#father donavich

[double-barrel-paintbrush]

more Curse of Strahd ideas you can steal {for dms}

(again spoiler warning for the campaign also sorry I haven't given out more ideas had a bit of creative block for like...a long time also dear god this is really long so brace yourself)

Gadof Blinksy is an artificer (maybe multiclassed?) that uses his magic skills to help make toys and also has enchantments on some to help protect the children of the country well as make his toys more fantastical for the children. {I kinda fixated for a while on this silly man and wrote way too much stuff about him. I imagine he knows spells like Mending for fixing porcelain dolls and like heat metal for making toys out of well metal. As for the protective spells these enchanted toys hold one spell and can activate once per day like a banshee doll that casts Alarm or a rabbit plush that can cast expeditious retreat. Spells that also work for this are guidance, invisibility, lesser and greater restoration, rope trick, darkvision, aid, sanctuary and so on and so forth. Cuz for the love of god SOMEBODY has to protect the kids.}

The consorts of Strahd each have a magical item that tethers them to him in a sort of telepathic link so if something happens to them he'll know IMMEDIATELY. {Part of my campaign is gonna be taking down the consorts one by one either from killing them or making them turn on Strahd. And something about my version of Strahd is despite the fact his consorts are only there to fill the hole Tatyana's death created truly cares for them so anytime one of those two options happens Strahd kinda sorta maybe goes on a rampage á la Vlad Dracula Tepes from Castlevania}

The Morning Lord and Mother Night are twin deities. As well as they're also deities of the past and the future respectively. {Just thought it'd be cute. And also to explain why the Mother Night gave Madam Eva her accurate divinations. The church of the Morning Lord deal in things like funerals and memories for the past. The church of the Mother Night deals with things like weddings or births for the future. Could also be part of why Baba Lysaga worships the Mother Night)

Father Donavich's first name is Gabriel and which makes Doru's last name Gabrilovich. {Just because Father Donavich in the module doesn't really have a first name. And neither does Doru have a last name so uh yeah.}

Some characters like Victor are now neutral. As well as Helga and Piddlewick II. {Thought it'd be more interesting if these characters weren't fully evil that's all}

The older consorts Strahd has like Ludmilla are full on vampires for he trusts her not to betray him. {This is mostly so the consorts have the full capability to betray Strahd. Both the monster manual and Baldur's Gate 3 have vampire spawns be fully loyal no matter what to the vampire that sired them}

A couple group names I came up with but haven't finished making the groups are The Coven of Blood and the Court of Rats do what you will with those. {Just thought it'd be cool}

The horses that carry Ez's magic wagon are named Rubinus and Safir respectively. {They're both words for Ruby and Sapphire in different languages just like Ez's name is another language's word for emerald. Thought that'd be cute}

Also Ezmeralda has a gun as well as a crossbow that shoots wooden stakes. {I saw somebody I think on youtube have the idea that Ez has a gun to give the concept of her being the future of monster hunting while Van Richten is the past I added the crossbow as part of my own spin on that idea}

The people with souls tend to be younger as the soul gets taken to a baby maybe within a few minutes after birth and sticks there within five years. {Cuz people die all the time in Barovia the opposite I think is also true that people get born all the time in Barovia. And because of that more children tend to have souls more often than the adults. The soul not really sticking til five years is based off the idea of people "gaining consciousness" around five or six. and also to give magic users a time window to try reviving whoever had died as well as an explanation for babies dying from SIDS as the soul had returned to the body via revivify.)

Wereolf Ireena? Just a thought. {An intrusive thought I had a couple days ago}

Strahd's goal maybe instead of making Ireena into a vampire bride could try to tie the soul of Tatyana into a vessel that won't ever leave him. Aka Vasilka. {As an add on to the idea of Ireena being a werewolf Strahd may see the fact she is one as a deal breaker because Tatyana surely wasn't a werewolf. Also because I think after four or five times of getting Tatyana and then losing her has probably made him and everyone in his court tired of the cycle. So Strahd would rather end it entirely.}

the name "mongrel"folk (not sure if I'm gonna have that as their actual race name maybe like chimerafolk or something) was an insult to the Belviews by the Abbot because he just despises the poor things so much. He also created the first of this race using the bodies of the Belviews and animal corpses as an experiment for making a flesh golem that was perfect for Strahd's undead bride. {That's honestly about it. Tho if I do call them chimerafolk I will have to probably hear Nina Tucker jokes so yeh}

Volenta has a fight club. That's it.

People in Vallaki gossip that Rudolph van Richten is in the country. Maybe making jokes about him killing Strahd. {Just wanted a reason for 1 Strahd to know about van Richten being in the country and 2 so I can have a bit of npcs making Chuck Norris jokes but with van Richten}

That's about it hope this helps

[apricotzel]

wrote something short for my beautiful dnd party in the CoS campaign i run because i wanted to add some depth to doru and father donavich, and also wanted to post it here. if anything contradicts canon its because i forgot or decided to change it my bad. if there are any mistakes please be nice. beware here be spoilers and also a 2nd person pov !!

“Are heroes real?”

There’s a clatter of dishes; a knife slips from your hands and back into the sink, it disappears below the surface.

There’s a pause at the table. Your son sits there, bright-eyed and wondering. He needs a haircut, you think. Maybe spend less time in that watered down sunlight, and he wouldn’t ask silly questions.

You clear your throat, resume the motions. “The Morning Lord is real.”

“And heroes?”

You don’t answer. It could be better like this, better to just ignore and lock away all of foolishness. He’s only young, only a couple handfuls of years, and he’s missing so much in his life. He doesn’t know the sun, and you didn’t either until you had him.

You turn to grab another dish, and he’s there with his eyes that are yours, and he is staring at you.

“Heroes, Father.”

You can’t silence your way out of this one. You put down the knife, dry your hands - pale hands, shaking ones - and grab his face gently.

“There are no heroes, Doru.”

His face doesn’t fall, he grins like he was expecting you to say that. “Is the Morning Lord not a hero?”

“He cannot reach us,” You say gently. You must’ve told this story to him a thousand times, never has his grin wavered. “The curse of the Devil Strahd blocks him. We wait for his return.”

“A hero could bring him back.”

You had trained anger out of yourself years ago under the training of the Morning Lord, under your own father. You open your mouth as if to argue, but your sun continues.

“Have hope, father,” He says. “I could be the hero.”

You know what happens to heroes, you have told him a thousand times, never has he stopped.

“I could protect you,” Your sun insists. “I could banish the Devil.”

You waver, because you love him.

“I could,” He insists.

“Do your reading,” You straighten up, “Stop this nonsense, Doru. You’re too young.”

He opens his mouth as if to argue, but you are a priest, and you know how to control faith in your hands. You reign him in, harsh and gentle like a dog to a post.

He stomps away with perhaps too much attitude than you should allow, but there are dishes to do and prayers to be said.

A service is interrupted by his singing. He does not realize, in the way he never realizes how loud he is. He moves unabashedly through the world, twirling and singing. He would jump on tables if you let him.

You try to carry on with the word. It’s a quiet service today, and those in the pews are familiar with you and Doru. Your voice wavers, caught on a laugh. It’s rusty and scratches out of your throat, you try to hide it, coughing and stammering over the holy text.

Someone in the front row coughs to stop their chuckle. A gentle, sputtering giggle comes from somewhere else.

A waltzing note follows, off-key and hectic. You duck your face, letting the laughter take you. Foreign noises fill the air as the company does the same. Laughing fills the still air and gets lost in the mist. You glance up and catch him standing in the entrance to the chapel, shoulders shaking and a hand barely covering his smile.

Years later, he asks you the same:

“Are heroes real?”

“What?” You ask. You’re doing something, you don’t really have time for this. He sits next to where you lean over his desk, reading his writings on the Morning Lord, gently pointing out flaws and molding it until it makes more sense.

He fidgets with the quill, shoving the feather into your face until you bat it away. It’s his favourite quill, so you do so gently.

“I found a sword,” He starts.

You try not to sigh. He has never wavered.

“And someone to teach you?” You mutter.

He deflates slightly, head lolling back to stare at you. He needs a haircut. He has a faint tan that you don’t. Always running around in the field, through town, through the graveyard, never praying. You worry, as you ought to do.

“I can teach myself,” He says.

You waver, he sees you do it.

“Have hope,” He presses gently.

You shouldn’t look at him. He will only be looking up at you with those eyes that you can never argue with. 

“Hope is for fools,” You say.

“And the pious.”

You give him a disapproving glare, and fall right into his trap. He’s grinning up at you, mischievous and boyish. How does he find the energy to do that? You don’t know. Even at his age you had given up on this land, and so you turned to the gods to hope for some salvation. He seems to be his own God, your own sun.

“There’s a mage in town,” He continues despite your glare.

You frown. “Many mages come through here.” They all die.

“This one is different,” He insists, because he is young and you had never let him meet the mages that would later die.

Instead, you sigh. Run a pale, shaking hand through his too-long hair and settle it on his shoulder. “Don’t be foolish, Doru. There is a reason no one here has hope.”

He reaches up and clasps your hand, strong as iron at first and then it settles light as dust; you try not to think of a dying breath, how every ghost up on Castle Ravenloft fought until it was over. 

“Please, Father,” He looks at you, imploring. You stare at the mirrors in his skull, and waver. “I could do it. I would make sure that nothing could hurt you ever again. Not a devil, nor vampire, nor zombie, nor hag. You wanted a God and I am your son. Have faith in me.”

