Strahd 4: First Aid

In a land. Plucked from Tony's face, surrounded by a fog that lets none escape. Be wary every adventure for the dangers hidden in every corner. To the castle you must go to throw an ancient evil on your own. But cautiously, he knows you're coming. He smells the flesh, blood. You're carrier. Trust no one in this land of twilight, and you might survive to see true sunlight against all odds. If you prevail. Heroes true, they will sing of you to end your tale. But if you fall heavily, your soul is now trapped high atop a mountain peak.

Sits right above key. It's grand old doors open. Be you. An invitation so tarry not. There should be no delay. The Master awaits you this day. Welcome Lords, ladies, nobles and sirs, prepare your spirits to be marred as we enter the curse of Strad. Welcome everyone to Is that A6 or A9AD and D podcast made by idiots? Gower bugger, sorry, I thought. That was like you, I am your DM. My name is Carl Nicholson and today I have with me.

Oh. An idiot. Yeah, an idiot. An idiot. Who am I? I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. I'm an idiot. Wait. I heard it all rhyme. Shit, I was coming up with a little rhyme while we were sat here. It's. That mighty Bush thing. And it's like. Oh, is I the? Wind is my only friend I. Hate you, I like it. And Rick and Morty when Jerry's standing on the curb and the wind just goes.

Please, trying to help my friend will avoid getting killed. Not really a rhyme. I'm a von Dan Gill. You are an idiot. Will be shady. Madisonfield, There we go. Last session, well nearly died. I want to talk about it. Yeah, I did. Twice. I tried to help. He seemed determined to die, apparently. He has a death wish. Everyone picks on the little oh. You know, like Strad just has it in for you. Like he's fucking, he's got you unlocked. Or you. Have it in for me. I think you have it in for me. Is Will rolling death saves?

We will recap first. So yeah, our last. Eager Beaver, Yeah. Last session Will. Then he died twice. You had a little scruffle with Strad, he showed off his latent magical abilities, and then you forced some direwolves and we all got to see how broken soul knife rogues are. Bastard. Yeah, I always thought they were kind of cool from the picture, but the thinking of an action is actually pretty good too. Ivan dipped into his religious magical police. Godfather, you guided me well. Bloody good. It was a bloody good fight.

Bloody good fight. Bloody good fight bloody. Good fight. If you will, a bloody good fight. Oh indeed, it was bloody good, Very bloody. And Will was actually kind of good as well, when he was not dying. He nailed that 202 hundred foot shot like I don't know so. Just if you if you knew the rules, you could have killed the mouth already.

So we open in the aftermath of the fight. There are two dead direwolves in the street. A couple of desperate, really thin, malnourished Peruvians have come out of the house, and they are busily. Standing over. Got in. Will's body just slapping over the face. It's like. Will, come on. I'm not sure how many of these villagers I can take before they are looking kind of snacky, if you know what I mean. Yeah, come on, Will. They are, they're very thin, They're very, they're very pale. They're malnourished and they are going.

They're going to work cutting up the direwolves. They're skinning them and then using their meat open with will Bowling and Death. Say this is the second time in a short amount of time. This time when you fell off the wolf into your into your chest, you feel more welcoming. This was a death deserve. This was a death in fight. This wasn't something that was just like thrust upon you. You are tired and you don't know if you want to get back up. You will be rolling your first Death saver disadvantage.

15 I listen. Ivan, you are nearby, you are closer to, you're close to Will and you are hiding not too far away. I'm. I go to lay on hands myself because Oh no hang on, no, I should help you.

You were pretty fucked up. I have two hit points. I would heal you. There is, sure. Yeah, sometimes you have to prioritise, prioritise you and. Being on it, we there is an in. There is there is an in isn't. There is a Tavern is known as the Blood on the Vine. He's going to kill me on the way to the fucking teller. I'm going to fall down a hole or a hole or walk into a stick. Do I have like one hit point? You are. No, no. You're incapacitated, dead. Your your your state is called down. Oh, do I have to keep rolling?

You have to keep that. Oh, I get. I understand what you're. Saying so you've made one state. Yeah, yeah. Made one state. Yes, yes, I understand. What you've said to me before. Now I'm gonna do a medicine check on him to try and help him. It's. A5 It's not going well. Is that instrumental to? That there is as you as you like. Peel back his his shot. There is a deep gouge. Into. His chest. I pull his shirt back and blood smashed me in the face. I'm like.

Yeah, there's a deep gouge into his chest. There are broken ribs, and his heart is slightly punctured by one of the rib bones. You feel like looking at it, you're like, oh, I could probably pull that out, but you. But it would take someone with more medical knowledge to be able to do so successfully. Alex is looking like she wants to try something. I'll try medicine, yeah. I have no other healing otherwise. I mean, you did when the first time you met him. Well, you you did accuse, and rightly so, of Will being a common criminal.

