tsr09497 - AD&D - Ra.. - Property Is Theft!

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Chapter Four
The Vistani
Marcella squinted at the tarokka cards that lay in an extended cross on the table, the incense swirling thickly in the air
around her. "They are near," she said. She turned to the mustachioed man at her side. "You must go to Karina and test their
strength and show them the proper path."
"Yes," the man said, leaning the vardo.
Marcella fingered the cards, absorbing their full meaning. "And you, Gabrielle Aderre, wherever you are, may your foul
offspring make you regret your life of evil. But may the price of your punishment not be the world."
This chapter focuses on the heroes interaction with the Vistani, as triggered by an encounter with a different kind of
Carnival amusement, and the return of a foe they thought slain. The events in the chapter take place after the heroes have
spent some time in Karina. However, they may have to return to the city to gather more information in order to find the
clues needed to defeat the Dukkar.
The Zarovan
The mysterious Zarovan have come to Karina in response to the presence (or more precisely, the anti-presence) of the
Dukkar, a creature immune to the divinations and extended influence of the Vistani. The Zarovan cannot allow such an
abomination to roam free, for they fear the Dukkar when fully grown may bring about the destruction of the entire
Demiplane.
The Zarovan are perhaps the most powerful Vistani in Ravenloft, as suggested in Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani. They
are linked with Strahd von Zarovich, and some (such as Van Richten) speculate that the Zarovan are Strand's allies or
perhaps even his jailers.
The Zarovani are led by Vincenzo (the captain); Eva (the raunie); and Marcella (the seer). Game statistics are irrelevant for
these powerful characters. They can have access to any spell, magic item, or secret knowledge that the Dungeon Master
feels appropriate. None of these characters will ever reveal name of their tribe or discuss their true agenda. When dealing
with the Zarovan, the heroes must never experience the comfort of knowing exactly with whom they deal.
Despite her awesome divinatory gifts, Marcella is powerless to locate the Dukkar. She knows the creature now resides near
Karina because it is the region of the Demiplane has become obscured in her divinations. The Zarovan captain, Vincenzo is
now seeking the giorgio at the Carnival whom she has foreseen will defeat the Dukkar.
The House of Mists
The presence of the Dukkar have made the Zarovan paranoid and distrustful of even their own abilities. Before recruiting the
heroes, Vincenzo plans to test them with the House of Mists. The Dungeon Master can stage this episode anywhere in
Karina, although it would work best in the Commons (Area 4) or the Wine Garden (Area 6), the Carnival's focus.