#but once they get to argynvostholt

[kikillustrate]

So..........

I've been making some adjustments............

Reference: Pieta by William Adolphe Bouguereau

[antonvmph]

| THE PATCHWORK DAUGHTER OF THE ABBOT.

aspects of tatyana's dark skin and red hair, as well as a call to patrina's blue dusk elven skin. the abbot paid close attention to the unfortunate reincarnations and tried to meticulously piece together the perfect bride.

my design for Vasilka from Curse of Strahd :)

I won't be personally redesigning every npc, but Vasilka's special. One of my PCs is a reborn, Torva.

a corpse plucked from Argynvostholt and played with by the abbot. Eventually the corpse was sentient once again and walking amongst the living. The abbot holds him dearly as a golden child and marker of great progress for trial and erroring his real goal, Vasilka.

Vasilka is Torva's little sister. He'd watch as her corpse lay stagnant and waited for the day she would awake as he did. He'd talk to her and hoped to meet her one day, but as he set off for his own journey, he would miss out on the day Vasilka rises. (but he'll get to meet her during the campaign :p i promise !)

[curseofthebloodcountess]

CoS ask game: 3 and 19, (for either or both games!)

CoS DM Questions | Accepting!

Spoilers!!

3. What did your players do with Doru?

Remix: The question of Doru Donavich was a tense one out of character. I mentioned earlier that when my players set out to explore Barovia, I allowed each of them up to two characters to play and that the game started with three players. We had a fighter, a rogue, a paladin, a cleric, and a druid. The druid’s player was the only one who opted not to have two characters. The party was able to mist-walk into Barovia using a talisman her husband (a time-traveling Victor Vallakovich/Mad Mage) had given her: a ring, which supplied a small fountain of (his) blood. She used the blood to draw a sigil so the party could follow him into this land. Upon arrival, they reached Barovia Village and its church. It wasn’t long before they discovered Doru. The druid was a cryptozoologist, for lack of a better term. She studied monsters and felt a lot of empathy for them. She decided that she would use the ring, which supplied blood, to feed Doru. And feed Doru. And meal prep for Doru. I told her out of character that I had mechanics for how often she could do that and that continuing would have consequences. She didn’t like that those consequences included potentially killing her character’s husband. There was a whole dispute over it; we ended up with two players and four characters. However, because my players don’t like loose ends, our paladin took it upon himself to let Doru know that the Abbot of Krezk might be able to fix his predicament later on in the game. Doru was last seen booking it through the Svalich Woods, in search of the Abbey of St. Markovia. The end.

Blood Countess: What hasn’t the party done with Doru? I kid, but only a little. The warlock, Theo, allowed Doru to feed from her and they became friends, bonding over being monsters (reborn and vampire spawn), their devotion to the Morning Lord, and their desire to make the world a better place. They fixed up the Barovian church and started writing letters back and forth. Donavich was supposed to get animal blood for Doru and it seemed to work for a while. The letters were consistent and friendly, a little flirty. Doru had a crush on Theo he didn’t think was reciprocated. Then, to avoid a marriage proposal from Izek Strazni, Theo claimed Doru was her fiance. She wrote to him to propose and his consent was a little too feral, a little too horny. It was great. Lucian thought it was a little suspicious and Theo confessed that Doru was a vampire spawn. Lucian tried to forbid her from seeing him but… well… he loves his daughter and a Nat 20 will persuade even a persistent father to side with true love. True love that, of course, Theo also has for Stella Wachter. Stella, who is engaged to Victor Vallakovich. Victor, who is so ride or die for Theo he HAS to meet her fiance. The party eventually schleps back to Barovia Village once they find out Doru is the last “living” descendant of one of the revanants of Argynvostholt and they have to tell Sir Robern’s story to him so Sir Robern can rest. It turned into a chaotic group trip in which Ismark almost died protecting Stella, who also almost died from just having a noble statblock. Victor got lectured about war crimes. They met Doru because he was crawling on the roof of Kolyanavich Manor, trying to get someone to invite him in and Tam (our ranger) wouldn’t take the horror movie bait. He and Victor settled into comfortable bickering and excited conversation. Stella thinks he’s sweet. Theo is even more in love. A few comments about how Theo and Victor share everything, including fiancees, later, and something called Vallakicule was formed. Ez saved the party’s butts from a Strahd-orchestrated detour and a druid attack and now Stella is not allowed on more trips outside Vallaki just for fun, Doru is in hiding in a cabin in the woods for his own safety, and Victor and Theo are home. Except, well, Rictavio’s tiger escaped. Unbeknownst to the party, the tiger was trained to hunt vampires, so Ez is trying to stop Van Richten from killing Doru on Theo’s behalf and the party went on a wild chase, looking for this tiger and Doru. Doru, upon seeing Theo flirted with her and took a big ol’ bite out of his fiancee’s neck. That’s juuuust before we ended last session. I wanna know where they plan to keep Doru! I’ll be curious to see and I’ll keep y’all posted!

