Contents

• Introduction, p. 3
• Origins, p. 3
• Fa-szerü vek, p.3
• Description, p. 3
  • Appearance and Customs, p. 3
    • Sétafa, p. 3
  • Lifestyle and Society, p. 3
    • Vista-Chiri, p. 4
    • Secrecy, p. 4
  • Calaldo, p. 4
    • Vistani Ages, p. 4
    • Vistani Philosophy of Justice, p. 5
    • Economics, p. 5
  • The Agni Naca, p. 5
  • The Prikazna, p. 5
  • Juskarn Dis, the 'Static Burn', p. 5
    • Tracking, p. 5
• Language, p. 5
• Strigan, p. 6
  • Dukkar, p. 6
• Curses, p. 6
  • Curses (Mechanics), p. 7
    • Some Example Curses, p. 7
  • The Evil Eye, p. 7
  • Allisandro's Binding Curse, p. 7
  • Amulet of the Closed Eye, p. 8
• Otbasil, p. 8
  • Marriage, p. 8
  • Vrana, p. 8
  • Arkadas, p. 9
  • Boravak, p. 9
  • The Agmaui, p. 9
    • The Secret History of the Agmaui's Hatred of the Vistani, p. 9
• The Vistani and Strahd, p. 10
  • Vistani Lore about Barovia, p. 10
    • Strahd von Zarovich, p. 10
    • The Land of Barovia, p. 10
    • Some Beliefs and Superstitions, p. 10
• Quick Patterna Glossary, p. 11
• Appendix 1: Some Vistani Stories, p. 12
  • The Tale of the Captain and the Vistana, p. 12
  • The Splintering, p. 12
  • The Tale of the Would-Be Witch, p. 13
  • The Tale of Old Mother Martyn, p. 13
  • The Tale of the Clever Killer, p. 14
  • The Tale of the Dark Knight, p. 15
  • The Heartbroken Vistana, p. 16
  • A Prikazna Song, p. 16
• Appendix 2: Vistani Statblocks, p. 18
  • Vrana Vistani Commoner, p. 18
  • Arkadas Vistani Commoner, p. 18
  • Boravak Vistani Commoner, p. 19
  • Agmaui Commoner, p. 19
  • Darkling,p. 20
  • Vrana Strigan, p. 21
  • Arrigal, p. 22
  • Palerya, p. 23
  • Alexei, p. 24
  • Kolya, p. 24
  • Planned but Unwritten Statblocks, p.25
• Appendices 3-7 Incomplete and Excluded from this Document as of July 22, 2018.

Introduction

The Vistani are a strange people. By nature nomadic, Vistani (singular: Vistana) have no long-term settlements, no cities whatsoever, and harbor an intense distrust of nearly everyone they meet. This distrust is generally reciprocated, for the Vistani cultivate an air of mystery about themselves and speak their own private language, making it easy to form misconceptions about them and hard to know them for real.

To the majority of people they encounter, people who have never and likely will never leave the immediate vicinity of the place of their birth, the Vistani are exciting, exotic, scary, and just the right amount of dangerous to make visiting them genuinely thrilling. They can bring tales of weird, faraway lands, news of neighboring kingdoms, secrets both large and small, and they always bring trade.

It is often said that they engage in acts of dubious legality, including petty theft, rigged games of chance, prostitution, smuggling, and so on. There are more than a few people who say that the Vistani are just a gang of organized thugs and murderers-for-hire. Those who have found themselves on the wrong side of a Vistani curse would tend to agree. These people are, to be plain, bigots.

Everyone knows that the Vistani carry marvels with them wherever they go, and so even people who hate them and view them as criminals, blaming every killing, missing child, and robbery within three days journey on a passing Vistani caravan, will sometimes go to see if they can buy or barter a trinket from a Vistana that could change their lives or talk their way into having their fortunes told. Sometimes it even happens.

Origins

The Vistani have no homeland, even in legend. All their origin stories, and there are many, have them being created already in motion. Many of these stories feature a hero named Vistan who lived on a shooting star. Or was a shooting star. Or was hit by a shooting star. Many of these stories don’t have Vistan in them at all.

Considering that this is a people who value creativity and motion above stability and preservation, it is perhaps not surprising that if you ask ten Vistani where the Vistani came from, you’re likely to get at least twelve stories, all of which are asserted to be absolutely true.

Fa-szerü vek

The Vistani keep themselves isolated from those they call fa-szerü (plural: fa-szerü vek), a word that when applied to a plant means it has taken to the land, has become ‘rooted’, and that when applied to a person is a disparaging way of saying one is tied down to one place. In essence, they are people-who-act-like-plants. Vistani tend to think that a fa-szerü has little to offer a Vistana other than money, and to relieve that fa-szerü vek of their money is both a duty and a pleasure.

Fa-szerü vek are, to the Vistani, ignorant. They see little of the world and value things and property over experiences and family. That the fa-szerü vek tend to look upon the Vistani with suspicion and prejudice, even hatred, is a result of their unworldly, narrow minds.

Nevertheless, they depend on fa-szerü vek for their livelihoods and so they try to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the powers that control the lands they would like to move through.

Description

Vista-Chiri

Wherever the Vistani go, they tend to attract the attention of small songbirds (sparrows, canaries, etc.) who will circle above their telega and roost near their camps. Whatever species of bird these might be, when flocking nearby, the Vistani call them vist-chiri. If a Vistani camp is nearby and they are in an environment that can support small bird life, a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Survival) check will reveal their location. The neta and stigan of a caravan are able to use speak with animals to employ these birds as lookouts. Consequently, it is highly unlikely that anyone would be able to approach the Vistani without one or both the neta and strigan knowing about it beforehand.

Secrecy

It is usually quite difficult for fa-szerü vek to discover who the neta and strigan in any given Vistani camp are. The Vistani will freely lie to strangers about their identities are as a defensive move and will be quite unwilling to risk exposing their leaders unless they have good reason to do so. Sometimes a Vistana will even allow themselves to be captured and executed by unfriendly fa-szerü vek who believe them to be strigan or neta rather than give up the truth.

Calaldo

Vistani children are not allowed to own blades, and so a Vistana's transition from childhood to adulthood is marked by the calaldo, an ornamental knife crafted by the neta of the child's caravan. When a Vistana reaches 142 moons old, they are marked with a ritual scar unique to their caravan (usually but not always placed on the palm of the left hand) and given their calaldo.

