Curse of Strahd

Use the descriptions that follow to run each encounter.

Random Encounters

K1. Front Courtyard

As the characters enter the castle, the weather worsens. Dismal rain starts to fall, becoming a torrent within the hour. Lightning routinely lights the sky, followed by peals of thunder that make the castle shudder.

The walls that enclose the courtyard are 90 feet high. The dark towers of the castle rise even higher. Doors in the gate towers on each side of the tunnel entrance are shut against the rain, and a howling wind rushes through the courtyard.

The open main doors to the keep lead to x. The large, shattered window overlooking the main entrance is 50 feet above the courtyard and leads to x. No light can be seen through the great window.

K2. Center Court Gate

Two gates, one north of the keep and one to the south, prevent easy access to what lies beyond them.

The portcullis is unlocked and can be lifted with a successful DC 15 Strength check. It can also be opened with a command word that only Strahd and Cyrus Belview (x) know. Unless the portcullis is wedged or propped open, it falls back into place once it is let go.

K3. Servants' Courtyard

The carriage house is described in area K4. The wooden door, which leads to x, is swollen and stuck in its frame. A character can shoulder open the stuck door with a successful DC 10 Strength check.

K4. Carriage House

Read the following text if the characters open the carriage house doors:

K5. Chapel Garden

The large iron gates squeal loudly on rusted hinges when opened. Beyond them lies x.

K6. Overlook

If a character peers over the balcony, read:

If a character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 15 or higher peers over the wall, add:

The windows are so dirty as to be opaque, although a character within reach of one can scrape the dirt away and see a dusty tomb beyond (x). Characters who try to reach the windows from the overlook must descend 110 feet and move 20 feet back under the platform. This descent can't be accomplished without the aid of magic or the use of a climber's kit.

Anyone who falls from the overlook plummets 1,000 feet.

K7. Entry

Read the following text if the characters approach from the courtyard (x):

If one or more characters approach from x and come within 10 feet of the double doors, read:

If the characters approach from area K8 and have not yet visited this area, read:

If the characters enter from either direction, read:

If anyone except Strahd enters this area through the doors that adjoin area K8, the dragons come alive, drop to the floor hissing and spitting, and attack. The dragons don't attack characters who enter this area from x, heading east. The dragons are four red dragon wyrmlings, and they have instructions to allow guests to enter the castle, but not to leave it. If intruders vacate this area, the dragons fly up to their perches and revert to stone. In their stone forms, they are impervious to weapon damage. The dragons never leave the room.

K8. Great Entry

The southern hallway is described in x. The wide staircase leads up to x.

If the characters are here by invitation, add the following:

The elf is Rahadin, the castle chamberlain (see x). He fights only if attacked. Otherwise, he leads the characters to the dining hall (x), points them inside, pulls the doors shut behind them, and withdraws to x by way of the South Tower Stair (x).

K9. Guests' Hall

The suit of armor standing in the alcove is merely a normal suit of plate armor that is well cared for.

The staircase leads down to x and up to x. The double doors provide access to x.

K10. Dining Hall

The first time the characters enter this room, read:

The figure is an illusion of Strahd. It welcomes the characters and invites them to dine. The illusion acts like Strahd and plays the part of the gracious host, speaking kindly and telling the characters that they're free to explore the castle. "Strahd" might talk about his family or shed light on the castle's history, but the illusion provides no useful information about the castle's inhabitants, treasures, or dangers other than to say that the castle doesn't receive many guests. The illusory vampire converses with the characters for no more than 3 rounds, never moving from the organ bench. When the time is up, or if the illusion is attacked, it simply disappears with a mocking laugh.

The moment the figure disappears, a fierce, bone-chilling wind rises up and roars through the hall, putting out all open flames. The characters hear the screech of ancient hinges and the solid thud of many heavy doors slamming shut, one after another, into the distance. They also hear the portcullis clang shut and the tired groan of the aged drawbridge pulling up. Finally, unless the doors to this room are being held open, they slam shut (but do not lock). If the characters open the doors, they see that all the torches in areas K7, K8, and K9 have gone out.

The organ appears locked in place and immovable, but a character who makes a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices scratch marks on the floor that suggest that the organ can be slid outward. A character who tries pushing various keys and pedals discovers that one of the pedals, when depressed, causes the organ to slide outward about 2 feet, allowing access to a secret door in the back wall that swings open into area K11. Because this secret door is hidden behind the organ, it can't be found and opened until the organ is moved out of the way.

The food on the table is tasty, the wine delicious.

K11. South Archers' Post

Each arrow slit is 2½ feet tall and 4 inches wide. The framed mirrors (seventeen in all) used to hang on various walls of the castle. Strahd had them taken down and stored here.

A secret door in the east wall can be pulled open to reveal the back of the pipe organ in x. Characters can't pass through the secret door while the organ is blocking it, and the organ can't be moved from this side.

K12. Turret Post

Each arrow slit is 2½ feet tall and 4 inches wide.

K13. Turret Post Access Hall

K14. Hall of Faith

The statues are harmless. Their moving eyes are a simple optical illusion.

Double doors stand at both ends of the hall. Above the doors leading to x hangs a symbol of beaten bronze that looks like a rising or setting sun.

K15. Chapel

The figure slumped on the altar is all that remains of Gustav Herrenghast, a lawful evil human cleric who tried to obtain the Icon of Ravenloft and did not survive the attempt. See "Treasure" below for more information on the icon and Gustav's possessions.

A sculpted stone railing cordons off the upstairs balcony, which is described in x.

K16. North Chapel Access

The statues are harmless. The vast chamber to the east is the chapel (x). The staircase to the west is described in x.

K17. South Chapel Access

The statues are harmless. The vast chamber to the east is the chapel (x). The staircase to the west is described in area K18.

K18. High Tower Staircase

The staircase starts at x and spirals upward around a central shaft (x), climbing 300 feet to the top of the high tower (x).

