VIBI-01

Link to episode on Spotify.

### Summary

In horror Tiefany Grace and Ser Hecktor the Beautiful watched. Unable to stop the strange otherworldly and inky black entity as it consumed Hecktor's once childhood idol and Tiefany's father, Ser Jordan Grace. Whatever foul rot la y within Fairburn Point seeped to its core and their only option was to flee. In the Capital a plan was hatched: Tiefany would go one way to gather the wealth of friend and family, and Hecktor would go another to find an army.

You can follow Tiefany's story in Once Upon a Time in Zombie Plagued Chult or witness Ser Grace's downfall in The Search for A'Helm.

In this episode, Hecktor re-invents himself, gets saved by a chicken farmer and learns what a Direst Wolf is.

### Intro

> *“Though you may not see water for miles around you can consider yourself trapped. The mists that encircle us are like prison walls. And who is the warden of this prison you ask? None other than the wonderful, the terrible, the powerful Baron Strahd von Zarovich. And the only way to leave this place is to kill him or die…”*
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### Recap

Early in the morning, the 45 year old Dragonborn Pip Mandarin is awakened to the sounds of snarling and barking and a humanoid screaming in the distance. Looking westward toward the great fog wall at the boundary of Barovia he sees several small figures in the distance.

Dressed only in his sleeping clothes and a tattered dressing gown, he pulls on his boots, grabs his crossbow, and steps outside, where he can make out five wolf-like figures chasing a humanoid figure.

This figure is Hecktor the Beautiful, a 26 year old Aasimar Paladin who has been running from the wolves for approximately an hour. He too is dressed only in smallclothes, and barefoot.

Pip quickly works out that these are five Direst Wolves and attacks, hitting one with two crossbow bolts. It howls and the wolves leave off the chase. Pip recognises the Direst Wolf he shot, mainly from the multiple other bolts embedded in its side, as Boris. While winding up to take another shot, Pip’s crossbow string snaps. Boris notices this and indicates to the other wolves to give chase again. During the brief interval, Hecktor heals himself with Healing Hands.1 Pip calls for Hecktor to follow him to his shack.

As they run for safety, they pass Pip’s planter boxes – one of pumpkins, one of turnips, and two empty, emblematic of the harsh environment of Barovia – and his chicken coop, which is covered in a substantial amount of blood, and is evidently perpetually under siege. Inside the coop is a single remaining resident – Pop the Chicken.

The shack bears a significant number of claw marks. Pip and Hecktor make it to the relative safety of the shack as the wolves continue to howl, and Pip confusingly instructs Hecktor to both look for a mace, and read a passage from a book: Emanuel deMonster: Dark Places Edition. Hecktor manages to flip through the book while simultaneously looking for the weapon.

This bestiary is arranged not alphabetically, but instead by “monsters you are likely to encounter first” and wolves are thankfully the first entry.

> “The direst of wolves may be known by their howl. Should you consider or encounter the noise with which the wolf is known before the wolf itself, then consider thyself before the direst of wolves. From there, to ensure it is not simply a normal wolf impersonating a Direst wolf one will need to wait until sighting said beast. Once this is the case search the wolf for Direst markings: armoured snout, spikey hair, mean and bloody eyes, unusual size (big not small), and clever brain. If you sight more than two you should consider a wolf of Direst proportions.”
> -Emanuel deMonster on Direst Wolves
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The two continue to scramble for the mace (and Pip indicates that there is also a dagger somewhere, but it is pointless to try and find it). (At this point the players give a brief thought to the welfare of Pop. “The chicken, Adam, can take care of itself.”)

Unwisely, Pip opens the door and receives a swipe from a Direst Wolf claw, dealing 15 damage to him. He manages to disengage before being dragged outside and closes the door again.

After the wolves finally give up their siege, the two survivors check the damage outside. The pumpkins are unsalvageable, and the turnips are damaged and must be cooked immediately. As the two attempt to make a palatable turnip soup, they introduce themselves.

Hecktor names himself "Hecktor Dragonsbane," and explains that sometime last night or early in the morning he was packing up his camp when his horse started to wander away, and a strange, raggedy, barefoot man appeared. Interrupting, Pip asks if this happened in Barovia, which elicits a confused response from Hecktor, who claims that last night he was in Jarren's Outpost. The strange man suggested Hecktor could find the army he was searching for if he followed him, then suddenly laughed, told him to run, and transformed into a wolf, and chased Hecktor, who “flew away” and climbed a tree. At this point, a strange cloud of bats attacked him causing him to fall out of the tree, which apparently is what alerted the Direst Wolves to his presence, and he had been running ever since.

Pip concludes that it was a druid who led Hecktor to Barovia, and then gives a prepared introductory script he has clearly used several times before:

> *“Though you see no water for miles around you are like me nonetheless marooned. We are castaways in this terrible bad dream somebody decided to name ‘Barovia’. To switch up the metaphor, we are imprisoned, and the fog is the bars of our cell, and our jailor is Baron Von Strahd” he indicates to the castle. “As far as I know there is no way to escape other than, possibly, by dying. Maybe by being eaten by a wolf let’s say!”*
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Pip explains that a wall of fog extends from the forest upwards, blocking sight beyond a certain point. When asked what happens when someone goes into the fog, he explains that mostly he hears the person scream and they are never seen again.

