Ravenloft (A Red Boxed Campaign)

[MadStepDad]

The longtime traveler returns to the hearth, blowing off the dust of a dozen lifetimes. For those in the know, no introduction is necessary. To the novice observer, no explanation will suffice. I have my own chapter in the "Memoirs of the Fraternity Book Set" (for sale in the Frat store!) about historic flame wars and campaign models of the past (though I still claim absolutely no responsibility for the disappearance of Wiccy). I have traveled *TEN YEARS* on an unfathomable quest, only to find the end destination is the same home I started from. Ravenloft.

*TEN YEARS AGO* I finished an amazing Ravenloft "Grand Conjunction" adventure that took a crew of AD&D veterans (but Ravenloft novices) through a grand tour of the original Black Box set. My exploits were painstakingly transcribed and broadcast throughout the Ravenloft community on various platforms (yes, this predated even our precious Fraternity of Shadows!) I highly encourage you to check it out, because I'm still convinced it's the greatest campaign ever played. Go ahead and check it out, I'll wait!

http://madstepdad.proboards.com/board/1 ... onjunction

Everything from the Death of Duke Gundar, to "Where Black Roses Bloom", "Book of Crypts" and the "Feast of Goblyns Trilogy" is included. Not to mention every Grand Conjunction adventure. Whew. Real life, real-talk. 3 years real-time / 5 years game-time.

That's where it all started and ended. Now... it all starts again. *TEN YEARS LATER* (I keep repeating that cuz I still can't believe it!) Wishes granted by the Dark Powerz, I have been blessed with two beautiful, healthy, brilliant baby boys. My Grand Conjunction campaign coincided with the birth of my oldest son. Now *TEN YEARS LATER!* (and after much prodding, poking and pulling) I have been dragged right back in. The Mistz are rising and I have heeded their call! MSD's Adventures through the Red Box set now begin!!

Beginning with my two sons (ages 10 and 7) and cousin I corralled into playing (age 21), I am relaunching a new long-term Ravenloft campaign set in 740 Red Box-style. I am inviting all of my esteemed colleagues, friends and peers to join me on this quest. I am shaking off literally a decade of rust, as I pored through my old manuscripts and unearthed my Ravenloft library collection (I have every reference book ever printed). For the last few weeks I have slowly been getting back into shape by treating my old campaign logs (slightly edited of course) as bedtime stories for my boyz. This served the duel purpose of hyping our upcoming game by giving them a historical overview of times gone past, and reinvigorating myself to get this thing moving. This new campaign will start where the last one left off - so homebrewed landmarks like the Province of Solyss and iconic NPCs (like the legends of my former PCs) will be included.

I have some light ideas and general campaign direction (I want to end with the Grim Harvest / Death of van Richten double whammy). But along the way, I want to take my boyz on a good old fashioned romp through the Red Box. So I'll be posting campaign recaps and anecdotes as we go, and soliciting advice & suggestions all the while. I'm hoping I can make this a family affair, and ultimately we will take the credit (or blame!) for creating the next generation of Ravenloft fanatics!!

So, fellow Fraternity members and other assorted cultists, will you join me on this sacred mission? The very FUTURE of our fair Dread Realms may rest in the balance... I am the Ancient. I am the Land. I am MSD and I have returned *home*. May Ezra have mercy on all our souls!

[end transmission]

[alhoon]

For starters I would suggest D&D next. It feels quite like the original game felt without the myriad of problems that plagued 2nd edition.

Also, welcome back!

[Manofevil]

Dude. Welcome back.

[Dark Angel]

While I am quite the novice as far as the site is concerned, I have been using it for years and I believe your campaign journals have given me more inspiration than any other materials from a single source. From romps into Borca and the things you have done differently with The Cedar Chest (my player was both awed and pissed at the same time!), the way you make it work with two player is awesome (which was my situation for quite some time). I will do my best for any help or suggestions you may need, glad to see you on the site again.

[Don Fernando]

I'm in. I too came back from a long hiatus. Whatever you need I'm happy to help if I can. Welcome back!

[MadStepDad]

Excellent, then it is agreed. The party starts now. First, the official Introduction. This is D&D 3.5 rules, though I still continue to put more of an emphasis on problem-solving and role-playing than anything else. 1st-level characters. I believe strongly in the "Mash-Up Theory" of gaming, in which many pieces from lots of different sources can be used. Ravenloft in itself is the original Mash-Up D&D Universe (borrowing - or *stealing* - material from all the old TSR realms). So much like I pilfered ideas, objects, locations & NPCs from obscure places for my original campaign, I will continue to do so here, as means of expressing this philosophy. Case in point, my choice for our introductory module. Part random select / part destiny. A quick, breezy 15 page (and 6 of them are filled with pre-generated PCs we did not use) Pathfinder module called "Dawn of the Scarlet Sun". Here's how I mashed it up to fit our new Ravenloft campaign...


