The heroes are transported to the land of Barovia by a strange mist. Arriving at a camp with traveling gypsies called the Vistani, they meet a fortune teller named Madam Eva who glimpses their future. Then the heroes set off on their road. Their first stop is an old windmill where they find danger, treasure, and new companions.
Player Characters: Casaba, Eliza, Gydean, Kane, Nyr, Pera
Part 1: Into the Mist
I.
In the town of Blasingdell, the newly appointed mayor, a noblewoman named Lady Morwen, inaugurated the installation of a town plaque, honoring the memory of a group of adventurers. The plaque read:
In memory of Gydean and Kane, the brave young adventurers who rid the countryside of orcs and other fell monsters that had congregated at the Stone Tooth.
No one knew what had happened to these two adventurers. They did not return after setting off on their final quest a month ago. But now, Blasingdell was beset by new unwelcome guests. A caravan of traveling gypsies calling themselves the Vistani had camped outside the town. Their exotic appearance and loud boisterous nature, not to mention their nightly parties, were beginning to grate on Lady Morwen’s nerves.
Finding herself at her wit’s end, the noblewoman summoned four adventurers to rid the town of the unwanted visitors. They were Casaba, a goblin bard who left his tribe to make a name for himself as a great goblin adventurer; Eliza, a kenku sorcerer with the bloodline of a silver dragon, who was adopted as an egg and raised by adventurers; Nyr, a human fighter and archer with a tragic past, whose aim with a crossbow few could match; and Pera Littlefists, a gnome monk who wanted to travel and document her own stories to inspire others to explore the wonders of the world.
The party approached the Vistani camp, but rather than forcing them to leave the town, the adventurers found themselves joining in the revelries. Casaba regaled everyone with the tales of his many adventures, having recently arrived from Waterdeep the City of Splendors. Pera was fascinated by the customs and habits of the Vistani, for they were unlike any people she had ever seen. The Vistani in turn were fascinated by Eliza, a pale feathered raven whom one drunk vistani mistook for a combless hen. Nyr alone remained sober and of clear mind throughout the night and into the next morning, keeping a watchful eye on all that transpired.
When the Vistani finally left Blasingdell of their own accord, the party joined them in their wagon, eager to see what new lands they would discover with this traveling troupe. As they set off on the road, a mist rose all around them. When the mist subsided, they found themselves surrounded by a dense forest of tall, dark trees that touched the grey clouds overhead. They soon passed an iron gate and saw two figures ahead. The vistani invited them aboard.
The newcomers introduced themselves as Gydean, a human rogue (and warlock of a Great Old One); and Kane, a tiefling fighter (and warlock of a Fiend). Strange, for they had the same names as the town plaque in Blasingdell. But they did not look like young adventurers. In truth, Gydean and Kane had been transported to this land by the mist which engulfed them in the depths of Khundrukar. Although only a month had passed in the world from which they came, they had been trapped here and were wandering the lands for ten years.
In that time, Gydean had amassed much knowledge of the region and its people. Kane, despite being a tiefling with goat horns upon his head, had befriended many whom he had met. They also met other adventurers who arrived here from foreign lands. Each party that they met sought a way to escape beyond the mists. Gydean and Kane alone survived when each unlucky group met their untimely end. But meeting these new unlikely companions at the gates, their hope was rekindled. After all their years of wandering, perhaps they might finally escape this place.
II.
The adventurers followed the Vistani to their camp where they spent the evening with their hosts. Shortly after supper when everyone was winding down and sitting together around a bonfire, one elderly Vistani named Stanimir began to recite a sad tale. He sang of a Prince who arrived at the home of the Vistani, grievously wounded in battle. The Vistani rescued him and guarded him from his enemies. To thank them, the Prince gave them leave to come and go from his lands as they pleased. But a darkness had fallen upon the Prince. And Stanimir sang no more, but only gazed into the distance. His eyes stared with sorrow and dread upon a castle that loomed in the east.
When the party asked him about the song, he looked upon them with wonder. He saw that they were adventurers from beyond the mist. Then a hope was kindled in his heart that perhaps these might be the heroes who could release the Prince of the Vistani’s song from his dread curse. Stanimir bade them to seek counsel from Madam Eva who stayed in a large red tent by the river.