He is the brightest thing in this valley, and you vow to never let the curse that suffocates it harm him.

“I forbid it,” Gently, like a prayer.

His face darkens like a cloud passed over it. Without a word he lets go of your hand. You expect him to charge off, to yell, to do anything, but he just turns back to his work. This worries you more than anything.

Later that evening, you pray that the entire world will become weaker because you know you cannot be strong.

He knows more songs than you do, and you’re not sure where he learned them. They echo from his room to yours, out his open window, down the valley like he’s a siren. Even when he is quiet, his voice haunts the house. Always under his breath, songs of love and victory. Of sorrow and a life lived to its fullest. 

You stand outside his door now, hearing him hum and dance, bumping into things and swearing under his breath. Always a pause after every curse where he sends a brief prayer for forgiveness, you can see him without seeing him, the way his body freezes in realization and his eyes flit to the ceiling as his hands fumble to put themselves in the right position.

You knock on the door gently, and a second later it swings open. He smiles seeing you, as if he hasn’t in a while. His hair is wild, brushing his shoulder and sticking to his face, eyes bright. 

It’s not his birthday, it’s not a holiday. There’s no reason for you to unveil a curved dagger from underneath your robes and present it to him. It’s beautiful, even you know, and you are not versed in metals or blood. Wrapped around the hilt and falling down to the pommel is a chain adorned with beads and the symbol of the Morning Lord.

He looks as if you had just given him the world, and takes it with a gentleness usually reserved for children. As if in a trance, he walks over to his window to look at it better. The shine of the metal dances across his face.

He looks over at you, you who are still standing in his doorway like an unwanted fiend that can’t cross, you bathed in shadow, you the priest.

“Why?” He asks with an unsure laugh, like he is waiting for you to snatch it back.

“I don’t want you to use it,” You clarify immediately, “Look at me, Doru. It is not for you to charge to battle with. I just- I want you to know. That the Morning Lord will protect you.” Softer, “I will protect you.”

He turns to stare at you as if lost, light weakly haloing his hair and casting his face in darkness.

“Nothing will hurt you,” You scramble for the words. “I won’t let it happen to you. What happens to those people - the heroes - it won’t happen to you. Not while I’m here. I asked for a God and I got a son. I won’t lose you, too.”

Your sun’s hand reaches up, shaking, as if to grab you. Your own hand twitches at your side, but does not go forth. He grabs his own shoulder and turns back towards the light.

“Thank you,” He says, and his voice is thick and breaking at the edges. You wonder, briefly, how heavy it is to hope. You wouldn’t know.

You nod, and go to retreat. He opens his mouth as if to say something, inhaling sharply and leaving the room breathless.

You waver, because you love him.

His gaze trails down to the dagger in his grasp, shaking hand to meet it like you grab onto the rosary, and you feel like he isn’t yours anymore and hasn’t been in a very long time. He needs a haircut, and you love him.

The door creaks when you shut it.

The door to your room is locked and there is a man in your church. You do not know what is happening and you are afraid of it. They are taking away your son.

That’s not right.

The door to your room is blocked and there is a man in your home. You do not know what is happening and you are afraid of it. Your son is letting himself be taken away.

You wish, briefly, you had spent less time praying and more time swinging swords like he did. As it is now, all you can do is claw at the wood and at the door handle. You kick, feel the jarring follow up your knee and it aches like everything. You were not built to handle such tragedy as the one you were born into, you are just a priest.

“Doru,” You screech again and again and again, and you can imagine blood from the inside of your throat trickling down and choking you with how much it hurts. “Don’t do this. Don’t do this.”

You are just a priest, and all you know is how to beg for someone to listen to you.

Your window lays broken, but people wait outside of it with threatening stances and weapons they grab tighter every time you walk closer.

You hear his voice from the other side of the door.

“I’m sorry,” He says again and again and again, and you can imagine him with his hand laid flat against the door, wincing everytime you ram your body into it. Head laid sorrowfully on the wood like this hurts him more than it hurts you. “I have to. I must fight.”

You scream, guttural and wordless, and slam into the door again. You have never felt fear so potent. All hero stories end the same in Barovia.

Suddenly the fear leaves you, and you quiet down, hands laid flat against the wood.

“Listen to me, Doru,” You whisper, because all secrets must be whispered, “I love you. You can’t do this. Do you hear me? Please, they have enough people. They don’t need you. Stay here. Let me out.”

He pauses, as if his resolve flutters.

“I have to do this,” He says. You scream once again, but he pays no mind. “I have to have hope. We must have hope. If only you could see that is what the valley needs.”

You know what the valley needs. It is not another dead child.

“I’m sorry, Father,” He says, and his voice wavers, because he loves you. It breaks right down the middle. “I’m so sorry.”

You beg, plead, and scream. To him, to the Morning Lord, to Mother Night. To the other gods, those you do not believe in but are desperate enough to try.

“I’ll be home soon,” He whispers, and it is almost drowned out.

His footsteps retreat from the door, and you slide down it, on the floor. Your breath comes quickly, gasping, choking. You think you might vomit, or your heart might stop, or you might just stop existing then and there.

You can see him running down the hill to the army, led by the mage. Your fingers wrap around shattered glass. You cannot cry out, but you do not look away until the mists that surround Castle Ravenloft swallow him whole.

He is sent home by the Devil himself. Your son, your beautiful son who has never hurt anyone. You put the key where no one else will find it, and begin to pray. Your mind unravels, and in the darkness, the frayed edges of his reach out to it, and meet.

[costhursdays]

Chiaroscuro and Alexir both checked in with one another to make sure that they weren't the only one who heard the sound of the man screaming, and as they confirmed this with one another, they checked in to make sure if Cash or Nick had responded to the sound. Seeing that neither of them did, and Kenshi was too far away to have heard it as well, they snuck away as Father Donovich had been tending to further rites. Chiaroscuro looked over the wall to peek into the Church, seeing the insides slightly, but no movement. Turning to Alexir behind him, they both decided the only way to figure out where the noise was coming from was to go inside.

The front of the Church was not locked, and upon opening the double doors, both their eyes shot open wide. The sight of the chapel was horrifying, shreds of paper, straw, cloth, wood all about the room. Nothing was intact, not a single pew, not a single book, nothing. The sight of the destroyed Holy Place sent both Alexir and Chiaroscuro into fits, Alexir babbling incoherently and Chiaro bent over weeping uncontrollably, all while more screaming came from the depths of the Church building in front of them.

The rest of the party, Ireena, Ismark, and Father Donovich in tow, as the sermon had finished and Ireena was starting to prepare herself to head out, came forward after this breach within the church. Nick slowly tried to calm Alexir, Chiaro, and now Cash who had also gone into a state of Paralysis after hearing the screaming, while Kenshi interrogated Father Donovich about the incessant screaming. Finally, he broke, and the truth was revealed.

The Father's son, Doru, had went missing roughly a little over a year ago, when a magician from the mountains came down to rally the townsfolk to fight Strahd. He had left to head into Ravenloft, never to be seen again... Except he was, a month ago. Laying on the front of the Church one night was Doru's half living body. The Father could tell he had been turned and to keep him, and everyone around him safe, he had kept Doru locked in the basement of the Church. It was after this that people tore the place apart, mortified that the Father would Desecrate the land with a still living Vampire in their home. Many townsfolk avoided the Church after that.

Father Donovich had no willpower to kill his own son. He was but a simple man, not a fighter, and was not able to do much on his own. He mentally, nor physically, could have finished his son off. Kenshi looked down upon Donovich, who had fallen over and was wailing on the ground, nigh on as loud as his own son was below them, and forced him up and talked him into coming down to the basement with them to face Doru and "ask him some questions".

As they were prepping to go down into the basement, Kenshi told Donavich that allowing this creature to stay alive was desecrating the sanctity of the Church, and thusly, the Hallowed Ground outside where they had just buried Kolyan's body. He then began to intimidate him, by trying to get him to do the proper thing and allow them to finish Doru off. Donovich, however, caught a breath and dug deep within himself to stand at his full height and inform Kenshi that no man, woman, child, or other was going to come into his home and demand that he kill his own flesh and blood.

A brief moment of struggle to get the trap door downstairs to the basement open, and Donovich led the group to the basement; its cold, damp, and darkened display showing the gaunt, starving form of Donovich's beloved son, Doru. Doru hissed and hid as much as he could whispering soft words of hate and how he could smell the party and their blood flowing. Donavich approached him to try and get him to calm down and discuss things but as soon as Donavich got within range of him, Doru pounced and bit down deep into his father. The rest of the party had little time to prepare for such a vicious display, watching in horror as the pale face of Father Donavich was drained of his life force by the man he had been fasting and praying to save.

Cash quickly sprung into action, casting Hideous Laughter on Doru, the man falling to the ground laughing as Cash uttered a terrible pun at the situation. He quickly informed the party to tie Doru up, but both Nick and Chiaroscuro had attacked him in retaliation of Father Donovich. Not that most of the damage did much, because as soon as Alexir brought Nick's rope towards Doru and tied him down to the pole, he had regained what little health he had lost.