19. Who is your party's fated ally? Did they successfully meet? How do they feel about your party?

Remix: It’s rare that Remix is more controversial than Blood Countess. Oh, well. Their original fated ally was Ireena. It was more-or-less fine, but I screwed myself over. I made it so that Tatyana’s soul and Ireena’s soul were housed in the same body - the lore was muddy on my part, and that’s my fault for misunderstanding the module and then sticking to my guns - so when the party reached the pool in Krezk, part of Ireena’s soul went away forever: the part that was “the devil’s bride”. That left the party… ally-less. But they were having some weird experiences with Rahadin. For one thing, he fell head-over-feet for the party’s rogue, Scout. For another, he just kept showing up. Partially because he was in love with Scout and partially because he was a lot of fun to play. In a tarokka reading with Ezmerelda, I had her reveal that the freeing of Tatyana’s soul opened up a pathway for other souls to be redeemed and that if they sought him out, Rahadin could be brought to their side to betray his brother. The party went for it. It was one of my favorite things. Rahadin and Scout’s love story continues to live rent free in my brain. I just. Oof. It was so good. 

Blood Countess: The party’s fated ally this time is Ireena. I’m gonna get it right. The Pool of the White Sun and I are due for a rematch. 

[barovianbitches]

omg i love all of these characters, constantin is such an ace king!! <3 what is everyone's ideal first date, either in modern times or in the campaign

Thalassia would adore somewhere private but interesting. Somewhere she could ask lots of questions about, and wouldn't feel bad or embarrassed about asking them. She'd also love if it was important to either of them, like sentimental in a cute way. Nothing over the top, but she'd be fine with something fun or chill. Either one would be fine by her!

Bettany has never once been in a relationship, but his ideal first date would have to be either a day in a botanical garden or at a natural history museum. The idea being that the atmosphere would be quiet and not too crowded for him. Also, with a quieter place like a museum or garden, there’s an excuse not to talk if he gets nervous. But because of the setting he’d be able to talk about his special interests which would help relax him and get him to open up. (These are definitely not my, the players, ideal first dates as someone who has also never been in a relationship) but yeah, botanical garden or museum!

Yvan Modern AU: "Ah, first date? Well I want it to be special of course, but not trying to come onto them too strongly. I don't want to scare them away! I'd take them out somewhere real nice, like a restaurant! There we could talk one on one without too many distractions. We could even discuss fun stuff like if we believe aliens are real or which one of us is more likely to survive in a zombie apocalypse! Then, if they were down, I would wanna take them dancing so we let loose a little! Maybe a drink or two, then wrap up the night by escorting them back to wherever they live. Gotta make sure they get home safe!"

Yvan In-campaign: "Ah, well Barovia is not quite known for it's picturesque destinations, but there are plenty of places to get some time alone. In an ideal world, we would pack a picnic and find a nice grove by one of the lakes. What's better than a little wine, cheese, and good company? Maybe if I got the chance I would play them a little song on whatever I had handy. I'm by no means a singer, but I think it's the thought that counts! (ooc: he's a liar. he has a WONDERFUL voice) I don't think many people realize how beautiful the nights are here, untouched by so much of the outside world. If you know where to go and how to avoid the stray wolf or two, a moonlit walk and talk is perfect for my prospective partner and I."