A recently constructed masonry wall blocks the staircase 10 feet below the landing west of area K17. A chink in this wall allows gas (or a vampire in gaseous form) to pass from one side of the wall to the other. A character who inspects the wall closely can spot the chink with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. The wall is too sturdy for characters to knock down, but they can create a hole wide enough to crawl through in 1 hour, or reduce the entire wall to a pile of masonry bricks and rubble in 2 hours.

Thirty feet below the masonry wall and 50 feet above the foot of the steps, a small crack has formed in the outer wall of the stairwell. The crack is 1/2 inch wide, 5 inches tall, and 12 inches deep; it leads to the castle's wine cellar (x). Characters can notice the crack automatically as they climb or descend the stairs. Widening the crack enough to squeeze through the wall requires major excavation and would take several days.

The shaft that these stairs wrap around (x) runs vertically from x to x without any holes or obstructions. The inner wall of the stairwell, between the staircase and the shaft, is solid.

K18a. High Tower Shaft

Characters can access this 10-foot-diameter, 390-foot-tall stone shaft from the top or the bottom of the high tower (x and x, respectively).

The shaft is dark and choked with cobwebs. A rushing wind causes the webs to stir. Climbing the shaft is impossible without the aid of magic or the use of a climber's kit, since there are few handholds.

The bats in the catacombs (x) fly up the shaft at night, exiting Castle Ravenloft through various arrow slits and holes in the tower's peak (x). After feeding, they return by the same route.

K19. Grand Landing

Both staircases on the south wall climb to x. The massive stairs lead down to x. Anyone who crosses in front of the alcoves along the south wall activates the suits of armor.

Both suits of armor are mechanical traps, each one activated by a pressure plate hidden in the floor in front of its alcove. A character who searches for traps in one of these locations notices both pressure plates with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.

When 40 or more pounds of weight are placed on a pressure plate, the suit of armor nearest to that plate springs forward, flailing its arms and wielding its mace. Any creature standing on a pressure plate when its trap triggers must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage from the flailing armor. After leaping out and attacking, the armor retracts. The pressure plate resets after 1 minute, after which its armor trap can be triggered again.

The suits of armor act much like metal puppets—a little joke intended to spook visitors more than damage them. A pressure plate can be disabled by a character who uses thieves' tools and makes a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. A trap can also be disabled by destroying its suit of armor, which has AC 18, 5 hit points, and immunity to psychic and poison damage.

K20. Heart of Sorrow

The staircase in the center of the floor (x) leads down to x.

The spiral staircase has no railing and connects the main floor of the castle with each level above it. First, the staircase climbs 50 feet to a landing (shown on map 4), from which an open archway leads to x. East of that opening is a secret door that conceals a ladder leading down to x.

The stairs ascend another 40 feet to another landing (shown on map 5), with archways that lead to x and x, and then climb another 100 feet to a landing beneath the tower's heart (shown on map 8). The staircase wraps around the heart, ending at the top of the tower (x).

K20a. Tower Hall Stair

This stairway connects areas K20 and x.

K21. South Tower Stair

These stairs start at x and go up through x, x, x, and x before ending at x.

K22. North Archers' Post

Each arrow slit is 2½ feet tall and 4 inches wide.

K23. Servants' Entrance

The skeletons, which were assembled by Cyrus Belview (see x), are held together with wire frames and hung on pegs. They pose no threat.

The staircase descends to x. The east door leading to the courtyard is swollen in its frame and requires a successful DC 10 Strength check to force open. The north door is cracked and hangs loose on its hinges; beyond it lies another dust-filled chamber (x).

The ancient book is weathered and brittle, but the ink in the well is fresh. At the top of each page is scribed the message "Please register for your own convenience and that of your next of kin." The book is more than half-filled with names, all of them illegible.

K24. Servants' Quarters

The stairs lead to x.

K25. Audience Hall

A secret door in the south wall leads to x. It is hidden by dust and cobwebs, and requires a successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check to find.

Both staircases in the north wall lead down to x. The eastern double doors can be pulled open to reveal area K26 beyond. The single door in the east wall opens into x.

K26. Guards' Post

If the characters enter this hall through either set of double doors, read:

The "floating" skeletons hang from pegs on the north and south walls. The skeletons, which were assembled by Cyrus Belview (see x), are held together with wire and are harmless. Behind the skeleton on the north wall is a secret door that can be pushed open into x.

If the characters enter this hall by way of the secret door that adjoins x, they see the skeleton hanging on the inside of the secret door as soon as they pull it open, and, with a light source or darkvision, can see the skeleton at the south end of the hall as well.

K27. King's Hall

The moaning is only the wind.

Characters who examine the ceiling can, with a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check, spot pulleys and a rope that run the full length of the corridor along the ceiling, well hidden by the cobwebs. These items are explained in "Flight of the Vampire" below.

Halfway down the hall on the south side is a narrow secret door that can be pulled open to reveal x.

K28. King's Balcony

Two Strahd zombies (see x) are slouched on the thrones. They remain motionless until one of them is disturbed or another creature comes within a zombie's reach, whereupon they attack.

The balcony is 50 feet above the floor of the chapel (x). A staircase north of the double doors leads down to x.

K29. Creaky Landing

The staircase climbs from x to x. It seems unstable but is sturdy. The creatures in area K28 can't be surprised by anyone climbing the creaky steps.

K30. King's Accountant

The figure is Lief Lipsiege (CE male human commoner), an accountant. He is chained to the heavy wooden desk and has no interest in the characters or their concerns. Under no circumstances does he voluntarily leave the room. Lief pulls the rope the instant he feels threatened.

[image: Lief Lipsiege]

Pulling the rope requires an action. When the rope is pulled, a tremendously loud gong sounds. One or more creatures arrive 1d6 rounds later, attacking any characters still in the room. Determine the creatures randomly by rolling a d4:

Lief was pressed into service by Strahd many years ago. He keeps all the books for Strahd, recording the vampire's riches and conquests. Lief has been here longer than he can remember. He is grumpy because Strahd doesn't allow him to know about all his treasures. Even so, Lief has found out where one of Strahd's secret treasures lies. If he is treated with kindness, Lief will divulge the hiding place of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, as indicated by your card reading. Lief can draw a crude map showing a route to that location. His map is geographically accurate, but he admits that it doesn't acknowledge or avoid any dangers that might lie along the way. Lief doesn't necessarily know the most direct path to the symbol's location.

