TEXT: Prepping the Adventure
  Prepping the Adventure
  Prepping the Adventure
  Prepping the Adventure
  Prepping the Adventure
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd:
  Chapter 1
  
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  leshing Out Curse of Strahd is a series of
  expansions and elaborations to the main Curse
  of Strahd campaign. The full series is a DM tool
  that attempts to add depth to various NPCs,
  streamline confusing plot lines, fill in plot holes,
  and alleviate some of the stress associated with
  TPK inducing encounters throughout the
  campaign.
  As such, information presented and included throughout
  the series is designed to overwrite some of the information in
  the original text. For instance, if Fleshing Out refers to Ireena
  Kolyana as the natural born daughter of the Village of
  Barovia’s burgomaster, this is taken as fact, even if the printed
  text states otherwise.
  However, Fleshing Out is in no way meant to completely
  replace the original Curse of Strahd campaign. It instead is a
  companion guide, used properly by reading and referencing
  the original text to incorporate the overwrites detailed in this
  series.
  For a more in-depth and casual look at the thinking behind
  the changes in Fleshing Out, please refer to the original
  posting of the series on Reddit. Find the series under
  username u/MandyMod on the r/CurseofStrahd subreddit.
  
  
  Written & Edited by: u/MandyMod
  GM Binder CoS Theme Creator: u/AeronDrake
  Cover Art: DM's Guild Creator Resources
  Ladies Three Art: Jessica Trevino, @StirvinoLady,
  u/breosaighead. Free Supplement used with artist's
  permission.
  "Ring of Stone" Song and Graphic: Jessica Trevino,
  @StirvinoLady, u/breosaighead. Free Supplement used with
  artist's permission.
  Food Art: Mrs. Beeton's Household Management; Public
  Domain Art
  Forest Art: Public Domain Stockart
  Custom Barovia Map: u/lefthandofjhereg Free
  Supplement used with artist's permission.
  All Other Various Art: DM's Guild Creator Resources
  Barovia Map: DM's Guild Creator Resources
  I would personally like to thank the entirety of my followers
  on the subreddit for your ongoing support and feedback. I
  love you guys from the bottom of my heart.
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms,
  Ravenloft, Eberron, the dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of
  the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of
  Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries.
  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or
  other authors. Such material is used with permission under the Community
  Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild.
  All other original material in this work is copyright 2021 by MandyMod and
  published under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters
  Guild.
  
  
  
  
  The Cosmology of Curse of Strahd ...............
  The History of Barovia ...............................................
  
  
  Overall Changes to the Campaign ..................
  Adventure Flowchart ..................................................
  Campaign Roadmap .........................................................
  Overall Recommendations ...................................
  
  
  
  
  The Player Primer ..........................................................
  Tatyana's Reincarnation .........................................
  Izek's Sibling ......................................................................
  Tracking Van Richten ................................................
  Freeing a Patron ............................................................
  Honoring a Holy Calling .....................................
  A Strang Elf ........................................................................
  
  
  A Closed Plane .................................................................
  Sunlight ................................................................................
  The World Map ................................................................
  Barovian Populace .......................................................
  Food and Wildlife ........................................................
  
  
  Worshiping the Fanes ...............................................
  Influencing Barovia ...................................................
  The Ladies .............................................................................
  Lady of the Wood Statblock ..................................................
  Discovering the Fanes ..............................................
  "Ring of Stone" Song .............................................................
  Restoring the Fanes ...................................................
  Corrupted Wereraven Precursor Statblock .......................
  Rewards from the Ladies ........................................
  
  
  Types of Lycanthropy ................................................
  Running a PC Infected by Lycanthropy ....
  Curing Lycanthropy ...................................................
  
  
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  2
  
  
  
  W
  elcome to Curse of Strahd, one of the most
  popular modules available for Dungeons &
  Dragons 5e! In this campaign, players are
  transported to the horrifying demiplane of
  Barovia, a dismal and sunless land ruled by
  the immortal vampire, Count Strahd von
  Zarovich. The campaign fully represents the
  gothic horror genre, from werewolves and vampires to insane
  asylums and haunted houses.
  This chapter of Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd will cover
  everything a Dungeon Master would need to start prepping
  this campaign, including the background of the setting and an
  adventure overview. This chapter also establishes all the
  groundwork for the additional changes found in future
  chapters of the Fleshing Out series. Let's get started!
  
  
  
  
  
  While the campaign module gives us a fair amount of
  background information to work with regarding Strahd, it
  surprisingly never covers the planar nature of Barovia. After
  being trapped within this mist-bound demiplane session after
  session, players are bound to question the nature of their
  imprisonment. Where is Barovia, exactly? How do the mists
  work and why is Strahd so strong? Unfortunately, the module
  doesn't include answers to these questions, for players or for
  Dungeon Masters.
  This section aims to fill in this missing information.
  
  
  The cosmology of the Forgotten Realms contains a vast
  multiverse and within that multiverse lie the planes of
  existence. The Material Plane is the foundation and
  centerpiece of all planar knowledge. It contains multiple
  worlds, like Eberron, Greyhawk, and Toril, and is the starting
  plane for most any adventure. In general, the Material Plane
  makes up the mundane world around all characters, and the
  many different worlds within it act almost as alternate
  dimensions.
  The Shadowfell is a reflection of the Material Plane and
  exists alongside it, like the opposite face of a coin. A forest
  that exists in the Material Plane also exists in the Shadowfell,
  similar to an alternate reality. However, the Shadowfell is
  marked by its lack of color, lethargy, and apathy. The reflected
  forest would be grim and rotted, haunted by foul creatures.
  Long ago, pieces of the Shadowfell bled into the Material
  Plane, causing a strange convergence. The effected
  dimensional space ended up adopting aspects of both the
  parent planes, appearing mostly material but with a generally
  grey or dark thematic overture. This warped land broke away
  from both the Material Plane and the Shadowfell and became
  a series of closed demiplanes.
  The newly created demiplanes eventually became known
  as the Domains of Dread.
  Dark Powers vs. Vestiges
  In Forgotten Realms mythos, the Dark Powers that
  have cursed Strahd and the evil vestiges in the
  Amber Temple that have blessed him with
  vampirism are unrelated. However, to simplify this
  relationship, the Fleshing Out series has combined
  the two entities. Throughout this series, the
  vestiges are trapped Dark Powers and Vampyr is
  not only responsible for Strahd's undeath, but also
  for his curse.
  
  
  The Dark Powers are a collection of malevolent entities that
  control the Domains of Dread. In the Forgotten Realms
  mythos, these entities are kept deliberately vague to give
  them an unfathomable and unconquerable air, essential to
  the horror genre. Their numbers are unknown and their
  forms undefined, but they have powers and strength reflective
  of evil gods.
  The Dark Powers tend to make connections with powerful
  and evil individuals within the Domains of Dread. Once such
  a connection is formed, the Dark Powers usually gift an
  individual with great abilities, making them a Darklord of a
  single Domain of Dread. However, this promotion and
  accompanying power are not without cost. The appointed
  Darklord of a realm is also cursed by the Dark Powers in
  some way, both trapping the Darklord in their own demiplane
  and also tormenting them throughout their rule. The Dark
  Powers delight in the torture of the Darklords.
  In Curse of Strahd, Barovia is considered a single Domain
  of Dread and Strahd is its Darklord.
  
  
  When Strahd murdered his brother and drove Tatyana to her
  death, he also completed a deal with Vampyr, one of the Dark
  Powers. He turned into a high vampire, obtained immortality,
  and cemented his permanent rule over Barovia as Darklord
  of the domain.
  However, Vampyr also cursed Strahd in the same day.
  Strahd, despite all his power, is cursed to never have Tatyana,
  the woman he covets most. Vampyr frequently reincarnates
  Tatyana's spirit to dangle in front of Strahd. When Strahd gets
  close to claiming her love or turning her into a vampire, some
  ill twist of fate murders her again. This makes Tatyana's soul
  just as cursed as Strahd himself, as she is continuously killed
  and reborn for Strahd's own torment.
  Strahd lives in a perpetual limbo where the object of his
  desire is always just beyond his grasp. That limbo is quite
  literally the curse of Strahd.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  3
  
  
  
  Centuries before Strahd's arrival and before the Shadowfell
  corrupted the land, the Barovian valley was an idyllic and
  undiscovered piece of the Material Plane.
  
  
  Long before Strahd's reign and the founding of any official
  settlement, the Barovian valley was once home to a collection
  of nomadic, druidic tribes. The people of these tribes lived
  entirely off the land and were completely unsettled. They are
  also the ancient ancestors of the druids and berserkers
  outlined in the module.
  These wild peoples have survived the test of time, enduring
  throughout planar shifts and Strahd's conquest. The modern
  people of Barovia refer to these tribes simply as the forest
  folk or the mountain folk.
  
  
  The forest folk of old used to worship a trio of archfey known
  as the Ladies Three, or otherwise referred to as the Fanes of
  Barovia. The Ladies were extremely powerful nature
  goddesses who watched over the valley.
  They were:
  The Seeker of the Forest Fane
  The Weaver of the Swamp Fane
  The Huntress of the Mountain Fane
  The Fanes are technically official Ravenloft lore found in
  previous editions of Dunegons & Dragons but not mentioned
  at all in the Curse of Strahd module. They are, however, now
  essential to the lore and flow of the Fleshing Out series. More
  information will be provided on the Fanes later in this
  chapter.
  
  
  As time went by, various tribes of forest folk established small
  villages in the valley. These settlements were tiny, each home
  to no more than a handful of families living in makeshift huts.
  In time, four major settlements arose. Though they were
  known by other names, now forgotten, these settlements
  were the precursors to the towns in the module. They are:
  The Village of Barovia, Vallaki, Kresk, and Berez.
  Most of these people, settled or not, still actively worshiped
  the Ladies Three.
  
  
  A little over a thousand years before the start of the
  campaign, a great circle of mages wondered into the valley.
  These mages had dedicated their lives to studying,
  understanding, and defeating great evils of a magical nature.
  In their studies, they learned of the Dark Powers and the
  distant Domains of Dread and hoped to somehow subdue the
  evil gods.
  The mages were looking for a place to found a base for
  their research. Not only was the valley beautiful and rich in
  magic, but it was also remote, flanked by impassable
  mountains. These mages went on to build the Amber Temple
  on Mount Ghakis, and successfully managed to trap and
  contain over a dozen Dark Powers.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  4
  
  However, after living with such horrible evil in close
  proximity, many of the mages were corrupted and they all
  subsequently died at the hands of their own good intentions.
  The coming of the mages also lead to a sort of industrial
  boom for the settlements of the valley. The villages grew in
  population and became much more civilized.
  
  
  Before arriving in the Barovian valley, Strahd was fighting
  wars in distant lands in honor of his father, King Barov.
  During these crusades, Strahd followed some of his enemies
  to the Barovian valley and fell in love with the beautiful land.
  He then decided to settle in the valley when the fighting was
  done and name the country after his father.
  A Question of Time
  The original module implies that Strahd arrived in
  the Barovian valley approximately 400 years before
  the start of the campaign. However, to further
  concrete his role as an immovable fixture in
  Barovia, you may safely push this time frame back
  several centuries. The Fleshing Out series assumes
  that Strahd's original conquest occurred about 700
  years ago.
  Strahd claimed the valley as his own, naming it Barovia. He
  brought another wave of civilization growth to the already
  established towns and build Castle Ravenloft in honor of his
  mother.
  Though Strahd himself was never a terribly religious man,
  his people and soldiers also brought the religion of the
  Morninglord to the valley, which spread quickly through the
  local populace.
  Strahd also discovered the remnants of the Amber Temple
  in these early days and began conversing with the Dark
  Power, Vampyr, who was still sealed within an amber
  sarcophagus as the time.
  
  
  The rest of the fall of Strahd and Barovia occurs much as the
  original module states. Strahd fell in love with his younger
  brother's bride to be, Tatyana. But when Tatyana did not
  return Strahd's affections, he turned to the Dark Powers for
  help. He selfishly murdered his brother and drove Tatyana to
  suicide. This premeditated act of evil allowed Strahd to strike
  a deal with Vampyr, giving Strahd his immortality and
  vampiric powers and freeing Vampyr from his amber prison.
  The Dark Powers descended on Barovia, fulling
  transforming the valley into a Domain of Dread and cutting it
  off from other planes. Strahd took his place as the cursed
  Darklord of the land.
  
  
  In the very early years of his vampiric reign, Strahd sought to
  make himself even more powerful, so that no one could
  challenge his post.
  Strahd committed three terrible acts of desecration at the
  main shrines to the Ladies Three and stole their power over
  the valley. The Ladies, while still alive at the time of the
  campaign, are almost completely powerless now.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  5
  
  
  
  T
  he original Curse of Strahd module presents
  the campaign overview very much as a
  sandbox adventure. While this method of
  running the campaign can work, it is often not
  the most conductive way to promote the
  narrative of the module and can leave
  Dungeon Masters feeling lost. The book
  presents a great deal of information, including wonderful
  location descriptions and interesting non-player characters
  (NPCs), but doesn't provide a way to connect all that
  information.
  As written, there's not much reason for the party to pursue
  many of the available side quests or to explore those
  wonderful locations outside of the experience they would
  gain to level up. With a few basic changes, the Fleshing Out
  series has hopefully fixed many of these issues.
  
  
  
  
  This next section of the Fleshing Out guide aims to set the
  narrative groundwork of the campaign.
  
  
  This is the very first and most important change to the
  campaign. Strahd is quite literally immortal and does not
  perish if he's reduced to 0 hit points while in sunlight, while
  in running water, or because he cannot return to his coffin in
  time.
  Strahd is not immortal because he is a vampire. He's
  immortal because of his connection to the Dark Power,
  Vampyr. Strahd's status as a Darklord makes his rule eternal.
  Replace Strahd's Misty Escape feature with the following:
  Strahd's connection with Vampyr makes him truly immortal.
  When Strahd drops to 0 hit points outside his coffin, he
  transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait)
  instead of falling unconscious or dying. While he has 0 hit
  points in mist form, he is immune to all effects and attacks
  and must immediately travel to his coffin, where he reverts to
  his vampire form, unconscious and paralyzed. Strahd wakes
  with full hit points the following dusk.
  As the campaign progresses and the players become
  acclimated to Barovia, they'll begin to question why no one
  has tried to dethrone Strahd before. At that point, many
  NPCs can and will inform the party that others have not only
  tried, but have succeeded in killing Strahd in the past.
  However, Strahd always resurrects within a day and kills his
  quarry soon after. Strahd seems utterly unconquerable,
  making him, "The Ancient."
  The new information of Strahd's immortality should push
  players towards investigating the source of that immortality.
  With this change, players are now required to explore
  Barovia in pursuit of a way to kill Strahd and discover the
  source of his power.
  
