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My Curse of Strahd Homebrew
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<blockquote data-quote="Libertad" data-source="post: 9069320" data-attributes="member: 6750502"><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Putting the Domains of Dread into Eberron's Cosmology</strong></p> <p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/UsCCmTF.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><em>Image from Exploring Eberron</em></p><p></p><p>Eberron has a rather peculiar interpretation of the Ravenloft setting and how I’m using it as part of my own Curse of Strahd campaign. So I figured to bring it up here. For sources I’m using Keith Baker’s own blog posts plus the Dread Metrol and Exploring Eberron sourcebooks, both of which can be purchased on the DM’s Guild. I should note that this isn't WotC canon, but rather Eberron's creator theorizing (and dropping some subtle hints) how he'd do things with the two settings.</p><p></p><p><a href="https://keith-baker.com/the-endless-night/" target="_blank">Blog Post about Mabar</a></p><p><a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/product/364000/Dread-Metrol-Into-the-Mists--An-Eberron---Ravenloft-Crossover" target="_blank">Dread Metrol Product</a></p><p><a href="https://www.dmsguild.com/product/315887/Exploring-Eberron" target="_blank">Exploring Eberron Product</a></p><p></p><p>By default, the Domains of Dread are located in the Shadowfell, pulling regions from various worlds to serve as planar prisons for the Darklords. Which works fine for the rather setting-generic concept of most campaigns, but there are elements in Keith Baker’s Eberron that put Ravenloft more solidly in his setting’s cosmology.</p><p></p><p><strong>Mabar, the Endless Night,</strong> is one of the 13 planes of existence, strongly associated with shadows, death itself, and negative energy. It is an entropic realm, pulling fragments of other planes into its form to drain of light, life, and hope before they dissolve into oblivion. Most of Mabar is a hyper-deadly negative energy vacuum, but these fragments are capable of holding life; these “safe zones” of Mabar are known as Hinterlands. Mortals who die here reincarnate as shadows or other undead, becoming bound to their fragments so that even should they leave and die elsewhere they’re reborn in Mabar.</p><p></p><p><strong>Irian, the Eternal Dawn,</strong> is the planar opposite, a world of life and light that seeds new environments and dimensions which eventually “drift” into other planes. Going back to Mabar, its denizens include your typical undead, fiends and yugoloths in particular, but also the Dark Powers, the mightiest beings in Mabar which embody particular aspects of that plane and rule their own domains of linked layers. They are unto gods in their particular areas, but have a limited ability to act beyond these layers and Mabar itself.</p><p></p><p><strong>In the introduction of Dread Metrol,</strong> one of the Dark Powers of Mabar is the Empress of Shadows, mentioning how they don’t want to strip all hope from mortals but want to let them have just enough to make their misery all the sweeter. There’s also a sidebar about how Ravenloft can be incorporated into Eberron’s cosmology. The first is the typical “Demiplane of Dread touching various planes across the multiverse,” but another that posits the Domains of Dread being part of Mabar, and that the domains are fragments of other planes kept in the Hinterlands, where the Dark Powers take pleasure in the slow deaths of fragments, but otherwise the other aspects (such as darklords having unwinnable struggles in spite of their power) are more or less the same. </p><p></p><p><strong>But how does this tie to Khyber and the Cults of the Dragon Below?</strong> Well, Exploring Eberron mentions that the worshipers of the Dragon Below have varying beliefs and may not even be aware of who they’re actually worshiping, a common aspect of Eberron’s Underdark equivalent is that it’s full of demiplanes, some of them serving as prisons for greater horrors. Many cultists often seek pilgrimages to these demiplanes in hopes of finding a paradise hidden from all but the most faithful.