#before barovia

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

YAVIS - ARCHFEY PACT WARLOCK (?)

Hello hello! Back at it again with the final party member that hasn’t been introduced. Yavis! My first character in the campaign!

I can hear it though. “Why does her DM let her have TWO characters?!” Well! The answer to that is it’s complicated. I don’t really know why I get to have two characters but here I am. Having two characters.

Still, lets list off some stats about my baby:

Race: Changeling

Alignment: Lawful Evil -> Neutral Good-ish

Patron: Archfey - Masctire

Perferd form: Elf or Half Elf

Infected by WereRavens

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Starting off the campaign, Yavis came to Barovia looking for her son, having abandoned him in traditional changeling fashion by swapping him out with another child as she was running away from a mob that had found out her true identity. Running for the forest, she didn’t get away quite in time and ran into her now husband and patron: Masctire.

Within the feywilds she learned a myriad of arcane skills and gained a new set of... interesting morals. We recently found out in the campaign that he’s been keeping her alive for over 200 years after her attempts at finding her son went... poorly. And due to what happened he’s been wiping away her memories to keep her safe which has affected her personality quite a bit causing the power hungry Yavis that they had met at the begining of the campaign. However. One thing never changed about her and that was her soft spot for children.

Nemissa, only being 18, caught Yavis’s interest right away and being a Cleric, she’s put some sways on how she could be a good mom to her. Armory, seeing this vulnerability also manged to put some ideas in her head and over time Yavis stopped being Yavis and - haha- changed into someone that was more kinder. Her true self: Vala Yeslyn.

I’m not going to go into the specifics cus I’d like to save plot points for more posts but yeah! Hope you enjoyed meeting Yavis!

And, usual, please check out Earthsong as she has provided the headshot artwork for this post! Along with SilasCaptor? I don’t know their tumblr now but i’ll update it when I find it but they gifted me the full body shot.

- Raatha 🔮✨

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

Cats Don’t Dance

Having lived quite the long life, Vadra has become an important figure in several cities outside of the Shakadi Desert. Many nobles seek the attendance of a brass dragon at important gatherings for their skills of negotiation and their long memories. Vadra has never once turned down the request of her attendance, as such gatherings are a great source of knowledge. She would never claim to have any friends from these nations though, knowing that she is simply a tool to them.

Then came along Friend of Foe, an actual friend that she had made on her own terms. Perhaps getting him to attend with her would make the gathering more enjoyable. It would be difficult though. He did not like to wear clothes, to which she understood to a degree. Dragons had no real need of clothing either, but it was the social norm in most humanoid civilizations. It took some time and many bribes to finally get him to wear the bare minimum, cover up just enough to make them all comfortable.

Then came the more difficult task of dancing, which he claimed to have zero experience with. She would not relent though, eventually getting him to practice with her. He would avoid dancing at all costs when the time came at the actual gatherings, but in Vadra’s secluded lair the Tabaxi would cave.

Ultimately these gatherings would lead to Friend’s return to life on his own, as his large ears could hear far too much. It started overhearing some of the nobles refer to him as things such as “the dragon’s pet,” which started to bleed into his normal trips to nearby villages. No longer did it feel like they were kind to him of their own accord, nor was he feeling like he was accepted for who he really was. It hurt to make the choice, but he decided to set out on his own to see the world once again. He will return to visit often, but he avoids the neighboring villages.

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

The Snack Cage

Everyone started the campaign with a small magical trinket, something without much impact but clearly with a story to tell. We were given a chart from which to pick so we could have a bit of fun with them. Friend of Foe received a peculiar little bird cage, described as “a birdcage into which small birds fly but once inside never eat or leave.” Instantly I thought of what he would call it; The Snack Cage.

It was given to his friend Vadra by a nobleman that could no longer stand the sight of the cursed item that he had bought for his daughter. Annoyed with it herself yet not one to destroy magical items, she hid it away in the desert. Stories were woven of this cursed item guarded by fierce monsters in the desert, which eventually drew Friend’s attention. He would find no monsters, nor would be initially find the cage. Instead he found the lonesome dragon. Eventually, when Friend struck out on his own again, Vadra would tell him where to find the cage so he might utilize it on his journeys. She warned that yes, there were “monsters” guarding it - simple mirages large enough to ward off most creatures from the general area.

Since its acquisition, the Snack Cage has been one of Friend of Foe’s most prized possessions. Or perhaps really his only prized possession, what with the fleeting fancies of Tabaxi, but who wouldn’t treasure a lifetime of free meals?

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

A Skilled Mind Doesn’t Mean Skilled Hands

Hundreds of years of reading without any practice doesn’t make you a chef. As a dragon Vadra does not have much need for the ability to cook. As Friend began to stay with her though she did make some attempts. None ever went well, which was alright. Friend honestly doesn’t mind a good raw steak after all.

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

The Meeting of a Lifetime

Barely a few months into his new life of adventure, Friend of Foe had a run in with a kelpie that left him very shaken. He would not tuck tail and go home to his village, though he did have a newfound fear of the water and what may lurk within. This fear would be something that the forces in Barovia would later prey on time and time again. Before Barovia though there were still better times to be had and plenty of people to meet.

A venture into the deserts after overhearing talk of a magical item would bring about these better times in the form of a new friendship to be forged. Just as he began to think about giving up the search for the item he came across some tracks, which led to some caverns. It wouldn’t be that long before a brass dragon, introducing herself as Vadra, gave him a small fright before assuring him he was safe, having been guided there by her.

The two would go on to become great friends, perhaps eventually even more than just that if our little Tabaxi ever makes it back from Barovia

For this we have two little short stories previously written for our party members to read if they wished;

Meeting of a Lifetime

A Story for a Story Makes for a Better World