Lief knows that there's a key that unlocks all four chests, but he can't remember where he hid it. See "Treasure" below for more information.

The western door leads to x. The eastern door provides access to a staircase (x) that leads down to x and up to a landing outside x, continuing upward from there to x.

K31. Trapworks

See the diagram below. The shaft (x) descends 90 feet from here to x, and ascends 40 feet to x. Another 40 feet above that is a stone trapdoor in the ceiling that opens into x.

Operating the machinery in this room raises a stone elevator compartment from the bottom of the shaft, lifting it past this room to the top of the shaft. See x for more information on the elevator trap.

A character can spend 1 minute disabling the machinery in this room. The elevator trap won't function until the machinery is repaired.

The iron lever set into the western wall is normally in the "down" position. Moving it to the "up" position activates the trap and raises the elevator. Sliding it back down lowers the elevator and resets the trap.

When the elevator trap in x is activated, all the chains, pulleys, and gears in this room move at once. It takes 10 seconds (1 round) for the elevator to reach the top of the shaft, and the machinery doesn't stop until the elevator completes its journey.

A secret door in the north wall is easy to spot from this side (no ability check required) and opens into x.

K31a. Elevator Shaft

The shaft is 170 feet tall. It starts at x, climbs 90 feet to x, another 40 feet to x, and another 40 feet to x. When the elevator trap is activated (see x for details), a stone elevator compartment measuring 10 feet on a side rises up the western half of the shaft. At the same time, a solid block of stone, also 10 feet on a side, descends in the eastern half of the shaft, acting as a counterweight. Both stone blocks have thick iron chains bolted to them, by which they are hoisted and lowered them as needed.

Scaling the shaft is impossible without the aid of magic or the use of a climber's kit, because the walls are smooth and slick with mildew, and the greasy iron chains are too thick and slippery to grasp.

Set into the roof of the shaft is a 5-foot-square stone trapdoor that can be pushed open to reveal x.

K31b. Shaft Access

This vantage point is 130 feet from the bottom of the shaft (x). Forty feet down is x, and 40 feet up is a stone trapdoor in the ceiling that opens into x.

A door in the north wall is easy to spot from this side (no ability check required) and opens into x.

K32. Maid in Hell

The maid, Helga Ruvak, is a vampire spawn who claims to be the daughter of the village bootmaker, kidnapped and forced into service by Strahd. She pleads, on her hands and knees if necessary, to be saved from this awful place.

Helga will join the party if the characters ask her along. She intends to attack the characters but does so only if she senses an opportunity that doesn't involve having to fight the entire party. She also attacks if commanded to do so by Strahd.

Helga plays the part of the innocent damsel in distress to the last, revealing her ferocity only when she attacks. She is, in fact, the bootmaker's daughter she claims to be, but she chose a life of evil with Strahd.

K33. King's Apartment Stair

This dark hall is concealed behind two secret doors.

The staircase climbs 40 feet to x. The door in the west wall opens into x.

K34. Servants' Upper Floor

If someone opens the wardrobe, read:

If anyone touches the dancing dress, it collapses in a lifeless heap on the floor. Otherwise, it dances forever. Hanging in the wardrobe are a few rotted servant's uniforms, none of which are animate or valuable.

Set into the south wall, behind the hanging mirror west of the wardrobe, is a secret door. It can be pulled open to reveal a closet choked with dust and cobwebs and that contains a wooden ladder that leads up 20 feet to another secret door in the tower stairway (x).

The staircase leads down to x.

K35. Guardian Vermin

The dark figures are four swarms of rats piled atop one another to form manlike shapes (two swarms per alcove). These rats are under Strahd's control and attack anyone that tries to move through this area.

The steel door is engraved with images of a human king in armor astride a horse, a majestic range of mountains and shooting stars in the background. Tiny figures of people and wolves frame the image.

K36. Dining Hall of the Count

The wedding cake is over four centuries old, kept in its current rotten state by the will of Strahd. The toy figure of the groom from the top of the cake was cast on the floor long ago. A character who searches the dusty floor finds the figurine with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.

If the characters take the groom figurine out of the room, read the following if they return to the room at a later time:

There are two explanations for the burst cake and broken window. Choose the one you think is creepier:

• Strahd smashes the cake and breaks the window to make the characters think something terrible has escaped and is now stalking them.
• Strahd's hate assumes a corporeal form, bursts out of the cake (the symbol of Sergei and Tatyana's love), and escapes through the window. "Strahd's hate" has the statistics of an invisible stalker and tries to kill whichever character is carrying the groom figurine.

The room has wooden doors in the north and west walls, and an ornate steel door in the east wall (see x for details).

The harp stands 6½ feet tall, weighs close to 300 pounds, and is fashioned of dark, stained wood carved with images of harts and roses. Its taut strings are made of gut.

A character who plays the harp and succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Performance) check does well enough to summon the ghost of Pidlwick, a short little man dressed as a fool, with a tiny jingling bell at the end of his pointy dunce cap. He asks, "Why have you summoned me from beyond the grave?" Regardless of the answer, he commends the character for playing well and says, "In my crypt below the castle, thou shalt find a treasure worthy of one so talented as thee! May it help thee set this troubled place to rest." If the characters think to ask him who he is, the fool replies, "Pidlwick." If asked how he died, he replies humorlessly, "I fell down the stairs." If Pidlwick II (see x) is with the party, the ghost points at the clockwork effigy and says, "He pushed me down the stairs."

With nothing more to add, the ghost of Pidlwick fades away and doesn't appear again. If the characters attack the ghost, it attacks them in turn.

K37. Study

This chamber has several exits, including a large set of double doors in the west wall, a door at each end of the north wall, and a door to the south.