Madam Eva was a wise old crone, but somewhat mad. She greeted the adventurers, but she was soon distracted by Eliza’s white feathers. Perhaps she sensed the blood of a silver dragon flowing through Eliza’s veins. Whatever the reason, Madam Eva insisted that the kenku’s pale feathers were made of silver and were as precious as a silver dragon’s scales.
When she regained her composure, she offered to read the heroes their fortune. She told them that they had an enemy in these lands. It was this enemy who had brought them here through the mists. Now they were trapped here, for only the Vistani and the servants of their enemy were free to come and go as they pleased. Only by confronting their foe would the heroes be allowed to leave this land. This enemy was none other than the Prince spoken of in Stanimir’s tale. His name was Strahd von Zarovich, and he was the master of Castle Ravenloft which loomed in the east.
Madam Eva proceeded to draw a series of cards to glimpse the heroes’ fortunes. She laid them one by one in the shape of a cross. Then she proceeded to explain their significance.
The Conjurer. This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient enemy will help you better understand your enemy… I see a dead village, drowned by a river, ruled by one who has brought great evil into this world.
The Transmuter. This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope… Go to a place of dizzying heights, where the stone itself is alive!
The Charlatan. This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight… I see a lonely mill on a precipice. The treasure lies within.
The Seer. This card will shed light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness… Look for a dusk elf living among the Vistani. He has suffered a great loss and is haunted by dark dreams. Help him, and he will help you in return.
The Marionnette. Your enemy is a creature of darkness whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him!… Look to great heights. Find the beating heart of the castle. He waits nearby.
III.
The following morning, the heroes found themselves alone beside the river. The Vistani had vanished in the night. Remembering Madam Eva’s words, the party decided to travel to Vallaki, the largest town in this land. There they hoped to find some Vistani who might lead them to the dusk elf spoken of in Madam Eva’s card reading.
On the way, they found a dead wolf in the woods, freshly killed by a crossbow bolt, but the hunter was nowhere to be found. The heroes had a feast of wolf meat and left the remnants for the ravens. The ravens gathered in great numbers and seemed to be keeping an eye on them, almost as if they were watching over the heroes. When the ravens finally left, they flew off in unison towards the west, in the direction of the town of Vallaki.
Further up the road, the party encountered a pair of brigands. They offered to hire themselves out as guides, for this land held many dangers. But the heroes were distrustful of their motives and declined, continuing up the road.
As the day wore on, the party came upon an old decrepit windmill on the top of a hill. They were reminded of Madam Eva’s card reading which had promised that a great treasure was hidden in a mill such as this one. Kane recognized the place as the abode of old hags who sold “dream pastries” to the people of this land. These were addictive pastries that offered their eaters a brief respite from their misery by endowing them with pleasant dreams.
The party scouted the mill with help from Gydean’s imp familiar and found three hags living inside. One of them was busy preparing to bake a fresh batch of pastries. Two others were upstairs with a pair of villagers who were being held prisoner inside wooden crates.
Kane approached the door, posing as a customer, and lured out one of the hags. The party waited in ambush, and when the hag appeared they fell upon her with deadly fury. The hag tried to retreat and shut the door, but Casaba taunted her with his cutting words, causing her to fly into a rage and fling the door open instead.
After a fierce battle, the hag was dead. The other two hags residing within were put to flight. The human prisoners were rescued from the mill. Their names were Ireena and Ismark, a brother and sister fleeing the village of Barovia and headed to the town of Vallaki.
Remembering Madam Eva’s fortune, the party went to the attic of the mill. Inside a raven’s nest, they found the black hilt of a longsword without a blade. But when the heroes took up the hilt, a blinding light as bright as the sun shined forth from the hilt in the shape of a luminous blade, and the sword spoke to them through visions of the distant past.
Session #1 Rewards
4 Achievement Points
4 Treasure Points
10 Downtime Days
Treasure
Six pieces of jewelry, 25 gp each
* Sunsword
Consumable Items
Elixir of “Youth”
Elixir of “Laughter”
Elixir of “Mother’s Milk”
* Story item