1. Out Of The Frying Pan
General Summary
After the devastation of Briarlake, the unlikely survivors endure a long escorted walk to the nearest guard post. Those thrown in the basement cell rested with nothing else to do, hoping to wake up anywhere but here. Still strangers, Soaren, Torrence and Elaine wake up in a cold dark cell surrounded by guards. It isn’t long before Torrence begins to question the guards for information, even quicker to discern that the rookie guardsmen they’ve been left with are worse than incompetent. As the now freshly acquainted party begins to play on simple people's simple fears, the guard captain comes down to interrupt their plans, and he is not so easily frightened. He introduces himself as Sgt. William Beckett, telling them simply that they will be tried and executed for the tragedy of Briarlake. He admits that there is insufficient evidence for their supposed guilt, and though apologetic, he seems resigned to the fact that the people have chosen them as a patsy for the crime.
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The honeyed words of a fast-talking vagrant don’t seem to sway the man, but after a moment of connection between two old soldiers, he concludes he cannot let them die so unjustly. With the assistance of Beckett, they fake a break out by knocking the captain out and taking his sword. Through careful movement, the trio sneaks their way through the watchpost and fashions a makeshift rope to escape via the roof.
The group finds themselves free and stuck together through circumstance. They head towards the capital of The Nobel Reach, Lier, assisted by the Dragonborn's knowledge of tactical disguise. The road to Lier is long and well-traveled, making it incredibly dangerous for a group of people who’ve just escaped prison. Deciding it’s better to be safe than sorry, they take to the hills, where they are found out by a young girl who introduces herself as Sherbari. She tells them that she is from an encampment a little further into the hills, and her people are always willing to help a stranger in need.
With no other options, they follow her. Making nervous small talk along the way, they learn her people are called Vistani, groups of hedonistic nomads that travel the land in tight-knit caravans. At the edge of the camp, they are greeted by an unnerving but alluring masked woman named Damia, and her brother Ratka, the latter of which is hesitant to offer them shelter. Outnumbered by both his daughter and his sister, Ratka relents and the group is immersed in Vistani hospitality.
Walking into a Vistani encampment is like walking into another world, and they are ushered in with a chorus of laughter and merriment. A large bonfire blazes in the center of it all, and it isn’t long before this morose band is swept up into the atmosphere. Exotic and warm spices that sharpen the senses and tickle your nose fill the air, as a drunken band plays a steady thump of not entirely unpleasant music. The clothes are airy and colourful, twirling and fanning as people move about, and a talented dancer begins to twirl around the fire performing what would later be known as The Prastonata.
Torrence is whisked off by a gaggle of Vistani women, all of whom clamour about the state of his clothes. Elaine stays by Sherbari, who has just learned of Elaine's druidic origins, and is teeming with excitement. Soaren, for his part, sits far from the fire, watching the festivities with a kind of rueful longing. This warmth, he thinks, is not for him.
The night goes on, the party never ceases. Torrence, now dressed in colourful Vistani garb, dances with the masked woman before briefly settling to share stories with the Shey of the caravan, Stanimir. Torrence offers a story as thanks, using his magic to shape and form the fire to add some prideful flair. Stanimir matches this in turn, telling the outsiders a story about a noble prince who became cursed and, in turn, damned the very land he watched over.
"One night, a wounded soldier staggered into our camp and collapsed. We nursed his terrible injury and quenched his thirst with wine. He survived. When we asked him who he was, he wouldn't say. All he wanted was to return home, but we were deep in the land of his enemies. We took him as one of our own and followed him back toward his homeland. His enemies hunted him. They said he was a prince, yet we didn't give him up, even when their assassins fell upon us like wolves." Deep in the bonfire, you see the dark figure standing with sword drawn, fighting off a host of shadowy shapes. "This man of royal blood fought to protect us, as we protected him. We bore him safely to his home, and he thanked us. He said, I owe you my life. Stay as long as you wish, leave when you choose, and know that you will always be safe here.'" The figure in the dancing fire vanquishes its final foe, then disperses in a cloud of smoke and embers. Stanimir's face becomes a somber mask. "A curse has befallen our noble prince, turning him into a tyrant. We alone have the power to leave his domain. We've traveled far and wide to find those who could end our dread lord's curse and put his troubled soul to rest.The sombre note of the tale doesn’t last long, as another quickly takes its place, then another. As stories come to an end and the dancing picks up again, Elaine sits with Sherbari, braiding small flowers into the girls hair. Sherbari begins to open up, that she is very jealous of those who get to stay in one place- especially the druids who live with the land so completely. She laments that her father forbade it, saying that such a life wasn’t meant for her. Tentatively, she asks Elaine, “Do you think I’d make a good druid?” Elaine offers a kind smile, sincere and warmer than the fire dancing behind them. “I think you would make a great druid.” In that moment, Sherbari selfishly hopes very much that she’ll see this not-so-stranger again. In the next, she very much hopes she doesn’t.
