Act I: Inauspicious Start

As you enter The Blood on the Vine Tavern, you can make a a Perception check.

A mutter of voices, a clatter of dish ware, and the squeal of a poorly played instrument usher from this gambling building. A sign hanging precariously askew reads "Blood on the Vine Tavern." A thin skein of smoke curls up from a wide chimney. Inside, you see scores of refugees, packing every available square inches. A few individuals stand out of the crowd however. To one table are sitting two Vistani playing cards, keeping to themselves and staying away from the other refugees... staying away as much as possible in an inn full of people... Another man is at the bar, wearing which could pass for a noble outfit if it was not dirty and stained. He is slowly sipping a glass of wine and looks sullen.
The innkeeper looks at you and nods to acknowledge your return as he is quite busy, then looks up, again, and his face grows pale when he notices Kuroi... "L-lady Ashlyn... have you brought in the flying demon in?"

Ashlyn responds. "Oh no, no, no. Those are the kind people who helped me repel the undead who broke through the barriers, beside, if you look closely, you will notice he has no wings..."
She then turns to you. "I'm sorry, with all that's been happening, I forgot to mention you we've been sighting this strange flying demon recently. He's been encircling the town square, never approaching. I've never got a good look at it myself as he seemed to always come near when Thendrick and Mathilda were on duty, but I hear he's been roosting somewhere to the south of here..."

After hearing the undead were cleared. The innkeeper turns to a few refugees, including the two Vistani. "Hey, you heard? The undead have been cleared, so now go outside and repair those barricades!"

Kuroi will then turn to you. "I will go help fix the barricades as well, it seems I make people uncomfortable here, and if they seem me helping, it might help them fear me less. Besides, I'd also like to keep an eye out for more zombies while there are civilians out there fixing the barricades..."

Kayleigh will chime in "I'll come with you. I'm no Lightbringer and I feel you'll be discussing Lightbringer business and I do not want to intrude. Two pair of eyes will be better than one, and besides, there are also the remains of the undead we need to clear out of the town square..."

With this Kuroi and Kayleigh step outside.

Overhearing your conversation as you pass him by, the man at the bar mutters out loud. "Meh, probably just another agent of that devil Strahd..."
You are not entirely sure if that was intended for you or if ha was simply speaking to himself out loud...

The barkeep approaces them mand and says. "Ismark, I think you've had enough to drink. Please, your bringing everyone down..."

To this the man exclaims. 'What!? The dead roams the streets, devouring our loved ones, and I'm the one bringing everyone down? We're all already dead, you just don't know it yet! I think that as the new burgomaster of a dead town, I am entitled to drink as much as I want... now pour me another glass, or just leave the bottle on the counter, either way is fine with me..."

@ Kaos: Roland will remember that Strixes are insular humanoids who ferociously defend their mountains homes. While they tend to have a strong dislike of the other humanoid races, they're not exactly the type to launch some sort of attack or incursion as they just prefer to be left alone in their homes... The fact that there is one of their numbers in this village is very odd indeed...

@ irvanovich: The man turns to you. "Yes, Strahd. The master of the castle and the scourge of this land. A monster of significant power... But where are my manners... I am Ismark, the Lesser. My father is—was—Kolyan Indirovich, the burgomaster of Barovia. But the burgomaster is dead! His body lies these ten days and more in the mansion. My sister remains with him, barricaded there against the zombies."

@ Weiryn: Ismark will look oddly at you.. "Lay the dead to rest? And how do you suppose we do that when the plague began in the church? Danovich the priest used to ward the church and the village, but his vigil lapsed when his son Doru was slain by brigands on Old Svalich Road. No one knows what became of Danovich, but soon afterward, the zombies began to walk out from the church. If they aren’t stopped, we’ll all be dead in days. So honestly, I really don't see the point in laying the dead to rest... we'll be joining them soon enough..."

@ Jabes: Ashlyn will look a bit embarassed. "Not much I'm afraid. We have not encountered any and the werewolves are not what we came for. We came here for the undead plague. However, I also had another reason to come here. It is also my quest to find the legendary Sunsowrd. A mighty weapon against evil, especially undead, it is most potent against vampires. It fell out of histories long ago, but I’ve determined that it was last seen and used in these lands. The townspeople say that Madam Eva would know of the sword’s whereabouts if anyone does. I feel such a weapon belongs among the Lightbringers."

Ismark snorts. "Bah, you think people haven't tried to curb the plague before? Two Lightbringers, undead hunters, went to investigate the church a few days ago. We haven’t heard from them since. I told them to talk to Madam Eva first—that woman is wiser than any of us. I am sorry friend, but I've heard this sort of talk before, most who have given me this sort of speech are dead now... or worse, walking the street trying to kill us... If you want to hear gullible optimism, then I suggest you go visit my sister in our mansion, to the south of here. Me, I will ever remain the realist."

When you arrive, the battle seems to be over. You notice that one of the barricades had been breached, and people are busy repairing it, you also notice two other people who stands out, adventurers perhaps. They are busy picking up corpses and throwing them on the other side of the barricades, outside of the perimeter.

Then someone notices you. "The winged demon! He's back!"
And people rush back inside, except the two adventurers who look up at you, drop the corpse they were carrying, and draw weapons. You notice one of them seems to be a crow-headed humanoid, and the other, a human woman who, despite looking like a competent combatant, is looking a rather pale and sickly right now. They do not move to attack, they seem to be waiting for you to make the first move.

As for those inside, while you are talking, suddenly people rush in a panic, screaming "The flying demon is back!".