A Vistana will never willingly give up their calaldo, for to do so is symbolically to become as a child again. In the event that a Vistana's calaldo is stolen or lost, that Vistana will typically do any and everything possible to regain it, including engage in acts of extreme danger. Some Vistani have even been made into unwilling minions of fa-szerü vek who have come into possession of their calaldo.

Alost calaldo cannot be replaced, but a Vistana can petition their elders for a new one. Invariably, a Vistana who seeks a new calaldo will be expected to perform an act of exceptional bravery to earn their new blade.

Because one aspect of Vistani adulthood is a responsibility to uphold their law, Calaldo is also the general Vistani term for 'justice'.

There are, effectively, two Vistani laws: the family matters more than the individual; and on can do whatever you want with the fa-szerü vek that will not bring harm or danger to the family. In the event that a Vistana believes they have been treated unjustly by another, they will draw their calaldo, press its point to their palm, and then show the small wound to all around. They then press this wound to the chest of the one who has wronged them. This is a ritual demand for justice. It is a very serious mattter.

The petitioner for justice, neta, and strigan sit on the north and south and west sides of a firepit, respectively, while the person the Vistana has invoked Calaldo against sits on the east side. Attempting to flee or avoid the Calaldo is grounds for immediate exile from the caravan, if the offender is a Vistana, or death, if the offender is a fa-szerü.

The petitioner for justice makes their case for how they have been wronged. Then the other makes their rebuttal. The neta and strigan confer with each other in private and then return to the firepit to deliver their decision, which is always obeyed to the letter. There are no appeals.

Typically, verdicts in the Calaldo will be in the form of payments of service: an offending party will be required to do something or perform some series of tasks for the benefit of the offended one, at the conclusion of which, the matter is to be considered settled. It is a very shameful thing to neglect one's Calaldo duties.

Vistani Philosophy of Justice

Vistani justice is not retributive, and neither is it distributive. Since the primary social unit is the family, not the individual, the goal in Calaldo is not to punish a wrongdoer or to correct an unfairness, but rather to prevent strife and violence, to make sure that disagreements are squashed quickly so that they never threaten the group. With that in mind, the aim is rather on establishing restitution. In this, it is very similar to the old Icelandic system as depicted in the Family Sagas.

Economics

Whatever money a caravan collects tends to be shared equally and get spent right away. Vistani travel too much and cross too many borders to make collecting coin worthwhile. A Vistana who acts miserly is rare indeed and will soon find themselves in a long, uncomfortable conversation with the neta or strigan about their priorities.

The Agni Naca

Visitors and guests of the Vistani are often struck by the agni naca, which is a ritual done around a campfire performed by the natarki, the caravan’s best story-dancer. The agni naca is the story of the family told through movement. When times are good, the natarki will swirl and move with grace and energy, arousing within all the spectators a thrill and joy in the world. When fortunes have been poor, the dance will prove sluggish and morose, enervating those who see it into a melancholy reverie. The natarki’s dance is accompanied by skillful music, improvised to follow the natarki’s movements. Natarki are often, but not always, strigan, and an especially gifted dancer can be reason enough for two families to join together.

The Prikazna

After the agni naca has concluded, the dancer and musicians retreat and the Vistani of the caravan engage in the prikazna, a story competition. The stories told are legends, myths, narratives of the caravan’s own history, tales heard from travelers, and more, all elaborated and expanded upon. The prikazna is a time of laughter and suspense and romance, told with great exaggerations and exceptional wit and skill. The prikazna may last for an hour and it may last until dawn -- it ends when no Vistana has a story left to relate. The last storyteller then receives the blessing of the strigan in the form of a kiss on both cheeks and the Vistani all retire for the night. That Vistana is graced with great luck for the duration of the next day.

Juskarn Dis, the 'Static Burn'

The Vistani are not merely nomadic by inclination or culture. They are compelled to roam the world. A Vistana who remains within a mile of a given spot for more than a week begins to suffer from a mysterious illness that they call juskarn dis, or ‘static burn’. Static Burn appears to a fa-szerü as a flu-like sickness, and while it never reaches a life-threatening stage, its symptoms do not lift until the Vistana afflicted with it leaves the area. More serious, though, is that a Vistana under the effects of juskarn dis must make a Constitution saving throw every day (DC 8 + the number of days the Vistana has been in the area) or lose all their arcane powers. Such a Vistana cannot make curses, use the evil eye, cast any spells at all, or, if a strigan, see the future. Forever. They are called mortu, ‘living dead’, and there is no place in Vistani society for them. They tend to lose themselves in nature, becoming wild, solitary creatures.

Language

The Vistani speak a creole called Patterna, which is a hodge-podge of languages mashed together. Any given sentence might include words borrowed from Elven, Dwarven, Goblin, and Infernal while melding grammatical structures from Draconic and Common, for instance. Patterna is written phonetically in whatever alphabet a particular Vistana finds convenient.

Strigan

All Vistani have some magical power. Many cultivate this power. Some are blessed, or cursed, with an ability called ož-kariin, known among the fa-szerü vek as The Sight. Such a person is a strigan, and they have an ability to foresee the future.

Every strigan is different in how she attempts to read someone’s fortune. Some use crystal balls. Others throw bones or dice called dikesha. Still others use astrology. Some even use the entrails of birds. Perhaps the most common is the use of cards, particularly a deck similar to Tarot called tarokka. The means a strigan uses to see the future is only a focus, though. The real power lies in the strigan herself, and the accuracy of the reading is determined by both her skill and her inclination to tell the truth.

This ability comes with severe limitations, though. A strigan can only see the future of a person who has paid her, and the payment cannot be money. Someone seeking to know their future must give up something they value in order to have the magic work, though sometimes a strigan will accept a service, such as retrieving something stolen from her or slaying an enemy of her caravan, in exchange for a reading. Also, the future is unclear and cryptic.

A strigan’s prophecy will come in the form of riddles, strange symbols, and mystery, and may only be entirely clear after the event it foretells has come to pass. Finally, a strigan cannot see her own future or the future of any other Vistana from her caravan. This last limitation is very uncomfortable to the Vistani, and they do not discuss it with others. Few fa-szerü vek know that the Vistani are unable to know their own destiny.

