Session Sixteen

***With her elbows propped up on the table and her chin resting on the back of her hands, Madam Eva watches you with a grin that pushes out along her face, deepening her wrinkles. Inches from the arch formed by her arms, strange lights flicker within the crystal ball like distant lightning. The flaps to the tent have closed behind you, leaving the magical fires and their deep red glow as the only source of light, each flicker of the flames sending your shadows dancing along the walls of the tent. One of Madam Eva's hands falls, and she shifts the other to tap one finger against her chin. With the other hand she presses two fingertips against the surface of the crystal ball just as a pulse of silver light flares briefly in the depths, twice, like a heartbeat.***

## The Party

* Alyssandra, the Human Paladin/Warlock.
* Dakira, the Dragonborn Bard.
* Devi, the Drow Paladin.
* Kalil, the Half-Elf Shadow Sorcerer.
* Tansy, the Tiefling Light Cleric.

## Fortune Telling

Madam Eva warned the party that should they choose to pursue freedom, they would struggle every step of the way, but that they might consider freedom worth the struggle. Each of them agreed that it was, with Dakira asking how they could possibly leave when everyone spoke of it as if it were impossible. Madam Eva agreed, saying that it was impossible for all except the Vistani, and even they were subject to Strahd's laws and temper. If they were discovered trying to carry away an outsider that was summoned through the mists, the borders would no more open to them than it would for the outsider. But, she continued, if Strahd controlled the mists, and who could pass through them, then what might happen if Strahd were removed from the equation?

The party all had questions and opinions. Tansy, still upset over Doru, remarked that Alyssandra certainly loved to kill vampires. Devi questioned if it wouldn't be easier to try to barter with Strahd for passage out of Barovia, though the party disagreed, with Alyssandra saying that she does not make deals with the undead, while Tansy and Dakira said it was wrong to leave him in power after all they had seen, leaving the people of Barovia to suffer while they went free. Madam Eva added that they had little to bargain with, and that as Strahd had captured them in the mists, as he had many others, he was unlikely to simply let them go.

Alyssandra asked why Madam Eva was helping them, especially if the Vistani are servants of Strahd. Madam Eva laughed, saying that the Vistani weren't the servants of Strahd any more than they were the servants of any Lord, though there were some who "clutch at his boots like beggars for coin." She added that she had seen many futures for them, and that while the one where they defeated Strahd and were able to leave Barovia was the most interesting, they were free to chase whatever future they wished.

Devi asked what advice would give them the best chances of being able to free themselves, while Dakira asked how they could stand any chance, after all, they had heard of the wizard and his failed rebellion. Madam Eva replied that, as they stood now, they had very little chance. She also laughed, saying that the wizard might have been powerful and renowned, but he was terrible at planning, and hadn't even scouted out the castle before he stormed it. All of this, she said, was why they were not going to face Strahd now, and that every step they took in this land will take them from one danger to the next, but they would grow stronger for it.

Tansy remarked that the wizard hadn't seemed that bright, as a leader anyway, then asked Alyssandra how much scouting Merletta could do, and if she would be better at hiding and keeping out of trouble in spaces more open than a basement. Alyssandra replied that it would depend on the circumstances, and that she couldn't be too far beyond a certain distance, but that should could also see through her eyes and ears. Madam Eva chose this moment to say that Alyssandra should be careful with Merletta, as Strahd and all of his minions already know to watch for the real ones in spite of some kind of effort made to "stay secret," but anyone with eyes and an eye for magic would know just looking at her that she was not a real raven. Tansy said that maybe if they ever came close enough to the castle, it might be an option. Unless, she continued jokingly, Madam Eva's cards could draw them a blueprint.

Madam Eva cackled, declaring that the cards could do much better than that.

### A Reading

With a flicker of magic, Madam Eva summoned the deck of cards to her, and the crystal ball disappeared to be replaced by a small cloth bag. She bid the party to step closer, saying that she would "ask them." They did so, and Dakira asked what this was. Madam Eva replied that it was a bag, but that it's what's inside that counts, and that what was inside was a Tarokka deck, and what was inside those was "a blueprint, so to speak."

With that said, Madam Eva dropped into a trance. Her eyes closed, she remained completely quiet and motionless, revealing that, without her, the tent was silent; there was no noise from the fires, nor from the Vistani just outside. After a moment of silence, Madam Eva began to reach into the bag, her eyes still shut. With each card, she spoke in a low voice of the visions the cards gave to her as she set them down upon the table.