  
  Strahd's as-written statblock, while a bit underwhelming to
  high level parties, is still respectable for a high vampire. Most
  Dungeon Masters alter Strahd's stats to strengthen him for
  the final confrontation.
  However, for the sake of guiding the story, Strahd's final
  stateblock is unimportant. Strahd's stats for the majority of
  the campaign are instead simply obscenely powerful. Even a
  party of level 20 adventurers would have trouble combating
  him.
  Why is Strahd so powerful for the majority of the game?
  Shortly after becoming a vampire and a Darklord, Strahd
  stole power from the Ladies Three, otherwise known as the
  Fanes of Barovia, by desecrating their shrines. This power
  gives Strahd a variety of enhanced abilities, invulnerabilities,
  a deeper well of hit points, and literal control over nature in
  the Barovian valley. With this stolen power, Strahd is literally
  "The Land."
  Should players find a way to halt or negate Strahd's
  immortality from his connection to Vampyr, they still would
  not be able to defeat him mechanically in battle because of
  this power. However, players will learn that restoring the
  Ladies Three will also reclaim that power from Strahd.
  Restoring the Fanes of Barovia will therefore become a late-
  game quest required to confront and defeat Strahd. Find out
  more about the Fanes of Barovia on page 25 of this guide.
  Buffing Strahd
  While a statblock is hardly required for Strahd
  when he possesses the power of the Fanes, since
  parties are unlikely to fight him before the final
  confrontation, some Dungeon Masters might find
  one useful for their own peace of mind.
  Though this guide does not provide such a
  statblock, here are some changes you might
  consider when developing your own.
  Give Strahd at least 500 hit points in addition
  to those he has from the Heart of Sorrow. You
  might also enhance his regeneration ability to
  50 hit points per turn.
  Give Strahd immunity to bludgeoning, piercing,
  and slashing damage from non-magical
  weapons, as well as immunity to fire, cold, and
  lightning damage.
  Strahd should have some sort of trait that
  allows him to control nature in Barovia. At will,
  he can change the weather, stop rivers, wither
  forests, and perhaps even change the phases of
  the moon.
  Strahd should have at least 5 charges of his
  legendary resistance per day.
  Remember that buffing Strahd's attack power
  shouldn't be relevant. The point of his connection
  to the Fanes is enhancing his survivability and not
  his ability to murder his enemies. Most of his
  existing attack power should be deadly enough,
  especially to mid-level parties.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  6
  
  
  
  Arriving in Baroiva
  For 1st to 4th-level characters
  Parties are transported to the foreign land of Barovia. There, they investigate the
  Death House and the dour Village of Barovia. Later, they meet the mystical Vistani
  seer, Madam Eva and have an encounter with a coven of hags in a decrepit windmill.
  Dealings in Vallaki
  For 4th to 5th-level characters
  The players arrive in Vallaki, the largest town in the Barovia. There, they discover
  all is not well as the political powers within vie for control over the town. The
  players race to stop Vallaki from self-destructing.
  Birds of a Feather
  For 5th to 6th-level characters
  After settling in to this sunless domain, the party rescues a beloved winery and
  stops an evil, druidic ritual. In doing so, they make valuable allies in the form of an
  organization of wereravens.
  Corruption and Curses
  For 6th to 8th-level characters
  On the hunt for a way to defeat Strahd, the party travels to the western town of
  Krezk. There, they discover a corrupted abbey and must help the town deal with a
  threatening pack of werewolves in the nearby woods.
  Revelations in the Ruins
  For 8th to 9th-level characters
  The party must find the location of the mythical Amber Temple. But that vital
  information is guarded in the fallen fortress of Argynvostholt and in the ruins of old
  Berez. Players must fight undead revenants and evil witches alike.
  Into the Mountains
  For 9th to 10th-level characters
  The players brave the bitter cold of the Baritok mountains and find the ancient
  Amber Temple. The temple is a den of evil and darkness, but it also holds the secret
  of Strahd's defeat.
  Storming Ravenloft
  For 10th to 12th-level characters
  As the adventure races to a dramatic finish, players restore the Fanes of Barovia
  and confront Strahd in his dreaded castle. Defeating the ancient vampire frees
  Barovia from the mists and lets the sun shine on the land once again.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  7
  
  
  
  By making Strahd both immortal and insanely powerful,
  players are now required to explore Barovia and complete its
  many quests to defeat him. Players will have to make allies
  with powerful and/or intelligent NPCs to gain information
  and guidance. They'll also have to travel to the Amber Temple
  to learn a method for untethering Strahd as Darklord of
  Barovia. And finally, they must travel to and deal with the
  events at Yester Hill, Berez, and other locations in order to
  restore the Fanes.
  With these simple changes, parties can no longer
  theoretically grind levels against wolves in the woods to
  defeat Strahd. Traversing Barovia is now a much needed
  narrative requirement to completing the campaign.
  
  
  The following section not only summarizes the campaign, but
  also provides a roadmap and leveling guide for DMs. Note
  that the many changes and additions the Fleshing Out series
  provides to the game also increases the level cap of the
  campaign to about Level 12.
  
  
  The party begins at Level 1 in Faerûn, traveling on the Trade
  Way south of the Misty Forest. The Dungeon Master may
  choose to use a number of adventure hooks to unite the party,
  such as the hunt for a werewolf menace or simply traveling to
  the town of Daggerford. One way or another, a mist descends
  upon the travelers, transporting them to a foreign forest. After
  aimlessly wandering this fog ridden wood, the party stumbles
  upon a lone, vacant road.
  With little else to do, the party follows the road and
  eventually finds a tiny cluster of old buildings, including the
  Death House from Appendix B. There, they engage the crying
  children and eventually become trapped in the Death House.
  They navigate the hauntings and eventually make their way
  into the basement, where they gain Level 2. They then deal
  with the monster in the basement, for better or worse.
  Completing the Death House earns them Level 3.
  Players continue to follow the Svalich road into the Village
  of Barovia. There, they meet the distressed Ismark
  Kolyanovich and help him bury his father. The party meets a
  kind old woman who sells them dream pies as well as the
  mad Father Donovich. The party also learns they are in
  Barovia and trapped under Strahd's tyrannical rule.
  Either through an escort mission involving Ismark's sister,
  Ireena, or because the party needs to find safe haven
  themselves, they are told to seek sancuary from Strahd in the
  town of Vallaki.
  
  
  After leaving the Village of Barovia, the party eventually
  comes across the Vistani encampment at Tser Pool. There,
  they have their fortunes told by the mystical seer, Madam Eva.
  These fortunes hint that destiny has brought the party to
  Barovia to defeat Strahd once and for all. After leaving the
  camp, the party reaches Level 4.
  Continuing their trek towards Vallaki, the party comes
  across an old windmill on a hill. Should they investigate, the
  party finds out the windmill is inhabited by a coven of hags
  that cook children into their pies. The party can choose to
  fight or flee from this terrifying encounter.
  
  
  The party arrives in Vallaki, the largest town in Barovia. It
  doesn't take them long to discover that the Burgomaster of
  Vallaki is a fanatical dictator who "protects" the people with
  absurd, weekly festivals to upkeep morale. Despite the
  Burgomaster's greatest objections, all is not well in Vallaki
  and an underground cell of equally fanatical resistance
  members seeks to overthrow him.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  8
  
  Unfortunately, the resistance is far from the worst of the
  Burgomaster's troubles. Unknown to him, the local church
  was unconsecrated after the theft of a holy artifact. There's a
  terrible plot in place to release half a dozen starving vampire
  spawn upon the town at the upcoming Festival of the Blazing
  Sun to terrorize Vallaki's citizens and murder the local priest.
  While in Vallaki, the players will likely gain over a dozen
  quest hooks as well as find a few of their own personal stakes
  in Barovia. They'll follow one lead after another as they watch
  Vallaki unravel and race to save as many innocent people as
  they can from the coming chaos.
  Following the Festival of the Blazing Sun and the attack of
  the vampire spawn, the party receives Level 5 and they have
  a direct influence over who rules Vallaki in the fallout. With
  the town in shambles, the party helps the people pick up the
  pieces and start anew.
  Vallaki is one of the largest chapters in the Curse of Strahd
  module and it is expected that players spend a number of
  sessions in the town. Later, Vallaki can easily become a hub
  or basecamp for their travels and operations against Strahd.
  
  
  In the aftermath of Vallaki's disaster, one of the easiest ways
  the players can get the town back on its feet is by
  investigating the town's missing wine shipments. These
  shipments from the Wizards of Wine Winery stopped
  mysteriously a couple weeks prior.
  Back on the road, the players make their way to the winery
  only to discover that it has been overrun by evil druids. After
  purging this threat, they learn that the vineyards will soon die
  unless a magical gemstone is recovered from Yester Hill,
  where other druids have converged. At the urgency of the
  Winery owners, the players go to retrieve the stolen gem.
  Upon reaching Yester Hill, the players discover that tribes
  of evil forest folk are planning to bring a giant treant to life for
  some nefarious purpose. The players go through a tough fight
  to stop this ritual and recover the gemstone from the heart of
  the treant, more than earning them Level 6.
  With the vineyard restored and the winery secure, the
  players are tasked with delivering several shipments of wine
  across Barovia. Shipments are due to the Vistani south of
  Vallaki, to Vallaki itself, and to the town of Krezk.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  9
  
  
  
  At this point in the campaign, players should have a relatively
  good foundation for allies in Barovia. Most importantly, by
  rescuing the Winery, they've made friends of the Martikov
  family, who are not only well connected in Barovia, but are
  also the leaders of a secret cell of wereravens working
  against Strahd.
  The Martikovs and the party's other allies should begin to
  drop hints to the party about the desecrated Fanes of Barovia
  and Strahd's mysterious immortality. These allies provide
  hooks to outlying locations where the players might find
  information and artifacts to defeat Strahd.
  At this point, the campaign becomes far more open and the
  direction the party will go will vary from table to table.
  
  
  Despite the many plot hooks the party has at this point, their
  most likely next destination will be the town of Krezk, to
  deliver the missing wine. Not only is Krezk a new location
  and therefore a curiosity to players, it also is home to a
  couple possible informants to help in defeating Strahd: the
  Burgomaster and the Abbott. Because Krezk is also level
  appropriate for the party, it is recommended that Dungeon
  Masters use the Martikovs as mouth pieces to encourage that
  the Krezk shipment of wine be the delivered first.
  Once in Krezk, the players will learn that missing wine is
  not the town's only problem. Krezk has been suffering a
  massive food shortage as of late and with the coming winter,
  the Burgomaster is very worried. The players will soon
  discover that Ilya, the Burgomaster's recently resurrected
  child, is responsible for the missing food. Ilya's resurrection
  was not wholly successful and the boy has been transformed
  into a ravenous monster that must be killed.
  With Ilya dead and the people of Krezk devastated and
  facing a hungry winter, the players can pursue two different
  plot hooks: one to the Abbey of St. Markovia to discover the
  source of Ilya's corrupted resurrection and one to the Fidatov
  Manor, a wealthy estate outside Krezk that may have food
  stores to spare. After discovering and purging the evils from
  both locations, the players earn Level 7.
  
  
  Through the party's many informants, they learn of the
  existence of the Amber Temple and of the desecrated Fanes
  of Barovia. However, these informants don't know the
  location of the temple or how exactly to help the Fanes. The
  party must look elsewhere for information on both.
  The players learn that the feral werewolf packs in the
  forests north of Krezk may have had a connection to the
  Fanes long ago and may know a method of restoring them. If
  and when the party pursues this knowledge, they eventually
  find the Werewolf Den and must help the pack solve a local
  power struggle. By doing so, the players learn the locations of
  the Fanes' three shines across the valley, though all three are
  now inert. Completing the Werewolf Den and gaining this
  information earns the party Level 8.
  The players may also head towards Argynvostholt, a ruined
  fortress southwest of Vallaki. The party's contacts inform
  them that the knightly order that once lived in the fortress
  may have known the location of the Amber Temple. Players
  arrive at Argynvolstholt to find that it is populated by undead
  revenants who have been corrupted by their own hatred of
  Strahd. The ghost of Argynvost, a good-aligned silver dragon,
  appears to the party and asks them to purify the knights of
  Argynvostholt. By helping the revenants and the dragon's
  ghost, the party earns Level 9.
  
  
  Players must now travel into the southern mountains in
  search of the long forgotten Amber Temple. Though they have
  vague knowledge of their destination, the path forward is
  wrought with danger as the players must confront mountain
  folk, local predators, and unforgiving cold. The journey is long
  and harsh, but eventually, the players reach their destination.
  Once inside the Amber Temple, players find the remnants
  of the mage order that once tried to combat the Dark Powers.
  Unfortunately, all that remains are monsters, traps, and dark
  magic. Players will have push through this horrible dungeon
  to find the Temple's great library, which contains the answers
  they seek.
  The players will gain quite a bit of lore from the Amber
  Temple. They'll gain access to a ritual that can summon the
  Dark Power, Vampyr, to Barovia and seal him away again.
  They'll also learn exactly how to reconsecrate the Fanes of
  Barovia, restoring their power and weakening Strahd.
  With these significant strides forward in the adventure, the
  players descend from the mountains and head back towards
  the Barovian townships. They also earn Level 10.
  
  
  Now, players begin the arduous task of restoring the Fanes of
  Baroiva.
  To restore the Mountain Fane, they must travel into the
  caverns beneath the Gulthias Tree at Yester Hill. They'll find
  that the caverns are a strange limbo realm that unite life and
  death. After confronting their personal demons and making it
  to the bottom of the dungeon, the Huntress of Mountain Fane
  will regain her power.
  To restore the Swamp Fane, the party must travel to Berez,
  a ruined town half eaten by a cold swamp and ruled by evil
  witches. Players will have to fight and kill the leader of the
  witch cover, Baba Lysaga, and take her corrupted heart to
  restore the Weaver of the Swamp Fane.
  Lastly, to restore the Forest Fane, the players will have to
  confront an ancient and corrupted wereraven at the shrine by
  Old Bonegrinder. After conquering this evil, they successfully
  reconsecrate the shrine of the Seeker, the Forest Fane.
  After restoring the Fanes, the Ladies Three appear to the
  party in all their glory. They thank the players and gift each
  character with some item or boon, many of which will be
  exceptionally usefully in the final fight against Strahd. The
  players also earn Level 11 for completing this daunting task.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  10
  
  
  
  With the Fanes restored, the party is finally ready to fight
  Strahd. Not only do that have a way to disconnect him from
  Vampyr and therefore thwart his immortality, but they have
  also weakened him considerably by restoring the Fanes.
  At this point, Strahd is at full war with the players, angered
  beyond reason over his weakened power. He will begin taking
  out his wrath on the party in any way he can. While he may
  not confront them in open combat, he'll start to murder their
  allies and destroy their strongholds in retaliation. It's a race
  to the finish as the party rushes to Castle Ravenloft in an
  effort to stop Strahd before he can destroy everything they
  have come to hold dear.
  Upon their arrival, Strahd resolves to murder the party
  once and for all. Out of propriety, he may allow them one last
  dinner in his home before their fight commences, but
  otherwise the party's stay at Castle Ravenloft is not pleasant.
  The party fights Strahd and defeats him, earning Level 12..
  They then use the ritual they learned at the Amber Temple to
  summon Vampyr and fight him as well. After successfully
  sealing away the Dark Power, Strahd loses his immortality
  and dies. The campaign ends as the clouds above Baroiva
  part and sun shines on the valley for the first time in
  centuries.
  
  
  
  
  There are several overall recommendations and mechanical
  notes you should consider when running Curse of Strahd.
  
  
  It is recommended you run this particular campaign for a
  smaller party, ideally 3-5 players.
  Human beings generally find safety in numbers and as a
  gothic horror themed campaign, safety isn't something that
  Curse of Strahd should promote. For example, you aren't
  going to feel as anxious marching into a haunted house in a
  party of 7 as you would with a single friend. Not only will a
  smaller party be easier to manage as the Dungeon Master,
  but it will also improve the overall tone of the game.
  
