Talion nods in thanks, the follows at a distance behind Erven. He asks Osgar to keep watch from above where Erven is investigating. "Best we try to avoid surprises" he says as the sound of flapping wings can be heard.

Irek grins at you, happy to have been asked his opinion.  "I want to end this woman and release this land from her control."  

Erven, you retrace where Doru was, following his probable course when he jumped off the stairs and ran off.  You're able to follow it for a while, but the trail leads into fairly heavy woods to the north east of the church....you could try to continue to follow it, if you wish...

Here is a copy of the map that Bertolt acquired from Ismark's house.  I also put it on the campaign page.

Quote from callmeLothar>>

Irek grins at you, happy to have been asked his opinion.  "I want to end this woman and release this land from her control."

Talion returns Irek's grin. "Where I come from there's a saying: If you can't cut the head off the snake, then slice pieces off the body until only the head is left." He looks in the direction Erven has been leading and nods slowly, "It takes a little longer, but the look on their face when you get there is worth it."

Turning back to Erven, he asks "So...where'd he go?"

     Before climbing out of the basement, Everlie takes the 2 healing potions (on nobody has yet, though someone less "front line" should maybe have them?), the amulet if it's not silver (Talion was taking IF silver), and stomps on and crushes the dried out ran and mouse skeletons.  The bag of teeth and the freaky ass doll also get haphazardly shoved into a sack and tied to Everlie's belt.  Everlie is against leaving any possible "comforts" for Doru to come back to...

     Walking up and out of the basement and then following the group as the tracking is attempted, Everlie wonders about the mage in the black robes that led the uprising and tries to remember any stories or rumors he may have heard about the individual...From the papers it says the mage was thrown over the falls but could he still live?  Mages are tricksy folk...  are they a potential ally if the live?

History? With advantage because he would inevitably consult with the others?  21

If no advantage just use first roll then...

Erven leads them to the edge of the woods to the northeast.  “It becomes tougher here.  I know what you’re saying about the snake and all, but I think we need to get back in a couple of hours to see Madame Eva.  Do you remember her?  If we can do this thing quickly so be it, but I think our path lies in another direction.”

Survival to keep tracking Doru :  12 

Talion follows on a little behind Erven, and enlists Osgar's help trying to look for signs of Doru's passing that Erven may have missed. I could take the easy route. Do I really want to help a town that hasn't helped me? Should we both pay the price for failure, whatever it is? 

As he searches he grumbles to himself, "Favours and alliances. Who do we trust more? Who will be more useful to us? The town is bigger than Irek, but do we trust Stanimir and this woman he knows ... Eva?"

Tracking: 21

His grumbling ceases, and a grin creases his face. "Hey Erven, I think you missed something..."

Erven pulls up with a “How could I?” look on his face, walks over to where Talion is standing and bends down, examines and sniffs the ground.  “Damn if you aren’t right.  Good catch Talion!  The bastard turned north a bit here.”  Erven continues to follow the trail.  

11 

Erven and Talion, you’re able to pick up a trail leading north. Someone was running - and fast. It goes north for a while before heading into some underbrush and into a larger forest. Up ahead a few miles in the distance, you see the perch on which Strahd’s castle overloooks the town of Barovia. 
Roll some perception checks all. 

Talion: 23 (passive 14)

Osgar: 17 (passive 11)

19 - Everlie perception

Erven perception: 14 

Perception: 8

Realizing the old man's eyesight might not be what it once was, Talion helpfully points to whatever it is that he has seen.

Talion, Everlie, and Erven you don’t see anything out of the ordinary but you hear a faint wail of anguish, pain, rage, somewhere up ahead to the northeast, maybe 200 feet or so. 

"Not far ahead!" whispers Talion, urgency in his voice. "If only we could force him to stand and fight."

He tells Osgar roughly where he heard the sound, and asks him to fly up and ahead to see if he can catch sight of Doru, then return to within range and let him know what he found. Talion then dashes forward as quickly as he can...trying not to make excessive noise.

Stealth, if needed:  18

     Everlie follows Talion’s lead as he seems to be directing this rodeo… but he keeps a hand securely on his sword.  This man walked away from a fight, possibly due to magic but certainly defended his actions strongly enough.  It is uneasy for Everlie to follow him into another potential fight…

Bertolt readies his lute, focusing on magic for this fight. "We do not have anyway to keep in place. If he were still a normal man I might be able to do something but alas he is not."

Osgar flies under the canopy of the forest and comes upon the sprawled form of Doru, who wriggles on a couple sharpened sticks like a worm on a hook.  He is face-up and cocks his head when Osgar gets close....Osgar flies off and tells his master from the safety of distance what he has seen.  

Talion keeps moving in the direction of the sounds. "He's impaled on some kind of trap. Be careful, there could be more..."

As they move he asks, "If we catch him, should we grapple him and try to rope him? We need to block his escape."

He asks Osgar to he back and report again. Does he see more traps, and is Doru in a pit, or held in place by something?