Zied recieved the pie, as the others did, although he had little intention to eat it. He had decided to examine it later however, after the mention of "magic" and "witches"  following Alessandra's lead, and stowing it for now "Thank you kindly miss."   At Alessandra's aside, "Continue that line of thought later."

Finding himself curious, the local populace fearing the area, but does that mean they only came for him there-or anywhere he was? "May I ask, did he die in the home then, and buried ? Or simply vanish and assumed dead?"  Zied pried for more infomation.  Wondering if the body in the woods is related, or is Indirovich.

(Did the corpse in the wood "have a belly" GM? I have a "picture" of his face to an extent, but not sure if Zied wants to show a corpse picture to a kindly meat pie vendor granny..)

"From how you phrase it Granny, it sounds like they towns folk may not have ventured into the house to recover the body - or identify it - at all." Ed looks somewhat troubled by this, shaking his head at the thought that the folks were too scared of what happened to risk venturing forth.

Ed: How about yourself Granny, is that just an affectation, or do you have family in these parts?"

“Goodness me, yes.  I’ve two daughters, who live and work at our bakery not too far from town.  It’s the old windmill, in fact.”

Ed: "You say there are Vistani at the tavern, this blood of the Vine Tavern you mentioned? Are there many in the village then?"

“Indeed.  You’ll find Vistani nigh every place you look.  But most prefer living on the road, in camps that spring up like mushrooms after rain.”

Zied: "May I ask, did [the burgomaster] die in the home then, and buried ? Or simply vanish and assumed dead?"

Ed: "From how you phrase it Granny, it sounds like they towns folk may not have ventured into the house to recover the body - or identify it - at all."

Granny chuckles.  “Not vanished, no.  That’d be a feat!  No, his body is still at his home, awaiting burial.  But not have dared approach to bear the casket.  His poor son alone tends to him, but none have offered their aid.  I think they should hurry, don’t you think?  A body can’t stay...fresh...very long?”

(Zied, no, remains of the body in the woods did not seem to be an overweight individual.)

Ed smiles a genuine smile at the old lady, "Perhaps our duties will bring us out to the windmill and we can sample some more of your tasty wares." Looking to his companions, Ed lays out the choices, as plain as he see's it "So, friends, unless you all have more to question this good lady with, I feel we have two choices for an immediate course. First, to the tavern, where Vistani, merriment, and possible rooms await us. Second, to the house of the former Burgomeister, to investigate these rumours and see what aid we can offer the son. I vote the house."

"Thank you again, Granny." Alessa smiled warmly to the old lady but became serious contemplating Ed's questions. "I would be more inclined to visit the tavern first. Too many things we do not know and can learn there. For once, what kind of "other things" and animals are attacking the burgomaster's house. There also could be Vistani there - those we are searching for. And finally, we can secure those rooms you are talking about and then see if we can do something for the most important and yet for some reason abandoned person in this town. Not saying we should ignore the problem, just that we might want to prepare before going anywhere."

Looking over, you see that Sezsu has somehow already finished his entire meat pie and is brushing stray crumbs from his tunic.

"Yeah that sounds good and all. But at some point we should probably look into rearming ourselves. While I can take care of myself well enough, I never feel quite right without a dagger hidden somewhere."

He frowns thoughtfully. "Granny, might there be any others around as kindhearted as yourself who might be willing to lend us some supplies while we are here? We were apparently dispossessed of our armor and weapons in our sleep on the way here and, if the area is as wild as you make it out to be, we'd best be prepared. Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of coin at the moment as I didn't expect to need it on this trip." Sezsu looks at the others out of the corner of his eye.

Zied's pie fully stowed for later evalutation-or for others, Zied offers his input when called upon. "Off hand, I would say a burial is advisable soon. Corpses are dirty, sickness can spread rapidly. As well as attract unhappy tidings as well as a curse."  When Seszu sideeyes for coinage, Zied shrugs-having the barest of silvers on him. 

"We should sleep soon, but we may not afford the tavern.  We could stop briefly and inquire... if the Son hasn't died in the home at worst we could see if we could exchange loggings in exchange for burial rights. It would solve several issues-We should avoid being cursed if such is a danger. Or mayhap there are odd jobs we could do in exchange for someone around here. Work to eat, work to sleep. Such is the life of a wunderlust adventurer."   

"Now THAT'S a pragmatic use of funeral rites, my friend! I can get behind that." Sezsu smiles and winks at Ed.