As Doru relaxed from the incessant laughter that plagued his body, he attempted to get free of his binds. Cash offered the compromise that if he answered some questions about Strahd and the Castle, they'd let him free, and they'd even give Doru the choice of whom he fed on next. Doru, at the sound of a blood offering, broke down, frantically babbling about anything he could remember about Strahd's Castle, the man himself, and why Strahd was obsessed with Ireena. He informed them of the Heart of Darkness deep within a Tower in Strahd's Castle, he informed them of the maze like structure of the building, and that Strahd had been calling Ireena 'Tatyana' for the entirety he had been there, and that he didn't know much else after this due to being trapped in a prison like structure with another person in the cell near his own.

After he expounded the severity of him receiving blood, Kenshi smiled, offered his hand, and then began to pull back, striking out at Doru with his claws. Alexir had given Doru a few good whacks with his Whip as it was bathed in holy Divine Smites. This helped bridge the gaps as Doru was unable to regenerate his body's health, as the Radiant Damage from Alexir's Divine Smite had negated all regeneration to Doru's Spawn Body.

Doru's body was resilient, and he was strong as he broke out of the bindings that the party had left him in; however there was little that could be done as Alexir's whip crushed his rib cages and broke his spine. Killing him was like taking Pot Shots in a Barrel of Fish, but it was still frustrating to have not one, but now two bodies to deal with, after having handled Kolyan's funeral just that morning.

Everyone brought Father Donovich's and Doru's bodies up to their respective rooms, leaving them there for a brief moment while Alexir and Kenshi went to go get assistance from the local grave diggers, the imposing twins Barrik and Derrik, who lived down the road. Chiaro, Cash, and Nick went to grab supplies from Bildrath's Mercantile on the way to Ismark and Ireena's Mansion.

Kenshi knocked on one of the doors, not expecting to see Barrik answering the door as he held in his arms a small child drinking from the bottle. It was almost comical how miniscule the child was in relation to his large, imposing form. Kenshi explained the situation to Barrik, who sighed, nodded, and handed off his infant to his equally large and imposing husband behind him. They all went to Derrik's house next door to inform the man of the situation as well, and Barrik made the comment that this was the third and fourth graves they had to dig today, what with Kolyan's and another beggar man's grave from last night.

At Bildrath's Mercantile, the group did a bit of shopping, selling two of the rings that Cash had filched from the Death House, but unfortunately the price gouging in the town of Barovia was exorbitant, making just that barely enough to purchase a rope, a water skein, and a bed roll with rations for Chiaroscuro. Nick eyed the products carefully, if things were this expensive, but Bildrath simply shooed them away after they had finished their shopping trip.

The group reconvened at the Burgomaster's Mansion, as Ireena prepped for her travels. The group informed the two of the sad occurrence at the Church, but nothing could be done about it now. Kenshi specifically did not go into details to spare the two the grisly realization that it was the party's fault for bringing the Father down into the basement. The group, with Ismark's blessing and 250 gold between the 5 of them, left the Mansion and started on the road out of Barovia, the town, and into Barovia, the country proper. It was a long day ahead of them.

[fernpike]

old art but heres my curse of strahd pc since im retiring them tomorrow after a year and a half..... i wuv my silly little twicleric

[eliotbaum]

omg ur my favorite COS artist fr and you are german too! that's really exciting!

Wed, Bed, Behead:

Rahadin, Father Donavich, Madame Eva

ohhh what an honor 😭❤️ thank you…. yes!! almost, I'm austrian (but I do go to some german cons sometimes!)

LMAOOO this lineup is crazy oh my god. I'm assuming this is a question (if not, poor mme eva…..) but:

Wed: Madame Eva , Bed: Donavich , Behead: Rahadin

this was SO hard.

[tantaliart]

3, 4, and 6?

3. What did your players do with Doru?

Haha, my players didn’t do much with Doru, one of the party members attempted to kill him (grudge against undead), and the rest of the party stopped him. They just left him in the basement after that.

Same with my second party, they were thog asf and just didn’t mess with him. Arcadia knew him prior and had a grudge against him so they just kinda tried to convince Father Donavich to put him out of his misery 🤷‍♀️.

4. How did things shake out in Vallaki? Who's currently in charge of the city (if the city is still standing?)

The city burned almost three times over the course of the campaign! Strahd killed Baron Vallakovich and Izek, then Anastrasya tried for Burgomaster and was killed by the party, then Lady Wachter took over and was killed by the party, and now Father Barlowe (replacement for Father Lucian) is the leader of Vallaki. Woohoo, mixing of church and state!

6. Did you make any NPCs more sympathetic than in canon? Or less sympathetic?

I made Baron Vallakovich a domestic ab*ser so I think that made him a little less sympathetic 👎 I suppose that also in turn made Victor more sympathetic.

Another example is what I did with Rahadin. He was a child when he was taken in and trained by Barov, after his whole village was slaughtered by Barov’s men. He did the big thing he did purely on Strahd’s order. I suppose that makes him a little more understandable??

[curseofthebloodcountess]

And Weapons Do Not Love

Summary: After the Barovian Uprising, after Cordy asks Rahadin if he murdered him, Rahadin spends the morning trying to have tea and peace. Game: The Real Housewives of Ravenloft Ships: Rahadin von Roeyen/Cordy Ceps

---

In the quiet of the morning, Ravenloft sits still. The faintest echo of sobs punctuates the chill air; human voices rise from the bowels of the castle. Above, somewhere, a young man curses The Devil Strahd for having turned him into a creature of darkness. Some feed on his despair, others whisper about it and the rumors that Doru Donavich might be someone important to the Blood Countess. Rahadin despairs with much more quiet dignity. Trance eludes him. Whenever he shuts his eyes this morning, all he hears are the dying screams of men and women and children, damned by his hand. He doesn’t hear them often anymore. It wasn’t the battle that conducted his deathly choir to sing.

Cordy makes specially brewed tea to relieve his headaches. The dried leaves of… of something. Rahadin doesn’t know much about plants. He does know where Cordy keeps the dried leaves: a ceramic jar on his workbench with Rahadin’s name on it. It isn’t trespassing to enter the greenhouse. Rahadin is second only to Strahd in authority here. It isn’t theft to take what has your name written on it. Even if it was a crime, Cordy is in Huldefolk: too far away to stop him, too far away to know. Rahadin still looks over his shoulder. 

If Cordy asked him whether Rahadin had murdered him when first he arrived to Ravenloft, Rahadin would have told him the truth with relish. He had killed Cordy (and a thousand more) easily and well. Not well enough because Cordy had come back- 

No. Not exactly.

The man Rahadin had cut down was Mars, a childhood friend, who had eventually denounced the von Roeyens; a man who had betrayed Rahadin and who must have forgotten (or stopped caring) that he’d only been a child the first time he raised a blade… Mars, the disloyal dog, had been killed a long, long time ago. The man who had come to Ravenloft, made of mushrooms and warmth, was no longer Mars. He is Cordy. Rahadin had not killed Cordy and Cordy had not betrayed him. Sometimes, Rahadin almost thinks Cordy could never betray him. Other times, he thinks that he could never kill Cordy. 

His hand shakes as he measures out dried tea leaves. Their mossy green-brown color belie their strong, earthy smell and just a whiff of them quiets the screams. They sound miles away.

Why hadn’t he told Cordy exactly that?

Rahadin is not Strahd. He does not inspire the loyalty of armies. He inspires fear, never devotion. He always has. Unsettling thing, strange boy… His father had never loved him and his mother’s love was a thing to crave and to earn, not to have. He was fashioned for service, a blunt instrument, and a trained guard dog. He knew it. He knows it. By all the gods, he had known it since he plunged his father’s scimitar into him at his mother’s behest. If not then, then as he cut down the Dusk Elves, one by one. 

How dare Cordy remain kind to him, even in accusation.

The measuring spoon clatters back onto the workbench. Rahadin has enough leaves to steep into a tea. The choir howls again. Plants shrink away from him as he stalks back to the house. Servants give him space. No one looks him in the eyes, no one says hello. He is not a person: he is a weapon. Even in his remorse, he is a weapon. 

How dare Cordy make him feel like he was still a man, like he was worthy of- or maybe that he wanted to be worthy of-

How dare he think he could inspire something other than fear in anyone, especially Cordy. He doesn’t dare to name the feeling. He is a systematic tool and he cannot afford to be wrong. 

He brews his tea and drinks it slowly, bracingly, and the screams subside. He wonders (not for the first time) if Cordy could hear them. How does he excuse them?

“Sir?”

One of the vampire spawn in uniform lingers nervously on the edge of the kitchen.

“Report,” Rahadin says. 

“Someone has pointed out that the dungeons are still flooded. We signed a petition and the union agrees that we shouldn’t have to feed the humans down there in such unsanitary-”

Work: a welcome distraction. The choir falls silent. 

[the-elder-vampire]

My cleric is what we like to call “necrophobic.”

The other PCs wanted to spare Doru when he resisted the temptation of blood, but my character Erias took what Donavich said to heart: that Doru was a monster wearing his son’s skin. The other PCs pulled on his heart strings by getting him to admit that he’d do anything to keep his currently missing son, making him go against his core principles.

Now, he’s just hoping that he didn’t lie to Father Donavich by telling him his son’s soul is still there. Time will tell!

He’s feeling a lot of negative emotions, but meanwhile I’m a silly player that loves making silly memes

[nirikeehan]

NIRI you know I'm about to ask about "church" !!!!!