1. ***"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This card wishes to help you understand your enemy. I see a wizard's tower upon a lake. Speak the wizard's name, and let the servant guide you to that which you seek."***
2. ***"Ah, this card tells of a holy symbol, an icon of great hope and protection. Look to the wizard of wines! In these troubled times, the treasure hides there, in wood and sand."***
3. ***"This...this is a card of great power. I see a weapon of vengeance, a sword of sunlight, lifted high into the air. I see I see a nest of ravens. There you will find the prize."***
4. ***"There are many souls in this land, but this card tells me that there is one who will aid you greatly in the battle against darkness. I see a fallen paladin of a fallen order of knights. He lingers like a ghost in a dead dragon's lair, and will ask for but one thing in return."***
5. ***"Your enemy is a creature of darkness and death, ever lurking. This card reveals him, I see it clearly now. A great hall, an ancient throne, a window shattered long ago. When you seek him, you shall find him there."***

Tansy thanked her, saying this was very helpful. Beside her, Dakira questioned if it was. As Madam Eva slowly came back to herself after the reading was over, Alyssandra suggested that Ismark might know what the cards referred to. Ismark was pulled back into the moment and looked over the cards again, saying that there was an old tower overlooking a lake that most people called "the wizard's tower," and that the wizard of wines probably referred to the local winery of the same name, though he wasn't sure what sand had to do with anything. He claimed that the knights and dragon sounded familiar, like something he read once, but he couldn't recall what, and that a throne would probably mean a throne room, as castles generally had those. The "nest of raves" left him lost, as Barovia had a large number of ravens, so it could mean anywhere.
With the reading completed, and these explanations set forth, the party took their leave and returned to the road.

### Hiking

The trail leading away from Tser Pool also led them upwards, the beginning of their travels into the mountains of Barovia. Eventually they came to the bridge that would deliver them over the wide river, an ancient stone bridge that stood strong despite the many centuries of wear, with a stone gargoyle perched on each corner. From here, they could most easily see the waterfall that forged this river.

The party continued on, following the winding road, and an hour after leaving the lake, the party found themselves at fork in the road. To the east, Castle Ravenloft still loomed from atop its mountain. The party kept to the west, and were met with an enormous iron gate. The stone wall was built to take advantage of the surrounding wilderness, with the left border flanked by the dark and dangerous woods, and the right edge pressed into the side of a mountain. To either side of the rusting gate built into the stone wall, a giant state stood like a guardsman, hands resting on the pommel of their swords which pointed downward, ending at their feet. Also at their feet were the severed heads of each statue, laying haphazardly among the rocks and weeds. As the party approached, the gate slowly swung open with a long, loud screech, and closing again behind them.

As they moved beyond the gate, they found the windmill Ismark had spoken of, the windows dark and the blades unmoving despite the wind. As they had agreed, they passed it by as they continued walking. Svalich Road eventually made a sharp turn westward, bringing them back into the woods. Through the canopy overhead, and breaks in the treeline on either side of them, the party could see the sky steadily growing darker as they continued onwards to Vallaki. Eventually, the tall walls of the town were in view, and growing closer by the minute.

### The Town of Vallaki

As the party approched the gate, they found that the road nearest to the gate was lined with pikes to either side of it, each with a wolf's head impaled upon the spike and the shaft planted in the ground, and there were more running parallel to the wall on either side of the gate for a few feet in either direction. The party was stopped by a gruff voice calling for them to halt. From atop the gate and just beyond the wall, a pair of guards stood looking down at them, and demanded to know who they were, why they were here, and - after noticing Tansy among them - why they were attempting to bring one of the Vistani into the city. The party protested, but the guards stood firm, saying that unless the Vistani camp in the woods left her behind, they could simply send her back to them and then they could discuss coming inside, as the burgomaster had banned Vistani from the town.

Dakira eventually managed to persuade them Tansy was not Vistani but only a tiefling, and that she had been pulled into the mists along with the rest of them. Ismark came forward as well, asking to be allowed entry so that he might explain the situation to the bugomaster. The guards reluctantly let them inside, warning the party not to cause trouble, as Vallaki had had enough of that recently.

Once they were inside, Ismark led the way along the main road through Vallaki. Along the way they passed an Inn, a stockyard, many other buildings, and citizens of the town. While guards remained on patrol, the common people were hurrying to get home before dark and before the oncoming storm could hit. Both of these groups had something in common: each had a smile fixed in place. Eventually, after a few more turns, the party arrived outside the burgomaster's mansion. While it had clearly seen better days, the mansion looked far better than the burgomaster of Barovia's mansion.