It's year 740 by the Barovian calender, and a most tumultous time. An armageddon of sorts that many are referring to as a "Great Cataclysm" has sheared the boundaries of space & time, bleeding Denizens of Dread onto the Prime Material plane. With so many earth-shattering geological and religious changes it is a time of mass panic, hysteria & aggression. But it is during this darkest time, that true heroes can shine the brightest...

The journal of Rick von Pier (as written by my 10 year old son)

Dear Journal,

Even though I’m going to let you burn I’m going to tell you about the day and after I got swallowed up by some mysterious mists. After battling my arch-enemy Ladislas Sentesti once again I finally had him on the run. A mob of villagers joined my chase and with hunting dogs and swords we chased Ladislas into a wall of fog he had cast. All the sudden I didn’t recognize where I was going. I just kept on walking when I got smacked in the head with a putrid smell I didn’t know where it was coming from. I was still walking when I saw a pack of wild dogs. I wanted to calm but then I saw all of them were mangy and starving and looked at me because I had stepped on a stick. None of them were alive but they all started lurking toward me. That’s when the real fight started….

[MadStepDad]

The journey begins at the base of what Dark Powerz know as the Balinok mountains. With the echoes of mobs & hunting dogs in his ears, Rick von Pier ("RvP" for brevity sake) exited the Mistz and found himself alone on unfamiliar lands. A tremendous storm is brewing in the background. He took a few moments to acclimate himself, and followed the river downstream. Signs of recent warfare is prevalent among the surroundings, with scorched trees giving way to charred barren wastelands. There is clearly a great disturbance in his surroundings; something RvP can sense through his very moral fiber. If his arch-enemy Ladislas Sintesti had indeed come this same way, he would have found these forsaken lands perfectly suited to his liking!

The first encounter involved a freshly-murdered body adorned with foreign religious symbols (a medallion of the Morninglord, a photocopied picture that became his 1st player handout), and the gruesome discovery that the victim had his *heart removed* (his first official "Horror Check"). This was no soldier of war, he was just a poor traveling Holy man. Now night has fallen, and the second encounter involved a growling ravenous wolfpack, similar to the wild dogs Rick Grimes and company encountered on The Walking Dead Season 5 mid-finale (what can I say, I love that show).

Here's my son's description of the battle, and introduction of Geezus (my 21 y/o cousin):

I took out my Warhammer to intimidate them, but the creatures were not going away. I guess I have to fight them I thought. I closest one was going to get his head bashed in so I swung my Warhammer and all most killed it then my confidence ran out when five more came from behind me. I was about to run I saw arrow hit one of the creatures in the shoulder, hit the one that I hit before with my Warhammer again and nearly killed it. The guy came and came running and hit one of the creatures in the side then three of the creatures turned to him. I raised my Warhammer and killed the creature that I hit twice before.

Brief combat ensues as I'm trying to illustrate a wide variety of dice rolls within the game tonight. Outnumbering RvP with the starving wolves allowed me to introduce our 2nd PC - the enigmatic woodsman Geezus. Summoned by the soundls of battle, Geezus sprang into action and saved RvP's life - becoming Daryl to his Rick. Allowing time for player interactions (Geezus is apparently an Outlander stranger as well), the storm finally breaks and forces them to seek refuge in the nearest dry sanctuary... a mysterious monastery nestled on a nearby hill, illuminated by a lone candlelight... and bearing markings of the same religious symbol players found on the body of a murder victim... welcome to Ravenloft kids!

[MadStepDad]

To the monastery. Enter our 3rd and final PC, young "Sonyo" the Morninglord Monk (both my boyz are also greenbelts in Young Dragons MMA so I catered to that interest with this character creation). His grandfather ("Zhurak") was our main NPC host for the evening. After being assured the victim RvP found was *not* his missing granddaughter Zadendi, the elderly Zhurak helped fill the players in on the adventure background. Meanwhile storms raged outside. From the module (w/ my own Ravenloft embellishments):

"For the past few days the village of Solyss has been in the grip of terror. In addition to the hostility of Barovian occupation, a new threat has arisen - one that has impacted Zhurak and "grandson" Sonyo (my youngest son's PC) personally. A murderer stalks the village in the gloaming pre-dawn hours, and each morning it seems a new and freshly mutilated victim appears in an alley. There have been 4 bodies discovered to date - now 5 after the victim RvP discovered on a sparsely-traveled path miles from the village. All worshippers of the Morninglord. I won't bore you with bloody details (read the module for more), but each victim was in the middle of their traditional "Dawnwalk" when they were attacked. Each had their hearts removed".