  
  Remember that one of the main goals of Curse of Strahd is to
  corrupt the player characters. No matter how happy and pure
  they may be entering Barovia, the horrors that characters
  face and the double-edged choices they’ll be forced to make
  are meant to change them for the worse.
  Don't be afraid to hurt your player characters or present
  them with lose-lose situations. There are some NPCs that
  simply can't be saved and some encounters that can't be won.
  Such loses and hardships should slowly break the player
  characters. Some will come out stronger from these
  hardships. Others will become as monstrous as the creatures
  they fight.
  ’
  ’
  That being said, this is game. Yes, it’s a horror game, but even
  if a situation is truly dreadful, you and your players are
  allowed to joke and laugh. Though the player characters are
  suffering, your players most certainly should not be.
  
  
  Do NOT show your players the majority of the illustrations of
  various NPCs shown throughout the book!
  If you ever want to inspire friendship or trust between your
  players and a NPC, showing them a terrifying character
  portrait is not going to help. While the art throughout Curse
  of Strahd is beautiful and thematic, it's not terribly functional
  for running the game. Instead, keep those NPC portraits to
  yourself, or at least keep them private until you're sure your
  players are never going to meet that NPC again.
  The illustrations of Rose and Thorn, Morgontha, and Lady
  Wachter are examples of images you should not show your
  players.
  Additionally, it also recommended that you not show your
  players the world map of Barovia. Barovia is a foreign land
  and the party should feel out of their element.
  
  
  The Curse of Strahd module contains a number of excellent
  maps for its many locations. However, much of the time using
  the maps can actually hinder a session or distract players
  instead of help them. For example, while the map for the Blue
  Water Inn is beautiful, it's not really required unless a fight
  breaks out at that location.
  The majority of locations are better presented through
  theater of the mind, summarizing travel through or past
  unimportant rooms.
  Of course, the maps for more dungeon-like locations, such
  as the maps for the Amber Temple, should be presented
  normally.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  11
  
  
  
  The spell remove curse is both too powerful and too
  prevalent in Curse of Strahd.
  While curses can be interesting in any game, they're
  arguably much more important in this specific campaign.
  Curses are supposed to be major plot points of this module
  and have significant effects on character growth, should they
  come into play.
  However, almost all the negative ailments we see in the
  campaign can be cured by remove curse, a relatively easy to
  learn spell for player charactesr and something known by
  NPCs all over Barovia. As written, curses are inconsequential
  as a result.
  It is recommended that you either completely remove the
  spell remove curse from the available spell lists for this
  campaign or that you increase the severity of all curses in the
  game so that they can only be cured with the greater
  restoration spell or an equivalent.
  
  
  Unless you have experience with evil player characters and
  are completely comfortable running them at your table, it is
  recommended that they be off-limits to players for this
  campaign. While you might expect that a horror themed
  game might better support evil alignments than other games,
  the exact opposite is actually the case. Evil player characters
  tend to be highly problematic in Curse of Strahd and newer
  Dungeon Masters can get blindsided by their ineffectiveness
  towards the plot of the game.
  Evil player characters tend to work in direct opposition to
  the plot of Curse of Strahd. In this campaign, the majority of
  the hooks and transitions rely on the player characters' good
  nature to progress. Evil party members generally will not
  want to help those in need without reward and may ignore
  calls to adventure if it does not benefit them. In fact, they may
  be more inclined to cause turmoil to forward their own
  desires. This can make it exceptionally hard to move the
  story from one location to the next, let alone actually get
  through the full narrative.
  While the natural progression of the campaign may corrupt
  player characters towards evil, at the very least they should
  start out resistant to that change, allowing the party to settle
  into Barovia before their alignments dissolve.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  12
  
  
  
  O
  utside reading the setting background and
  understanding the flow of the adventure,
  where should you begin prepping this
  campaign?
  
  
  First, decide how you wish to portray Strahd. Should he be
  an enigmatic figure in a distant castle, or would you prefer a
  more involved villain?
  Remember that Strahd is a tyrant and a conqueror who
  has confused love for ownership. He prioritizes wooing
  Tatyana’s reincarnation in an attempt to finally turn her into a
  vampire spawn. However, he knows that his many previous
  attempts to do so have failed because of these reincarnations’
  untimely deaths and proceeds with extreme caution.
  Otherwise, he takes an interest in the party to alleviate his
  own boredom.
  Push the idea that Strahd is an oppressive and abusive
  individual to all those he claims to love, including the land
  itself. Also remember that he is arrogant, but frightfully
  intelligent, meaning he won’t fall for player characters’
  goading or paltry tricks.
  Once you've decided how you wish to present Strahd in the
  campaign, you'll be one significant step closer to Session 1.
  
  
  By far, the Tarokka reading at the Tser Pool Encampment is
  one of the most iconic and influential elements of Curse of
  Strahd. However, almost every guide or set of advice available
  for this module tells Dungeon Masters to rig the initial
  reading. The Fleshing Out series is no different.
  Pre-select the locations of the prophesied items, the party’s
  potential ally, and the location of the final encounter with
  Strahd. During the card reading, let your players draw
  randomly from the deck but then read the results you already
  have prepared. For more advice on this card reading and the
  best potential results, refer to the Vistani chapter of the
  Fleshing Out series.
  By rigging the Tarokka reading, you can more adequately
  hook parties into various locations around Barovia and
  prevent all the vastly inferior results that may appear, such as
  the Sunsword’s appearance in Madam Eva’s tent and the card
  that denotes no ally at all.
  
  
  Make sure to set up a Session 0 with your players to establish
  the expectations of the game. Curse of Strahd, as a horror-
  themed module, contains many uncomfortable topics that
  may be sources of anxiety to potential players. For example,
  Curse of Strahd contains instances of substance abuse,
  cannibalism, child abuse, and suggestions of non-consensual
  relationships, to name but a few of these traumatic subjects.
  Make sure you define your players' personal limits long
  before you start running this module.
  
  
  Though it is recommended that you read the entirety of the
  module before running the adventure, you only need to
  prepare your adventure hook, Death House (should you
  choose to run it), and the Village of Barovia for your opening
  sessions.
  
  
  Lastly, as your players develop characters for the campaign,
  look for ways to incorporate their backstories into the
  module. The following section details options to go about this
  incorporation.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  13
  
  
  
  
  
  
  W
  hile Curse of Strahd is one of the most
  popular 5e modules to date, the isolated
  nature of Barovia often prevents player
  characters from having preexisting
  connections to the setting or story. While most
  players can and will establish new connections
  to the campaign and come to care for certain
  NPCs, the early development of player characters with
  thriving backstories will end up stunted by simple necessity.
  This lack of backstory involvement may end up
  disappointing players. A criminal organization that wronged a
  player character in their backstory will likely never be
  confronted in this adventure. A player character with noble
  ties and an established family will never have the chance to
  use those connections or have those familial interactions.
  Such a disconnect may leave players feeling as though
  developing a backstory was a waste of time.
  In an effort to further engage players in the Curse of Strahd
  campaign, the following section details ways to connect
  player character backstories to this particular module.
  
  
  To hopefully guide players towards developing characters
  with connections to Barovia, Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  has an accompanying Player Primer available on the DM's
  Guild. In particular, the Primer includes a document entitled,
  "Mysterious Secrets" that can aid in connecting the players to
  this campaign.
  
  
  If possible, replace Ireena's character with that of a player
  character. Instead of Ireena, a player character takes up the
  role of Tatyana's reincarnation. Ireena's character is either
  removed from the campaign or is given a more unimportant
  role in the story.
  The Reincarnation's Appearance
  While this character is traditionally female, Strahd is
  canonically bisexual and a male version of Tatyana's
  reincarnation can work if appropriate at your table.
  Otherwise, make sure to change Tatyana's appearance in
  the book to match the new description provided by the player.
  In other words, if the potential new Tatyana reincarnation
  described by the player has blonde hair instead of red, change
  all descriptions of Tatyana and her past lives to having blonde
  hair to match.
  Fated Adventurers
  By connecting many or all of your player characters'
  backstories to Barovia, the players may end up
  feeling like these connections are a bit contrived.
  After all, what's the likelihood that every character
  in the party has a surprising connection to this
  distant land?
  However, the surmounting coincidences that
  brought the player characters together in Barovia
  can easily be attributed canonically to fate. Fate and
  foretelling are active motifs that appear repeatedly
  throughout the Curse of Strahd campaign. Starting
  with the card reading in Madam Eva's tent, have
  this seer imply that the party's arrival in Barvoia
  was hardly chance. You can then reinforce this
  sense of fate through Arabelle and other Vistani
  south of Vallaki, the fanatical Lady Fiona Wachter,
  the wise mages at the Amber Temple, and
  countless other NPCs.
  If you continuously reinforce the idea of fate to
  the party, they will slowly but surely stop seeing
  their connections to Barovia as a narrative tool but
  instead as a unifying destiny for their characters.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  14
  
  Running the Reincarnation's Story
  If you have a player character that might fit the role of
  Tatyana's reincarnation, there are a few important details that
  character will learn over the course of the campaign.
  This character is now an essential part of Strahd's curse.
  She is reborn over and over again just to die horribly before
  Strahd can claim her.
  This player character should start the campaign without
  any idea of their past lives and learn about this curse slowly.
  For instance, dreams induced by dream pastries or drinking
  from the Pool of the White Sun in Krezk might bring back
  memories of her time as Tatyana and she might recall loving
  a man in golden armor (Sergei). The ruins of Berez might
  also feel exceptionally familiar to her and she might be able
  to navigate certain parts of Castle Ravenloft instinctually.
  Look for ways to pepper in ideas of this player character's
  mysterious past lives and lead them to understand that they
  are cursed to die young so long as Strahd survives.
  The Reincarnation's Safety
  The original module makes note that Strahd goes to great
  lengths to ensure Ireena's saftey. As written, most of the
  monsters of Barovia avoid attacking her and she has
  advantages with certain NPCs due to her status. While this
  works for a NPC, it is highly problematic for a player
  character.
  In order to give the new reincarnation player character the
  same sense of danger as the rest of the party, relax Strahd's
  control over the beasts of his realm. For instance, wolves and
  other monsters might only obey Strahd while he is in sight
  and attack the party normally if Strahd is elsewhere.
  Additionally, Strahd wants Tatyana's reincarnation to submit
  to him willingly and giving her leniency and favoritism with
  past reincarnations could have feasibly cost him ground with
  them. Strahd would avoid making such a mistake twice.
  At the end of the campaign, in the final confrontation with
  Strahd, Strahd finally understands that this reincarnation will
  never submit and he regretfully moves to kill her himself.
  Strahd understands that she will only be reincarnated and
  that he can try again with Tatyana's next iteration.
  The Opening Quest in the Village of
  Barovia
  One of the first and most prominent quests in the Curse of
  Strahd campaign is the escort mission involving Ireena,
  which requires players to accompany Ireena to Vallaki and
  later to Krezk to find a safe haven from Strahd. By removing
  Ireena from the campaign, this quest disappears.
  Instead, players arrive in the Village of Barovia to learn that
  the stress of Strahd's harassing minions has driven the
  burgomaster, Ismark's father Kolyan, into an early grave.
  Ismark employs the party to help him carry the coffin to the
  graveyard and persuade Father Donovich to preform a proper
  burial.
  Later that evening, Strahd and his minions reappear at the
  door of the burgomaster's mansion for a brief meeting.
  Strahd expresses his sympathies over the death of the
  burgomaster (but shows no signs of guilt or remorse for
  causing the death) and implies that his knowledge of
  Tatyana's impending arrival made him overzealous towards
  the late burgomaster.
  Though he doesn't elaborate on this point, the Dark
  Powers sent him visions of Tatyana's arrival and stay at the
  burgomaster's mansion weeks before, inspiring his assault on
  the home to find her.
  During this brief meeting, Strahd only addresses the player
  character as Tatyana, and not by her character name, and
  proclaims his love for her. He offers her his hand in marriage,
  but doesn't push for an immediate answer. However, there is
  a vaguely threatening undertone to the conversation that
  implies the player character will end up with little choice.
  After Strahd's departure, Ismark informs the party of the
  horror that it is to be chosen as one of Strahd's future brides.
  He tells the party of the potential safety of Vallaki's walls and
  cathedral and tells them to seek sanctuary there.
  The Reincarnation's Endings
  The unsatisfying endings for Ireena which occur at the Pool
  of the White Sun in Krezk and in the Epilogue section of the
  module are no longer needed if a player character takes up
  the role of Tatyana's reincarnation. This character's story will
  instead end when they die in Barvoia, in accordance to
  Strahd's curse, or when they defeat Strahd and free
  themselves forever.
  Sergei's spirit might briefly reappear before moving on into
  the afterlife, but otherwise, defeating Strahd signifies the
  liberation of Tatyana from her abuser. This player character is
  now free to move on and live their life anew.
  
  
  Whether or not Ireena's character is replaced with that of
  player character, it is recommended that you have a player
  character fill the role of Izek Strazni's missing sibling. If
  you've already replaced Ireena with a player character, do not
  also make Izek their long lost brother. Instead, give this
  connection to another player character.
  Orphans and Missing Family
  In order to fill this role, look for player characters that have
  dubious family backgrounds. Perhaps a player character is an
  orphan, born - but not raised - in Barovia. Izek is what
  remains of their family. Or perhaps there is a player character
  who's family was murdered in their backstory. This murdered
  family now includes a brother, who's corpse was transported
  to and resurrected in Barvoia, unknown to the player.
  Racially, characters who are human, half human, or tiefling
  work best for the role of Izek's missing sibling, if only so you
  may use his art or token if required. A tiefling sibling would
  also explain Izek's demon arm to a minor extent. However, if
  no such race exists in your party, you can easily change Izek's
  race to match a player character instead. For instance, if your
  party contains an orphaned dwarf character, Izek is now a
  burly dwarf with a demon arm instead of a human.
  Izek's Obsession
  While Izek is obsessed with his missing sibling, he is fully
  aware that they are related to him. While the book tells of his
  taboo love for his missing sister, such a connection could be
  uncomfortable to have with a player character. Instead, Izek is
  highly aware of his relation to his missing family member and
  while he is still overprotective of them, he harbors no
  romantic inclinations towards them.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  15
  
  Since their separation as children, Izek has had
  unexplainable, prophetic dreams about his missing sibling.
  Over the years, he has watched this sibling grow up in his
  dreams and would recognize them from across a crowded
  room. The hundreds of dolls in Izek's room are all of this
  sibling player character and heavily resemble the player
  character at different stages of their life thus far.
  