When asked about them, Ismark diplomatically explained that both the burgomaster and her wife were "very peculiar," and that if they were lucky Lady Petrovna would welcome them, give them tea, hear the story, and send them on their way. If they weren't lucky, he said, the burgomaster would be home, and awake. Alyssandra asked if there were issues with the burgomaster of Vallaki, and Ismark brought up the wolf heads that they had seen outside. He said that this was likely one of the festivals that Baroness Vallakova threw every few days, meant to ward off Strahd through enforced good cheer, and that the last one he had attended involved dancing from sunrise to sunset, with the burgomaster threatening to arrest anyone who stopped dancing. The party reacted poorly to this information, and Dakira suggested that they shouldn't stay long, to which Ismark wholeheartedly agreed. He further suggested that perhaps they could just go to the inn, spend the night, and leave before the burgomaster ever knew they arrived, but agreed that it would be best to inform her about Tansy, at the very least.

### Shiny Happy People

The party, led by Ismark, was greeted at the door by a maid who was obviously tired despite the bright smile that did not leave her face throughout the conversation. She asked if they were here for Lady Petrovna's party, and upon recognizing Ismark, said that they hadn't been expecting a visit from him. Devi gestured at her full plate and patronizingly agreed that of course she was here for the party, while Tansy kept quiet and tried to appear as not-Vistani as she could. Alyssandra asked the maid about what sort of party she was talking about, prompting the maid to explain that as part of Baroness Vallakova's effort to spread cheer through Vallaki, Lady Petrovna holds parties for the townspeople, and encourages them to help in making the crafts and costumes for the burgomaster's various festivals. The maid went on to say that if the party had come to see Lady Petrovna, she would be glad to take them to her, but that unfortunately both the burgomaster and the head guardsman had gone to bed, and that if they had come for the Baronet, they would need to speak with Lady Petrovna.

The party followed the maid down the hall, where she stopped and knocked on the door to one of the rooms. As she did, the sound of people talking and laughing stopped, until a voice called for them to enter. The room revealed itself to be a dining room, where eight women of various ages sat in high backed chairs around a table cluttered with food, tea, and crafting materials. The voice revealed itself to belong to the ninth woman, standing at the head of the table, who excused the maid while smiling vacantly at the party. She greeted Ismark, asking who his friends that he'd brought were, and if she should fetch Victor, pausing after almost every sentence to give a dainty laugh. Ismark declined, saying that was not necessary, as he had only meant to stop by to let them know that the party had arrived, and that one of them was a tiefling, not a Vistani, and he didn't want anyone to worry about this.

Lady Petrovna laughed again, saying that she never worried about anything, and turned her attention towards Tansy. She welcomed her and offered her hopes that Tansy had enjoyed her stay. Not wishing to say that she had not enjoyed her stay in Barovia, Tansy settled on thanking Lady Petrovna, who clapped her hands and declared that Tansy was so polite. She suggested that, if Tansy survived her time in Barovia, Tansy could settle in Vallaki, as they were always looking for new faces. Tansy smiled, but was otherwise spared from needing to reply by Ismark claiming that the party had spent a long time on the road and were in need of rest, as it was getting late. Before they left, Lady Petrovna asked if Ismark could take a garland of wicker suns to her brother at the church in the morning, as she hadn't the time, a request Ismark agreed to.

Everyone left the mansion with a sense of discomfort, and once they were away from the house Ismark said that was normal for the burgomaster's house and family. Dakira asked him who Victor was, and Ismark explained that Victor was the burgomaster's son, who was "peculiar" in all his own ways. He went on to say that the fact that he kept himself locked up in the attic as much as he could was probably the least peculiar thing about Victor, as opposed to the cats or the way he frequently got the impression Victor's mother wished to pair the two of them. Ismark quickly changed the subject, especially not wishing to bring up the cats with Alyssandra around, and advised the party that they should hurry to the inn.

## Things Gained

* Supplies.
* A prophesy.
* Entry into Vallaki.
* A meeting with the burgomaster's wife.
* Knowledge of Vallaki.
* A sense of discomfort.

## Developments

The party had a card reading by Madam Eva.

The party reached Vallaki before sundown.

The party learned some information about Vallaki and its people.

The party is uncomfortable.