At the words "serpent-born," Sezsu's eyes flash and his jaw sets while simultaneously looking awkwardly self-conscious.
"Ah-I-um...don't know what you're talking about. You must be mistaken, my lord. It's clear that while you somehow know our names, you certainly have us confused with some other-""Approach your Lord.” "Hm? Oh sure!"
The young cleric's sour expression shifts noticeably at the summons.
(...and back to the present. Waiting to hear whether we get to repeat the save before continuing.)
Monster! The illusion of a nobleman melted away leaving only the dangerous beast surrounded by its more obvious in their beastly nature pack. Alessa's magic failed tramped by the will of that fiend, and she had to watch in horror as the vampire was feasting on two of her friends.
"Zied, Sezsu..." There was nothing to say now or do, both submitted to Strahd's will. "Ed," finally said Alessa, quietly, hoping hearing the vampire's hearing is not sharp enough to catch her words. "I can move you still far enough, and then join you. I do not know if we can outrun them all but we can try. And then, if we survive," (in her case it was worse but let's not dwell on it now) "we shall think how to... get our friends back".
He reaches out ice-cold hands and clasps Sezsu’s and Zied's shoulders in turn. Leaning in, he whispers something imperceptible in their ear. Then, he moves closer to the carriage before addressing the group once more.
“My dear guests, Lady Tatyana, I regret that I must now depart. Please understand that I would very much enjoy remaining in your company--” He glances up to the overcast sky. “--but this hour of the day, it does wear on one’s mood, and my… vigor for social pleasantries wanes. I assure you that we shall meet again, and I will then endeavor to be more the gracious host. Until then.”
He offers a deep bow, his gaze lingering on Alessa before he steps lightly back into the black carriage. Silently, the door swings closed, and the sable horses kick off at a gentle trot up the eastern path, in the direction of Castle Ravenloft.
The wolves adopt a low stance, as though poised to pounce, and growl menacingly.
Instead of striking, however, they slink backward into the underbrush, disappearing from view.
Ed lets out a low whistle as Strahd departs and the tension dissipates. "Everyone ok?" the question is mostly directed at Sezsu and Zied, though Strahd's strange fascination with Alessa could have been equally disturbing to her. "That was not the meeting I had imagined, though that blood was shed was inevitable I suppose. Those wolves are as unsettling as the rest of the creatures in this land. Lurking in shadows and baying to an unexpected master."
He turns to the others, eyes lingering in the direction of the departing coach a moment longer than the rest of him. "Not what I imagined either... But it was great to finally meet him, wasn't it? Now that all the foreboding mystery's been dispelled with a face-to-face introduction, I, for one, feel much better about our circumstances." He grins more casually than you've seen in days. More or less seeming like his usual self before this debacle began.
"Don't get me wrong... I mean we're still lost and don't even have a lead on how to get home and this place is still as dangerous as ever. But at least we don't have to worry about him anymore, right? We should probably keep going while we still have a little daylight. Need to find a better place to camp. I'd prefer to be a little further from the road but not too far into the wilderness."
The young cleric begins to look around, reorienting himself to his surroundings and nods with recognition as he sees the path the party has been following. He hefts his pack and starts back on the trail.
Alessandra exhaled with ease when it became clear Strahd was not about to take Sezsu and Zied with him. Nor that they will have to run for their lives from the pack of ... no, that creatures were not wolves, but something much more sinister. However, Sezsu's sudden sunny disposition was something as worrisome as those beasts (all of them).
"Right, why would not you be Ok. Sezsu, you and Zied were just bitten by the vampire. Do you mean to tell you truly find it just a friendly introduction?!" He probably did, but it was difficult to believe even knowing the man was under the spell. "I am almost certain he used some charm on you, you should not be Ok with it!" From her side, it was nothing but a silly denial - it is pointless to reason with the bewitched, but one thing is to know, another is to act upon the knowledge. "Zied, do you find it normal and alright too?!"
She sighed, thoroughly defeated. "Let's just get out of here."