  
  If your party contains a player character that is searching for
  someone, that someone might easily be Rudolph van Richten.
  Another Pupil
  While haunted by his losses and an overall grim man,
  Rudolph van Richten makes for an excellent past mentor for
  a player character. He is an accomplished monster hunter,
  doctor, and adventurer and has been known to traverse
  between planes in the past.
  It is extraordinarily easy to give van Richten a second pupil
  that he may have trained before or after Ezmerelda. After
  receiving word of Strahd's oppressive rule over Barovia and
  securing a path into the demiplane, he left this player
  character without explanation or a way to follow. After
  arriving in Barovia, the player character learns that their
  mentor may be closer than they think.
  Hunting a Killer
  While van Richten is generally a good man who cares for the
  lives and well-being of common folk, he is also a determined
  individual who is willing to sacrifice lives for the good of
  many. He does not hesitate in combat and takes no quarter
  against monsters. For instance, van Richten is not the sort of
  man to let a werewolf live based on good behavior or
  sympathy. He would sooner break a dam and flood a village to
  stop a vampire infestation, killing every innocent inhabitant,
  than let the vampires scourge grow.
  It's entirely possible that van Richten murdered a friend or
  family member of a player character, either because that
  person was somehow dangerous or because they were a
  victim of collateral damage. That player character might be
  out for revenge and attempt to hunt down van Richten.
  Interacting with Van Richten
  When a player character makes it to Barovia and is on the
  hunt for van Richten, van Richten will not reveal himself to
  them unless under dire circumstances. Even if he recognizes
  the player character as his former pupil, he values his hunt
  for Strahd more than relinquishing his disguise as Rictavio.
  However, while disguised, van Richten might attempt to help
  his former student with dubious advice on the horrors of
  Barovia.
  Should a player character meet van Richten under less
  favorable circumstances, like on the hunt for revenge, van
  Richten will attempt to persuade the player character out of
  attacking by describing the necessity of preserving the
  greater good. However, if such persuasions seem ineffectual,
  van Richten will show this player character no mercy.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  16
  
  
  
  While player characters with the Warlock class are the most
  obvious choice for this campaign hook, most any character
  can adopt this secret provided they have the right backstory
  elements. At one point in their backstory, a player character
  may have come in contact with some ancient and mysterious
  entity. Maybe they interrupted a ritual or inherited some
  strange artifact from a family member. Now, their connection
  with this enigmatic entity has drawn them to Barovia.
  A Sealed Dark Power
  The Dark Powers sealed away in the Amber Temple, while
  unable to truly influence the planes from within their prisons,
  can still communicate with individuals willing to listen.
  Vampyr, for instance, spoke to Strahd for some time before
  convincing Strahd to free him.
  It's possible that a sealed Dark Power managed to reach
  through the planes and randomly find a player character that
  would listen. In return for power or perhaps some one-time
  assistance, the player character has been tasked with helping
  their mysterious patron. After the player character finds
  themselves in Barovia, their connection to the Dark Power
  grows and eventually ends with a demand that they are freed
  from the Amber Temple.
  This personal quest may end with the player character
  succumbing to the request and potentially freeing the ancient
  evil for unknown and long-reaching effects. It may also end
  with them taming their patron or further sealing away the
  Dark Power that contacted them.
  Restoring the Fanes
  The Fleshing Out series heavily relies on the Fanes of
  Barovia to push the players forward in the adventure. The
  Fanes consist of a trio of ancient archfey called the Ladies
  Three. At the start of the campaign, the Ladies are all but
  powerless, reduced to the forms of undying, elderly women.
  It's possible that one of these Ladies has secretely
  employed the help of a player character to restore the Ladies
  to their former glory. In particular, Jeny Greenteeth, the
  former Weaver of the Swamp Fane, is an avid trickster who is
  more than willing to interact with mortals and traverse the
  planes. Jeny may have befriended a player character in their
  backstory without revealing her true identity. As the
  campaign progresses, it's Jeny who reappears and quietly
  pushes the party forward in their quest.
  
  
  Curse of Strahd is a gothic horror campaign filled to the brim
  with desecrated land and undead creatures. It's likely that at
  least one player will be interested in playing a divine class,
  subclass, or race in order to combat the coming horrors.
  A Draconic Bloodline
  It's possible that instead of some horrible dark secret, a
  player character's family might harbor some good familial
  trait. If one of your player characters develops a backstory
  that has some revealed, blood-related secret, consider giving
  that character a connection to Argynvost, the silver dragon.
  A dragonborn, a sorcerer with unknown magical origin, or an
  godless but good aligned aasimar may get their abilities from
  their distant connection to the silver dragon.
  Before the start of the campaign, this character may have
  started to recieve visions of a fallen castle and a call for help.
  Hunting the Fallen
  Paladins and clerics of good domains and oaths may receive
  important callings from their patron god. If you have a player
  character with an inclination towards some holy quest,
  consider plugging the idea of a demon in need of purging. As
  the campaign progresses, these vision get more and more
  clear, revealing that the unholy creature is not only a man, but
  some kind of fallen angel.
  Eventually, this player character discovers the Abbott and
  his terrible madhouse. Stopping the Abbott from continuing
  his depravity would satisfy this character's holy quest.
  
  
  Dusk elves are one of the few alternate races native to
  Barovia. Like drow, they have dark skin, but instead have
  black hair and dark eyes to match. The dusk elves,
  unfortunately, are far from a thriving race. During Strahd's
  first conquest, he and his father's armies decimated the dusk
  elves. Centuries later, Strahd ordered all their women
  executed and their race has been slowly dying out ever since.
  The Last Dusk Elf
  It is possible that one dusk elf female survived the purge of
  their women and is a player character. Perhaps her parents
  managed to steal her away in a Vistani caravan as a baby,
  letting her grow and thrive in another plane. Or, perhaps, a
  player character is a male and after discovering their broken
  brethren, will take up the thematic role of Kasimir in
  pursuing a way to resurrect a dusk elf female. Lastly, if there
  is a player character that wishes to play a dusk elf male, you
  could instead gender swap the whole subplot, making all the
  remaining dusk elves in Barovia female.
  No matter the role, a dusk elf player character has grown
  up outside Barovia. Make sure to tell this player that their
  character is assuredly an elf, but that their physical
  appearance is unlike any known subrace. If this character
  was raised by elves, they are most certainly adopted or at the
  very least were born under dubious circumstances.
  Discovering the broken remnants of the dusk elves in
  Barovia should motivate this player character to seek revenge
  on Strahd and to lead their people back to their former glory.
  
  
  There are no doubt other ways to connect player character
  backstories to the Curse of Strahd campaign or otherwise
  personalize the adventure for your party. If the above
  suggestions don't inspire you or otherwise seem appealing,
  look for alternate ways to incorporate your player characters'
  backstories into the module. Above all things, remember to
  have fun!
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  17
  
  
  
  T
  he Barovian valley lays nestled within the
  Balinok Mountains and is rich in natural
  magic. The environment is loosely based off
  real-world Romania, with cool summers and
  frost ridden winters. Under Strahd's reign, the
  land has slowly taken a darker turn, with
  monsters gaining strength in the Svalich
  woods and the people relying on old customs to stay safe and
  sane.
  This section of the Fleshing Out guide aims to redefine and
  expand upon the lore regarding the setting of Curse of Strahd
  and should provide everything Dungeon Masters need to run
  an adventure set in the Barovian valley.
  
  
  As a quick reminder, any magic meant to facilitate planar
  travel or otherwise leave Baroiva simply fails. Barovia is a
  closed demiplane entirely controlled by Strahd. While every
  so often, an outsider might wander into the realm through the
  mists - like the players might at the start of the campaign -
  leaving Barovia is impossible without Strahd's permission.
  If players wonder why Barovians don't leave the realm with
  magic, it's recommended that you allow them to discover the
  ineffectiveness of such magic organically. For instance, if a
  Wizard player character takes the spell banishment when
  they gain access to 4th level spells, they might go to cast the
  spell and see it fail without explanation. While this might
  seem harsh, it also reflects the restricted and unforgiving
  nature of Barovia.
  
  
  There is a physical wall of mist that surrounds Barovia and
  isolates the land. The mist wall reaches into the sky and it is
  impossible to see within it more than a few feet at a time.
  Strahd is the only creature that can open and close the
  mists at will, allowing interplanar travel. However, because he
  is a Darklord and bound to this demiplane, he ironically can't
  leave Barovia himself. Because of the debt he owes the
  Vistani, he opens and closes the mists for their travel without
  question, unless a Vistana has broken that trust in some way.
  A creature who travels into the mists immediately loses
  their sense of time and direction. There is no day and night
  cycle within the mist and the environment is nothing but
  stone-like ground and a dense fog that limits vision to about
  15 feet at a time.
  If a tether or something similar is used to protect someone
  from the mist, such as tying a rope around a traveling
  creature, the rope goes slack shortly after the creature
  disappears from view. If the rope is pulled back, the end is
  cleanly severed, as if cut by an invisible wall. Additionally, if
  multiple creatures enter the mist at the same time, they
  immediately become separated from one another and each
  continue their travel alone.
  If a creature attempts to leave Barovia by traveling into the
  mists without Strahd's permission, use the following rules to
  determine the outcome of the attempt.
  Time itself is warped within the mists. A day in the mist is
  equivalent to about an hour in Barovia.
  A creature will roll two checks for each day they spend in
  the mist: one to determine if they are noticed by the Dark
  Powers swimming within, and one to gain levels of
  exhaustion and mark the passage of days.
  The first check is a straight d20 roll, DC 10. On a failure, a
  Dark Power notices the creature and tries to pursue them
  through the mist. Describe this event as a giant, shadow
  like horror descending on them. By running or cowering,
  the creature manages to evade the Dark Power, but takes
  a -1 penalty to their all their core stats. All the penalties
  accumulated by failing this daily check last 1d4 + 1 days
  after the creature has escaped the mists. Additionally, you
  might give this creature a temporary or permanent
  madness from the DMG for failing this check.
  The second check in a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. A
  failure will give the creature 1 level of exhaustion. Making
  this check also marks a day gone by in the mist.
  After a creature accumulates a total of 3 successful checks
  from either or both categories, they find their way out of
  the mists and stumble back into Barovia at the location
  from which they left, hungry, tired, and confused.
  
  
  As a reminder, there is no natural sunlight Barovia for the
  purposes of overcoming resistances. Shortly before sunrise, a
  thick layer of cloud cover stretches over the sky, muting the
  light of the day. Most evenings, these clouds dissipate to
  reveal the starry sky and the moon above.
  The overcast skies are a passive outcome of Strahd's
  power over Barovia. Indirectly, Vampyr moves the weather in
  such a way to protect his Darklord. However, Strahd's control
  over the Fanes of Barovia means that he has control over the
  weather and can get rid of the cloud cover if he chose, though
  he most certainly has no reason to do so.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  18
  
  
  
  Most Dungeon Masters agree that the general scale of
  Barovia is abysmally small. According to the Player's
  Handbook, parties can travel for 8 hours in a day and can
  cover 24 miles in that day at a normal marching pace. As
  written, the map of Barovia is only about 20 miles wide (80
  hexes x .24 miles per hex), meaning that player characters
  can realistically travel the entire width of Barovia in under a
  day.
  
  
  Travel time is an extraordinarily important aspect of
  Dungeons & Dragons world building. Not only does it give
  players the illusion of time to settle into the world, making
  settings feel more visceral, but it also forces a campaign to
  slow down, giving players a chance to role-play between one
  another and build their in-character relationships without the
  many distractions within townships. Travel time also allows
  players to read books and investigate magic items found in
  game.
  Additionally, camp time is prime for random encounters.
  Wolf attacks and similar dangers will help the players feel like
  they're developing their abilities, making them feel like
  they've earned their skills through time and practice.
  However, with the as written distances, players can feasibly
  go from levels 1-10 in about two in-game weeks. That kind of
  power spike is quite unbelievable.
  This Map Assumes 1 Hex = 1 Mile:
  Additionally, travel time in Barovia is essential for pushing
  the dangers of the land. As written, there's no reason citizens
  can't quickly travel between towns, thus limiting the danger of
  such travel. However, if travelers are forced to spend nights
  on the road, that travel no longer seems viable to common
  folk. Putting additional travel time between locations also
  ehances Barovia's sense of isolation, a key thematic
  ingredient to any horror setting.
  
  
  For the many reasons above, it is recommended that you
  increase the scale of Barovia to allow for longer travel times
  between locations.
  The Fleshing Out guides recommends that you change the
  world map to 1 hex = 1 mile. However, you might also extend
  the distances to 1 hex = 2 miles and double the results on the
  following map and table.
  No matter how you adjust the scale of Barovia, you want
  your players to spend at least one night in camp between
  each major location, if not two. Give your party the
  opportunity to have night-time random encounters, role-play
  amongst themselves, or otherwise use the time to process
  things that have happened in the campaign thus far. If they
  don't seem to need that time, you can simply montage the
  travel with a short description. Even a short narration can
  give the campaign a little breathing room to make the setting
  feel more believable.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  19
  
  Travel Path
  Hexes
  Miles (1
  hex = 1/4)
  Time (1
  hex = 1/4)
  Miles (1
  hex = 1)
  Time (1
  hex = 1)
  Difficult
  Terrain
  Final Days
  Travel
  Outer Gate to Village of Barovia
  13
  3.25 miles 1 hr 5 min
  13 miles
  4 hrs 20
  min
  Yes
  1 Day
  Village of Barovia to Tser Pool
  Camp
  18
  4.5 miles
  1 hr 30
  min
  18 miles
  6 hrs
  No
  3/4 Day
  Tser Pool Camp to Inner Gate
  12
  3 miles
  1 hr
  12 miles
  4 hrs
  No
  1/2 Day
  Inner Gate to Castle Ravenloft
  15
  3.75 miles
  1 hr 15
  min
  15 miles
  5 hrs
  No
  1/2 Day
  Inner Gate to Old Bonegrinder
  11
  2.75 miles
  55 min
  11 miles
  3 hrs 40
  min
  No
  1/2 Day
  Old Bonegrinder to Vallaki
  25
  6.25 miles 2 hr 5 min
  25 miles
  8 hrs 20
  min
  No
  1 Day
  Vallaki to the Luna River
  Crossroads
  4
  1 mile
  20 min
  4 miles
  1 hr 20
  min
  No
  1/4 Day
  Luna River Crossroads to
  Richten's Tower
  12
  3 miles
  1 hr
  12 miles
  4 hrs
  No
  1/2 Day
  Luna River Crossroads to Berez
  14
  3.5 miles
  1 hr 10
  min
  14 miles
  4 hrs 40
  min
  Yes
  1 1/4 Days
  Luna River Crossroads to
  Argynvostholt
  16
  4 miles
  1 hr 20
  min
  16 miles
  5 hrs 20
  min
  No
  3/4 Day
  Luna River Crossroads to Raven
  River Crossroads
  12
  3 miles
  1 hr
  12 miles
  4 hrs
  No
  1/2 Day
  Raven River Crossroads to
  Argynvostholt
  16
  4 miles
  1 hr 20
  min
  16 miles
  5 hrs 20
  min
  No
  3/4 Day
  Raven River Crossroads to
  Richten's Tower
  6
  1.5 miles
  30 min
  6 miles
  2 hrs
  No
  1/4 Day
  Raven River Crossroads to Krezk
  11
  2.75 miles
  55 min
  11 miles
  3 hrs 40
  min
  No
  1/2 Day
  Raven River Crossroads to Winery
  13
  3.25 miles
  1hr 5 min
  13 miles
  4 hrs 20
  min
  No
  1/2 Day
  Raven River Crossroads to
  Tsolenka Pass
  36
  9 miles
  3 hrs
  36 miles
  12 hrs
  Yes
  3 Days
  Winery to Yester Hill
  10
  2.5 miles
  50 min
  10 miles
  3 hrs 20
  min
  Yes
  1 Day
  Tsolenka Pass to Amber Temple
  20
  5 miles
  1 hr 40
  min
  20 miles
  6 hrs 40
  min
  Yes
  2 Days
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  20
  
  A Reminder of Rules
  The following is a simple list of travel rules from
  pages 181-182 of the Player's Handbook.
  A party can travel 8 hours in a day, covering 24
  miles in those 8 hours. This travel assumes the
  party is taking small breaks and pacing
  themselves along the way.
  Parties can choose to travel at a Fast Pace to
  cover more ground. They travel 30 miles in 8
  hours at a Fast Pace, but their passive
  Perception is reduced by 5, making the player
  characters more vulnerable to attack.
  Parties can also choose to travel at a Slow Pace
  and only cover 18 miles in a day. However,
  traveling slowly means they are able to travel
  stealthily.
  Difficult terrain applies to long distance travel
  as well. Traveling through the wilds or using
  more dangerous roads may slow the party,
  forcing them to move at half speed and
  effectively doubling the amount of time it takes
  the party to travel that distance.
  Traveling with mounts or vehicles can expedite
  travel speed.
  Traveling with a mount effectively adds 4 miles
  of distance to a day's travel.
  Traveling with a wagon, carriage, or other land
  vehicle provides no bonus to travel. As written,
  land vehicles only provide bonuses towards
  carrying capacity and little else.
  However, at the Dungeon Master's discretion,
  party members may be able to take short rests
  or perform light activities while riding in a
  vehicle, provided a single character takes
  responsibility of driving the vehicle.
  Additionally, you may provide the same mount
  bonus to a day's travel distance for vehicles.
  Traveling longer than 8 hours in a day posses
  certain risks to the party, detailed below.
  Trying to travel longer than 8 hours at a time
  requires a Constitution saving throw from each
  player character. Failure means gaining a point
  of exhaustion. The rules suggest the DC for this
  check equal 10 + the number of extra hours
  traveled. However, for simplicity's sake, you
  might leave this check a straight DC 10.
  Additionally, if parties do not stop to take a
  long rest in a 24 hour period, most Dungeon
  Masters employ the Going Without a Long Rest
  rules on page 78 in Xanathar's Guide to
  Everything. These rules state that parties who
  choose not to long rest must make a
  Constitution saving throw or risk taking a point
  of exhaustion. However, many Dungeon
  Masters do not require a roll and instead make
  this point of exhaustion mandatory.
  Player Facing Maps
  It is highly recommended that you do NOT show
  players the world map of Barovia!
  Players should be new to Barovia and unaware of
  the general layout of the land, much like their
  characters. Not providing them a map is good for
  making them feel alienated and out of their depth
  in this foreign setting.
  If and when there comes a time when player
  characters can obtain a map within the game, such
  as from the Burgomaster of Vallaki, from van
  Richten, or perhaps even from a shop for a
  significant price, provide them with a more
  ambiguous, hand-drawn map. There are several
  alternative maps available across the Internet. Here
  are a couple recommended examples:
  Barovia Hand Drawn Maps available on the
  DM's Guild.
  Map to the Barony of Barovia by u/theBlackBlue
  on Reddit
  
  
  Barovia is a dour and hopeless land and, for the most part,
  that attitude is reflected in its inhabitants.
  