Argue correct. However, I do not believe that. Nothing common about me. Right. I believe it should go to a court. Fat. Of course it should kill him. Yeah, you're this random fucking dog. 1717 OK, good. What inventory do you have? Do you have anything in your inventory that you could use as an impromptu suture kit? Yeah, because we're rolling medicine, but we have actually nothing. Maybe you've got a nice scarf you could wrap around. I have a burglars pack. OK, so you could just band aids. Well, technically you could like break off a like a lock pick into like a needle, I guess.

Well, not even because how would you attach the string to it? But then again saying that you don't have string. Can I just hold the skin together and burn it with a candle? Quite. Surprised, I don't think. Candles get that hot, you know. Can I use my? Can I use a psychic? Blade it does it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't do heat the wound yeah, you on the 17 you realise that this wound is near and fatal. It's going to be if it it's not something that immediately needs to be treated, but eventually this will kill if it is not.

Make a deficit. Yes, make a deficit, so 1. So that's one for one. OK, There is, as I say, to the South of your position. There is a Tavern nearby. Drag him to the tablet, he still could be good for them out in the. Street here. Find something to help. Single shaft of light thrusts illumination into the main square, it's brightness looking like a solid pillar in the heavy fog above. The gaping doorway sign hangs precariously Askew, proclaiming this to be the Blood on the Vine Tavern. And for fun, why don't you do YouTube all that perception check or an investigation check?

Actually do an investigation. Sounds more fun. Investigation will be 30. 21 First inspection, you see that the sign that the sign originally read the blood of the vine. However, an N has been scratched over with the with the F, so now it reads as blood on, not off. Upon entering, there is a blazing fire in the hearth that gives scant warmth to a few huddled souls within. These are the barkeep, the three bastani, and a man sitting alone and drinking wine in the corner. The barkeep and the bastani are more like actively watching you.

They saw what happened in the street. The direwolves. The man sitting alone looks like he is drowning his sorrows with a flagon of wine. Is anybody able to help us with a friend here? He's quite grievously wounded. Yeah, I feel like we're like holding. I'm turning right. Between the the three Vastani look at you and they just smile and chuckle to themselves and then they turn their backs. This is Ruth the the barking name the barking. He puts down the glass that he was polishing and he he is in the bar and he comes he was rushing over with a pail of water and some farmers.

Oh my God, I heard that there was an attack in the street. What what happened? What did this? Stroud. Yes, Stroud dropped him from a very high height and dog ate his face. The thread Lord? Yes, of course. But no, that was his name. I maybe wouldn't have shot his hand.

You're attacked him. Yeah, we fell on, tried to kill. Him. Yeah, yeah. Before we knew who he was. Do you have a death wish? He he actually might grab his head like by the back of his hair, just like hold him up. Yes, he he back in he he points you to a table near the near the hearth and as you put as you lay Will's body down, Will makes a death save as he pours water over the wound and then uses the flannels to storage the bleeding the. One was to die 12 OK. So that's a pass that's 22 passes 1/4.

Whilst you're in this state of death and non death, you hear you begin to hear the voice of Strat echoing kind of around you. I don't like it.

You know, every time you get back up, I'm going to get my kill. Try me. You think about just healing made a grievous error making an enemy of me and your soul will. That would be mine. You're a Dick. Fair enough. I'm. Bold bickery dickory Dock Strand is a massive cock, am I rolling? Again, no, you don't need to roll his empty his empty threats and attempts intimidation fought on deaf ears, which is fine, but you're starting to feel oh, you're. Serious shit. Body is starting to like start and to like feel cold.

Should I just? Have you healed? Yourself yet I have not healed myself but we're in a table unless those. Did you pick up my corpse and take it with you? You are in the, you know, they carried you in and they've laid you on a table and he is doing everything that he can. Too episode of Outlander. Staunch the bleeding. Maybe just. Yeah, yeah, it's just making it just to let you die. Yeah, you, you just have to fight some wolves or some shit again, Wrap my hand around. 13 medicine OK, I don't have the tools necessary to.

It's OK, I I I have one. His hands, his hands start, his hands start to shake as the cloth starts to soak with blood. I I can't stop the bleeding. I I wrap my hands around my whole symbol that I have around my neck. It looks like a sheriff's star from the Wild West. A sunburst in a silver ring with a pistol over the top of it. And place my place my free hand on those chests. And at the short prayers of the dawn, Father force radiant energy into the friend and heal him for five fifth points. You hear in the back of your mind the voice of the dawn.

Father, you tried so hard to cure this Sinner. Is it not best to just let him go? Holy shit. People fucking hate me and I haven't done anything. I've not done anything. He's a vagrant, sure, in your opinion? Petty. You say criminal, I say surviving. He's certainly a vagrant and a petty thief, but I feel like a dog rock sharpened to A to a point. Still a valuable weapon, I believe through him we can do your work. Get. Through my courts with people chop you up and use. Your hands, you, you start shoving someone I was like psychic blades into like the knobs of his hands so that you can just cast a fist.

It's not my fault, but I wasn't born into wealth. Will you begin to see the faces of everyone that you have double crossed? Everyone that you have hurt? You don't know. Any of this just shut up. Everyone that has suffered directly or indirectly through your actions and they are all judging you. Feel like I can justify it with the fact that if I hadn't performed those actions then I wouldn't have survived. It's a dog eat dog world. The visions fade. I can't. I can't stop the rating. The the rating kill.