The painting above the fireplace depicts Tatyana, a beautiful young woman with auburn hair. Strahd commissioned the painting over four centuries ago to impress his beloved. The fact that Ireena Kolyana looks exactly like Tatyana is proof to Strahd that both women were born with the same soul.

The back wall of the fireplace contains a secret door, which is opened by lifting the poker from its stand. The fire must be extinguished in order for anyone to reach the secret door safely. Otherwise, a creature that enters the fireplace for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 5 (1d10) fire damage and catches fire. Until someone takes an action to douse the flames on the creature, it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. (This fire damage is cumulative with the damage from standing in the fireplace.)

The secret door provides access to x.

K38. False Treasury

The coins scattered around the trapped chest total 50 gp, 100 sp, and 2,000 cp. The chest weighs 40 pounds and is unlocked. When opened, it releases a cloud of sleeping gas that fills the room. Any creature in the room must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 4 hours. If all the characters succumb to the gas, they are found by the witches who lair in x and dragged to x, then left there unharmed. If even one character resists the effect of the gas, the witches do not appear.

The armored skeleton on the floor is all that remains of an adventurer. His corpse has nothing of value.

K39. Hall of Webs

The hall has an arched ceiling 20 feet overhead, hidden behind thick webbing. At the eastern end are a pair of arched bronze doors of ornate design. These doors can be pulled open to reveal area K40 beyond.

Most of the hall is full of giant spider webs (see "Dungeon Hazards" in chapter 5, "Adventure Environments," of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Characters who stray from the unobstructed path through the webs risk becoming stuck.

K40. Belfry

The rope is attached to a great bell mounted in a wooden framework 50 feet overhead. Pulling the rope or attempting to climb it brings forth a loud, long "GONG." That sound causes five giant spiders to drop from their webs and attack. The spiders attack only if they are attacked or if the bell is sounded.

Most of the belfry is filled with giant spider webs (see "Dungeon Hazards" in chapter 5, "Adventure Environments," of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Characters who blunder into them risk becoming stuck.

At the west end of the north wall, behind thick webs, is a secret door that opens into area K41.

K41. Treasury

The domed ceiling is coated with dry pitch. The "stars" are shards of glowing crystal embedded in the pitch, each one as bright as a candle flame. Thanks to the starry "night sky," the vault is dimly lit.

The plundered riches of Strahd's secret hoard lie within this adamantine tower, which is actually a Daern's instant fortress (see chapter 7, "Treasure," of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Only Strahd knows the command word to alter its shape and size, which can't be done until every bit of treasure inside it is removed. Only Strahd can open the two means of entry: a sealed adamantine door set into the base of the tower on the north side, and an adamantine trapdoor on the roof.

The arrow slits of the tower are 4 inches wide and 2 feet tall, and the walls of the fortress are 3 inches thick. Characters who are able to reduce their size or assume gaseous form can enter the tower through these slits.

K42. King's Bedchamber

[image: Gertruda]

Arched double doors lead from this room to the south and east.

The window is divided into four tall panes of glass, each enclosed by a lead framework. The two outermost sections have small iron hinges built into them so that they can be opened, as well as iron latches to lock them in place when they're closed. The window looks out onto the parapet (x).

The figure on the bed is Gertruda (NG female human commoner), the daughter of Mad Mary (see chapter 3, x). Gertruda is oblivious to any danger to herself—especially from Strahd, who has charmed her. Sheltered by her mother, she was never allowed to leave home as a child. She finally slipped away and made her way to the castle, drawn by its majesty.

Gertruda is innocent, and years spent as a shut-in have twisted her sense of reality. Consequently, she maintains a fairy-tale view of life. When faced with a decision, she almost always makes the most simplistic choice. She is naive to the point of being a danger to herself and others. Fortunately for her, Strahd has not yet bitten her, though he intends to. (If he can do so while the characters look on helplessly, so much the better.)

Next to the bed, set into the north wall, is a secret door. It can be pushed open to reveal a dusty hall that ends at a similar secret door in the back of an alcove (see x for details). Gertruda doesn't know that this secret door exists.

K43. Bath Chamber

Both curtained archways lead to x.

K44. Closet

Twenty-eight capes and sixteen sets of fine clothes are stored here. Red satin drapes hang in the archways that connect this closet to the adjoining bath chamber (x).

K45. Hall of Heroes

The ten statues that line this corridor depict ancient heroes. In actuality, the faces of the statues are stoic and expressionless, but whenever the lightning flashes, their expressions change to utter horror until the hall goes dark again.

The statues are imbued with the spirits of Strahd's ancestors, all of which grieve over the termination of their bloodline. Each spirit will answer one question if addressed directly. The spirits' answers are always short and vague, and there is a 20 chance that a spirit's answer is wrong.

The stairs at the west end of the hall descend 40 feet to x. An open archway to the east reveals a tower landing beyond (part of x).

K46. Parapets

The walkway runs around the front of the upper portion of the keep. Battlemented walkways extend from the keep north, south, and east to the outer walls of the castle as well. (See map 2 for the length and location of the castle walls.) All the windows leading from this area into the keep are shut and locked, but can easily be broken.

If the characters loiter on the parapets or atop the castle walls for more than 5 minutes, they encounter Strahd's animated armor (see appendix D) making the rounds. It patrols the parapets and the outer walls of Ravenloft day and night. Under a darkened sky, characters without darkvision are more likely to hear the clatter of the armor approaching before they can see it.

The armor can't be salvaged if it is reduced to 0 hit points.

K47. Portrait of Strahd

The ornate rug is actually a rug of smothering. It attacks creatures, other than undead, that move across it or anyone who tries to move it or otherwise disturb it. Underneath the rug is a bare stone floor.

The wooden, square trapdoor is 4 feet on a side and as thick as the floor, with recessed iron hinges and an iron ring built into the side opposite the hinges. Pulling up on the ring opens the door. Below the trapdoor, characters see one of two things: either a 170-foot-deep shaft (x) or, if the elevator trap has been activated (see x), a stone elevator compartment with a secret hatch in its top.