Alessa sighed ("working for food" was part of the deal, true, but it did not mean she had to like it) and nodded "Still think stopping at the tavern first could be useful - if the corpse was decaying for days, one hour or even two would not make much difference. But I hear your argument - after all, the son of the burgomaster is a local too can answer our questions just as well as anyone else here." She was kind of tired and still hungry, but ready to go to the burgomaster's house.

Seszu: "Granny, might there be any others around as kindhearted as yourself who might be willing to lend us some supplies while we are here? We were apparently dispossessed of our armor and weapons in our sleep on the way here and, if the area is as wild as you make it out to be, we'd best be prepared. Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of coin at the moment as I didn't expect to need it on this trip."

Granny squints, tugging at a whisker. “You might try Bildrath’s Mercantile, across the square from the tavern. He’s got a thorn in his knickers, as they say, but he’s the sort what travelers in Barovia seek out when they pass through. In fact, the Vistani frequent his store. He might know more about Madame Diva, or whatever her name is.”

Zied: "Off hand, I would say a burial is advisable soon. Corpses are dirty, sickness can spread rapidly. As well as attract unhappy tidings as well as a curse."

“Hmph! We’ve quite enough of that thing without corpses taking to rot.”

Granny smiles. “Well, alright dears. Take care of yourselves. Get plenty to eat and take shelter from the night. With luck, I’ll be seeing you again soon.” She hefts her cart and peddles off, occasionally calling, “Pies! Fresh pies!”

Walking the thoroughfare, you note that most of the houses and huts appear old and a bit decayed. Many buildings are dark and boarded over, though many others glow from fire or candlelight within, evidencing the presence of villagers. The streets are nearly vacant, however.

Soon you come upon the main square. On one side, a single shaft of light thrusts illumination into the square, its brightness looking like a solid pillar in the heavy fog. Above the gaping doorway, a sign hangs precariously askew, proclaiming this to be the Blood on the Vine tavern.

On the opposite side, sparse light from another building spills out from behind drawn heavy curtains. A sign over the door, creaking on its hinges, reads “Bildrath’s Mercantile.”

Yet your destination lies down the street, at the largest residence in the village.

The burgomaster’s mansion.

A weary-looking mansion squats behind a rusting iron fence. The iron gates are twisted and torn. The right 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 choke the grounds and press 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 pane nor a shard of glass stands in any window. All the windows are barred with planks, each one marked with stains of evil omen.

You discern trampled weeds all around the mansion as well as scores of wolf paw prints and human footprints.

Motioning towards the tracks, and the shattered windows and damaged walls "So.... I'm less confident of someone being alive in there now. And more wary of the curse warning.  This is in town but so much activity. No wonder locals don't want to visit.."  Taking stock of the other's reactions. Zied is uncertain if they want to press for the meeting attempt they had decided for... or see about washing dishes in a tavern for food and board.

"How do we want to handle that?"

On the way to the burgomaster's house Alessa could not help it but to glance at the the tavern with a stiffed sigh. But she walked away of the (probably) welcoming place without complains.

"We know only one thing for sure - Granny said we have to find shelter before dark. The house is still standing, seems well warded against forces that tried to get in and since we are already here, we can as well try to see if anyone is alive inside. If not... The house is big enough to not worry about a corps (or two) next room. And at the morning we can decide what to do next."

A heavy knocker hangs on the front door.  After knocking, there is only silence, but after a few moments quiet footsteps approach.  There’s the sound of something heavy pushed away from the door.  The door opens a tiny bit, still chained shut.  A man’s head, gaunt and tired, peers out apprehensively. 

“Y-yes?”

Alessandra stepped back from the door allowing the scared man to see a (relatively) inoffensively looking girl (and hoping to keep his attention from club-armed men behind). "We came to help," she begun with the main subject and underlined word "help". "Our group came across the messenger sent by the burgomaster. We were very sorry to learn about his demise but came to offer help nevertheless." She was talking calmly with a genuine sorrow about the whole situation and sad sympathetic smile to calm that - most likely - son of the poor dead man.

Gently grabbing Alessa by the shoulders and moving her aside a small step to sidle up next to her in the narrow view of the cracked door, Sezsu smiles his most disarming smile.

"We are humble travelers in your beautiful town and have heard of the unfortunate end your father recently met. Some among us are individuals of the cloth and thought we might be able to offer what little comfort we can in the form of funerary rites and blessings. Might we come in?"

“Dalvan?” The man asks, hopeful.  He speaks with a heavy accent not unlike that of the Vistani.  “You must mean Dalvan.”  Then his face falls.  “You say you ‘came across’ him?  I assume you mean his demise as well as that of my father.”