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
Zied lingers a moment watching the creatures leave. before pulling a vial out and rubbing it into his neck wound "That. This. was not how I thought today would be." Finishing his self treatment, feeling little nubs and holes in his neck. An odd reminder.
"What? Normal? Nothing is normal in this world. Our host is certain escentric. Grandioise.. and a bit of a drama queen that Strahdy is. Leaves an impression though." At the exapserations he agrees. "Lets get out of here before a bear or werewolves come for the blood..."
Sezsu glances back at Alessa and moves one hand to the side of his neck with a smile.
"What? That? In some places it's customary to kiss a friend on the cheeks. In some you merely shake hands or give a polite nod. 'When in Barovia,' right?" He chuckles and continues walking.
The answer was expected and yet Alessa was still staring silently in disbelief not knowing how to answer that. "He was not embracing you he was feeding on you!"Useless, pointless and could only anger the affected. Alessa shook her head and changed the subject. "Your new best friend called you a serpent-born. What did he mean?" As a road trip conversation, it was no worse or better than any other subject.
Ed eyes Zied and Sezsu vey suspiciously."I fear that my position as the blasé optimist in this group is under threat! Though as much as I find little about this to be entirely normal, Zied is right that this land is indeed strange."
Waiting for Sezsu's answer to Alessa's question about the whole serpent-born thing, which Ed had completely overlooked in the midst of the encounter, he thinks back to the strength of Sezsu's opinions and that the young man is so rarely swayed on his position. "Tell me Sezsu, now we have some time in these lands and a bit more steel to our name, have your thought's on Doru yet changed? Should we pass back that way, your concerns about him have not yet waned I presume?"
The western path begins to climb up at a sharp angle as it begins to switch back to the north and south, leading up you the face of a steep mountain ridge, the crest of which is hidden by low-hanging clouds.
Day 4 - 5:30 p.m.
The climb relents. The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
At your approach, the gates swing open, screeching on their hinges. The sound echoes through the surrounding woods.
(These gates are seemingly identical to those encountered when you first entered Barovia.)
As Ed sees the gates a moment of mixed feeling washes over him, "Ah, those gates... For just a moment I thought they might be a way out of this land. Were that the case though I fear it is something Madam Eva and her troupe would have given us news of. Probably to make us avoid them." He grumbles sullenly. "Though, for as far as we have travelled today they may make a good place to camp. The gates and stonework should offer about the most fortified place to build a camp that we have come across, and I am sorely in need of a good night's sleep!"
He leans in closer to Alessa as they wander closer to the gates, speaking in a hushed tone to avoid his words drifting to their other companions' ears "Plus, I like the idea of being able to put cold iron between ourselves and those two until we've seen more of what Strahd did to them."
"My very thoughts," echoed Alessa the sentiment. "Only I thought the mist played tricks on us, and we made a full circle to enter that cursed lands again."She gave Ed a faint smile. "Guess, you still remain the most optimistic in our small group."
She did not answer his whisper, not in words. Just nodded to his notion. Provided, they will be able to open and close those gates at will (which... could be not the case), having some physical barrier felt safer. Or maybe she just learned the obvious first rule of this land - stay behind the walls.
"Let's get some rest then. We probably just have enough time to get the firewood."There was the matter of watches too and Alessa hoped her solution to the "chicken-fox-grain" puzzle will be accepted. When the fire was built up and rations turned into something more eatable, she said her suggestion to Zied and Sezsu. "You lost some blood. Maybe just go to sleep and let me, Ed and Grano take the watch? He already proved to be trusted in it."
"Your new best friend called you a serpent-born. What did he mean?"
Sezsu chuckles and waves off the clearly jealous jab. "Psh... There will never be room for another best friend while you're still around, Lessa." He winks and smiles. "But that comment was obviously just a playful slight aimed at my affliction. I've been searching for a cure for the dry scaliness of my skin for years. But I know it's something I very well may have to just live with. It's not something I'm very comfortable talking about, but everything's fair game amongst friends, right?" He smiles again and continues waking, clearly thinking the explanation to be sufficient.