The portrait on the wall depicts Strahd von Zarovich before he became a vampire. Even in life, he was pale. The eyes of the portrait seem to watch and follow the characters as they explore the area. The picture frame is bolted to the wall and can't be removed without destroying it.

If the characters attack the rug or the picture, or if they attempt to remove either item, the guardian portrait (see appendix D) attacks.

K48. Offstair

This stairway rises from x, past x, to x.

K49. Lounge

The youthful man on the couch is Escher, a dashing vampire spawn to whom Strahd has shown favor in the past. Escher is feeling somewhat neglected of late and has retreated here until Strahd's mood improves. If attacked, he hurls himself out the window and lands like a cat on the roof of the keep (x). He leads pursuers right to Strahd, wherever the lord of the castle happens to be (and regardless of whether the characters are ready to face Strahd).

[image: Escher and the Three Brides]

In conversation, Escher displays wit with a hint of melancholy. Beneath his arch mood is a dread that Strahd is growing bored of him and will lock him in the catacombs (x) with Strahd's other castoff consorts.

The leaded windows are fitted with iron hinges and can be opened. They can be locked from the inside, though they are currently unlocked. The leaded glass doesn't allow for much of a view. If a character opens a window and leaves it open, there's a 50 chance that a vampire spawn crawling around the outside wall of the tower notices the open window and investigates.

The books in the bookcase have no value and aren't much help to the characters. Some of the titles found on the bookshelf include Embalming: The Lost Art, Life Among the Undead: Learning to Cope, Castle Building 101, and Goats of the Balinok Mountains.

K50. Guest Room

There is no danger in this area during the day. But if the characters try to take a short rest here during the night, the rest is interrupted by the arrival of 1d4 Barovian witches from x. They try to subdue the party with sleep spells. A witch retreats to x if wounded.

K51. Closet

The cloak is ordinary. The witches in x placed it here to help them remember which hook opens the secret trapdoor in the ceiling.

The trapdoor can be found after a search of the room and a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Locating the trapdoor doesn't enable someone to discover its opening mechanism. The door has a hidden lock and can be opened by pulling down on the hook from which the black cloak hangs. Once it has been found, the trapdoor can be opened by pulling on the hook, or it can be unlocked by someone using thieves' tools, a knock spell, or similar magic. It swings down when unlocked.

K52. Smokestack

The chimney leads down 60 feet to the blazing fireplace in x. A creature that starts its turn in the chimney takes 3 (1d6) fire damage.

K53. Rooftop

If a character tries to traverse the rooftop, read:

A character must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to traverse the roof. The check succeeds automatically if the character crawls. If the check fails by 5 or more, the character slides off the edge of the roof and falls 40 feet to the castle parapet (x).

K54. Familiar Room

The three cats are familiars of the witches in x. If the familiars see the characters here, the witches are alerted to their presence.

K55. Element Room

The labeled glass containers hold various elements that the witches use in their fell concoctions and rituals. The labels identify such items as "Eye of Newt," "Hair of Bat," "Snail Hearts," and "Frog's Breath." There are no magic potions among the bottles and jars.

The leaded windows are fitted with iron hinges and can be opened. They are currently locked from the inside. If a character opens a window and leaves it open, there's a 50 chance that a vampire spawn crawling around the outside wall of the tower notices the open window and investigates.

Characters who search the room spot numerous boot prints in the dust, as well as a short trail in the dust on the floor, leading from the northeast corner of the room to the easternmost door. It looks like something heavy was dragged across the floor toward the doorway.

There is a secret trapdoor in the northeast corner of the floor. Because of the trail through the dust, the trapdoor can be found without an ability check. Tapping or knocking on the trapdoor three times releases a hidden latch, causing the trapdoor to swing down. x lies below. (There's no ability check that will let the characters figure out the trick to opening the door. They can get that information from the witches, or perhaps by using a divination spell or similar magic.)

K56. Cauldron

Characters who stand outside the door to this room can smell a pungent odor coming from within.

If the witches in this room have not been warned that the characters are coming, the characters can hear their horrid cackling. If the characters open the door slightly, they witness the scene described below:

If the witches know the characters are coming, read the following text instead:

The Barovian witches (see x) that dwell in this area have sworn themselves to Strahd's service in exchange for arcane power. Seven witches are present when the characters arrive, minus any that might have been encountered and defeated in x. If the witches are expecting the characters, they cast invisibility spells and stand quietly in the corners of the room, hoping that the cauldron draws their prey inside. Although they prefer to attack at range with their spells, they can grow magic claws using alter self.

When the cauldron is touched by someone who also speaks the proper command word ("Gorah!"), it magically heats any liquid placed inside it and remains hot for 3 hours, or until the command word is spoken again by someone within 5 feet of the cauldron. Once the cauldron's property has been used, the cauldron can't be activated again until the next dawn.

Captured witches will trade information in exchange for their lives and freedom, and can be forced to divulge the command word for activating and deactivating the cauldron. They also know how to open the trapdoor in x.

K57. Tower Roof

The courtyard is 190 feet below, the roof of the keep 80 feet below. A stone railing encloses a stone spiral staircase that descends into the tower.

K58. Bridge

The bridge connects x and x. The wind isn't strong enough to knock creatures off the bridge, but a creature that takes damage while standing on the bridge must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall 60 feet onto the roof of the keep.

K59. High Tower Peak

If the characters climb the stairs to reach the tower peak, read:

The hole in the floor forms the mouth of an enclosed shaft (x) that descends 450 feet to the castle catacombs (x).

K60. North Tower Peak

If the characters climb the stairs to this area, read:

The ceiling here is 9 feet high. The manacles are rusted and can be easily torn from the walls. The trapdoor in the ceiling leads to the tower rooftop (x).

K60a. North Tower Rooftop

Characters who remain on the roof are accosted by ten swarms of bats, which arrive in 3 rounds. If the characters descend into the tower, the bats don't follow and instead fly into the high tower (x), descend its central shaft (x), and roost in the catacombs (x).

The courtyard lies 260 feet below, and the roof of the keep is 130 feet below.