That is a spell, and that is what it does you. Just have to kill, haven't they? Yeah. So I have 5 hit points. Yes, the wound. The wound closes up, but you are left with a grievous scar across your chest. One level exhaustion. One fuck you man 2 that's. A good point actually thinking about it. Speaking of levels of exhaustion, the deep fog that surrounds the land of Borovia is a lot thicker and denser. This is the fog that you walk through to get here is where you could barely barely see in front of you, right?

This fog also generates levels of exhaustion. It doubles every time you are in it. The first the first round is 1 and then it jumps up to three it's.

OK. Buddy, you when you are resurrected, you resurrect as if though you have awoken from a deep, dark, terrifying nightmare, like a blood curdling scream. And this is true for everyone in Borovia that is resurrected. I mean I do quite often have nightmares and normally when I wake up from a nightmare I grab hold of you and go have. A nightmare. Cover me. So I grab hold of of the iPhone and say Oh my God have a nightmare, hold me. OK, I I give him a warming embrace. He's a warming. Embrace, I snuggle into his neck.

He is I, drenched in cold. Sweat full full mowing the will would not have touched me. Still take about 5 steps. Back I turn around and open my arms wide to to mallet. Hey Mallet. I turn around and open my arms wide to you with like a power, you know? A look on my face waiting for my hug. I look. Around like someone get this man a drink. I'm only a gnome so I creep up to you and latch around your leg Drink. It's not a bad idea. It's why I have so many layers. After all we just experienced. Alec, I'll pay.

And the voice comes from the man sitting in the corner and drowning his sorrows and a flagging of wine. Oh, well, thank you, stranger. Alright, go over. Do it. My name is Evan Dankel. I appreciate your hospitality. Don't me, Sir. What is? What is your name? My name is is Mark in Djerovic is. That the picture of him. And there he is. That's the guy. He's hot, Yeah. Good guy. That's. The guy.

Everyone frees a little bit. What? Was his name. Is Mark? Is Mark. You're like, you're like, will tighten my corset. He is known. Scrubby little mitts on you. He is known as is Mark the Lesser because he has lived his life in the shadow of his father, who happens to be or happened to be the old burger master. Or like Village Lady, Burger master of Baravia. I'm a burger master. Is his dad hot? Dad's dead. What's his dad hot? Wait, did he say wait? Presumably he hasn't told us that yet. No, he hasn't.

My my thank you for your hospitality. My name is Yvonne Danko, this is Lady Malice Enfield and will be Shady's slightly battled friend here. Three more pitiless adventurers caught in straws. Little game. Excuse me? And you? Oh, no, no. It's beautiful. Let him talk. Let the pretty man speak. And you have found the courage to fight against them. To be fair, we didn't. I think. We was. In fairness, I was never given a chance. To fight against him. Even when he introduced himself, we still don't know who it was.

Yeah, we're not from around today. It doesn't really mean anything to us. We've got a bit of a feel about being a Lord and, you know, people just say these things. Yeah, they had some sort of complex. Yeah, he's definitely way into it. You know he's. Gonna he's. Gonna kill us.

We're the worst. Who are 7. We're like these locals though. We're a bunch of cunts. Sorry, I don't think I can use that word on a podcast. The dread. The dread Lord has been known to play with his food. Has it brah?

Well. You seem to know a lot a lot about him. It did not feel like play. He's been targeting my sister as of late. In fact, my tight. A little light bulb went.

Off with each other, that same face of I bet she just.

Hey, Mallard. Fuck. It up. Strad was interested in the system, but not in you, because you're oh. My God, she's mine. Don't take it. From me. Wow. But Strad's interested in her and not. You. Everyone's in love with the image in his mind. Strad's a loser. In fact, I could sways a little bit from drinking too much wine. I could use adventures such as yourselves. You see, I need, I need a favour. I can pay you handsomely. You need to escort my dear sister out of this village far to the West. They're like all three of us, they're just going to be pestering the living shit out of this poor woman.

Forgive me. To the place far to the northwest to Valaki. Valaki, sorry, we are, we are strangers in this land. Can you tell me where we are now? This is this is Borovia. This is the village of Borovia. Okay. The heart of the land that has been cursed by the the Demon Lord Baron as he calls him Zov Zon Volovich I.

Have a long history with nobles, maybe I can. Is he worth talking to or not worth our time? Mr Rod. No, Baron. Aaron von Strad, yeah. Oh, it's them, Yes, I, I, you said, you said the first name very confusingly. That's because he's because it's because he's drunk and he's like slowing up as well. I. Appreciate that, hence why I didn't understand. I get him a glass of water. We actually on the quest ourselves already. Maybe you're going to help us. I'm on a mission from the Dawnfather. I've been sent to help the land of Borovia.

