08 - Meeting the Visthani

They were shown a road leading out of town, and soon the town had disappeared behind them. The woods crept in close as they walked further down the path, the full moon obscured and dispersed by a layer of cloud that hung low and scraped the tops of the trees. Alfonse felt cold, and apprehensive, as they walked along. After a bit, they came upon a fork in the road. On one side of the path stood a gallows, old and empty, but a noose still hung from its upper arm, beckoning to the night for fresh victims. Across from the gallows stood a small cemetery, the rotting fence still standing guard over the silent tombs.
Before anyone was able to get a good look at anything, the sound of horse hooves came echoing down the lane. Everyone scattered into the woods to hide, and presently a figure riding a black horse came around a bend. As the rider approached the intersection, Alfonse got a good look at the creature. It was a skeleton, wearing full plate armor. The skeleton and the horse (which looked quite alive) both sniffed the air, as though there were hunting, and Alfonse wondered when he had last bathed. After what seemed like an eternity, and was actually a few minutes, the horse and rider continued on down the road, ignoring or not noticing any of the party, who remained behind cover until the sound of horse hooves had long disappeared down the road towards Barovia.
As Alfonse left his hiding spot, he worked his way around the gallows, inspecting as well he could without approaching too closely. He saw a flash of light that drew his eye to the noose. For a split second he saw a body hanging there, and he recognized it as his own. Terrified to his core, Alfonse stumbled his way through the brush and back to the path. When he looked back at the gallows, the empty noose hung in the air, and Alfonse shuddered as he relayed what he had seen to the group.
They decided to follow the right-hand fork, which led towards the Tser Pool. The group heard the Visthani camp before they saw it, their music and singing and laughter being carried on the wind towards them. They found several small tents and wagons set up around several fires, and one very large tent set up near the shore of the pool. The group found themselves welcomed, and were directed to the big tent to find Madame Ava. Inside the tent, Madame Ava sat, waiting, and she drew from her Tarokka deck to try to shed some light on the journey. The messages were cryptic, but told of an illusionist traveling in a carnival wagon; a faceless god in the mountains; a shining sword, possibly a holy weapon; the "feathered ones" who live in the vines and have one last fight left in them; and of the enemy, a creature of darkness living in the tomb of one he envied most. She also told them that the Visthani had saved a young Strahd Barovich centuries ago, and have had his favor ever since.
With these bits of vague information swirling around his head, Alfonse found himself having a hard time making sense of what had been said. He turned his attention to finding resources, but found no guns in the camp, and no one knew what he meant when he mentioned gunpowder. He busied himself with making some charcoal at the fire pit. Between that and the guano, he just needs a little sulfur to make the good stuff. Satisfied with the progress made, he found a nice place to lean up against a rock near the fire and went into his trance.