These events occur as the party settles in at the Carnival…

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been searching. What was time after all to someone who did not feel its passage. She had been to Luskan a dozen times with no more success than the day she left. She called in favors to anyone she thought might have better luck than she. Sadly, they did not. She visited every contact she had, followed every lead, chased down any hunch or suggestion offered, only to be met with agonizing failure. She had even gone so far as to visit the supposed city of his father’s birth, just in case, but as she expected he was not there. The one clue she had… the unnatural mist that had swept through the room, proved vexing as well. The only reference she could find to a magical mist that claimed people was an ancient legend, more a ghost story, of a land encompassed by mists and stolen from the world. The tale went on to say that sage’s believed it to have been transported to another plane of existence altogether but no one remains to say for sure if it actually happened or if the region even existed. She discounted it. Certainly a mist that could claim a civilization would have little use for a single tiefling. And why would he be stolen from their bed and she left behind. It made no sense. But none of this did. All she knew was that she would face hellish wrath if she returned without him. Not just from his mother, his aunts were powerful erinyes in their own right and she didn’t even want to consider the suffering her queen would visit upon her. She cursed in frustration. The words that passed her lips were some of the most vile she could speak in the Infernal tongue. But perhaps the worst of it all was that she cared for him, truly an uncommon thing among their kind. To some their trysts may have been seen as typical, expected even, but to her, there was a deeper connection, something more. Theologians and scholars teach that infernal beings lack the capacity for love. And while even she couldn’t be sure that’s what it was, there was no denying she felt an affection for him and a wounding pang of guilt for losing him. She wouldn’t give up. She was going to find him. She resigned herself to searching Luskan once more. She called upon her magic to shift her from the human settlement she had been searching to the city of his disappearance. Her form shimmered then vanished. When she reappeared it was not in the brothel room Raven and her had shared but the great hall of Glasya herself.

Zybeksiya fell to a knee and bowed before the throne of her queen.

“How have you fared in recovering your charge?”

“I’ve been unsuccessful thus far, my queen. But I promise…”

Glasya’s glare silenced the erinyes.

“I must confess myself… disappointed, Zybeksiya. To think you’d be unable to perform the simple task of recovering what you have lost. Your carelessness and incompetence grate on me. Unfortunate… I had such high aspirations for you.”

“My queen, I promise. I just need a little more time. I swear to you… whatever it takes… I will find Xar’aven and I will bring him back. You have my word, it shall be so.”

“Would you have me believe that you are willing to do whatever is required of you to find my little Raven and bring him back to his nest?”

“Yes my queen. I shall do whatever it takes to restore your faith in me.”

Glasya’s lips curled into a sadistic grin. “Perfect. I accept your offer as penance for your failures.”

Zybeksiya wore a look of confusion.

“Whatever it takes.” Glasya hissed. Her eyes raged with hellfire as she waved her hand. 

Instantly Zybeksiya shrunk to a third of her height. Pain wracked her body as her feathery wings exploded, sending black down cascading throughout the room. In their place a pair of leathery bat wings grew. A burning sensation below the small of her back intensified. It felt as if a hot poker were attempting to jab through her skin. Her flesh broke, erupting into a spiked tail. Her body began to smoke then immolated as she screamed in anguish. The flames died out as quickly as they had surged, leaving behind reddened skin. Her canines elongated and twin horns protruded up from her head. The transformation was agonizing. Zybeksiya was on her knees, panting, struggling to find her breath.

“Xar’aven calls for aid. I can feel it… but his invocation is barely a whisper in my mind. He’s tapped into my power to summon a familiar. I’m sending you. I can’t seem to locate him… but now… you will. You shall serve as his imp until such time as you can return him to me. You vowed to find him. Here’s your chance. Go now. Do not return without him if you expect any chance to return to your previous station.” Green noxious fumes swirled about the erinyes. A moment later she was gone.

…………………………………..

“How do you know me?” The paladin asked.

