The gypsies of Ravenloft--or "Vistani", as they call themselves--are a mysterious people. They wander the lands and travel the Mists, independent of the bonds which shackle lords to their domains and natives to their dreary, oppressed existence. In some ways they are the most powerful characters in Ravenloft, because in spirit, the gypsies are free.

Like the gypsies in other realms, Vistani have dark skin, dress in vibrant clothing, and rarely linger in any location. Their hair is black and shining, though some are born with amber tresses. Their eyes are black and luminous, and in a few tribes, are of a shape that suggests a distant link to the Orient. But it is more than physical appearance that defines a Vistana. The gypsies in Ravenloft are unique. No ordinary gypsy who wanders into the demiplane shares the mystical powers of the Vistani of Ravenloft.

Gypsy Powers

Vistani have an ageless, timeless quality. True, their babes grow to be men and women, and their men and women grow old, but many elders seem to have lived for centuries. It is as if they have distanced themselves from time, just enough to slow its disintegration of their bodies and stop its erosion of their minds.

Only the Vistani can tell the future in Ravenloft. They use tiny crystals and balls, cards call a "tarokka" deck, and the "dikesha" which are carved dice. Other less used forms are casting bones or runes, reading tea leaves, palmisty, physiognomy, dream interpretation, and astrology. Natives of Ravenloft take fortune telling very serious for the Vistani are true seers.

Every Vistana has the potential to see the future, but not all have an equal ability to use their gift.  Many dark-eyed wanderers have the power to cure as well as curse.  Some of their talents involve rituals or potions.  Certain lizards in the Balinoks, for example, help create a gypsy brew with wonderous powers of healing.  The fruits of Barovia, when sliced in a given way under a certain moon, are rumored to form the basis of deadly curse. (Only Vistani know the precise details)  But some gypsies need no props to harm or heal.  They need only their own gaze, and the powers of the evil eye.

The evil eye is the ability to cast an enchantment with only a look.  It is most common among women, and seems to increase with age.  Old gypsy women, whose hair has gone white and whose teeth have gone completely, may command the greatest respect.  Their curses, when the will is strong, are said to rival the powers of Ravenloft.  Usually, however, a gypsy curse is embarrassing or dangerous rather than deadly.

Only a fool crosses a gypsy, because every crime against their kind, no matter how secret, may return to haunt the offender. Even offenses against the dead can be dangerous. It is said that he who robs the body of a gypsy, especially with malice, may find that his fingers have turned black the following morn. The blackness cannot be washed away. Every living Vistana knows this sign, and will recognize the bearer as an enemy of gypsy tribes. With repeated wrongs, the blackness may spread, until the offending flesh begins to fall away like that of a leper. So say the gypsies, at least.

Vistani are gifted explorers. They can enter the Misty Border and sometimes determine where and when they shall leave it. According to legend, they can even enter and leave the demiplane, though many say it is because they know of portals no others have discovered. If a "giorgio", or nongypsy, wins their confidence, Vistani may allow him to travel with them. No gypsy can be forced to act as a guide, however. Nor can any giorgio stow away on a caravan and hope to escape the demiplane. The Vistani are protected by the Mists. Like chaff is culled from wheat, the Mists of Ravenloft separate unwanted followers from the full-blooded Vistani, and send them different ways.

Gypsies have little to fear from the rulers of Ravenloft's domains. Most lords tolerate them, and many are in awe of their powers. The gypsies' ability to travel the Mists and foretell the future commands great respect. Some lords forge agreements with the tribes.

Lifestyle

Gypssies are vagabonds, wandering from domain to domain, rarely pausing more than a week in any one place. Progress on the road is languid and unhurried. Children scamper beside the wagons, gleefully engulfed in their own coulds of dust.

Each tribe is an extended family of ten to fifty members. A man is the head of his own family, next replaced by his eldest son. However, a grandmother with the powers of the Evil Eye commands the greatest respect of all. Gypsies cherish their children, perhaps because many die so tragically. The gypsies are blessed with many powers of healing, but they cannot prevent a stillbirth.

