Ezmerelda d'Avenir was the protg of Dr. Van Richten, and has become a formidable huntress in her own right, using more aggressive methods. Drasha is a senior guard of Vallaki, and is assigned to monitor Azuron, Lael, Rowena and Schnoken when they first make an impact on Vallaki. In this article, we'll introduce you to the most important things to know before you begin your adventures in this dark land. Curse of Strahd- The Mad Mage. King Katsky the Bright was a self-proclaimed time-traveller whose territory proved one of the more difficult for Strahd to conquer. Willemina owns a shoe shop in Vallaki, but has spent most of her time at St. Andral's Church in protest of her son's arrest. Mad Mary is the reclusive, delusional and mentally unstable mother of Gertruda. Artimus was an eccentric genius architect responsible for the construction of Fidatov Manor, Baratok Tower and Castle Ravenloft. Curse of Strahd, one of the most popular Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game products of all time, split into three parts: a 224-page perfect-bound adventure for characters of levels 1-10, a 20-page Creatures of Horror booklet of new monsters that appear in the adventure, and an 8-page Tarokka Deck booklet. Natalie was the handmaiden of Saint Markovia during her rebellion, and is an ancestor of Baroness Lydia. Asmodeus the Hellking is the ruler of the Nine Hells of Baator and is considered on-par with the Greater Deities. 2023 Wizards. Dostron the Hellborn. At some point, Strahd became too lonely and returned to the material realm to spend an evening with Tatyana. Bane the Blackhand is the god of hatred, fear and tyranny. Mordenkainen secretly survived, but he became overtaken by madness, paranoia, and amnesia. Claudiu is the eldest son of Stefania and grandchild of Davian Martikov, and an aspiring swordsman, practicing on scarecrows. Erasmus was the son of Dr. Van Richten turned vampire spawn of Baron Metus. JavaScript is currently disabled. The wizard and the vampire cast spells at each other. Yolanda is the youngest member of the Martikov family at the Wizard of the Wines. Either to taunt them or try to win them over and have them join his side, and with the excellent writing present in this module some of the more morally ambiguous PCs may find themselves tempted to even join him. He doesnt really have much going on if you run him exactly as you would any other monster based off of his stats alone. If you want to get really creative, he could be the link from aForgotten Realmsadventure to aWorld of Greyhawkadventure, but for the time being such an endeavor would be your own design. One of the fun things I added to my Curse of Strahd was that Strahd had children with his brides various dhampirs and vampires that are all vying for his throne and trying to eliminate the party to prove themselves. His gravestone reads "Master of the Hunt". The book enhances the original Curse of Strahd module, which you will still need. Bundles containing this product: Recharged [BUNDLE] $16.25. This is also the reason her spirit still lingers around. I am going to updated it frequently and in the end I will do all Curse of Strahd original maps as well as homebrewed scenes (HB) we all learned to love by myself! Zygfrek is one of the more mindful of the Belview family, trusted to watch the Abbey entrance, but has a vicious streak of insecurity. The Mad Mage's paranoia resides in mansions created through his trademark spell high upon Mount Baratok. Mordenkainen is a powerful wizard who rallied the population of Barovia to his side and led an attack against Castle Ravenloft approximately one year ago. [1], The Mad Mage's paranoia resides in mansions created through his trademark spell high upon Mount Baratok. Thornboldt Durst was the eldest son of the Durst family, and died as a casualty of his mother's final ritual. He is the only surviving adventurer that has been lured to Barovia. The eldest son of Yonvich, and the only one without a blood relation to him. Ascendant campaigns can view previous versions of their pages, see what has changed (and who did it), and even restore old versions. Equating these creatures as part of the forces of Strahd and this elk as a potential ally (and not just a normal animal . She acts more like an adult than a blank spell has a remaining duration of 3d6 hours, after child. Can't wait for the 18th. Ludmilla is the oldest current consort of Strahd, and considers herself the most indispensable, being a de-facto court mage. Thats all I have for you and please if you enjoyed this check out more of our content. The characters wanted to convince him to join their fight against Strahd. Vilnius