Thank you, Rowan, I am SO glad you asked.

Ask me questions here!

Okay. So. One of the things my absolutely unhinged brain glommed onto when listening to Twice Bitten was Metrion's relationship to the Barovian religion; he finds immense comfort and resolve in the teachings of the Morninglord and the kindly priest who runs St. Andral's church in Vallaki, Father Lucian. I love me some complicated and nuanced portrayals of faith, okay.

Contrast this with Thalia, who I played through Inquisition with as someone having a lot of religious trauma from her family and time in the Circle. I have joked that I played her as "a Catholic schoolgirl two days out from graduation," something I have no experience with at all. (Ha, ha.)

Smash these two characters and their respective religious views together, and we've got this scene.

This is leading up to a scene that can happen in Curse of Strahd "canon," if we can call the module that. (Certain conditions need to be met in order to trigger it, something that did happen in Twice Bitten.) It's known in the module as "The Feast of Saint Andral," and in Twice Bitten it was one of the most iconic turns of events, imo. So I'm more or less taking what Metrion did in his canon and adding Thalia (and later, her own retinue, who she previously got separated from).

And I'm sure nothing bad whatsoever is going to happen to anyone involved.

After a few blocks of traversing alleys, Metrion cuts abruptly back onto the main road. He strides with purpose toward a large stone building, sitting adjacent to a graveyard. At the entry gate, Thalia pauses, a familiar unease falling over her. “Where are we?”  Metrion slows, glancing over his shoulder at her. He shrugs.  “A church.”  Dread forms a pit in her stomach. She grips the gate handle, staring up at the belfry.  “Where I come from, we called them Chantries.” Her voice sounds ghostly, even to her own ears. “Are you sure it’s safe?”

She remembers the church in Barovia village, with its claw marks on the door, the benches inside broken and strewn, the mad priest Donavich telling them to seek the Kolyanovich siblings elsewhere, the screaming under the floorboards. And before that — all the times she stood in the Chantry, reciting the Chant of Light with her fellow Circle mages when she wished to be elsewhere. Studying the doctrine that told her that her proper place was a prison. Trying to point out the discrepancies to the Ostwick Chantry Mother in her religion class, as if that would make a difference. It’s just semantics, girl, she’d said. Don’t worry your head about it.  Metrion turns to face her. Mist swirls at their feet in the gathering dusk. She can feel the scrutiny from his golden eyes. His mouth works, and she expects an acerbic quip, but maybe the way she clutches the gate has tipped him off. “Yeah,” he says softly, with surprising tenderness. “I know the priest, all right? Father Lucian. He, uh, says this place is hallowed ground. So no creepy crawly undead can get inside.” Thalia frowns. “I’ve never heard of Chantries being protected from things like that.”  “What are you, a theologian?” Metrion retorts. “Listen. He’s a good sort, this one. He might let us sleep in the pews or something. No matter what, that’s still a roof over our heads, right?”  Thalia stares at him. “Your plan is to beg the Father to let us sleep in the Chantry? Like street urchins?”  Metrion bristles. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Your Highness required luxury accommodations. Shall I go seeking to the local lord for rooms? Oh, wait, he’s a fucking vampire who wants to kill us all.”  “I’m not a— that’s not what I meant,” Thalia stammers, taken aback by his vitriol. She wants to tell him only a monarch would be addressed as Your Highness, but she doesn’t think that will aid the situation. She hasn’t yet found an opportunity to tell him about the Inquisition and her place in it. She recalls the posh accent he affected upon first meeting her. He must be used to rubbing elbows with the elite, but as a performer who would suffer condescension if he revealed too much about a humble birth. Telling him of her own position of privilege might not endear her to him any, either.  She nods stiffly. “Forgive me. Your idea is a solid one. Let’s go see what this Father Lucian has to say.”

[unusualindigo]

My Escher Backstory

At 63 years old, Escher is the youngest, and perhaps most free-spirited, of Strahd’s consorts.

Growing up as the son of one of Barovia’s former Burgomasters, Escher was once fast friends with the son of the village priestess, Alexi Donavich.

As the pair grew, they both discovered a talent for the esoteric. Whilst Alexi found himself following his mother down a holy path, Escher discovered his own affinity for the spirits of the departed. Through listening to them, he could channel their stories into hymns, then poems, then songs.

Using his talents, Escher found himself a controversial figure in the village, to his father’s dismay. Alexi and he, though lovers in secret, soon had a falling out as Alexi, grieving the loss of his mother and angry at Escher’s continued use of spiritual energy in his music, led a group to cast him out of the village.

Escher felt his heart die there, watching as the boy he loved spat venom at him from on high, saying that he should be lucky that they only broke his harp, and not his body.

Seeing no future for himself, Escher began to trek to the last place any sane Barovian would tread; Castle Ravenloft itself.

Arriving uninvited, Escher was let in only on the sadistic graces of Anastrasya and Volenta, each looking forward to seeing him crumble before their Lord, Strahd. 

Escher asked only for a harp to play for the Lord of Ravenloft, and left quite an impression as he channeled the raw loathing and hopelessness of the Lord’s treacherous soldiers from that night so long ago.

Six years would pass, and Escher would find himself growing closer to the ladies of Ravenloft. In Ludmilla he found someone to debate the nature of his magics with, and in Volenta an equally mischievous force to contend with. Anastrasya, for her part, was always his harshest critic, though the banter soon became rather catty and playful between them.

In the Lord of Ravenloft himself, Escher found a vigorous philosophical opponent, and the two would spend long hours debating the nature of the spirit and of conflict. Escher always reveled in what glimpses of the man Strahd used to be would filter through.

Once his twentieth birthday began to approach, Escher began to envy the close, if unconventional ties between the vampires of the castle. He began to make overtures in his performances to Strahd, begging a chance to become one of his consorts.

Escher could tell that Strahd had some growing interest in him, but the man was stubborn to a fault, and thought it unseemly to turn him at so young an age, especially given the base of their relationship.

Escher, frustrated, began to scour the castle for ways to make Strahd see things his way. His searches were short lived, as the chamberlain, Rahadin, had never taken a liking to him, and took the opportunity to suggest of removing him from the castle entirely.

Escher’s blood froze as Strahd contemplate that notion. However, Strahd offered him one last chance. He had exiled the werewolves from Ravenloft after one of their prior leaders, Gorick, had slaughtered a reincarnation of his beloved Tatyana.

If Escher could convince their current leader, Amalric, to agree to a meeting with Strahd, and convince Strahd himself of the werewolves worth as agents again.

Before he left, Volenta told him of Amalric’s weakness to the pleasures of the flesh, and with no other options of ease in this trial, Escher acquiesced to the beast’s hunger. He spent many vigorous nights sating the bastard, whispering in his ear of the glories awaiting him in Strahd’s service.

It didn’t even take but two seasons to bend the fool to his whims, and Escher soon found himself contending with Strahd’s iron will, not truly for the wolves, but for his own worth.

To his delight, not only did Strahd agree to let the wolves back in, and to sire Escher at last, but to Escher’s poisoning of Amalric in one year’s time.

Soon, Escher found himself awakening to periwinkle eyes as Strahd cleansed him of the filth of that loathsome man.

Anastrasya also rewarded him quite harshly for his efforts, and the two soon settled into a comfortable distance, trading barbs and competitively seeing who could bend such and such lord over a barrel first, sometimes quite literally.

Volenta made him her greatest asset, a spy who can move wherever he likes in the castle and beyond, and allowing him to hold sway over the wolves, making them his spies in turn. Thus, did he oust Rahadin from his spying duties, though the crotchety old elf is content with that outcome.

Ludmilla and he, sharing a bloodline, collaborate on occasion to perform certain rituals, and still enjoy debating their philosophies and such to this day. Escher even felt comfortable enough to participate in her experiments, so strong is his trust in her.

For forty years Escher served Ravenloft and Strahd in this manner, keeping the wolves in line and gathering information and favor from the broader populace. It was on one such venture that word reached Escher of an assault on the keep.

Rushing back, Escher found only the bodies awaiting him. Strahd dismissed him with nary a glance, throwing himself into an effort to expand the mists around Barovia. Deeply hurt at being cast aside once more, Rahadin took delight in reminding Escher of the reincarnations of Tatyana and their hold on Strahd. One such man had been born outside the mists, and had brought a vampire from there upon their door, who Strahd had slain.

Brooding over his loss of affection, Escher began to recede from public life earlier than expected, watching sullenly as Strahd grew ever more distant from them.

A few years into his seclusion, Escher found a young boy whilst he watched Barovia from a nearby hill. He had auburn hair.

Escher wearily told Volenta of his findings, having also seen the boy’s playmate, the spitting image of a young Alexi. Heart still broken over his first love, Escher took to spying on Doru and his father, enviously watching as they paid tribute to the boy’s departed mother.

When Doru was brought into the Mad Mage’s rebellion, it was only by Escher’s grace that he was merely turned into a vampire spawn, rather than slaughtered like the other fools. However, Strahd’s turning of the boy was interrupted by the Mage, turning the boy into one of the Deamhan line, the most savage and miserable of the lot.

Though he’s sure he should feel guilty, Escher was delighted as he watched Alexi turn to murder and deceit to keep his death seeking boy alive. A cold vengeance, for his broken heart.