Perhaps it seems that Tomfather said we could deal with this, this demon Lord, which is heartening that he believes I'm able to do such a thing, but also somewhat terrifying. But I've been sent in such of a church, perhaps a temple that's fallen on hard times. There is there is a church in the northwestern part of town. Your friend is injured and I need to I need to rest. Please join me to my home. We will retire that it is cheap, it is free. My sister is my sister is there and she will cook us a meal and then in the morning we can discuss the this church that you are looking for.

It might be the one in town. It could be a different. 1 probably discussed this when you're less inebriated, but why? Does, but is she single?

It's good point. Where? Where? Where you wanted us to take your sister to this Varaki? Yes. Why? For the last several weeks, Strad has been invading her home and has been feeding off of her. It's. Raining. Outside what way? He believes in his sick, demented mind. He believes that my sister carries the soul of his old beloved. Ridiculous. It feels like he must be incredibly wasted to be sharing with us this information considering we've only just walked into town. Shocked the demon Lord that everyone is definitely afraid of.

Barely survived. This is precisely why I think that you people would be the best choice to protect my assistant. I think just out of my own confusion, maybe we should just just because he was the Demon Lord and now he's the Dread Lord and then he was the Baron and I'm getting very confused if they're different people. Here is people, they all have. They all have multiple titles. It's all he has. He doesn't have anything else. All he has is his titles and his names. When he when he first? The lonely man.

When he first conquered this land, he was, he was the Baron. And then he looks over to the table with that half the three, but the three were starting. I see him look over. I said yeah, what? What is the issue? The his loyal subjects they are given 3 free run to travel the lands from here to other places. And you do not. No. No one is allowed to survive from the fog. No one can leave the fogs that cover this land. It is it is a mind poison it it collapse and it drives people insane. I have seen adventurers run off into the into the Wilds, be eaten by the fog to then be thrown back into the village days later.

We were we were in the fog when? We started, we came through them. You came from the fog. Yes, we were sent here by some of these Vastani. They were encamped outside of our city of Neverwinter. They They treated us to a fine meal and stories. They asked us to come here. They told us the story of. All right, he comes over and he bring and he puts down 4 big like flagons of wine. I take the one from in front of him. Helplessly close. That day. Yes, we they seemed like welcoming people and they asked us to come here because their village was in danger.

They they mentioned that that that village was in danger, that people were in danger from a threat. Lord, presumably they were talking about Stride. Is it possible that they're not loyal entirely to him? To trust Vastani is to trust the shadows of the day or the night. It's true they planted a coin on our friend and that's what's. About to attack us?

Luckily our friend over here was well versed with shadows. There are some, and I'm pretty sure that if you want to speak to them, that they would better speak of, they would better elucidate the situation. But there are some that we have learned that are in league with him truly and wholly, and now there are others who are afraid of him. But regardless of the allegiance, everyone respects him. He came to this land and he was out of balance, and then he turned and something happened and he became the demonic Lord that we all know today.

So he was maybe didn't have the levitating thing that he did or the freezing thing he did on my friends. By the way. He. Oh yes. Was he just a simple man? I I could not. I could not say more either. Wait. You would have to you would have to ask the Vastani these these questions. Quick question, The fog that you were Speaking of. So coming back to that, the virus you took from the Vastani, Yeah. Can I have one, please? Yeah. Thank you. Your soul. Thanks. You stole from the Vastani, my friend.

No wonder. Start once you're dead. They. Were. They were about to give them to us anyway, stealing from the horses mouth or something, I don't know. But you recognise this, they had these on them, do you? Do you know what it could be? The one and the one of the starting on the table near the door, watching curiously. They're stirring the wine with the finger and. They I forgot they were sat there. When I see the potion, they see the potion. Tanami is blue, you know. You recognise you're not drinking that swirl, are you?

Are. You no. Do you not understand that eavesdropping is rude? Do you not understand that I am the owner of this bar? I can listen to whatever conversation I like. You don't like it, you can leave. We were going to. Well, yeah, we were going to go stay just this fellow's house. But as you were here, we were. We were gifted to these by some bastani in our city. Did you shed any light on them? They did not explain to us what they were, what they were for. It's it's a joke. It's a it's a it's a plank that Tanimer uses that to supply money from the idiots on the other side of the fog.

He claims that it will protect you from the madness and the malady of the great fog in inside the forest. But it's it's. It's a lie. There's snake oil. The person we got them from when he offered them wasn't asking for coin. Yeah. Can I inside that? Yeah, it's a lie and I'm going to guidance myself just in case at 20. Oh shit. Three and a that's three. I like this fucking. Password. Yeah, no, this Vastani is being this was this Vasani is being deadly sincere. Like he's like, yeah, no, like this literally does nothing.

It is meant little more than ink and water with some, with some glitter in it. Like it's, it is literally snake oil. He he's like Tanmay and his people on the other side. Lure adventurers over, ply them with a story. We we were not told to give coin. We were not. He didn't want money. Depends on how the situation. The situation. It depends on how the people come across to Tanmir and his followers. They are. They are, shall we say, more friendly with our overlord than

some of us others are. He's looking around and he's like keeping an eye on the fire. You kind of learn not to trust things. Can't take his eyes off. Every now and then he just stares at it for a little bit longer. There's nothing odd with the fire but his, but the but the Fasani's presence may he makes you, makes it aware that there are elements in this land that actively listen and spy. Which is how Stroud was able to learn what Will did, even though no one said anything. So the whole time this drunk guy was talking, it's likely that someone was able to hear.

