One Night Strahd

ACT II: CoRnUe SnHi g hYt Os tUr aRh dENEMIES
DINNER DATE

PRE The Misery

The False Lord, Damnation's Phantom

Using Ancient Doom: The Misery uses Ancient Doom if a Bride is below 25% HP or when
noted and always destroys Winter first. The uses an alternative curse effect, BLINDING the
target as the Bride's blindfold appears on their target, burned into the victim's flesh.

Tactical Note: The Misery avoids moving if it would provoke opportunity attacks.

1 M: Close with highest AC
A: Open with Spectral Barrage, preferring the character.
frontline characters such as paladins.
B: Psychic Choir after closing. M: Close with lowest HP
character.
2

A: Attack nearest character, preferring lowest HP.
B: Psychic Choir after closing.

3 M: Close with nearest character.

A: Ancient Doom, targeting highest HP character,
then Waves of Misery targeting that character.

B: Psychic Choir after closing.

4 M: Close with nearest character.

A: Ancient Doom, targeting lowest HP character,
then attack, preferring nearest and Blade.

B: Psychic Choir after closing.

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PRE The Brides
Blind Hunger

Special Rules: While all five Brides are present, Winter will not engage and is generally
destroyed by Ancient Doom. She uses Dodge or Disengage every turn.

Reminder: Spells with the same name, such as entangle, never stack.

1 M: Converge on lowest HP
A: Cast entangle if there is an uncovered area, character, avoiding sunlight.
dropping concentration immediately if all
targets pass the save. Otherwise, attack and
attempt to grapple then bite.

2 M: Converge on lowest HP
A: If concentrating on entangle, attack using character, avoiding sunlight,
thornbow, targeting lowest HP character. unless concentrating on
Otherwise, attack with claws and attempt to entangle.
grapple when bite, preferring lowest HP target.

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SCENES 2. They can make a dive for the Treasure. It’s
possible, with effort and cleverness, that
Below are the narrative components used by the characters might be able to grab hold of it
encounter flow. Where possible, each notes down before things go straight to hell. If they do,
the probable next vignettes. LOOT, MONSTERS, and the player who grabs it can opt to immediately
CONDITIONS are bolded in this section. Content attune to it or any cleric who is handed it
intended to be read aloud verbatim is italicized. clandestinely can attune.

ATINTHNREOS: MWISEERRYS 3. They can try to get information out of the
Brides. Only Winter will provide anything, and
Y OU WANDER THROUGH spotless frozen halls she simply tells them: “Grab it and run. Trust
until you come upon your supposed destination. Gertruda. I wish I had.”
Here, there is firelight and even the hum of chatter.
Pushing in through the huge wooden door, you see a 4. They can attack. Go to HAVE AT YOU!
table set for nine, attended by a flurry of exquisitely
dressed waitresses—the Brides, all blindfolded! Eventually, as the last few courses are served, the
Fangs glint in the firelight, and the wine is far too atmosphere tenses and Strahd becomes more visibly
red. At the far end sits the devil himself, Strahd cruel. Ultimately, conflict is nearly inevitable here.
Von Zarovich. He wears ceremonial platemail with Broadly speaking, this takes eight questions if the
the ease of centuries, half-hidden under a brilliant game is running on schedule or three if it’s not.
crimson cloak. Behind him, the giant organ sits
silent and empty. PROCEED TO:
A Dark Fate
Perceptive characters and intuitive players might
note that the organ gleams, and may even notice OR
the Treasure set into the keybed of the organ. This
requires a Passive Perception score of 20, or success PROCEED TO:
on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence Have At You!
(Investigation) check.
A DARK FATE
Players have a few options here:
T HE BEAST SMIRKS, “Irena has been a
1. They can chat with an abomination and ask delicious thorn in my side for centuries.
them questions, to which the Misery responds Ah, but we are to be wed during the Eclipse.
as well as they can without betraying anything That chapter will be shut at last. I have no desire
more than the smallest details. See RUNNING to discuss it further.”
THE MISERY for more. Even a casual player will likely notice this is a
little suspicious, and the lack of gloating should
further draw their eye. If they pick at it but waffle,

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have them make an Intelligence (History) check He… or perhaps it… is lying. Whatever sits across
to notice. The Misery is attempting to create a from you, it isn’t Strahd. It’s not Strahd, and what
situation where his inability to talk will cause them he’s told you about Irena has that peculiar taste
to suspect. If players pry, he will respond with: of well-constructed fiction about the distant past.
“Of course I’ve spent lifetimes chasing Tatyana, Just detailed enough. Why and what can wait,
I’ve nothing but time. Water and wind and darkness however. In his momentary stammering, you sense
have harrowed this realm at my command. I have an opportunity. Do you strike?
rooted out every last hiding place, destroyed all
who would shelter her.” Characters get +10 initiative for the combat. This
can actually cause combat to be more dangerous by
This triggers a DC 16 group Wisdom (Insight) check clumping enemy turns, but most parties will be able
as per the flowchart, but players may opt to push to capitalize well enough early to mitigate this.
even if the Insight checks fail. If their characters
would be suspicious—and it’s Ravenloft!—then PROCEED TO:
let them pursue even without an Insight check. Have At You!
After all, they know that at least some of the
creatures here make their traps out of lies and hope.
Continuing to ask about Irena eventually triggers
SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG.

PROCEED TO: AHATVYEOU!
Something Is Very Wrong

OR

PROCEED TO: THE DOORS SLAM SHUT as the plates fly and
Have At You! the glasses implode. Strahd vaults up onto the
table in a single predatory motion and the Brides
SOMETHING draw their swords. You can hear the bolts of the
door turning and locking of their own accord. As
IS VERY WRONG the fireplace blazes high and blue, Strahd yells…
“I ...I WILL NOT SAY MORE! I am the lord of this
"Enough of this! Have at you!"
castle! I am the land! I owe you nothing, you
crawling, sniveling, whimpering mayflies. I could And the room explodes into violence as all light
just wait you out. Watch you age and die in a hell flickers out. Roll for initiative.
of mists.” Go to the COMBAT FLOW.
When combat ends,

PROCEED TO:
End & Loot

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LENODO&T

T HE BINDINGS ON THE FALSE Strahd explode
and whipping shockwaves of shadow smash
through the great hall. When you pick yourself up,
the hall is in ruins around you. Something glints
among the scattered ivory and crushed bronze of
the pipe organ.

If players did not already acquire the Treasure,
they’ll find it in the ruins of the pipe organ now.
The primary loot is the Treasure associated with this
encounter as determined from the tarot reading.
The HOLY SYMBOL OF RAVENKIND recharges fully
if players have it. Finally, players find the SHAPER’S
JADE hidden in the guts of the pipe organ.

ACT II: CoRnUe SnHi g hYt Os tUr aRh dENEMIES

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THE BASILICA
TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY............................................ 207 MAP...................................................... 213
PREPARATIONS............................... 208 COMBAT FLOW..................................... 214
DENIZENS....................................... 208
KEY LOOT........................................ 208 THE ABBOT...................................... 215
TONE & TYPE................................... 208 BLUE THE FURY.............................. 216
RED THE FURY................................. 216
SCALING.............................................. 209
THE ABBOT, FALLEN DEVA.................. 210 SCENES............................................... 218
INTRO.............................................. 218
DESCRIPTION.................................. 210 THE HUNGRY CHURCH..................... 219
FURIES, THE WOMEN IN RED & BLUE....211 DEVOTIONS..................................... 220
MAKE WAR....................................... 221
IDENTIFYING.................................... 211 MAKE WAR ALTERNATIVES.............. 221
MODIFICATIONS................................ 211 COMBAT FLOW................................. 222
SCOUTS!........................................... 211 REDEMPTION MODE......................... 222
DESCRIPTION................................... 211 END & LOOT..................................... 223
CORE ENCOUNTER FLOW..................... 212 THE QUIET ROAD............................. 224

SUMMARY The other major character of this encounter is, in
a sense, the Basilica itself. From the outside, it is
T HE BASILICA IS a sprawling frankenstein of clearly separate cathedrals that have been built up
St. Andral’s Cathedral, Markovia’s Abbey, and and up until they sprawled together into a single
the Wizard of Wines. Here, the Abbot has continued complex. This monastic behemoth is wedge-shaped
his dark experiments using the last druids as fodder. and graceful as a giant’s rib cage. The interior is
He has had considerable success; in fact, he has cohesive, though definite regions and styles remain
found a way to make fiendish archons using the from the original buildings. Lit by great arcs of
souls of powerful mortals. These are extraordinarily electricity and kept perfectly clean, it is a bright airy
deadly monsters, and with even basic support could labyrinth that requires multiple Wisdom (Survival)
result in a clean sweep of a level 6 party. They are checks to travel through. The central chamber is
modified slightly for speed of play and reliability. built inside a giant glass oculus that is conspicuously
absent from the outside. In short: this is a liminal
and unreal space. Players will always eventually end
up at the center of the Basilica; it wants them to,

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and it’ll prod them in that direction if necessary. KEY LOOT
This should be kept sparing, as the vibe needs to
cleave closer to gothic horror. Unfortunately, this THE TREASURE, allocated during GLASS
can still bog down the speed of play significantly, & DIAMONDS
and GMs should endeavor to keep the transit
through the Basilica to roughly 15 minutes. TONE & TYPE
Feel free to lean heavily on the pre-written scenes.
Like most of the other ACT II encounters, this
P R E PA R AT I O N S serves as a gateway and a liminal space separating
the familiar safety and pacing of Dungeons &
The following is the minimum prep that a DM needs Dragons from the cruel staccato of gothic horror.
to do for them to be able to run this encounter. This encounter leans hard into the original
While we recommend a detailed reading of the Frankenstein, where the monster is an entity of
entire encounter, if you’ve got to rush or you plan tremendous strength and intellect. Here, they are
to wing it, here’s what we think you need to do: devils freshly made by the Abbot, a fallen angel.
Everything’s a little bigger in Barovia.
1. Print the Fallen Deva and Furies stat blocks,
found in the MONSTER MANUAL.

