would rule this land, but when he stopped answering our prayers, she sent Strahd," Ireena says.

 You are just about to the end of the bridge. 

As they are crossing the bridge, seeing Sergei conjure up his little books, Skip is entranced. He had an idea before about using much magics as a distraction, or a lure, but hasn’t quite figured out the practicalities yet. He sidles over to Sergei, and asks if he could give the rogue some pointers on doing such a trick. He has an idea about making some sort of animal, that he can use as well, to help the group scout, or distract an enemy in combat

"What do you know about this Madam Eva?" Leann asks. She aims her question at the sister, as they have already asked the brother the question.

She thinks for a moment before she says, "I believe she is a Vistani seer of some sort. I have heard her name, but know little else."

 When Ireena says the word 'Vistani,' Ismark spits on the ground with a distasteful look on his face.