Constantin Modern AU: “I’m not really sure. Normally I’d say I’d be happy with whatever someone else wanted to do. I’d just be happy to go out with someone. But, if I had the liberty of choosing… I want to go somewhere the sun is. Somewhere relaxed, like a quiet beach or something. Go on a drive somewhere to watch the stars, away from the cities.”

Constantin In-campaign: There’s a long pause. Constantin often dodges the romance questions of all sorts, but it seems he’s got something to say. “Barovia has its share of beautiful places. The banks of the quiet rivers, clearings in the Svalich Woods. Even in the foothills, there is much beauty to be found. If the outdoors does not suit a potential partner, if given the chance I’d invite them to my home in Argynvostholt. Not the church, my home. Let them relax in the living room, while I prepare a traditional meal, the sort my father used to make, or perhaps bake some treats from my mother’s books. Let me take care of someone for an evening, provide a meal and a safe place to rest, without fear of Barovia and its dangers.”

Tyyran Modern - AU: "I'd love for a quiet evening at either my house or their house. Cook a big dinner. Drink some wine or beer. Smoke some weed. Play video games and maybe some music. Get to know eachother with a movie and some cuddles in the end? I would just want to enjoy their company."

Tyyran In-Campaign: "I wouldn't otherwise be thinking about this... But I... have someone that I am partial to... I WON'T SAY WHO. OKAY? Constantin why are you looking at me like that! StOp. Anyway... I think a nice first date would be a quiet night next to a fire. A big dinner, playing music, dancing and generally being jovial. An evening walk next to a lake... or even just a night with one another. Happily cuddling and chatting... That sounds... Very nice indeed."

Rorali would enjoy a classic dinner at a nice restaurant. She enjoys the simplicity and novelty of it and since she didn’t get to have a regular childhood or adolescence, she would really like to have some ‘normal’ romantic interactions. Rorali would also enjoy the separation of who she is during her travels and adventures and outside of them. Placing a lot of her self worth on her performance and skills, it means a lot to her to have someone value and desire her who she actually is and not just what she is useful for. Embarrassing for her, she really is a hopeless romantic and would love to go on all kinds of corny dates and be spoiled by her partner.

[barovian-dawn-seekers]

Friend of Foe

Race: Tabaxi

Class: Monk, Way of the Open Hand (Soon to be Ascendant Dragon)

Age: 32 (If you’ll believe it)

Height: 6′11″ (ears not included)

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Sexuality: Demisexual (Specifically for a certain dragoness)

Hates wearing clothes

Likes to carve little figures to tell stories to his friend Vadra

Fear of water due to a kelpie encounter at a young age

Do not give him the party’s funds, it will all be spent quickly

Should not be told secrets, or honestly be allowed to talk for the party

Will definitely hear you talking shit; can also read your lips

Bad habit of handing off useful items to other people

Very bad at pep talks (might lead to a decrease in sanity)

Very supportive of “Pie Lady” (Her name is Victoria, Friend)

Once killed a man with a piton on accident (he deserved it)

Fed many meat pies to Rictavio’s tiger in an attempt to keep it from ever being hungry enough to attack anyone

Has hugged Strahd von Zarovich and survived, for now

Borrowed a bag of holding to steal a dragon’s skull from Strahd von Zarovich and actually gave the bag back like promised

Almost died by Vladamir’s hands at Argynvostholt

Proud to be a knight of the Order of the Silver Dragon - always wears the pendant the party was given by Godfrey

Could be considered, alongside Yavis, the leader of a werewolf pack by technicality (Even if Armory stole their thunder on killing Kiril)

Kidnapped a child (Arabelle) so her father could not get in trouble for not sending her to Castle Ravenloft

A flying dragon was not able to outrun him, you probably won’t either.... though he had a haste potion to be fair

Definitely did not think through confronting a hag selling her pies

Will one day manage to prank someone with Jeb the mimic

Knows it’s unlikely but thinks it would be cool if Strahd does eventually decide to live as Vasili and actually kinda wants to show him the outside world

