Ravenloft 01.0 - The Travelers

The story begins with two travelers: Bronke and Alefina, two gnomes from the sheltered and hidden village of Aberstwyth. Alefina, a budding inventor, felt that she needed to leave her hometown to gain new inspiration for her works, hoping that she would be able to develop some sort of stunning device or development that would allow her to come back and earn the respect and adoration of her peers. Concerned for the safety of the young woman, the council of town protectors voted to send one of their own with her; Bronke volunteered as they also had something of an inkling to see the wider world, thinking that they could help use their skills fighting rogue fey to benefit less-defended peoples. The two, though not exactly friends, set out together to see the wider world. 
Their wanderings brought them into the country of Ursialla: a dark place known for its constant woes and scattered people. Journeying from village to village, they eventually found themselves approached by a pale, frail woman dressed in immaculate white who introduced herself as Eve Devine. The woman begged their assistance with a small favour: a note needed delivering to a cousin of hers named Natalia in a small town only a few days travel away. Unfortunately, there was no direct road there and she was of no constitution to be traipsing around in the woods; since there was no regular mail service, she was forced to rely on the kindness of travelers. With no other direction in mind, the pair accepted her payment and her letter, agreeing to deliver it as well as the message that Eve hoped "the situation would remain always in her control". 
Setting out into the pine forest, the pair journeyed for several days without any sign of other people. An unsettling fog rolled in, bringing with it an unseasonable chill, but the two pressed forwards. After a week of travel, they picked up the trail of someone who had been walking through the woods before them. Following the tracks led them to a large campsite and a covered wagon parked on a road they hadn't crossed paths with; the sounds of talking and music drifted from the far side of the wagon, blocking the gnomes' view. Alefina tried to catch their attention by joining in their song with her own instrument, an otamatone, but she blared an off-key note instead by mistake, causing the campers to all stop what they were doing. A voice called them to come out and join them, so they did. Walking around the wagon, they found a group of long-furred aelurians watching them. One in particular addressed them in a thick accent: a chubby, gregarious, black-and-white man who said he was the only one among them who spoke the local human language. He introduced himself with a long and unpronounceable name, telling them afterwards to call him Boots: a name that humans never forgot or mispronounced. The gnomes told him of their mission to find the village of Covasna to deliver a message; though Boots hadn't heard of either the sender or recipient of the letter, he did know of the town. He offered to let the pair join his group, seeing as how their path would take them past the town anyways. He explained that they were not going to Covasna themselves but rather to a small commune of aelurians that gathered around Cat's Eye Lake, which was nearby. The pair accepted the invitation and Bronke offered to repay them by helping to gather some food. Alefina entertained the group with her small mechanical inventions and her music. Though the two didn't fully trust the aelurians, they decided that they would risk trusting them.
The group set out the next morning following the curiously straight road. Boots was cheery and talkative the whole while and though the other aelurians couldn't communicate directly with them, they seemed friendly enough. Boots spoke about how they were all wanderers at heart, routinely leaving Cat's Eye Lake to travel and see new sights before eventually wandering back to visit family. He invited them to stop by and in particular to meet Granny Rita, who apparently had "the sight" and could see things past, present and future. Bronke was still unsettled by the unseasonable, unrelenting fog as well as the general trackless and silent forest, but they carried forward.
A few days later, the whole group fell curiously silent as the fog seemed to thicken dramatically, carrying a light dusting of snow. Tension was palpable in the air and the gnomes could feel a strong sense of foreboding, as though the land itself was unwelcoming to visitors. Suddenly, the wagon pulled to a stop in front of a large, rusted iron gate. Though the gate blocked the road, it connected to no walls: one could seemingly easily walk around either side of it. However, they didn't need to. As they watched, the gates swung open with a rusty squeal, permitting them entrance. The driver urged the horse onwards through the gate and as soon as they passed it, the doors slammed shut behind them. Once they were past, the aelurians all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and returned to themselves, chatting and walking easily. Boots explained that there was strong magic in the border to the lands of Covasna that unsettled all of them, but it was fine once they were inside. The gnomes were deeply unsettled when he made some startling allusions: the border was a very real magical construct that prevented everyone but cats from moving in or out, trapping people inside. They were adamant that they weren't staying in Covasna, and Boots seemed slightly apologetic as they had never mentioned wanting to leave Covasna, only to go there. He suggested that the only way they might leave was to secure the permission of the lord-king Ardelian, who ruled all of the lands from his castle on the hilltops. 
The woods that they traveled through thinned into a field of tall, swaying grasses, the road the sole cleared area for miles. A few hours later, the wagon stopped at a crossroads. Boots said that this was where they would part: the village of Covasna was just up the righthand road, while Cat's Eye was to the left. He wished them good travels and hoped to see them again. With that, the two gnomes set out through the wet, cold fog towards the vague outline of the town they could see in the distance.
As they walked, they caught sight of some motion in the grass. As whatever it was approached them, Bronke hurled a javelin; a strange creaky squeal echoed out as a group of creatures attacked them. They were masses of animate, dried-out thorn branches, raking with their sharpened stick-arms. Alefina quickly deduced their weakness to fire and the creatures were made short work of. Ensuring that they were all well and burned, and that the embers wouldn't spread into the damp grass, the pair hustled towards the outskirts of the village. 
Category:Ravenloft