Act 1, Scene 2: The Village of Barovia

The first living person to greet them in Barovia was a kindly old woman who introduced herself simply as Granny. A purveyor of fine pies, she fussed over the battered group, happily selling her wares to all of them — even her kerchief to Ri-An. She encouraged them all to make their way to the Blood on the Vine tavern, and while Bodaway scarfed down his pie, she hummed her way happily down the street, to sell more of her tasty treats to the villagers who so sorely needed them.

Glancing back, the more observant members of the group were startled to see a basket lying in the street where none had been before. Approaching cautiously, they found it to be full of food and a bottle of wine, with a note in now-familiar handwriting: a brief letter from Strahd, welcoming them to Barovia.

At this point, they probably thought they hated Strahd. How little they knew then of how deep that hatred could grow.

They made their way through the largely deserted streets of the village of Barovia, past boarded-up houses and those whose doors and windows simply stay closed whenever possible, a vain attempt to keep out the horrors that prowl the land. Pausing to investigate a desolate sobbing and coming to the conclusion that it didn't seem to be urgent sobbing, they entered the Blood on the Vine tavern, finding it to be a rather somber sight — most of the patrons didn't bother looking up at them, while others seemed much too invested in pretending not to pay attention. The group made their way to an almost mechanical bartender, who only intoned the price of wine, and found themselves approached by a handsome, if tired-looking, man in his mid-30s: Ismark Kolyanovich, the son of the former burgomaster of the village, who unbeknownst to them had found himself only recently in position to inherit the title. Ismark offered to buy their wine, and offered more when they sat down: a hot meal, warm baths, and a place to stay the night if they could help him with a task.

Still new to Barovia but not so naive as to make a deal without the terms clearly stated, they followed Ismark back to his home, passing the sobbing again on their way — they learned the sobber was a woman known as Mad Mary, whose young daughter Gertruda had recently run away, and who was almost certainly dead as a result. He led them to a once-proud manor house in a considerable state of disrepair, and they met the second of Kolyan Indirovich's two children: Ireena Kolyana, a beautiful woman in her mid-20s with dark hair who was extremely suspicious of the lot of them.

Inside, our heroes learned the nature of the task Ismark had for them: a safe escort to Vallaki for Ireena, who had caught the eye of none other than Strahd von Zarovich. Twice now Strahd had charmed Ireena and drank of her blood, and the siblings feared that if he caught her once again, she would not return. Every night, Strahd and his minions had held their home under siege, trying to convince Ireena to come out — the stress had proven so great that their father, the burgomaster, had died of a heart attack three nights before.

Since then, their evenings had been quiet; the siblings believed Strahd was allowing them time to grieve. But they knew this reprieve could not last forever, and Ismark was desperate to get Ireena somewhere where she would be safe. The nearest town, Vallaki, had not seen Strahd within its walls in over 100 years — only there would she be safe. He would offer the characters 50 gold if they could get her to safety.

First, however, there was the small matter of the dead burgomaster. Ireena would not leave until she knew her father had been safely laid to rest.

So it was agreed: our heroes would help get Ismark bury his father the following morning, and as soon as the deed was done, they would escort Ireena to the town of Vallaki. If all went well, they should only have to spend a single night on the road unprotected, after an initial evening with the nomadic Vistani.

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