Zhurak is too old, and Sonyo too young to intervene directly, and the Village Guard of Solyss already have their hands full with military excursions. So Zhurak sent his "granddaughter" Zadendi in their stead to investigate further, but he has since lost all contact with her. Zhurak prayed to Morninglord for guidance, and has now received two strangers at his doorstep who can find Zadendi and finally stop the culprit before he slays again!!!

The only further help grandfather Zhurak can offer is a rough approximation of each murder (map of locales included in module), the name of an ally in the Village who may be able to help them (Marquis Gavin der Stahlzah - a throwback name to my Black Box campaign), and most importantly, the assistance of his "grandson" Sonyo. I keep using quotation marks there because that relationship is more symbolic than blood-related. The next day, after the storm had cleared (RvP and Geezus leveled up), the players journeyed to the village of Solyss to investigate further.

[MadStepDad]

I used the "Gathering Information" chapter of the module to give the players a fuller taste of Village Solyss (a homebrewed Level-2 province that was founded in Gundarak, but really belongs to Barovia). In the wake of the Grand Conjunction, Strahd has been encouraging military conquests and subjegation of the Gundarakians, all of whom have quickly fallen undertow. Village of Solyss continues to bear rebel arms, but leaders such as the legendary Raoul Szerezia, Sergei Zhavov and Count Allen Verstoben of Gundarak are hoping to seek a more peaceful resolution. Until then, things remain tense.

That's why, despite the brutality of these murders, investigation of the matter was left primarily to Morninglord clergy. It's a mess in their backyard that must be cleaned by their own hand. Players used the time to check out the prior murder scenes, question the locals and gain a better sense of what this "roleplaying" thing actually is. They learned more of the native Gundarakian struggles, interviewed neighbors who reported strange sights & sounds on the nights of the murders, and met the drunken Dwarven derilect Antbeard, who first made mention of some kind of "abandoned shrine" in the Balinok range that he swears is home to a "flying demon!" In the end, with grandfather Zhurak's advice still fresh in mind, the players used the information they gathered to set a trap for the killer.

Using Sonyo (the Morninglord monk) as a lure, players replicated every detail of the prior victims last walk as much as they could. With Sonyo taking his "Dawnwalk" along a carefully chosen nighttime alley, the other two players set and waited. On the very first night, the ambush was a success. Sonyo was set upon by two black-cloaked attackers who mistook him for a lone defenseless traveler. Instead, Sonyo got a chance to flex some Monk powers as the other 2 PCs quiclkly flew into position beside him. The first attacker was slain in battle, and the second was captured trying to flee! But just before he was captured, players thought they caught sight of a possible *third* attacker watching from a nearby rooftop who turned and seemingly *jumped* to their demise, disappearing from view! Yet no trace of a third person could be found. Searching the body of the deceased and their new prisoner, they discovered twin daggers with matching holy symbolism ("sickle crossed with a hog-slaughtering knife - both stained with blood and overlaying an orb of night sky with glittering stars"). RvP couldn't identify it, but knew it was pure evil. They took their prisoner back to the stable they were renting (they are very poor travelers relying on the kindess of strangers) and interrogated him as much as they could. All they could get out of him were the phrases "Silver Threads" and "Dawn of the Scarlet Sun". His "leader" is still out there, leading the charge (PCs assume he is referencing the *3rd* attacker they saw fleeing earlier). When no further information could be ascertained (and the criminal literally *spat* in RvP's face!), the players concluded their questioning. RvP and Sonyo left the stable to continue their hunt, while Geezus "took care" of the murderer (killing the bound man instantly). This led to RvP's chilling "I sense he is already gone" quote, and Geezus being asked to roll a Dark Powers check (though he has no idea what is or why). That's where we left off, and after letting Sonyo level up for that encounter (making everybody 2nd level now), the players will resume in Village Solyss on Night two of their investigation. They feel closer to the truth, but many questions remain unanswered...