is a nomad who suffers from a highly lethal and communicable disease, and struck a bargain with the Queen of Poxes to survive. Lancelot is Gertruda's dog and routinely searches for her on the Old Svalich Road and around Barovia village. You can draw inspiration from films like Midsommar to emphasize the creepiness of suchcelebrations! Complete list of every named creature with an accociated statblock as written in the Curse of Strahd module. I saw him thrown a thousand feet to his death. View flipping ebook version of Curse of Strahd published by raptorhunter182 on 2019-06-22. The dusk elves rare nonhuman residents of Barovia might also be allies to those who oppose Strahd. Mordenkainen had a hawk-like face, with a permanent frown that gave the appearance of alertness and almost anger, and a penetrating gaze. Bascal was an experimental and worldly chef who worked in King Barov's court. Kasimir is the sorrowful leader of the remaining dusk elves of Barovia, driven by his guilt over how he doomed them to a thousand-year genocide. Brom is the elder son of Danika and Urwin, and lives at the Blue Water Inn. If the heroes accept the dinner invitation, Strahd actually does host a feast for them and thanks them. Szoldar is a seasoned wolf hunter by trade, and best friend of Yevgeni Krushkin. Danika is the tough but kind-hearted owner of the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki. He would return in every subsequent edition of D&D. Carnis was the Abbot's prototype bride for Strahd. [6], In the Year of the Scarlet Witch, 1491 DR, Mordenkainen, still suffering from bouts of madness, was in Waterdeep, where Storm Silverhand and Elminster were helping him to recover from them. Nero is the younger and more aggressive of the two guard dogs of the Baron. Viggo is the more curious of the Tomescu twins, often getting into trouble at the Wizard of the Wines. The heroes are born and bred Barovians and havereceived a letter in a fine flowing script inviting them up to the castle for dinner.Everyone in Barovia knows what this means - they are going to be Strahd's next blood slaves. Stahbal Chakrabarti was a Pannotian nobleman and advisor to Strahd before Rahadin. When the vampire appeared, the wizards peasant army fled in terror. Use the mage stat block in the Monster 6th level (1 slot):find the path, harm, true seeing Ofelia Wormwiggle is the youngest daughter of Morgantha, and a butcher in Old Bonegrinder. Sergei was the younger brother of Strahd, and a victim of fratricide that fulfilled Strahd's pact with the Vampyr. - Arabelle (obsessor). Baratok, so I got ready to run the archmage stat block according to the modifications CoS sets forth. Since then, he's never looked back and loves roleplaying games for the chance to tell the tales that have been swirling in his head since childhood. This will save time for new users. He also has the Regeneration ability which lets him turn fights into stalemates. Its impossible to talk about Barovia without discussing Strahd von Zarovich, who first made his appearance in 1983s famous I6 module Ravenloft. Adrian is the middle son of Davian Martikov, and the main protector of the Wizard of the Wines. This means two things: first, the Abbot is right. Ghosts of Saltmarsh; The Orrery of the Wanderer; Essentials Kit . It looks fantastic. , so there's nothing to lose. [17], Mordenkainen later traveled to Barovia in an attempt to free the local population from its vampire darklord Strahd. Helga is the melancholic and enigmatic maid at Ravenloft. Baron Vargas Vallakovich is the burgomaster of Vallaki, and credits his extreme ruling methods as keeping Strahd out of the territory. Rahadin is Strahd's chamberlain, bodyguard, and only true friend. The article is great otherwise. First post! We've already been saving your edits, so if you He believes that if he can make all of his people happy, then they can escape Strahd. So he studied in the amber temple a way to save Barovia, Tricking the dark lords into thinking he was just after immortality. Each kingdom is ruled by a tyrant who committed sins in life and was awarded the title of Darklord by otherworldly forces known only as the Dark Powers. Jeny owns a mysterious apothecary shack outside of Vallaki visited only by desperate townsfolk. Scylla is a mysterious and powerful sea serpent that sits atop its eponymous cliff on a coastal Kven island. [12], While imprisoned in Barovia, his hair and beard were both long, black and peppered with grey streaks. Strahd was envious of the love his mother showered on his brother, Sergei. He became known by the locals as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok.". Baratok