This to do:

1. Deal with Arabelle and the Vistani men. (Reward? Information? Allies?)
2. Work on the children angle
   -Check in with Blinsky (since we’ve found ourselves back in town)
   -Ask him and others about Mad Mary’s daughter and her doll
   -Should also ask about Morgantha who is kidnapping children and selling dream pastries, maybe she’s living in a gingerbread house, all we need to do is follow breadcrumbs
3. Check out the mad wizard of Mt Baratook
4. Check in on Elgian’s windmill as a potential base of operations
5. Check on the wine order from the Wizard of Wines Vinyard
6. Check out the marshes that were mentioned (should we take the two guides from the bar?)
7. Amber Castle

We return to our heroes in the Vistani camp outside of the town of Vallaki. After rescuing Arabelle, the group escorts her home. On approach, the heroes are struck but the odd configuration of the village. The Vistani camp is at the top of a pimple of a hill with several wagons on the top of the hill circling a large tent. Around the base of the hill are several wattle and daub houses. Standing (as if to guard) around the houses are grey skinned elves referred to as dusk elves. They behave in a distant and aloof manner but not hostile. This also strikes the group as odd because they can’t seem to recall seeing any other non-humans in these lands so far.

Arabelle leads the group up to the to the big tent in the center of the circle of wagons. They enter to find two men beating the sass out of a younger man. The corporals stop their beating when the group walks in. Arabelle runs up to one of the two men and the two embrace. It seems clear that the man is genuinely happy and relieved to have his daughter back and he thanks the heroes.

The leader and father of Arabelle is Luvash. His smaller companion is his brother Arrigal. The man being beaten is Alexia and he was the one that failed in his responsibility to watch over Arabelle. There are several other men and women laying about the tent and/or the grounds outside. Based on the number of empty grape mash number 3 casks about the camp, it seems clear that the Vistani have been drinking.

Arrigal sends Alexia to tell the rest of the Vistani to cease their search as the girl has been found. Luvash offers to reward the party and takes us to one of the Vistani wagons which is locked by two padlocks. Luvash and Arrigal both produce keys and unlock one lock each. Luvash then instructs us to pick from his treasures. We take a small black onyx chest with gold inlay. Inside are several treasures. 2 silk embroidered scarves, a gold bracelet, a silver necklace with a moss agate, a crystal vial with some liquid, a brass mug, and a small framed mirror.

The Vistani don’t tell us much more about their camp or their doings in the lands. But they do let us know that they make some money from time to time by selling fake potions that they tell hapless Barovians will let them escape the fog. Of course they don’t work.

We leave and on our way, speak with one of the dusk elves. We learn little but that the dusk elves are in a symbiotic relationship of some sort. They serve the Vistani and the Vistani protect them from Strahd. The leader of the dusk elves is an elf named Kasimir Velikov and he has knowledge of the Amber temple and offers to lead us there when we are ready to go. He also mentioned that his sister is in the Ravenloft crypts. He thinks the secrets to defeating Strahd and freeing Barovia from its curse maybe hidden in the Amber Temple.

We return to town to find Blinsky the toy maker but on the way happen to run across the local church of the morning lord. We go in to pay our respects and quickly learn that this church is sacred both because of its affiliation with the morning lord but also because it has long housed the earthly remains of a Saint Andral. The priest of the church is named Father Lucian Petrovich and he believes that the bones were stolen in the last three nights. Without the bones, he believes the church no longer has power to protect the town or even its grounds. It will be a sanctuary no more. Father Petrovich tells us that nobody but he and his alter boy Yeska knew about the bones. We question the alter boy, Yeska and learn that he told the grounds keeper, Milivoj.

We question Milivoj. He tells us that the Burgomaster is a tyrant and holds festivals every week. He suggests that the Burgomaster may have had a local shoe maker and rabble rouser named Udo Lucavich killed and that he thinks he’s digging Udo’s grave even as he speaks. He tells us that the Bergomaster’s main enforcer is a thug named Isak. He apparently has a bestial arm that can be wreathed in fire. Isak is quick to use violence to solve problems and none who cross him survive long.

When we ask about the bones he at first claims to know nothing of the stolen bones but after sufficient threats he tells us that he passed the information along to Henrik, the local coffin maker and Henrik  paid him to steal the bones. He used to coin to buy food for his brother and three sisters.

We leave the church to find Blinsky’s shop. After a bit of walking we find him and enter. He has many macabre toys on display and most are for sale. Elmer buys a bat mobile and others buy other things. There is a beautiful doll that looks strangely like Ireena. Another marionette that looks too life like and handsome to be just some doll. Blinsky tells the crew that the Ireena doll was custom made for Isak the enforcer. He has Blinsky make a new one every month, each time instructing him to make minor changes to the last doll to make it look more and more like the model that Isak has in his head. It seems clear that the final doll will be a replica of Ireena.

The party discusses the possibility that Ireena is the “rose plucked too soon” from the prophecy but doesn’t come to a conclusion about that. But they also realize that they have never asked her about her parentage.

Blinsky says that the life like marionette is for sale but the price is too high for the group to budget. He tells them that the marionette is from a portrait but he can’t recall where he saw it.

The party leaves the toy store and as they exit the building, they see Isak
coming down the street, coming straight for them.