</p><p></p><p>Now, as Mabar is a “lower plane” in Eberron’s cosmology and thus tied to Khyber, my fanon idea is that Cultists of the Dragon Below who are aware of Ravenloft may view it as such a paradise. Perhaps they even assume the Dark Powers (rightly or wrongly) as being high-ranking servants of the Dragon Below, if not worshiped as gods in and of themselves. They could get involved with Darklords in two ways: as enemies, continually thwarting their desires in order to keep the domain “trapped” in the Endless Night so the Dark Powers can feed off its fragments, or serving them, viewing them as local godlings of the domains and living representations of an ideal salvation. Basically viewing the darklords’ powers as worth the cost for their respective curses, if they even know the specifics of their torments.</p><p></p><p>This makes the Cults a rather diverse faction of being minions of a Darklord or even opposing them, although being delusional at best and malevolent at worst means that they’re a “lesser of two evils” for PCs who decide to work with them.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Vjf6yJR.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Vg9ooN" target="_blank">Sewer Monster by Eryk Szczygiel</a></p><p></p><p><strong>But how can we tie this into Curse of Strahd?</strong> Glad that you asked! One particular Cult devoted to Sul Khatesh, the Keeper of Secrets, managed to find a way into the Mists in the nation of Aundair. Led by Arcanix graduate and warlock Alexandre Dufresne, they negotiated passage with Strahd due to them having dragonshard crystals as a valuable magical resource. Even if he didn’t share their religious views, Strahd was fine with entertaining their delusions about Barovia being a hidden paradise of Khyber if it meant getting more of those magical crystals. However, the Cult is aware of Barovia’s ties to Mabar, and over time they learned about Strahd’s particular torment in pursuing Tatyana’s incarnations. Even if it’s unlikely that Barovia shall be freed, a one in a million chance is still a chance given enough time. So the Cult figured it best to keep her out of his hands, even potentially outright killing her, so that the Dark Powers can dissolve more of the planar fragment over time.</p><p></p><p>Strahd eventually learned of this plot, and thus the Cult became his enemies. When Dufresne crossed the Mists into Eberron, Strahd used that opportunity to attack them, scattering the survivors to be hunted down like animals across Barovia. Hearing the calls of the Vestiges in the Amber Temple, the surviving Dragon Below cultists holed up there.</p><p></p><p>Complicating matters is the fact that this Cult of Sul Khatesh has gained much of their funding through secret deals with the Church of the Silver Flame. Desiring Khyber dragonshards but not wanting to risk their own devout warriors, some priests opted to hire cultists to do expeditions in Khyber. The rationale is that by having wicked fiend-worshipers brave the monster-filled depths, there won’t be anyone to miss. If the expedition fails the cultists die, if they succeed the church gets more dragonshards. The expeditions were successful, and through this the Cult of Sul Khaesth conducted planar research of various hidden demiplanes, coming upon the Land of Mists. Eventually the Cult grew big enough to start causing trouble, using Barovia as a sort of hidden base from which they could raid local Aundairan towns. The Church of the Silver Flame sent a strike team known as Brushfire to deal with them: led by Mazareth Jholareth, this aged elf was chosen once due to manipulations and double-dealings. As one of the higher-ranking members growing aware of the Church’s misdeeds, it is hoped that he would die in battle against the Cult, or if victorious be used to send a message to the Cult of who is holding the purse strings.</p><p></p><p>Jholareth’s party ended up in Barovia, but quickly fell prey to its many horrors. He and a few survivors fortified a cave up in the Balinok Mountains, seeking to replenish their numbers with local Barovians. Recruiting from lepers, orphans, the terminally ill, and other such unfortunates with nothing to lose, Jholareth taught them enough to be a step above the average peasant. This new Brushfire is cut off from the Church in a low-magic world, the bulk of its members being nomadic patrols with minimal training whose primary means of dealing with monsters and curses is to burn it all down. Farmsteads whose occupants have become zombies, haunted houses, and other such places are put to the torch so that their danger can (theoretically) be mitigated. Most members don’t have spellcasting potential, but have been instructed in useful knowledge about dealing with monsters and dark magic. Only a few of them know the organization’s origin beyond vague talk of “outlander adventurers,” as Strahd’s many spies encourage Jholareth to rely upon secrecy and tests of character for inducting members up the ranks.