is actually Mordenkainen who has gone mad. A remake/reboot of the original Ravenloft adventure module, Curse of Strahd is an adventure module for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons. Hadar is an Elder Evil that clings to the 'dark side' of his eponymous star. If you're a new GM preparing to run Curse of Strahd, you'll need to know: your players can either start at third level, or they can run through the introductory adventure "Death House." Before "Death House" you'll likely want to run one of the initial adventure hooks: "Plea For Help," "Mysterious Visitors," "Werewolves in the . Covering The Best In Video Games, Esports, Movies and Geek Culture Strahd is a curse on the land from centuries ago. Put that eldritch imagination to the test, and remember to tease your players with this iconic line:The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner and you are invited!. Curse of Strahd begins with an optional one-shot called Death House, a three-floor dungeon that lets players explore while advancing their characters from first to third level.DMs and players can decide whether or not to start with it, but either way, players will enter Barovia proper at level three. so the players don't immediately know its heavily changed. Race: Human Angelika was Davian's wife, best friend, and mother of their four children, and was killed by Baba Lysaga. Legendary wizard known as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok. She has since become a guard for the mongrelfolk. This page was last edited on 3 November 2020, at 14:03. Marzena is the most paranoid of the Belview family, and considered the most at-risk of escaping the Abbey. He often has to collaborate with the Baroness whenever there is a costume festival that needs preparation. E cos mai potrai amarla. Gabriella is the current most celebrated dancer and musician at the Tser Pool camp. Since his original showing in 1983 in the original Ravenloft, Strahd has instilled joy and fear in many dungeon masters and players alike. Strahd didnt make it this far because he has great spells or a really cool big sword, he made it here because he understood how to turn every fight in his favor (although fireball probably did help). We think you'll have a much more enjoyable experience. Tatyana was the fiance of Sergei von Zarovich, and is the only victim of Strahd's curse whose soul reincarnates perfectly. Lolth the Spider Queen is the goddess of drow, spiders and assassination. Strahd has an illusion of Tatyana who he treats like his real wife, but she's not completely responsive and it's clear that something's wrong with her. Gender: Male They associate its image and power with that of Strahd, the Land. The Three-Faced King was a mysterious masked man who requested to be buried in the crypts of Ravenloft. Father Lucien is the philanthropic priest at St. Andral's Church, burdened with the secrets of decades of confessions. You maytalkwith them, bargain with them, but you will never get the chance to know what you had truly been talking to. Guards littered Strahd with arrows as penance, but the son of King Barov had consumed the blood of his brother and embraced undeath. Aike and Ulfrik saw through the mist and trees the battle taking place between this mystical elk and four large wolves. It is debated whether he was mad or an ambitious jester. The late father of Szoldarovich; he laid the path for his son, and thankfully not a grandson. Sir. Grygori is one of many talented smiths in his ancestry, having still only inherited a fraction of the abilities of the man he believes worked simultaneously with Strahd and Artimus Fidatov. Diavola is Lady Fidatova's beloved handmaid and the constant subject of her social experiments. **Spoiler warning for the Curse of Strahd adventure module for D&D 5e**. He is described as a mad mage who came to the valley to defeat its ruler but caught a case of amnesia in the process. They're there, invincible and never truly seen, never to be understood nor defeated. Her work has largely been lost. Thanks for the insight though, I am having trouble finding the page where the encounter is even locatedcan anyone help me out. - Content Not Found: escher Lord Nikolai is the eldest Wachter child, and a fervent alcoholic, constantly searching for mischievous distractions from his nobility. 