Well, fuck yeah, perhaps we should continue our conversation. And oh, just our curiosity. Is this the first time that the door nod? Has the door Father's ever spoken to? No what? Like at at any point in your any point in your in Ivan's past is this has he ever received like an audible like vision or message from the door father? Not that I can say no. The guidance I seek is usually something worldly, physical. I didn't normally look for a spoken response. Normally the answer to my prayer is feeling the power that we I wield for my weapon or my healing.

Most of us. Wait, I. Hate it when DMS do that. Interesting. Going on. Rolls the dice. You're dead now, sorry. Yeah, it. Turns out you've had an aneurysm. Tanamir and his and his men. They they're agents, shall we say, to Strad. And I, myself and my my computer. It's here we are. Forgive me. My name is Alenka. Over there is my sister Maribel and our associate Ovia. And we are the owners of this establishment. My name is Bondanke. It's a pleasure. It's a. Pleasure. Lady Enfield. Pleasure to be in your land.

Lady. I grab the two women's hands, lay a kiss on each of them and say Anshante. They giggle. I've got game. Elenka, Maribel, and what Sorbia? I've got so much game. Ismark kind of staggers to his feet and makes his way over, and then he looks at them with disdain. Like very obvious, very obvious and very telling that the denizens of Borovia don't like or trust the Vastani. But in cases like this, they will they they put up with them. They're chosen by Strat. So I guess if they fierce Strat, then they would be wary of these people.

Call in this mark, let's let's get you home. You're a little worse for that. What I'm I'm I'm all right, I can. Lord, the weather seems to be. Straggle home it's. It's raining. Incredible. It's raining quite hard, Yeah. As as you guys make to leave Alanka, he grasps he grasps Ivan's arm. If you are looking for answers and if you were through in your quest to destroy this evil that plagues this land, seek out Madam Eva. She is the leader of the Vashtani people in this land and her fortune telling skills are second to none.

She will, in her own way, aid you greatly could. I we know that the Vastani are loyal to Strad, right? Some 5050, some are some. Are it seems like perhaps some? Do we know that though? Or do we just? Think yeah, 'cause he said. OK, are we assuming that these guys aren't loyal to him then? Well, the fact that they know that you're on a mission to kill him and he's like, well, there's there is a Fustani who wore actively helped I. Wanted to do like, I wanted to like Incite to make sure that we're not getting like, oh, double.

Cross, double cross. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. By all means. Where can I find this lady? Your friend Monsieur, to take her sister to Valaki. Last I heard, Madam Eva was camping near the Sur Falls. I. Think first port of call should probably be rest for all of us. And somewhat depleted, yes. Yes, and then perhaps make a game plan tomorrow a travel. Plan good idea? Yes. If you need supplies, the shop across the world Buildrath's Mercantile will aid you in things that. Buildrath. Buildrath. Of buildrath.

That's what he said Builds. Buildrath. Like a bad sailor or something. However, try not to antagonise him too much. He has no other competition in Bolivia. It's his places on nothing. He does not haggle. Bad enough. I'm busy showing off my battle wounds and scars for the two women trying to like, you know, Yeah, I I thought Strada survived of. Course my advantage. Like performance in 920 Why are you rolling again? You're rolling that way they're. Impressed. Yes, incredibly, the past mobile gives you a kiss on the cheek and.

I blush. Sorbia gives you a black rose. So Malice is getting more and more pissed off by the 2nd going to convince you to fall in love with this diamond in the rough? I as we're sort of going to leave, I just want to turn around and I, I, I, I go. I do apologise for my initial rudeness, I the the STANI we came across weren't so truthful. You have a stani. It is a lot in life. I feel like Malice is jealous because they're just paying attention to Will. I'm not. I was rude to them and I as a noble.

You've never apologised to me for being rude. As a noble. Lesser. Than peasant. Well, all. Right, Trump. Thanks. OK, it's Margaret. Let's get you home. We can we can check check out the Giraffes store tomorrow. As you leave, as you leave the Tavern, you go West and you turn down, following Edgemark as you go past, as you go South past the past the Tavern, you come across this this house, this rather like large, large house. The the city. The the city, the village has been quiet as you entered the as you entered before Strad and the Direwolves.

You know you all, you all could hear like loud moaning and crying and I believe last session think it was Malice who asked where this crying was coming from. This is the house where it is coming from. The moaning sobs float through the still grey streets colouring your thoughts with sadness. The sounds flowed in the dark two Storey house. Is is Mark what's going on with this house? Incredibly depressing. Yeah, it's, it's Mad Mary. She's she's been like that for a number of days. No one can seem to wake her out of it.