Hates very few people. Rahadin is certainly one of those people

So, I still really want to get around to writing up campaign notes, and I’ve got quite a bit of other art that needs to get posted! But man has this been a busy year. Finding the time to write just hasn’t worked out. But but but! @earthsong9405 surprised me this Sunday with an absolutely wonderful updated reference for Friend of Foe! And I wanted to be able to gush about it all over the place because it’s just so absolutely perfect! Just look at that absolutely soft boy that would envelope you in the best hugs ever! So I figured at the very least since we had to cut our session short tonight (go figure not long after we stopped the tornado alert ended) I could gush by writing up some various little tidbits that have come about over the course of the campaign.

-Kyrit

[isedonsdndgame]

Game Night 2019-11-02

The party takes a moment to gather themselves before the ritual to attempt to seal Vampyr in amber. Driscoll channels some of his staffs healing to restore some vitality to the group. Ignys and Iskafar carefully relocate the remains of Strahd to the eastern wall of the crypt, beneath the large panels of stained glass, the flashes of lighting illuminating occasionally, the rain and thunder loudly echoing. Ignys begins the ritual and the sounds of the storm raging outside begin to dull, taking on a heavy, but tinny, sound. The air thickens, a cloying feeling of dread building as the shadows begin to curl expectantly at the edges of the room. Ignys finishes the first part of the ritual, summoning and anchoring the dark power Vampyr to the remains of Strahd. As the wisps of smoke and shadow are drawn from the air and stone of castle Ravenloft, a swirling form coalesces above Strahds ashes, two eyes glowing balefully at its would be captors. Iltharian immediately lunges forward trying to slice into the swirling form only to have his swords pass through without any apparent effect other than his hands being left chilled and tingling. The form of Vampyr pulses with darkness and 8 figures of shadow appear around the room. Suspecting undead entities, Driscoll tries to turn the shadows and successfully destroys 5 of them. Ignys, not quite prepared for the second part of the ritual to trap Vampyr in a prison of amber, fumbles through the first words of the incantation, takes a breath, and readies to try again. The remaining shadows all move towards Ignys and one manages to rake a shadowed claw through his flesh. Iskafar feels the presence of shadow radiating from Vampyr try to overwhelm the sunlight of the axe and he hurries to cut down as many of the shadows as he can. Iltharian turns his attention from the formless void of Vampyr and he cuts away the remaining shadows. The unchallenged darkness pulses once again and shrouds the room in shadows, also dousing the radiance of Iskafars solar axe. Iskafar, being the only one who can see for the moment, also sees two greater forms of shadow appear, wings and horns and claws ready to assault the party. Driscoll tries to conjure sunlight from the amulet of Ravenkind but the presence of the shadows fight back snuffing out the light before it can properly form. Driscoll then rushes over to be beside Ignys to heal him should it be required, but is hit by one of the new, unseen, shadow demons as he runs past it. Ezmerelda shouts words of encouragement at Ignys and readies a sword for any unseen enemies. The shadow demons move to attack Driscoll and Iskafar trying to and rip into them with their claws. Ignys Concentrates on the words of the amber prison ritual once more and successfully activates the first of three runes. He takes a breath and prepares for the second as he knows the last two runes get more difficult. Iskafar tries to focus on his axe to reignite the sunlight, but the presence behind the darkness is too much for him. Iltharian, unable to see the figure attacking him, strikes out in the direction of the attacks that hit him and lands several attacks. Vampyr summons more shadows to aid him another greater shadow and two of the lesser shades. Driscoll attacks the one that hit him with divine flames and incinerates it and says a quick word of healing to aid