16 Feb 2023 14:45:41 The Mage's Rebellion Curse of Strahd: Library of Mystery Astrophel Astrophel . Vistani legend tells that he came to this land a year ago and rallied an army to face off against Strahd, eventually being driven into River Ivlis over the Tser Falls to his supposed death. Lorgoth the Decayer was the moniker given to the demon summoned by Elisabeth Durst using Walter's soul. Well, I cant answer that question, but I can give you some tips on how to run my favorite villain of all time. With so many to choose from it can be . Imagine a valley surrounded by mist, with the suns rays barely visible beyond layers of murky clouds. Giant Elk on Mt. An overlooked miswriting on my part, perhaps caused by the ravens who have been chattering by my window sill all evening as if wishing to see what I am putting to paper. Ivah is Hedwig's confident best friend and lives at St. Andral's Orphanage. Euryale was the older sister of Medusa who helped her start a small empire after her rejection by Oghma. Patrina was a lover of Strahd, and consoled him after the death of Tatyana and his vampiric transformation. Isabella is Lady Fidatova's gardener and warden of the outskirts of her maze. She is sealed in the crypts of Ravenloft, with Strahd having long-since tired of her ingenuine love. Lord Argynvost was the commanding founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon, and is widely considered to have been Strahd's greatest adversary during the latter's conquest. [15], Mordenkainen was a good friend of Elminster Aumar; the two met on numerous occasions at Ed Greenwood's house on Earth to exchange news from each other's worlds, as well as spells and lore. Heres one of my favorites, and check the links below as well. Oghma the Allknower is the goddes of knowledge, inspiration and invention. Although not featured in Ravenloft products prior to Curse of Strahd, he appears in that module after having lost his memories and gone mad. Victor has packed up a spellbook and a mysterious bejeweled book with a lock on it to take with him. Amalthia is the junior maid at Wachterhaus and the discontented helper of Stella. Strahd's Barovia: A Guide to D&D's Most Famous Horror Setting, Strahd: The First Darklord of the Domains of Dread, Barovia is a Melancholic Realm Encircled by the Mists, Fresh Variations of Horror in Olde Barovia, Playing With Dark Gifts, a Double-Edged Sword for Characters, Drift Off Into I'Cath: The Domain of Dreams, Journey to Har'Akir: A Desert Domain Where the Dead Never Rest. Let us not forget The Knight of The Black Rose, Lord Soth and his conflict with Strahd. [6], In addition to many scrolls and potions, Mordenkainen was known to possess a bag of holding, a set of bracers of defense, a crystal ball, a +1 dagger, an efreeti bottle, a wand of cold, a wand of fear, and three pearls of power. - Doru Dragomir (former ally) All humanoid statblocks are human unless otherwise specified. Last session, our party of three: Jihyo the half-elf fighter, Therean the half-elf bard, and Aashuri the aasimar sorcerer, had just rescued Arabelle, a Vistana child from the town drunk, Bluto, who had kidnapped her and nearly drowned her in Lake Zarovich.Before leaving the lake area, the party spotted a giant . The Demigod Arijani, from the Demiplane of Dread Sri Raji. [16] On occasion, the two were also joined by Dalamar of Krynn. The castle is covered in spiderwebs and the braziers are rarely lit because Strahd has no servants and spends all his time in his lab. Use the Archmage in your campaign now with stats! Most villagers can't remember a time when she wasn't in business. I had him record his memories in several gems (which made a pretty decent puzzle to recreate his story by arranging the sentences found here and there) that can be found around his tower. Mordenkainen, commonly referred to in local legend as the Mad Mage of Mount Baratok, is an ancient legendary wizard from a magical world. Wilma is the cook at Fidatov manor, preferred by Fidatova for her flair rather than her reliability. Tarokka Reading. Nora is a tailor, and the mother of Varvara and Margo Vaskroff. They journeyed to the valley in search of a miracle cure for Tereska, which ended in Incentus having to carry Tereska to Ravenloft. He was defeated and thrown from the walls of Castle Ravenloft by a mighty blast of lighting and his body was carried away by the River Ivilis. [12], Although Mordenkainen resided primarily on Oerth, by at least the Year of the Shield, 1367 DR, his spells were not uncommon among spellbooks in Faern. Strahds subjects live in three major communities: Barovians are superstitious and distrustful, and Curse of Strahd states that only about one in 10 of them truly possess a soul. This means your big bad villain across a year long campaign is . Burgomaster Dmitri is the ruler of Krezk, whose family has kept the village isolated and safe for centuries. Piersym is the owner of Thimdul's Armaments, the title enduring to honour his former