[barovianchickenandwaffles]

Barovian Tales: A Hairy Encounter

So, there I was one early morning sneaking off to the Tser pool west of town while everyone still slept. My donkey cart full of barrels of used lard quietly creaked in the morning air. I hoped to avoid scrutiny by the Burgomeister who had been complaining recently about “water quality” and “pollution”.

I reached the Tser Pool and started surreptitiously offloading my cargo, when I heard a piercing howl cut the morning air. I looked up then noticed that the full moon was out. Oops, should’ve checked the calendar.

I hastily dumped the rest of the barrels in the water just as the howl was taken up by several more in various directions. Not good.

Just as I dumped the last barrel, I saw eyes glaring at me from behind the woods. I gulped, leaped onto the cart, lashed the reins and took off. I had my crossbow with me and a few silvered bolts, and I doubted they would be enough.

Emerging from the woods back onto the main road, my cart was being pursued by a pack of wolves. Seven or eight of them. Werewolves for certain. The lead wolf, a huge silver lupine form, had an almost human look of rage on its face.

We made eye contact and it said in a savage voice, “your breakfast sausages made me sick!”

Hey now, that hurt.

“I make my sausages in accordance with Barovian health standards!”

“What Barovian health standards?!”he barked.

“The one I have RIGHT HERE!” I drew out my crossbow and fired. Direct hit.

I took a moment to admire my own sallying of wit and vowed to write that gag down for later.

But the moment was short-lived as I realized that I missed his head and I managed to make him even more angry. The wound on his shoulder from the silvered ammunition burned and sizzled, but he shrugged it off and pursued my cart with greater fury. The other wolves, spurned on by their leader, surrounded the cart on both sides as my donkey ran for its dear life toward Barovia village.

The best I could hope for was to take cover at my shop and hope they go away. But unlike vampires, these guys didn’t need an invitation. Would my shop be enough defense? Even an Illithid like “Gary” my barista couldn’t hold off this many wolves.

I reloaded my crossbow as quickly as I could. Crank, crank, crank, crank, crank, crank, crank, crank, SIGH, crank, crank, crank, crank, crank, click. Finally.

I took another shot, this time at another wolf ready to pounce. My aim was better this time and the wolf went down. The others held back but kept up the pursuit. They could run me down and I had only one bolt left.

Up ahead I saw a party of adventurers freshly wandering in from the Mists. They might help me! I yelled to get their attention using the universal “adventurer’s greeting”.

“Hey you! Easy XP and loot grind here!”

They jumped eagerly to help me … and lasted about 2 rounds of combat. Stupid 1st-level adventurers.

The delay helped put a bit of distance between me and the wolf pack, and I could see Barovia village up ahead. I might have a chance.

I could see a crowd gathering near the village entrance: shambling undead. Perfect.

Every kid in Barovia village learned how to slalom past shambling undead. Why, I used to bull's-eye zombies in my T-16 back home.

I swerved through the horde of undead easily. Just like Beggar’s Canyon. The wolves crashed into the horde and were tangled up among desiccated corpses. Success.

I rode past the local Church where I heard Doru yelling from under the basement, “free me!”

“Quiet you,” said Father Donavich stamping the floorboards.

I raced past a disconsolate Mad Mary. “Please help me get Gerturda back!” she wailed at me.

“Not now,” I said in passing.

I passed the Ol’ Farmer Jakob on his way to the fields. “Hunted by wolves again?” he called.

“Ayup,” I said nonchalantly.

Up ahead I could see my storefront. So close!

But then the wolves emerged from the side streets to block my way. Trapped!

But wait, between us I saw my beloved Babusya taking her morning stroll. I skidded the cart to a stop beside her.

Babusya squinted at the sight of the wolves and grunted. “Get the frypan,” she said.

The way to Barovian Chicken and Waffles (“home of the Uncle Oleksii Meal! Available for a limited time!”) was blocked but I might be close enough to get a message to “Gary”.

Gary, this is Oleksii, come in.

I heard inside my head his cold, unsettling voice.

Your signal is breaking up but I can hear you. Barely.

I sent a message:

Me: Get the frypan!

Gary: Go to Thailand? At this time of year?!

Me: no the FRYPAN!! Get the blasted FRYPAN!

Suddenly the shop storefront glass window shattered as a frypan sailed through toward us. Those repair costs are going to set me back.

The Frypan, the family legacy. My Babusya handed it down to me when I opened the shop, and it had been in the family for generations. Its silver sheen and Barovian folk magic etchings would ensure that we could slay any Barovian monstrosity that came our way.

Yet the frypan sailed right past me as I tried to catch it. Instead it flew into the hand of the one who was most worthy to wield it: Babusya.

Babusya clutched the Frypan and waited.

The first wolf charged and leapt at us, and Babusya, like some superhero, hurled the Frypan right at it like a discus. The impact crushed the wolf’s ribs and sent it flying backwards.

Cue the epic background music. The wolves relentlessly assailed us , but Babusya stoically fought them off. She deftly threw the Frypan in such a way that it always managed to return to her hand. Who needs physics when you have magic?

The last wolf standing, the silver wolf, faced off against Babusya. “Your grandson owes me a refund 1 silver and 3 copper for the meal!” It roared.

Babusya grunted and hurled the Frypan right at it, striking it squarely on the forehead. The blow soundly fell the beast.

“No refunds,” she said.

I hugged my Babusya and kissed her head in gratitude. She grunted, handed me the Frypan and left.

Life in Barovia isn’t easy, and while I don’t have friends, I got family.

Once again I laughed at my own wit. No one will ever think of that line.

A miserable Strahdmas to all, and to all a Fell Night! 🧛🏻‍♂️🎃👻

[nkukubean]

🌻 Doru Donavich \\ Vampire Spawn of Strahd & (very confused) Cleric of the Morning Lord 🌻

a concept doodle from a few months back

NOTE: i moved posting art to @pumpkinheadath , so if you wanna see more COS art, it's there

❗️ Curse of Strahd Spoilers❗️

So, my party adopted Doru after freeing him from the basement. They chased him into the roof of the church while his father was… helping give a sermon for another party members funeral. Half the party was trying to get Doru down while the other half distracted Donavich (and crying due to their dead friend). Eventually, he was offered blood, which got him down.

After several harrowing experiences later, a near TPK proved his worth in the eyes of the Morning Lord. He’s been given a last chance, and he knows he can’t waste it. He’s afraid he’ll be taken back by Strahd, but he trusts the Morning Lord’s new given power will help him evade being controlled again.

Also, he’s Ismark’s boyfriend. Sunshine child.

To whoever pointed out that the spirits that raise in the graveyard at night are the friends and community he lost while fighting Strahd, how dare you. I can’t stop thinking about that now. I’m going to cry, and I can’t tell my party why yet, because they haven’t gone out there at night. The last time they did that, one of them died to Strahd. That’s a story for another time though.

Oh, also…. Old old baby boy art from like 2 years ago when I first started DMing Strahd. I need to give him back his grey eyes.

[dandelion-jester]

No cemetery, but I had graveyard!

Snip below the break, obviously from Legend of the Rat Bastards!

----------------------------------------------------------

We broke out of the trees in the early afternoon and rode out to the base of a small hill beneath the towering cliff face. Ahead of us, the grassy slopes climbed up to a squat, dark building on the hilltop. The only thing that gave it away as the church was the bell tower which stood tall and hollow to one end, pointing up the cliff face like a warning. There were no lights in the windows.

We rode up through crumbling graves as the light faltered over the treetops.

Ireena looked pale and scared. ‘We made it,’ she whispered.

Tobias reigned in his horse. ‘It looks abandoned.’

Ireena looked sad. ‘No one has been up here since Father Donavich’s son Doru died, about a year ago now,’ she sighed. ‘I hope he’s okay.’

Igor came forward with the coffin and looked around the desolate graveyard. ‘How’d his son die?’

Luc grimaced. ‘In the attack on Castle Ravenloft.’

We were all silent, aware of the weight of the castle somewhere above us. Felice flicked her reigns and set her horse moving. We all followed suit.

----------------------------------------------------------

Daily Sip 10/25

You can reblog this post.

You can make your own post.

You reblog someone else's snip!

Just tag it sipofsnips so everyone can find each other. ^.-

[costhursdays]

Watching the destruction of the Death House, the group were able to steady themselves enough to collect their things, mainly Kenshi's left behind Doctor's Bag, and head to the Blood ofn the Vine Tavern. There they saw Vasily outside smoking, and he questioned what took them so long.

Inside, the group got acquainted with Arik, the barkeep, and a young man named Ismark Kolyanovic, the son of the Burgomaster, Kolyan Indirovic, who bought the players a round of Red Dragon Crush after hearing they survived the Death House. He informed the players that not many come out of that building, much less destroy it. He laments that it was pointless to do so, as the house has been rebuilt once before, and so the loss was less a boon for the people and more a delayed problem to handle by another group of wayward adventurers.

The party had several conversations amongst themselves, but the crux of the night was Ismark asking them to help him in escorting his sister out of the village and away from Castle Ravenloft, which loomed over the horizon line like a beacon of pestilence and plague. Ismark invited the party to come to his manor to discuss things over fully in the morning, and to meet his sister properly. Before leaving the Tavern, Chiaroscuro asked for a spare bit of offal or scrapped meat that the providers had lying around. Due to Arik's simple nature, the man slaughtered a sheep to offer its entrails to the timid man, who took it reluctantly.