  
  Barovia is not the most diverse realm in the universe. While
  the book says that Barovians are used to seeing fantastical
  races from a constant influx of adventurers, it is
  recommended that you instead limit the number of travelers
  that come to Barovia by a large margin.
  One of the most important marks of horror is isolation. If
  players are under the impression that Barovia receives
  countless visitors, they will most likely feel more comfortable
  in the setting, which is exactly the opposite of the tone you'd
  like to accomplish in this campaign. Instead, a handful of
  foreigners might slip through the mists every decade or two,
  giving Barovia just enough diversity that the locals won't be
  floored to see a dwarf, but will also find the appearance most
  unusual.
  Otherwise, Barovians are almost exclusively human by
  race. Every so often, a tiefling is born into their society, just
  like in any other setting. Additionally, Barovia is home to the
  last remaining dusk elves, a rare subrace of elves. Otherwise,
  any dwarves, halflings, normal elves, or other races are either
  former adventurers or descendants of those who became
  trapped in Barovia decades prior. Non-humans remain
  exceptionally rare in Barovia, though not unheard of.
  
  
  Frankly, there aren't enough people in Barovia to
  appropriately support an economy as written and increasing
  the populace is another recommended change to the setting,
  if only so that the endurance of the townships is believable.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  21
  
  Outside of pure logistics, "tiny, scared village stuck in the
  dark ages" can get old to players as months of sessions roll
  by. Part of the success of horror comes in seeing the good.
  For moments of terror and isolation, there should also be
  times of joy and comfort. For the miles and miles of horrible
  woods and dark dungeons, there should also be places of
  civilization and normalcy.
  For those reasons, the Fleshing Out series has rewritten
  the population numbers of Barovia. For a more in-depth
  analysis on the changed populations, see each location's
  appropriate chapter in the Fleshing Out guides.
  Town/Group
  Population
  Village of Barovia
  500 - 600
  Vallaki
  1500 - 2000
  Krezk
  75 - 100
  Forest Folk
  150 - 200
  Vistani
  150 - 250
  Dusk Elves
  50 - 75
  
  
  Barovian names follow the conventions of old Slavic and
  Romanian culture, which can be rather confusing to some
  Dungeon Masters and players.
  More often than not, an NPC's surname is taken from the
  name of their father. For instance, the name Ismark
  Kolyanovich quite literally means, 'Ismark, son of Kolyan.'
  Similarly, Ismark's father's name is Kolyan Indirovich, which
  means 'Koylan, son of Indir.' This convention changes slightly
  for woman, where the '-ovich' is changed to '-ana' or '-ova.' We
  see this change in characters like Ireena Kolyana, who's
  name means 'Ireena, daughter of Kolyan.' Most characters do
  not lose their surname when they marry. For instance, Urwin
  Martikov's wife still possesses her family name and is called
  Danika Dorakova.
  However, this naming convention isn't absolute across
  Curse of Strahd. For example, all the blood related members
  of the Martikov family possess the Martikov surname,
  regardless of their father's name.
  Because of the confusion these naming conventions can
  cause for both Dungeon Masters and players, you may choose
  to negate them entirely for something more modern or more
  western. You might instead present Kolyan, Ismark, and
  Ireena all as Indirovich's and Danika as a Martikov, for
  instance. Much of the Fleshing Out series employs this
  general change and you will see it noted throughout chapters
  of this guide whenever such a change occurs.
  
  
  The people of Barovia share common knowledge and
  superstitions amongst them. The following are lists of
  information that the odd NPC might know, outside of the
  more informed and named individuals in the book. The
  following lists also either repeat or alter the information
  found in the book.
  Of Monsters
  Near every Barovian knows that Strahd is not only King of
  Barovia, but also a dreaded high vampire. While he rarely
  takes a role in local politics outside collecting taxes, he
  tends to take consorts from the populace every decade or
  so. Those who voluntarily become one of Strahd's
  consorts are usually considered evil, crazy, or
  extraordinarily misguided individuals. Otherwise, being
  chosen by Strahd to become his potential bride or groom
  is one of the most dreaded fates to anyone in the valley.
  Vampires are one of the greatest threats in the valley. All
  vampires in Barovia were either created by Strahd or by
  one of his spawn and are therefore under Strahd's
  complete control. Most Barovians know that vampires
  can't enter a home without permission and are harmed by
  sunlight, but are unaware of other methods of combating
  them. Additionally, most Barovians believe that garlic
  wards away vampires, though this is untrue.
  Barovians also know that werewolves are cursed and
  diseased individuals that run in packs in the woods. Most
  know that werewolves can be harmed by silver and that
  being bitten by one means becoming one of them.
  While the woods are filled with a great many other
  threats, the most common are packs of wolves. Barovians
  generally don't dare to travel outside their townships in
  fear of these threats.
  Faiths
  The only known god and organized religion in Barovia is
  the following of the Morninglord, a good aligned sun god.
  From their centuries of isolation, Barovians haven't picked
  up any other alternate pantheons or gods. However, since
  Strahd's rise to power, the Morninglord has failed to
  answer a single prayer. Paladins are non-existent and
  clerics are in extremely short supply in Barovia.
  Nearly half of the forest folk worship Strahd as a god of
  Barovia. Settled Barovians from the townships tend to
  believe all forest folk are evil and worship Strahd.
  The Ladies Three were a trio of nature goddess that lived
  in the valley before Strahd's arrival. About half of the
  forest and mountain folk still worship the Ladies. Though
  it is rare, the odd settled Barovian might have heard of the
  Ladies as well, and leave offerings to them to promote
  good harvest. In the Fleshing Out series, the Ladies Three
  completely replace Mother Night.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  22
  
  Superstitions
  It has quite literally been centuries since the sun has
  shone on Barovia. Though the people worship the
  Morninglord out of tradition, there's a rare superstition
  that the sun simply doesn't exist at all.
  Ravens are symbols of good luck. Conversely, it's bad luck
  to harm or kill a raven and the majority of Barovians will
  treat anyone that does so as a doomed pariah.
  Redheads are often considered bad luck. Tatyana and all
  her reincarnations, Ireena included, have red hair. Though
  Barovians are completely unaware of Tatyana, the
  generations have slowly noticed that red-haired people
  tend to meet poor ends with early graves. As a result, most
  Barovians consider red haired individuals as bad luck. If
  you end up replacing Ireena with a player character, as
  detailed in the Connecting Player Characters to the Curse
  of Strahd Campaign section, you may change this
  superstition as you see fit.
  Biases
  Most Barovians do not care for the Vistani, believing them
  all agents of Strahd because they alone can leave Barovia.
  Most Barovians also think quite poorly of the forest and
  mountain folk, seeing them as primitive peoples who'd
  sooner murder their children in service of Strahd.
  While the Vistani are generally an open and welcoming
  people, they have a cultural superiority complex against
  Barovians, believing them too serious and far too boring.
  The forest and mountain folk have come to resent the
  civilized people of Barovia. The half that actually worship
  Strahd see them as cattle for the vampire lord. And the
  half that still worship the Ladies tend to hate Barovians
  for having forgotten the nature goddesses.
  Ironically, all Barovians lack any bias against foreign
  races. Besides finding dwarves, goliaths, and the like
  unusual oddities, they harbor no outright ill-will towards
  foreign beings.
  Similarly, no major groups harbor ill-will towards dusk
  elves. Instead, most Barovians regard them with a general
  overwhelming pity, as they are victim's of Strahd's anger.
  Common Knowledge
  All Barovians know the general locations of the major
  settlements - the Village of Barovia, Vallaki, and Krezk -
  and of Castle Ravenloft. The settled peoples also generally
  know the name of the Burgomaster of each town.
  Wine is one of the most important drinks of the valley and
  the lone Winery that supplies it is held in high esteem.
  The ruins of Berez lie in the bogs by the Luna River.
  Strahd destroyed Berez when their people openly defied
  him in some way. Now, the ruins are home to a coven of
  crazed, witch women. If a woman goes missing from one
  of the townships, many Barovians will believe she joined
  their evil sisterhood.
  The two holiest locations in Barovia are the Church of St.
  Andral in Vallaki and the Abbey of St. Markovia in Krezk.
  There are other scattered ruins around Barovia, namely
  the strange monoliths at Yester Hill, the old mage tower
  on Baritok Lake, and the old fortress southwest of Vallaki
  (Argynvostholt). However, no one knows the purpose or
  history of any of these ruins. Additionally, no one has
  heard of or is aware of the location of the Amber Temple.
  
  
  There are three distinct biomes in the Barovian valley:
  forests, mountains, and swamp. There are also very brief
  expanses of plains and grassland that usually develop
  between breaks in the Svalich woods, but such grassland is
  hardly relevant to the overall terrain of Barovia. These
  biomes combined with Barovia's sunless sky limit the variety
  of flora and fauna that thrive in the valley.
  
  
  The lack of sunlight in Barovia hinders large scale farming in
  the valley. The people of Barovia can't live off the skills of
  hunters and fishermen alone, though.
  The following list of crops are those that can grow with
  almost no direct sunlight. Note that most of these crops
  usually have more desaturated leaves and vines than their
  healthy counterparts, often making the plants appear either
  darker or lighter from the sunlight deficiency. Also remember
  that most of the products of these crops will be small and
  under-grown, meaning that farmers have to work twice as
  hard and plant more crops to grow enough produce.
  Spices and crops that require warmer environments, like
  sugarcane and rice, are completely unavailable in Barovia
  except by extraordinarily rare Vistani imports. Even though
  the Vistani are more than capable of importing food stocks
  and foreign alcohol, their poor relationship with the rest of
  Barovia means they generally keep their trade goods to
  themselves.
  Barovian crops include:
  Beet, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, coriander, dill, garlic,
  kale, mustard greens, parsley, potatoes, radishes, tarragon,
  and turnips.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  23
  
  Wild Animals
  Environment
  Predators
  Game
  Birds
  Other
  Woods
  Wolves, Boar, Bears,
  Lynx, Foxes
  Deer, Rabbits,
  Squirrels, Mice
  Ravens, Owls, Falcons, Larks,
  Jackdaws, Pheasant, Doves,
  Thrush
  Rats, Bats
  Swamps
  Wolves, Boar, Snakes
  Muskrats
  Ravens, Owls, Larks,
  Jackdaws, Thrush
  Rats, Bats,
  Frogs/Toads
  Mountains
  Wolves, Bears, Lynx,
  Foxes
  Rabbits, Mountain
  Goats, Squirrels
  Ravens, Owls, Falcons
  Rats, Bats
  Domestic/Production Animals
  Food Production
  Pets/Labor
  Fish
  Sheep
  Dogs
  Carp
  Goats
  Cats
  Perch
  Chickens
  Horses
  Pike
  Domesetic Boar (hairy pigs)
  Donkeys
  Trout
  
  
  Outside of monsters, wolves, and ravens, we rarely see
  mention of other wildlife in the printed module. Even the
  Adventure's League chapters surrounding Barovia mention
  that wolves are almost the exclusive inhabitants of the wilds.
  However, that's simply not plausible, or the valley would be all
  but purged of life after a few decades.
  The compiled tables below include animals that would be
  native to Barovia. These tables certainly do not include every
  animal found is such an environment, but they're
  comprehensive enough to satisfy a session in a pinch,
  especially if you have a Druid in your party.
  
  
  Barovia's limited number of crops and livestock usually
  makes for more uninspired meals. However, the hardy people
  of the valley have learned to make due.
  Potatoes are by far the largest staple of Barovian diets.
  Most tables have potatoes in near every meal, with potato
  pottages and porridges commonplace to feed large families.
  Without wheat available, Barovians even make their bread
  out of potatoes.
  Otherwise, Barovians use their spice crops to liven up their
  meals. They produce basic celery salt to mix into most dishes
  and favor garlic to ward off vampires. Barovians also tend to
  favor root based salad dishes and vegetable soups, since
  they're easy to make and feed many at a time.
  Barovian diets tend to favor protein more than other
  cultures, since animals are more easily cared for than crops
  in this setting. Chickens, sheep, and goats are generally kept
  alive as long as possible for their eggs, whool, and goat milk,
  but are regular staples of Barovian meals.
  The people also raise pens of pigs, which they readily
  slaughter for food. Lastly, though the meat of predators is
  generally tough and unfavorable to most cultures, Barovians
  consider wolf meat a delicacy, as consuming it represents a
  minor victory over the horrors of Barovia.
  
