Lanefan
Victoria Rules
One tiny word of caution here: make sure the players/PCs still have a very real chance (and know it!) of messing this up completely and - even if not a TPK - failing to save Barovia.What better metaphor for the terrifying and isolating world we live in than Barovia? And what better escapism is there than to have the power to make things better? Eliminate danger and bring people together?
It's an unconventional take on the setting, I'll admit, but it's one I stand strongly behind, now more than ever. Of course, this is not necessarily the aspect of my plans that I need help with. It's in figuring out how to run the Dusk Elves and the Abbey in a way that there are solutions that bring hope to their people, however difficult or even impossible as it may seem. And, of course, to avoid any unpleasant connotations in the process.
I say this because if you-as-DM have any pre-determinations that they're for sure going to succeed then no matter what you do this pre-determination will at some point find a way to become obvious to the players, and that kinda cheapens the whole experience.