013_20260821 Session 13

# [[013_20260821 Session 13|Session 13]] ## Session Summary > [!tldr] [[013_20260821 Session 13|Session 13]] > The Gang reached Tser Pool, where Madam Eva’s new Tarokka readings revealed more about the gemstone, Erno’s fate, Irina’s past, the missing children, and a mysterious Conjurer who could become an ally. Before they could act on much of it, Strahd sent a carriage to collect Zar and Erno for dinner at Castle Ravenloft, while Andi and Irina stayed behind to help search for Arabelle.^summary ## Log ### Scene 1: Camp at Tser Pool #### A Quiet Night After leaving the [[Marshes]], the Gang stopped for the night near the point where the [[River Ivlis]] widened into [[Tser Pool]]. The fires of the [[Vistani]] encampment were visible in the distance, but it was already late and the mist was growing thicker, so they decided to wait until morning before continuing. Everyone was exhausted. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] had spent much of the day driving and immediately began preparing the wagon for the night, while [[Zar]] washed the remains of the swamp from himself and his armor. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] stayed inside with the animals and reminded everyone, once again, to extinguish the fire before sleeping. [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]], meanwhile, went hunting with [[Owlfred]] watching from overhead. She moved unusually well through the dark forest, climbing trees and hunting without difficulty despite not having darkvision. The quiet also affected the Gang differently: - [[Zar]] felt increasingly distant from the [[Morninglord (Temple)|Morninglord]], despite retaining his divine powers. - [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] felt a persistent pressure from the devil-faced pendant and an instinctive reluctance to remove it. - [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] seemed completely at home moving through the nighttime forest. - [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] cried *into* [[Pelor and Midnight]]. #### Andi and Erno With [[Zar]] and [[Irina]] away from the wagon, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] approached [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] about his father. Erno admitted that the closer they came to actually finding him, the less certain he was that he wanted to get his hopes up. His father had disappeared without explanation, leaving Erno and his mother behind. In the aftermath, Erno felt as though his mother eventually stopped seeing him as her son and instead treated him as an unwanted reminder of the life she had lost. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] assured him that the Gang needed him and would not leave him behind. Erno returned the sentiment, but warned her that her willingness to risk herself for strangers frightened him. As far as he was concerned, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] mattered just as much as the people she was trying to save. The conversation also revealed a fundamental disagreement between them: - Andi believed the Gang needed to stop running from danger and start behaving like the heroes they had been brought to Barovia to become. - Erno believed that facing overwhelming danger simply because it was heroic was a good way to die forgotten in a hole. - Andi promised to prioritize keeping Erno more than half healthy if it would help him feel more heroic. - Erno, naturally, agreed to provide her with a written letter of recommendation. #### Dinner and Secrets After [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] returned with several rabbits, the Gang sat down together for dinner. While [[Zar]] was out of his armor, [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] noticed that the markings around his face continued down his neck, across his arms, and apparently over much of his upper body. Her knowledge of the arcane was enough to tell her that they were unusual and potentially connected to [[Zar]]'s true origins, though Zar did not explain them. ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787597862639.webp|right|400]]Over dinner, Irina asked what the Gang actually intended to accomplish in [[Barovia (the Land of)|Barovia]]. [[Zar]] explained that his immediate goal was not to attack [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]], but to [[Create a base of operations in Barovia|help establish a foothold]] where Strahd's influence could be resisted. Fortifying [[Barovia (Village)|the village of Barovia]] was the first major step. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] was considerably less convinced. He wanted to know exactly what everyone was doing and why before committing himself any further. He had already learned what happened when he accepted jobs without knowing the full story. When he asked what any of this was supposed to offer him, however, the pendant answered. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] experienced another vision of the entity from his dreams. This time he could see it more clearly, and somehow understood that a serpent in the vision represented [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] and his vampires. Whatever [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] saw was enough to immediately reverse his position. Apparently, heroism had finally clicked. > “Son of a bitch, I'm in.” The Gang noticed the sudden change, but Erno refused to explain unless Zar began sharing some secrets of his own. #### Drinking Loosens Zar Up. A Little. Pressed by [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]], [[Zar]] revealed more about his previous mission to Barovia. He had originally been sent there on reconnaissance, but the mission went badly. People died or disappeared, and [[Zar]] blamed himself. As he spoke, the markings on his arms flickered just as his eyes had during the Gang's first fight with the wolves. #nosy #solved [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] reminded him that no one person could carry responsibility for everyone around them. [[Doryan (Doru) Donavich|Doru]] had once spoken the same way. Erno then explained the job that had driven him to the [[Carnival of the Mists]]. He had been hired to steal documents from what was supposed to be an empty house. Instead, he encountered someone inside, a fight broke out, a lamp was knocked over, and [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] accidentally killed a man who burned to death in the resulting fire. [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] tried to save him. It was the first person he had ever killed. Afterward: - Someone exposed Erno's involvement despite the job supposedly being secret. - Wanted posters bearing his name appeared throughout the city. - He was forced into hiding and began taking increasingly desperate jobs. - He still believes the friends who arranged to meet him at the Carnival can be trusted. - Zar suggested that Erno may have been deliberately set up. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] explained that she had been brought to Barovia after the priests of [[Kelemvor (Temple)|Kelemvor]] traveling with her disappeared. [[Madam Eva]] had subsequently told her to help [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]], [[Zar]], and the people of [[Barovia (the Land of)|Barovia]]. Her answer came back to the same idea she had been pushing all evening: the burden was manageable because none of them were supposed to carry it alone. Even [[Talbot, the Halfling Head|Talbot]] announced that he was on board. #### Talbot's Warning Before sleeping, [[Zar]] finally asked [[Talbot, the Halfling Head|Talbot]] what he wanted the Gang to do with him. Talbot hoped they could eventually find his body and reunite him with it. Failing that, he wanted to speak with either [[Rictavio Van Richten|Van Richten]] or his partner [[Mahiji]], who could usually be found at the Vistani encampment outside [[Vallaki]]. He also warned Zar not to automatically trust [[Rictavio Van Richten|Van Richten]]. [[Talbot, the Halfling Head|Talbot]] and [[Mahiji]] had only smuggled him into [[Barovia (the Land of)|Barovia]] for money, and Talbot believed Van Richten treated people more like **tools** than allies. The rest of the night passed uneventfully. ### Scene 2: The Reading at Tser Pool The following morning, the Gang continued to [[Tser Pool]], where a large [[Vistani]] encampment had gathered beside the water. Unlike [[Madam Eva]]'s usual camps, most of the people here were full Vistani rather than outcasts. [[Stanimir]] and several members of Eva's family were present only because the camp's chieftain, [[Arrigal]], needed [[Madam Eva]]'s help. ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787586884912.webp|right|358]]Arrigal's young daughter **Arabelle**, around twelve years old, had disappeared. Search parties were already combing the surrounding area with hunting dogs, and the camp was heavily armed and alert. The [[Vistani]] suspected that she had been kidnapped. The Gang also learned: - Madam Eva's family were normally **not permitted** to stay with the rest of the Vistani. - Arrigal was allowing them to remain because he needed Eva's divination to find Arabelle. - The Vistani at [[Tser Pool]] knew about [[Dream Pastries]] and deliberately avoided them because of their harmful effects. - [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] successfully kept [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]], now using the name **Natalia**, disguised while they crossed the camp. Madam Eva welcomed the Gang into her tent and immediately recognized Irina despite the disguise. #### The Gemstone ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787587419555.webp|right|358]]Madam Eva also recognized the gemstone recovered from [[Durst Manor]] as the **Artifact** foretold in the Gang's first Tarokka reading. According to Eva: - The gemstone cannot save Barovia by itself. - It is one piece of a larger puzzle. - It will be useful to the Gang. - It is fortunate that [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] does not possess it. - Strahd does, however, possess **another piece of the puzzle**. - The Gang's original Tarokka reading has now been largely fulfilled, and they have attracted Strahd's attention. When [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] questioned whether she had actually fulfilled the **Philanthropist** portion of that reading, Eva assured her that she had already brought something unusually important to Barovia: **hope**. Eva warned that [[Zar]]'s focus on practical objectives and [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]]'s focus on survival should not make them forget that the people of [[Barovia (the Land of)|Barovia]] also needed reasons to believe life was worth living and fighting for. #### Morganta and the Sickness of Barovia [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] asked Madam Eva about [[Morganta, Dream Pastry Lady|Morganta]] and whether she had any weaknesses that might help the Gang rescue the children. Eva described Morganta and her sisters not as the disease itself, but as **symptoms of Barovia's corruption**. The true problem was the imbalance caused by Strahd, the Mists, and the curse over the land. To truly address creatures like Morganta, Eva suggested looking for the **vital points of Barovia**: places where the corruption first took hold and where the damage might somehow be reversed. When [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] asked whether [[Stoya]] was one of those places, Eva confirmed that it was **near one of them**. #### Erno's Reading [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] finally asked Madam Eva the question that had been troubling him: **Had his friends betrayed him?** ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585186504.webp|right|193]]Eva's answer was complicated. - His friends have not helped him, but they have also been betrayed. - The betrayal reaches further back through **Erno's bloodline**. - Erno came to Barovia to seek justice for a great wrong committed against his father. - Erno **has been betrayed**, but not necessarily by his friends. Eva said Erno's father had made a terrible mistake by dealing with forces beyond his understanding and wagering more than he could pay. He was now **paying for that mistake in Barovia**, where [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] would meet him soon. Erno would eventually face a choice: **repeat his father's mistake or correct it**. Eva told him that whoever was responsible was only peripherally connected to Strahd, and that Erno's arrival in Barovia had always been part of his destiny. This was apparently considerably more useful than Erno had expected from fortune-telling. #### Zar's Reading Madam Eva then turned to [[Zar]]. His practical question was simply what the Gang should do next. Eva's answer was irritatingly close by: what Zar needed was **already in the Tser Pool camp**. ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585262992.webp|right|194]]She told him to find a woman represented by **the Conjurer**: - She is a powerful magic-user. - She is wiser than her age would suggest. - She has endured a great deal. - She shares Zar's quest. - She knows Barovia extremely well. - She could become a powerful ally and provide further guidance. The Gang had not yet identified her. #### Andi's Reading Andi asked how to **save the children — all of them**. Eva's reading produced some surprisingly good news: - The missing children were **not at the Mill**.![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585338232.webp|right|192]] - [[Gertruda]] was alive and well. - **Arabelle and Gertruda were together.** - They were somewhere near a **great body of water**. - They were with a miserable, decrepit mortal man whose soul had been corrupted by what he had experienced in Barovia. - Eva located them somewhere around **Lake Zarovich**. Andi then privately asked Madam Eva for advice about telling [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] the truth contained in [[Kasimir's Letter]]. Eva replied telepathically that **no one is strong enough to hear the truth about themselves before hearing it**; people become strong by confronting it. ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585371382.webp|right]]Then Eva unexpectedly revealed something about [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] herself. Many lifetimes ago — perhaps even before the Mists fell over Barovia — Irina had been someone important, possibly **a princess**. Eva drew the **Raven** card and told [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] that the **Blackfeather** knew more about Irina's origins, destiny, and role in Barovia. Eva also warned [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] to be cautious about whom she trusted and to keep close to her newfound friends. #### The Don Juan ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585400448.webp|right|200]]With their individual readings complete, Madam Eva drew one final card for the Gang's immediate future. **The Dungeon.** Eva reacted badly to it and warned that the Gang would soon be going to **the lair of the beast**. At almost exactly that moment, a commotion began outside. ### Scene 3: An Invitation from Ravenloft ![[013_20260819 Session 13-1787585468925.webp|right|300]]The commotion outside [[Madam Eva]]'s tent turned out to be a carriage approaching the [[Tser Pool]] encampment. The carriage radiated powerful necromantic energy. Its horses were black and eerily well preserved, but their eye sockets were empty. The vehicle itself was luxurious and almost funerary, clearly the sort of carriage sent by a nobleman to collect honored guests. Its driver was a jawless zombie carrying a whip. The Vistani immediately moved aside for him. After briefly acknowledging [[Arrigal]], the driver approached [[Zar]] and [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]]. Erno responded with considerably more aristocratic manners than Zar, earning him custody of an envelope bearing the crest of **House von Zarovich**. The letter, signed by **[[Rahadin]], Chamberlain of Castle Ravenloft**, invited Zar and Erno to [[Castle Ravenloft]] on behalf of [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. It revealed: - Strahd was curious how Zar had entered his domain and what he wanted there. - The invitation came with a guarantee of **safe passage**. - Strahd might be able to assist with their return home. - Refusing the invitation came with a significantly less friendly warning. - The letter had been written **that day**. The zombie driver simply opened the carriage door and waited. #### Splitting the Party The Gang immediately faced a problem: taking [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]] into Strahd's castle seemed like an exceptionally bad idea. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] therefore decided to remain at Tser Pool with Irina while Zar and Erno accepted the invitation. Arrigal agreed that the two women and the Gang's wagon could remain safely in camp, particularly after one of Madam Eva's relatives vouched for them. [[Arrigal]] then turned his attention to [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] and "Natalia," asking whether they could do anything useful for the search for his daughter. [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] told him they could **find Arabelle**. She did not explain that Madam Eva had already pointed them toward [[Lake Zarovich]], but she spoke sincerely enough about understanding his fear as a parent that Arrigal believed her — while also recognizing that she was withholding something. He assigned Andi and Irina to the next search party. So, by the end of the session: - [[Zar]] and [[Erno Van Iche|Erno]] were boarding Strahd's carriage for [[Castle Ravenloft]]. - [[Andraste Amo|Andi]] and [[Irina Kolyanovich|Irina]], still disguised as **Natalia**, were staying at Tser Pool to join the search for **Arabelle**. - The Gang had officially **split the party**. Apparently Erno's noble bearing had finally been recognized. ## New Quests   - [[Find Arabelle]] - [[Find the Conjurer]]  ## Quests With Deadlines   | Quest | Deadline | Days Left | Hours Left | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | --------- | ---------- | | [[Retrieve a stolen gem for Stafania Martikova]] | 0713-12-13 | 3.42 | 82 |  ## Time-Sensitive Quests   - [[Find Arabelle]] - [[Find Gertruda]] - [[Save Doru]] - [[Look for missing children in Stoya]] - [[Create a base of operations in Barovia]]  ## Social Calendar   | Event | Description | Date | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | | [[Boy Dinner at the Castle]] | \- | 0713-12-10 | | [[Wolf's Head Jamboree]] | \- | 0714-01-14 | | [[Ceremony at Yester Hill]] | \- | 0714-02-12 |