"Tell me Sezsu, now we have some time in these lands and a bit more steel to our name, have your thought's on Doru yet changed? Should we pass back that way, your concerns about him have not yet waned I presume?"
A glint flickers in Sezsu's eye at the mention of Doru's name and he sets his jaw. "No. My resolve has not wavered. An abomination he remains and will need to be dealt with, whether by us or others. The only other eventuality is that he gets free and wreaks even more havoc on those poor people." He looks to Ed, brow furrowed. "Why do you ask that now that we're so far from the village? Have you changed your mind? We can always go back if need be..."
(Back to the present!)
With hands on hips, the young man leans back and whistles softly, looking up at the statues and gate towering over them. Turning to regard the group he asks, "Is it weird to any of you that these gateways are identical? I mean, not just in design but in their partial destruction?" He jerks his head toward one of the giant stone craniums on the ground. "I mean if they're just going to reuse resources, they could at least throw in a palette swap or something..." He trails off in thought before perking back up."But don't you guys remember when we first got to Barovia? The village was just a short walk beyond the gates. This is probably just the entryway to Vallaki! Wouldn't it be a better idea to press on a little longer and find an inn rather than another night on the hard ground, keeping watch for who knows what?" He bounces on the balls of his feet in obvious anticipation of getting to their destination.
Upon seeing the large gates again, "The others didn't open right, even when we tried to find the controls? Do you think they lead away-or do you think this country is chunked into territories partitioned by the walls?" As the gates shutter open, "...So do we want to see whats going on there? I wonder if they open now due to the "Greetings" we recieved from the country's host. or if the guardsman still man these gates?"
While Zied has still been wary of the local flora, fauna and such. he has been noticably less paranoid in the hours that they've walked.
(Answering the questions asked before is a very good thing! Please, keep it this way!)
That was a good point, about the guard. Obedient to the mental request, the little owl took to the air and flew around the gates, searching for any signs of life. Alessa froze in place looking through the eyes of her familiar while it was possible. When (if) it became clear the group was alone on the road, she spoke again. "What does the map say? I do not remember gates on it but as I recall, we were supposed to spend a day and a half on the road, meaning, Vallaki is still far away. If this is the case, I would rather make a camp here."
A glint flickers in Sezsu's eye at the mention of Doru's name and he sets his jaw. "No. My resolve has not wavered. An abomination he remains and will need to be dealt with, whether by us or others. The only other eventuality is that he gets free and wreaks even more havoc on those poor people." He looks to Ed, brow furrowed. "Why do you ask that now that we're so far from the village? Have you changed your mind? We can always go back if need be..."
"Ah... I... err... well, I reminded myself of the funeral and then the zealous fervor that the Father worked himself up into when we tried to broach the subject of Doru." Ed stammers slightly when Sezsu asks though the confidence builds as he speaks further, "It was not timely of us to depart with the danger still looming but I see little good were we to now take time retracing our steps."
The thought of walled principalities sends a shudder down Ed's spine, "If this were to protect Vallaki, then would we not have passed one leaving Barovia village?" Ed's brow furrows, deep in consternation as he carries his thoughts on, "What was it the Vistani told us of the land before Strahd? I don't recall tales of a powerful land brought low. That such small villages would need to have such great defences built seems contrary to what we have seen of this place. I mean, they are clearly old structures these gates but we have seen little about the land that would warrant their construction so far." He pauses, realising that he hasn't quite gotten to where he wanted to take the thought but that he doesn't actually know where that was. "I guess I just don't understand what such elaborate structures are doing here."
"Well, lets see if the gates have any opening for personnel... If we can climb the gates we might be able to guage how far away we are from my villages. Further. If there is a smaller person gate, we could camp inside and bar the entry way. " pointing at the other three briefly, "Historically-camping out in the middle of no where has ended up with me guarding several of you dreamweavers. So, I'm all for having a wall to help with that."
If no opposition is forth coming, Zied picks up the speed with the others in a jog-trot closer to the wall. Looking for what he assumes would have to be a maitnance doorway or entry way for working the gates. "Gather info first, decide with information."
(Taking a quick step back a few moments...)