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Huzzah!!! Welcome back, MSD! (you know no one ever truly escapes...) Can't wait to see what the next chapter brings. My group has talked about someday having a "Next Generation" campaign with all our kids, but you're living the dream. Awesome! And pulling no punches, either. Ripped out hearts and mutilated bodies for a 7 and 10 year old, eh? Hardcore kids you've got there. (Meanwhile, one of my kids gets nightmares from Ninjago. I think when we start D&D, I need to start them off somewhere more innocuous than Ravenloft, like Greyhawk... or Ponyville.)

And this is frikkin' adorable:

The journal of Rick von Pier (as written by my 10 year old son)

[Lord_Pruitt]

Awesome to see your return my friend! This new campaign looks like it's off to a start befitting your fame.

[MadStepDad]

[ -- Hello? Is this thing still on? --]

We're still rolling; perhaps stronger than ever before. Please allow me to indulge myself:

When we last left off, I began my new Ravenloft Red Box campaign using old 3.5E era rules and a Pathfinder adventure called "Dawn of the Scarlet Sun". I rejiggered it to involve my own homebrewed Level 2 Province of Solyss, in Gundarak (see my entire Black Box campaign). This is what you're reading above. The PCs have successfully set a trap for those mysterious cleric-killers and are enjoying the fruits of their information-gathering.

Ultimately the hunt for the nest of killers led them to an abandoned temple that had been co-opted by wicked cultists intent on summoning a demon. PCs had their first battle with a supernatural creature in the form of a terrifying stone GARGOYLE! (the creature they witnessed "jumping" to it's doom in an earlier rooftop scene). The Geezus character met his demise in this adventure, and while plans were for him to make another PC, it just never happened. All in all, this was a pretty straight-forward, cut-n-dry D&D adventure designed to break the players in. They uncover the mystery, track down those responsible, and deal out PC justice. However in this case, I had to end with a slight Ravenloft twist.

Turns out the Head Cultist in charge was SONYO'S MISSING SISTER ALL ALONG! Shocking twist! So while the players destroyed the remnants of the cult around her, they captured Sonyo's sister instead. Especially when it became clear she was entranced, or brainwashed into her role. But by whom? Or what? The answer would be given in one subtle hint that will become huge later on - when the PCs witnessed a woman watching on from the shadows, with a beautiful face that will remain in their memories forever.

In the meantime, PCs take a "Domain Turn" (a rule I swiped from Birthright) and spend 3 months of real-time in Solyss, Gundarak in the aftermath of the cultists unearthing. Much work needed to be done to cleanse & purify the area, while Sonya's brainwashed (now-mute) sister was safely incarcerated in a Gundarakian mental institution. Sonyo would periodically check in on her, but nobody could get her to speak - let alone identify the one mysterious woman they could not apprehend. Rick Von Pier became more entrenched in local politics, giving me a chance to depict Solyss Gunderak as a pseudo-"homebase" for the players, as RVP has been searching for an escape ever since his arrival. All the while, tensions between Barovia & Gundarak continue to heighten as the world continues to recover from the Great Cataclysm.

Then we took a break. Or "took the game on tour" as I say. At this point, I figured if I'm serious about taking another run at this thing (DMing in the new world) I'm going to have to update. I got into 5E and stuff, and we started remaking the characters under new rules. But I still wasn't satisfied that I knew the rules enough (especially miniatures and stuff, which I never really used before but wanted to expand my gaming scope) so we started going to a pay-per-table game night at a local shop. They were playing that 5E Mad Mage adventure, and though my kids were much younger than they would have liked, they allowed them entry as long as I played (and paid) too. So we did; for many months, many ordered-dinners and much money lol. Along the way, one of my older son's friends wanted to join so we brought him along too. For months we did this, until I felt comfortable enough to retake the reigns of my new 5E Campaign myself.

That was years and many adventures ago at this point - all of which I will be gleefully detailing in many posts to follow. Again, I'm doing this for my own recollection - to help streamline what I expect to be an EPIC campaign - and also to solicit help from the greatest Ravenloft community in the history of the internet. My HOME. Fraternity of Shadows.

Next up - THE AWAKENING

[MadStepDad]

THE AWAKENING

I'm still keeping with my loosely-timeline affiliated run of RL Red Box adventures and next up in the cut is THE AWAKENING. This thing is feature-length full story; the first of its kind for my players. This thing went on for MONTHS. Maybe even longer. Ran through a whole assortment of players too, as word was beginning to spread about our game. Lots of issues & problems too, but hey - it's a totally different era, right?