2. Review the suggested COMBAT FLOW, and
skim the INTRO scene.

3. Read the scaling rules and modifications for the
Abbot and the Furies.

4. Note the behavior of Redemption mode.

DENIZENS

THE ABBOT
THE WOMAN IN RED
THE WOMAN IN BLUE

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SCALING

As a direct combat encounter, scaling this is more delicate and more straightforward.
The backbone of the combat is three very deadly monsters who are intentionally hampered by showy

tactics. A wipe here should be avoided if possible, unless players are refusing to engage with the
danger they’re in. Low Damage Output is generally a safe pick.

WEAKER If people have brought less optimized characters, or simply play combat in a cinematic
GROUP instead of tactical style, the erinyes should enter at the end of round two instead of
the end of round one. This gives players much more time to put the Abbot into his
Redemption State. Ultimately, it may be worth also applying the Low Damage Output
adjustments below as well. You may also have to throw the fight somehow after 2-3
players go down.

LOW For tank-heavy parties or low damage-per-turn parties, reduce damage on all enemy
DAMAGE attacks by 1d8. This gives the players more time to chew through the enemy HP, and
OUTPUT makes the fight feel like more of a grudge match between equals. If you do this, hard
limit normal combat to 5 turns, at which point the Furies’ internal fires dim, making
them vulnerable to cold and radiant damage, then go out at the end of the 6th turn.

NO If the playgroup has absolutely nothing out front, lower the movement speeds of all
TANKS enemies by 20 feet, place the Furies 100 feet away, then give them disadvantage on
their first round of bow shots.

NO Mentioned directly in the encounter flow, but worth repeating: if the players have no
RANGE significant access to range, enemies with flight should not end their turns in the air.
It will almost certainly devolve to an embittered wipe-out otherwise.

RED If you’re really short on time, run just the erinyes as the core adversaries. Portray the
LIGHT Abbot as hampered by indecision, and use him only for one or two uses of his Healing
MODE Touch action if you need to draw out combat.

NOBLE If things are going badly, the Furies will not finish off downed players. They may allow
FOE players a chance to surrender. Groups that surrender lose one mundane item per player
as trophies, are ejected into THE QUIET ROAD, and can take a long rest immediately.

LOW For this, we recommend Low Damage Output at 5 players, combined with Red Light
PLAYER Mode and Noble Foe for 4.
COUNTS

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FTAHLEL EANBDBEOVTA, or unwilling to discuss this at all, though he may
answer questions of a purely historical nature after
the fight. What he knows is listed in END & LOOT
at the end of THE BASILICA.

Fallen Deva Since souls cannot leave Barovia, he will eventually
return if killed. In his case, because a Deva’s soul is
U NDER THE INFLUENCE of Strahd and the Dark also its body, he returns fully intact. This means his
Powers, the Abbot believes that the curse of behavior in combat is quite aggressive.
Barovia can be broken if Strahd is offered a more
perfect bride. Circuitously, he believes that love is STATISTICS
the answer; this is absolutely wrong. Barovia itself The Abbot uses the FALLEN DEVA statistics found
is cursed, drawn into the Domains of Dread in the in the MONSTERS section.
Plane of Shadow. It’s not clear what can break the
curse, but some things definitely can’t. The Abbot DESCRIPTION
has been encouraged into this course of madness by
long association with the various Vampire Lords of This godling of lavender jade stands 15 feet tall. His
Barovia. Cut off from the heavenly outer planes, the gilt robe does not touch the floor as he drifts, and
Abbot is also cut off from the flow of belief. Instead, the mace that slowly spins above his head is haloed
he is shaped by the beliefs of those around him—in in great fractal rings of pale fire. Golden hair and
other words, Strahd. Strahd believes the impossible: geometric fabric whips and snaps in the grip of a
that the curse can be broken without requiring mighty invisible storm. You know through the twist
him to change. Trying to reconcile the obvious of impulse that his name is the Abbot. Lightning
impossibility of this statement with the moulding drifts over sledgehammer fists, belied by long
forces of Strahd’s belief has driven the Abbot delicate fingers in constant motion.
quietly mad. Regardless of whether the villain
is Strahd or Irena for this run, his behavior
will change little. He expects that his friend
Strahd will return eventually, and he continues
to prepare for it. He has a cordial working
relationship with Irena, and has even furnished
her throne.

This encounter hinges on a redemption arc.
As the Abbot bleeds, his blood pulls beams of
sunlight out of the dead sky. Once he is reduced
to zero hit points, he comes briefly to his senses
as sunlight bathes him, and players can attempt
to save him. At this point, his creations will turn
on him, and it becomes a struggle to defend him
against the rapiers of their affection. Like all
creatures in Barovia, with the exception of a few
major players, he cannot tell the players which
Vampire he currently serves. In fact, he is unable

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Historically, Deva are effectively just Christian current flesh can barely hold their natures. To a
angelic figures in D&D. Interestingly, that’s not keen eye, the Furies seem to flicker like they’re lit
where the name Deva comes from: it’s a Sanskrit from inside by guttering flames.
term. While the Abbot is unmodified statistically,
this rendition reaches for a less milquetoast S TAT I S T I C S
interpretation that provides at least distant honor to
the origins of the name. The Furies use the Furies statistics found in the
MONSTERS section. Of particular note is the
FURIES, shared HP mechanic. If neglected, a party wipe is all
but guaranteed in the Basilica.
THE WOMEN
IN RED & BLUE SCOUTS!

Vengeance Again And Again There are a number of times where the Furies
may appear as scouts to try and push the players
O NE WEARS BLUE, ONE WEARS RED. Heavy onward. While they have a specific description in
of horn and claw, light of wing, they are the Laboratory, their scouting forms are different.
creatures of remarkable intellect, strength, and Because they are reused, their description is
beauty. Unfortunately, while the erinyes are perfect provided here:
in terms of their lore, they’re very powerful—
potentially too powerful if played aggressively to Two women in armor glide on languorous wings,
the hilt. Some modifications are made to curb this alighting near and above you with a few sparse
while still keeping the fight interesting. In terms wingbeats. One wears red, the other blue, and
of personality, the Furies are unlikely to get a lot their wings match. One is fierce and pale, boyish
of time to make an impression. As a result, their in her aspect. Her ruffled red wings are decorated
differing behavior in combat is the best way to with bells. The other is a burnt honey wrapped in
convey their personalities. Red is also more talkative feminine iconography. Her blue wings are sleek to
than Blue, prone to boisterous taunts. Blue has the point of glossiness. Both hold rapiers.
a gentle laconic nature that floats on top of an
enormous and remorseless capacity for violence. DESCRIPTION
Both are fearless: they have died before, but the
twisting curse of Ravenloft drives the Abbot to build When they appear as their full forms, use the
new and more perfect forms for them each time. following description:
Looming. Lean. One in red, one in blue, their
IDENTIFYING strange brocaded dresses are formed from lamellar
curls of steel. The Furies drift upward on giant
Players can identify the Furies as erinyes with a DC wings, gemstone eyes glittering. One is fierce and
15 Intelligence (Arcana) check, a DC 16 Intelligence pale, boyish in her aspect. Her ruffled red wings are
(History) check, or a DC 18 Wisdom (Perception) decorated with bells. The other is a burnt honey
check. Doing so lets them detect that there are wrapped in feminine iconography. Her blue wings
significant differences and flaws, as though their are sleek to the point of glossiness. Both hold
rapiers. They are perfect expressions of violence.
“I am the scourge, she the whip,” each says.

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CORE ENCOUNTER FLOW

START

Read:

INTRO

YESPlayers plan to enter?

NO YESPlayers are stealthy?
NO
If Players bail at
any point

Read: Read:

THE HUNGRY DEVOTIONS
CHURCH Stealth Check

Read:

THE QUIET
ROAD

Read: Read:

MAKE WAR MAKE WAR
ALTERNATIVES

Proceed to: After Combat... Read:

COMBAT ESOTERICA
FLOW

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THE BASILICA

COMBAT FLOW

PRE The following is an example of a combat flow, with each part explained.

NAME
Titles

Precombat preparations can be found here, under PRE, along with the relevant lair actions
if they are not varied.

1 M: This holds a movement plan.
M: Move.
A: This covers the suggested action for the first
turn, denoted by the 1 to the left.

B: This lists the bonus action to be used, if any.

R: This holds a suggested reaction.

Legendary actions will be described in red at the
bottom, generally in order of use with causes.

2

As above, for the second turn. Markers may be
used in the timeline to the left as a way to show
other events.

This feature is not used in this encounter.

R: Reaction.

3

As above, for the third turn, and as a suggestion for turns beyond that.

This is denoted by the dotted arrow leading off page.

This arrow will be solid if a second page is provided.

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PRE The Abbot

Mighty Fallen Deva, Lord of Storms

Special Rules: The Abbot cannot go below 1 hit point until the end of his second turn. If the
Abbot goes down and the Furies are still alive, go to Redemption Mode.