At the words "serpent-born," Sezsu's eyes flash and his jaw sets while simultaneously looking awkwardly self-conscious.
"Ah-I-um...don't know what you're talking about. You must be mistaken, my lord. It's clear that while you somehow know our names, you certainly have us confused with some other-" "Approach your Lord.” "Hm? Oh sure!"
The young cleric's sour expression shifts noticeably at the summons.
(...and back to the present. Waiting to hear whether we get to repeat the save before continuing.)
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Monster! The illusion of a nobleman melted away leaving only the dangerous beast surrounded by its more obvious in their beastly nature pack. Alessa's magic failed tramped by the will of that fiend, and she had to watch in horror as the vampire was feasting on two of her friends.
"Zied, Sezsu..." There was nothing to say now or do, both submitted to Strahd's will. "Ed," finally said Alessa, quietly, hoping hearing the vampire's hearing is not sharp enough to catch her words. "I can move you still far enough, and then join you. I do not know if we can outrun them all but we can try. And then, if we survive," (in her case it was worse but let's not dwell on it now) "we shall think how to... get our friends back".
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Strahd stops laughing, suddenly growing deadly serious.
He reaches out ice-cold hands and clasps Sezsu’s and Zied's shoulders in turn. Leaning in, he whispers something imperceptible in their ear. Then, he moves closer to the carriage before addressing the group once more.
“My dear guests, Lady Tatyana, I regret that I must now depart. Please understand that I would very much enjoy remaining in your company--” He glances up to the overcast sky. “--but this hour of the day, it does wear on one’s mood, and my… vigor for social pleasantries wanes. I assure you that we shall meet again, and I will then endeavor to be more the gracious host. Until then.”
He offers a deep bow, his gaze lingering on Alessa before he steps lightly back into the black carriage. Silently, the door swings closed, and the sable horses kick off at a gentle trot up the eastern path, in the direction of Castle Ravenloft.
The wolves adopt a low stance, as though poised to pounce, and growl menacingly.
Instead of striking, however, they slink backward into the underbrush, disappearing from view.
Ed lets out a low whistle as Strahd departs and the tension dissipates. "Everyone ok?" the question is mostly directed at Sezsu and Zied, though Strahd's strange fascination with Alessa could have been equally disturbing to her. "That was not the meeting I had imagined, though that blood was shed was inevitable I suppose. Those wolves are as unsettling as the rest of the creatures in this land. Lurking in shadows and baying to an unexpected master."
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Sezsu shrugs. "Yeah, why wouldn't we be?"
He turns to the others, eyes lingering in the direction of the departing coach a moment longer than the rest of him. "Not what I imagined either... But it was great to finally meet him, wasn't it? Now that all the foreboding mystery's been dispelled with a face-to-face introduction, I, for one, feel much better about our circumstances." He grins more casually than you've seen in days. More or less seeming like his usual self before this debacle began.
"Don't get me wrong... I mean we're still lost and don't even have a lead on how to get home and this place is still as dangerous as ever. But at least we don't have to worry about him anymore, right? We should probably keep going while we still have a little daylight. Need to find a better place to camp. I'd prefer to be a little further from the road but not too far into the wilderness."
The young cleric begins to look around, reorienting himself to his surroundings and nods with recognition as he sees the path the party has been following. He hefts his pack and starts back on the trail.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Alessandra exhaled with ease when it became clear Strahd was not about to take Sezsu and Zied with him. Nor that they will have to run for their lives from the pack of ... no, that creatures were not wolves, but something much more sinister. However, Sezsu's sudden sunny disposition was something as worrisome as those beasts (all of them).
"Right, why would not you be Ok. Sezsu, you and Zied were just bitten by the vampire. Do you mean to tell you truly find it just a friendly introduction?!" He probably did, but it was difficult to believe even knowing the man was under the spell. "I am almost certain he used some charm on you, you should not be Ok with it!" From her side, it was nothing but a silly denial - it is pointless to reason with the bewitched, but one thing is to know, another is to act upon the knowledge. "Zied, do you find it normal and alright too?!"