A gypsy home is called a "vardo". These small, well-crafted caravans have tall wodden walls, an arched wooden roof, and a door at the back. The vardo is drawn by horses, and the driver sits up front on an outdoor seat. Most vardos are painted in vivid colors, such as turquoise, or black with gold and magenta highlights. The finest are carefully decorated with gilded carvings, picturing proud steeds, intricate flowers, or prancing deer. Even the wheels are sometimes painted gold. The Vardo of a great gypsy lady may include tiny windows made of etched or tinted glass.

The vagabonds usually travel with a menagerie. Horeses and a faithful mongrel or two trot alongside. Chicken crates are strapped beneath the wagons, and a tethered ox or goat may bring up the rear. Sometimes a trained bear follows the caravan, ready to amaze and entertain villagers at the tribe's next stop. A handler usually leads the bear.

Vistani pursue a number of occupations. Their traveling ways make them natural escorts and traders. They tell fortunes to those who are brave enough to hear them. (The future is often dark in Ravenloft) Some foretell the weather to interested farmers. A few are thieves and con artists. Others are tinkers, knife grinders, or pot menders, selling their services from village to city. Many are entertainers, who earn money through music and dance. A particularly well-trained bear may not only dance, but also may ease weary muscles by walking on a paying customer's back.

Some tribes are also cagey horse-traders. Vistani have an unusual rapport with these animals. Only gypsies can break the wild colts of Nova Vaasa with any success, and their own horses carry the Nova Vaasan bloodlines. Their attachment to these beast is so strong that when mother's milk is unavailable, a Vistani babe may suckle a mare.

Gypsies make their camps well away from a village or town, usually near a clear-running brook or spring-fed pool. When the days are warm, the children run naked, splashing in the water or relishing the lush, cool grass beneath their feet. Camps usually are well hidden. To find them, clever travelers look for the "vista-chiri", tiny gray and white birds that are rumored to follow the gypsies from land to land.

Each night, and again early in the morn, gypsies gather round a fire. For supper, each family passes one great pot, into which each person dips his own utensil. Vistani drink copious amounts of tea, and make a coffee that is bitter and thick, like mud. In times of celebration, adults tip a glass of "aniso", a drink that is flavored with aniseed.

Fire-building is a matter of honor among men. They have an uncanny ability to encourage wood to burn, even when the forest has been drenched with rain. When a tribe wishes to conceal an item of value or danger, a fire-builder may bury it deep beneath the fire site. Gypsy children often sleep outside. On bitter nights, their father may build a fire in a trench. When the timber is reduced to coals, he covers the embers with earth. The children sleep on top, beneath feather blankets and a tarp, preferably with an old dog for added warmth and company.

A boundless world is the gypsy's home, but his heart is open only to his own people. Gypsies reject their own kin if they are not of full blood, and marriage to a half-breed is forbidden. Vistani do not form friends with giorgios readily, and rarely invite them into their midst. When escorting a traveler, they prefer to leave him in a town or village when establishing a camp, or may drop him at a peasant's home for the night. Only when a giorgio has earned respect, or has paid dearly for his safty in the camp, will he be allowed to join the Vistani's circle after twilight. Those who have been honored by such an invitation describe magical moments, when the gypsies have gathered round a glowing fire to play their instruments and dance for their own enjoyment.

As the fire rages, young women dance to the fervent sounds of fiddles, guitars, and tambourines. Their skirts sweep the earth, rising and falling as they twirl, and if you look closely, you can see the music swirling around them. As the embers glow red, and the sky turns from an inky blue to pitch black, the fiddler plays alone. He makes his instrument cry, in a song of lament so clear, so acute, that it can pierce the listener's heart and make it bleed in sympathy. When it ends, the leader of the tribe sings alone in the gypsy tongue. The lyrics tell his people that when the cock hearalds the morn, they must move on.