As Pip talks, Hecktor explores the kitchen looking for ingredients (other than “turnips and water”) to enhance the soup. He fails to find anything other than Pip’s Alchemical ingredients.

Pip, apparently an Alchemist, begins the game with the following ingredients (all meticulously labelled with impeccable handwriting):

* 1 vial of Akhegg (sp?) Acid
* 1 Direst Wolf heart (still beating)
* 2 doses of Ecto Bloom (in a little bowl)
* 2 doses of Ooze Sweat (seemingly moving around inside a jar)
* 1 Formorian Eye
* 5 doses of Raven Feathers (in a jar)
* 1 diamond
* 2 emeralds
* 1 ruby

(Wiki Writer's Note: Adam Carnevale has homebrewed a set of rules for Alchemical concoctions which he intends to release at some unknown point in the future. This Campaign follows those rules, which are not part of standard DnD 5E rules.)

Finding no apparently edible ingredients, Hecktor politely asks to sit, and Pip gruffly responds “I’m not the boss of the ground. Sorry, not the boss of the steps.” As Hecktor sits on a step he asks if there is anyone who ever leaves Barovia. Pip explains that there are a group of people called the [[Vistani]] who seem to be able to come and go as they please, but no one else can do so.

Seemingly unwilling to reveal more, Pip goes out to search Pop’s coop for some eggs. The fierce chicken is sitting on two eggs and refuses to give them up.

Hecktor asks Pip if he knows Candor, which “has seen better days,” or Fairburn Point which is “under a corruption,” explaining that he was on a mission to seek out an army to confront said corruption. After confirming his basic familiarity with both, Pip points out that Hecktor is “a bit young for a general” but Hecktor counters that he was the only one available to do the job. He and his party, which included Ser Jordan Grace and his daughter2 went in search of a Seer who can predict the future3 but said Seer was possessed by a malevolent force. In attempting to free the Seer, Sir Grace became controlled by this malevolent force. Sir Grace’s daughter went to secure funds to help raise an army against this force, while Hecktor went to find help. After going back to his order to seek more information, and finding “a rather large evil down there” but also finding that his order is preoccupied with a war being waged with Bluebeach, the head of Hecktor’s order wished him luck and dismissed him.

As Hecktor tells his tale, the two attempt to down the soup, which tastes of “turnips and wolf piss.”

Pip advises Hecktor to go to a town called Vallaki. He notes silently to himself that the nearest settlement to them is actually Krezk, but they won’t let Pip in unless he completes the task of killing some werewolves.

Pip then notes that the mace Hecktor has been holding now glows with Holy Light. He again notes silently to himself that most holy or divinely powered people lose contact with their deity upon entering Barovia. He asks if Hecktor is a “holy man,” prompting the latter to offer healing magic for Pip, who turns it down. Hecktor confides that he is a member of the Order of the Cloth and can do Divine Magic.

Pip offers to take Hecktor to Vallaki as a guide if Hecktor helps with something. Hecktor distractedly agrees, then wonders aloud about whether Strahd, who apparently holds the “keys” to their “prison,” can be reasoned with. Pip advises against it, admitting that if he were defeated everyone might be able to leave Barovia, but “he cannot be defeated.”

Around this time the sounds of bells, drumming, and singing come from somewhere North of Pip’s camp, who knows it is the Vistani group that travels with [[Madam Eva]], passing by as they follow a road to the North. He knows that they deliberately seek out people new in Barovia, and that Madam Eva especially likes to encounter newcomers.

When Hecktor asks about the Vistani, Pip explains that Madam Eva is a kind of fortune teller who can supposedly see the future by reading Tarokka Cards. He gets out a set of said cards and shows them to Hecktor, explaining that the reading is a scam that includes a series of tasks that will ultimately prove impossible. He seems disproportionately angry about this.

Hecktor notices the titles of certain cards: “Raven,” “Feather,” “Mirror,” “The Skull,” “The Saint,” “The Sun,” “The Fall,” and others, and the images on the cards appear briefly to move.

Pip repeats that as Hecktor can do Divine Magic, he has a favour to ask. Hecktor again agrees.

Pip provides Hecktor with his threadbare, dirty gardening clothes to cover his modesty.

Pip then explains that he wants to gain entry to a town called Krezk, but that when he requested entry the guards asked his name, then demanded he deal with a werewolf problem in exchange for entry to the city. He has done a little work on the problem already, including tracking the werewolves to a cave where they live. He knows the pack is too big to handle on his own, especially without Divine magic. Hecktor confides that although he has not fought a werewolf, he has fought a werebear and a wererat. Pip explains that there is a “small insignificant werewolf problem that needs taking care of.”