1 M: Move towards nearest caster
A: Cast storm sphere. or ranged attacker.
B: Attack nearest caster with storm sphere bolt.

2 M: Move towards lowest AC
character.
B: Attack nearest character with storm sphere bolt.

A: Attack caster or nearest character in melee.

3 M: Move towards highest HP
character.
B: Attack nearest character with storm sphere bolt.

A: Attack caster or nearest character in melee.

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Blue The Fury

Heaven's Scourge, Judge of the Lost

PRE

Special Rules: Blue does not enter combat until the start of the second round. If the Abbot
goes down and the Furies are still alive, go to Redemption Mode.

2 M: Move towards nearest caster
A: Attack nearest using 2-handed longsword. or ranged attacker.
R: Parry.

PRE Red The Fury

Hell's Lash, Judge of the Lost

Special Rules: Red does not enter combat until the start of the second round. If the Abbot
goes down and the Furies are still alive, go to Redemption Mode.

2 M: Maintain distance.
A: Attack highest HP target using her longbow.
R: Parry if needed, drawing a dagger to do so.

3 M: Seek cover.
A: Attack Blue's target using longbow.
R: Parry if needed, drawing a dagger to do so.

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SCENES will come out to investigate. They always attack
from behind the players, attempting to gently drive
Below are the narrative components used by the them into the church. Use their description in the
encounter flow. Where possible, each notes down SCOUTS! section of their entry. Their scouting
the probable next vignettes. LOOT, MONSTERS, and forms are weaker, with 75 HP each and 125 HP in
CONDITIONS are bolded in this section. Content their shared health pool. They will only engage in
intended to be read aloud verbatim is italicized. combat for one round before retreating with a Dash,
but they tarry at the end of each round, trying to
INTRO draw players on as they feign severe injury. This
triggers Red Light Mode.

If players take a stealthy approach, all players
make a DC 16 Dexterity (Stealth) check. If more
than half pass the check,

IF PLAYERS ARRIVE from inside Ravenloft: GO DIRECTLY TO:
The spiral stairs open up onto a sprawl of dead Devotions
terraces, walled in by the great stone wedge of
the Basilica. If players approach directly or fail
the Stealth check, read the following.
Otherwise, if they arrive from a fortune-gate, read:
The gate hisses shut behind you. Around you, dead The entrance to the Basilica stands at the far end of
vineyards frock terraced hills, each trapped between a granite colonnade, where two great retaining walls
Ravenloft and the Basilica. and their attached buttresses form the implication
of an amphitheater. Indeed, as you step in, there
Then read: are seats carved into the inner arc. Everything here
The frankenstein cathedral has an odd sort of grace: is sharply geometric, built to a harder and less
that of necessity, brutality, eventuality. It cuts the personal scale. There is a sense of being measured
world like the prow of a great steel-grey ship. The up. Above you, the Basilica proper juts towards
grounds around it form a crumpled abbey. grey clouds, as if to punish the sky. A door of sun-
polished copper sits before you. No other obvious
For the sake of pacing, there’s a limit to how much way forward presents itself.
wandering can happen. If players explore, read:
Among the many outbuildings, you find mostly dry A Passive Perception of 17 or looking for
rot, except for a few bottles of fortified port that an alternative followed by a DC 18 Wisdom
seem in excellent condition. The buildings are well- (Perception) check reveals that canny or agile
kept, but the wood is very old. The upper floors are characters could clamber up and find an entrance
both empty and unsafe. through one of the balconies above the door.

Note down that players carry “THE GOOD WINE” GO DIRECTLY TO:
if they take the port bottles. Future encounters Devotions
will reference this, and it may be used in future
adventures if characters persist. Players can take a If the players dally here, use the Furies as described
long rest if they make a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) in SCOUTS! to drive them in. If they still stay in
check or place characters on watches.

If players are trapped in indecision, Red and Blue

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the arena, especially if they aim to make their TCHHE UHURNCGRHY
stand here,

PROCEED TO:
Make War Alternatives

If players head through the doors, Red and Blue A S YOU PUSH OPEN the solid copper doors,
will not follow them. A Wisdom (Insight, Survival, there is a moment of profound cold and rushing
or Perception) check reveals that it doesn’t seem wind behind you. Looking over your shoulder, you
like they are able to enter the church proper. These see huge thunder clouds slamming through the sky.
weaker versions of the Furies in fact make their Lightning licks hungrily at a wilderness of grassy
roost along the eaves of the Basilica. craters and slate hills. You’re soaked to the bone, as
If players enter through the main doors, though you’d been out in this rain for ages. Stepping
back, the world returns. Stepping forward, the
PROCEED TO: stormscape blurs into existence.
Hungry Church
If players dally, read:
The Furies will not follow them. As you tarry at the threshold, you are dragged in
by gale force winds as though the enormous church
If players flee, illusionary copies of Red and Blue is trying to swallow you whole. As you resist, the
block their way. Read: storm intensifies, picks you up, and tries to toss you
Now that the Furies have seen you, they seem the rest of the way in.
unwilling to let you leave. Down the long row of A DC 16 Strength saving throw passed by half the
columns, in alternating order, pair after pair of Red party allows players to resist or even flee.
and Blue step from behind the square pillars. If they flee,

A DC 16 Intelligence (Investigation) check after PROCEED TO:
interacting with the Furies reveals them as illusions. The Quiet Road
Players are free to leave, and can find their way to
the CRYPTS through the mountain caves. They’ll be As they move in or are dragged by whipping
harried from the air by the Scouts, but that should winds through the Basilica, read:
only take the form of an occasional desultory- The imagery carved across the sleek curved
though-accurate shot. Go to THE QUIET ROAD. stone walls is astonishingly cruel. Images of
the Morninglord in unrepentant triumph are a
PROCEED TO: repeated motif. Each is decorated with a peculiar
The Hungry Church, iconography of a sunburst over a thunderstorm,
Devotions, and in turn each ray of the golden sun is a bolt of
The Quiet Road, or lightning. The scent of sandalwood is pervasive,
Make War Alternatives but there’s a smell of char and ash underneath.
Everywhere and everything is drenched in gold
inlays and dark red gems.

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This area is actually desecrated, locked against all A DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or a DC 15
non-celestial extraplanar creatures. This means that Strength (Athletics) check with climbing gear grants
the Furies outside cannot enter, and the ones inside access. A climbing speed removes the need for a
cannot leave. check. Failing deals 3d6 bludgeoning damage to the
character that failed, but the test can be repeated
If players turn around, read: at no other risk. Once half the party has made it
The way behind you is not shut—worse. It curves in up, they can hoist the others without further tests.
new and dizzying loops, like the knotted intestines If they did not reach DEVOTIONS by stealth, they
of a wounded beast. This is not a place for those are likely being pinged with arrows by the Scouts.
who walk. We recommend using this only to drive urgency, as
the Furies have no particular interest in killing the
Players can explore here, get a feel for what they’re characters before they meet the Abbot. They’ll miss
about to face, but the currents of the Hungry shots on purpose to torment players.
Church guide them perpetually towards the center.
A DC 18 Wisdom (Survival) check will allow the Inside, the place is a dreamscape of long, looping
party to find its way out, but otherwise, they will concrete forms and shallow spiraling curves
find their way to the crystal laboratory of The scrimshawed from wood. The only illumination
Abbot. After five minutes at most, read: comes from giant arcs of lightning that dance
Rounding a bend, you find yourself in a crystal merrily along the ceiling. The rooms seem to repeat.
antechamber, veined with gold and electrum. There is everywhere the sound of a distant storm.
Blurred through the thick glass, you see the
intimations of a cathedral’s great hall. The doors If players leave before moving deeper,
rise into the ceiling and a sprawl of machinery
tangled around glass tables and tubes greets you. PROCEED TO:
Blue arcs of electricity in small strange lamps The Quiet Road
illuminate the place. Above you, through a huge
glass oculus, you see an endless storm raging. As players begin to move through the rooms, read:
In each room on these upper floors there is an altar,
PROCEED TO: and on each altar, burning incense. You see the
Make War suggestion of lithe bodies in the gentle haze. The
mud you track is cleaned up behind you. Any marks
Routes: you make to blaze a trail are delicately wiped away.
MAKE WAR, THE QUIET ROAD A broken chair is replaced by the time you return to
a room.
DEVOTIONS
If players return to their entrance point, read:
Y OU SIDLE OPTIMISTICALLY up to the Basilica The room is as you left it, except that there’s a
wall. Your hopes are rewarded: long stone blank concrete curve instead of a door out.
arches give way to giant concrete geometries,
which time has added handholds to. With effort, you If players hesitate, the Deva’s Palace—that’s what
could make it in this way and dodge that spooky this place truly is—will make the room smaller each
entrance entirely. time they glance away from a side. Then it lets the
storm in, and the great curves of the place take on
a dreadful character as the winds howl down these
tunnels and the rain laps angrily. No matter where

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THE BASILICA

the players go, the storm is always close behind. In the center of the room, moving from lectern to
inscrutable workbench, is a primeval titan.
Read: He begins to turn towards you.
The wind sings bleak devotions as it whips through
these fluted halls. It makes a steady pattern, rising Read the DESCRIPTION from THE ABBOT’s
and falling like the chant-rhythm of some great section.
beast breathing. With each cycle, more paths close
off. You don’t think you’ve been detected. In fact, If the players have achieved surprise, read:
you have no sense that there’s any mind here that There’s a moment of stillness here, before the
cares about you in the slightest. This is just what violence starts. You have the upper hand.
happens here. It’d happen even if you weren’t here
to see it. At the end of the first round, surprise or not, read
the DESCRIPTION from the FURIES section and
If players succeed a DC 18 Wisdom (Survival) check, add the FURIES to combat, altered as described in
they can chart a route free if they want. If they do, MODIFICATIONS and SCALING.

