Session 1: The Cards Are Already Dealt

The campaign begins with the party members being drawn into the oppressive, fog-shrouded valley of Barovia from disparate backgrounds. Stoick, a blind fighter, joins a Vistani caravan led by Stanimir after hearing a tragic tale of a cursed prince. Meanwhile, Chaya, a cleric of Selûne, is separated from her brother Kareem and experiences a terrifying nightmare of a red-eyed wolf before being rescued by the same Vistani caravan. The two travelers converge as they enter the Village of Barovia, a dismal settlement where the sun never fully shines and the residents live in a state of perpetual fear. Upon arrival in the village, the party witnesses the grim reality of local life. Riordan, a local hunter, and Gretch, a destitute opportunist, observe the caravan's entry. The group encounters Robert, the acting sheriff, who is struggling to remove the bloated corpse of a Vistani man hanging from a building as a public warning. Steinman, a massive Goliath mortician, assists in retrieving the body, leading to a tense introduction between the local residents and the newcomers. Chaya, moved by compassion, insists on following Steinman to provide last rites for the deceased criminal. At Steinman's hovel, the mortician performs a clinical autopsy, revealing that the man's vocal cords were crushed by armored knights—enforcers of the 'Devil' Strahd—for the crime of speaking out against the government. Chaya learns that no outsiders have been seen in the village for eight months, casting doubt on her brother's whereabouts. Simultaneously, Stoick, Gretch, and Riordan congregate at the 'Blood on the Vine' tavern, where the atmosphere is heavy with despair and the smell of stale wine. In the tavern, the group meets Elenka, a Vistani woman who encourages them to seek out the prophetic Madam Eva for a reading of their fates. The session concludes with a proposition from Ismark 'the Lesser' Kolyana. Recovering from a drunken stupor, Ismark reveals that his father, the Burgomaster, died the previous night. He offers the party a job as bodyguards to escort his sister, Ireena Kolyana, to a safer settlement, as she has become a target of the dark forces ruling the land.