</p><p></p><p>In prior times, priests of the Morninglord or knights would take care of Brushfire’s tasks, but now they serve as the next best thing. They have a mixed reputation in Barovia; on the one hand, viewed as a necessary service. On the other hand, it is a fate nobody voluntarily wishes for, and the sicknesses and outcast nature of many of their members often bar them from mainstream society.</p><p></p><p>Brushfire members with terminal conditions often drink a powerful stimulant to enhance their physical capabilities in order to overcome their pain and weakness. The herbal drug has the side effect of causing rapid muscular dystrophy, which has given rise to the term "going out in a blaze of glory" among the group.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/AQelmQv.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><a href="https://arrenkae.tumblr.com/post/646935147677188096/izek-strazni-commissioned-by-a-fellow-dm" target="_blank">Izek Strazni fanart on Me And My Best Friend The Void blog</a></p><p></p><p><strong>For a potential hook into Barovia,</strong> the PCs may be in a town where recent murders bear signs of Cult influence. The responsible party is Alexandre Dufresne, who was allowed passage back to Eberron by Strahd upon learning through a Vistani traveler that a hated enemy of the Cult was in town. Alexandre eagerly sought to “take care of some personal business,” but Strahd had ulterior motives for letting him through. Realizing the Cult’s treachery in their plans to keep Ireena from him, he wanted their most powerful leader elsewhere while he took revenge upon them. He plans to let Dufresne back into Barovia, where he hopes to administer a most personal torment for him. It is through Dufresne that the PCs will enter the Mists in pursuit, with neither side knowing that they are equally doomed in Strahd’s eyes.</p><p></p><p>Thus the Cult of the Dragon Below is a potential major hook for bringing Eberronian PCs into Barovia, but they are a secondary antagonist. By the time the PCs come into Barovia, their forces have been decimated, but evidence of their links (and eventual falling out) with Strahd can still serve as a recurring hook and eventual revelation about Barovia’s true nature. And all the more reason to save not just Ireena, but also the entire domain from this endless cycle of gradual planar death.</p><p></p><p><strong>For specific NPCs,</strong> we can make a few alterations. The Martikovs of the Keepers of the Feather know about both the Cult of Sul Khatesh and Brushfire, mostly that they are outlander organizations who are mutually hostile to each other. The former being religious tradesmen who aroused Strahd’s ire, and the latter being would-be exorcists and monster hunters who are in over their heads. PCs who help out the Martikovs can learn more information in line with a progression of rewards, such as saving the winery and recovering the wine gems.</p><p></p><p><em>Ezmerelda</em> may temporarily ally with Brushfire, and may be accompanied by one of their patrols (1d4+1 members) during the party’s encounters with her. But much like the peasant rebels in Castle Ravenloft, they are very weak, most likely using either the Commoner or Guard stat blocks but a third of their number carrying flasks of alchemist’s fire or holy water. They have rudimentary instruction in the supernatural, giving them proficiency in the Arcana and Religion skills (+2).</p><p></p><p><em>Izek Strazni</em> of Vallaki is a bit of a loose end in the default adventure. There’s no mention of how he got that creepy arm, and his status as Ireena’s sister is vague enough that it won’t pop up in most campaigns. Well, there are living appendages known as symbionts used by the Cults of the Dragon Below, including a Crawling Gauntlet that provides its host with a claw-like hand. And the ruler of Vallaki seeks to openly defy Strahd. Let’s put two and two together…</p><p></p><p>When Strahd razed the Cult, their members scattered across Barovia. Those who couldn’t make it to the Amber Temple went into hiding in Vallaki. Izek Strazni ingratiated himself to Baron Vargas Vallakovich, winning him over with some dragonshards and magic items that are common in Eberron but unique in Barovia.* Izek and several Cultists joined Vallaki’s militia, and while they keep their religion under wraps Vargas figures not to pry too much. They’re allies against the Devil with valuable items and skills, after all!