Curses

Vistani curses are spoken of wherever the Vistani are known. They are imaginative, surprisingly powerful, and often quite humiliating. There is considerable speculation about why Vistani curses are so much more debilitating than other curses tend to be, but no real consensus. Roger Bacon claims that the Vistani gain arcane power through their patterna, which, in its complex creolization of many other languages, mirrors the Weave itself, but the fast-changing nature of this language makes this explanation somewhat implausible. Evard, who lived with the Vistani for a period and is in general more sympathetic to them than the cold-hearted Roger Bacon, says that the curses laid down by the Vistani are no more powerful than any other, but rather seem more powerful because of their cleverness and ingenuity. Victims of said curses have found Evard’s claim to be unsatisfying.

Their curses are seen as repayments for injustices or slights, as ways of making the scales level and fair again, and they are seen as last resorts, actions to be taken when nothing else will return things to balance. In this, they are considered a kind of Calaldo, doled out on an ad hoc basis. Because they supposed to right wrongs and teach lessons to the fa-szerü vek, their curses always include ‘escape clauses’, ways for cursed people to free themselves from their sad fates.

Generally speaking, escape clauses have two forms: avoidance and redemption. Some curses can be put off indefinitely by refusing to engage in a particular course of action. For instance, if someone is cursed always to have monstrous children, a life of chastity would mean escaping from the curse’s negative effects. By their nature, any curse that has a triggered effect has an avoidance clause. Other curses include actions that must be performed for the curse to end. If someone who has killed a Vistana is cursed with permanent hunger until she saves the life of seven Vistani, then after those seven Vistani lives are saved, the curse ends.

The Vistani know that their curses are a large part of why they are feared and hated in so many places, and do not curse people without what they consider to be very good reason.

Vistani curses do not end when the target dies. If a person who has been curses is brought back to life by any means other than a wish spell, the curse remains in effect. The Vistana who cursed the target can remove it at any time so long as they are within 30 feet of the target and can see them, as can any direct blood descendant of that Vistana. A Vistana cannot discharge a curse laid down by another Vistana (unless it was made by a direct ancestor), but if they judge a curse to be unjust or overly harsh, they can modify it by adding an additional escape clause.

A Vistana will never curse another Vistana.

Curses (Mechanics)

It takes an action for a Vistana to utter a curse, and the curse’s target must be within 30 feet and visible to them at the time. A Vistana can only utter one curse per long rest. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + the Vistana’s proficiency bonus + the Vistana’s Charisma modifier) to avoid the curse, which can only be removed by a remove curse or greater restoration spell or similar such magic. Within Barovia, the DC to avoid a Vistana’s curse is slightly higher (10 + the Vistana’s proficiency bonus + the Vistana’s Charisma modifier). If the Vistana making the curse possesses a personal item belonging to the target, the DC has a +1 bonus. This bonus is +2 if the item was a physical part of the target (i.e., a vial of blood, a tooth, a toe, etc.).

One interesting aspect of Vistani curses is that when they are broken, the Vistana who made the curse suffers a psychic backlash. The amount of damage taken depends on the severity of the curse. The example curses below include the backlash damage. If the Vistana withdraws their curse voluntarily, they take half damage from the psychic backlash.

The Evil Eye

This a form of curse unique to the Vistani. While any Vistana can invoke the evil eye against an enemy within 10 feet that the Vistana can see, it is a stressful and taxing attack to make. Unlike other Vistani curses, the evil eye is not seen as part of Calaldo but rather as an instrument of personal vengeance, and so a Vistana who uses the evil eye often runs the risk of being shunned by their family and caravan. Such a person is someone who cannot control themselves, someone who is reckless and dangerous.

The Vistana attempting to use the evil eye must summon genuine hatred for their target, palpable anger and loathing at the person they are cursing, which makes the evil eye a curse that is never performed in calculation but always in the heat of passion. One does not decide to use the evil eye; one is overcome by one’s need to do so.

Those who are affected by the evil eye describe it as being filled with, overcome with, the horror of realizing that their very existence is disgusting and despicable to the Vistana looking at them while simultaneously being utterly dominated by the power of that Vistana’s will and gaze.

The evil eye duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (Vistana’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. The saving throw for the evil eye is the same as for the other Vistani curses above. In the event that the evil eye fails, the Vistana is blinded until the end of their next turn. Unlike the curses above, there is no psychic backlash associated with the evil eye for the Vistani.

A Vistana can use the evil eye once per short or long rest, and if a target succeeds on its saving throw, it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours.

Allisandro's Binding Curse

9th level necromancy

• Casting Time: 3 hours
• Range: Special
• Components: V, S, M
• Duration: Permanent

One final curse needs to be mentioned here: Allisandro’s binding curse. This is an extraordinarily powerful spell that that only a strigan can cast -- or at least, that is what the Vistani who even acknowledge the existence of the spell claim.

Though it is of questionable accuracy, and he does not elaborate on how he learned of the spell or whether he even had first-hand knowledge of it, Roger Bacon's description of it in included here:

Roger Bacon’s brief description of the spell is one of the few known, and, while certainly of anecdotal value, should not be taken as the final word, especially as it directly contradicts the multiple attestations that only strigan can cast this spell. Is this an indication that Bacon was led astray? That the spell is disturbingly available to all who can learn it? That it is in fact a hoax spell, a fabrication told to Bacon for some Vistana's inscrutable reasons? Unclear.

Spells that can be turned into curses with this spell include Blindness/Deafness, Calm emotions, Confusion, Contagion, Levitate, Otto’s irresistible dance, Seeming, Suggestion, Tasha’s hideous laughter, and Zone of truth. The wizard must actually cast the associated spell during the casting of Allisandro's binding curse. None of these spells can actually harm the victim because they are a part of him or her. For example, Otto's irresistible dance does not produce fatigue, nor does it prevent the character from sleeping (although the victim will certainly present an odd sight dancing in his or her sleep). Regardless of what the original spell description says, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (and only that one saving throw). If the target succeeds, then they are still cursed, but the duration of the curse is 1d4 days.

After the spell has been cast, the caster permanently loses 1 point of Constitution. The target must be on the same plane as the caster for the spell to succeed.