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The night winds down, and Torrence does not retire alone, instead sharing the night with an enthralling Damia, who is gone by the morning. The Vistani pack up their camp and head out in the early morning. Soaren breaches the suggestion with Soaren and Elaine, who agree easily, assuming that once the Vistani stops at the first town, they can jump off the wagon and skip town. As the caravan sets off, however, no towns pass. Hills turn into forests, which turn thicker and colder the longer they travel. The air grows colder as mist begins to seep in through the trees, growing thicker and darker with every minute. Towering trees, whose tops are lost in heavy gray mist, block out all but a death-gray light. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream. Too soon, the wagons come to a stop at a small clearing next to a river that widens to form a small lake several hundred feet across. Colourful round tents are pitched outside a ring of barrel-topped wagons. A much larger tent stands near the shore of the lake, its sagging form lit from within. A mournful accordion strains from somewhere within the camp- they have arrived at the Tser Pool, a meeting place for all Vistani caravans.
The atmosphere here is a mite different than their previous hosts, a suffocating dour cloud seems to hang heavy on the otherwise bright atmosphere. The trio are told to meet with Madame Eva, for she see's all, and will direct them to their path. They step into the large, darkened tent of Madame Eva- a brittle, blind, impossibly old seer sat behind a satin table and crystal ball. The space is alight with low burning candles which Madame Eva wills extinguished at Torrence's entrance in a effort to soothe his nerves. They're aliases mean nothing here, as Madame Eva already knows of their true names and has foretold their arrival. With a frail but steady hand, she ushers them forth and draws forth her Tarroka deck. She draws 5 cards that will assist them on their journey throughout this land, useful tools on their fated path. She begins:
"This first card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope." The card turns, "The Avenger. What you seek lies in a dragon's house, in hands once clean and now corrupted."
"This next card tells of great importance; it tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight." Her hand wavers for a moment as if silently deciding, before flipping the card, "The Hooded One, I see a faceless god. He awaits you at the end of a long and winding road, deep in the mountains."
"Your final tool is one of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy." She flips over the first card, The Illusionist, "A man is not what he seems. He comes here in a carnival wagon. Therein lies what you seek."
Finally, Madame Eva flips over the last two cards, cards to represent their ally on this journey and the place of their final battle. For the first she reads "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." and finally for the second, "I see a dark figure on a balcony, looking down upon this tortured land with a twisted smile."
Incense burns as the cards continue. This time, she places two cards in front of each of them. The first, their past; the second, their future. For Torrence, an unforgivable betrayal begets a solitary and violent life. She warns that the path ahead will be lonely and require great fortitude and ambition.
For Soaren, a similar past follows him. One of bestial violence, war and carnage. His future speaks of great change- of a collapse of civilization under the bounty of the natural order. How this will happen, however, is greatly up to him.
Finally Elaine, Elaine's past is underestimated, lowly and lonely, but the bishop predicts great leaders breed from such a past. Adherence to creeds and beliefs will lead many to a path of hope.
The trio leaves Eva's tent deeply unsettled and off-kilter. So much that it's barely noticed that the caravan that has brought them to this place is gone. The party plans to leave for the nearby Barovia Village to stock up on rations, supplies and other essentials as they have nothing, and the Vistani have little to share. Before they leave, they listen in on a story being told near the center of the camp. The story tells of a powerful wizard from not long ago, who gathered a small civilian army and attempted to march on the Dark Lord of this land. Here, they also learn the name of the dark lord that oppresses the land, The Devil Strahd Von Zarovich.
"A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. I remember him like it was yesterday. He stood exactly where you're standing. A very charismatic man, he was. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse. When the dark lord appeared, the wizard's peasant army fled in terror. A few stood their ground and were never seen again. The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. I saw the battle with my own eyes. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. But when the devil fell upon him, the wizard's magic couldn't save him. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizard's body, to see if, you know, he had anything of value, but the River Ivlis had already spirited him away."As this newly formed band of people wandering together by circumstance begins there way to Barovia village, they share in minor conversation, though it quickly becomes apparent that there's a bit of a conversational discrepancy. Silence soon takes root. Eventually, they happen upon a house on what they can only assume are the outskirts of the village, it's tall and boarded up, old and decrepit, whining loudly against a slight wind. Two whimpering children huddle close to the house's porch, quieting at the partys approach. A young boy with guant and pale skin, and a girl only slightly older, hushes the small form clinging to her waist. Both are dressed in fine- but mud stained- clothes. The party approaches, cautiously in an attempt to placate the children. The smaller boy breaks free of his sister, rushing forward to meet the party on the road as he cries out. "There's a monster in our house!"