</p><p></p><p>*And if the Fortunes of Ravenloft place one of the treasures in the Baron’s house, it was Izek who found it and gifted it to him.</p><p></p><p>In this case, Izek’s obsession with Ireena changes. His bedroom full of dolls is replaced with different kinds of incriminating evidence: a handful of Khyber dragonshards in the wooden chest, secret rolled up letters in the empty wine bottles with details on Ireena’s living quarters in the Village of Barovia, her physical appearance and regular routes about town and hobbies, a brief writing from Alexandre Dufresne that she “is the key to Barovia; we must keep her out of the Darklord’s hands at all costs,” and notes about the PCs and their capabilities if he and the Cult managed to gather any reliable information about them. The Ireena doll will still remain in Blinsky’s possession, it being a personal commission by Strazni who is relying upon a toymaker instead of a painter to get an accurate image of her.</p><p></p><p>As for <em>Lady Wachter,</em> she is vaguely aware that Izek is not from Barovia and his monstrous arm is evidence of the supernatural. She also knows that several of his fellow outlanders are members of the town guard. Lady Wachter doesn’t know about Eberron or who they worship, only that they are “troublemakers from elsewhere the Baron has taken under his wing.”</p><p></p><p><em>The Abbot</em> is aware of Barovia’s presence in Mabar and the fate that awaits such domains at the hands of the Dark Powers. Thus, he views his desire to provide Strahd a bride as the utmost goal to save Barovia from cosmic oblivion.</p><p></p><p>As for the <em>Amber Temple,</em> the humanoid inhabitants can be reflavored into Cultists of the Dragon Below. The noncasting berserkers thus become the lower-ranking “muscle,” their attacks and armor reflavored as aberrant symbionts grafted onto their bodies. Exethanter the lich can either be a senior member of the Cult who set up magical defenses to keep them out of Strahd’s perception (only to be weakened and suffer amnesia in the process), or the transformed state of Alexandre Dufresne after making a deal with one of the vestiges. The nothics and death slaad are transformed cultists.</p><p></p><p>The <em>Vestiges</em> in the amber sarcophagi called the surviving cultists forth, sensing their wickedness and desperation. Several cultists already made deals with them, which may add their unique boons as per DM’s discretion. In fact, it is possible that the vestiges may be the essences of a trapped daelkyr or overfiend, depending on what feels most appropriate for the DM’s campaign.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Libertad, post: 9069320, member: 6750502"] [center][b]Putting the Domains of Dread into Eberron's Cosmology[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/UsCCmTF.png[/img][/center] [i]Image from Exploring Eberron[/i] Eberron has a rather peculiar interpretation of the Ravenloft setting and how I’m using it as part of my own Curse of Strahd campaign. So I figured to bring it up here. For sources I’m using Keith Baker’s own blog posts plus the Dread Metrol and Exploring Eberron sourcebooks, both of which can be purchased on the DM’s Guild. I should note that this isn't WotC canon, but rather Eberron's creator theorizing (and dropping some subtle hints) how he'd do things with the two settings. [url=https://keith-baker.com/the-endless-night/]Blog Post about Mabar[/url] [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/364000/Dread-Metrol-Into-the-Mists--An-Eberron---Ravenloft-Crossover]Dread Metrol Product[/url] [url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/315887/Exploring-Eberron]Exploring Eberron Product[/url] By default, the Domains of Dread are located in the Shadowfell, pulling regions from various worlds to serve as planar prisons for the Darklords. Which works fine for the rather setting-generic concept of most campaigns, but there are elements in Keith Baker’s Eberron that put Ravenloft more solidly in his setting’s cosmology. [b]Mabar, the Endless Night,[/b] is one of the 13 planes of existence, strongly associated with shadows, death itself, and negative energy. It is an entropic realm, pulling fragments of other planes into its form to drain of light, life, and hope before they dissolve into oblivion. Most of Mabar is a hyper-deadly negative energy vacuum, but these fragments are capable of holding life; these “safe zones” of Mabar are known as Hinterlands. Mortals who die here reincarnate as shadows or other undead, becoming