She sighed, thoroughly defeated. "Let's just get out of here."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Zied lingers a moment watching the creatures leave. before pulling a vial out and rubbing it into his neck wound "That. This. was not how I thought today would be." Finishing his self treatment, feeling little nubs and holes in his neck. An odd reminder.
"What? Normal? Nothing is normal in this world. Our host is certain escentric. Grandioise.. and a bit of a drama queen that Strahdy is. Leaves an impression though." At the exapserations he agrees. "Lets get out of here before a bear or werewolves come for the blood..."
9 Elixir Healing
Sezsu glances back at Alessa and moves one hand to the side of his neck with a smile.
"What? That? In some places it's customary to kiss a friend on the cheeks. In some you merely shake hands or give a polite nod. 'When in Barovia,' right?" He chuckles and continues walking.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
The answer was expected and yet Alessa was still staring silently in disbelief not knowing how to answer that. "He was not embracing you he was feeding on you!" Useless, pointless and could only anger the affected. Alessa shook her head and changed the subject. "Your new best friend called you a serpent-born. What did he mean?" As a road trip conversation, it was no worse or better than any other subject.
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
Ed eyes Zied and Sezsu vey suspiciously. "I fear that my position as the blasé optimist in this group is under threat! Though as much as I find little about this to be entirely normal, Zied is right that this land is indeed strange."
Waiting for Sezsu's answer to Alessa's question about the whole serpent-born thing, which Ed had completely overlooked in the midst of the encounter, he thinks back to the strength of Sezsu's opinions and that the young man is so rarely swayed on his position. "Tell me Sezsu, now we have some time in these lands and a bit more steel to our name, have your thought's on Doru yet changed? Should we pass back that way, your concerns about him have not yet waned I presume?"
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
The western path begins to climb up at a sharp angle as it begins to switch back to the north and south, leading up you the face of a steep mountain ridge, the crest of which is hidden by low-hanging clouds.
Day 4 - 5:30 p.m.
The climb relents. The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
At your approach, the gates swing open, screeching on their hinges. The sound echoes through the surrounding woods.
(These gates are seemingly identical to those encountered when you first entered Barovia.)
As Ed sees the gates a moment of mixed feeling washes over him, "Ah, those gates... For just a moment I thought they might be a way out of this land. Were that the case though I fear it is something Madam Eva and her troupe would have given us news of. Probably to make us avoid them." He grumbles sullenly. "Though, for as far as we have travelled today they may make a good place to camp. The gates and stonework should offer about the most fortified place to build a camp that we have come across, and I am sorely in need of a good night's sleep!"
He leans in closer to Alessa as they wander closer to the gates, speaking in a hushed tone to avoid his words drifting to their other companions' ears "Plus, I like the idea of being able to put cold iron between ourselves and those two until we've seen more of what Strahd did to them."
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
"My very thoughts," echoed Alessa the sentiment. "Only I thought the mist played tricks on us, and we made a full circle to enter that cursed lands again." She gave Ed a faint smile. "Guess, you still remain the most optimistic in our small group."
She did not answer his whisper, not in words. Just nodded to his notion. Provided, they will be able to open and close those gates at will (which... could be not the case), having some physical barrier felt safer. Or maybe she just learned the obvious first rule of this land - stay behind the walls.
"Let's get some rest then. We probably just have enough time to get the firewood." There was the matter of watches too and Alessa hoped her solution to the "chicken-fox-grain" puzzle will be accepted. When the fire was built up and rations turned into something more eatable, she said her suggestion to Zied and Sezsu. "You lost some blood. Maybe just go to sleep and let me, Ed and Grano take the watch? He already proved to be trusted in it."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
(Sorry to take a step back in time again. It's been a hectic couple days...again...still...?)
Sezsu chuckles and waves off the clearly jealous jab. "Psh... There will never be room for another best friend while you're still around, Lessa." He winks and smiles. "But that comment was obviously just a playful slight aimed at my affliction. I've been searching for a cure for the dry scaliness of my skin for years. But I know it's something I very well may have to just live with. It's not something I'm very comfortable talking about, but everything's fair game amongst friends, right?" He smiles again and continues waking, clearly thinking the explanation to be sufficient.