GO DIRECTLY TO: PROCEED TO:
The Quiet Road Combat Flow

Once players advance: MAKE WAR
In time, you find yourself staring through a giant
pane of crystal into a beautifully appointed lab. A LTER N AT I V E S
The players have the opportunity to surprise
the Deva.

PROCEED TO: READ:
Make War After five minutes or so of harrying, the woman
in red lands lightly on a high curve of the strange
but note down that the players have a surprise smooth stone arena’s wall. Her voice is clean and
round. sharp, without hesitation as she yells down, “You
have an eye for theater! I am Red, Hell’s Lash,
MAKE WAR Judge of the Lost and that is my arena.” Her sister
in blue alights beside her and bows low, “I am Blue,
THIS IS HELL. This is a lavish, exquisite, tasteful Heaven’s Scourge, Judge of the Lost, and that
hell. The glass towers in this laboratory rush makes you my foes.” Red continues, sotto voce,
with deep crimson blood. Whorls of tubing and coils “You say something dramatic here.” More Furies
of lightning flow inevitably into two huge crystal are landing as she speaks, filing into the stands.
goblets. A winged silhouette flickers and dances like Some of them are pulling out snacks and sharing
candle flame above each huge chalice, burning in them around.
time with the roll of thunder from the storm above.
If characters do say something dramatic, the crowd
applauds and showers them in honeycakes, giving
them a round to prepare. Otherwise, Blue gets
impatient and shoots them with her bow. The Furies

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THE BASILICA

use a shared health pool of 80 HP and have 50 COMBAT FLOW
maximum HP each. If players don’t enter the church
or leave, the Abbot will come out when the players S EE THE SECOND FLOW DIAGRAM in the
defeat the Furies. CORE ENCOUNTER FLOW. Note that this
combat is highly lethal. If players prefer a more
Once that happens, read DESCRIPTION from heroic story, strongly consider applying the
THE ABBOT, then read: SCALING effects and possibly one of the handicaps
The bloodied Furies in the ring of stone with you from the CORE ENCOUNTER FLOW. It is repeated
pause thoughtfully. The crowd of raucous winged in the COMBAT FLOW, but the Abbot cannot
women in the amphitheater falls silent except go down until Red and Blue have completed
for curious whispers. The woman in blue speaks, their first turns. If combat ends before going to
gently, “We are all caught together in the plans of REDEMPTION MODE, such as by killing the Abbot
the mighty.” Her sister tilts her head, and finishes after the Furies, go to END & LOOT.
the thought, “And what we have in common is
their lethal regard.” Rain starts to hammer down as PROCEED TO:
clouds spiral outward above the arena, clattering on End & Loot OR
some invisible dome of force. The Abbot does not Redemption Mode
move. “Take a moment,” Blue says. Red sits down
on the stone, grinning at you as she says, “Catch
your breath. We’re all dying here. No need to rush.”

The Furies and the Abbot will wait if the players RMEDOEDMEPTION
take a long rest. Red and Blue will talk a little,
asking characters about their histories and IF BLUE IS incapacitated or dead, read:
volunteering little themselves. The Abbot does not The blue-winged Fury lifts herself up, blood
respond at all, remaining aloof across the hours. pouring down her as she grins like a caged tiger.
She says, “I deny you. I refuse your argument.
If players attack, or once they have rested, read: That is my right, even though you made it with steel
Lightning explodes upward from the Furies in and spell.”
the arena, leaving them armored and healed. The
woman in red smirks cheerfully, and her sister If RED is down, read:
assays a half-apologetic shrug as they draw their The Fury in red lifts herself up, blood pouring down
rapiers again. The Abbot merely nods. her as she grins like a caged tiger, and she says, “No.
We aren’t done.”
Go to the COMBAT FLOW, and at the end of
round 1, read:
Read the DESCRIPTION from the FURIES section.
Add the FURIES to combat, but reduce their HP
pool and individual maximums by 25, to 150 and
100 respectively.

PROCEED TO: Each fleck and splatter of the Abbot’s blood burns
Combat Flow with dialectic energy. Beneath the violence, you can
hear a shouted argument, in many tongues, reaching
a crescendo, and silence. The wounded primal

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reaches a hand up towards the storm as a red- LOOTEND &OUTRO SCENES:
fletched arrow slams through his palm. The Furies
seem determined to prevent whatever apotheosis T HE ABBOT IS DYING one way or another, and
their maker now seeks. The Furies growl in unison, the fight is ending. Covered in burning blood,
a low sound that hums with menace, and they say, on one knee, the Abbot raises a hand and the power
“Oh brother ours, we will never recognize your of the sun flows through the fallen Deva for the first
renunciation. We are physical testament to your sins and last time this cycle. When he speaks, instead
and as you permission our existence, you sin. We of sound, rolling waves of magical silence and fire
can exist or you can exist.” Blue smiles ruefully and crash over you. The Furies hang in the air, sliced
gestures towards you before she turns her weapons into discrete cubes that begin to self-intersect and
on the Abbot. Red says softly, “Here we are then, fold in on themselves into celestial glyphs.
last dance of the day. Step up and mind your feet,
heroes, and we’ll decide who’s right.” If the ABBOT survived, and the players speak
Celestial, they can ask the Deva a single question.
The Abbot begins redemption mode with 100 hit He will answer in sign language. This operates as
points, and is incapacitated. The Furies each heal though the Deva had cast contact other plane,
25 hit points. The Furies now spend at least two of with the Dark Powers answering as forthrightly as
their attacks each turn targeting the Abbot with possible given their opaque use of language.
their bows. They now forgo opportunity attacks to
parry. Players within 5 feet of the Abbot can opt to And then read:
take an attack meant for him. Nothing stops players He begins to collapse into a beam of sunlight that
from simply allowing the Furies to destroy the starts at the ground and juts into the sky like a
Abbot, but they do gain a small additional benefit godray. There can be no doubt that this him is dead,
for saving him. that there will be more, and that the cycle of birth,
abdication, sin, redemption, and annihilation will
If the heroes make a daring escape in some continue. The Dark Powers demand:
unforeseeable way, “Tell us your truth.”

PROCEED TO: If the ABBOT died, read:
The Quiet Road He implodes in a gasp of shadow and a flash of
music. The glyphs of the Furies hum. These echoes
Otherwise, conspire to speak. They sing softly…

PROCEED TO:
End & Loot

“Witnesses to them that died,
Vengeance at his side,

The Furies have heard their truth.”

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Then they stand perfectly still. You have an idea of arrows, you make for the granite roots of Castle
what they wait for, and it does not fill your heart Ravenloft, which now looms far above. You find—
with joy. or are chased into—the quarry that must have
supplied much of the stone for the Basilica, and
The Furies will answer one question each truthfully in the deep places there, you find a way back. In
as per contact other plane if the surviving the dark, somewhere, the quarry tunnels take on a
characters speak Infernal. As with the Abbot, they more finished quality. Here, you find a waystone,
cannot tell which Vampire is currently Lord of engraved with the phrase “The Quiet Road.”
Ravenloft. If players ask what they wait for, it does On the top is a ring.
not count against their two questions.
The ring is a RING OF FIRE ELEMENTAL
As an answer, read: COMMAND, serving as a consolation prize for
We wait for our brother to be made again, to make players who have just skipped two of the more
us again, so that we may punish him for the making. important pieces of loot in the game. Otherwise,
So are we punished. significant luck or the use of consumables will be
needed to take advantage of the ring meaningfully.
Finally, read: The tunnels here branch madly, revealing an
A little figurine of the Furies rests in the center of entire second monastery. This seems to have
the room with a wrapped bundle at its feet. Maybe been inhabited until recently. Though the players
it’s always been there. The only exit you can see is won’t know this, the occupants of the Quiet Road
an amber archway in the back of the little church. monastery fled Barovia the last time the mists
You have a sense that you can return here if you opened up.
need to. Opening the bundle reveals...
The players receive the TREASURE that was As players explore, they’ll find a WAND OF MAGIC
randomly allocated to this encounter during the MISSILE, A SPELLGUARD SHIELD, and a TOME OF
GLASS & DIAMONDS tarot reading. Players may UNDERSTANDING. The last of these is practically
also have acquired the GOOD WINE. This ends impossible to use. If players find a way to use it,
the encounter. they deserve the buff.

PROCEED TO: The Quiet Road is actually safe, having been
Encounter Selection AND hallowed as it was carved by the devotees of an
This Place is Trying to Kill You obscure forge god. Divine Sense will reveal this fact
to the players. These catacombs connect back to the
RTHOEAQDUIET Amber Temple, the Treasury, or Ravenloft proper.
Players can pick a new encounter from the unlocked
T HIS TIME, THE STORM doesn’t vanish as it set, including the optional TREASURY encounter if
hammers down on the cratered hell. Pelted by it fits the tone of the current campaign. Players do
not receive the TREASURE.