Small or not, Hecktor is undeniably poorly equipped to fight anything, and as the sounds of the Vistani grow nearer, he wonders if they might be able to sell him weapons or armour. Pip explains this is possible, that they do often sell things, and they are the only people who can provide items from outside of Barovia. He shows Hecktor some strawberry seeds, which have never grown, muttering “I would kill for a strawberry.”

Checking what he has on his person, Hecktor finds the following (other than the underclothes he is dressed in):

* A belt
* A money pouch with 5 Gold coins.
* A water skin
* His amulet/holy symbol
* A block of incense, apparently grabbed in panic

Before proceeding to consult with the Vistani, Hecktor offers advice on how to deal with an unruly chicken, suggesting that he exchange the eggs for egg sized rocks, a tactic Pip has already tried.

The Vistani procession comprises four wagons. As Hecktor approaches they halt and a Vistana greets him affably. Hecktor introduces himself, and the wagons pull to the side of the road. Twelve Vistani, dressed in a loud hodgepodge of colours and patterns, and all bearing musical instruments (bells, drums, a lute, a lyre, and a pan flute) emerge from the wagons and continue playing, apparently two or three different songs simultaneously. The smell of rum and wine wafts past, and Hecktor is handed a goblet of wine and some warm bread.

The Vistani explain that their custom when meeting new people is to exchange stories, asking Hecktor for a tale; one young Vistana asks for “Heroics” as the rest cheer.

As they quiet down, Hecktor tells them a story, marvelling at how the Vistani’s music seems to follow his story:

> Once upon a time three fierce dragons guarded a treasure. A brave knight went to confront them. Along the way he met a Leper King. He also encountered a fair maiden, fishing in a stream, not for fish but for her father’s boot, which had magical properties that would allow the wearer to fly. He helps the maiden retrieve the boot, and she allows him to use it on his quest. Now able to fly, the knight slays not just three but also the fourth hidden dragon. When he gains access to the treasure, he finds that it is the old man’s second boot. He returns the boots to the maiden, who takes him to her father, the two are married, and the story ends with a feast consisting of wine and warm bread.
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(Note: this story bears some distant similarities to certain versions of the Holy Grail stories.)

The story takes approximately 10 minutes to tell, and while told well, would certainly not have been as good without the backing music of the Vistani.

(For this story the Player is awarded a Good Boy Card, which allows him to ignore some damage.)

The older Vistana who offered Hecktor the bread and wine stands and it is apparent everyone knows the tale he’s about to tell, but are nonetheless eager to hear it. It is told as though the Vistana witnessed it first hand:

> Only a year ago a mighty wizard came to Barovia, and stood exactly where Hecktor stands now, a charismatic man who might rally the people against the Devil Strahd. He stirred the people with thoughts of a revolt and took them to the castle en masse. The peasant army fled in terror because they had no general. The wizard inspired the troops but the general leads them. Some stood their ground and were never seen again. The Wizard and Vampire cast spells at each other, flying from the courtyards of Ravenloft to the Precipice of the falls. Thunder shook the mountainside and rocks tumbled down on the wizard, lightning from the heavens struck the wizard, when Strahd fell upon him he couldn’t defeat him, and was thrown 1000 feet to his death. The wizard cried out the name of the general who had forsaken him: “MANDARIN!!!”
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As the Vistani applaud, Hecktor’s insight tells him that while the story is embellished a bit, it seems to be true, and Hecktor believes the Vistana when he says he was there.

Somewhat crudely, Hecktor mentions that he thought the Vistani worked for Strahd, finding it odd that these Vistani apparently call him “the Devil.” The storyteller, whose name is [[Jackson Baly]]4 explains “We are a complicated people,” then explains that Madam Eva would like to see him now.

As they move to the rear wagon, Jackson advises “eat, drink, and be merry while you can.”

Inside the wagon is lit with a reddish glow; at a low table covered with a black velvet cloth sits an old woman, leaning over a crystal ball.

She greets him as "Hecktor the Beautiful" and bits him to sit down.

Meanwhile back at the shack, Pip is attempting to face down Pop, knowing that if he forces the eggs now the chicken will make him pay for it later. Eventually he uses the wooden end of a rake to force Pop off the eggs, grabbing them with some difficulty. Pop sets about squawking for the next hour.

Putting the eggs in the house for later consumption, Pip sets about concocting an alchemical potion – an adhesive for his arrows which increases accuracy and gives radiant damage, using 1 dose of Raven Feathers, 1 dose of Ankhegg Acid, and some water. He also fixes his crossbow string.

Madam Eva tells Hecktor “The Druids of this land cannot be trusted. But one does not need to see the future to know that.”

She then declares to Hecktor: “You are here for a purpose. You think yourself searching for an army, but that is not your purpose here.”

### Notes

1Hecktor Offers Healing Hands to Pip despite having already used it once on himself??

2Previous Campaign, The Search for A'Helm

3Keaning mentioned here(?)

4An inside joke, as this is the name of one of the Players.