The messenger had been a strange one, an outlander there was no doubt of that, a male Halfling who rode low on the saddle along the road, dressed in faded, grubby and colourful garbs, red, greens and purples. He finds you at the crossing of Vatura on the Hill of the Thistle. You had been heading for the town of Martyi, having heard rumours of a tournament that would be held there, but fate it seemed had other plans for you. The messenger spoke with a thick accent, confirming by (mispronounced) names that you where the heroes he sought, before handing over the letter, bound in leather. The parchment is rich and thick, and the penmanship expert, a hand trained by a stern tutor in its youth, wielding a finely crafted pen.<br/><br/><div align="center">*************************************************************</div><br/><em>Hail to thee of might and valour my Lord Baltharius Cinderwrath, my Lord Mekkal Hustra and my Lady Yakin,</em><br/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;"><em>  I, a lowly servant of the township of Barovia, send honour to thee. We plead for thy so desperately needed assistance within our community.<br/><br/>  The love of my life, Ireena Kolyana, has been afflicted by an evil so deadly that even the good people of our town cannot protect her. She languishes from her wound and I would have her saved from this menace. But I fear the only cure lies within the dreaded walls of the castle, were none may enter without risking their lives.<br/><br/>  There is much wealth in this community. I offer all that might be had to thee and they fellows if thou shalt but answer my desperate plea.<br/><br/>  Come quickly, for her time is at hand! All that I have shall be thine!</em></div><br/><div style="text-align: right;"><em>                              Kolyan Indirovich<br/>                              Burgomaster of Barovia</em></div><br/><div align="center">*************************************************************</div><br/>Barovia is an infamous realm, an isolated, haunted region, it is the subject of many ghost tales, the collective of which would have one believe the land is crawling with spirits, wild, bloodthirsty beasts and worse. Everyone knows at least one story about the place, but few have ever visited, for it is out of the way, and carries little of actual interest, no treasure, meagre trade opportunities and even the monsters, whilst scary, are hardly the prey of glory seeker hunters.<br/><br/>From your current location, you will need to travel for three days, however the messenger offers to take you there himself, claiming he can do it in two. Deciding you will answer the call for aid, you set off immediately. At first the road holds strong as you pass through the bleak landscape but your guide soon leads you off the road and onto the brownish grass of the gently rolling slopes that gradually grow higher, becoming hills, with mountains visible in the distance.<br/><br/>In the late afternoon on the second day you find another road, a dirt track, not as travelled as the previous. You follow this as the hours slip by and the sun sets. In the distance a forest is visible, thick and wild, but the path leads you instead towards a village, small wooden houses huddled under a hill with a stone church on top. You are at a bridge over a slow flowing stream where your guide leaves you, heading off the path towards the trees, wishing you luck before galloping away. A mist has set over the land, thin on the open plains, but becoming think in the streets.