PROCEED TO:
End of Encounter

PROBABLE TRANSITION TO

This Place is Trying to Kill You

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY............................................ 226 THE LUCK BLADE............................ 239
IRENA AS THE VILLAIN.................226 IF IRENA IS THE VILLAIN..............239
STRAHD AS THE VILLAIN..............226 IF STRAHD IS THE VILLAIN...........239
THE TOMB ITSELF........................240
PREPARATIONS............................... 226
DENIZENS....................................... 227 SERGEI'S TOMB................................ 240
KEY LOOT........................................ 227 BUCEPHALUS STATUE..................... 242
TONE & TYPE................................... 227 STRAHD'S TOMB (BARRIER).............. 242

ESMERELDA, SPECTRE OF FLAME....... 227 IF IRENA IS THE VILLAIN..............243
IF STRAHD IS THE VILLAIN...........243
MAPLE, LAST HEIR OF THE PACK......... 228
DESCRIPTION.................................. 228 END & LOOT..................................... 243
USAGE............................................. 228
MEET-CUTE.......................................... 244
ENCOUNTER FLOW.............................. 229 SUMMARY........................................ 244
SECTION FLOW................................ 246
CRYPTS MAP........................................ 230 COMBAT FLOW................................. 247
IRENA VON ZAROVICH..................247
SUGGESTED ORDER............................. 232 DRESSED TO KILL............................ 248
AGATHA CHRISTIE TIME................... 249
MAP...................................................... 233 ROUTING & RUNNING...................249
SPECIAL RULES & NOTES.............249
COMBAT FLOW..................................... 234 WHAT SHE CLAIMS.......................249
WHAT PROOF SHE OFFERS..........250
SCENES............................................... 235 MANAGING THE META................... 251
A LAND OF DUST AND SHADOW........ 235 DIALOGUE SAMPLES.................... 251
KHAZAN'S REST............................... 237 IRENA TAILS THEM.......................... 252
IRENA'S TOMB.................................. 237 THE RUSE........................................ 253
IF IRENA IS THE VILLAIN..............237
IF STRAHD IS THE VILLAIN...........238
FINALLY... ...................................238
ST. MARKOVIA'S TOMB...................... 238
PATRINA'S TOMB.............................. 239

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TABLE OF CONTENTS CTD.

RIDE OR DIE..................................... 253 STRAHD, THE SCOURGE HIMSELF..258
MAPLE'S AID.................................... 254 THE BRIDES.................................259
THE LONG GOODBYE........................ 254 DINNER FOR 4.5............................... 261
DEAD MEN & TALES......................... 261
CHIANTI............................................... 255 IF PLAYERS RUSH STRAHD........... 261
HOW TO RUN.................................... 255 BARGAINING OR RESISTANCE.......262
SECTION GOALS & SUMMARY........255 AGREEMENT OR WEAKNESS........262
WHAT STRAHD WANTS.................255 MURDER.......................................... 263
CONDITIONAL REACTIONS............255 WAR................................................. 263
ENCOUNTER FLOW.......................... 257 AFTERMATH.................................... 263
COMBAT FLOW................................. 258

SUMMARY BLADE tomb if at all possible. Her priorities are
the acquisition of the LUCK BLADE, and murdering
P LAYERS ENTER THE CRYPTS via the AMBER literally the whole party if the opportunity arises.
DEPTHS or by traveling through Ravenloft.
Here, very few of the tombs are left. Strahd’s in STRAHD AS THE VILLAIN
particular is sealed by a great wall of mortared The much more flamboyant Strahd will challenge
brick. What comes next depends on whether Strahd players openly to a duel once players meet
or Irena is the villain, and will rely on the MEET- Esmerelda’s ghost at the LUCK BLADE tomb.
CUTE or CHIANTI sub-modules respectively. While Strahd could be encountered early like Irena
See the next sections for more. if time is short, this is almost never necessary, as
the CHIANTI section runs around an hour. If the
IRENA AS THE VILLAIN players kill Esmerelda on sight, he’ll still challenge
Eventually, players will either stumble on Irena, or them and it’ll go pretty badly.
she will find them if they are moving through the
tombs especially slowly. Most parties will encounter P R E PA R AT I O N S
her when they reach the LUCK BLADE tomb.
Either way, this begins the MEET-CUTE section The following is the minimum prep that a DM needs
where she masquerades as the noble paladin she to do for them to be able to run this encounter.
once was. Irena will join the party if they allow it. If While we recommend a detailed reading of the
encountered early, she will take them to the LUCK entire encounter, if you’ve got to rush or you plan
to wing it, here’s what we think you need to do:

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1. Print the appropriate Vampire Lord entry for the second half of the CRYPTS, where the current
this run. Lord’s respective section puts the players and their
new abilities to the test. The best way to handle
2. Review the crypts map and encounter flow, this is to emphasize player agency and let things
noting the trigger for CHIANTI and go off the rails. With this in mind, you can pretty
MEET-CUTE. much let them do whatever they want as long as the
pacing feels okay, as most choices will loop back to
3. Note the presence of the STAFF OF POWER in a narrow set of outcomes eventually. As a result of
Khazan’s Rest. this, THE CRYPTS has more potential to run long
or cause sequence breaks than any other encounter.
4. Print the appropriate ally, Maple for Irena and
Esmerelda for Strahd. ESMERELDA

5. Note when the party receives the LUCK BLADE.

6. Finally, rely on SUGGESTED ORDER unless you
have completely reviewed the encounter.

DENIZENS

IRENA OR STRAHD Spectre of Flame
THE STARVING BRIDES
BUCEPHALUS
ESMERELDA OR MAPLE

KEY LOOT

LUCK BLADE
STAFF OF POWER
SERGEI’S ARMOR, (+1 Platemail)

TONE & TYPE

THE CRYPTS begin slow and ramp to a E SMERELDA HAS TAKEN her death quite well,
catastrophic ending, paying direct homage to the and remains a vivacious heroic figure. She still
pacing of traditional gothic horror. It begins with wears her colorful vistani gear, spectral silks and
a soft beat intended to give players a bit of time cords of mithril chain over leather armor. If she
to breathe while simultaneously ratcheting the survives the fight in the CRYPTS, Esmerelda will
core sense of dread up. The exploration sequence always offer to accompany the party. She provides
contains a significant portion of the high-powered reliable access to the following skills: Stealth +8,
loot they can expect in the entire adventure. With Thieves’ Tools +8, Passive Perception 16.
these tools and the dark boons, we can expect
players after this point to have a fundamentally
different experience than before. A good way to
think of it is the difference between Dracula and
Castlevania. It’s still terrifying, but the players have
tools to interact with things. This is actualized by

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If there are five or fewer players, she will aid MAPLE,
in combat. She continues to use her standard
statblock, except that she cannot regain HP, LAST HEIR OF
vanishing immediately if she reaches 0 HP. THE PACK
Regardless of damage, she starts with 100 HP.
Scaling rules treat her as an additional player, and

she is under player control. If there are six or more,

she is a ghostly but helpful presence. She still offers Friendly Feypact Werewolf
her skills, and may even sometimes scout ahead a

limited distance. She cannot pass through walls,

floors, or locked doors.

She knows a good bit about the history and
personality of Strahd, but does not know about his
tomb as it was rebuilt after she killed him the first
time. She is unaware it is on the Ethereal plane. She
does know that Irena and Gertruda are also Vampire
Lords. She knows that killing Strahd will likely
only lead to Gertruda or Irena taking power. It’s
happened before. She’s made her peace with that. If
she survives through Strahd’s defeat and the LUCK
BLADE still has a wish, she’ll ask to use it before
they stake him. Using it to duplicate Magic Jar, she’ll
ask to be carried out.

DESCRIPTION

T HE WEREWOLF SHIFTS through a series of
forms and faces in a scattering of seconds as
they back away. For the time being, they’ve settled
on the slim form of a tawny-haired boy with almond
skin and almond eyes. The effect is spoiled by his
digitigrade legs and claws as he pulls a battered
jacket tighter around himself. “I’m Maple,” he says
nervously.

Maple will mimic characters as best as they can, and
will swap physical features and gender presentation

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THE CRYPTS

to fit in. Some additional descriptions you can use their hair color matches yours. They settle on
follow: girlish features with enormous grey eyes and
the barkskin of a wood elf. She grins at you
• Maple tilts his head at you, shakes it as though sheepishly, all fangs and contrition. “I thought
clearing it. As he shakes his head back and forth it’d be good to fit in!”
like, well, like a dog, his muzzle flashes into view
and then…. Then she stares at you with bright USAGE
blue eyes, an aquiline woman of maybe 25.
If any of the conditions under MAPLE'S AID in the
• Maple shrugs on the armor, shifting their shape MEET-CUTE section are met, Maple’s courage and
to suit it better. It strikes you that they must be anger will overcome their fear and they’ll leap in to
young, young enough to think that they should help. Otherwise, after Irena is dealt with, they offer
match their clothes. Maple settles the chainmail their skills as a scout or in combat if players have
on his broad shoulders and favors you with a five or fewer characters. They use the stats of a Fey-
farmboy grin. Pact Werewolf as found in the MONSTERS section.

• Maple watches you with a canine intensity. After
a bit, they run fingers through their hair until

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ENCOUNTER FLOW

START

Read:

A LAND OF DUST
AND SHADOW

Then go to

CRYPTS MAP

Players explore the If players need a nudge, see the
map until... SUGGESTED ORDER section for a route

Reaching the
LUCK BLADE

OR

Two hours of real time have passed.
Then....

IRENA If the Lord is... STRAHD

Read: Read:

MEET-CUTE CHIANTI
MODULE MODULE

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THE CRYPTS
CRYPTS MAP

Players begin at the ENTRANCE.