Ignys. Iskafar concentrates on his axe once more and through great effort manages to push past the oppressiveness of the shadows and sunlight flares and burns away enough of the darkness that the party can see for the moment. Ezmerelda inspires Ignys once more and sends a volley of magic missiles towards one of the largest of the shadows Ignys concentrates on the ritual and manages to spark the second rune into completion. Taking advantage of the light, he also sends a quickened bolt of fire over towards the shadow just struck by Ezmerelda. The shadows, hindered by the illumination from the axe, are unable to land their attacks properly. The rest of the party fights back and wounds a few of the shadows but Vampyr is able to reassert the shadows. Ignys mind clarifies in focus and he completes the final words of the ritual. The amber shard rapidly growing in size and pulling in all the shadows and Vampyr itself, rapidly encapsulating the dark power and leaving it helpless to do anything other that balefully glower at those around it. The party decide to leave it where it is for now and arrange for better transportation of the amber pillar shortly. With Vampyr contained, they can see the storm rapidly clearing and, amazingly, the sun is rising. The warm light of dawn filtering through the stained glass windows. Ezmerelda advises the party that she would like to go her own way now that Strahd has been defeated. As the parties last request, she agrees to meet up with Kasimir and his sister on the way and escort them to the winery, and then she heads to the teleportation room in Ravenloft to take the same path as Kasimir. The party then return to the location of the dragon skull and take the better part of the day carrying it across Barovia to the mansion temple of the Order of the Silver Dragon, Argynvostholt. As they place the skull back into its rightful resting place, an apparition of the long dead silver dragon appears and thanks them, its blessing appearing as a beam of light from spire atop its resting place. They enter the mansion to inform the undead knights of their success, but find only corpses, no longer animated by the need for vengeance. Wearing from their battles and long journey, they decide to stay the night in Argynvostholt and complete their rest uneventfully. The next morning they head to Vallaki to see what the status is with the people there. They learn that the cult of Strahd left shortly after the storm broke to investigate the cause, and also that other people seemed to have disappeared later in the day. They find a sizable cart already hitched to a pair of horses that seems to have been abandoned along the main road through town. They commandeer and begin making their way back to Ravenloft. Along the way back to the castle, they keep their eyes peeled for signs of the Strahd cult that came this way. The tracks are clear enough in the damp soil after the rains but Iskafar finds that the tracks suddenly vanish in the middle of the road with no signs of any foul play, as if whoever was walking just ceased to be there any longer. They complete the journey back to Ravenloft, enjoying the feel of the sun and the sound of birds as they pass by trees swaying in gentle breezes. Over the course of the next two days, they haul the amber pillar up to the cart, clear all the coins, jewelry, and gems out of the adamantine tower and finally, command the tower to revert to a compact 1-inch cube and then load all the coins onto the back of the cart. With the amber and treasure loaded, the party decide to take one last search through all the sealed catacombs. Among the various items that they find amongst the standard coins and jewels buried with the dead, Ignys recovers a Staff of Power, and Iltharian claims a Luck Blade that has the ability to still grant a single wish. They also come across the spellbook of Kasimirs sister as they gather up all the coins that were in her crypt. A few of the areas were trapped, but nothing that did any serious or lasting damage to the party. They also discover evidence of vampires that appear to have been destroyed recently, likely when Vampyr was sealed away. Game ends as the party are searching through the last few crypts.

