The Seeker

An Unseelie Archfey that had long been trapped in the lands of the Zarovich Valley and its surrounding Balinok Mountains, The Seeker was a member of the Ladies Three. The sister of The Weaver and The Huntress, the "Lady of the Forest" was thought to have control over the valley's winds, though her magical abilities in the Prime Material were miniscule compared to their splendor in the Vivid Realms. The details of her wayshadowing was unknown, even to herself, but her transport to the valley was likely facilitated by the Azure Paragon.

The Lady of the Forest was worshipped by the local Mortalkind of the Svalich Woods, and delighted in this adoration. Her cult built the Forest Fane in her honor in the area that would become Old Bonegrinder, adorned with Ravens and Owls; she later connected her fane to the population centers of Vallaki and the Village of Barovia via a Fairy Circle. This binding led the forest-folk to worship her even when the religion of the Morninglord outgrew the Ladies' popularity in the townships of the valley. As a reward for their continued faith, The Seeker created a Fey Crossing within the menhirs of her fane, creating Portals near Vallaki and the Village of Barovia should her followers ever need to find shelter amongst their kin.

Her likeness would appear in dreamlike visions to the locals, and she would reward those friendly to her: for instance, alongside her sisters, she gave a Gemstone of Life Growth to the Martikov family after a great offering. In exchange for trinkets and a demonstration of sacrifice, The Seeker channeled gifts of prophetic wisdom and teachings of the "inner eye" into her acolytes. They believed the Ladies controlled the world's destiny, and The Seeker was thought to hold domain over the future, dreaming up all that lay ahead and speaking it into existence.

After the Wedding That Never Was, Strahd von Zarovich became a Darklord, and turned the valley into his domain of Barovia. Though they had been transported to the Shadowfell, the Ladies positioned themselves to remain neutral, as they always had. The Seeker seemingly vanished into thin air, along with many of her followers, and was believed to have migrated from Barovia prior to its disappearance into the mist. Some claimed that she survived by virtue of her foresight, and that her sisters ignored her warnings.

In truth, she had hid as "Eva", a raunie of the Vistani, and kept an eye on Strahd's activities. She convinced the Vistani to strike deals with Strahd to let them travel through the demiplane into the Deepmists; hidden from Strahd's gaze, she willingly allowed the Desecration Of The Forest Fane, as Strahd murdered hundreds of her followers alongside their ravens, and let their blood seep through fey crossing in her fane. He enjoyed using portals to travel quickly through his domain, even when, after the Desecration, he could now shape the lands to his very will.

Despite hiding in plain sight, Strahd never turned his eye toward Eva, as he believed her to be a friendly and loyal Vistana who never left Tser Pool. Though she did not raise arms against him, she fought him in her own way. Madam Eva would gave Tarokka Deck readings to adventurers, attempting to direct them to the few items and allies they could use to kill defeat Strahd and restore her fane.

Curse Of Strahd

In Curse Of Strahd, the Seeker helped invoke the vow of Ghalwin of the Grove, who swore to protect the land and defeat Strahd. In exchange for his heroics and to protect him from the terrible toll of the Dark Power Yrrga, the Ladies protected him with their incredibly limited magic. To grant him speed, they linked him with the Elk Familiar Verity, to grant him sight, they gave sentience to his Mouse Pip Squeak, and in a moment of weakness, they directed the Saber-Toothed Tiger Shredder to save him.

As Madam Eva, she foretold the arrival of The Pack, and divined the group their path to slaying Strahd. In less-than-detailed terms, she divined the locations of three items needed to understand and defeat their enemy, which they later learned were the Tome of Strahd, the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, and the Sunsword. She gave direction to an ally who would assist them in their fight, who turned out to be the monster slayer Rudolph van Richten, and the location of their final battle against Strahd himself in Ravenovia van Roeyen's tomb below Castle Ravenloft.

Finally, she provided individual prophecies, highlighting places of great import to the adventurers personal goals.

January 31st, 2025 September 22nd, 2025

Curse Of Strahd Continued

The Pack's journey was ultimately one of failure, but Madam Eva's predictions held mostly true despite the intervening of Dark Powers. Though the adventuring party was all but decimated, Ghalwin of the Grove survived, and had befriended the monster hunter Ezmerelda D'Avenir through his connection to van Richten. Ghalwin would meet up with powerful adventurers Tobias Villie Broadnose Cogsmith, Ajuni Elajoral, and Mormeros Fayan, forming the Heralds of Dawn.

The Heralds would use The Seeker's prophecy to guide them successfully through their quest, obtaining the artifacts and consecrating the fanes of The Huntress and The Weaver. Madam Eva foretold their arrival to the Vistani camp and met with them, agreeing to join them on their quest to consecrate the forest fane. She put Jino permanently in-charge of the Tser Pool encampment, and left to the site of the her fane.

To consecrate her shrine, hidden in the earth below the menhirs behind Old Bonegrinder, The Seeker put the adventurers to sleep, and made them face the loose ends of adventures that had not come to pass. They fought the future version of companions left behind, and were victorious, sacrificing their friends on the altar. This allowed the Lady to visit them in her true, splendid form, and she waited until the sixth day of the Hunter's Moon to attempt to wrest control back from Strahd. The form of Madam Eva disappeared from the face of the demiplane, never to be seen again.

Their plan ultimately worked during the dawn after the Red Dusk Of Vallaki, preventing the vampire from having control over Barovia's winds until the Slaying Of Strahd. Thereafter, the Ladies worked on growing their base of worshippers as they once had, though found connecting with the people more challenging than hundreds of years prior. Most still followed the Morninglord, meaning the Ladies had to cherish their few followers with greater reverence than before.

September 22nd, 2025 January 17th, 2026

Curse Of Strahd

Curse Of Strahd Continued

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