WEBVTT - The Monstrefact: The Crimson Mist of Dungeons and Dragons

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi, my name is Robert Lamb and this is the

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<v Speaker 2>Monster Fact, a short form series from Stuff to Blow

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<v Speaker 2>Your Mind focusing on mythical creatures, ideas, and monsters. In

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<v Speaker 2>time for today's episode, I turned once more to the

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<v Speaker 2>world of Dungeons and Dragons and a particular raven loft

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<v Speaker 2>monster that I remember quite fondly from my own monstrous

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<v Speaker 2>compendium binder from way back in the day. The creature

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<v Speaker 2>was the Crimson Death. Known in other editions of D

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<v Speaker 2>and D, including fifth Edition, as the Vampiric myst It

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<v Speaker 2>is typically described as a pale or gray mist, otherwise

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<v Speaker 2>indistinguishable from mundane fog, but it is in reality an

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<v Speaker 2>undead vampiric entity. It creeps up on unwary victims, envelops

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<v Speaker 2>them in tentacles of mist, and then begins to draw

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<v Speaker 2>the blood from their body, even through their very skin pores,

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<v Speaker 2>staining its vaporous substance ever deeper shades of pink and

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<v Speaker 2>red in the process, eventually raining droplets of blood like

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<v Speaker 2>a heavy seguine cloud. The monster's compendium entry lists several

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<v Speaker 2>possible origins for the crimson death. Perhaps it is a

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<v Speaker 2>particularly evil air elemental or the bodyless remnants of a

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<v Speaker 2>slain vampire, the origin that is also presented in fifth edition.

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<v Speaker 2>But it may also be the spirit of a mortal

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<v Speaker 2>who became a vampire. This spirit evil and separated from

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<v Speaker 2>its physical blood drinking form, and if one could bring

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<v Speaker 2>these two back together again, then the vampiric curse might

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<v Speaker 2>be lifted. Now there's an obvious link to Dracula's mist

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<v Speaker 2>form in Bram Stoker's novel. We also find evil milk

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<v Speaker 2>in smokelike creatures in various folklores as well. In Japan,

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<v Speaker 2>there is the smokelike Ininra, said to emanate from bonfires

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<v Speaker 2>to creep out onlookers. In addition to the human tendency

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<v Speaker 2>to see patterns as something as shifting and abstract as smoke,

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<v Speaker 2>it may also link to the common illusion where smoke

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<v Speaker 2>seems to follow one, due in part to the vacuum

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<v Speaker 2>created by our movements, which of course draws the smoke

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<v Speaker 2>in after us. In Wales, the civil duo or water

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<v Speaker 2>horse may take a mortal on a supernatural ride into

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<v Speaker 2>the very sky, only to then transform into a mist

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<v Speaker 2>and drop the unfortunate rider, and in the poetic Eda,

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<v Speaker 2>mist is the given name of a particular valkyrie, the

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<v Speaker 2>chosen of the slain of Valhalla. And of course, we

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<v Speaker 2>also have to acknowledge the role of miasma theory, the

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<v Speaker 2>outdated pre germ theory idea that human illnesses are caused

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<v Speaker 2>by bad air and foul smells, such as those that

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<v Speaker 2>might drift over into populated areas from swamp lands or cemeteries.

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<v Speaker 2>As we've discussed on Stuff to Blow your mind in

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<v Speaker 2>the past, this idea was advocated by the likes of Hippocrates,

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<v Speaker 2>among others, and again the notion was that bad and

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<v Speaker 2>foul air would allow disease to travel and infect. Therefore,

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<v Speaker 2>the removal of bad air, or positioning yourself further from it,

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<v Speaker 2>prevents or combats illness. Now, as we've discussed before, this

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<v Speaker 2>approach can work accidentally in some cases, but it is

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<v Speaker 2>not correct, but it is a basic concept that stretches

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<v Speaker 2>back into the ancient world. Now, turning once more to

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<v Speaker 2>the crimson death or vampiric myst we can see how

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<v Speaker 2>easily miasma theory melds with ancient ideas of invisible spirits,

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<v Speaker 2>demons and fairies that might creep into our homes to

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<v Speaker 2>do us ill seek us out across great distances with

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<v Speaker 2>the evil eye. The very sorts of threats we might

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<v Speaker 2>set out witch bottles to catch, and as such, the

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<v Speaker 2>Crimson Death or Vampiric Myss seems a fitting fantasy world

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<v Speaker 2>synthesis of miasma theory and supernatural apparel with more than

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<v Speaker 2>a dash of Dracula. Tune in for additional episodes of

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<v Speaker 2>The Monster Fact each week. As always, you can email

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<v Speaker 2>us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For

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