As you set out onto the road once again the fog is lighter than previous. You can see a bit further and although the country is beautiful in it's own way it is also sad and filled with gloom. Off to what you think is the South you can hear what you think is a moving water but you can not tell the distance as the fog absorbs most sounds. The road is muddy and the air wet. Walking is miserable. Tall shapes loom out of the fog that surrounds everything. The muddy ground underfoot gives way to slick, wet cobblestones. The tall shapes become recognizable as village dwellings. The windows of each house stare out from pools of blackness. No sound cuts the silence except for mournful sobbing that echoes through the streets from a distance.

You hear the sound of small, wooden wheels rolling across damp cobbles. You trace the lonely sound to a hunched figure bundled in rags, who was pushing a now stopped rickety wooden cart in the fog. As you approach you see and elderly woman conversing with a young woman in the street. You see the woman take something from the elderly one and then hand her what looks like a gold piece. As you get closer you hear the young woman thank the elder and then she scurries off into the gloom and shadows of the village. You get a look at what is on the cart and you catch a whiff. Fresh pies. You smell meats and potatoes and maple nut. Your mouth begins to water and then the old woman turns to you and say, "Why hello there dearies. Didn't see you there." She then squints and leans closer. "Why, why you are new here are you not? Have not seen the likes of you before and I know most everyone here. Tell me what brings you to the Village of Barovia?"

Gaelin leans on her spear to steady herself on the wet cobbles.  "We are definitely new here and I can't really say what brings us to your fine village, as Barovia was not our intended destination.  Can you tell us how far it is to Neverwinter?  And which road will get us there?  Hopefully it is a less muddy and gloomy road than the one we have been traveling.  Those pies smell absolutely delicious."

The old woman furrows her face and says, "Never heard o the place. Not sure what road you might take to find it nor how far you might need to travel. Wish I could help more there. Would you like one of the pies? I have a meat pie, a potato and a maple nut pie."

Gaius looks unsure about the woman and her pies. Having come from such a horrible place Gaius isn't sure what to trust anymore. As such he stands behind the group and uses Divine Sense to see if the lady or her pies are good or evil.

If he detects something he'll whisper it to the nearest ally.

Gaius does detect a that the old woman is a fiend.

”What type of meat exactly?  There was a interesting gentleman in my home town that sold ‘meat’ pies, but it turned out he made them from rats his dog caught and dropped on his doorstep. It was quite the story around town when someone caught him. I didn’t know maple trees had nuts. Is that a special type of maple tree that only grows where it’s sufficiently creepy?  How much for the potato?  That sounds perfectly normal. Right?  How far do you travel with the cart everyday?  You seem very spry for your advanced human age. Is there somewhere local we could rent a room and maybe a bath. Someplace warm and bright, full of happy people holding hands?”. Gaelin responds.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:00, Fri 02 Oct 2020.

The old woman replies, "Oh, Barovians use all kinds of meat. Especially since we've a dreadful lack of sunlight for good fruits and veggies. I myself prefer chicken, but there's also goat, deer, pig, and wolf meat depending on where you go. You'd think wolf meat would be more of delicacy, huh? Not here, deary! With Lord Strahd in charge there's more wolves in these woods than we know what to do with! The maple nut is more a combination than a single entry. These pies here are 1 gold each but for you I will give you a pie for free being that you are new here and all you may need it. You see these are not any ordinary pie. These are magical pies. Meant to bring about happy dreams. Dreams here are about all these people have to be happy about. Oh and if your looking for a place to stay the Blood and Vine is just over yonder."