partner and teacher of a new trade after he was removed from Vallaki's guard force. Khazan's fate: this brings to the third major retcon I did. You can not kill Strahd in Curse of Strahd You cannot kill the Mad Mage in Dungeon of the Mad Mage You cannot kill the Frostmaiden in Rime of the Frostmaiden You cannot kill the Princes of the Apocalypse in Princes of the Apocalypse. Gory Galen was a scholar and cleric of the Black Hand who believed that he could take the Icon of Ravenloft to use against Strahd. She was resuscitated, and would go on to inspire a rebellion against Strahd, which she would die leading. A few servants from Barovia willingly came to the pocket dimension with Strahd so he could live on their blood. Mordenkainen of Greyhawk fame also makes an appearance in Curse of Strahd. You should check them out. Bethel is the owner of the Dusklight Supply Shop and a staunch believer in the protective power of the Baron's festivals. More from this Title's Contributors. Bucephalus is Strahd's mysterious and powerful demonic steed. Muriel is a spy for the Keepers of the Feather, and the only one brave enough to be regularly assigned to Baba Lysaga. One PC took up the mantle of darklord of barovia as a replacement for Strahd, ending his reign, and locked away the demilich in the amber temple.Having explored the concept of the Vestiges a bit further, I treated them like the MTG Eldrazi, smaller parts of a larger whole trying to invade the world, and the "Domains of Dread" act as prisons to hold these vestiges, and prevent them from escaping into Faerun.Now the PC's are in a more homebrew setting, exploring one of the other Domains of dread, after meeting the Dark Powers of the Shadowfell, who informed them that they are useful tools, and that in order for them to return home, they must perform one final task. Home Guides Strahds Stat Block: What The Numbers Mean. He was discovered to still be alive, though living in the foothills of Mount Baratok, having driven himself insane with a mind blank spell to prevent any vampiric corruption. We rewound a bit to give Gwaihir's player more time with the mad mage, and through some spells we learned that he was under the influence of a Mind Blank spell, but that it was his own spell. The book includes 22 revised room descriptions which accurately reflect rooms visible to players. She was killed by her own people out of fear that she would become a vampire too, which triggered Rahadin's massacre. (Players can attempt to visit him by walking round the lake, or by taking fishing . The | Login | My Library | Wishlists; Cart. Ilya is the only currently living son of the Burgomaster, since having been revived by the Abbot. Milivoj is the gardener and gravedigger for St. Andral's Church, having grown up in its orphanage. Sir. It will take place in the mid 1790's, so about 100 years before the events of the book this module is based on. Tenebrous is an aspect of Orcus' soul, and the first successful lich. She seeks to make them the very most. Stefan was a counsellor to King Barov and was often involved in the Barov's preferred tactic of misleading information for the enemy about the state of the kingdom. Sir. Stefania is the second child of Davian Martikov, and a mother of four at the Wizard of the Wines. Now, I am not intimately aware of the lore surrounding D&D 5e, and I know that he is a prominent figure over all. But while outsiders can enter the Domains of Dread if the Mists surrounding these lands permit them to, nearly all of the Darklords are trapped in their individual kingdoms. This is Barovia, the most famous horror setting of Dungeons & Dragons. Elisabeth Durst was the leader of a cult of the dark arts, dedicated to Strahd von Zarovich. Hedwig is Ivah's talkative best friend and lives at St. Andral's Orphanage. He thought he could rally the people of Barovia against the devil Strahd. Marjane is a charismatic animal handler who enjoys meeting the few travellers who visit Merryway. Old Katerina is a collector and trader in Krezk, who acts as an obscure charity shop owner. [1], Chaotic Neutral archmage (with different spells as given in the text)[1], http://fraternityofshadows.com/w/index.php?title=Mordenkainen&oldid=155870, Former Inhabitants of the Prime Material Plane. The residents of the pocket dimension (also called Barovia) only know legends of the decrepit castle on the hill that used to house a powerful vampire. Arahja is a scout for the Tser Pool camp, and a spy of Strahd. Thunder shook the mountainside, and great rocks tumbled down upon the wizard, yet by his magic he survived. Ismark the Lesser is the eldest child of Kolyan Indirovich, and soldiers