Read:

A LAND OF DUST
AND SHADOW
ENTRANCE

BOSS KHAZAN'S
IRENA'S REST
TOMB

SERGEI'S BUCEPHALUS PATRINA'S
TOMB STATUE TOMB

MARKOVIA'S LUCK
TOMB BLADE
BOSS
STRAHD'S
TOMB

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SUGGESTED ORDER

We suggest IRENA’S TOMB, KHAZAN’S REST, PATRINA’S TOMB, BUCEPHALUS STATUE,
SERGEI’S TOMB, ST. MARKOVIA’S TOMB, LUCK BLADE, and then finally STRAHD’S TOMB.

However, players are free to inspect each tomb before interacting with them, so there’s a
good chance things could play out in just about any sequence.

ENTRANCE

BOSS KHAZAN'S
IRENA'S REST
TOMB

SERGEI'S BUCEPHALUS PATRINA'S
TOMB STATUE TOMB

MARKOVIA'S LUCK
TOMB BLADE
BOSS
STRAHD'S
TOMB

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COMBAT FLOW

PRE The following is an example of a combat flow, with each part explained.

NAME
Titles

Precombat preparations can be found here, under PRE, along with the relevant lair actions
if they are not varied.

1 M: This holds a movement plan.
M: Move.
A: This covers the suggested action for the first
turn, denoted by the 1 to the left.

B: This lists the bonus action to be used, if any.

R: This holds a suggested reaction.

Legendary actions will be described in red at the
bottom, generally in order of use with causes.

2

As above, for the second turn. Markers may be
used in the timeline to the left as a way to show
other events.

This feature is not used in this encounter.

R: Reaction.

3

As above, for the third turn, and as a suggestion for turns beyond that.

This is denoted by the dotted arrow leading off page.

This arrow will be solid if a second page is provided.

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SCENES There are six mausoleums total, and two major
crypts (STRAHD and SERGEI) for the players to
Below are the narrative components used by the inspect. Referring to the flowchart, you may run
encounter flow. Where possible, each notes down the vignettes in any order. It is suggested that you
the probable next vignettes. LOOT, MONSTERS, and run the LUCK BLADE roughly halfway through
CONDITIONS are bolded in this section. Content but after KHAZAN. During the LUCK BLADE, the
intended to be read aloud verbatim is italicized. party will meet Irena, and probably shortly after,
meet a bad end. These items behave like all the
DASHLUAASNTDDAOOFNWD others: unless Irena wrests or charms an item away
before a character dies, it respawns with the new
T HE FLOOR IS A GREAT STRETCH of red character. Narratively, these items “soul-bind” like
marble and the ceiling is lined with skeletal the Treasures, effectively attuning to the character
bats. The space here stretches out beyond your rather than their incarnation.
vision. It’s safe to assume that it’s as big as an entire
floor of the castle. Strangely, it’s mostly empty. It is critically important that players get to keep
either the STAFF OF POWER or the LUCK BLADE
If players have 60 feet of darkvision or less: as both offer quick solutions for many problems
Only a single mausoleum sits in sight. in the castle—solutions that you’ll need players to
If players have 120 feet of darkvision or less: have if you want to finish on time. Many players
Two mausoleums sit at the edge of your vision. won’t be willing to enter the crypts at all without
some prompting. If necessary, you can use Irena
As players advance, or for a character with a to draw them out onto the sea of blood. If this
passive Perception score of 16 or higher: happens, default to IRENA TRAILS THEM and
Your first step reveals that what you took for red truncate the dialogue to minimize the menace.
marble is about an inch of blood. In the cold and Simply have Irena ask them if the way out is clear,
the bitter magic of this place, the blood has stayed then have her “leave.”
fresh... and thick. It does not cling to your boots at
all. Above, the little frozen bones of the bats creak PROCEED TO:
softly as their skulls turn slowly to watch you. Khazan's Rest,
Luck Blade,
As players draw near a mausoleum: Irena's Tomb,
At your approach, strange blue lamps flicker to life Patrina's Tomb,
on the sides of this mausoleum. In their cold light, St. Markovia's Tomb,
you can now make out countless little grave plaques Bucephalus Statue,
forming a sort of tiled island around the tomb in this Sergei's Tomb, or
sea of blood. Strahd's Tomb

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KRHEASZTAN’S can. However, it’s just a passing interest compared
to her desire for the LUCK BLADE.
THIS MAUSOLEUM IS CARVED to resemble Any spellcaster can attune to the staff immediately.
a ruined tower, perhaps a wizard’s demesne.
Written on the stone door is “Khazan: His Name TIROEMNBA’S
Is Power.”

Divine Sense reveals nothing inside, detect magic THIS HUGE MONUMENT is carved into great
reveals a moderate conjuration aura, identify loops of white marble, forming something
reveals it as Drawmij’s instant summons keyed to that implies the train of a wedding dress. Close
some event. This can all be done from outside. inspection reveals a door worked into the intricate
carvings and a name: “Irena.”
If players enter:
Lifting the slab door reveals a polished skull sitting Inside, there is a coffin carved from a single block
on the floor of this tomb in a bed of laurels. It of lead. At the base of the ornate monstrosity is the
has great green gems for eyes and teeth. Close phrase, “Mine forever.” It’s written in long looping
inspection reveals them to be intricately carved jade. calligraphy, as if someone dragged a pen through
the metal in smooth motions. There is a lid nearby,
Players who have not been through the campaign and it looks like it could bolt on. The coffin is empty.
before may spend a bit of time here trying to
deduce how to activate the summons. Any player is If Irena is the villain
likely to be quite cautious around the jeweled skull
of a probable wizard. Liberal use of skill checks, First, read:
particularly Medicine or Arcana, will likely be the Eight torches, each unlit, surround the coffin. In the
easiest way to unstick them. To summon the center of the room, there’s just the hungry coffin
STAFF OF POWER, they must say Khazan’s name and its waiting lid.
to his skull.
The torches form a binary puzzle. It’s unlikely the
If the players deduce the trick: players will successfully stumble on the solution, as
The skull shudders, chuckles, and then seems there are 255 possible codes. Brute forcing likely
to wink. Beneath your feet, the bedrock of the won’t work, as all torches must be put out before
pillarstone shakes violently. Then, without warning, trying a new combination. This process takes about
a staff hangs in the air, its finely wrought head 5 minutes per combination as the torches are
pointed downward at the skull. Lightning crackles resistant to being lit or being put out. They’re just
over it and through it. all around stubborn.

The player who grabs the STAFF OF POWER takes From left to right, starting at the door of the
40 points of lightning damage. Khazan’s magic tomb, the code is: Unlit, Lit, Unlit, Unlit, Lit, Unlit,
prevented Irena from triggering the summons Unlit, Lit. There is an audible click if it is entered,
herself, and she’s interested in getting the staff if she but otherwise nothing happens. Even if they do

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successfully unravel it, the tomb-gate will only If Strahd is the villain
open inside of sustained magical darkness, sunlight,
or in response to the phrase: “Miserable pile of The area below the tomb is still accessible, but
secrets.” When it opens, it does so in a flood of the great lapis coffin below is surrounded by
molten lead which is likely to lightly damage at least the remnants of a magic circle, which has been
one character. shattered.

When this happens, IRENA will attack unless the First, read:
ECLIPSE is in progress. Go to COMBAT. This is Every surface here is pitted and burned. Some
likely to be a sequence break, but keep a poker cataclysm of fire kissed this place and the smell of
face. There’s a good chance that no matter what burnt glass and sage hangs heavy. Under the ash
happens next, the players will assume she’s merely a at the foot of the tomb, you find a row of small
secondary objective. Unless it is going poorly or it’s symbols, highly geometric and hanging just below
obvious she’s made, Irena will not use legendary or the surface of the stone. You’ve heard of this:
lair actions. In fact, she’ll endeavor to keep combat ghostsign, a script unique to the restless dead.
wholly physical. She is joined by the STARVING
BRIDES. If she kills the entire party here, they If a player has a Religion or Medicine bonus of
may choose to reincarnate in the CRYPTS at ST. +6 or higher, or has Abyssal, Celestial, or Giant
MARKOVIA’S TOMB or back in the AMBER languages, read:
DEPTHS. She’ll then reseal the tomb, guarding it Ghostsign comes in a few dialects, ranging from
actively until the ECLIPSE. If she loses, this clears Dread Court vulgate to High Heart’s formal tone.
the way for early access to the TOMB OF IRENA This is written in Ember, the giant’s tongue, and it
encounter and can lead to an early win. This is says “No matter what I do, the tomb below rebuilds
intended, and serves as a knowledge check-point itself eventually. -Esmerelda”
for repeat playthroughs.
Finally...
Even if players don’t find the combination, they’ll
likely be suspicious of the torches. Ultimately, the Read:
tomb is likely to just be read—accurately in some The tomb is not perfectly silent. Pipes creak. Stones
senses—as morbid evidence of Strahd’s abusive and settle. Something hums on the edge of hearing. The
controlling nature, as well as the ultimate end met by castle feels very much alive, and this place feels too
those he fancies. Irena will use sacred flame to melt much like a heart. What do you do?
the word “Mine” off the coffin if she is with the party.
She does so in angry silence and will be taciturn STTO. MMARBKOVIA’S
afterwards. The word will reappear within 4 hours.
THIS SMALLER DOMED CRYPT is made from
Finally, perceptive or insightful characters who red sandstone. The workmanship is very fine,
passed through the SUNLIT SHRINE may make and it’s carved with a repeating sunburst motif.
a DC 18 Intelligence (History or Stonecutter’s The door is lacquered wood, and on it is the word
tools) or Wisdom (Insight) check to ascertain that “Markovia.”
the layout of this room is identical to the central
chamber of the SUNLIT SHRINE INTERIOR. This
may reveal some of the torch settings and should be
used to remind players that the replica was bathed
in sunlight.

