Its all in the Cards.

[Day 1]

The night was calm and peaceful.

The morning caw of a raven wakes up the party. To the party's surprise, they wake up in the open air. The tent they fell asleep in is gone.
Sitting up and taking a look around, all of the traveler's tents, wagons, horses, crates, and supplies are gone. Even Madam Eva's tent is no longer there. The ground where the missing wagon and tent were is pristine, flat, and clean. There are no wheel tracks, foot prints, hoof prints, stake holes, or food scrapes. Nothing.

Sitting on top of each of your chests is one of the cards used in the fortune.

Briar you find:
"The Nine of Stars—The Conjurer."

Ashtar you find:
"The Beast."

Alyria you find:
"The Four of Stars—Abjurer."

Couth you find:
"The Nine of Swords—Torturer."
Eye of the Storm you find:

"The Darklord

After collecting the card left for her, Briar considers it carefully. What had the woman said about this card? Something about a sword covered in blood. The whole evening had a heavy ominous weight that still lingered on her shoulders. Tucking the card into a pouch on her belt, she considers her hand again, scowling at the unchanged status. She sits and pulls out her two trinkets from the vendor and places them before her and palms the ground between them with her small, itchy hand.

After just waking, it takes a moment to fully process the scene around her. As a previous soldier, light sleeping was something she had developed with the need to hear if an attack was imminent at times. To see the barren land around her, she's completely jarred by the fact that none of them packing or leaving awoke her, let alone left any signs of their existence. What were the gods playing at? Was this a trick? Illusions maybe?

Finally noticing the card she'd knocked off of herself when she sat up, she stares at it before pocketing it. She can't deny that the events of the previous day happened, especially with the card as proof; let alone deny the pull she feels to the card. She remembers it being related to a holy symbol and that there was a fallen house. Was the house where she'd find the order? Her mind was full of questions that she pushed aside for now. They'd need to get walking and she could contemplate them then.

"I think we should venture into the nearby village, it seems to be a good place to start this journey. Plus, I find myself quite famished." Looking at her companions, she notices Briar examining her hand and begins to wonder if she is able to help her at all.

Couth rises and notes the strange magics that has hit the place. They were gone just like they never existed. Only the party remains.

Couth pockets the card found. Nice gift for the time spent. He readies himself.

Couth agrees, "Village isn't far for getting breakfast."

It is a cool gloomy misty morning. There is a slight breeze that ruffles the trees and sends chill in the air. The sun is absent in the sky, not even a foggy orange glowing orb. The group trudges along the muddy path their boot sometimes getting momentarily stuck.

An old wooden gallows creaks in a chill wind that blows down from the high ground to the west. A frayed length of rope dances from its beam. The well-worn road splits here, and a signpost opposite the gallows points off in three directions: Barovia Village to the east, Tser Pool to the northwest, and Ravenloft/Vallaki to the southwest.The northwest fork slants down and disappears into the trees, while the southwest fork clings to an upward slope. Across from the gallows, a low wall, crumbling in places, partially encloses a small plot of graves shrouded in fog.

Weather here is just a shade away from horrible. He points the way to eastward, "That should take us to the village soon."

Looking in the direction Couth pointed, she responded, "Then let us make haste, I don't particularly enjoy the idea of wandering through this mist. One can only imagine what lies inside it that we can't see."

Catching sight of the fairy's hand again, she gently took her palm in hand and began to examine the mess that was her skin.

Briar's hand appears to just have a nasty rash of some sort. It is localized only to the palm of her hand.You hear a creaking noise behind you, coming from the gallows. Where there was nothing before now hangs...

Fear was an emotion that never consumed Alyria. She'd faced fear on the battleground before, stared it in the face, and still charged ahead. Yet, this scene made her pause. It took a moment to process what she was seeing it was so shocking. Was this a premonition of what was to be her future? Was it an illusion meant to steer her away from the holy path she was walking? Her mind was consumed with inquiries with no answers and resulted in responding to the situation the only way she knew how: her horrid sense of humor. With a half-hearted chuckle, that had no humor in the sound, she murmured, "Well it appears I had a fantastic time dying judging by the bruises, cuts, and the bite on my neck. It seems my bed partner was quite enthusiastic."

Relieved that she was not the only one who couldn’t identify a solution to her irritated palm, Briar gives Alyria a grateful nod.

Upon hearing the stir of sound behind, the fairy glances over her shoulder to see the visage of a strange man in his warped and mangled presentation. The leaves across her shoulders still and crumble as she processes the sudden appearance. "Oh…" she squeaks out in surprise.

Ashtar looked at the grim tableau in front of him with mild curiosity. Judging by Alyria’s statement, the others were likely seeing their own gruesome bodies being hanged. He chuckled at her wry reaction.

Couth started to says something but he turned to see the horror. He turns and falls like a sack of potatoes with a look of horror on his face.

---

Couth's body crumbles to the floor. He is in an unconscious state from the image he saw.

As the party goes assist Couth, the sound of a galloping horse approaching can be heard by everyone.

Ashtar dashed to Couth's side. He'd fallen just like this the previous night, and he felt for his companion, although, the way he enjoyed women's company, perhaps he wouldn't feel so ashamed the way Ashtar did waking up on Alyria's lap, so he waited for her to tend to him.

Just then, the sound of a galloping horse could be heard. Ashtar looked in their direction, taking out his quarterstaff but holding it at his side for now.

Eyes darting from companion to companion as the confusion began to set in across the group, Briar finds herself in a panic. She notes that Couth is being tended to by those with far more skill in healing than herself, and finds her fight or flight response leaning heavily on the latter option. She searches the space around the group, keen on finding a location that might put her in an advantageous position to support her friends when whatever was racing toward them finally arrived.

Eye of the Storm had gone pale, as far as a furred man like him could. He was staring aghast at the image, and was only stirred from it as the others became alerted. Then he heard they saw different things. An illusion? A trap? And then the horse sounded in the distance. Immediately he sprung into action. If this rider was connected to the gallows, he might be powerful and dangerous.
"Get off the road!"

He grabbed one of Couths arms and began dragging him to the trees.