[knightlyknavery]

Blast from the Very Recent Past

I don’t know how our DM does it but he manages to escalate things with every session.

So we were in the burgomaster’s mansion in Barovia, did not execute stealthing very well, and got in a fight with a shitload of guards. We managed to down about ten before all three of us were knocked out. Our paladin was taken to the basement to have his blood drained (!) but managed to break out. Meanwhile, the cleric and I were tied to chairs in the dining room before a fully-set table. In walks our host, the burgomaster.

It’s our fucking fighter from our original group. 

Sans the arm we found in the Blue Water Inn after Vallaki was sacked. Conversation was had, a disturbing amount of which centered around how vampires weren’t all that bad and that humans were the true monsters for killing them on sight. Eventually we manage to drag out of him that it was Strahd who saved him in Vallaki. They struck a bargain that the fighter would serve the Count and in return Strahd would, in the near future, leave Barovia with help the fighter get revenge on his backstabbing brother.

Alarming for two reasons: that our old friend is in league with the Devil, and that Strahd plans to leave Barovia for Faerun. I don’t know if he can actually do that, but I really don’t want to take the chance.

Our paladin managed to talk his way out of being executed and joined us for dinner. Good pally that he is, he used Divine Sense once he was seated.

The fighter and one of his henchman are vampires.

He actually let us go. We proceeded back to the Blood o’ the Vine and the cleric and I got shitfaced. The fighter was not only part of the original group but kind of the cleric’s love interest, so she didn’t take the double whammy well. We were bothered by Morgantha again (we are really going to get rid of her somehow), reported everything to Ismark the next day, and that’s where we called it for the week.

So a double plot twist that pits us against one of our own. The only ones really affected in-character by this are the cleric and I, but holy crap, what a masterwork. On top of the guilt for not being in Vallaki to help him, my warlock feels ashamed for judging him on his bargain with Strahd; after all, he did something almost exactly the same with his Patron to survive back in Argynvostholt.

But I can only imagine that next week we’ll be doing what we need to and laying our old friend to rest. Seriously, awesome DM, awesome campaign.

[curseofthebloodcountess]

Curse of Strahd & Me: Rules and a Breakdown of My Games

I am a 30ish year old DM, who has been playing D&D for a couple years and who has taken on DMing CoS. A lot. I run an edited game on Wednesdays for chaos gremlin teenagers at my work and I run a game for my best friends on Saturdays, which is a different breed of chaos. I’m also a player in a Victorian inspired Curse of Strahd game. Somehow, Barovia is my happy place. This will be where I post about my games so I stop bothering my friends with GIANT spoilers. However, they’ll probably find this blog. Some ground rules:

No anon hate. You will be blocked. 

DNI: homophobes, racists, n*zis, MAPs/pedophiles, TERFs, and anyone else otherwise hateful. My games are safe spaces for my players and for me, this includes my blog. 

Saturday Party I am trusting you to be reasonable about your interaction with this blog. If there’s something labeled “Spoilers” under a cut, chances are my ADHD self will tell you on the phone during the week on accident anyways. Don’t read under the cut. 

Minors may only interact with me on anon. I know I run games for kids IRL, but I am not responsible for curating your online experience and I’d rather not know that kids are reading my R-rated content for my grown friends. However, if you’re a minor and you have a question about the game, how to get a group together, how to DM, or how I modified CoS to be age-appropriate - reach out! 

I will label the top of text posts to indicate what game they are for Saturday games. Saturday games are R. I will try to put NSFW content under a cut. I may forget from time to time.

If you are a CoS DM looking for CoS+, you can find the link here! Please remember we are a 21+ server!

Welcome to Barovia!

PC Round-Up

Blood Countess - A Revamped Barovia

Alistor Gwilym (Grave Cleric): Alistor will not say where he is from or where his occasional bursts of (much appreciated) magic come from. Often, he will tell others he is just a soldier with a useful set of skills. In truth, he was raised in Argynvostholt in the years before and immediately following the descent of the Mists. When he was ejected from them as a teenager, Alistor thought all hope of seeing his family again was lost. Perhaps he isn’t as correct as he thought…

Sister Theodora (Celestial Warlock): Theodora knows she was created for one purpose - to be a companion to Countess Strahd von Zarovich. She has built her personality on being friendly and useful, but a commanding voice ordered that she flee the Abbey of Saint Markovia where she was made. For two years, she was taken in by Father Lucian of Vallaki. However, after a visit to the Village of Barovia, Theodora’s sense of self has been called into question. 

Tam Mantigieri (Monster Slayer Ranger): Tam has led a very normal life in Vallaki, full of the standard Barovian tragedies - dead parents, grueling work, and regular forays into the Svalich Woods as a hunter. He never meant to get caught up in intrigue (much less vampire hunting) but he saw a pretty damsel in distress and… well… He just can’t seem to resist her. By taking up Ireena Kolyana’s cause, Tam is about to find out more than he wants to know about the land he thinks he knows so well, never mind the self-discovery ahead. 