First, talk about my originals. My two boys (RVP & Sonyo are the only carryovers). My oldest son's homie who joined us during the pay-for-play Gameshop era stayed on as a regular, and made a Gnome Rogue for our campaign. We also added our slightly-slow neighbor kid into the game, using a half-ogre Barbarian that can really smash things up. So that's 4 PCs total (average age approx 10). These two new PCs are the only ones worth mentioning, as they will grow to be regular parts of the campaign going forward.

So as is typical in most of my games, I offered a variety of different storyline threads to the PCs to instigate this adventure (knowing damn-well that they're all leading to the same place after all). In this case, it involved multiple motivations for heading over to the neighboring realm of Nova Vaasa. RVP was enticed by the idea of a new escape portal possibly opening up. Sonyo needs the physical & spiritual escape (especially after being tormented by the mental state of his sister ever since her capture). The two new PCs were hired to escort a shipment of lumber being exported from Gundarak into Nova Vaasa (because native plains cats were becoming increasingly aggressive lately).

The adventure truly began when the PCs touched down in Kantora and witnessed the "casket of curiosity" scene when being paid by their benefactor Nicolai Androv (the casket maker). Lots and lots of city scenes, curses & coins, and young players acting like fools. We also cycled through a lot of different players during this time; which made for some truly memorable adventures - especially when I started wiping them out. Most of these city-bound shenanigans climaxed after the events of "The First Awakening" when the PCs finally realized something was up.

At this point they PCs came to the attention of Prince Othmar, and learned all about the heart of the plot. Othmar hires them up to ferret out the vistani bandit who stole a valuable shipment from the Prince, and are rumored to be hiding out in the Briarweed Forest. This led to another mini-campaign within-an-adventure as the PCs met Chezna Bloodcat and her band of outlaws for the first time. Some of the disposable PCs met grisly fates during this time (don't worry, the players had already decided to move on). I told you; weird cellphone ADD-times I swear. It's a totally different era. Anyway, the PCs ultimately won that guerrilla war in the Briarweed Forest even though Chezna Bloodcat escaped in the end (RECURRING VILLAIN ALERT!!) Our gnome rogue wound up retrieving the "Staff of Set" and immediately suffering from the ill effects. Their only choice at this point is to visit Tristan Hiregaard at the location the Staff was found to hopefully find an antidote/answer for what afflicts our PC. On their journey 5 miles NW of Kantora to Castle Faerhaaven, they witnessed "The Second Awakening". The PCs met with Sir Hiregaard (chilling in retrospect), and learned all they could about the mysterious excavations going on Koshka Bluffs.

Now the adventure shifts to Koshka Bluffs and all the weird stuff going over there, "Tomb of Mummy"-style. PCs are among the worker camp, and we shifted in and out another PC who was a local liaison for the area that really helped propel the story forward. Unfortunately he couldn't play any more when his mom got scared of the game because of "Stranger Things" and pulled him from our table. His character wound up staying in Nova Vaasa and becoming an NPC ally for future use. One more important note from this adventure - we added one more player that would become permanent - a native Druid who was drawn to this disturbance in nature. So that's 5 players total now.

Eventually the adventure morphed in a dungeon crawl as the players explored the now-revealed ruins of Sachmet. Along the way, our Half-Ogre Barbarian failed his first Horror Check in the catacombs (and developed an irrational fear of dogs, that will become pivotal later). The half-ogre ALSO lost part of his memory (the one that recognizes geography) in the "Hall of Memories" section. In the grand finale, they literally brought the walls down in the final conflict and put Sachmet to sleep for good. The Gnome PC seemingly perished in the collapse (torn over surrendering his precious Staff of Set) but made it out at the very last moment in our climatic feel-good moment.

Despite all of this, RVP was unsuccessful in his attempt to find an escape portal, but the thought alone is enough to inspire him further. I also used the adventure's aftermath as an opportunity to introduce DOCTOR RUDOLPH VAN RICHTEN for the very first time! He personally sought the players out after hearing the details of their Sachmet romp. Van Richten is compiling research on his "Guide to Ancient Dead" and even made a few minor purchases from the PCs (valuables and stuff they got from the tomb). The PCs are now loosely-connected to Van Richten's circle and have a new cultural awareness of the layers of darkness that lay just beneath the Ravenloft surface. They got the hook for the next adventure when they were summoned back to Gundarak via word from Marquis Gavin der Stahlzah that one of their allies (and wealthy Gundarakian aristocrat) Thomas Zhavov had been kidnapped! Back to Gundarak we go for "THE TURNING DAY"!