bound to their fragments so that even should they leave and die elsewhere they’re reborn in Mabar. [b]Irian, the Eternal Dawn,[/b] is the planar opposite, a world of life and light that seeds new environments and dimensions which eventually “drift” into other planes. Going back to Mabar, its denizens include your typical undead, fiends and yugoloths in particular, but also the Dark Powers, the mightiest beings in Mabar which embody particular aspects of that plane and rule their own domains of linked layers. They are unto gods in their particular areas, but have a limited ability to act beyond these layers and Mabar itself. [b]In the introduction of Dread Metrol,[/b] one of the Dark Powers of Mabar is the Empress of Shadows, mentioning how they don’t want to strip all hope from mortals but want to let them have just enough to make their misery all the sweeter. There’s also a sidebar about how Ravenloft can be incorporated into Eberron’s cosmology. The first is the typical “Demiplane of Dread touching various planes across the multiverse,” but another that posits the Domains of Dread being part of Mabar, and that the domains are fragments of other planes kept in the Hinterlands, where the Dark Powers take pleasure in the slow deaths of fragments, but otherwise the other aspects (such as darklords having unwinnable struggles in spite of their power) are more or less the same. [b]But how does this tie to Khyber and the Cults of the Dragon Below?[/b] Well, Exploring Eberron mentions that the worshipers of the Dragon Below have varying beliefs and may not even be aware of who they’re actually worshiping, a common aspect of Eberron’s Underdark equivalent is that it’s full of demiplanes, some of them serving as prisons for greater horrors. Many cultists often seek pilgrimages to these demiplanes in hopes of finding a paradise hidden from all but the most faithful. Now, as Mabar is a “lower plane” in Eberron’s cosmology and thus tied to Khyber, my fanon idea is that Cultists of the Dragon Below who are aware of Ravenloft may view it as such a paradise. Perhaps they even assume the Dark Powers (rightly or wrongly) as being high-ranking servants of the Dragon Below, if not worshiped as gods in and of themselves. They could get involved with Darklords in two ways: as enemies, continually thwarting their desires in order to keep the domain “trapped” in the Endless Night so the Dark Powers can feed off its fragments, or serving them, viewing them as local godlings of the domains and living representations of an ideal salvation. Basically viewing the darklords’ powers as worth the cost for their respective curses, if they even know the specifics of their torments. This makes the Cults a rather diverse faction of being minions of a Darklord or even opposing them, although being delusional at best and malevolent at worst means that they’re a “lesser of two evils” for PCs who decide to work with them. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Vjf6yJR.jpg[/img][/center] [url=https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Vg9ooN]Sewer Monster by Eryk Szczygiel[/url] [b]But how can we tie this into Curse of Strahd?[/b] Glad that you asked! One particular Cult devoted to Sul Khatesh, the Keeper of Secrets, managed to find a way into the Mists in the nation of Aundair. Led by Arcanix graduate and warlock Alexandre Dufresne, they negotiated passage with Strahd due to them having dragonshard crystals as a valuable magical resource. Even if he didn’t share their religious views, Strahd was fine with entertaining their delusions about Barovia being a hidden paradise of Khyber if it meant getting more of those magical crystals. However, the Cult is aware of Barovia’s ties to Mabar, and over time they learned about Strahd’s particular torment in pursuing Tatyana’s incarnations. Even if it’s unlikely that Barovia shall be freed, a one in a million chance is still a chance given enough time. So the Cult figured it best to keep her out of his hands, even potentially outright killing her, so that the Dark Powers can dissolve more of the planar fragment over time. Strahd eventually learned of this plot, and thus the Cult became his enemies. When Dufresne crossed the Mists into Eberron, Strahd used that opportunity to attack them, scattering the survivors to be hunted down like animals across Barovia. Hearing the calls of the Vestiges in the Amber Temple, the surviving Dragon Below cultists holed up there. Complicating matters is the fact that this Cult of Sul Khatesh has gained much of their funding