“Don’t you remember Tobias? I saved your life. Who do you think pushed you into the mists? Follow me and I will find a safe place for you to rest at the carnival.”

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“Or don’t and die here in the woods.” The drow damphir turned and headed toward the lights in the distance.

Zybeksiya had assumed the form of a raven, watching from high up in a tree as the group hesitated for just a moment before accepting the offer of assistance. They were a colorful group to be sure. There was a rather large humanoid seemingly made of stone. He carried a gnome on his shoulder. She saw an elf, an orc, and a human. She sneered in disgust as she caught sight of the aasimar and what looked to be a bronze dragonborn. A second gnome, a woman, seemed unconvinced they should follow at first, but reluctantly caught up with her companions. There. She recognized his clothing. Her queen was correct. After months of searching she had finally found him. She cawed triumphantly and took flight following them along their path. 

Xar’aven looked up and saw a raven flit from tree to tree but didn’t think much of it. In the short time he’d been in Ravenloft he had seen many of these birds. They were quite commonplace here.

They were shown to a tent that had bunks enough for all of them and a central table where they could eat or sit if they chose to. Xar’aven found an empty cot and dropped his pack on it. He put his hands in a basin of water sitting on a crate next to it and washed the dirt and dried blood from his face. His allies all appeared worse for the wear. The respite offered by Fen was most welcome. They of course did not trust her completely so they agreed to set a watch as they had done the previous nights. It was still dark when he woke to take up his turn watching over the group. He looked over at Morag who was also awake spending his idle time personalizing the look of his cursed ax. Perhaps he had learned to master it. It wasn’t unimaginable. Xar’aven had seen stranger occurrences where he was from. Vimak was playing with his flute. He watched as the goliath brought it to his lips, blew softly allowing only the most subdued notes to escape so as not to wake their sleeping companions. Then he’d rub and polish his instrument, repeating the ritual of playing then cleaning it over and over again.

Xar’aven moved to a chair at the table. He ran his fingers over the burnished copper disc about his throat finding peculiar comfort in the depressions carved into it in the shape of scourge, the symbol of his queen and patron. He felt a slight prick and yanked his finger away. A droplet of blood bubbled from where the spur of an unsanded edge nicked him. Even the favor of Glasya was not without cost. He pressed his fingers tightly together to stop the bleeding when he heard  a voice.

“Hey!”

He looked around. None of his companions reacted to it. Was he imagining things? 

“Raven. Over here you dope.”

A woman’s voice. He knew it well.

“Bex?”

“What’s that Raven?” Morag asked.

“Shhh. They can’t hear me. I’m speaking telepathically. Step outside.” 

He looked toward the flaps of the tent and saw that a raven had poked its head inside unnoticed.

“Oh. Nothing, Was just saying I’ll be back in a second. Gonna have a look outside.”

“Sure yeah…” The half orc said. “Hey if ya come across any more muffins…”

“Of course. You got it.”

“No. No more muffins.” Vimak cautioned.

Xar’aven grinned and headed toward the exit. As he approached the tent flaps, the black bird hopped back and out. He stepped into the cool night air following the bird until it stopped, then jumped up on a hickory stump. The raven turned and looked at him with malicious yellow eyes.

“Bex. Is that really you?”

The bird cocked its head. “Yeah it’s me.” He heard her voice once more inside his mind. She transformed and became a two foot high version of herself though with some significantly hellish changes. Her beautiful black feathered wings had become leathery and bat-like. Her alabaster skin was now infernally red. And she had a tail… a tail that ended in a wicked barb that flexed dangerously close to his face. “Where in the nine hells did you go? Where are we?” She demanded angrily.

He was stunned to see her appearance. Despite her atypically attractive appearance, he knew an imp when he saw one. He also knew an erinyes was way too proud to even consider masquerading around as one. “What happened to you Bex?”

“Let me tell you what.” She sneered exposing her sharp canines. “You ran off. This is my punishment for losing you. Our queen is quite unhappy about it.”