K61. Elevator Trap

See x and the accompanying Elevator Trap diagram before running this encounter.

This hallway contains an elevator trap, triggered when at least 400 pounds of pressure is applied to the 10-foot-square section of floor in the center of the hall (marked T on the map), or when the lever in x is raised. A party of adventurers moving in close formation down the hall is certainly heavy enough to trigger the trap.

A character who searches for traps while crossing the hall and succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check detects seams in the floor, walls, and ceiling that suggest that the middle section isn't attached to the rest of the hall. A character who makes a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check discerns that the trap can't be disarmed from this location.

The middle 10-foot section of the hall is a cleverly hidden elevator compartment, open to the north and south so that it appears to be part of the passageway. When the trap is sprung, two steel portcullises drop from the ceiling at lightning speed to seal off the compartment, trapping within those creatures that triggered the trap. An instant later, the closed-off elevator is propelled up the western half of a 20-foot-wide, 170-foot-tall shaft (x) to the sounds of turning gears and rattling chains. Magic sleep gas fills the compartment as it rises, and a creature trapped inside must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or fall unconscious as though affected by a sleep spell.

At the same time the elevator rises, a 10-foot cube of granite suspended from heavy chains descends in the eastern half of the shaft, acting as a counterweight. The massive block lands gently at the bottom of the shaft, filling the previously open 10-foot-by-10-foot space adjacent to where the elevator stood. The block weighs thousands of tons and pulverizes anything in the space where it comes to rest.

Once the elevator starts rising, its portcullises are locked in place and can't be lifted. The walls of the shaft are nearly flush with the elevator compartment; only a few inches of space exist between the portcullises and the shaft walls.

All creatures trapped inside the elevator (including unconscious ones) must roll initiative. The compartment takes 1 round to reach the top of the shaft, stopping just beneath x. Each creature inside has one turn to act before the compartment comes to a dead stop. Their initiative rolls determine the order in which the occupants act. Conscious party members can take whatever actions they like. They might search for a way out, wake sleeping party members, cast spells, or take other actions. Unconscious ones can do nothing.

A character who uses an action to search the ceiling of the elevator finds a secret trapdoor with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. The trapdoor opens downward.

Any creature on top of the elevator when it reaches the top of the shaft must make a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw to avoid being crushed against the ceiling of the shaft. The character takes 44 (8d10) bludgeoning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. When the elevator comes to a stop, its portcullises retract.

The elevator remains at the top of the shaft until the lever in x is moved to the "down" position. When that happens, the trap resets in 1 round: the portcullises come down, and the elevator compartment descends to its place in the hallway at the bottom of the shaft as the stone block rises to the top of the shaft. When the elevator reaches the bottom, its portcullises rise again.

K62. Servants' Hall

The figure approaching is Cyrus Belview, a mongrelfolk (see x) and Strahd's faithful servant. He stands 4 feet, 9 inches tall but appears shorter because of his hunched posture. He has the Keen Hearing and Smell feature. The left side his face is covered with lizard scales, and he has the ears of a panther. His left foot looks like a duck's webbed foot, and his arms have patches of black dog fur.

The light in the hall comes from a lantern on the floor behind Cyrus. If the characters have their own light sources, Cyrus sees them, but he will not attack first. He wears a loop of twine around his neck, hanging from which is an iron key and a decorative wooden pendant fitted with a varnished human eyeball. The key unlocks the iron chest in x. The wooden pendant is a hag eye given to Cyrus by the night hag Morgantha (see chapter 6), so that she could spy on Strahd. Cyrus doesn't know that the necklace is magical. See the "Hag Covens" sidebar in the hags entry in the Monster Manual for information about the hag eye.

[image: Cyrus Belview]

Poor old Cyrus is obviously crazy. He has served the master for uncounted years and is devoted to him. Cyrus tries to get the characters to retire to their "room in the tower" (x). If the characters aren't sure what room he is talking about, he offers to lead them there.

If the characters follow Cyrus, he tells them to stay close to him as he leads them through the south door to x and deliberately sets off the elevator trap there. Cyrus tries his best not to succumb to the sleeping gas as the elevator compartment climbs the shaft (x), and he has advantage on the saving throw. Assuming he's still conscious when the elevator compartment reaches the top of the shaft, Cyrus opens the trapdoor to x and either leads the characters to x or, if they're unconscious, drags them there. After assuring characters who are conscious that "the master will be along shortly," Cyrus then makes his way back downstairs to the kitchen (x).

If the characters don't go to their room, Cyrus shakes his head and returns to the work of preparing his dinner in x. If the characters take his key, he screams, "The master will not be pleased!" and begins to moan and slap his head, obviously upset. A successful DC 10 Charisma (Intimidation) check is enough to make him divulge the key's purpose, the location of the iron chest, and the chest's contents.

When he isn't being threatened, Cyrus giggles to himself from time to time for no clear reason. He also likes to tell poor jokes at the most inopportune moments.

Stairs at the east end of the north wall lead up to x.

Along the east wall is a rusted but sturdy iron portcullis that bars the way to x. (If the characters peer through the portcullis, read the boxed text for x.) The portcullis bars are 1 inch thick and spaced 4 inches apart. The portcullis can be lifted with a successful DC 20 Strength check.

The double doors at the west end of the hall are made of heavy planks banded with steel. They open into x.

K63. Wine Cellar

The rats are harmless. Cyrus Belview (see x) treats them like pets.

Characters who search the room find a crack at the southern end of the west wall. The crack is half an inch wide, 5 inches tall, and 12 inches deep; it leads to x.

K64. Guards' Stair

The stairway starts at x and goes up past x to x.

K65. Kitchen

If a character looks into the pot, three human zombies rise up from the bubbling depths and attack. The zombies are slowly being boiled to death, and each has only 13 hit points remaining. If Cyrus Belview (see x) is present when the zombies attack, he grabs a heavy club and tries to beat them back into the pot. Cyrus explains that he just isn't the cook he used to be, and his meals tend to get out of hand these days.

K66. Butler's Quarters

Cyrus Belview (see x) uses this room as his lair. There is nothing of value here.