his responsibilities in the shadow of his father, and of Strahd. Bella Sunbane is the daughter of Morgantha, and a baker in Old Bonegrinder. This section contains canon info from officially published sources. King Barov was the ruler of the small Kingdom of Zarovich around where southern Agarthia is now. Prepared to run the Mad Mage ; The party had planned last session to find the Mad Mage of Mt. Strahd streams every Thursday 8pm BST at twitch.tv/highrollersdnd00:00 - Intro/Recap01:15 - Game B. However, my players assumed she was a towngirl who had been charmed. Walter was the child of Gustav Durst and Margaret, and was killed by Elisabeth for her cult's final ritual. Come on, everyone is gonna love the mad otter mage! Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midichlorians to create life. Tessa is a mute but observant bookworm at St. Andral's Orphanage. 16. Mordenkainen is presumed by the party to be the ally in the battle against darkness mentioned in the prophecy foretold by Madam Eva once his mind is restored by holy magic powerful enough to do so. Only instead I made Strahd have an illegitimate son, who he technically took by force to be raised in his domain. He knows about the curse, and knows that the only way to end a curse is to contradict its rhyme so that it won't be true to itself. While he is intimidating, any good sun-sword wielding angry level 15 paladin of Bahamut is going to absolutely eviscerate him. Gili is the co-founder of the Beast's Rose tailor. Strahd is not happy of being eternally imprisoned, and would very much just die and be done with his obsession. 1 / 2. Like Strahd himself, locals cannot leave which means that aside from the occasional foreigner, Barovia is largely a closed ecosystem. Izek is Baron Vargas' infamously brutal protg and captain of the guard in Vallaki. Whether youre a Dungeon Master guiding your party along this path for the first time or a grizzled veteran planning a return trip, have a gander at the following thought fodder: Van Richtens Guide to Ravenloftcontains rules for devising your own Domain of Dread, because while Barovia might be the most famous Domain, the greatest horrors arethe ones you create yourself. Ben is a serving swain at the Hoofprint inn in Merryway. Burgomaster Kolyan was the beloved burgomaster of Barovia village before his death during the siege of his mansion. Lord Victor is the only son of Baron Vargas, and is resentful of his responsibilities and birthplace. -Mordenkainen is cool if you know who he is. He teaches the contents of the books at St. Andral's Church and Orphanage, as well as privately. Unfortunately, Strahd thoroughly beat him and threw him over the edge of Tser Falls. The Barovians believe everything about Strahd that is mentioned in the original module (that he's a bloodthirsty tyrant, killed his wife, etc.) Dag is the husband of Stefania and father of four at the Wizard of the Wines. When running Strahd, I always recommend making the fight cover the entirety of the castle if possible. Jeremy Blum (@PixelGrotto) is a journalist, gaming blogger, comic book aficionado, and fan of all forms of storytelling who rolled his first polyhedral dice while living in Hong Kong in 2017. Burgomistress Anna Krezkova is a mother who has endured the deaths of all of her children. The PC's rallied together to recapture the vestige (in a very ghostbusters way), and returned it to the amber temple.One of the PC's (A wizard) picked up the staff in the temple, and was given the flaw that they desire power above all else.Then she proceeded to take every single dark gift offered to her, without the other players realizing. Tatsaul was the moniker given by Strahd to a squire of the Silver Dragon that Artimus Fidatov helped fake the death of. I'll put everything under spoiler for obvious reasons :). It is ambiguous whether it was a mistake or a suicide. Brom is the younger son of Danika and Urwin, and lives at the Blue Water Inn. Majesto is the imp familiar of Lady Wachter, loaned to her by Strahd. anne boleyn ghost photo; serie a predictions windrawwin. Mystra the Spellweaver is the goddess of magic. I meant to put this in a different section. Zuleika is the mate of Emil, and bides her time to avenge him and become the pack leader she believes he should have been. She blindly supports his tyranny for the sake of her sanity. Strahd is the ruler of Barovia on the material realm, and is well loved as an enlightened despot. Vistani legend tells that he came to this land a year ago and rallied an army to face off against Strahd, eventually being driven into River . 978-0786965984. She often stops Varvara from drifting out of reality.