Arkadas

Where the vrana emphasize their crafts and trade, the arkadas value ostentation, show, pageant, and excess. A love and flair for entertainment pervades the arkadas way of life -- their telega are painted brighter colors, their singers are louder, their fools are funnier, their acrobats are more daring than other Vistani. Even fa-szerü vek who hate the Vistani can find themselves seduced by the atmosphere of carnival and passion that surrounds a group of arkadas telega passing through their lands.

Bacon described the arkadas caravans as ‘traveling circuses’, and while he certainly did not mean it as a compliment, the comparison is not inaccurate. Indeed, arkadas Vistani have been known to travel with exotic trained animals and sétafa aberrations of nature.

The arkadas may not offer a craft to their fa-szerü patrons, but they do offer services. Wherever they go, people seem to like them, almost against their will, and their affable, ingratiating ways are subtly and stunningly successful at getting them into many corners of the world and into the homes and courts of many different people.

They are, thus, quite outstanding merchants of secrets, of knowledge, of the forgotten, and of the lost. They are also quite outstanding criminals. Many towns have found after a troupe of arkadas leave that a series of thefts have occured, that a powerful leader has been assassinated, or that the home of a wealthy family has been burned to the ground. Arkadas criminals work primarily for themselves but are by no means above being hired for a nefarious little job of murder or burglary or arson. After all, no one’s getting hurt but the fa-szerü vek, right?

The arkadas see time not as a space, like the vrana, but rather as a pattern that has already been determined. They tend to believe that all events that occur are necessary, not necessarily because they are predetermined or fated to be, but because, like threads caught on a nail, they are being drawn towards inexorable moments that overpower the possibility of choice. Consequently, their prophesies are both the clearest of the three otbasil and the least helpful.

Boravak

The boravak Vistani are the least approachable of the three otbasil, being largely uninterested in fa-szerü vek unless they have need of a particular service that they cannot provide for themselves. Boravak Vistani rarely are simply found or seen. It is more that they allow themselves to be found or seen at times that are convenient to them. Seek them out if you will, but if they have no interest in you, you will almost certainly never find them.

Boravak caravans are small, sometimes as few as only two or three telega. If the arkadas are the Vistani whom the fa-szerü most hate, the boravak are those whom the fa-szerü most fear. Seen only rarely, they are said to follow evil signs, or perhaps to drag ill omens and calamity behind them in their wake.

The very few sétafa who have spent time with the boravak report that their agni naca are somber, sepulchral, and eerie, and that their prikazna tend to favor tales of ancient horrors, long-dead kingdoms, and prophetic dreams of apocalyptic end times. They are rumored to have traveled far, farther than the arkadas or vrana ever dared, and to have been changed by what they’ve seen. Some say that the boravak are not even alive, that they are the ghosts of dead Vistani who have been cursed to continue wandering the worlds as spirits as they did as living beings. This is, of course, ridiculous. They are no more undead than you or I.

While the vrana Vistani treat time as a physical space and all moments as exactly coterminous, the boravak seem to believe that time is an illusion, that there are no moments to be happening all at once, that what we fa-szerü vek perceive as change is illusion of the highest order. Roger Bacon tells an anecdote of falling in a river in a deserted wilderness while looking for a boravak caravan, only to see, out of nowhere, a hand reach into the water, to feel it drag him to the surface, and to find himself facing a whole group of Vistani, one of whom, his savior, remarked without affect that Bacon was ‘right on time.’ The strigan of the boravak are renowned both for their exceptional abilities with the Sight and for their exceptionally cryptic prophecies. It is perhaps of interest to the well-informed explorer to note that the Vistani who are most associated with Countess Strahd von Zarovich are boravak.

The Agmaui

The Vistani rarely discuss and often do not even acknowledge the existence of the agmaui, and for their part, the agmaui categorically refuse to discuss their animosity toward the Vistani.

Though they closely resemble the Vistani in appearance and custom, and are often taken to be Vistani by outsiders, the tieflings known as agmaui hate the Vistani with a passion that no Vistani understands. It is believed by many that the agmaui were once a Vistani otbasil who had a great wrong done to them by the other otbasi, a wrong that they have never forgotten or forgiven, but what that injustice may have been is wholly unknown.

Their single-minded devotion to the harrassment and suffering of their enemies over the centuries has proven fatal for many Vistani caravans and they are not above brazenly committing dastardly crimes knowing that, as the fa-szerü vek usually mistake them for Vistani even in the unlikely event that they have heard of the existence of the agmaui, their acts will serve as further justification for anti-Vistani prejudice and bigotry.

The Vistani and Strahd

The Vistani who come to Barovia do so at the pleasure of Countess Strahd. Why (and how) they are able to come and go is a subject of much speculation among the population of the realm, who envy the Vistani their freedom in equal measure to how they fear the Vistani for their close relationship to their dread ruler.

Some say that centuries ago, a vistana saved the life of a von Zarovich at great personal risk, and that this ancestor of the Countess swore that the von Zaroviches would always be at the service of the Vistani. Others say that the von Zaroviches themselves are remnants of a former Vistani otbasi who broke with tradition and settled in Barovia and that they must to this day pay tribute to the other otbasil. The fact that the Vistani are all tieflings and the Countess is not means little to those who believe this, as few have seen the Countess in person and it is common knowledge that the Vistani are not all that they seem. In dark corners, it is even whispered that the Vistani are an enslaved people who are bound by some dark pact to serve the von Zarovich family for all time.

Of note, perhaps, is the odd fact that the Vistani have never referred to the various Countesses Strahd as fa-szerü, but rather as Havistana, or the-one-who-cannot-move. This is a word that is usually only used to describe Vistani who have been taken prisoner or arrested by fa-szerü vek, though it also is used to describe a Vistana who is forced to behave in a non-Vistani manner, whether by command or by enchantment. (A Vistana under the influence of a geas spell or in thrall to someone who has stolen their calaldo, for instance, is an havistana.)

The Countess has cultivated a special relationship with a group of boravak Vistani whose strigan is named Madame Eva. Several of the Vistani in her caravan have been corrupted by the Countess to the extent that they no longer follow all their old traditions and instead view Strahd as their Queen. This troubles Madame Eva greatly, though she has also, to a certain extent, fallen under the Countess’ spell herself. Other Vistani who happen to be in Barovia view these boravak as deeply disturbing. These Vistani tend to be known as Zarovans.