If Cyrus is with the party, the characters notice that he is caressing their equipment and chuckling to himself. Cyrus has been salvaging equipment from dead adventurers for years. He looks forward to adding to his collection after Strahd gets through with the characters.

K67. Hall of Bones

Once a mess hall for the castle guards, this room is now desecrated ground (see "Wilderness Hazards" in chapter 5, "Adventure Environments," of the Dungeon Master's Guide).

Cyrus Belview (see x) created this enormous work of art out of the bones of dead servants and slain adventurers. It has taken him many years to complete it. The bones and skulls are held together with gray mortar and white paste. The dark stains on the floor are old bloodstains, caused here when Strahd hunted down and killed the remainder of his castle guards.

The dragon skull mounted above the eastern doors belonged to Argynvost (see chapter 7), a silver dragon that was killed in the valley by Strahd and his army before the founding of Castle Ravenloft. The skull weighs 250 pounds.

K68. Guards' Run

The archway leads to area K69. A door at the north end of the hall opens into x. To the south, the hallway ends at the foot of a staircase (x) that spirals upward.

K69. Guards' Quarters

The yellow lichen is harmless. When one or more characters reach the midpoint of the hall, ten human skeletons leap from the alcoves and attack.

K70. Kingsmen Hall

After Strahd was transformed into a vampire, several of the castle guards retreated to this room, but Strahd caught them and slaughtered them in a brutal show of violence. Removing one of the shields or swords from the wall requires a successful DC 10 Strength check. None of the items found here are valuable.

K71. Kingsmen Quarters

The yellow lichen is harmless. Beyond the archway to the west is area K70. The staircase (x) that goes up along the east wall leads to x.

K72. Chamberlain's Office

If he has not been defeated elsewhere, Rahadin (see x) is here, waiting for the characters to arrive so he can kill them.

A shadow demon also haunts this room. In the round after the characters engage Rahadin, the demon leaps out and attacks the nearest character from behind. The character doesn't notice the demon, unless the character's passive Wisdom (Perception) score meets or exceeds the demon's Dexterity (Stealth) check. Both Rahadin and the shadow demon fight until slain.

A secret door is set into the north end of the west wall. It can be pulled open to reveal a dusty, web-choked staircase of ancient, worn stone (area K79) that descends into darkness.

K73. Dungeon Hall

The following boxed text assumes that the characters arrive by way of the staircase to the east (x). Adjust as needed if the characters enter this hall from another direction.

[image: Map: Traps in Area K73]

The water is 3 feet deep in the hallway and opaque. The steps on both sides of the hallway descend another 2 feet before ending at the iron doors to the north and south.

The floor beneath the water isn't as solid as one might expect. There is a safe path around several weight-sensitive trapdoors (see the Traps in Area K73 diagram), but the water makes it impossible to see where the trapdoors are. For every 10 pounds of weight on a trapdoor, there is a 5 chance that the trapdoor will open. The 10-foot-deep pit under each trapdoor contains a magic teleport trap that activates as soon as the trapdoor opens. Any Medium or smaller creature on a trapdoor when it opens plunges into the pit and is teleported to a cell in either x or x, as the diagram indicates.

When a character sets off a trap, other characters in the hall see an explosion of air and water fly up around the triggering character (air that was trapped in the pit is released suddenly when the trapdoor opens). The triggering character suddenly falls from sight. An instant later, the trapdoor closes, leaving only a slowly dissipating swirl in the water. It doesn't open again until 24 hours have passed, at which point its teleport trap is recharged.

Characters who fall victim to the teleport traps are transported to dungeon cells closed with iron bars and under 5 feet of brackish water (x and x).

K74. North Dungeon

The rusty iron door connecting this hall to area K73 is submerged in 5 feet of water and requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to open.

The corridor is 40 feet long. Branching off it are eight cells, four along each wall. Light spills out of x.

A hinged door made up of 1-inch-thick rusted iron bars spaced 4 inches apart, with horizontal crossbars spaced 6 inches apart, closes off each cell. Each door is fitted with an iron lock. A character using thieves' tools can try to pick a lock, which requires 1 minute and a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. The check is made with disadvantage if the character is trying to pick the lock from inside the cell. If the check fails, the character can try again.

A character can force open a barred door by using an action and succeeding on a DC 25 Strength check.

Strahd visits the dungeon occasionally to see whether any characters have become trapped here. He can enter a cell by assuming mist form.

K75. South Dungeon

The rusty iron door connecting this hall to x is submerged in 5 feet of water and requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check to open.

The corridor is 40 feet long. Branching off it are eight cells, four along each wall. The voice comes from one of the southernmost cells (area K75a).

K76. Torture Chamber

The ceiling is 17 feet above the surface of the water, which is 3 feet deep. The balcony to the north stands 7 feet above the water's surface, 10 feet above the floor.

If the characters approach the "dark, low shapes" in the water, read:

As soon as one or more characters move more than 10 feet into the room, six Strahd zombies rise slowly out of the water, their slime-gray arms clawing upward through the water as they attack.

K77. Observation Balcony

The room continues behind the curtain an additional 10 feet to a wall that has a door in its center.

K78. Brazier Room

The two statues are iron golems. Each horse and rider is considered one creature, and they are inseparable. The golems will not leave the room under any circumstances, and they attack only under specific conditions (see the "Development" section that follows).

The hourglass has AC 12, 20 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and vulnerability to thunder damage. If the hourglass is reduced to 0 hit points, its glass shatters, causing the sand within it to fall to the floor. The magic writing on the base of the hourglass reads as follows:

The brazier's flame is magical and sheds no warmth. A successful casting of dispel magic (DC 16) extinguishes the flame for 1 hour. The fire is permanently extinguished if the brazier is destroyed. The brazier has AC 17, 25 hit points, immunity to poison and psychic damage, and resistance to all other damage.