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Inside, there is a well-tended shrine. It’s been dusted suggest an equally tiny and sad fire. Oddly, the
recently, and many little votive candles burn and bedroll is full of fur, both long and short, like that of
whip in the sudden draft. An empty reliquary sits a husky or a wolf. The edge of its fabric is worn thin
behind a wooden sun altar. It seems safe here. by the passage of worried hands and steady use.
Carved into the arch of the door is the phrase,
“A single respite.” If the players lurk here, Maple can be met early.
They will keep their distance but are willing to talk.
This space is hallowed but excludes Irena They appear again during the encounter with Irena
specifically. Players can rest here safely unless Irena and will try to prevent AGATHA CHRISTIE MODE.
is with them. She’s the one who keeps the shrine
and originally hallowed it, and unlike almost every There’s a trove of money here, roughly equivalent
other creature here, she’s powerful enough to to 20,000 gold pieces.
enter the place. If she’s with them, go to AGATHA
CHRISTIE TIME. Otherwise, it’s an uneventful TLUHCEK BLADE
rest. This feature can be used once, after which the
shrine door will not open. THE LUCK BLADE is found in Exethanter’s
tomb, and the encounter at the tomb leads to
PTAOTMRBINA’S the villain-specific section starting. In the Irena Arc,
during the MEET-CUTE section, Irena will attempt
THIS MONUMENT IS CARVED of black marble to catch the players before they enter, and deceive
in the towering likeness of an elven woman in them into offering her the blade. If Strahd is the
a wedding dress. Blazened in brass on the side is villain, during the CHIANTI section, he ambushes
“Patrina.” A quick once-over reveals that the front the players as they exit, and proposes various
of the statue forms a door. cruel deals.

If players push the door open: If Irena is the Villain
As you push the door, you hear a latching
mechanism click. The front of Patrina’s effigy dress Go to the MEET-CUTE section, starting with
swings open obscenely of its own accord. The inside DRESSED TO KILL. You will return here to resolve
of the door is carved with Strahd’s leering face. the remainder of the tomb per THE TOMB ITSELF,
A lead coffin has been torn open in the center of and it is possible Irena will still be with the party
the room. The floor is covered in neatly piled gold, during this.
silver, electrum, and platinum.
If Strahd is the Villain
If Irena is the villain, Maple has been hiding here,
but is gone when the players arrive. First, read:
Ahead, around the bend, you see the shadowy
Read: outline of sprawling edifice. It looks as though it
There’s a little bedroll here, as far from the coins as has been melted by dragonfire, but the core of the
possible, scrunched into a corner. Tiny soot marks structure is still solid beneath the soot.

Play continues to THE TOMB ITSELF. Immediately
on exiting the tomb, the CHIANTI section begins.

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This means players will have the LUCK BLADE At the end of the hall is a darkened space, likely
before they encounter Strahd. the tomb itself. A single dancing mote of light casts
baleful and illegible shadows there. The dust in the
The Tomb Itself air and the distance make the scene inscrutable.

The tomb’s door must be wrenched off its hinges As they approach:
with a Strength (Athletics) check or similar. The mote flares up, revealing first a finely carved
After the initial push, some rusted counterweight pipe and then a skeletal grin gripping its stem. Deft
swings into motion and the door slides open with bone fingers cradle it and as it moves, you see the
a creak. polished skull of the Dapper Skeleton who handed
you the invitation. He wears a different 3-piece suit
Once the players enter the tomb: now, but this one is just as fine—just as dapper. The
Stairs lead down into a dim chamber carved from debonair undead gestures amiably with the pipe.
amber. Dust hangs heavy in the air. Though the
structure held, whatever fiery attack struck it has If a player character is drow, dwarven, has Eyes of
turned everything in this place into ash and bowed the Rune Keeper, casts tongues or is a rogue, he
the amber walls with heat. The only intact object is can communicate with them well enough to convey
the sword stabbed deep into a stone dias. The blade simple ideas. Whatever sign dialect he’s using, it’s
is simple and unadorned except for a pommel stone very old. If they can communicate, read:
made of lucent amber. “Welcome to my home. Sit down and share a pipe.”

An Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the Sergei can’t speak in this form, but he does know
inscription on the dias: sign language. He won’t betray Irena, and will fight
“Exethanter: He Had Time Enough.” to the death to protect her, but has long disagreed
with her chosen path. He will not tell them she is
Claiming the blade rewards the characters with the Lord. Their love appears to be mutual, however,
a LUCK BLADE, in the form of a rapier with two and she treats his passive resistance with both
charges remaining. delicacy and affection. If Irena is with the party
when they arrive, she throws herself at the skeleton
STOEMRGB EI’S in a crushing embrace. Players who inquire as to
why he is a skeleton to either party will be met with
A CORRIDOR HERE LEADS OFF from the main an honest, “I don’t know.”
crypts. It has been kept immaculate, polished
where the others are merely spotless. A long row If any of the players are halflings, read:
of those strange blue torches runs along the left of That pipe is of fine halfling make, about two
the hall. On the right, there are portraits and even centuries old. There’s no way it’s from Barovia.
a marble bust of a handsome man. He shares much
of the aspect of Strahd Von Zarovich. You’d guess a If players can see in the dark or bring light:
brother, perhaps. The walls are carved lovingly, and sandalwood
offering sticks line the walls. A small chest sits in
the far corner and a chessboard sits between two
luxuriant looking leather chairs. There’s a wardrobe
in the corner. Oh, and a coffin in the center of
the room with a suit of armor, but no corpse. The
skeleton man tamps his pipe with a thoughtful air.

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If they join him, he’ll smoke with them in If players attack, he’ll use his readied action to
companionable silence for a while before bolt for the Ethereal. They might be able to bind
leaving on some errand or another. He gestures him somehow, making this a prime opportunity to
magnanimously towards his armor as if to remove a huge problem.
suggest they take it. Mechanically, his armor is
+1 platemail that automatically resizes to fit the Otherwise, he’ll vanish with a wink as the party
wearer. However, this does not obviate the Strength is about to move on. If this happens, in your best
requirements. Made of heavy steel with ornamental sleazy deep voice, read: “Be seeing you, beauties.”
bone plates and mithril filigree, the armor is quite
distinctive. STRAHD’S

SBUTCAEPTHAULUES TOMB (BARRIER)

A HUGE STATUE of a saddled horse stands here T HE TOMB BARRIER serves two separate
in the shadowed deeps. The proportions of the purposes. If the Vampire Lord is Strahd for
horse are odd, perhaps stylized. All the tack seems this playthrough, it’s a gating hurdle to ensure
to be made of gold and the eyes are rubies. You’d players don’t stumble on the tomb before they have
need to climb up to get at them. any chance of solving it. If Irena is the Vampire
Lord, it’s used primarily to clue players in that they
If players have seen Bucephalus before, read: probably can’t assume Strahd is the Vampire Lord.
This is a giant statue of Bucephalus, and Regardless, it’s a powerful barrier and requires the
beautifully made. expenditure of precious resources to pass through.
The barrier can be broken by any of the following
This is actually Bucephalus (a nightmare), not a effects or anything broadly comparable:
statue. His size is currently Huge instead of his • Sabotage on the far side of the wall using the
normal Large or his bipedal shapeshift that they
may have seen earlier. If a player character clambers DRUID’S SPINE
up to steal his tack or eyes, he’ll use his readied • Passwall (SPELLBEAD)
action to drag them to the Ethereal Plane, where • The chime of opening
he’ll buck them off and strand them. Respectively, • Wish (LUCK BLADE)
this is a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw then a DC • Gate, summoning (TOWER consolation prize)
18 Strength saving throw. If they make either save, • Earth elemental
they’ll tumble safely to the ground in the prime • One casting of dispel magic, as though against a
material. Otherwise, they’re functionally dead. He’ll
bolt after that either way. 7th level spell

Read:
This wide corridor is decorated with mosaics of
Strahd’s triumphs, and would make a halfling auntie
blush. At the far end is a great arch, and above it, a

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gold-wrought name: “Strahd.” The arch is bricked ELNODO&T
up with huge red-fired bricks and runed iron bands.
Mist drifts gently from small slits near the top of T HE CRYPTS CONTAIN a significant number
the wall. of items, many of which can be missed. The
players have likely obtained a LUCK BLADE with
If they attempt to break the wall: up to two charges remaining. They may also have
The glyphs flare to life and you are tossed away. acquired SERGEI’S ARMOR (+1 platemail), A STAFF
Inspection reveals that some sort of arcane barrier OF POWER, Patrina’s gold, and an ally who will be
blocks the tomb. determined by the current Lord—Maple for Irena,
or Esmerelda for Strahd. Finally, players gain access
If Irena is the villain to ST. MARKOVIA’S TOMB, one of the few safe
places for a long rest, and sundry other minor items.
If Irena is with them:
“It seems the bastard’s taken precautions. Hell.” This is a good time to ensure players take inventory
She’ll try to persuade them that they can’t break and equip these items, as access to powerful items
this barrier right now and they don’t have time to is the primary progression mechanic in One Night
cast identify. Even if players do not cast identify, Strahd. If players have not met the conditions
they may still suspect something. It also creates for the ECLIPSE encounter, they can head to any
another opportunity for Irena’s facade of the remaining encounter of their choice in ACT II and
personable paladin to begin to crack. will pass through THIS PLACE IS TRYING TO KILL
YOU on the way there.
If they cast identify, read:
Identify reveals the spell to be Montressor’s Mystic
Mainstay. It’s a rare builder’s binding spell.