Appendix 1: Some Vistani Stories

The Tale of the Would-Be Witch

There once was an old man who was wicked beyond bearing. His unpleasantness had driven all from his company and he lived alone, shunned and disliked by his town. In fact, this man was so offensive that he would have been driven from the land long ago were it not for the fact that it would have involved being in his presence.

One day, a caravan of Vistani happened to set up camp outside the town. For three days, the Vistani entertained the people with acts of jugglery, acrobatics, card magic, and exotic music and dances. The old man saw none of this, for such things brought him no joy. However, late on the third night, by the light of a strangely bright full moon, he left his house and made his way to the Vistani camp.

When he got there, all was quiet. A low fire burned in the middle of the camp, surrounded by silent, dark wagons filled with sleeping people. He looked around, pacing through the area, and then, disappointed, turned to leave. But when he looked at the fire again, he saw a tall man sitting beside it on the ground. Startled -- he could swear the man had not been there a moment earlier -- he approached the Vistana.

'I have been looking for you,' he began.

'I know,' was the reply.

'I want your help. I can pay.'

'Of that I have no doubt,' said the Vistana. 'What is it you want of us?'

'Sir Vistana, I hate all the world,' the wicked old man said. 'I hate it and would send all around me straight to the Abyss if I could. I am an old man, and I have lived through many things, have seen many things, and I know of the powers Vistani are said to possess. These people... I have spat at them, I have shaken my fist at them, I have cursed them most vehemently, but still they live their lives unblemished, unmolested, in peace. I have heard that a Vistana such as yourself can do as he pleases, can torment those whom he hates at will. That your curses carry power with them that my own mere words cannot. So, Sir Vistana, I ask that you teach me to curse. I ask that you teach me power. I ask that you make me a witch. I will give you all I possess, undertake whatever task you ask of me. Just grant me what I ask.'

The Vistana thought for a long moment and then told the old man to come back the next night dressed in his finest clothes. The man did as he was told, and on the next night the Vistana met him again in the darkness.

'Here,' he said, holding out a small bottle. 'This special ointment will allow you to lay down one curse for every time you apply it to your skin.'

'Thank you, Sir Vistana! What payment can I offer you?'

'I am not finished!' exclaimed the Vistana. 'You must apply it now. Take off your clothes and rub the ointment all over your body.'

It was a cold night, and the man was reluctant to do this, but he was so driven by his desire to be able to curse that he obeyed the Vistana and stripped naked before him, carefully folding his clothes and handing them to him for safe-keeping while he applied the salve. He opened the bottle and gagged.

'This is a horrible thing!' he told the Vistana. 'The stink that comes from this bottle is nearly overpowering!'

'Such is the price of power, old man. Now rub it into your skin and do not spare a single spot.'

The liquid was thick and dark, and it stank terribly, but the old man complied and began to anoint himself.

'This is a dreadful thing!' he told the Vistana. 'For the salve in this bottle tingles and burns my skin wherever I put it.'

'Such is the price of power, old man. Now rub it into your skin and do not spare a single spot.'

By the time the old man had rubbed the ointment over every spot of his naked body, including those places that are best left unmentioned, he was in such torment from the smell and the burning that he could hardly be still. He turned to the Vistana to scold him for having given him such a loathsome oil, but the Vistana was nowhere to be seen. And neither were his clothes.

'Damn you, cursed Vistana! This is some terrible trick!'

From above him came a voice. 'Damn me? Aha!' The old man looked up and saw the Vistana high in a tree, still holding his clothes. 'See, your power has already worked. For I do indeed seem to be cursed -- cursed by your very awfulness! Now begone before I offer you another... service.'

And so, naked, burning everywhere, and reeking of a dung heap, the old man made his way home. By the time he entered the town, the sun had risen and his neighbors were out in the streets doing their daily business. Everyone he passed laughed at the foolish would-be witch, and when he tried to wash the ointment off, he found to his horror that he could not do it. For the rest of his days, the wicked man was known to all as the most horrible person in town, not just in behavior and sentiment but also in smell.

As for the Vistana who had sold him the ointment, he was never seen again near the town, but travelers sometimes told of a Vistani caravan led by a strangely clad man dressed in clothes of exceptional quality, a man known to all as a speaker of great riddles...

The Tale of Old Mother Martyn

There once was a strigan who lost her way and could not find her caravan. Whether this was because it had left without her or because she had abandoned it or because the fa-szerü vek had destroyed them, we will never know. But this strigan wandered, alone, through the fields and through the forests. Some say she was searching for a new home, but some others claim that she was fleeing a terrible enemy. Her name was Mother Martyn.

One day, Mother Martyn found herself on the outskirts of a small village. Tired and hungry, she set up camp and went in search of supplies to restock her teleg. But everywhere she went, she found the shop doors were closed to her, and everyone she spoke to regarded her with disdain and contempt. With nothing in her pockets other than that which he started out holding, she returned to her teleg.

At the town gate, a watchman stopped her. 'Your kind is not welcome here, witch,' he said. Mother Martyn smiled at him and replied that before long, the man would come to her and beg her to stay. The man laughed and kicked her past the gate towards her teleg. Mother Martyn hobbled back.

The Tale of the Clever Killer

There once was a great tyrant who ruled over his lands with brutal efficiency. He had a passion for logic and believed that all evil was the result of mistaken reasoning. Therefore, he decreed that anyone convicted of a crime would be sentenced to death unless they could state three incontrovertible facts.

It happened to be the case that a Vistani caravan passed through his kingdom and that a a knight from the tyrant's personal guard took it upon himself to attempt to rob them. In the morning, the knight was found dead in the forest and the tyrant's guards seized the neta of the caravan. They brought him before the throne.

The tyrant spoke to him: 'You are responsible for the death of my knight for it was either you or those under your command have killed him. You know the law. Speak three incontrovertible truths or your life is forfeit.'

The neta thought for a moment and then replied, 'Well, then, I will fulfill the law. Friends, my first truth is this: I am a killer.'

The tyrant replied, 'if this were false, then you would be here falsely convicted and thus it would be unjust of the law to execute you. But the law cannot be unjust, and so you must be speaking the truth.'

'My second truth,' said the neta, 'is that I am displeased to be here.'

'A guilty man would be displeased to be brought before the law because he knows he has been caught, and an innocent man would be displeased to be brought before the law because he knows that the guilty man has escaped justice. Therefore, this must be true.'

