The party arrives at hill surmounted by the Vistani camp. The adventurers are told to wait at the foothill while Gorecki talks with his kin. After hearing the sounds of someone being whipped, the group makes their way up the hill. Seisha turns into gaseous form before heading up. Upon reaching the summit, they encounter three Vistani. Alexei is tied up and being whipped by Arrigal with Luvash (Arrigal’s brother) standing nearby. Luvash explains that Arrigal is punishing Alexei for losing Arrabel, who is Arrigal’s daughter.
Hadrioul and Honu offer to interrogate Alexei. After some discussions, it is learned that Arabelle was lost about 2 days ago in an area north of the camp. Further investigation of other guards reveals that Arabelle may be heading to Vallaki. After a long discussion, Eiric manages to come to an arrangement with Luvash. If the party can recover Arabelle, Luvash might have something that can help them escape through the mists of Barovia.
The party departs northward with Gorecki, Arrigal, Alexei and a Dusk Elf. Eventually, Gorecki drops them off and they make their way to the southern shores of Lake Zarovich Arrabel’s tracks show that she and another adult got into a boat. The group follows and finds a man sitting in the boat in the middle of the lake. Upon seeing the party, he dumps a sack into the water. Krill jumps into the water to retrieve the sack, which holds Arabelle. The rest of the party helps secure the man, who turns out to be Bluto, the drunken fisherman who claims to know about the Mad Mage.
Full write-up
The Vistani merchant Gorecki brings the party to a misty hill nestled located half a mile away from Vallaki. Gorecki tells the party to wait while he announces their presence to the Vistani encampment at the top of the hill.
A crack of a whip, followed by a tortured cry, can be heard from the hilltop. Fearing the mistreatment of an innocent, Hadrioul marches up the hill with Maulduk. Honu and Eiric trail them. Like a true non-conformist, Seisha does not follow, but goes around the other side of the wagon for some privacy. Not wanting a mist opportunity, Krill peeps around the corner to see if he can catch a glimpse. Seisha casts “gaseous form” on herself and becomes a cloudy haze as Krill manages to see the last bit of the transformation. Seisha and Krill slowly make their way up the hill.
At the hilltop, there is a ring of wagons encircling the Vistani encampment. The Vistani Alexei is tied to a post and being whipped by the Vistani Arrigal. Luvash, Arrigal’s brother, notices the party and explains that Alexei is being punished for the misterious disappearance of Arrigal’s daughter, Arabelle. Hadrioul and Honu offer to interrogate Alexei. Honu casts a “zone of truth”, and gets Alexei to admit that he had lost Arrabel two days ago to the north while partying with some guards. Further interrogation of the others that one of the guards saw Arabelle heading towards Vallaki, but had mistook her for someone else. Honu the economist asks for donations from Arrigal, who declines. After a long negotiation, Eiric manages to persuade Luvash to offer an item that might possibly have a chance of potentially giving them the opportunity to perhaps travel out of Barovia in exchange for finding Arrabel.
Gorecki gives the party and a Dusk Elf a ride on his wagon, while Arrigal and Alexei take horses, northward to Vallaki. As they travel northward, they find Vistani searchers who point them northward. Arabelle’s trail leads past Vallaki to the southern shores of Lake Zarovich. Footprints show that the young girl and another adult pushed a boat into the waters. A brief conversation between the Dusk Elf and Krill suggests that the Dusk Elves may not be allied with Strahd. The group mistappropriate two boats and heads out into the heart of the lake.
After moving several hundred yards into the lake, they come across a solitary boat drifting in the water. Like a wild alarmist, the man throws a sack into the water. Ever the optimist, Krill dives into the water to retrieve the sack. Eiric grows gills and fins, then jumps into the water. Maulduk powers their boat with his impressive muscles. Krill bursts back through the surface with the sack. After hearing a young girl’s unmistakable cough, the party realizes that Arabelle is safe. Seisha leaps across to secure the man in the boat while Eiric swims over to assist. Hadrioul also leaps over to secure the man with a rope. The party is quite mystified to find that the man is Bluto, the drunken fisherman who claims to have knowledge of the Mad Mage.