So what did? You call. Her. She's Mad Mary. That's what everyone calls her. Mad Mary. Mad Mary. And you live in this house? With her, no. And he points farther on down the road. I lived down there. And then he points and you see this like big mansion. You What a beautiful home. Burger Masters Boy My my father was the the, the leader of this town and he he built it. Does that make you the new leader? Probably, I've never really thought about it. Any wrenches and he dry heaves into a Bush. Oh dear.

I feel like maybe the questioning about what happened to his father might have to wait till morning. I think that's reasonable, yes. Let's get him back. A weary looking mansion, Scots behind a rusting iron fence. The iron gates are twisted and torn. The white gate lies cast aside while the left swings lazily in the wind. The stuttering squeal and clang of the gate repeats with mindless precision. Weeds choked the grounds and pressed with menace upon the house itself. Yet against the walls the growth has been tramped down to create a path all about the domain.

Heavy claw markings have stripped the once beautiful finish of the walls. Great black marks tell of the fires that have assailed the mansion. Not a pain nor a Shard of glass stands in any window. All of the windows are barred with planks, each one marked with stains of evil omen. Don't take this wrong way is Mark. It's your house. It's kind of shitty what happened to you. As I said, for the last couple of weeks Strad has been attacking the result of what happens to people when they get when they attract his Lord and Master's attention.

Strad attacked your. House Strad has been attacking my sister Hand House. To get to your sister, I'm assuming? Yes, you cannot get into your house. He's a powerful, powerful man. It feels like you'll be able to get into your home easy enough. You don't know much about about vampires at all, do you? I have not encountered one in the past. If he wasn't invited. Was that actually a thing? That is actually a thing. Well, fuck me. That I I could not fucking believe it either. But yes, that is actually a thing.

It's a real. Downfall. So powerful, so lifting the veil The Curse of Strad, The original The original game of Curse Strad was written in the in the early 80s and Strad is based off of the original iteration of Count Dracula. He turns into mist. He he gets burned by running water. He can't enter a domicile without being invited in silver and silver stakes and like garlic and holy like symbols and stuff like that. Salter is. She not safest in the home if he cannot get in. The times that he has gotten in is because she has answered the door.

And invited him. She has been charmed, she's completely under his control. And as he says that, the door swings open and his sister comes storming out. And where the hell have you been? I've been keeping an eye on our dead father as he is rotting in our fucking living room. I told you three hours ago to go to the priest and get him buried. Why have you not done this? Did she say your father was rotting in the living room? Well, look, I, I bring, I bring friends, I bring travellers. They they promise to take you away from here to receive you, save you from from from Shard to take you to Funaki.

Guys, I know he said the house was free to stay in, but it's got no windows. It's clearly been on fire recently. There's a dead man in the living. Room. It smells. Like I believe the word was rotting. A rotting dead man in the living room. I Perhaps this is not. You have not buried your father. How long ago was his death? No my my poor father died 3 days ago and my lazy off of a brother has done nothing but drink away his sorrows and be too worried about his poor little sister because of one attack.

It's taking me in front of him. Please. It has been. It has been many attacks. Shut up, you drunken fool. You must be lady. I am Adrian Arena, I am the adopted daughter of the Burger Master. Adopted. Adopted Lady Arena, your brother spoke of you when we met him at at the risk of getting him in trouble, we met him with the Tavern the Blood on the Vine, but he's offered he adopted this bed in your. She pushes the She pushes open the inside of the door. I guess you have to forgive the living room. As I did say, Father is still in rest there and we have not yet taken him to a church for burial.

We because someone won't do it. We have. She stares out. She stares out her drunken brother. We happen to be making a stop at the church tomorrow. Perhaps we we could escort your father. The interior of the well mansion of the mansion is well furnished, yet fixtures show signs of great wear, noticeable oddities, the boarded up windows and the presence of holy symbols in every room. The burger master is in a side drawing room on the floor, lying in a simple wooden coffin surrounded by whitening flowers and the faint odour of decay.

Oh. My God, I take a knee by the coffin, place the hand on it, and just ask you a short prayer. Yeah, of rest. I stand at the end and I bow respectfully. What was your father's name? He's Mark, presumably if you were the lesser. No, the reason why he's called his licence because he's been, he's his mark is kind of like a coward and hasn't really done anything. He's literally lived in the shadow of his. Father no longer. Attractive. His mark I don't happen to have. Any worse than a coward? Goddamn it, Get her hand on the burger master's carpet.

See a good burger master? It gives us your name. At the very least, we were able to make a make the coffin for him. These lands, these lands are clouded in fog and darkness, but their own father's light always finds a way for him. And I hope you can find that find rest. Collion. Collion. Collion in Derovich is the name of the Balkan master of just one. Dawn, Father, please diet. I've got some. I've got some salted meats and some ale in the pantry. Make yourself salt. Pork, I think we're going to be OK.

The police have arrived.

Something tells me they're more likely to be on the side of straws in this day and age. I don't. Need to worry about that in the morning. We can, we will take, we will go to the I will go to the church myself and I will betting him myself if I bloody will have to.

Allow us to rest here tonight and we can assist. You can help you move him. Yeah, I can help. Does he have a room that he can go to?

