15/08/2025 - 'Wandering West'

With Torbin and Vanroth busy with their Vistani training, Slate leaves the encampment to see the Dusk Elves living at the base of the hill. Approaching one of the Dusk Elves, the two bow to each other as they recognize each others heritage. Slate introduces himself as Theren Galanodel, his true name, and asks if he can speak with the leader of the Dusk Elves here. The elf directs Slate toward the home closest to the trail leading up the hill to the Vistani encampment, where Kasimir Velikov resides.

Heading toward the house, Slate sees Summer coming down the hill toward him. She saw him talking to the Elf and wanted to see what's going on. Telling Summer that he was going to visit their leader, Slate tells Summer she can tag along as long as she doesn't do anything to upset Kasimir.

She only promises to try.

Probably the closest Slates going to get...

The two head toward the house, only to be intercepted by two guards at the door. Slate asks to speak to Kasimir, a voice within the house calls out to the guard called Blackwing to allow Slate through. He is a hero after all.

A far older Dusk Elf greets Slate and Summer warmly, introducing himself as Kasimir Velikov. The Elf looks extremely rough: his face scarred and part of his body is covered in burns. One of his hands is mangled beyond the twos belief...

He offers the two guests food and drink, Slate turns it down but Summer accepts. Leaving Summer in an armchair with her snacks, Slate and Kasimir sit across from each other to talk. Kasimir comments that it is odd to see a Kobold travelling with other races. Back in his day, they were only seen as half-competent beasts. Looking to Summer, he asks what tribe she comes from. The Kobold seems puzzled: she grew up in a monastery with other Monks of all sorts of races. It's Kasimirs turn to be puzzled: seems the world he knew has gotten far more... progressive than he expected.

Turning back to Slate, Kasimir asks why he was owed the pleasure of the Rouges presence. Slate asks about what the old Elf had ever considered leaving Barovia, looking at the serene paintings on the wall of what Slate thinks is Barovia before Strahd. 

Kasimir doesn't think it is possible as much as he would like his people to leave this cursed land after what he did.

Kasimir tells Slate about the night he crossed Strahd and felt his wrath first hand. He had once served Strahd shortly after his rise to power, until Kasimir discovered that Strahd was courting his sister, Patrina. Learning that they were planning to wed and Strahd was starting to turn his sister into a Vampire, Kasimir took his sisters life to prevent it from happening. Strahds wrath swiftly followed: a fellow Dusk Elf gave the Dark Lord Kasimirs location, leading to Kasimir being tortured before his people. Then came the end of the Dusk Elves in Barovia, Strahd personally killing every single female Dusk Elf, halting the procreation of their race with those who remain.

Since then, the Dusk Elf males are left waiting for their line to end as they grow old and die...

Butting in to stop Summer remarking on the party knowing a female Elf, Slate asks what Kasimir knows of Madame Eva, the Vistani elder who read their cards a few days earlier. Slate tells him about the cards the party were shown and asks what the Dusk Elf can interoperate from them. 

Kasimir takes a moment before responding, asking Slate what his goals are.

Slate wants to leave Barovia. But Kasimir disagrees, Summer comments that she thinks that the best way out is through. And that there is one big thing they need to get through. 

Kasimir agrees, stating that the readings Slate explained suggest that the party would face Strahd rather than flee from him.

And if this is their fate to face the Dark Lord, he is willing to aid the party if they can do something for him as well. Patrinas body is buried inside of Castle Ravenloft, he wishes to find his sister and bring her back to life when the party make their move on the Castle. Slate and Summer agree.

Kasimir turns his attention back to the cards Slate described.

Enchanter, The Tome - Kasimir thinks it might have something to do with the Hag known as Baba Lysaga, within the Berez ruins that is now a bog after Strahd burned it down and flooded it with the nearby river. Baba Lysaga is rumored to have been blessed by Mother Night, the moon god that is the Morninglords counterpart, but the blessing had been corrupted when the mists encased Barovia. Apparently she had unintentionally assisted Strahd at times, but she currently roams those ruins. Either she has information that could help in the battle against Strahd, or possess an actual Tome that the party would need to retrieve from her.

Paladin, The Holy Symbol - Kasimir thinks this may be something that Strahds brother had possessed, maybe buried with him in his crypt within Ravenloft. The brother opposed Strahd when he was rising to power, killed in their battle.