Ireena Kolyana (Fated Ally): For the last year, Ireena has withstood the attacks of Countess von Zarovich. Worse, only a few days ago, her dear father died of a heart attack while the house was under siege. She knows the vampire wants to get her and she knows that she will fight to stay alive, but what she doesn’t know lies at the edge of her memories, buried under countless lifetimes. If she can trust her new friends as they venture into the mists in search of powerful magic items, maybe they will defeat Strahd, and maybe sunlight will return to Barovia once more. 

Countess Strahd von Zarovich: The myth, the monster, Strahd von Zarovich, conquered this valley 400 years ago. She has slain dragons and lovers and brothers to become what she is. She has lived and died and lived in innumerable cycles. And yet, in the faces of these strangers, she sees something hauntingly familiar. 

The Flicker of a Gaslamp: A Victorian Barovia - Player

Cedric Coldstones (Drakewarden Ranger): The gentleman cowboy known as Cedric Coldstones hails from the country of Sturmovia. He's friendly and loyal - and very, very likely to succeed on sheer, dumb luck. As a Dusk Elf from outside of the Mists, he has uncovered the tragic past of his people and given new hope to the Dusk Elves of Barovia... but will that be enough to keep him alive as the vampire closes in?

Keres Whitlock (Tempest Cleric): If Keres could have just stayed home and continued her work as a governess, she would have been content. Instead, she dared to accompany her employer on what was meant to be a short errand, which has now turned into a fight for their lives. She's being forced to embrace Umberlee's siren song of power and she doesn't like it one bit.

Lenore Davenport (Oath of Vengeance Paladin): Slaying monsters is just in the job description for Lenore... especially slaying vampires. But she's never met one as clever as the devil Strahd nor has she ever felt kinship with monsters... until her dhampirism has thrown into question her understanding of what it means to be a person. Barovia challenges and exhilarates her and that, perhaps, is dangerous.

Percy Brightstar (Swashbuckler Rogue/Bard): No good deed goes unpunished. Percy got the party into this mess by trying to help the Duchess of Daggerford and along the way, things spiraled beyond his control and he touted titles that weren't his to claim. All he really wants is to get back home to his daughter and his thieves' guild and to, maybe, just maybe, finally profess his love for a certain stormy-eyed governess. Everything is a gamble here and Percy is, much to everyone's dismay, a betting man.

Lera Morozov (Tatyana Reincarnated): An ingenue with big dreams, Lera has been entrapped in the country of her birth by forces she cannot fully explain. One minute, she was planning to go to Waterdeep to begin an operatic career. The next, she found herself teamed up with a strange assortment of adventurers, fighting for her life as everything she knew burned down around her at the hands of a man rumored to be long dead. Can she trust her new friends and survive?

Ismark Kolyanavich (Fated Ally): People call him "The Lesser" for fleeing his burgomaster position as a child too young to bear the mantle of leadership. Now, a dancer at the Vallaki Opera House, he just wants to get by like anyone else. Except his best friend is in danger and she's insisting that four outsiders are the key to their salvation. Ismark doesn't know about that, but he's seen some weird things in the last week. Maybe it's true he is fated to travel with these strangers, at least until they find safety from the vampire who has torn his adopted hometown asunder.

Strahd von Zarovich: People believe Strahd perished long ago. However, he's merely been lying in wait for his beloved Tatyana to reemerge. Now that he's caught sight of her, he will stop at nothing to have her and to make quick work of the outsiders who dare to stand in his way. Yet, they are clever and united and... intriguing. Perhaps Strahd will enjoy watching the puppets dance until they choke themselves in their own strings.

Saturday: My Gothic Love Letter to My Best Friends - Complete

Ksenyia “Scout” Crelmer: An elf rogue, raised among dragonborn, who has just learned she is the last of the female Dusk Elves, which has put a damper on her mood, to say the least. A badass in all things, she nearly killed one of Strahd’s brides in the Feast of St. Andral, has caused Rahadin Von Zarovich to question his entire existence, and adopted Victor Vallkovich as a kid brother, even though he once tried to kill her with Too Much Lightning. Her hobbies include keeping the party alive, holding the brain cell, and being traumatized by unsolicited words from other Dusk Elves. 