Here's Mark. Here's Mark. Sorry. Yeah, he's fine. He has his own room. OK, can we like usher him up and like. He's Mark. Can we go down to your? Room, I mean, I mean he'll lead you guys upstairs and you are all sent into guest rooms. Mm hmm. Because they're they're very, very basic shoddy guest rooms. The beds, some of the beds are broken, some aren't neon. All of the pillows are like feather down. So you just immediately like sink into it. The windows are bordered up. The candles are like narrow the IT looks like they've been burning for like it looks like they've been burned out for a long time, but no one's bothered to replace them.

The night is yours to do with as you wish. You may sleep request if there's anything that you want to do personally. Yeah, I've had a. Rough 24 hours dump my. Gear on the grounds and then go down to the dining room to get something to eat and drink. Yeah, I'm going to go to the living room. Yeah, yeah, the. Drawing room. I don't want to sit. With the drawing room, we'll just hang out in the kitchen as far as casual. You, you catch you after you, after you've like sent your stuff down. You've gone into the the kitchen.

You catch Irina stocking the fire and she as she like moves the hair away from my neck. You see like a series of puncture wounds on the side of her. Neck arena lady, if you don't mind me asking? You've got a fairly bad looking wound on the side of your neck there. For the last few weeks I have been a target of Strad. Is it normal for him to target a specific person like that? I don't believe so. It's feels feels like a dream. When I think about the attacks, it's it's like I'm not there but at the same time.

Your brother mentioned that he thinks it's because you inhabit the soul of Strad's ex Old love. That's incredibly toxic. Yeah. Do you believe in such a thing? Do you like to be? I just kind of stone faced. Do you actually believe in such a thing? I. Believe in souls. The priest at the church might be better suited for this line of questioning. I think it comes down to a matter of belief. Your brothers asked us to escort you to Balaki, but it seems, well, this is is targeting you here. He knows where you are, obviously, but he's unable to generally unable to gain access here.

Taking you to Araki. Is is this your decision? Is that wise? Is it? Presumably there is a reason. I will not leave Barovia until I see my father laid to arrest in white and ritual that is accommodating to a man of his stature. The village of Borovia is directly underneath his castle. On the clear day, you can see the through you can see through the haze of the fog. The castle Pious Spires. Falaki is far enough away to be outside of his immediate zone of influence. My brother believes I'm going to give it a shot.

I just I won't be leaving until I get my last affairs in order. This is kind of a pivot. When we were in the Tavern talking to the the Vestani, they mentioned that Strad is able to hear see through, and I point to the fire. Have you ever had anything happen? He does not. It is a Festani trick. He can't listen to the fire, no, he listens through the trees, the wolves, the bats, the fog, and then she she vaguely like gestures outside the very mists that cover this town, though the land is as much of A prisoner and the servant to him as we are the.

Land is his. He has very control. Issues. Typical rich guy. How do you how do how do you get protected if it's? All around you. There is a monastery in Varaki. I don't know much more than that, but they say legends. Legends tell of the tale how shortly after the Baron lost his way and was taken by the darkness, they led a raid on his castle. They failed, but apparently it was incredibly close and there has not been a a force of good in Bolovia since he destroyed their temple. But Valaki is one of the only places where their influence can be felt.

So the the monastery is no longer there, but the. As far as I'm aware of, no. Essence of it is. Perhaps. It's more like. The location I have. Been memory maybe? This is the destination I'm being guided to. If you this is not necessarily the church we were looking for here, maybe that was. They might know more. If you walk through the roads at night, you will come across revenants, ghosts, memories of the past. Don't attack them, just watch them, These poor spirits, they will March along and they will try to assail the castle like they did thousands of years ago.

If you say that your Lord has told you to go find a monastery or a church, maybe the armour or the livery of one of these revenants might point you in a better direction. May I just ask when the monastery was destroyed? 400 years ago. My character's gone to bed. Yeah, he's missing all this information. So there's a good chance he's probably going to die again. OK. We appreciate the openness and the information. Yes, despite the darkness that strouds the land, everyone here has been incredibly nearly everyone has been incredibly hospitable so far.

Stroud thinks that he has control over us, and he thinks that he has beaten us to the point of submission. We are Hardy. A lot of us are terrified, and a lot of us have learned to live with the fear. So we are, it's difficult to acquire trust, but my brother says that you're going to lead me to Valaki. And I believe that trust must be gained before the before we make any, before we make any headway. Absolutely. I have to trust you as much as you have to trust me so. We will help play your father's rest, and then we will help protect you on your travels.

There's the least we can do after the hospitality we've been shown. For now, we will leave you to your grieving, I guess. Yeah. Seems like we've got a big day of a lot of leads to pick up on tomorrow, so I will retire. Have a good night, Ivan. And you too, lady. Yeah, I put my hands in my towel and I walk away. Yeah, all right. One hand over my chest. Bow. Have a good night, Lady Elena. I go to bed. Yeah, and I'm assuming we get like eaten by vampires or some bullshit. I just want to stay up for a little bit in the room and you say it's boarded up.