Upon reaching Ismark's mansion, the players observed the terrifying sight of the constant barrage of attackers on the building. Scratches against the siding, scorch marks, the works. Most every window had been boarded up from the inside to keep attackers and the like from getting within. Upon entering the home, the group met Ireena Kolyana, the adoptive daughter of Kolyan Indirovic, the man in question lying dead on the floor in a coffin.

Ireena displayed a strong will and dominant spirit, but also seemed anxious about further visits from Strahd. She had fortressed herself in the manor in an attempt to stave off any further attempts from him to attack her, and her sibling. Ismark bade the group to help them by escorting Ireena to the next city over, Vallaki, where she would hopefully be further away from Strahd's influence.

Ireena only would leave the town if the group would help her bring the Church at the north of the town, so that she could lay her father to rest under the protection of the Morning Lord, the deity that the country worshipped. A bit of miscommunication between her, Ismark, and Kenshi lead him to believe it was his services she required, however he said he would help with the transportation and rites once they reached the Church to the north. He had concerns with Ismark about the fear of him being raised for unsavory work, but the worry was abated by the knowledge that the Church was Hallowed Ground.

Everyone tentatively agreed in assisting with Ireena's request, and Ismark allowed the group to stay in the mansion, there being plenty of room for them all. In private, Chiaroscuro attempted to discuss things with the lantern he carried using some of the offal he purchased, and being unable to quite yet, used Bottled Respite to allow himself into the lantern itself. Coming out of it, the offal he had prior was gone.

After a night's rest, Chiaroscuro approached Ismark who was nursing a hangover with a cup of coffee and a willow branch. He stated his worries about being useful to him as a bodyguard for his sister, especially when he himself was looking for someone in Barovia. He wasn't a Warrior, he was a Seamster, a tailor. Ismark reminded him that he was able to come out of the Death House alive, a feat few could claim. He also posited that he had no lead on the person he was looking for, so wouldn't it be helpful to go and escort Ireena so that he could meet more people and find more clues. At the end, Ismark said he couldn't force Chiaroscuro's hand, and in the end it was his decision to make. The nervous tiefling, after the words of encouragement, agreed to assisting Ireena away from the town.

Ireena rolled out a map for the town, showing the party a wide view of the country, showing them the first possible place Ismark has chosen for her to reside in. Other than Vallaki, Ireena also made brief mention of Krezik, the city on the far end of the country, the furthest from Strahd and his influence. The group also questioned certain other points on the map, the Vistani Encampment to the west, a large structure on a hill, a fortress like place southwest of Vallaki, and a tower on a lake Northwest of that. Finishing the brief overview, it was then time to start with the funeral procession.

As the group helped carry the coffin through the town, several people exited their homes to watch in honor of Kolyan's passing. Approaching the Church after some time, everyone could see that it too had been ravaged by monsters and flame, the doors especially marked. A brief moment after Ismark knocked on the door, a portly man whose cassock showed plainly that he had been prior much larger exited the building, quickly shutting the doors behind him. Father Donavich regarded everyone kindly as new guests, offering Kenshi a known greeting as well. He made quickly towards the back, where the plot had been prepared in advance for Kolyan's body.

As Father Donovich, Ireena, Ismark, and Kenshi stood near the cemetery plot, the rest of the party stood back awkwardly, not really having much to say in this instance. No one else had known the man, so any involvement would have been superficial at best. Standing back near the church, both Chiaroscuro and Alexir could hear wafting up from the inside of the thick stone walls and thatched roof a cry of desperation, and mournful hunger.

"Father... Please... I'm STARVING."

[wardingprotector]

valar, despite his worship and connection to Melora as a paladin, is fairly ambivalent and curious about others beliefs and worship practices. he thinks that if you can find comfort, and hope, and joy from somewhere that does not cause harm to others, then you should not fear worshipping that.

relatedly, he genuinely admires people like father lucien and father donavich who can keep their faith as strong as it seems while in a place like barovia. worshipping a god of light and dawn when it's eternally cloudy and dark and gray is a trait he finds incredibly amazing.

[curseofthebloodcountess]

Blood Countess: A Summary

It occurred to me that other CoS blogs do great jobs at summarizing their campaigns and I never managed to sit down and say what on earth is happening in mine. I'm running a gender-swapped CoS that I call "Blood Countess". It explores Strahd not only as a woman, but as a bereaved mother, a weapon in her mother's quest for godhood, and as powerful a mage and general as "I, Strahd" envisions the character as. I'm going to put the summary below, but also invite people to ask me anything! I've been developing this version of the game for a long while now and I'm dying to talk about it! Thanks for reading!

When my “Blood Countess” game started, I had six players. It was far too many and not everyone’s play styles meshed. Two of the players left after the first session due to scheduling conflicts. Another left after fewer than ten sessions because he caused inter-party conflict. My three remaining players have been phenomenal. I will make a note to say that the player who left after approximately ten sessions left a lasting impression on the game, so he will be referenced as “Aarakocra Ranger”. The others, I will name by their characters, as well as character race and class. 

The premise of this campaign is deceptively simple. What if Strahd von Zarovich was a woman? In the CoS community, a very popular fan module, "She is the Ancient” already exists, which does a similar reimagining. However, I excel at reinventing the wheel. I read “She is the Ancient” and found the author’s commitment to avoiding problematic representation simultaneously impressive and bothersome. Although I own it, I set it aside to build “Blood Countess”. The characters who began the game were the aforementioned Aarakocra Ranger; a Reborn Celestial Warlock named Sister Theodora, who was created by the Abbot of Krezk as a potential bride for Strahd; a Half-Elf Grave Domain Cleric named Alistor, who is the grandson of the dragon Argynvost and the love-child of Strahd von Zarovich (here reimagined as a Half-Elf) and Alek Gwilym; and a Human Spirits Bard, who was Actual Zak Bagans from the Travel Channel, who was meant as a short-term character and who would later be replaced by a Human Monster Hunter Ranger, Tam Mantigieri, who is the reincarnation of Sergei von Zarovich.

The party first encountered Ismark Kolyanovich in the woods outside Barovia Village, as they were under attack by a truly ridiculous amount of wolves. Accompanied by several villagers, including a grown Thorn Durst (who is Ismark’s ex-boyfriend and political rival), Ismark helped the party dispatch the wolves and uncover the body of his friend, Dalvan, who was trying to deliver a letter to the outside world on behalf of Ismark’s recently deceased father, Kolyan. The characters convened in the Blood on the Vine Tavern where Ismark and Thorn briefed them on the situation in Barovia Village: Ismark’s father, the burgomaster, recently died of a heart attack while the Kolyanovich manor was under siege by Countess Strahd von Zarovich. The countess has been attempting to woo and/or kidnap Ismark’s younger sister, Ireena, for the last year. She has attacked Ireena a few times, but never successfully seduced her or turned her into a vampire. Ismark wants to take Ireena to the next town over, Vallaki, which is a two-day trip, but there have been mysterious deaths in Barovia Village for the last year and he feels obligated as the burgomaster to put his people at ease before prioritizing his family. He and Ireena also need help burying Kolyan, which shouldn’t be a hard task, but a year ago, Doru Donavich led 75% of the village’s young adults in a rebellion against Strahd and all were slaughtered. Finding strong backs to carry the coffin has been a challenge. The party agreed to help Ismark with all three of his tasks. The funeral led the party to a church in utter disrepair, with a depressed and half-mad priest, Father Donavich. The event was also “crashed” by the countess herself. Strahd offered funeral gifts to Ireena and Ismark and insisted that she would come back to check their progress on solving the murders. During this meeting, several other things of note happened. First, the Aarakocra Ranger demanded that Strahd give him a gift. She cast “Suggestion” on him and commanded him to fly as high as he could for his gift. He flew into the mists, which give levels of exhaustion for each minute spent in them. This led to him falling out of the sky, very nearly to his death, and being immobilized until Thorn’s sister, Rose, used her druidic magic to heal him. It was a terrifying power move. Strahd also scored a Nat 20 on insight checking Alistor, thus realizing the uncanny resemblance between him and his father, Alek Gwilym, and realizing that he was her son. Lastly, when Strahd left, Theo discovered that Father Donavich was keeping his son, Doru, under the church as a vampire spawn. She allowed him to drink from her and the two bonded over being monstrous against their will/nature. Thorn also told Zak about the March of the Dead: the parade of the fallen villagers who reenact their failed rebellion every night. 

The party decided to investigate the Donaviches and their role in the mysterious deaths in the village, but they also checked out the Durst Pie Emporium and learned that Rose and Thorn ran a pie shop under the patronage of their godmother, Morgantha. An investigation led them to learn that Morgantha was a hag and the pie flour was made of the ground bone dust of humans. Now that they had two leads, the party had to decide which to pursue when reporting to Strahd. Further complications ensue as Theo, who wears a full habit and veil, grapples with the fact that she was created to perfectly resemble Ireena to placate Strahd. Alistor spent his time trying to hide his holy magic as well as his kindness, which he failed to do. His selflessness impressed Ismark a lot. Theo spent more time at the church, bonding with Doru and the two briskly tripped into something like love… which is complicated by the fact that Theo is both promised to the countess and has feelings for Stella Wachter in her adopted hometown, Vallaki. The Aarakocra Ranger got kidnapped by the hags and Alistor rescued him. Then, the group devised a plan to stage an attack by Doru in Durst Manor to summon the hags and Strahd. They turned the hags over to Strahd for justice and she swiftly killed them. After she departed, Ismark turned leadership of Barovia Village over to Thorn. However, Rose insisted they should bury the hags by the family windmill. Since they would be traveling in the same direction, the party and the Durst siblings traveled together. They made it to Tser Pool and camped with the Vistani. There, Madam Eva insisted upon reading for the characters. She indicated the locations of the treasures they would need to defeat Strahd and hinted at character deaths to come, future allies, and secrets the player characters were trying to keep. Morning arrived and so too did a flood. The Dursts fled in one direction; the party in the other. They took the high road to avoid the swollen river and were ambushed by Rahadin and dhampir soldiers. While they could not defeat Rahadin, they dispatched the dhampir soldiers with surprising swiftness. However, Zak Bagans perished in the fight and the party pushed his body into the river. They continued to Vallaki. 