through secret deals with the Church of the Silver Flame. Desiring Khyber dragonshards but not wanting to risk their own devout warriors, some priests opted to hire cultists to do expeditions in Khyber. The rationale is that by having wicked fiend-worshipers brave the monster-filled depths, there won’t be anyone to miss. If the expedition fails the cultists die, if they succeed the church gets more dragonshards. The expeditions were successful, and through this the Cult of Sul Khaesth conducted planar research of various hidden demiplanes, coming upon the Land of Mists. Eventually the Cult grew big enough to start causing trouble, using Barovia as a sort of hidden base from which they could raid local Aundairan towns. The Church of the Silver Flame sent a strike team known as Brushfire to deal with them: led by Mazareth Jholareth, this aged elf was chosen once due to manipulations and double-dealings. As one of the higher-ranking members growing aware of the Church’s misdeeds, it is hoped that he would die in battle against the Cult, or if victorious be used to send a message to the Cult of who is holding the purse strings. Jholareth’s party ended up in Barovia, but quickly fell prey to its many horrors. He and a few survivors fortified a cave up in the Balinok Mountains, seeking to replenish their numbers with local Barovians. Recruiting from lepers, orphans, the terminally ill, and other such unfortunates with nothing to lose, Jholareth taught them enough to be a step above the average peasant. This new Brushfire is cut off from the Church in a low-magic world, the bulk of its members being nomadic patrols with minimal training whose primary means of dealing with monsters and curses is to burn it all down. Farmsteads whose occupants have become zombies, haunted houses, and other such places are put to the torch so that their danger can (theoretically) be mitigated. Most members don’t have spellcasting potential, but have been instructed in useful knowledge about dealing with monsters and dark magic. Only a few of them know the organization’s origin beyond vague talk of “outlander adventurers,” as Strahd’s many spies encourage Jholareth to rely upon secrecy and tests of character for inducting members up the ranks. In prior times, priests of the Morninglord or knights would take care of Brushfire’s tasks, but now they serve as the next best thing. They have a mixed reputation in Barovia; on the one hand, viewed as a necessary service. On the other hand, it is a fate nobody voluntarily wishes for, and the sicknesses and outcast nature of many of their members often bar them from mainstream society. Brushfire members with terminal conditions often drink a powerful stimulant to enhance their physical capabilities in order to overcome their pain and weakness. The herbal drug has the side effect of causing rapid muscular dystrophy, which has given rise to the term "going out in a blaze of glory" among the group. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/AQelmQv.png[/img][/center] [url=https://arrenkae.tumblr.com/post/646935147677188096/izek-strazni-commissioned-by-a-fellow-dm]Izek Strazni fanart on Me And My Best Friend The Void blog[/url] [b]For a potential hook into Barovia,[/b] the PCs may be in a town where recent murders bear signs of Cult influence. The responsible party is Alexandre Dufresne, who was allowed passage back to Eberron by Strahd upon learning through a Vistani traveler that a hated enemy of the Cult was in town. Alexandre eagerly sought to “take care of some personal business,” but Strahd had ulterior motives for letting him through. Realizing the Cult’s treachery in their plans to keep Ireena from him, he wanted their most powerful leader elsewhere while he took revenge upon them. He plans to let Dufresne back into Barovia, where he hopes to administer a most personal torment for him. It is through Dufresne that the PCs will enter the Mists in pursuit, with neither side knowing that they are equally doomed in Strahd’s eyes. Thus the Cult of the Dragon Below is a potential major hook for bringing Eberronian PCs into Barovia, but they are a secondary antagonist. By the time the PCs come into Barovia, their forces have been decimated, but evidence of their links (and eventual falling out) with Strahd can still serve as a recurring hook and eventual revelation about Barovia’s true nature. And all the more reason to save not just Ireena, but also the entire domain from this endless cycle of gradual planar death. [b]For specific NPCs,[/b] we can make a few