A wiry Vistana with an easy grin and a saber at his hip, found at the camp near the River Ivlis. He introduced himself to Virro as Laszlo, the Storyteller, and when Virro asked if there was anyone worth crossing blades with, Laszlo’s grin only widened.
A crowd gathered quickly, money changed hands, and Laszlo played to every parry for a laugh, milking the bout shamelessly for the onlookers. Midway through, his showmanship dropped just long enough for him to scratch a magic circle into the dirt beneath their feet, meant to snare Virro mid-step. It didn’t work. Virro broke through his guard and put him on the ground. The party collected 18 gold, with Edric Storm the only one who had bet on Virro to win.
It was Laszlo who made the deal with the party, bring back Arabelle, and he would arrange safe passage beyond The Mists.
“A mighty wizard came to this land over a year ago. I remember him like it was yesterday. He stood exactly where you’re standing. A very charismatic man, he was. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. He stirred them with thoughts of revolt and bore them to the castle en masse. When the vampire appeared, the wizard’s peasant army fled in terror. A few stood their ground and were never seen again.
The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Their battle flew from the courtyards of Ravenloft to a precipice overlooking the falls. I saw the battle with my own eyes. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, and again he stood his ground. But when the devil Strahd fell upon him, the wizard’s magic couldn’t save him. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. I climbed down to the river to search for the wizard’s body, to see if, you know, he had anything of value, but the River Ivlis had already spirited him away.”