'My third truth,' said the neta, 'is that I will never return to this room.'

'If you are executed, you will never return to this room because you will be dead. But if you are not executed, then it may be and it may not be that you will never return to this room. Therefore, if I order you executed, I am making your statement true and you will have spoken three truths. And so, if I order your execution, I will be breaking my own law by killing a man who has spoken three truths.' Angry at having been outwitted, he turned to his guards. 'Release the Vistana.'

The neta returned to his caravan, and that night, the tyrant sent his guards to kill the Vistani. However, the Vistani caught wind of their approach and were able to ambush them, slaying them all. The next morning, the tyrant awoke to find himself surrounded by armed Vistani. The neta approached him.

'You have sent your guards to kill us. Therefore, you are are responsible for our attempted murder. According to your own law, your life is forfeit unless you speak three incontrovertible truths.'

The tyrant, thinking quickly, spoke.

'My first truth is that I am a killer. My second truth is that I am displeased to be here. My third truth is that I will never return to this room.'

The Tale of the Dark Knight

There once was a mighty warrior whose jealous passions and neglect of duty led her to lose all that was dear to her -- her love, her life, her very spirit. Her tale is a descent into darkness and evil.

Her name was Lady Soth, and this is her story. Long, long ago, Lady Soth was mortal. Nearly four centuries past, she fought on the side of good in the distant land of Solamnia. In those days, Lady Soth was a Knight of Solamnia. Through deeds of great daring and chivalry, she earned each of that order's honors -- crown, sword, and rose. She built the mighty Dargaard Keep of rose-red stone, and married the beautiful Lord Gladrin of Kalaman. Proud she was of her husband, though it was duty alone made her wed him. Proud she was of her fortress strong. Pride. As we Vistani say, 'The greater the pride, the farther the fall.' And what caused this proud warrior to fall?

Desire for a man who was forbidden to her. Possessing him would make a mockery of her wedding vows. Possessing her would contradict his own promises to his people. But then, as we Vistani say, "The sweetest fruits lie behind the stoutest fences."

Bron Ystraniel was his name. He was an arkadas Vistana travelling with his caravan to the mighty city of Palanthas. The Vistani were beset by bandits and taken prisoner. There were dozens of the rogues, perhaps even hundreds. Somehow, they had known just where and when to strike. Lady Soth met their leader, a fearsome ogre, in single combat. She fought the brute in accordance with the rules of fair combat, besting him even though the ogre resorted to trickery and unfair tactics. The bandits fled and Ystraniel fell into Lady Soth's arms. An innocent spark of love was kindled.

All too soon it became the name of lust. The Vistana risked everything by remaining with Lady Soth -- the opprobrium of his caravan, the scorn of his neta and strigan, even becoming a mortu or tlarani. But he was willing to forego his Vistana identity to be with her, so strong was the connection that the two felt for one another. Lady Soth, for her part, was bound to her husband by sacred marriage oath. Her vows were binding ~- until death parted them. There was only one way to break those vows. And so Lady Soth committed the ultimate sin. She ordered her seneschal, a vain and evil man named Caradoc, to murder Lord Gladrin. What should have been a bed of love was turned into a death bed. Blood on his bedclothes showed that murder had been done, though his body was never found.

With unseemly haste -- and without a tear of mourning for his dead husband -- Lady Soth took Ystraniel to live with her in Dargaard Keep. Her bloody secret seemed safe, but the Vistani who accompanied Ystraniel to his new home had sharp ears and keen eyes. Somehow, they learned of Lady Soth's crime. Somehow, their gossip reached the ears of the High Knights.

Called before a council of his peers, Lady Soth was found guilty of murder, adultery, and dishonoring the vows of her order. She was dragged through the streets of Palanthas in shame and sentenced to death. The execution would take place the very next day: according to tradition, Soth would die by her own sword.

But that night, thirteen knights who had remained loyal to Lady Soth rescued her from her prison. By dark of night they stole away to Dargaard Keep. The Knights of Solamnia besieged the keep, demanding that Soth emerge to meet her fate. They lifted the siege just long enough for Lady Soth to wed Ystraniel in a joyless, sparsely attended ceremony. To his great disappointment, his Vistani family did not attend the wedding, a clear sign that he was soon to be exiled from the caravan.

The siege was a long and harsh one, but Dargaard Keep held. Just as things were at their darkest, the strigan of Ystraniel's caravan came to Lady Soth. She told her that her sins would all be forgiven if she undertook one last, heroic task. Success would mean Soth's death, but also bring about her salvation.

The strigan told Lady Soth to journey to the city of Istar, where the King-priest of that city was about to demand of the gods the power to eradicate all evil from Krynn. Unless the priest could be stopped, the gods would retaliate by utterly destroying the city. Only Soth could prevent this cataclysm. Lord Soth set out for Istar. But she never reached the city, for the fiery hand of jealousy gripped her heart.

His seneschal whispered in her ear that Ystraniel had been unfaithful to her, that he planned on leaving with his caravan as soon as Soth reached Istar. Infuriated, Lady Seth rode home to confront her husband. At the same moment that she raised her mailed fist to him, the King-priest of Istar raised his voice to the heavens. The furious gods hurled a mountain at the City -- and hurled holy fire at Dargaard Keep, killing all within it, including the Lady's Vistani guests.

Even as he was consumed by the flames, Ystraniel begged his wife to save the life of Peradur, their newborn son. But Lady Soth turned away. She lost her husband, her son, her life, and her spirit that day. But something evil lived on inside her empty chest. And so Lady Soth was reborn as a death knight. A creature of darkness, a heartless servant of evil. A mockery of a woman, with an icy voice and chilling touch. A fiend capable of killing with a mere word, of causing wracking pain with a mere glance. A creature capable of turning the bravest warrior's blood to ice, of burning the holiest priest to cinders with a mere thought. A creature who bends the shadows to her will and laughs in the face of the gods.

Together with the dragon high lord Kitiara Uth Matar, Lady Soth served the evil goddess Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, five-headed dragon of the evening sky. Together, they laid low the glorious city of Palanthas. Together, thought Lady Soth, they would always remain.

The Heartbroken Vistana

O sing unto my roundelay,

O drop the briny tear with me;

Dance no more at holyday,

Like a running river be:

O'er tops of trees or dewy grass

so lightly do we softly pass,

that the young and tender stalk

ne'er bends nor buckles where we walk.

