Putting away his weaponry, Val follows Findabair's lead towards the village.

As they get closer he pulls out his lute and begins to play a light tune that somehow begins to sound somewhat discordant in the oppressive air of this place.
[Private to GM: 14:57, Today: Valentino Lo'Stronzo rolled 9 using 1d20+5. Performance: Lute.]

Nessa walked at the front of the group, keeping a wary eye on the village. She didn't trust this place, not after the mists and the sinister gate. Something felt off.

As you travel to the village, you all can't help but take note of the omnipresent silence that seems to impose itself upon you. The silence is broken only by the occasional baleful howl of a wolf, or the occasional cawing of ravens.

Eventually the muddy road gives way to slick cobblestones as you near the village. Even here, the silence continue. No sounds of smiths hammering at anvils. No sounds of news criers. No sounds of buskers playing for coin. No melded din of hundreds of conversations. In fact, there isn't a single person walking around that you've seen as of yet.

Map of the village added. You all can be up to the first crossroads from the east side.

Anna shrugged at the emptiness of the village.  Had the village had been abandon for very long?  She looked around for visual signs of recent habitation.  "Perhaps the townsfolk are at some village wide function?" she eventually wondered aloud, "Maybe we should look for a temple, or town hall."

12:28, Today: Anna Mithwen rolled 19 using 1d20+5.  investigation.

"That could be," his stomach rumbles, "after that, an inn would be great."

Vargo stood in the crossroad taking time to watch down each lane, "Sounds like a good a plan as any. Though I've seen crypts that were more inviting than this place."

20:59, Today: Vargo Kell rolled 12 using 1d20+3.  Perception.

"And I've seen corpse pits that were livelier," Nessa said to Vargo. She let her shield drop just a little, ready to raise it at the first sign of danger. The buildings looked different than the last village they had been in. She was no expert in local architecture, but surely they should not be so different.

Where the Hells were they?

13:03, Today: Nessa Rhone rolled 20 using 1d20+3.  Perception.

Findabair looks at the rooftops of the buildings to see if there are any with smoke coming from their chimneys. "Maybe everyone's afraid of us."

Unfortunately, she's overcome by a series of sneezes that prevent her from detecting any smoke or other signs of life.

21:13, Today: Findabair rolled 4 using 1d20+3.  Perception.

As you all look about the town, you do spot some signs of life; namely citizens slamming covers over windows once they make brief eye contact with you. You see a woman with two kids turn away and head back down the road from which she came.

Anna is able to make out a church steeple in the northwest part of town.

You hear a faint voice coming from down the road to the north. You see an old lady pushing some kind of cart. Perhaps a merchant of some sorts. Another moment later you hear her calling out something called a dream pie.

"Ooooh pie! Should we get some? Maybe the vendor can tell us where we are."

Findabair shoots a glance at Valentino to behave himself. But she agrees with his suggestion. She approaches the old woman, and says, "Madam, we are travelers who seem to have gotten lost. Could you tell us where we have found ourselves? Does this village have a name?"

Anna was surprised when the people hid themselves.  "I thought we were an affable enough party," she mused,  "I wonder what has the locals so nervous."

23:32, Today: Anna Mithwen rolled 22 using 1d20+2.  insight on the villagers. Natural 20!

"Bard. Seduce the old lady so that she will tell us everything she knows" Nessa said to Valentino with a half-smile. "Or I can scare some answers out of her. Your choice."

Valentino looks shocked at the hexblade's suggestion.

"Me? Seduce that... woman? I'll have you know my heart belongs to someone else, thank you very much."

He looks over to the vendor appraisingly, "It wouldn't do to alienate the populace further by terrifying an elderly lady in the street though. They might think we are the werewolves after all."

He rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"We could ask her nicely of course. Though Vargo might want to try his hand at seduction. You seem skilled enough Vargo, what say you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 06:58, Fri 31 May 2019.

As Findabair (and I'm assuming only Findabair since no one said otherwise) approaches the woman, she stops the cart and unwinds from her hunched over position. He pulls back her shawl, spilling wine-red hair that frames a beautiful face despite her apparent age. She smiles welcomingly.

"Greetings, travelers," she says. Her voice is soft in volume, yet matriarchal in tone. "Let me be the first to welcome you to Barovia, the name of not only this village, but these lands as well. I feel mine will be the only welcome you ever receive. Barovians aren't known for their...hospitality. Barovia doesn't get many visitors, and those that do come, never stay long."

"well, I'm not familiar with a Barovia region anywhere near the Sword Coast, which does nothing to dispute the parallel plane hypothesis," Anna jotted some notes as she spoke.  She then addressed vendor, "you said that visitors don't stay long.  Does that mean there is an accessible portal from this land nearby?"

"Portal," she asks quizzically. "No. I know of no portals in these lands."

Nessa puts a hand on Anna's shoulder and gave her a small smile. "Too cerebral, my dear," she whispered. "Let's start simpler."

She walked to the village woman and nodded once, curtly. "Well met. We are a bit lost. You mentioned that visitors do not stay long. Do you know the way out? We would like to return to our own lands."

The werewolf no longer concerned her. This place felt... Off, and the sooner they were back in their own land, the better.

Findabair's eyebrows bunch as she thinks. "So this is Barovia. Do you know a man named Ivan Dragovich?"

"If you wish to leave, simply take Svalich Road out. It is the main road of these lands, it stretches from one side of Barovia to the other. Surely you all must have traveled it to get here.

"Ivan Dragovich, you say? That name IS familiar, sadly, it is not a unique name around here. Perhaps if you describe his appearance?"

Findabair describes the Ivan Dragovich that the party met. "He was young, but a few years older than I am. He had a handsome face with bright blue eyes, dark hair cut short, and wore brightly colored clothes. He was hunting wolves with his brother Igor, he claimed, when he somehow found his way to our lands. He claimed Barovia was his home."

Val makes a face as he hears Findabair's description of Ivan, but says nothing.

Nessa raised an eyebrow at the villager but said nothing else. Just walk out? Past the self-opening gate and through the teleportation-mist? Could it be that easy?

Vargo stayed quiet and let Findabair speak to the old woman. He still could not describe what it was about the town that set him on edge, but he was not liking it.

Anna pulled out her notes from the meeting with Ivan, and frantically flipped through the pages.  Her cheeks grew red with embarrassment at forgetting that Ivan had said he was from Barovia.