Phlanthropist, The Sword - Kasimir thinks this is related to a sword forged of sunlight that Strahds brother had wielded. It might not be in the brothers krypt, but Kasimir thinks the description Eva stated as a place where sickness and madness are bred could be the Abbey in Krezk.

Broken One, The Ally - Kasimir thinks this might have something to do with the wizard that took on Strahd not too long ago. This comment has both Slate and Summer recalling the last time they met the wizard...

Executioner, Strahd - Sounds like the party will come face to face with Strahd in a final confronation. Potentially within Castle Ravenloft.

Kasimir suggests to them that it would be wise to look into other avenues as well, to see what else they can find on their travels.

Slate agrees, then changing the subject to ravens. They have been everywhere the party has gone and it certainly seems like they're being followed for a purpose. Do they work for Strahd? Kasimir tells them that he believes that the ravens dislike the undead, they probably don't serve Strahd.

Summer pipes in, asking how Kasimir plans to bring back his dead sister.

Kasimir tells the two that his sister comes to him in his dreams, talking of an amber temple in the mountains to the north. A dark place where Strahd had made his pact for power and his rise to it began from.

Kasimir wants the party to help him there when the time comes to face Strahd.

The two agree to this, thanking the old Elf for his time.

As Slate begins to leave, Kasimir offers some advice to the younger Elf. If he comes across a Dusk Elf in his travels called Rahadin, run from him or kill him. This is the Dusk Elf that led Strahd to Kasimir and his people, the now 'right hand' of Strahd.

Slate shakes the old mans hand, telling the Dusk Elf elder to not lose hope.

Heading back up to the Vistani encampment, the two discuss what their next move should be. Sounds like two of the cards pointed to things toward the west of Valliki, maybe that's the way to go?

Finding Torbin and Vanroth having returned to Fran and Abe, Slate and Summer join them for lunch with the Vistani.

During the lunch, Summer, Slate and Vanroth discuss with some Vistani about the road leading to the vinyard that makes the wine that everyone seems to want.

They learn about the road they need to take and some information about some of the other roads they'll pass on the way.

One is the Berez Ruins, which the party decide they want to avoid for now.

Next is the fortress of Argynvostholt, the former home of the Silver Dragon knights. During Strahds rise to power, the Dark Lord had slain the Silver Dragon in battle and now their bones rest within Ravenloft as well. Seems that Strahd likes to keep even his enemies close to home...

Then the fork that leads north to Krezk and the south that leads to the Wizards of the Wine vineyard.

Talking it over, the party decide that their best course of action would be to head straight for the vineyard and get wine to use as tokens for favors, then start finding the things related to the cards on their way back toward Valliki.

Abe, who looks a lot better after his good nights rest, asks if they should deal with his hag problem first. Slate thinks that the group could finish the vineyard stuff quickly enough to not need to take too many nights on the road before they deal with Morgathra. Abe agrees and the party decide to leave for the vineyard in the morning.

The next morning, the party say their farewells before taking the road to the west side of Valliki. They don't end up as close to the city as they thought they would, but they cross a bridge an come across a broken sign showing the directions toward Valliki, Berez and Krezk. As Summer and Vanroth fix the sign with Slate, the two notice bootprints heading along the path toward Berez. Not their problem right now, they need to go to the vineyard first.

Walking further, Slate notices that there are more ravens appearing on the trees the further they head west...

Abe notices a set of wheel tracks leading down a path north, toward another lake to the north. Not the way the party want to go, onwards!

The next turn they find heads south with a large stone statue that shows a depiction of a large dragon. This must be the path to Argynvostholt...

Finding themselves at a fork in the road with a sign pointing north to Krezk and south to the Wizard of the Wine vineyard, the party start down the south path until they come across another split in the road. One path has a broken wooden sign that Abe can make out the words 'Wizard _____ Wines' on it. There appear to be a lot of wheel tracks down that path, that must be the way!

They follow the tracks finding themselves approaching a stone bridge, covered in more ravens than the party had ever seen. When they reach the foot of the bridge, the ravens begin to fly off, making a flickering veil of black before the party. Seeing a raven transforming into a humanoid figure within the wall of ravens, Summer and Slate draw their weapons as they watch the old human man finish his transformation as the rest of the ravens fly off.

The old man stands before the party silently, waiting for the parties next move...