  
  The only mass produced alcoholic beverage available in
  Barovia is wine. No beer. No mead, whiskey, or ale. Wine.
  Quite frankly, Barovia doesn't have the environment to
  support the crops needed to make other alcohol.
  Though it's possible to produce forms of spirits from
  potatoes, Barovians lack the sophistication, man power, and
  land to mass produce it. What crops they have are already
  undergrown, so dedicating whole fields towards producing
  spirits when they already have wine available is generally ill-
  advised.
  All wine in Barovia comes from the Wizards of Wine
  Winery, south of Krezk. The winery is known for three
  vintages of wine: the most common and standard Purple
  Grapemash No. 3, the slightly more tantalizing Red Dragon
  Crush, and the finely made Champagne du le Stomp, which
  they stopped producing about ten years ago after the theft of
  a magic gemstone. The winery also very rarely produces a
  grape-based brandy, similar to real-world Pálinka. However,
  because this takes so much time to produce, only the very
  wealthy citizens of Barovia own bottles for special occasions.
  The Vistani are the only group that have access to other
  alcohol from their travels beyond the mist, though they
  themselves culturally prefer wine and don't tend to carry
  other varieties of drink. Additionally, their poor relationship
  with local Barovians prevents most trade between Vistani
  and those trapped in Barovia.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  24
  
  
  
  L
  ong before Strahd's conquest, the Barovian
  valley was once an untamed land watched over
  by a trio of ancient archfey. The forest folk of
  old called these archfey, The Ladies Three, and
  built great, monolithic shrines in their honor.
  The Ladies Three were chaotic beings of
  nature, as wild as the land itself. Though they
  possessed physical forms, they rarely showed themselves to
  mortals. Instead, they would appear in auguries, dreams, and
  omens, speaking through the mouths of animals and in the
  wind that mused the trees.
  Shortly after Strahd became a Darklord, he cemented his
  rule over the land by stealing power from the Ladies Three,
  reducing these once great archfey to little more than
  immortal, but powerless, hags.
  The Ladies Three are more often referred to as the Fanes
  of Barovia. These Fanes are canonical Ravenloft lore that
  appeared in previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons but
  not at all in the Curse of Strahd module. However, they are
  now an essential feature of the Fleshing Out revisions and
  restoring their power is an overarching quest of the campaign
  that motivates players to explore and engage with the various
  locations in Barovia. The Fanes also completely replace
  Mother Night in the module, overwriting the devilish moon
  goddess.
  This section of the guide will cover all the information you
  need to incorporate the Fanes into your adventure.
  
  
  As a direct definition, 'Fane' refers to a temple or shrine.
  However, for the sake of this module, it's far more
  constructive to define Fanes as magical environments. There
  are three core environments in Barovia, each with an
  associated shrine and Lady.
  They are:
  The Seeker of the Forest Fane
  The Weaver of the Swamp Fane
  The Huntress of the Mountain Fane
  
  
  The people of the valley used to worship the Ladies through
  shrines scattered across their respective environments, some
  small and some large. The three most prominent shrines
  were large circles of stone monoliths that all still stand
  during the time of the campaign. The shrine of the Forest
  Fane is the collection of monoliths behind Old Bonegrinder.
  The shrine of the Swamp Fane is the circle of stones in
  Berez. Lastly, the shrine of the Mountain Fane is the great
  circle of stones atop Yester Hill.
  The worship of the Ladies usually came in the form of
  minor religious practices and offerings. The offerings were
  usually nature based tithes, such as the best sack of grain
  from a first harvest or the antlers of a buck killed on a hunt.
  Alternately, worshipers of the Ladies also left small, carved
  statues or other bits of artistic labor as offerings.
  The religious practices involving the Ladies were usually
  communes with nature. A worshiper might live alone in the
  woods for a year in respect for the Ladies amd then return
  home spiritually awakened. Other rituals included great
  seasonal feasts and village-wide pilgrimages to the major
  shrines.
  
  
  After Strahd's arrival and the introduction of the religion of
  the Morninglord, worship of the Ladies rapidly declined in the
  valley. Unfortunately, few Barovians remember the Ladies
  Three and their shrines are no more than relics of a bygone
  era to the current populace. However, the odd nursery rhyme
  or folk tale perseveres.
  Outside of the settled Barovian townships, about half of the
  forest folk still worship the Ladies. The other half has
  forsaken them in favor of worshiping Strahd, who they believe
  a literal god of the valley.
  
  
  Though the Ladies Three were wild goddesses of nature who
  rarely interacted with people, signs of their influence remain
  across Barovia.
  
  
  
  
  The Ladies Three are the origin of lycanthropy in Barovia.
  The Ladies originally used lycanthropy to gift their faithful
  followers and to curse their blasphemers. The Huntress is
  responsible for wolf lycanthropes in Barovia while the Seeker
  is responsible for raven lycanthropes in Barovia. However, in
  their current, weakened states, they are incapable of granting
  or curing lycanthropy.
  
  
  The printed module provides very little information as to the
  origin of the mystical gems that give life to the vineyards of
  the Wizards of Wine Winery. The text only mentions a
  mysterious mage who crafted the gems for their fields.
  Alternatively, the three gems were gifts from the Ladies
  Three. The mage formed a bond with the local, settled
  Barovians as well as the forest folk and managed to broker a
  temporary peace between the two factions. The resulting era
  of understanding impressed the Ladies Three significantly.
  To help the mage settle the land and start a bountiful
  vineyard, they each gifted the mage a gemstone to plant in
  their fields.
  
  
  Unfortunately, the Ladies Three are no longer the reigning
  powers of the Barovian valley. As stated previously in this
  chapter, Strahd desecrated their shrines and stole their
  immense power, giving himself control over nature and
  weather. With this stolen power, Strahd is literally, "The
  Land." Players will have to restore the Fanes to weaken
  Strahd, enabling his defeat.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  25
  
  
  
  Though the Ladies Three have fallen, they are not gone.
  These archfey are still alive during the time of the campaign,
  living on in Barovia as elderly, eccentric women. In their
  weakened states, they maintain only their immortality and
  access to very basic magics. Players will encounter these
  women throughout the game, though they won't understand
  their true significance until the Fanes are restored.
  The following section of this guide will cover each Lady
  individually, describing their domains, their appearances, and
  their sightings during the campaign.
  
  
  The Seeker represents the coming of the future. Of the
  Ladies, she is the representative of foresight and soothsaying,
  peering into the future with timeless eyes. The Seeker is
  most often represented with ravens, highly intelligent birds
  that watch the valley from on high as the Seeker herself
  watches over the future.
  Before her fall, the Seeker appeared as a tall, beautiful
  woman with angular features and ebony skin that absorbed
  light, making her look like a moving shadow. Her eyes were a
  pure, sightless white, without irises or pupils, and she had a
  mane of raven feathers instead of hair.
  After the the desecration of the Fanes, the Seeker was
  reduced to the form of an simple, old woman. She now
  appears in the campaign as Madam Eva, and lives amongst
  the Vistani as an honored seer. Though she has lived with the
  Vistani for generations, the Vistani recognize her longevity as
  a side effect of her immense gift for soothsaying and not as a
  sign of her former power.
  Madam Eva - or more affectionately known as Eva Treenail
  to her sisters - instantly sees the player character's potential
  towards her restoration and uses her fateful Tarroka reading
  to guide them on that path.
  
  
  In contrast of the Seeker, the Weaver of the Swamp Fane
  represents the remembrance of the past. She acts as a nature
  based historian that remembers all that the land remembers.
  The Weaver is, in her essence, the keeper of time itself in the
  valley of Barovia.
  At full power, she once appeared as a petite, sprite-like
  woman with a playful air about her. Her skin was a bright,
  yellow-green, similar in color to frog skin, and her mouth
  sported a row of pointed, razor sharp teeth. Her hair was
  white like spider's silk and it floated about her head as if
  perpetually underwater.
  During the campaign, the Weaver appears as a stout old
  woman by the name of Jeny Greenteeth. Jeny is an quirky, old
  herbologist with an eye for mischief that owns a shop just
  outside the walls of Vallaki. She owns a cluttered rickshaw
  cart pulled by a giant boar named Toady, which she uses to
  make trips to Berez in vain attempts to rescue her sister, the
  Huntress, from the dreaded witch of the swamp.
  
  
  
  
  Unlike her sisters, the Huntress has no representation in the
  passage of time. The forest folk of old didn't believe in the
  concept of the present, and instead focused solely on the past
  and the future. The Huntress is reflective of these old beliefs
  and instead represents the dark, underside of the weave of
  time.
  The Huntress is a nature-based death goddess. However,
  death is not synonymous with evil. In the case of the
  Huntress, death is a natural occurrence meant to be accepted
  and not feared. Strahd and other undead are therefore her
  natural enemies, as their very existences are perversions of
  death. Lastly, the Gulthias Tree, a tree of death and one of the
  eldest living things in the valley, is a direct representation of
  her power.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  26
  
  The Huntress is the eldest sister of the Ladies Three, as old
  as the mountains themselves. Before the desecration of her
  shrine, the Huntress appeared as a tall, chiseled woman with
  grey skin. Her physique was toned, like that of an Amazonian
  woman, and her long, white hair sat upon her shoulders like
  snow on the cold stone of a mountain top. She had a pair of
  enormous, stag antlers growing from her temples, adding
  significantly to her height.
  As an old hag, the Huntress goes by the name Lara
  Stoneheart and at the start of the campaign, she is a captive
  of the evil witch, Baba Lysaga in Berez. Instead of using goat
  blood for her rituals of immortality, Baba has Lara bound to
  the ceiling of her hut above her bathtub. Every week or so,
  Baba slits Lara's throat and bathes in her blood. This horrible
  and painful ritual has kept Baba Lysaga alive and powerful
  for centuries. And because Lara is still immortal, she has no
  choice but to continuously endure the ritual.
  
  
  
  
  The Ladies Three have no intention of revealing their
  backgrounds to the player characters. When they each first
  meet the party, they have no reason to believe that this group
  of adventurers will fair better than previous groups and
  would rather not waste their trust on individuals who may not
  deserve it. Additionally, these women once possessed all the
  power of nature and their own, innate pride sours them from
  admitting to how far they've fallen. Their claim to be
  woodland goddesses would sound insane to the average
  person, and they have no desire to be ridiculed by mortals.
  Most importantly, with the notable exception of Lara's
  capture in Berez, the Ladies have mostly managed to avoid
  the notice of the powerful beings that would exploit their
  weakness. Strahd, for instance, would likely wish to contain
  Jeny Greenteeth and Madam Eva if he knew their true
  identities. These two Ladies seek to avoid fates similar to
  their sister.
  While the Ladies gladly assist the party in their endeavors
  to defeat Strahd, they will not reveal themselves until they
  have been restored.
  
  
  As previously stated, the Fanes are little more than ancient
  legend to the people of Barovia. The Ladies themselves have
  little power now and barely a whispered rumor remains of
  their godhood. So how might the players learn of these
  enigmatic archfey?
  
  
  The players' first encounters with the Fanes should be quite
  small and seemingly insignificant.
  Besides the great shrines at Old Bondgrinder, Berez, and
  Yester Hill, smaller shrines and relics still exist in Barovia
  pertaining to the Ladies Three. Should you require a benign
  random encounter during travel, consider having the party
  discover an old shrine to the Ladies. This shrine might be a
  lone boulder with simplistic drawings of the Ladies carved
  into its face. Or, perhaps the party finds an old, carved
  figurine of a lady with stag antlers in the dirt.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  27
  
  
  
  
  Medium fey, true neutral
  Armor Class 10 (16 with barkskin)
  Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
  Speed 30 feet
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  10 (+0) 10 (+0) 14 (+2) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 14 (+2)
  Skills Animal Handling +10, Deception +10, Medicine
  +5, Nature +10, Survival +5
  Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Sleep
  Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
  Languages Celestial, Common, Druidic, Primordial,
  Sylvan
  Challenge 2 (450 XP)
  Archfey. The Lady is a weakened archfey and nature
  goddess and cannot be killed by normal methods.
  When the Lady drops to 0 hit points, she falls
  unconscious and wakes with 1 hit point after 1d4
  hours instead of dying.
  Magic Resistance. The Lady has advantage on saving
  throws against spells and other magical effects.
  Proof Against Detection and Location. The Lady is hidden
  from Divination magic. She can't be targeted by such
  magic or perceived through magical Scrying sensors.
  Spellcasting. The Lady is a 3rd-level spellcaster. Her
  spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to
  hit with spell attacks). The Lady has the following druid
  spells prepared:
  Cantrip (at will): druidcraft, gust, mold earth, shape
  water
  1st level (4 slots): charm person, cure wounds, faerie
  fire, purify food and drink
  2nd level (2 slots): barkskin, healing spirit
  Innate Spellcasting. The Lady's innate spellcasting
  ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell
  attacks). She can innately cast the following spells,
  requiring no material components:
  At will: animal friendship, beast bond, speak with
  animals
  2/day: locate animals or plants
  Actions
  Actions
  Bone Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, Reach 5
  ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage
  
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  28
  
  Nobility
  Vistani
  Keepers of
  the Feather
  Richten &
  Ezmerelda
  Werewolves
  & Forest
  Folk
  Abbott
  Revenants Baba Lysaga
  Strahd
  Symbolism
  No
  Yes
  Yes
  No
  Yes
  No
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Shrines'
  Locations
  No
  No
  Yes
  No
  Yes
  No
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Strahd's
  Connection
  No
  No
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Methods of
  Reconsecration No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  Yes
  Amber
  Temple
  Location
  No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  No
  Yes
  Yes
  Yes
  Additionally, nursery rhymes or old rumors might still pop up
  among the Barovian populace, though most civilians won't
  know their meaning or history. You might provide your
  players with a handout of one of these rhymes to foreshadow
  later reveals. The song provided on the previous page,
  entitled Ring of Stone, is an an example of one of these
  rhymes.
  
  
  Players should also learn of Strahd's immense power
  sometime in the early campaign. In particular, they should
  learn about his control over nature in Barovia. For example, a
  NPC might tell the players the story of Berez's fall,
  proclaiming that Strahd flooded the Luna River to wipe out
  the village. Witnessing or hearing about Strad's displays of
  power should signify to the players that Strahd's abilities far
  exceed a standard statblock.
  While Strahd's power and relics of the Fanes will seem
  unconnected to the players at first, appropriately seeding this
  information will ease the reveal later in the adventure.
  
  
  Once the Fanes have been foreshadowed naturally through
  the Barovian populace and through random encounters,
  there are more informed NPCs that can tell the players about
  the fallen Ladies Three and provide clues to their restoration.
  Ideally, these NPCs should eventually lead the players to the
  Amber Temple, where the party can learn the mechanical
  method of reconsecrating the Fanes.
  The following NPCs have information on the Fanes.
  Vargas Vallakovich, Fiona Wachter and other Nobility.
  Vargas, Fiona and a variety of other nobility have access to
  better education and resources than Barovian civilians. They
  would know that prior to the Morninglord, the native peoples
  of the Barovian valley once worshiped nature goddesses.
  They would know nothing of these goddess' connection to
  Strahd, their greater shrines, or their symbolism.
  The Martikovs/Keepers of the Feather. This spy network
  of wereravens are far more informed than the average
  Barovian. They know of the Ladies' symbolism and that
  Strahd drained them of their power to gain his own control
  over nature. However, the Keepers do not know that the
  Ladies can be reinstated and instead believe that the Fanes
  are completely dead.
  The Vistani. Most Vistani know the same information as
  the Keepers of the Feather. They know a great deal about the
  symbolism behind the Seeker of the Forest Fane in particular,
  from their similar appreciation of the gift of foresight, but
  know far less of the other two Ladies.
  The Vistani also believe the Ladies to be dead gods of a
  Barovia past.
  Rudolph van Richten and Ezmerelda. Both these
  characters are excellent monster hunters and have built
  intelligence towards defeating Strahd specifically. As such,
  they are well aware of Strahd's connection to the Fanes and
  that these fallen nature goddesses are the source of a great
  deal of his power. Though they don't know how to go about it,
  they both correctly suspect that the power of the Fanes can
  be taken from Strahd. However, both van Richten and
  Ezmerelda are less informed about the general symbolism of
  the Ladies Three and know little of their shrines.
  The Werewolves and the Forest Folk. These two groups
  live much more in line with nature than the rest of the
  Barovian populace and are very well informed about the
  Ladies Three. They know of the Ladies' symbolism, the
  desecration of their shrines, and that they can be restored,
  though they are unaware of a method to do so.
  The Abbott. As a celestial angel, the Abbott knows of the
  Fanes, though he wasn't around for their desecration. He is
  unaware of their symbolism and the locations of their main
  shrines. However, he's one of the few that knows that it is
  almost impossible to truly kill a god, and that the Fanes can
  be restored somehow. He also knows of the Amber Temple,
  though not its exact location.
  The Revenants of Argynvostholt. These undead knights
  remember a Barovia before Strahd became a vampire. They
  remember the Fanes, their shrines, and their desecration.
  The revenants are also some of the very few that know the
  location of the Amber Temple in the southern mountains,
  which possesses a method towards reconsecrating the Fanes.
  However, because they are so intent that Strahd remain in his
  own purgatory, they'll be far less inclined to help the players
  restore the Fanes.
  Baba Lysaga. This evil witch not only knows most
  everything about the Ladies Three, but she is also the captor
  of the Huntress herself. While she doesn't know for certain a
  method of reconsecrating the Fanes, Lysaga is informed
  enough to make a few educated guesses. She also knows the
  location of the Amber Temple, which can prove her guesses
  right or wrong. However, Lysaga will under so circumstances
  part with this information willingly.
  Strahd von Zarovich. Lastly and most obviously, Strahd
  knows most everything there is to know about the Fanes. He
  not only is responsible for their fall, but also has complete
  access to the Amber Temple. Like Baba Lysaga, he will not
  part with any of this information willingly.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  29
  
  
  
  In order to gain information on the Fanes, the players should
  interact with the various NPCs listed on the previous page.
  Their first rumors of the Fanes might come from Lady
  Wachter or Vargas Vallakovich in Vallaki. They then might
  make friends of the Keepers of the Feather or of the pair of
  vampire hunters and come to learn that the Fanes are
  directly connected to Strahd.
  In the search for more information, the players might then
  seek out the werewolves, who can tell them of the great
  Amber Temple, though not its location. The players might
  then confront the revenants at Argynvostholt or Baba Lysaga
  herself to learn the location of this temple. After traveling into
  the mountains and exploring the Amber Temple, the players
  will finally learn a direct method of reconsecrating the Fanes
  and restoring the Ladies Three.
  Ideally, one informant should lead to the next, forcing the
  party to explore the various locations in Barovia. For
  example, while van Richten may not know if the Fanes can be
  restored, he'll know that the werewolf packs in the northwest
  woods would likely possess that information. Players would
  then follow van Richten's hook to the Werewolf Den.
  