And in the morning, none may see

where we the night before have been.

Appendix 2: Vistani Statblocks

Boravak Vistani Commoner

Medium Humanoid, Usually Lawful Neutral

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 4 (1d8)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +2
• Skills Double Proficiency on all Wisdom checks, proficiency in herbalism kit, alchemist's supplies, and cartographer's kit.
• Hellish Resistance The boravak Vistani has resistance to fire damage.
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna

---

Actions

Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Features

Legacy of Avernus. The boravak Vistani know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When they reach 3rd level, they can cast the searing smite spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when they finish a Long Rest. When they reach 5th level, they can cast the branding smite spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when they finish a Long Rest. Charisma is their spellcasting ability for these spells.

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (Vistana’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. A Vistana can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + the Vistana's proficiency bonus + the Vistana's Charisma bonus), it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, the Vistana is blinded until the end of their next turn.

Agmaui Commoner

Medium Humanoid, Usually Chaotic Evil

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 5 (1d8 + 1)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	10 (+0)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +2
• Skills Proficiency in disguise kit, poisoner's kit, and alchemist's supplies.
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Abyssal, Patterna

---

Actions

Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Features

Magic Resistance The agmaui have advantage on Saving Throws against Spells and other magical effects

Regeneration. The agmaui regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn. If the agmaui takes psychic or radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of the agmaui's next turn. The agmaui dies only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn't regenerate.

Abyssal Fortitude. The agmaui's hit point maximuum increases by half its level (minimum 1).

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (agmaui’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. An agmaui can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + the agmaui's proficiency bonus + the agmaui's Charisma bonus), it is immune to the evil eye of all agmaui for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, the agmaui is blinded until the end of their next turn.

Darkling

Medium Undead, Lawful Evil

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 4 (1d8)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
10 (+0)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +2
• Skills As when alive.
• Hellish Resistance The darkling has resistance to fire damage
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna

---

Actions

Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Features

Relentless Nature. If the darkling is below half its hit point maximum at the start of its turn, it regains 1 hit point. If it dies, it returns to life 24 hours after death. If its body is destroyed, it reforms within 1 mile of the place of its death at a spot determined by the DM. If its equipment was also destroyed, it does not regain it. The darkling knows the distance and direction between it and the Vistani caravan that condemned it to a life as a tlarnani and will always seek to destroy those who were most responsible. This awareness fails if the caravan is on another plane of existence.

Vrana Strigan

Medium Humanoid, Usually Lawful Neutral

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 115 (16d8 + 32)
• Initiative +5
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
8 (-1)	11 (+0)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +5
• Saving Throws Wis +8, Cha +10
• Skills Deception +10, History +7, proficiency in Jewel's Tools, Leatherworker's Tools, Tinker's Tools.
• Hellish Resistance The strigan has resistance to fire damage.
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna
• Armor None

---

Spellcasting

The strigan is a 16th-level warlock. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). The strigan knows the following spells:

• Cantrips (at will): eldritch blast, mage hand, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation, ray of frost, thaumaturgy, vicious mockery
• Spells (3 spell slots at 5th level): arcane eye, bane, charm person, dispel magic, dream, fly, haste, identify, mage armor, misty step, modify memory, remove curse, scrying, slow, speak with dead, suggestion, tongues
• Mystic Arcanum: feeblemind, forcecage, true seeing
• Eldritch Invocations: Armor of Shadows (cast mage armor at will); Eyes of the Rune Keeper (read any writing); Gaze of Two Minds (You can use your action to touch a willing humanoid and perceive through its senses until the end of your next turn. As long as the creature is on the same plane of existence as you, you can use your action on subsequent turns to maintain this connection, extending the duration until the end of your next turn. While perceiving through the other creature’s senses, you benefit from any special senses possessed by that creature, and you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings.); Thief of Five Fates (Cast bane warlock spell slot (use once/long rest); Visions of Distant Realms (Cast arcane eye at will); Whispers of the Grave (Cast speak with dead at will); Witch Sight (See the true form of a creature [range 30 ft]).

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.

Features

Legacy of Avernus. The boravak strigan can cast the searing smite spell as a 2nd-level spell and the branding smite spell once each with this trait and regains the ability to do so when they finish a Long Rest. Charisma is her spellcasting ability for these spells.

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (strigan’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. The strigan can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 18), it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, the strigan is blinded until the end of their next turn.

Void of Eternity. At 1st level, the strigan's patron leaves a signature 'chill' when she cast certain spells. Her warlock spells that deal cold or psychic damage deal an additional 1d12 of the other damage type.

Chronal Displacement. Starting at 6th level, the strigan is able to manipulate destiny in a minor way. When she makes an attack roll, skill check, or saving throw, she may choose to reverse time. When she does, record the first result and try the roll again. She must use the new roll, but she may use the saved result in place of any other attack roll, skill check, or saving throw she makes until she takes a short or long rest. After she uses this ability, she cannot use it again until she completes a short or long rest or until she gains an Inspiration point, which she may expend to use this ability again.

Changing Pasts, Shifting Futures. When the strigan reached 10th level, she stopped aging and no longer suffered the effects of old age. Further, she may forgo her action and bonus action during her turn to gain an additional action on her next turn.

Paradox. The strigan can force a creature to relive all of the events that took place since the end of their last turn. When she does so, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature goes through all of the damage and healing that took place since its last turn again, and she may choose to deal an additional 6d10 cold or psychic damage (strigan's choice). On a success, it takes half damage. A creature may willfully choose to fail the save. A creature may only be affected by this ability once per day. After she uses this ability, she cannot use it again until she completes a long rest.

2. Named NPCs

Arrigal and Palerya (see below) pretend to the fa-szerü vek that they are in the service of Kolyan Indirovich, Burgomaster of Barovia, but in fact, like most of their caravan, they serve Countess Strahd. The strigan and neta of their caravan were recently killed in a werewolf attack and, at least for the time being, the two of them have taken charge. Arrigal and Palerya didn't exactly arrange for the attack to occur, but they did know about it in advance and did nothing to prevent it or warn the rest of the caravan.