alterations. The Martikovs of the Keepers of the Feather know about both the Cult of Sul Khatesh and Brushfire, mostly that they are outlander organizations who are mutually hostile to each other. The former being religious tradesmen who aroused Strahd’s ire, and the latter being would-be exorcists and monster hunters who are in over their heads. PCs who help out the Martikovs can learn more information in line with a progression of rewards, such as saving the winery and recovering the wine gems. [i]Ezmerelda[/i] may temporarily ally with Brushfire, and may be accompanied by one of their patrols (1d4+1 members) during the party’s encounters with her. But much like the peasant rebels in Castle Ravenloft, they are very weak, most likely using either the Commoner or Guard stat blocks but a third of their number carrying flasks of alchemist’s fire or holy water. They have rudimentary instruction in the supernatural, giving them proficiency in the Arcana and Religion skills (+2). [i]Izek Strazni[/i] of Vallaki is a bit of a loose end in the default adventure. There’s no mention of how he got that creepy arm, and his status as Ireena’s sister is vague enough that it won’t pop up in most campaigns. Well, there are living appendages known as symbionts used by the Cults of the Dragon Below, including a Crawling Gauntlet that provides its host with a claw-like hand. And the ruler of Vallaki seeks to openly defy Strahd. Let’s put two and two together… When Strahd razed the Cult, their members scattered across Barovia. Those who couldn’t make it to the Amber Temple went into hiding in Vallaki. Izek Strazni ingratiated himself to Baron Vargas Vallakovich, winning him over with some dragonshards and magic items that are common in Eberron but unique in Barovia.* Izek and several Cultists joined Vallaki’s militia, and while they keep their religion under wraps Vargas figures not to pry too much. They’re allies against the Devil with valuable items and skills, after all! *And if the Fortunes of Ravenloft place one of the treasures in the Baron’s house, it was Izek who found it and gifted it to him. In this case, Izek’s obsession with Ireena changes. His bedroom full of dolls is replaced with different kinds of incriminating evidence: a handful of Khyber dragonshards in the wooden chest, secret rolled up letters in the empty wine bottles with details on Ireena’s living quarters in the Village of Barovia, her physical appearance and regular routes about town and hobbies, a brief writing from Alexandre Dufresne that she “is the key to Barovia; we must keep her out of the Darklord’s hands at all costs,” and notes about the PCs and their capabilities if he and the Cult managed to gather any reliable information about them. The Ireena doll will still remain in Blinsky’s possession, it being a personal commission by Strazni who is relying upon a toymaker instead of a painter to get an accurate image of her. As for [i]Lady Wachter,[/i] she is vaguely aware that Izek is not from Barovia and his monstrous arm is evidence of the supernatural. She also knows that several of his fellow outlanders are members of the town guard. Lady Wachter doesn’t know about Eberron or who they worship, only that they are “troublemakers from elsewhere the Baron has taken under his wing.” [i]The Abbot[/i] is aware of Barovia’s presence in Mabar and the fate that awaits such domains at the hands of the Dark Powers. Thus, he views his desire to provide Strahd a bride as the utmost goal to save Barovia from cosmic oblivion. As for the [i]Amber Temple,[/i] the humanoid inhabitants can be reflavored into Cultists of the Dragon Below. The noncasting berserkers thus become the lower-ranking “muscle,” their attacks and armor reflavored as aberrant symbionts grafted onto their bodies. Exethanter the lich can either be a senior member of the Cult who set up magical defenses to keep them out of Strahd’s perception (only to be weakened and suffer amnesia in the process), or the transformed state of Alexandre Dufresne after making a deal with one of the vestiges. The nothics and death slaad are transformed cultists. The [i]Vestiges[/i] in the amber sarcophagi called the surviving cultists forth, sensing their wickedness and desperation. Several cultists already made deals with them, which may add their unique boons as per DM’s discretion. In fact, it is possible that the vestiges may be the essences of a trapped daelkyr or overfiend, depending on what feels most appropriate for the DM’s campaign. [/QUOTE]
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