Around this time, the Aarakocra Ranger player had caused problems with every member of the group. He demanded solo sessions, sold the party out, complained that his character was not narratively tied to the game despite not attempting to tie into the story, and refused plot hooks I offered him. He was not invited back. When the party arrived in Vallaki, I ruled that Izek Strazni shot Aarakocra Ranger out of the sky and killed him, believing him to be a spy from the city of Immol. The remaining characters (Theo, Alistor, Ireena, and Ismark) were welcomed into Vallaki with ease. The first person the party encountered upon arrival was Victor Vallakovich, who presented them with exposition about the town: the Festival of the Blazing Sun and Feast of St. Andral were due to fall on the same day in three days, but, more importantly, Theo’s adoptive father, Father Lucian Petrovich, had died during Theo’s absence from town. The funeral had already happened and Lucian’s former acolyte (and suspected biological daughter), Zinnadia Swilova, had taken over the Church of St. Andral. Theo, grief-stricken and rage-fueled, immediately booked it to the church to take over the services. It was awkward, but a very powerful moment for her. The party also met Tam Mantigieri at the Blue Water Inn. Before this - and don’t quote my timeline - Tam was making his way from his home in Mount Baratok to the town of Vallaki. On his way, he discovered a kidnapper with two children he intended to drown: a Vistana girl named Arabelle and a Dusk Elf boy named Kian. Arabelle is the daughter of the Vistani leader, Luvash, and the Vistani offered Tam a reward for his service. Kian is the first Dusk Elf child anyone has seen in three hundred years. Tam returned him to his mother, Patrina Velikovna, and though grateful, the Dusk Elves have little to offer him. Tam, modest by nature, insisted there was nothing he wanted from them. He immediately charmed the party and volunteered to help them solve the mystery of Lucian’s death, which seemed to be foul play. Because Tam and Theo are from Vallaki, they didn’t meet NPCs so much as interact with neighbors, friends, and enemies. Tam revealed that he had been in love with the coffin maker’s daughter, Valeria, before she left Vallaki to marry a wealthy man in Immol named Vasili von Holtz; before that, he had been romantic rivals with Nikolai Wachter over Elizaveta Vallakovich, the Vallakoviches eldest child who disappeared two years ago, right around the time Nikolai Wachter Sr. died of a mysterious illness. Tam also enjoys teasing Victor, who is Theo’s best friend and adoptive cousin. Izek Strazni has a crush on Theo that won’t quit. The Wachters, local menaces, were showing their out-of-town cousin, Lavinia around Vallaki, which prompted suspicion from characters who hailed from Vallaki. Theo sent letters to the clergy of Barovia to inform them of her father’s death. She did not expect to hear back. 

The party began their investigation of Lucian’s death at the Church of St. Andral. There, they discovered that the bones of St. Andral were missing, signs of a struggle (not a suicide) in Lucian’s office, and a vampire spawn in the coffin in which Lucian was meant to be buried. They at first suspected Zinnadia of the death, but after she helped them fight the vampire spawn, they figured they should do more research. They went to the coffin maker’s shop. There, Theo discovered some (but not all) of St. Andral’s bones and Alistor discovered a room filled with vampire spawn. Panicking, Alistor set the building ablaze and evacuated. The coffin maker, Mr. Vander Voort, did not escape, but Valeria did and reported to the burgomaster immediately. The party, who received invitations to various events, including “craft time” for the impending festival at Vallakovich Manor, used it as an excuse to come in and begin exploring. Alistor really enjoyed it! The other characters? Not so much. Alistor also caught the eye of a local nobleman, Rafael Buckvhold, which inspired the first stirrings of jealousy in Ismark. Meanwhile, Theo discovered that Lucian was alive and being held prisoner in a makeshift jail cell in an upstairs closet of Vallakovich Manor. She asked Victor to distract everyone (which he did, using Hypnotic Pattern), while the party smuggled Lucian back to the Blue Water Inn. There, Lucian revealed that for all his and Vargas’ political differences, the final nail in the proverbial coffin was Lucian’s discovery that Vargas was having an affair with Zinnadia Swilova, Lucian’s daughter, with the intent to promote her within civil service (possibly to baroness if Lydia met an unfortunate demise). The brothers-in-law fought and Lucian lost, ending up as a prisoner in his sister’s home. The party planned to stage Lucian’s return from the dead as a miracle and sought to find the remaining holy relics for the church.

The next day, they spent time at Wachterhaus and learned the details of Stella’s condition. Victor (accidentally!) made her think she was a cat. Fiona wants retribution for her poor Stella. Nikolai and Lavinia watched the party closely. The party decided to snoop and broke into Stella’s room and discovered her state was worse than they thought. They knew they would need a “remove curse” spell to put her right. Ireena and Theo also stole into Fiona Wachter’s room and stole an iron lockbox. Theo tried to open it, but it was trapped and so it knocked her unconscious. Ireena was able to put her right, using her paladin abilities, but Nikolai Wachter caught them. They admitted to wanting to help Stella. He said that if they could do that, he would help them with whatever they needed. What the characters didn’t know was that Fiona and Lavinia both heard them stealing the lockbox. Moreover, what the party suspects but does not know is that Lavinia is Strahd in disguise. She wants to get close to Alistor and/or Ireena for vastly different reasons, but cannot bring herself to speak to Alistor for fear of getting him killed. He is her last scrap of humanity that she didn’t know she still had. The party smuggled the lockbox out of Wachterhaus and returned to the Blue Water Inn. They discovered the remaining bones of St. Andral inside and a letter from the burgomaster of Immol, Dagmar Olyavna, proposing an alliance with Fiona if she takes over Vallaki, as well as thanking her for the item exchange. It is now clear that Dagmar has the Tome of Strahd. Theo relayed what she and Ireena discovered about Stella to the party and Alistor announced that he has a brother in Barovia (specifically Argynvostholt) who may be able to help cure Stella. They resolve to go to Argynvostholt after the festival.

That night, the characters have strange dreams. Tam dreams of being a man called Sergei von Zarovich and meeting a beautiful woman named Tatyana, who looks just like Ireena. Theo has her first dream ever of a blond man smuggling babies out of a castle. Alistor has a nightmare vision of his goddess, taunting him. Alistor and Ismark, who are sharing a bed, are awoken suddenly by Alistor’s night terrors and the party assumes they are having sex. This becomes a running joke but it’s painful because Alistor and Ismark would very much like to have sex with each other. 

On the day of the Feast/Festival, the party stages Lucian’s reappearance in society as a miracle, and the townsfolk believe he is a saint. The festival itself is… odd. The party overhears the bard Rictavio telling a gruesome story about Strahd’s defeat of the Order of the Silver Dragon, which makes Alistor doubt that his brother and grandfather (Grand Paw) are alive. Izek meets Ireena and Theo at the same time and cannot tell who is his “true love”. He and Ismark almost come to blows because Izek will not stop harassing the girls. Vargas calls him off. Because Alistor killed all the vampire spawn in the coffin maker’s shop and Theo reconsecrated the church, they circumvented a larger attack. They accomplish some tasks in town for a day and then set out for Argynvostholt. Along the way, they come across Valeria von Holtz’s impaled body in the woods and are ambushed by one of Strahd’s brides/generals and her lieutenants. Alistor goes down but is revived. The characters barely escape with their lives and they reach Argynvostholt… which is in ruins. Undaunted, the party continues. There, they see a time- and war-ravaged castle that was once beautiful and briefly encounter Argynvost’s ghost. They seek out the fallen knights and Alistor is reunited with his twin brother, Godfrey, who has become a revenant. Godfrey explains the fall of Argynvostholt and the sorry state of the Order. Still, it is a bittersweet reunion, as neither thought they would see each other again. They spend the night catching up while the other characters explore the ruins and meet other fallen knights. 

In the morning, there is a delivery to Argynvostholt: a coffin with Tam’s name inscribed upon it. Upon opening it, a swarm of bats fly out. When they fly away, a horse and rider, pursued by Vistani on dire wolves, appear. The woman on the horse rides with an attache, who turns out to be a very frightened Victor Vallakovich. His teleportation circle worked! And it teleported him to the gates of Ravenloft as Ezmeralda “Ez” D’Avenir was fleeing the vampires inside. She rescued him and rode a stolen horse to Argynvostholt. The Vistani who pursued her are led by Arrigal, Luvash’s brother, and he claims that he has come to mete out justice for Ez’s horse theft. The party refuses to give her up to Arrigal and in exchange, she reads their fortunes (a refresher course for the players). Stressed, Tam angrily hacks the coffin to bits, which alerts the hostile revenants to the party’s presence. Godfrey kicks them out for the time being to protect them. On their way back, the party examines Valeria’s corpse and discovers that she is a dhampir in the service of Strahd’s army, as evidenced by the brand of the von Zarovich crest on her side… in the same place that Alistor was branded with it as punishment by a commanding officer during his time on the Material Plane. 