His eyes dart to Sezsu.  “A priest!”  The door slams shut, the bolt unlocks, and the door opens fully.  The man is tall, but thin.  Too thin.  “Tell me… Are you alone?”  He glances around and behind you.  “Come in, quickly!”  After you enter, the slams and bolts the door.

The interior of the mansion is well furnished, yet the fixtures show signs of great wear. Noticeable oddities are the boarded-up windows and the presence of holy symbols in every room. 

“I am sorry for my rudeness.  We have been under attack.  I am Ismark Kolyanovich.  Our burgomaster, Kolyan Indirovich, was my father.  I say was because, well...”  He extends an arm.

The burgomaster is in a side drawing room on the floor—lying in a simple wooden coffin surrounded by wilting flowers and a faint odor of decay.

“I mentioned attacks.  Wolves and… other terrible creatures attacked the house night after night for weeks. Father’s heart couldn’t stand the constant assault, and he died three days ago. Strangely, since his death, the house has not come under attack.  None from the village will come.  I am so grateful that you have.  Who are you, exactly?”

Alessandra stepped inside with appropriate hurry and observed the sad display of a house decline. "We are the group of what is called "adventurers" in the lands we came from. My name is Alessandra Tagor and these are Edlanar Holbrook and Zied Zelgadis. Sezsu," she slightly tilted her head towards the young priest, "is indeed a priest. Once again, we are very sorry for your loss."

"You are right, we found your messenger dead. Wolfs, if the marks to be believed. But this is the second time someone is mentioning "other creatures" - what are they, if you don't mind me asking?" The question felt a bit callous considereing the desperate man's situation and she added: "If there is still danger for them to attack the house again, it would be better for us to prepare. But regardless, we did came to help."

“Adventurers?  So you come from beyond these lands.  I have heard that none but the Vistani may travel beyond the mists.  Are you Vistani?  How was it you were able to pass into Barovia?”

Ismark offers his hand to each of you.  “Alessandra.  Edlanar.  Zied.  Seszu.”

His eyes dart to the boarded up windows.  “Zombies.  Of the Devil’s make.  All through the night, they prowled the darkness like thieves.  Father and I fortified ourselves as best we could, until… But, then they stopped.  I do not know why, or if they shall return.  It is as if they wanted him dead, and now their terrible work is complete.  Curse Him, the Devil!”

“But I am being rude.  Perhaps you would like refreshment?  We--I have some wine remaining.”

"Will not lie, that would be much appreciated." Alessa smiled are reassuring as she could and, adding some confidence to her tone tried to calm man's worries somewhat. "Do not think we are ready to fight the Devil himself but zombies are something we had to deal before. Why don't we talk over that wine you mentioned? There are quite a few questions that need to be answered."

Hopefully, with the refreshments came an offer to sit in some room without the coffin in it, so the conversation would feel less sacrilegious. "Here, we can share that wonderful pie, that a kind old lady - Granny, she said everyone calls her here - offered to us on the way to your house. And now to the questions." Alessandra tried the wine, collecting her thoughts, and begun. "No, we are not Vistani, though we do met these people and suspect, they are the reason we are here. They came to our town, claiming that our group is destined to help to the cursed noble prince, the ruler of these lands, as we assumed? It was a bit vague but their leader - they called her Madam Eva, was supposed to tell us more." Alessa sighed. "We ... not exactly refused, but said we will think about it and walked home... Only to end up here, in Barovia instead. Weaponless, clueless and only informed that the man who was trying to recruit us - Stanimir - was "owning Devil some debt" and we still have to find Madam Eva. Can it be the same Devil? You speak as if this is a name not an abstract personification of evil."

"It's as Alessa says, friend Ismark," Sezsu adds. "We were brought here quite against our will, as it were. We're not even sure where here is in relation to our home. 'Twas magic what brought us here. But now that we're here, we might as well help how we can."

He stretches, yawns, and absently scratches his forearm where he constantly feels the void left by his purloined dagger as he looks about the mansion, taking note of the makeshift fortifications.

"Well, if it's the undead we're up against, we should be in pretty good shape. Ed and I have a particular proclivity of returning them to the ground where they should've stayed in the first place. At the very least I can perform rites which will protect your father from joining their ranks," he says, turning back to the young man. "But it's a lengthy and taxing process that I'm afraid I simply don't have the energy for today. I'll have to prepare and rest up to perform the ceremony in the morning."

Sezsu cocks an eyebrow. "And speaking of which: May we impose upon your for lodging for the evening? We've found ourselves without weapons, armor, and coin so we're a bit at the mercy of the beneficent until we can figure things out a bit."