  
  Restoring the Ladies Three is an arduous task that should
  take place in the last third of the campaign and after the
  players have visited the Amber Temple to acquire this
  information. During this restoration, the players will have to
  travel to or revisit three locations in the game to right
  Strahd's past wrongs.
  Initially desecrating the shrines of the Fanes was no easy
  task. Doing so required a great deal of time and effort on
  Strahd's part. As such, once the Fanes are restored, Strahd
  could not simply rush off to reclaim the power of the land
  before the final confrontation.
  Additionally, the power of the Fanes is not incremental. All
  three shrines must be restored before Strahd loses access to
  that power and the Ladies rise again. Even as the Fanes are
  in the process of restoration, Strahd would not sense his
  access to that power waning until it is all suddenly gone. If,
  however, Strahd finds out the players actually have a method
  of restoring the Fanes, he will use all the power at his
  disposal to stop them. Discretion in the last stretch of the
  adventure is therefore paramount.
  The following section of this guide provides information on
  reconsecrating the Fanes of Barovia.
  
  
  In accordance to the module, Lugdana was a holy paladin of
  light that spent much of her life battling the undead. In honor
  of her service, a giant, angelic raven presented her the Holy
  Symbol of Ravenkind. In this guide, the angelic raven was the
  Seeker herself.
  In contrast to the module, Lugdana did not grow old and
  die in this profession. Instead, she was an elder, but still
  capable, warrior when Strahd came to power. Strahd
  captured Lugdana and forcefully turned her into one of his
  spawn, later entombing her in the catacombs beneath
  Ravenloft. During Lugdana's struggles against this fate, the
  Holy Symbol was lost to the wilds of Barovia.
  
  
  In order to restore the Forest Fane, players must retrieve the
  Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and return it to the henge of
  stones behind Old Bonegrinder.
  Once the symbol is presented at the shrine in honor of the
  Seeker, the players are beset upon by a monstrous and
  corrupted wereraven precursor. Once this creature is
  defeated, the shrine becomes consecrated and a single raven
  swoops in and takes the Holy Symbol.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  30
  
  
  After the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is presented to the
  mehirs behind Old Bonegrinder, the largest monolith
  shudders and the front of it turns into a smooth, black
  obsidian that is vaguely reflective. Within the obscured
  reflection, a humanoid figure appears, shrouded in black
  feathers, with a beaked face. Its feathers appear matted and
  bent, the space between them clotted with a diseased-looking,
  black ichor.
  It mutters to itself in a low, rough voice and any player
  character that can understand druidic, primordial, or sylvan,
  can recognize that it continuously repeats the phrases, "My
  Ladies are gone. My Ladies are dead." and "Please, my Lady. I
  hurt. Help me."
  The first player character to approach the menhir draws
  the wereraven precursor out of the reflection. It rears back its
  head and lets out a horrific scream, which is cut short as it
  begins to choke. As it retches forward, a cloudy, black fog
  spills from its beak and initiative begins.
  The wereraven precursor will spend its first action or its
  first legendary action vomiting darkness onto the battlefield.
  Instead of attacking during the first one or two rounds, it will
  prioritize spreading its darkness to protect itself and disable
  the party. It will then focus down one enemy at a time,
  starting with the player character who first approached the
  black mirror.
  When the wereraven precursor is defeated, it falls to its
  knees and bursts into a swarm of ravens, the last of which
  picks up the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and flies into the
  woods.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  31
  
  
  
  
  Medium monstrosity, chaotic evil
  Armor Class 16
  Hit Points 139 (26d8 + 22)
  Speed 40 ft. Fly 10 ft.
  STR
  DEX
  CON
  INT
  WIS
  CHA
  10 (+0) 22 (+6) 15 (+2) 18 (+4) 18 (+4) 10 (+0)
  Saving Throws Dex +10, Int +8
  Skills Acrobatics +10, Perception +8, Stealth +10
  Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing
  from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered
  weapons
  Condition Immunities Blinded, Charmed, Frightened
  Senses Truesight 300 ft., passive Perception
  Languages Druidic, Primordial, Sylvan
  Challenge 11 (7200 XP)
  Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the wereraven precursor
  fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
  Beget Darkness. The wereraven precursor knows the
  Darkness spell and can cast it at will and without
  material components. This spell is not a concentration
  spell for it.
  Light Sensitivity. The wereraven precursor has
  disadvantage on any attack roll or saving throw while in
  bright light or sunlight.
  Dissonant Mimicry. The wereraven precursor constantly
  mutters to itself, mimicking the cries of wounded
  villagers, screaming children, and dying animals. Any
  creature within magical darkness that can hear the
  wereraven precursor, but not see it must make a DC 16
  Intelligence saving throw at the start of their turn or
  take 2d6 psychic damage or no damage on a successful
  save.
  The Weight of Corruption. The wereraven precursor's
  wings and feathers are rotted and unkempt, making it
  appear undead or diseased. The weight of this
  corruption hinders its ability to fly reliably and it cannot
  maintain flight for more than 3 turns at a time.
  Actions
  Actions
  Multiattack. The wereraven precursor makes two claws
  attacks.
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, Reach 5 ft., one
  target. Hit Damage (1d8 + 4) slashing damage
  Piercing Flyby. The wereraven precursor lunges forward,
  turning itself into a living torpedo with a single flap of
  its decrepit wings. The wereraven precursor moves in a
  straight line up to its speed without provoking
  opportunity attacks. This movement does not count
  towards its movement on that turn. Any creature within
  5 feet of the wereraven precursor at any point during
  this movement takes 1d6 + 4 piercing damage and
  must make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or be
  knocked prone.
  Feathered Kindred (1/Day). The wereraven precursor
  calls 2d4 swarms of ravens to aid it in battle.
  Legendary Actions
  Legendary Actions
  The wereraven precursor can take 3 legendary actions,
  choosing from the options below. Only one legendary
  action option can be used at a time and only at the end
  of another creature’s turn. Vampire regains spent
  legendary actions at the start of their turn.
  Move. The wereraven precursor moves up to its speed
  without provoking opportunity attacks.
  Claws. The wereraven precursor makes one claw attack.
  Darkness (Costs 2 Actions). The wereraven precursor
  casts the Darkness spell.
  
  
  
  Strahd only managed to desecrate the Swamp Fane with the
  help of his former nursemaid, Baba Lysaga. Under the witch's
  guidance, he hunted down and captured a half dozen high
  priestesses of the forest folk and lashed them to the stone
  monoliths at the Berez henge.
  There, Strahd tortured the priestesses, bidding them
  forsake the Ladies and proclaim him the rightful ruler of
  Barovia. It took time, but eventually all succumbed. Once
  each priestess surrendered their faith, Baba cut out their
  hearts and presented them to Strahd. With the foul gift,
  Strahd took the power of the Swamp Fane.
  
  
  To reconsecrate the Swamp Fane, players must right the
  tragedy that befell the priestesses of the forest folk. To do so,
  the party must slay Baba Lysaga and present her corrupted
  heart at the henge of stones in Berez.
  Baba Lysaga's Heart
  Baba Lysaga's heart is sickly grey in color.
  Swamp reeds and vines weave in and out of the
  muscle, flowing through ventricles and sinew in
  unnatural tangles. When the main arteries are
  cut, brown swamp water spills forth where
  blood should be.
  Though it stinks of bog and decay, the heart has
  no magical properties.
  If the players have already killed Baba Lysaga when they
  learn of this ritual, they can return to the site of Baba's death,
  find her corpse, and successfully harvest her heart. If the
  players burned or otherwise destroyed her body, her heart
  remains mostly intact amongst the remains and can still be
  retrieved. If, by some chance, your players somehow erased
  Baba from existence, her heart is instead kept in a jar within
  her hut, removed by Baba herself years ago, and can now be
  retrieved by the players.
  Once Baba Lysaga's heart is presented at the shrine,
  players standing within the stone circle will experience a
  series of visions. Remember that the Weaver is the keeper of
  the past, and now the players will bear witness. You can read
  the set of scenes on the following page to your players or
  interpret them in your own words.
  
  
  The Gulthias Tree remains sacred to the Huntress and is
  representative of her domain. Even in the current time of the
  campaign, the forest folk that still worship the Ladies Three
  present their honored dead to the Gulthias Tree. Any corpse
  or flesh in long term contact with the tree is eventually totally
  consumed by it in a process that only takes a few weeks.
  While this method of burial would seem gruesome to the
  average Barovian, the forest folk only present their tribe
  leaders, priestesses, powerful warriors, and other honored
  individuals to the tree.
  To desecrate the Mountain Fane, Strahd fed the Gulthias
  Tree a series of his undead minions, mainly vampire spawn.
  As stated previously, the undead are perversions of death and
  therefore direct enemies of the Huntress herself. As the
  Gulthias Tree consumed these undead beings for months at a
  time, the Mountain Fane lost its power.
  
  
  To reconsecrate the Mountain Fane, the players must go
  through the Trial of the Huntress in the caverns beneath the
  Gulthias Tree. This Trial only presents itself to those who
  look for it, meaning that uninformed parties that investigate
  the tree will not find the entrance to the Trial. However, once
  the players are ready to brave this immense test, they'll
  discover a crawlspace in the roots of the tree leading
  downward.
  The Trial of the Huntress is essentially a path through the
  land of the dead, where players can reconcile with lost loved
  ones, deal with the angry dead, and atone for their wrong
  doings. At the bottom of the caverns, the players come to the
  altar of the Huntress and receive her visions. Emerging from
  the Trial signifies the proper reconsecration of the Mountain
  Fane.
  This Trial and its associated dungeon are not detailed in
  this chapter. Instead, refer to the Gulthias Dungeon Chapter
  later in this series or the original, informal posts on the
  r/CurseofStrahd subreddit.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  32
  
  
  Turning Back Time
  You stand in the center of the stone circle, Baba Lysaga's heart in
  your outstretched hand. For a moment, you feel like a fool. But just
  as you're about to lower your hand, you notice a change in the
  light.
  You all look up to the sky and see the distant light of the sun -
  obscured by layers of cloud cover - as it moves much more quickly
  than usual. More than that, it seems to be moving West to East.
  Backwards. Wrong. Suddenly it's dawn. And then it is the darkness
  of midnight. And then it is dusk and then it is yesterday.
  You all gather together in the center of the circle as the
  obscured sun seems to soar through the sky, days passing in the
  blink of an eye. It is day and then night, day, night, day, night, over
  and over until you can no longer distinguish the difference. The
  world is flying in perpetual twilight, seasons changing too fast for
  you to feel the frosts of winter for more than a second at a time.
  The Flood
  Suddenly, time stops. It is midday and Strahd stands before you in
  the circle.
  But he isn't looking at you. He's holding up one hand as if in a
  mock wave, facing the river and the ruins below. Except, you each
  do a double take and see that they aren't ruins. In the once boggy
  marshes now stands a village. And the river... it's gone. The muddy
  bed lays ripped into the earth but there is no water. None at all.
  Strahd lets out a low breath and closes his open hand into a fist.
  And then you hear it. At first, it sounds like a storm, or perhaps
  the thundering of a distant army. You all look south and there, up
  the riverbed and roaring down the mountainside, is an unholy
  torrent of water. One of you screams and turns to run, always a
  little faster than the others. Another rushes to hide behind a
  menhir. But neither of you are fast enough! The water slams into
  Berez, drowning out the screams of the villagers! The water hits
  you! Soaks you to the bone and knocks the air out of you! But just
  before it washes you out of the Weaver's shrine, time stops and
  again begins to move backwards.
  Marina
  Time moves backwards only two days, stopping in the dead of
  night. Strahd walks into the circle and his face falls in horror. You
  follow his gaze down into Berez and you see the bonfire; hear the
  final few screams of a woman dead. You can only vaguely see her,
  lashed to a pole in the middle of the blazing pyre.
  And time moves backwards again. Just one day this time. It's
  dusk and Strahd stands with a woman. Ireena. You recognize her
  immediately.
  "Come, my love," says Strahd. "Let us go and I shall give you all
  you have dreamed of."
  Ireena smiles widely, her eyes shining with unfamiliar joy. And
  then her smile falters, but only a little. "My family... I know they'll
  never understand us. But... I must say goodbye at least. I'll meet
  you here tonight?"
  Strahd frowns, but bows low and kisses Ireena's hand. "What are
  a few more hours after centuries of waiting? Of course, my love.
  Tonight."
  The Loss of the Swamp Fane
  Again, time moves backwards. The clouds overhead move so
  quickly it hurts your eyes to look at them. How many years are
  passing? Hundreds at least. Finally it slows to a stop again. Berez is
  nothing more than a collection of huts on the riverbank.
  Six young women are lashed to the surrounding menhirs, each
  wearing hides and foliage. Five are dead, their chests carved out.
  Strahd stands in the center of it all, Baba Lysaga at his side. His
  face bears no emotion, no sympathy.
  The last girl, no more than fifteen, breathes ragged, wet breaths.
  Her shoulders are bent at odd angles from being lifted for so long
  and tears stain her cheeks. As she cries, she whispers something.
  Though the language is unfamiliar to you (unless a player speaks
  Druidic), the meaning flows into you like grief incarnate. "They are
  gone. Left us. My Ladies are dead."
  Baba Lysaga walks forward and plunges a dagger into the girl's
  chest. The process is long and bloody, but eventually the old witch
  turns with a freshly cut heart in hand. She gives it Strahd with a
  manic grin.
  Accepting the Gift
  Time moves backwards, undoing the horrible scene. This time, the
  cycle is somehow faster than before. You're surprised when the
  clouds break and beam sunlight upon you for the first time in
  months. Berez deconstructs on the river and for a flash you see an
  army on a distant hill and a dragon, its silver scales catching the
  sunlight, dash across the open sky.
  When time finally stops again, you're surprised to see Baba
  Lysaga standing before you. She seems out of place in this bright,
  serene world of ages passed. But... she's different. She's not a
  memory! She sees you! Baba stalks towards you, but just as she's
  about to reach you, an arm bursts through Baba's chest! It's
  clutching the old witch's rotten heart. You blink and find that your
  own hand is still outstretched, meeting the new appendage in the
  middle.
  Baba Lysaga's form melts away. Behind where she stood,
  holding her heart, is a young woman with yellow tinged skin, her
  hair drifting about her brow as if floating underwater. Her lips
  stretch up to reveal a cheshire grin made up of rows of sharpened
  teeth. The woman brings the heart to her grinning lips... and takes
  a bite.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  33
  
