Vistani

summoned fiends and angry spirits into their salons. But a few earnest amateur spiritualists genuinely sought to learn more about the secrets beyond their homes, their lives, and the Mists. In these would-be occultists, the wereravens saw potential. K E E P E R S O C I ET I E S

Beyond Barovia, where the eldest wereraven members of the Keepers of the Feather keep a low profile, Keepers organize into small social clubs with shared interests in occultism. Some members are actual invested scholars, while others are simply bored rich folk. But all have a strong interest in seances, fortune-telling, secrets of the afterlife, sightings of mysterious creatures, metaphysical theories, and tales of the macabre. Among their misinterpretations and outright fl i m flam-like round planet theory and dikesha dice-Keepers also possess hints of truth and the tools wereravens have long used to combat evil. Among these are spirit boards (detailed in chapter 4), tarokka decks, Mist talismans, and piecemeal occult writings from various domains. Some among the Keepers don't know the true power of these tools, but this doesn't dull their enthusiasm.

Knowing the threats that Darklords and other evils pose, wereravens of the Keepers typically don't reveal themselves to those not of their kind. Rather, they infiltrate Keeper societies as reclusive members, traveling experts, or foreign scholars. Some Keepers also tell of sightings or visitations involving giant raven-like beings that appear, speak some prophecy or deliver some message, then vanish, often presaging either wonder or disaster. The wereravens take little issue with these exaggerated tales from those who've witnessed their hybrid forms, and they willingly play into the tales of the Keepers i f it means spurring them to action. The Keepers of the Feather are a loose organization, incorporating members who operate alone or in small groups, as well as elite social clubs or secretive societies. I n all cases, Keepers identify each other by the Mark of the Raven, a sunburst emblem worn as a pin or amulet. Drawn from esoteric writings, this mark is a recreation of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, a storied religious artifact from Barovia. Though these reproductions carry no magical properties and most non-wereraven Keepers don't know the symbol's origin, many foul forces instinctively recognize the symbol as an emblem of good. K E E P E R ROOKER I E S

Keeper cells strive t o correspond and share discoveries between communities and domains. To facilitate this, the wereravens have taught some Keepers how to raise messenger ravens capable of delivering letters through the Mists. Most non-Keepers who

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learn o f this consider i t a trick, o r fear what i t means to receive messages from beyond the Mists, encouraging the Keepers to offer this rare service only to group members and their allies. Keeper ravens as a means of correspondence is detailed in "Life in the Domains of Dread" earlier in this chapter. KEEPER ADVENTUR E S

The Keeper Adventures table offers ideas for strange events that can touch off stories involving the Keepers of the Feather.

K E E P E R A DV E N T U R E S d 6 Adventure Hook

Keepers i nvite the c h aracters to a social gath e r i n g w h e re fortunes a re tol d a n d atte n d ee s s a m p l e rare i mported m u m i a-powdered m u m my. 2 A Keep e r d e livers a letter to the c h a racters that arrived by raven. The message h a s no s e n d e r. 3 O r p h i r B r i n d l etop, a K a l a keri g n o m e occ u ltist, i s s u rp r ised t o meet o n e of t h e c h a racters, a s h e received a message for t h e m in a s e a n ce l o n g ago. 4 T h e c h aracters are i nvited to h e l p a Keeper stake o u t a graveyard in h opes of s p ottin g a lege n da ry creature s a i d to d we l l t h e re . 5 The p arty is h i re d to c o l lect a parcel from the B l u e

Water I n n i n t h e B a rovian town ofVa l la k i , w h i c h i s secretly r u n b y wereraven s . They m u s t n o t o p e n the p a c k a g e a n d m ust g e t it out of B a rovia swiftly. 6 A c h a racter g l i mpses a raven - l i ke fi g u re . W h e n they i nvestigate, they fi n d only the mysterious t a l i s m a n t h at it left beh i n d .

Known throughout the Land o f the Mists, Vistani (singular: Vistana) are a people with a unique understanding of the Domains of Dread and the hidden paths between them. Following itinerant traditions, many Vistani travel between domains, learning much of hidden lands, the many faces of evil, and the strange wonders of the Mists. A people unto themselves, Vistani refuse to be captives of a single domain, the Mists, or any terror. VISTANI C U LT U R E

Unlike t h e denizens o f individual domains, Vistani are inhabitants of the Land of the Mist as a whole. Although they trace their origins to the same world as Barovia, many Vistani look toward the future, learning from their traditions and from one another to better face whatever lies ahead. Vistani bands consist primarily of one or more extended human fam i l ies who can trace their heritage back to age-old Vistani clans. Over generations of exploring the Mists, though, individuals of other ancestries have been accepted into some clans and now are full-fledged members of Vistani culture (see the "Vistani Characters" sidebar for details). As they travel, members of a Vistani band walk, ride on horseback, and drive ledge wagons, stopping at night to set up camp. Vistani bands occasionally camp near welcoming communities to trade and resupply, but rarely stay more than a week-though this can be complicated if a Darklord closes a domain's borders. Most bands make their living primarily through craftwork (especially delicate silversmithing), horse rearing, and trading wares carried between domains.

Meetings between Vistani bands are opportunities to trade, catch up with friends, and share both news and warnings of dangers ahead or behind. VISTA N I MAGIC AND THE M ISTS

Vistani pass their varied teachings through their families as stories and songs, detailing lessons learned from generations of travelers, warnings specific to visited domains, and traditional magic. Spellcasters aren't uncommon among Vistani bands, with many favoring divination magic for the practical help it provides in avoiding danger. Spellcasters often incorporate their people's traditional divination tools into their spellcasting, including the fortune-telling cards called tarokka decks. With their experience navigating the Mists, many Vistani understand how to employ Mist talismans (detailed at the start of this chapter) to reach specific domains, or possess the Mist Walker Dark Gift (see chapter 1), allowing them to make their way between domains. Vistani don't enter the Mists l ightly, though, knowing that each such passage holds