“I didn’t run off.”

“No? What in the hells happened then? Where did you go?! Explain.” She hissed just above a whisper.

“I’m not sure I can. One moment I was in bed with you.” He grinned.

Her eyes narrowed in warning.

“Then there was this mist and when it was gone I found myself at a crossroads in woods I had never been. Callus called it Barovia but Renvarin didn’t seem to think so.

“Who are they?” 

“Callus is the aasimar.”

She made a heaving motion like she was going to vomit.

Raven smirked. “Renvarin is the elf.  I believe they are from here, wherever here is. They’re not from any plane I’ve studied.

She spit a glob of something onto the ground and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Wait did you say Barovia? As in the land that was swallowed by the mists.”

“Maybe? Sorry Bex. I don’t know any more than that.”

“So how did you end up in this menagerie?” She sat on the stump and crossed her legs.

I waited by a tree for hours hoping you’d track me down. As the sun began to set, the mists rose again. The others began to appear from paths I hadn’t noticed were there when I arrived. The mist… It seemed to push us all together. Suddenly we were attacked by skeletons and zombies. I thought we were going to be overwhelmed when yet another path leading to a house came into view. We sought haven there only to discover it was haunted. After two nights of terror we were attacked by a spectral knight who nearly killed us all. Fortunately a helpful spirit created a portal that allowed us to escape into the woods again where we ran into Fen. She claimed some time ago she saved the human’s life, Tobias he’s called. She offered us a safe place to rest and now we’re here at this carnival. We’ve only just arrived and needed to heal so we haven’t even walked about to see the sights yet.

“Excellent. Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Home you idiot. You don’t think I plan to stay an imp do you?”

“Yeah, about that…This demotion isn’t permanent I hope… Is it?”

“Why? Will you not love me anymore? She leapt from the stump and hovered in the air. She grabbed his face in her clawed hands and kissed him violently. Her little mouth tasted of strong ginger, spicy hot but slightly sweet.”

“No… of course… I mean…”

“Yeah?” She smirked. 

“What I’m trying to say is I feel responsible. I want to make things right.”

“Good. Because I do not intend to spend the next millennium like this. So grab your shit and let’s go.”

“Um Bex?”

“What?” she asked with undisguised irritation. She had landed back on the stump and was tapping her foot impatiently.”

“I can’t plane shift… And I’m not sure that you can anymore either…”

Her eyes grew wide as the realization struck.

“We’re trapped.” She whispered somewhat shocked..

“For now Bex. At least until we can find a way home.”

“And I’m an imp.” She scowled.

“Sorry?” He grimaced apologetically.

Her yellow eyes flickered orange and red with anger. “How did she expect I’d bring you back like this?”

“I’m guessing you were only meant to find me. The test is figuring out how to make our way back. That’s how you’ll earn your station again. Our queen means for you to suffer this indignity.”

“As your familiar?” She said aggrievedly.

“I’m sorry Bex. You know I’d rather be serving you.” He offered flirtatiously.

“You’ll get your chance again. Remember this Raven. You owe me.”

“Of course Bex.”

“Fine. Now what?” 

“I rejoin my companions and you try to keep a low profile. I’m not sure how the celestial and paladin will react to an imp.”

“As you say Master.” She bowed low but her tone dripped with sarcasm.”

“Ey! Where gwan Raven?! Who ya talkin to bwoi?” Ermos the half giant asked as he drew near.

Zybeksiya transformed into a raven and took flight.

“Nowhere, Ermos. Wasn’t talking to anyone. Just wanted some fresh air.”

“Well see dat ya stay close. Can’t ‘ave ya traipsin’ bote the carnival at this unseemly hour.”

“Sure. yeah. I’ll head back in.” 

“Good. Remember ya’all gwon meet Isolde soon and da boss lady… she don like when strangers be about.”

“Thanks.” Raven smiled politely and headed back into the tent.