  
  
  Outside weakening Strahd, restoring the Ladies Three more
  than warrants a more mechanical reward.
  Once the final shrine is reconsecrated, the Ladies Three
  appear to the players as the elderly Jeny Greenteeth, Lara
  Stoneheart, and Madam Eva. As they approach, their elder
  forms melt away to reveal their more youthful and fey-like
  appearances. They thank the players and give them their
  rewards, but say little else.
  Overcast Skies
  Restoring the Fanes of Barovia weakens Strahd by
  removing his control over the land. This means that
  Strahd can no longer control the beasts of the
  Svalich Woods or the weather itself.
  However, Barovia remains sunless even after the
  Ladies Three are restored. The Dark Power, Vampyr,
  makes Barovia permanently overcast to protect his
  Darklord from the sun.
  In particular the Ladies might gift the players with the
  Sunsword. If the Dungeon Master rigs the Tarroka reading at
  the Tser Pool encampment, they might have the sword
  appear at Yester Hill, indicating the party's later descent into
  the Gulthias Dungeon. They might also provide a more vague
  prophesy without any particular location, and instead indicate
  a great magical event that moves the will of nature.
  In addition to the Sunsword, the Ladies might also gift the
  players with additional magical items or abilities, which
  would feel especially warranted after they give up the Holy
  Symbol of Ravenkind.
  This guide recommends that you reward the following
  items and abilities to parties that have restored the Fanes:
  The Sunsword
  The Orb of Rest (Magic Item found on page 37)
  This ability to each player character: "Proof against
  Enchantment. When you fail a saving throw to resist
  being charmed, you may choose to succeed instead. Once
  you use this ability, you may not use it again until you have
  completed a long rest."
  Each of these gifts is representative of the Ladies. The
  Sunsword represents the Huntress, as it is a weapon meant
  to destroy her foes. The orb of day is a manipulation of time,
  which represents the Weaver's keeping of history. Lastly,
  protection from enchantment represents the Seeker, who's
  foresight can offer clarity.
  All three of these gifts may prove crucial to Strahd's defeat.
  The sunsword is a mighty weapon to use against Strahd. The
  orb of day allows the party to quickly rest before summoning
  Vampyr or otherwise survive the final fight. Lastly, protection
  from enchantment allows the party to resist Strahd's
  powerful charm ability, which can last for 24 hours.
  Once their gifts have been given, the Seeker turns into a
  swarm of ravens that scatter, the Weaver turns into a puddle
  of swamp water that falls to the dirt, and the Huntress turns
  into a stone statue, which promptly crumbles to dust.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  34
  
  
  
  A
  nother overarching change made to the
  campaign in the Felshing Out series involves
  lycanthropy in the Barovian valley. Additionally,
  this section of the guide offers some alternative
  rules towards running a player character
  infected by lycanthropy.
  
  
  These guides recognize two forms of lycanthropy in Barovia:
  infected and inherited.
  
  
  Infected lycanthropes are affected by a magical disease or
  curse, and are examples of the most classic version of
  lycanthropy. This curse is spread through bite and enables its
  victims to succumb to their most beastly urges in exchange
  for monstrous power. The curse also makes its victims more
  violent in nature, giving them a soul-deep bloodlust that they
  cannot control.
  Infected lycanthropes have little control over their
  transformations and usually shapechange into their were-
  forms when under duress or when angered. Once
  transformed, they lose almost all control of their actions,
  attacking the source of their duress indiscriminately.
  Infected lycanthropes are dangerous monsters of Barovia.
  Though humanoids and therefore intelligent and sentient, it's
  generally only a matter of time before the bestial nature of
  their curse takes their senses and they become more violent
  and primitive versions of their former selves.
  In Barovia, the vast majority of werewolf lycanthropes are
  infected in nature and highly dangerous. Additionally, infected
  lycanthropy is a curse of the Ladies Three.
  
  
  Inherited lycanthropy is more akin to a species than a
  disease. This more benign form of lycanthropy is passed on
  from parent to child and inherited lycanthropes lack the
  ability to pass on their lycanthropy through their bites. While
  slightly weaker than their infected counterparts, this form of
  lycanthropy is also controllable.
  Inherited lycanthropes can change forms at will and retain
  their full personality and mind when in their altered states.
  Inherited lycanthropes undergo their first change in early
  adolescence. With enough practice and focus, they can gain
  full control of their change in a few short years. Because of its
  controllable nature, inherited lycanthropes often view their
  condition as a blessing rather than a curse.
  However, on nights of the full moon, inherited lycanthropes
  are still forced into their were-forms and become primitive
  and animalistic in nature, though they are generally still not
  as violent as their infected counterparts. Most inherited
  lycanthropes arrange locations to lock themselves away
  during the full moon as a result.
  In Barovia, nearly all wereraven lycanthropes are inherited
  in nature and live safely among the native populace, though
  all mysteriously disappear on nights of the full moon. Lastly,
  inherited lycanthropy in Barovia was once a gift bestowed on
  their ancestors by the Ladies Three.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  In the rules as written (page 207 of the Monster Manuel), a
  player character that becomes an infected lycanthrope gains
  immediate bonuses to their character sheet. They gain a
  bonus to one of their core stats, extra AC, and the ability to
  shapechange at will. Additionally, they gain the monster
  statblock's damage immunities, traits, and actions. The only
  downside to becoming a lycanthrope involves a possible
  change towards an evil alignment, meaning the Dungeon
  Master has the right to take control of their character sheet
  for the foreseeable future, potentially forcing the player to roll
  a new character.
  If a Dungeon Master allows their player to keep their
  lycanthrope character, these many bonuses hardly seem like
  a curse at all. And in Curse of Strahd, you certainly don't want
  your players to think being turned into a werewolf is a good
  thing. All power should come at a price, especially in this
  module.
  This section of the guide details an alternate way to run
  lycanthrope player characters.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  35
  
  
  
  Firstly, do not change an infected player character's
  alignment. Suddenly gaining an evil alignment can be a faster
  way to lose a player character than death. Most infected
  player characters are not actively choosing to be bitten and
  suddenly losing their character in such a way can seem
  drastically unfair to players.
  
  
  A player character infected with lycanthropy obtains the
  following traits and stat changes:
  Immunity to nonmagical and non-silvered damage.
  Advantage on all skill checks relying on smell and hearing
  (if a werewolf) or sight and hearing (if a wereraven).
  A Strength score of 18 (if a werewolf) or a Dexterity score
  of 18 (if a wereraven). If the player character's
  Strength/Dexterity is already an 18 or higher, it doesn't
  change.
  Beasts of the same classification of the player character's
  lycanthropy regard them with cautious friendship and
  don't outright attack.
  An infected player character involuntarily transforms into
  their were-form every night and therefore cannot benefit
  from a short or long rest at night. For each 24-hour period
  an infected player character goes without a long rest, they
  gain one level of exhaustion.
  
  
  Infected lycanthrope player characters cannot control their
  curse or their changes. They will transform into their were-
  form every sunset and revert to their humanoid selves every
  sunrise, without any memory of their time transformed. They
  also have no access to their beast form (wolf if a werewolf
  and raven if a wereraven).
  While in were-form, the infected player character
  succumbs to bloodlust and attacks the nearest living creature
  they can perceive, friend or foe. They must prioritize
  attacking weak or already injured creatures. If they cannot
  perceive any creatures nearby, they spend their turn and
  movement trying to seek one out.
  If you must run combat with a lycanthrope player character
  in were-form, use the following mechanical changes:
  Whenever a player character transforms into their were-
  form, they regain half their total hit points, but no spell
  slots, no class traits, and no racial traits.
  When in were-from, the player character has proficiency
  with unarmed strikes and may add either their Strength or
  Dexterity modifiers to those attack and damage rolls.
  Their unarmed strikes include a Claw attack that deals
  2d6 slashing damage and a Bite attack that deals 1d10
  piercing damage. Additionally, they can only use the attack
  action as their action, and that attack must use an
  unarmed strike. They may only use their strikes multiple
  times on a turn if their class already includes an Extra
  Attack feature.
  An infected player character has the ability to spread their
  curse only in were-form. If they bite another humanoid
  creature while in were-form, that creature must make a
  Constitution saving throw, DC (10 + proficiency bonus), or
  contract the player character's lycanthropy.
  Surprise, Surprise!
  Do not tell your players whether or not their
  characters have contracted lycanthropy after being
  bitten!
  Instead, have your players roll Constitution
  saving throws whenever they are bitten, regardless
  of whether or not they've already contracted
  lycanthropy, but then withhold the results of the
  saving throw and knowledge of the accompanying
  mechanical changes.
  If possible, prepare copies of your player
  characters' sheets and make the necessary changes
  to them privately. Then, for example, when a player
  goes to make a perception check based on hearing,
  have them roll with advantage but do not tell them
  why they have that advantage.
  Making their curse a discovery will be all the
  more interesting for them.
  
  
  This is just a friendly reminder that objects worn or carried
  by lycanthropes are not altered when they shapechange.
  Weapons will be dropped, clothing will rip, and backpacks
  will be abandoned, unless these objects are sized to
  appropriately accommodate a shapechange.
  
  
  If there are no party members present to witness the infected
  character's change into were-form, describe a blackout event
  to cover the infected character's time out of control.
  For example, the party goes to take a long rest, which
  passes without incident. The following morning, they wake,
  but the infected player character is missing. This character
  wakes in an alternate location of the Dungeon Master's
  choosing, naked and/or in tattered clothing, and covered in
  blood. This blood may belong to passing civilians, to animals,
  or something else entirely. Give the infected player character
  their point of exhaustion and let them figure it out.
  
  
  If an infected player character drops to 10 hit points or fewer,
  have them roll a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a fail,
  they transform into their were-form, regaining half their total
  hit points and entering their uncontrollable bloodlust. They
  remain in their were-form until they fall unconscious or until
  the following sunrise.
  
  
  As mentioned on page 10, the spell remove curse is an
  exceedingly easy way to cure lycanthropy and mitigates the
  severity of this curse. Instead, lycanthropy can only be cured
  by the greater restoration spell or something equivalent.
  In the campaign, the Abbott is capable of curing
  lycanthropy with his healing touch ability. Additionally, you
  might give van Richten a spell scroll of greater restoration.
  Lastly, you might suggest that killing the root lycanthrope
  will cure all those that they cursed. In the module, that
  werewolf might be Kiril at the Werewolf Den and killing him
  would cure the majority of the infected werewolves in his
  pack.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  36
  
  
  
  L
  astly, the Fleshing Out series employs modified
  magic items for the campaign.
  
  
  Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
  The holy symbol is a carved, bone amulet shaped like the
  sun, with a large crystal embedded in its center. Those that
  stare into the crystal can vaguely see an eye staring back at
  them.
  The changes to this magic item are meant to protect the
  party from Strahd's spying in the last third of the campaign.
  Abilities:
  The holy symbol has 10 charges for the following properties.
  It regains 1d6+1 charges daily at dawn.
  Mental Barrier. Anyone who wears the holy symbol gains the
  benefits of a nondetection spell and is resistant to psychic
  damage. As an action, the wearer can expend 4 charges to
  project this effect in a 15 ft radius around themselves,
  protecting any other creature within range. This effect lasts
  one hour.
  Raven's Eye. As an action, you can expend 3 charges to
  magically summon 1d4 swarms of ravens to aid you in
  combat. When combat ends, the summoned ravens burst into
  feathers and disappear.
  Sunlight. As an action, you can expend 5 charges while
  presenting the Symbol to make it shed bright light in a 30 ft
  radius and dim light for an additional 30 ft. The light is
  sunlight and lasts for 1 min or until you end the effect (no
  action required).
  
  
  Wondrous item, very rare
  The orb of rest is a small, crystal orb that fits comfortably
  into the palm of an average, humanoid hand. The orb seems
  to contain an ever-flowing nebula of stars.
  Abilities:
  The orb has a single charge. Once used, the orb regains its
  charge after 4d4 + 3 days.
  A Moment's Rest. As an action, a creature in physical
  contact with the orb of rest can use the item's charge to
  choose up to six willing creatures within 60 feet of it,
  including itself, to instantly gain the effects of a Long Rest.
  
  
  Staff, very rare, cursed (requires attunement)
  The staff is a spongy, black length of wood with the same
  statistics as a quarterstaff.
  If the staff is broken or burned to ashes, its wood releases a
  terrible, inhuman scream that can be heard out to a range of
  300 feet. All blights that can hear the scream immediately
  wither and die.
  Attunement:
  The Gulthias Staff can be attuned to over the course of a long
  rest. Multiple creatures can be attuned to the staff at the
  same time, though only one creature may attune to it per long
  rest. Once attuned to the staff, the only way to end
  attunement is to destroy or break the staff.
  The staff automatically attunes to a single humanoid
  creature within 5 feet of it over the course of that creature's
  long rest. During attunement, the staff grows several dozen,
  thread sized vines that reach out and pierce the skin of the
  creature it is attuning to. After completing their long rest, the
  creature can easily break the tiny vines, but pieces still live on
  in their flesh. Occasionally, they can see these vines moving
  beneath their skin.
  Abilities:
  Blight Bane. Anyone who holds the staff, attuned or
  unattuned, exerts a certain level of control over blights.
  Blights and other evil plant creatures don't regard the holder
  as hostile unless they harm them.
  Blight Lord. The staff has 10 charges and regains 1d6 + 1 of
  its expended charges daily at dusk.
  As an action, an attuned wielder can expend charges to
  create any of the following creatures:
  1 charge: 1x Twig Blight
  2 charges: 1x Needle Blight
  4 charges: 1x Vine Blight
  The summoned creature appears in a location within sight of
  and within 30 feet of the attuned user and is under their
  control, sharing the summoner's initiative. After 1 minute, the
  summon disappears. The summoner may dismiss a summon
  early as an action.
  When all charges are expended, roll a d20. On a 1, the staff
  crumbles to dust without releasing its blight-killing shriek.
  Curse:
  Keep the staff's cursed abilities secret from players.
  Symbiote. The staff lives by drinking the life force of its
  attuned hosts. When a creature attuned to the staff completes
  a long rest, they must make a DC 14 Constitution saving
  throw or take 15 (3d6 + 5) necrotic damage and have their hit
  point maximum reduced by the same amount. They take half
  damage on a successful save and their hit point maximum is
  reduced by that amount instead. This hit point reduction lasts
  until they complete their next long rest, at which point they
  must make another save.
  Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd
  37
  
   
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/MandyMod/MandyMod.-.Fleshing Out Curse of Strahd.-.Chapter 1 - Prepping the Adventure.pdf