A glint flickers in Sezsu's eye at the mention of Doru's name and he sets his jaw. "No. My resolve has not wavered. An abomination he remains and will need to be dealt with, whether by us or others. The only other eventuality is that he gets free and wreaks even more havoc on those poor people." He looks to Ed, brow furrowed. "Why do you ask that now that we're so far from the village? Have you changed your mind? We can always go back if need be..."
(Back to the present!)
With hands on hips, the young man leans back and whistles softly, looking up at the statues and gate towering over them. Turning to regard the group he asks, "Is it weird to any of you that these gateways are identical? I mean, not just in design but in their partial destruction?" He jerks his head toward one of the giant stone craniums on the ground. "I mean if they're just going to reuse resources, they could at least throw in a palette swap or something..." He trails off in thought before perking back up. "But don't you guys remember when we first got to Barovia? The village was just a short walk beyond the gates. This is probably just the entryway to Vallaki! Wouldn't it be a better idea to press on a little longer and find an inn rather than another night on the hard ground, keeping watch for who knows what?" He bounces on the balls of his feet in obvious anticipation of getting to their destination.
Characters currently being ruined on this forum:
Neria Tallfellow (Halfling Rogue) - Curse of the Crimson Throne with Ashen_Age
Upon seeing the large gates again, "The others didn't open right, even when we tried to find the controls? Do you think they lead away-or do you think this country is chunked into territories partitioned by the walls?" As the gates shutter open, "...So do we want to see whats going on there? I wonder if they open now due to the "Greetings" we recieved from the country's host. or if the guardsman still man these gates?"
While Zied has still been wary of the local flora, fauna and such. he has been noticably less paranoid in the hours that they've walked.
(Answering the questions asked before is a very good thing! Please, keep it this way!)
That was a good point, about the guard. Obedient to the mental request, the little owl took to the air and flew around the gates, searching for any signs of life. Alessa froze in place looking through the eyes of her familiar while it was possible. When (if) it became clear the group was alone on the road, she spoke again. "What does the map say? I do not remember gates on it but as I recall, we were supposed to spend a day and a half on the road, meaning, Vallaki is still far away. If this is the case, I would rather make a camp here."
Meili Liang Lvl 5 Monk
Dice
"Ah... I... err... well, I reminded myself of the funeral and then the zealous fervor that the Father worked himself up into when we tried to broach the subject of Doru." Ed stammers slightly when Sezsu asks though the confidence builds as he speaks further, "It was not timely of us to depart with the danger still looming but I see little good were we to now take time retracing our steps."
The thought of walled principalities sends a shudder down Ed's spine, "If this were to protect Vallaki, then would we not have passed one leaving Barovia village?" Ed's brow furrows, deep in consternation as he carries his thoughts on, "What was it the Vistani told us of the land before Strahd? I don't recall tales of a powerful land brought low. That such small villages would need to have such great defences built seems contrary to what we have seen of this place. I mean, they are clearly old structures these gates but we have seen little about the land that would warrant their construction so far." He pauses, realising that he hasn't quite gotten to where he wanted to take the thought but that he doesn't actually know where that was. "I guess I just don't understand what such elaborate structures are doing here."
Bring out your inner chatacter class...
Alessa, through Grano, does not notice anyone or anything else around the gates. It seems you are alone...
"Well, lets see if the gates have any opening for personnel... If we can climb the gates we might be able to guage how far away we are from my villages. Further. If there is a smaller person gate, we could camp inside and bar the entry way. " pointing at the other three briefly, "Historically-camping out in the middle of no where has ended up with me guarding several of you dreamweavers. So, I'm all for having a wall to help with that."
If no opposition is forth coming, Zied picks up the speed with the others in a jog-trot closer to the wall. Looking for what he assumes would have to be a maitnance doorway or entry way for working the gates. "Gather info first, decide with information."
Zied cannot locate a ladder or stairwall on this side of the wall. However, he can see through the now-open gates...
...to observe the mist, which obscures everything beyond about fifty yards ahead.