Yeah, the windows are. Boarded up. Is there any like any site? Can I see anything outside? No, you would have to remove the boards to see outside. But it's like a better idea. Yeah, I know. I just, I know you. She spoke about the soles and stuff and I was just curious but. You can take a walk in the gardens like you can, you can go outside like you're in a town. There's there's very little, like there's no danger. I I'm so fucked. Yeah, Yeah, yeah. No, I'm gonna, I'm gonna sleep. I'll. I'm sure I'll see stuff at some point, like it's more than it's more than a day's journey from Borovia to Valaki.

You will be seeing it. OK, cool. That's it's not, it's not something that's that you're likely to miss. You will like you will be seeing it. Never mind. I'm not missing anything. Will and Ivan, you are both tormented throughout the night of visions and nightmares from Strad primarily, primarily because of the wounds that you have suffered throughout the day. When you wake up in the morning, you both have one level of exhaustion. You had a terrible night's rest. What is this but you? But you do have full health and obviously like long as as as is with a long rest, you do have like all of all of your health and spouse, lots of them.

I come down into the kitchen in the morning and I look really well rested. If I if I go to sleep and wake up with the level of exhaustion, how do I stop being exhausted?

Great, eventually. Because it's like the 11/3 Balladin. I can't. You're just going to have to live with it for today. All right, maybe she has. An iced tea, maybe? Really. First off, yesterday you shot him in the end. I I downed my fog potion. Yes, you did. I do have a slight purple tinge to my skin, but great. You feel for lack of about a time you feel lighter in the fog, almost as if there's some sort of like, you know, lower banging or something Cube. I'm. Glowing. How's their bags? Neck hurts 'cause it starts at a weird angle.

Rough sleep. Weirdly enough, this strange house gets teeny attacked by vampires. Got no doors or windows or anything. It's a dead man in the in the living room. I thought it was quite hard to sleep. I'll be honest. What the hell? He kept having terrible nightmares. He was tormenting me. Images of the dorm father of our churches being burned, dismantled. Gosh, yeah, it's the real psycho with the scene. Yeah, that sounds awful. Seems a little unfair. I got that and you didn't. I know, I know. I shot him in the arm.

I mean I my head hit the pillow when I was.

Out also the stories, the stories about all the ghosts and things. Is walking around the rails kind of creepier? You just slept through it, huh? Peace. Peace my. Peace my. This is, it seems a little unreasonable, but fine, fine, right. We have a busy day. We'll we'll I suppose if we had we had to the monastery and prepare them for the Burkmasters burial. Yes, when you when you get to the front door, Irena and is Mark have the coffin. Is Mark has it on his shoulder at the front and Irena has it on hers at the back.

We not have, do we not have like a cart or something that we can use instead? Just no. OK. I go and go behind it's Mark or Arena, but I'm going to put the other, put it on my shoulder as well. I'm too short to help. We'll Oh yeah, I forgot you're. Both shorties. All right. Thanks everyone for listening. I've been. I've been your host. I'm Carl. It's Matt. Hello. It's Maria and Alex. Hey. Hey. Who?

I swear I don't recognise that name. Yeah, right. I thought it was Andre. Yeah. I thought your name was Anthony.

Yeah, like comment, subscribe, do all that nice fun stuff for Spotify. Get in touch with us. We have social media, we have Instagram that will that now has something. It has a picture. We really need to stop pushing our Instagram until it's actually an Instagram. It's. Not no. People will keep looking it up. They'll like us and then one day they'll get a random picture or something. They'll be like fuck is this? You can send us fan art for us to post on our Instagram and we'll credit you. By the time this airs that that picture of us posing in here, we'll be on this last session, we'll be on Instagram.

I'll upload an image of the new title card as well, and I guess maybe the old one perhaps? And we have we have e-mail. We do 6 or 9 [email protected] It's. There we go. So yeah, any any questions? Yeah. Fan art you wanna send in? Oh God, yeah, I really want some fan art. I started drawing I think it was meant to be Rev the other day but I cannot sure to save my life. So I ended up with a very bad stick person, which is horns. And it was like, that's, that's all that we're going to do that. Is Cape.

As long as you put a Cape on it, it will look like. Ribs. I did put a Cape on it. OK, good. I was quite pleased. I I the problem was, was I like basically started to do a face and was trying to work out how to make it wear a hood and have horns at the same time and then just, yeah, gave up. She's got little holes in the hood, yeah. That she hooks on. Oh, right, I see. I was imagining like you pull it forward and then your horns like poke out from the front. All that because they kind of double back.

Right. Yeah. That makes way more sense. But alas, I can't draw. I can be fucking around, but. Yeah. Thanks, Anna. Bye. Bye, podcast out. Use adventurous like yourselves. You might need to start that sentence again. The laptop interrupted you. Adventurous. That's fine. I was giving him an editorial pause that there was enough gap. I understand. I'm sorry. Yeah, my wine cellar. It's a box filled with wine. He has a last name. Where is it? Does it matter? Yeah.

Strahd 4: First Aid

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