So much has happened today that I don't really have a lot of time to write it all down! I'll do my best to sum up...

Our new paladin friend, Regis, agreed to travel with us to the Tser Pool, as he had a letter to deliver to the Vistani, and everyone was in agreement that it was just safer to stick together. Between bats and ravens, we're clearly being spied on from the trees, even while we sleep. The next morning, we managed to evade a group of travelling scarecrows. Because of course, in Barovia, even the scarecrows have ulterior motives. I've heard of such constructs being utilized by magic-users in Faerun to spy on or ambush the unwary, but we were able to give them the slip.

Barthalamew and Balthazar are really such good horses. We need to thank Ismark for his help getting us two such sneaky boys.

Once at camp, everyone was able to breathe a little easier. Regis delivered his letter, and the rest of us had some wine and games and music and dancing. It was exactly what Cassandra needed. She's been so very high-strung since arriving in Barovia. She says that she's something of an empath, and the vibrance of the Vistani people really helps her to relax.

One of the Vistani's stories caught my attention: he said that 4-5 years ago, a very charismatic man came to rally the people against the devil, and they went to the castle to fight Lord von Zarovich. Things went poorly, and the "army" fled before the vampire's might, but the wizard remained, flinging spells back and forth against Lord von Zarovich, until he was finally struck and fell down the falls. The Vistani went to loot look for his body, but could not find it. This doesn't seem to line up with the timeline of Doru's assault on the castle, and it didn't sound like anyone in that group was a powerful enough wizard to take on his lordship. I don't think that van Richten is a wizard, anyway. The man swears this is a true story.

After trading a few more stories and drinks with the people of the caravan, Madame Eva welcomed us into her tent, saying that she had been expecting us all. That while we may have thought we had come to Barovia for work or for curiosity or for any number of reasons, we had really come there because of Destiny. Yeah, it was definitely a capitalized "Destiny", and she offered to help each of us find our paths within the realm.

Of Allynia, she noted her optimism and boldness, saying she needed to walk a path of sacrifice and seek answers in an abbey. Which was interesting, as Moss has spent practically his whole life in a monastery, but he was instead instructed to "seek out a silent guide of death" to learn more. Avery, a cleric of the Morninglord, was unsurprisingly instructed to "face the darkness" by seeking out a "man of light who took arms when darkness grew". Faerxan was told to seek out the followers of the way of the dragon to find help in this land, which leaves me imaging a whole tribe of super-badass kleptomaniacs. Cassandra was told that she could find the answers to her roots here, as they were tied to this land, and to seek "the man who hunts evil" to learn more. Her advise to me was that there was another of angel blood here, corrupted by the land who may be able to tell us more, but it sounds like maybe the darkness here has driven him a little mad.

In order to achieve our goals, there are three things we need to find or do or whatever. First, she mentioned obtaining the knowledge of the ancient "to understand the enemy", which we would find in a tower. For our protection, there is a holy symbol to bring us hope, which we could find in a den of wolves overlooking a lake. And finally, a weapon of vengeance, a sword of sunlight. I imagine this is something that Lord von Zarovich very much doesn't want anyone in his kingdom to have. Madame Eva says it can be found in a pile of treasure behind amber doors. Yes, please and thank you!

In the reading of her cards, she also said that there was one who would help us to stand against the darkness of the land: a Vistana, wandering the land alone looking for her mentor. Ultimately, things will come to a head at Castle Ravenloft at some point in the future, she believes, saying "look to great heights and the beating heart of the castle" to find the "creature of darkness".

Ireena asked about what Madame Eva saw of her future, and the answer was somewhat bleak. She said that Ireena's future was "darker than any other" filled with "much suffering", but she could look to a holy lake for guidance. I'm going to guess that we're going to need to ask someone at one of those abbeys about where one might find a holy lake in Barovia.

After Madame Eva's reading, we went back out to join the evening's festivities. More food and wine and music and song. Cassandra sang and danced and found her smile again with a particularly attractive Vistani lady. I lost track of them after a while, because Allynia asked if the two of us could practice sparring. It was amazing fun! She's really good, I think she just has gotten so used to relying on her magic that she's a little shy on the follow-through. After getting a few good rounds in, we got a few good rounds of teasing Avery in, which is swiftly becoming a favorite pastime.

I think I'm going to have to buy him something nice when we get to Vallaki to make up for it, though. He gets all flusterated, but that's what makes it so hard to stop!

And thinking of, Ireena is definitely all flusterated over in that corner with Regis...