As of now, the siblings are leading their caravan of 16 Vistani, but it is an uneasy situation, as Palerya has no ož-karii and thus cannot be a strigan. The other Vistani caravans in the valley have not yet been informed of the deaths of their leaders (but both Arrigal and Palerya suspect most have learned of it through arcane means). Just how long the two will stay in power is unknown. Should any Vistani learn that they could have prevented their neta and strigan from being killed and did nothing, they would certainly face the harshest of Vistani justice and become tlarnani.

Neither sibling has ever met the Countess. They have had dealings with her only through an intermediary, Vasili von Holtz. It was von Holtz who warned them of the impending attack. The siblings believe that their relationship with Vasili, and through Vasili to Strahd, will bring them great power in the valley. They hope one day to be the Countess' emissaries outside the Mists.

Arrigal is an awfully dangerous man, though much less crafty than he thinks he is. If he encounters someone with an item in their possession that's either helpful or harmful to Strahd and Arrigal becomes aware of it, he tries to deprive them of the item, stalking them if necessary and going as far as to kill one or more of them if he thinks he can escape with the item in his possession. If he succeeds, he takes it directly to Castle Ravenloft.

She is a much less power-hungry person than her brother, and is content to be his informant and agent while not acting on her own initiative and perhaps drawing the Countess' anger rather than her gratitude. She will do nothing overt to hinder Strahd's enemies, but will be sure to inform von Holtz immediately of anything she learns.

Palerya (Originally Luvash)

Medium humanoid, Chaotic Evil

---

• Armor Class 12
• Hit Points 83 (10d8 + 30)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)	20 (+4)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +4
• Saving Throws Dex +4, Int +5
• Skills Deception +13, Insight +7, Intimidation +13, Investigation +5, Persuasion +13, proficiency in herbalism kit, alchemist's supplies, and cartographer's kit
• Hellish Resistance Palerya has resistance to fire damage
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 9
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna
• Armor Studded

---

Actions

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 2) piercing damage.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.

Bonus Actions

Cunning Action. Palerya can can use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage or Hide (use once/turn).

Eye for Detail. Palerya can use a bonus action to make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot a hidden creature or object or to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to uncover or decipher clues.

Insightful Fighting. As a bonus action, Palerya can make a Wisdom (Insight) check against a creature she can see that isn't incapacitated, contested by the target's Charisma (Deception) check. If she succeeds, she can use her Sneak Attack against that target even if she doesn't have advantage on the attack roll, but not if she has disadvantage on it. This benefit lasts for 1 minute or until she successfully uses this feature against a different target.

Reactions

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that Palerya can see hits her with an attack, she can use her reaction to halve the attack's damage against her.

Features

Legacy of Avernus. Palerya can cast the thaumaturgy cantrip and can cast the searing smite and branding smite spells each once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for these spells.

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (Palerya's’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. Palerya can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 15), it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, Palerya is blinded until the end of her next turn.

Ear for Deceit. Whenever Palerya makes a Wisdom (Insight) check to determine whether a creature is lying, treat a roll of 7 or lower on the d20 as an 8.

Evasion. When Palerya succeeds on a DEX save to take half damage, she takes none, if she fails, he takes half.

Steady Eye. Palerya has advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check if she moves no more than half her speed on the same turn.

Sneak Attack. 5d6 extra damage on attack where she has advantage or another enemy or creature is within 5 ft. (use once/turn).

Alexei

Medium humanoid, Chaotic Neutral

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 15 (2d8 + 2)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	8 (-1)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +2
• Saving Throws Dex +4, Int +1
• Skills Deception +6, Insight +4, Intimidation +6, Investigation +1, Persuasion +6, proficiency in herbalism kit, alchemist's supplies, and cartographer's kit
• Hellish Resistance Alexei has resistance to fire damage
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna
• Armor Studded

---

Actions

Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage.

Shortbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 80/320 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.

Bonus Actions

Cunning Action. Alexei can can use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage or Hide (use once/turn).

Reactions

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that Alexei can see hits him with an attack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack's damage against him.

Features

Legacy of Avernus. Alexei can cast the thaumaturgy cantrip. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for this spell.

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (Alexei's’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. Alexei can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 15), it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, Alexei is blinded until the end of his next turn.

Sneak Attack. 1d6 extra damage on attack where he has advantage or another enemy or creature is within 5 ft. (use once/turn).

Kolya

Medium humanoid, Chaotic Neutral

---

• Armor Class 14
• Hit Points 13 (2d8)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)

---

• Proficiency Bonus +2
• Saving Throws Dex +2, Int +2
• Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Intimidation +5, Investigation +2, Persuasion +5, proficiency in herbalism kit, alchemist's supplies, and cartographer's kit
• Hellish Resistance Kolya has resistance to fire damage
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 10
• Languages Common, Infernal, Patterna
• Armor None

---

Actions

Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4) piercing damage.

Bonus Actions

Cunning Action. Kolya can can use a bonus action to Dash, Disengage or Hide (use once/turn).

Reactions

Uncanny Dodge. When an attacker that Kolya can see hits him with an attack, he can use his reaction to halve the attack's damage against him.

Features

Legacy of Avernus. Kolya can cast the thaumaturgy cantrip. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for this spell.

The Evil Eye. This spell-like effect duplicates the duration and effect of the animal friendship, charm person, fear, hold person, or suggestion spell (Kolya's’s choice), but requires neither somatic nor material components. Kolya can use the evil eye once per short or long rest. If the target succeeds on a Constitution saving throw (DC 15), it is immune to the evil eye of all Vistani for the next 24 hours. In the event that the evil eye fails, Kolya is blinded until the end of his next turn.

Sneak Attack. 1d6 extra damage on attack where he has advantage or another enemy of creature is within 5 ft. (use once/turn).

3. Planned but Unwritten Statblocks

• Arturi Radanovich
• Madame Marushka
• Petya
• Magda Ilyanaova Kulchevich
• Cyrilla Deschamps
• The Dukkar Hyskosa
• Arabela (mortu Vistana from The Carnival, not the child from Curse of Strahd)
• Madame Fortuna
• Gabrielle Aderre
• Malocchio Aderre
• Stanimir

Appendix 3: Roger Bacon and the Vistani

This section still needs to be written.

Appendix 4: Ezmerelda d'Avenir

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Appendix 5: Madame Eva

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Appendix 6: Jacqueline Montarri

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Appendix 7: Carnival

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