The stones set into the brazier's rim are colored red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, respectively. Tossing one into the brazier causes its flame to change from white to the color of the stone, and the sand begins falling through the hourglass. Any creature that touches the colored flame is teleported to a location within Strahd's domain, as determined by the color:

After 5 rounds, the sand runs out, and the color of the flame returns to white. When the flame does so, the sand instantly reappears in the top part of the hourglass (provided the hourglass is intact), and the stone that was cast into the fire reappears in the brazier's rim.

K79. Western Stair

The stairs rise at a 45-degree angle for a distance of 40 feet horizontally, leading to a 10-foot-square landing (see below). A second set of stairs continues upward to the east at a similar angle for a distance of 30 feet horizontally, ending at a secret door that opens into x.

K80. Center Stair

If the characters enter this area through the door at the bottom of the stairs, read:

If the characters enter this area at the top of the staircase, read:

The stairs slope at a 45-degree angle for a distance of 20 feet horizontally, connecting x and K81.

K81. Tunnel

Characters who have knowledge of stonecutting can tell that this passage is a relatively new construction compared to other areas of Ravenloft. The tunnel is 120 feet long, with a stone door at its eastern end.

Near the midpoint of the tunnel is a trapdoor hidden under a layer of fog. Characters can't spot the trapdoor passively, but an active search accompanied by a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check locates it. Unless the trapdoor is fastened shut with an iron spike or by some other means, it opens when 100 pounds of weight or more is placed on it. When the trapdoor opens, everyone who is standing on it slides into the marble chute below (x). The trapdoor then resets.

K82. Marble Slide

If one or more characters fall through the trapdoor in x, read:

The chute plunges from the trapdoor in x through a one-way secret door into a flooded cell (x). Characters who slide all the way to the bottom are deposited in the cell, but take no damage. The slide contains no handholds and is too slippery to ascend without the aid of magic.

K83. Spiral Stair

The staircase starts at x, climbs to a landing at area K83a, and continues upward to x.

K83a. Spiral Stair Landing

An extension of area K83, this landing is shown on map 11.

The stairs at the north end of the west wall descends to a door leading to x. The stairs at the south end of the west wall lead up, ending at door that opens into x.

K84. Catacombs

The catacombs fill an area roughly 110 feet east to west by 180 feet north to south, and the floor is covered in several inches of bat guano. The catacombs are made up of 10-foot-wide arched walkways running between 10-foot-square crypts, which serve as pillars that support the 20-foot-high ceiling. The area has five means of entry and exit:

• The door adjacent to x (connecting with x)
• A barred archway to the north (connecting with x)
• A barred archway to the south (connecting with x but warded by teleport traps)
• A barred archway to the east (connecting with x)
• The high tower stair (x) or the shaft (x) to the west

Each crypt is sealed with a chiseled stone "door"—actually a tight-fitting stone slab measuring 3 feet wide, 5 feet tall, and 3 inches thick. Removing or resetting a stone slab requires an action and a successful DC 15 Strength check.

Each crypt houses the remains of the person or persons whose epitaph is inscribed on the front of the slab. The crypts are described in the following sections, their epitaphs noted under the crypt's number in italics.

Unless noted otherwise, each crypt contains a 3-foot-by-6-foot rectangular bier of marble, 3 feet high, with a skeleton draped in rags lying atop it.

The catacombs are home to tens of thousands of bats. The bats hang here during daytime hours and fly out in the evening through the high tower's central shaft (x) to hunt at night. They will not attack intruders unless they are provoked or are specifically commanded to do so by Strahd. If one or more bats within a 10-foot square on the map are attacked or caught in the area of a harmful spell, 2d4 swarms of bats form in that area and attack. No more swarms can be formed in that square until the next dawn, when more bats arrive to replenish those that were killed.

K85. Sergei's Tomb

A portcullis is closed in the archway into this tomb. Lifting it requires a successful DC 25 Strength check.

Raising the lever lifts the portcullis at the top of the stairs. Pulling it down lowers the portcullis.

The coffin opens easily to the touch of a lawful good creature. Otherwise, opening it requires a successful DC 15 Strength check. Sergei's flesh has been magically preserved, and at first glance it looks like he is sleeping in his casket.

K86. Strahd's Tomb

A heavy portcullis stands closed in the archway leading to this tomb. Lifting it requires a successful DC 25 Strength check.

Raising the lever lifts the portcullis at the top of the stairs. Pulling it down lowers the portcullis.

Lying under the earth near the east wall of the tomb are three vampire spawn brides dressed in soiled gowns and wearing dirt-encrusted jewelry (see "Treasure" below). They rise to attack anyone who approaches Strahd's coffin.

A detect magic spell reveals that the western and eastern alcoves radiate strong auras of conjuration magic. The central alcove is nonmagical.

Creatures that enter the western alcove are instantly teleported to the western alcove of x in x. Stepping into the eastern alcove has no effect, but any creature that teleports from the eastern alcove of crypt 32 appears here.

K87. Guardians

The following text assumes that the characters are approaching from x. If they approach this area from x, references to descending stairs should be changed to ascending stairs.

The curtain has no effect on creatures that move east to west (from x to x).

A creature of lawful good alignment that moves west to east through the curtain can do so without difficulty, but creatures of other alignments that do so are teleported back to the top of the stairs behind them. A Small creature can squeeze behind and around one of the bronze statues to circumvent the light curtain.

K88. Tomb of King Barov and Queen Ravenovia

[image: King Barov and Queen Ravenovia]

The stained glass windows are so dirty on the outside as to be nearly opaque. The windows don't open, but they can be smashed easily. Anyone who looks upward through a window can see, 110 feet above, the castle's stone overlook (x). Anyone who falls out a window here plummets almost 900 feet to the base of the Pillarstone of Ravenloft.

Prying the gold from the ceiling of this tomb would be a long and tedious effort for little reward.

The north coffin holds a beautifully sculpted, life-sized wax effigy of Strahd's father, King Barov. The old king's bones lie in a compartment beneath his effigy.

The south coffin holds the skeleton of Strahd's mother, Queen Ravenovia. (The magic that was meant to preserve her earthly remains failed years ago.) A tattered white shroud covers her bones.