The party returns to Vallaki and receives letters. Theo receives sympathy and tenderness from Doru about Lucian’s death, so she writes to him to clear the misunderstanding up. She receives a strange, doomsday-esque letter from the Church in Immol as well. Alistor receives an invitation from Rafael Buckvhold to join in on making masks for the next festival: a masquerade. He agrees to come and Rafael kisses him in the garden and invites him to bed after arts and crafts time. Upon noticing Alistor’s brand, Rafael assumes Alistor is on the same side as the Buckvhold family. Tam confesses his dream to Ireena and they have a conversation about past lives and nightmares, which brings them closer together. Alistor comes back to the inn and tells Ismark he slept with Rafael, which Ismark tries to act normal about. Alistor also hears a creepy song from Rictavio that reminds him of his nightmare. At the church, Izek proposes to Theo. Theo writes to Doru to ask him to either pretend to be (or really be) her fiance to deter Izek’s advances. The next day, Alistor buys Godfrey a costume for the masquerade, so they can smuggle him into town to heal Stella. Tam and Theo go to lunch at Wachterhaus and learn Lavinia has left for the time being and Lady Wachter thinks the party should aid her in “getting rid of” Izek. Ismark receives a letter from Thorn detailing the situation in Barovia Village: people are getting weird without cannibal pies and Doru is refusing to feed, which means he is acting erratic. Thorn confesses to missing Ismark and tells him that Rose abandoned him. Ismark is conflicted about this letter. Meanwhile, Theo gets two letters. One is from the Abbot, Lucian’s father and her creator, expressing detached remorse for Lucian’s “death”. The other is from Doru, over-enthusiastically accepting her proposal. He writes her the horniest, most vampiric love letter and she is smitten. Ismark is uneasy but unsure how to tell her. Alistor and Ismark talk and are interrupted by Victor Vallakovich, who tells them something weird is happening at his house - that he thinks he heard his mother talking to his deceased sister. They join his investigation and discover that Lydia’s study is a cover for a Ba’al Verzi assassin’s headquarters. They find ciphers and letters, an eerie mirror that reeks of conjuration magic, and a dagger that, upon unsheathing, they realize is cursed. Alistor devises a plan: he teaches Victor the “spare the dying” cantrip and asks Ismark to stab him. It turns into a profound (and horny) bonding moment between Alistor and Ismark, which Victor takes as confirmation that they are sleeping together. Ismark stabs Alistor to death and Victor brings him back. Covered in blood, Alistor and Ismark return to the Blue Water Inn. Theo is at the church, which means Alistor and Ismark interrupt a nice moment between Ireena and Tam. Urwin draws them a bath (they take turns) and the two groups fill each other in on what they are experiencing. Sensing unresolved tension between Alistor and Ismark, Ireena elects to stay in Tam’s room with him. Alistor and Ismark have an intimate and vulnerable moment where they talk about how much they trust each other and how relieved they are that Alistor is okay. They embrace and the only thing that keeps them from kissing and falling into bed together is their certainty that Ireena will come in any moment. She doesn’t.

The characters are again plagued with weird dreams. Theo dreams of the blond man again, this time in a war tent, but the dream warps and twists every time she breaks immersion to talk to him. Tam has a nightmare of his and Ireena/Tatyana’s death, narrated by the same voice that tormented Alistor’s nightmare before. Alistor, however, dreams of his grandfather’s ghost. Argynvost tells him how proud he is of him and how grateful he is that he is home. Morning finds Ireena at the window, charmed and bitten by Strahd. Tam is freaked out and tries to keep her safe as the party ventures back to Argynvostholt to deliver Godfrey’s costume. Along the way, they are attacked by needle blights. Once back at Argynvostholt for the night, Tam insists that Ireena should sleep in a windowless room. When she thinks that’s odd, he announces that the whole party should sleep in a windowless room! He, Ireena, Ismark, and Theo do so. Alistor goes to sleep in his childhood bedroom. While Theo sleeps, she hears the voice of the blond man ask, “Ilona? Are you at Argynvostholt?” He tries to ask if Argynvost is there if there are children there, but she doesn’t know what he’s talking about. The dream fades out. The voice of The Morning Lord comes through and speaks to her. Theo is momentarily certain she is speaking to her god, but he slips up and sounds a little too human. She’s aware she’s in the presence of something holy, but something feels off. The conversation is cut short. Unable to sleep, Theo goes to find the knights, only to learn that Vladimir Horngaard keeps a night watch. Godfrey and the other nights help defend her. This occurs every time someone comes up the stairs during the next hour. Vladimir clearly does not remember Godfrey, only referring to him as a “soldier”. Theo joins the revenants and learns to play dice games from them. Godfrey sends the resident squire, Arthund, to hunt game for breakfast for their guests. Alistor gets up, has a confrontation with Vladimir, and then goes to the roof to talk to one of his old friends, Damian, about what happened between Godfrey and Vladimir and also to help him repair a broken ballista. While talking, Damian asks Alistor to deliver a wedding ring he fashioned for his beloved, Dame Almathea, to the memorial crypt for the Order of the Silver Dragon in Immol. Alistor agrees. Meanwhile, Tam comforts Ireena, who is cured of her charmed condition and is angry with herself. Arthund returns with a goat he killed and he is determined to impress Godfrey with his kill. He then confesses he doesn’t know how to cook and so Tam, Ismark, and Ireena take over. Ismark gathers everyone for breakfast. Over roasted goat, the knights tell the party their unfinished business. Sir Erich wants to hunt the roc of Mount Ghakis. Sir Robern wants to find out what became of his family. Dame Ragnelle wants her art returned from Ravenloft to Argynvostholt. Arthund just wants to be a hero. Godfrey takes Alistor aside and tells him that Argynvost’s skull has been taken as a prize by Baba Lysaga and he wants it restored to the mausoleum. The party agree to help all of the knights. On their walk back, Tam discovers a bundle of clothes, which the party surmises belongs to a werewolf. In leaving it alone, they are allowed to pass safely onward. They agree to visit the Dusk Elves because they are meant to have one of the items they need to fight Strahd (the Icon of Ravenloft).

Upon arriving at Huldefolk, the Dusk Elf settlement, the characters realize they are being watched oddly. The guards outside Patrina’s home ask Alistor who his mother’s clan is. He does not know his mother, but he can name Alek Gwilym as his father. This causes gossip to kick up and the elves search for his mother. Tam insists upon speaking to Patrina. She reluctantly allows the party into her home, where the other characters meet her ten-year-old son, Kian, who is studying to be a mage. Tam tells Patrina that he and Ireena are having unsettling dreams about lives together and Patrina confesses that one of the reasons she took to Tam is because she believes he is the reincarnation of Sergei von Zarovich. She declares that Ireena must be Tatyana and she is very sorry. Theo and Alistor examine the religious statues Patrina keeps and learn of the Lady of Shadows, also known as The Raven Queen, who was Queen Ravenovia von Royen von Zarovich in life. Alistor hates this, but Tam hates all of it so much that he goes outside to throw up. Ireena follows him. Patrina explains how Ravenovia ascended to godhood and the party detects resentment, maybe even hatred in Patrina’s voice. She tells Alistor that if they do not find his mother, out of respect for his father’s memory, she will claim Alistor for clan Velikov to give him permission to visit and remain in Huldefolk. As the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that Patrina knows who Alistor’s mother might be but will not say. Theo asks Patrina about the prophesied item. Patrina eventually confesses to having the Icon of Ravenloft and needing it to protect Kian. She admits she has a dangerous mission at the Amber Temple she intends to complete to save her people, but that she cannot bequeath the item to the party until it is done because it is her only insurance for Kian’s safety from Strahd. The party agrees to help her with her mission in the Amber Temple in exchange for the item.

They return to Vallaki and Theo tells Ireena she has something important to tell her. She takes a drunk VIctor as moral (or “amoral”) support as she confesses that she looks identical to Ireena. Ireena seethes that the Abbot created Theo without considering her as her own person and she seethes that Strahd wants to harm them both. She insists that Theo is still her friend and that it isn’t her that she is mad at. Meanwhile, Ismark shares his letter from Thorn with Alistor, asking what to do. Alistor insists they should tell Theo. Tam sits in the bar with a bottle of wine and tries to ruminate on what he learned about Ravenovia. On a Nat 20, he accesses Sergei’s memories of Ravenovia: how hard it was to secure her love, how she pushed her children, how she drove her children apart. He feels sick. The characters decide to call it a night. Tam and Alistor stay at the inn. Theo, Ireena, and Ismark go to the church, which is now Hallowed ground. Ireena and Theo decide that everyone in the party should match someone else in the party to throw Strahd off everyone’s scent. 

That’s where we ended tonight. It’s been WILD and it continues to get more and more interesting. There are a lot of miscellaneous facts I’d like to share, but they are spoilers and it’s almost 6 AM as I type this. I’m DELIGHTED by this game! Thank you for reading!