Dorinn “Mal” Crelmer: An elf fighter, raised among dragonborn, who is probably at the top of Strahd’s list for one reason and one reason only - Dorinn has dared to romance Ireena Kolyana. She is smitten by his prowess as a fighter, his kindness as a person, and the fact that he is the first man outside her family she has ever felt fully safe with. Madam Eva once predicted he would have four half elf children, and damn, if he isn’t trying to make that happen.

Victor Trevor: An Oath of the Ancients paladin whose boyfriend went missing in the Mists a week ago, Victor has never had an easy life. Between being a hexblood and a terminal dumbass, he’s had a rough go. Now his boyfriend is Strahd’s protege, a vampire spawn, and on his knees to beg for Victor’s hand when they defeat Strahd and rule Barovia in his stead. Not sure if Victor’s worked that bit out yet, even though he said yes His luck continues to worsen and we support him. .

Urlstra Despund: A drow cleric who hasn’t yet worked out just how holy her soul truly is. Mostly, she’s been charming children and securing the favor of Vallaki and having HORRIFIC trances that she has been trying to make sense of since arriving in this cursed place. Urlstra is the only other person who is allowed to hold the braincell, thank you. She is also slowly gathering a harem. Other characters are committed to One True Love and Urlstra flirts like a Bard and fucks like a Cleric - not often but when she does, someone is gonna be on their knees. She’s so much more than a “heal bot”. Props to her player for making her insanely badass and ridiculously flirty. 

Strahd Von Zarovich: The Most Dramatic Of Bitches, who has spent the bulk of his time near the party inviting them to dinner. Since they’ve ignored him at every turn, he’s upped the mode of the game to Difficult. Get ready, players. Strahd Von Zarobitch is coming for you. 

Ireena Kolyana: Bad ass fighter; sweetest dumbass girl. Her brother taught her to swing a sword but definitely not to investigate a crime scene. She’s quick-witted and sweet, but is an honorary member of Dorinn and Victor’s Himbo Squad, which suits her fine because she believes her place is beside Dorinn anyway. Especially since she’s the party’s fated ally and she wants to get out of here and make a life with him and four half-elf babies. She’s been freed from Tatyana’s soul and her first move was to get it on with Dorinn after spending a few days reading him raunchy books out loud. Turns out, she’s a little less prim and proper without having to harbor a second soul. 

Ismark Kolyanavich: A true non-entity. Right? It’s not like we’ll ever go back to Barovia Village. 

Finnegan Silverguard: Who needs Escher when you have Finnegan? Part draconic sorcerer, part bard, he is all perfectly poised to rule at Strahd’s left hand if Rahadin is his right. Oversees Vallaki. Is still madly in love with Victor Trevor, to Strahd’s chagrin. Descended from Argynvost himself. it’s not like Strahd’s going to put him in difficult positions that could endanger himself and his loved ones any time soon... Pshh...

Rahadin Von Zarovich: Strahd’s adopted brother, right hand man, and perhaps his Judas in the end. Rahadin never heard his Deathly Choir until he met Scout and he is now processing hundreds of years of trauma along with the fact that he wants to protect someone who is not Strahd for the first time since Sergei’s death. He looks like a badass with his stunning elk mount and cool arrow tricks, but he is a man held together just to spite the gods at this point. Did I mention that he absolutely simps for Scout? Because he does. 

Victor Vallakovich: Trevor thinks Vallakovich is some kind of time-travel loop version of his missing best friend; Vallakovich thinks he might be Trevor in another life. There are too many Victors in this game. That said, Vallakovich is an accomplished mage who wants out of Barovia to find his missing siblings, especially since the party killed his dad and created a political situation he does not want to be involved in. Like... it might mean he has to get married, ew. How distracting from his magical studies. Ew. He stans Scout and Urlstra, even though Urlstra and his stupid uncle are friends (or “friends”). He and Trevor are pals, Dorinn is his not so secret crush, and Scout has decided he’s her kid brother. He wants Strahd to respect him - maybe even fear him - and the party better make sure he doesn’t go full Icarus on them.