If players gain access, read:
Within, you find a rococo mess of gold and mosaics
with a floor of tilled earth. There’s no coffin.

Probably, players will just regard this as strange.
They may attack Irena, and she’ll fight them here
with gusto while trying to avoid revealing that she’s
a full Vampire Lord and master of Ravenloft. She’ll
pepper in comments about how she must defend her
husband—lies, but believable ones. A high Wisdom
(Insight) check might suggest that she’s being
dishonest.

If Strahd is the villain

Identify reveals the wall to be Fanu’s Fastness.
You’ve only heard of this, and it’d take powerful
magic to break. The spell is peculiar, in that you need
to be able to reach the runes to dispel it normally,
and they’re always in the far side of the barrier.

If players break the barrier, proceed to the
STRAHD’S TOMB encounter.

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CMUEETTE- the note in advance and slip a couple other notes to
other players.

Irena wears Van Richten’s RING OF MIND
SHIELDING, protecting her from Divine Sense, and is
under the effect of NYSTUL’S MAGIC AURA as well
as leaning on her shapeshifting to hide her nature.

IRENA’S GOALS

SUMMARY 1. Acquire the LUCK BLADE and then attempt
(unsuccessfully) to wish for Sergei’s return
I RENA TRIES TO TRICK players into letting her to form.
accompany them with the aim of stealing the
LUCK BLADE, which she cannot access. She does 2. Destroy Maple, using the deadly power of her
this by introducing herself as Tatyana and posing Charm attack if possible to create a vampire
as a paladin fighting the Brides. She knows players thrall.
seek an ally in the crypts, and uses this to deceive
them. Unfortunately for her, she cannot maintain 3. Gain information about how prepared the
the deception very long before her obsession and characters are and prompt a dangerous sense
cruelty leak through. of urgency.

Irena—as Tatyana—does not cast spells during this 4. Test the overall threat level of the players,
encounter, but may use the Charm ability if there’s killing critically wounded characters with Charm
a soft target or it might net her access to the LUCK or her bite.
BLADE. She will not use her 5th-level spell slot for
Charm, and only very rarely will she use a 4th-level 5. Weaken players and force them to use non-
slot. In particular, she’ll try to sit on watch with renewable resources to set them up for failure.
someone if they take a long rest.
She is not particularly interested in killing the
If they do not allow her to join, she will follow party for the sake of it. In fact, she is more
at a safe distance using secret doors and her Lair inclined to weaken them so that the final ritual
abilities and try repeatedly to charm someone. Once combat will turn in her favor. Victory here doesn’t
she has killed a character with her Charm ability, fundamentally advance her goals.
slip that player a note saying that they’re charmed
and just hope they can keep a secret. Ideally, write REMINDER:
If at any time the combat would start, use the
MAPLE’S AID scene immediately. They always
join to help in an unambiguous way.

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SECTION FLOW

START IRENA TAILS THEM

Read: PL AYERS REFUSED
BAIL
DRESSED
TO KILL

Aid her?

NO YES

Appeal to Fear? AFRAID! Convinced? YES Join up?

ALLOWED

FEARLESS! PL AYERS Go To:
ATTACK
THE RUSE

RUSE
ENDS

RIDE OR DIE

If things drag, go straight to

IRENA TAILS THEM!

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THE CRYPTS

Irena von Zarovich

Doom of Barovia, The End of Hope, Saint of Dread

PRE

Tactical Note: Irena will only finish off a character if she can vampirize them.
Precast spells: Irena always starts combat with mirror image in effect.

1 M: Close with a caster.
A: Fireball, targeting a clump of players.

Cestus attack, grappling on hit. Target lowest
HP character. Bite if grapple succeeds,
otherwise cestus attack twice.

2 M: After attack, move to
A: Full attack sequence, preferring cestus, lowest HP target, provoking
targeting Caster. opportunity attacks.

Charm, burning a 3rd level slot and targeting
lowest HP character.

3 M: Move to lowest HP target,
provoking opportunity
A: Full attack sequence, preferring cestus. attacks.

Cestus attack, grappling on hit. Target lowest
HP character. Bite if grapple succeeds,
otherwise cestus attack twice.

Irena fights until: she has killed Maple, she is destroyed, or if players are unable to cope
with her as a threat, when three rounds have passed.
She repeats turn three to the best of her abilities, never expending spell slots.

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DTROESKSEIDLL Otherwise, read:
Holy fire makes fast work of the starving vampires
while you hold back. The paladin nods towards you
and removes her helm. Her crimson hair frames
a wry smirk and brown eyes set in olive skin.
“Tatyana.”

F IRST, READ: Finally, read:
Ahead, around the bend, you see the shadowy Tatyana gestures towards the tomb with her rapier.
outline of sprawling edifice. It looks as though it “I came seeking a fairytale blade, but I can’t open
has been melted by dragonfire, but the core of the crypt. If you’ll get the weapon, I’ll hold off the
the structure is still solid beneath the soot. As you starving Brides when they return.” Three snaking
draw a little closer, you hear the strange and muted shapes cut fast wakes in the shallow blood, headed
clatter of steel. away into the gloom. “They always seem to
come back.”

As players draw nearer, read: If players bite, Irena waits outside, guarding the
You see a woman in armor dueling with three door. Otherwise, she’ll try to convince them. Failing
Brides. Her rapier is wicked and quick, but each of that, IRENA TAILS THEM. Irena’s two goals are to
the vampires would be her match. Her foes move retrieve the LUCK BLADE from the hallowed tomb
perpetually to block her way though they are and join the party. If she gets the party to hand over
emaciated to the point of predatory sleekness. Their the LUCK BLADE, she’ll immediately burn one of
beautiful dresses whip and snap as their blades and the two remaining wishes to try and resurrect Sergei
faces snarl the air with death. With a gesture, the properly. If this happens, read: An emblem flickers
paladin summons the power of the Morninglord, into being above the blade's tip. A sun, swallowed
illuminating the sunburst designs on her armor. by black flame. The spell fails as the Dark Powers
refuse her.
If players bail immediately,
This does nothing, burns one charge, and leaves
PROCEED TO: Irena unable to cast wish for a year, making the
Irena Tails Them blade nearly useless to her.

If players attack at any point, The MEET-CUTE section as a whole almost always
ends in a short combat, but may involve either
PROCEED TO: Irena tagging along with the party or tailing them.
Ride or Die She’s had a long time to plan, even going so far as
to instruct the Brides to aid her in making the ruse
If the players aid her, read: compelling. If she is allowed to accompany the
The battle turns fast once you join it. After party, refer to AGATHA CHRISTIE TIME and the
dispatching them, you have a moment to catch your flowchart of the same name.
breath. The paladin removes her helm, revealing
olive skin and red hair. “Tatyana, at your service PROCEED TO:
and in your debt.” Agatha Christie Time, Ride or Die,
or Irena Tails Them

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ACHGRAITSHTIAE • Slots used remain used. She won’t expend many
resources here, as it doesn’t gain her much.
TIME
• For resource reasons, she will not use Charm
more than three times.

• Irena will not use her 5th-level spell slot for
Charm.

• Irena does not know about the Fortune-Teller.
Telling her will enrage her, which might give the
party a chance to notice the deception.

THIS SECTION IS INTENDED to provide What She Claims
support for IRENA’s deception by offering
mechanical tools and sample dialogue that may be • The Vampire Lord of Ravenloft has returned and
useful. Combined with the AGATHA CHRISTIE certain relics will be necessary to defeat them.
TIME flowchart, it can be used to run Irena in a
way that produces both a competent deception and • Barovia has been reduced to a silent ruin of
a consistent sense of player agency. Irena’s ruse is floating isles.
not intended to last beyond the CRYPTS, but it’s
possible she might accompany the players to THE • A past Lord was determined to annihilate all
TOME encounter. threats to their rule.

Routing & Running • Almost no mortal survives in this place,
except as tormented ghosts.
This sequence generally leads to THE RUSE, IRENA
TAILS THEM, or RIDE OR DIE. However, unlike • As a result, the vampires you meet are likely
almost every other scene or character, it takes place to be quite quite hungry.
as players continue to explore the crypts. Generally,
allowing players to go to any encounter other than • She believes it is possible for the players to win,
THE TOME with Irena still in tow will cause a hard though likely quite difficult.
wipe in most circumstances. Some playgroups
will require direct prompting to understand the • This is true, and she’s actually concerned
situation. In this case, run the MAPLE scene and about it.
go to RIDE OR DIE.
• Players can’t be properly defeated outside of
Special Rules & Notes the ritualized final battle, but she won’t tell
them this under any circumstances.
• Irena’s first use of the Charm attack requires a
Passive Perception score of 20 to notice. Each • The Vampire Lord can only truly be defeated
additional usage drops the DC by 5, virtually after the Eclipse.
ensuring she will get at most one undetected
Charm attack. • The Eclipse is the final phase of the Rite of
Challenge.
• A player character subjected to the psychic
assault of the Charm attack knows they’ve been • It will begin soon.
attacked but does not know what attacked. This
absolutely should cause a cascade that will blow • It’s what she’s waiting for. This isn’t a lie,
her disguise. and won’t trigger a Charisma (Deception)
check.

• Irena, as Tatyana, will gladly tell the players
the twisted love story at the heart of Barovia’s
doom from her perspective.

• She is a noble champion of the Morninglord
and can demonstrate this with channeled
power.

249