Stay tuned!!

[MadStepDad]

THE TURNING DAY

Back to Gundarak where the Marquis Gavin der Stahlzah has asked for their assistance. Flashback to Episode #1 ("Dawn of the Scarlet Sun") when I introduced young Thomas Zhavov as an NPC to the players. He was the wealthy son of a landowner who absolutely INSISTED on aiding the players in taking down the cultists temple when it was discovered. Thomas Zhavov was an expert marksman, and helped the players immensely in their quest to crush the cultists. Now - he's been KIDNAPPED and locals fear the worst! The PCs must investigate.

"The Turning Day" is a one-shot 'Children of the Night: Vampires" adventure that I have been foreshadowing since Episode #1. Everything thus far has been playing on the backdrop of increasing military tension between Gundarak & Barovia. Over time I have built a rapport between the PCs and the Gundarakian hierarchy, including old Black Box holdover NPCs like Raul Szerizia and his remnants of die Drehzel. Forging the links between my old campaign (End Date 2005) and this new Campaign I'm building (2015 - on). This adventure is the first to really cash in on these cultivated relationships. Rescuing Thomas Zhavov actually *means* something to the PCs because *Thomas* means something to the PCs.

Sure enough, the players "found" the missing Thomas Zhavov among the wreckage of his attack, but clearly something is "off" about the young Lord. Nonetheless he has been rescued, and will be returned to his father Lord Zhavov right away - where the PCs are treated like conquering heroes and given a feast befit nobility for their good work. But even during the proud Homecoming scene, something is still amiss with Thomas. His father begs the PCs to learn more. So they will travel to Zeidenberg to meet Tom's recent fiancee; a female aristocrat even Lord Zhavov is not familiar with. Only her name - "Lyssa".

The next day the PCs were separated. Sonyo went to visit his sister again, when he heard she may have uttered her first word since the capture. The other 4 PCs and the discombobulated Thomas Zhavov journeyed to Zeidenberg but were unable to gain an audience before nightfall. Eventually, Lady Lyssa arrived back home and the PCs were granted entry. This was actually a really powerful scene that paid off a few earlier subplots and introduced a treasure-trove of new storyline angles. As insisted in the module, the PCs were formally required to take part in the victory toast - but for some reason the Gnome PC threw his drink in the Half-Ogre's face. I know it was just silly kids being kids, and he was trying to be funny, but I totally ran with it. So sure, you soak your homie for laughs before being "kindly" escorted out of the establishment by security (aka - dragged out back and BEATEN to a bloody pulp and left for dead by the thugs who run this place). That was their first inkling something wasn't right with this "aristocracy". Only to have the poisonous effects of the wine toast hit the rest of the PCs just as "Lyssa" made her triumphant entrance. As the drugs took over their bodies, RVP looked on in helpless HORROR as he recognized Lyssa as the face of the mysterious beauty at the end of Episode #1! The true mastermind behind the murderous cult that had brainwashed Sonyo's sister and killed all the Morninglord clerics! With a smirk and a chuckle she watched the PCs fade as they finally realized they were surrounded by VAMPIRES! **TWO** failed Horror checks at this time (RVP the paladin and our druid player, who are now OBSESSED with vampires). This was also a great opportunity for me to lift all the PCs newfound wealth and treasure (from The Awakening) off of them in one fell swoop! Success!

Finally the "Turning Day" ritual climax, with multiple threads running into it. For one, the scene took place at same mysterious "defiled Druidic circle" that our Druid character and RVP had lightly investigated prior to this adventure. Our beaten-up Gnome did NOT die, but was gravely injured - and thirsting for revenge. In the meantime, Sonyo heard his sisters first words ("Von Zarovich") and knows it only as the surname of the Count of Barovia - only to realize the connection when he learned Lyssa's last name was Von Zarovich too. He rushed back to Zeidenberg to warn the other PCs, but was too late. They were gone. But in a crazy Ravenloft twist of fate, Sonyo uncovered the "REAL" Thomas Zhavov holed up captive in a cave near the original attack scene while looking for the missing PCs. This part is included in the original module; I just shuffled it around for storyline potency.

In the end, Sonyo & Thomas came upon the clearing just in time for the dramatic reveal in the module. In short, Lyssa BITES the "fake" Thomas only to realize too late that it was a trap set by Strahd and that she is now irrevocably sleep-poisoned. All Hell breaks loose, Sonyo & Thomas free the PCs - who fight back with little-to-no-weaponry, only to have the half-dead Gnome reappear at the crucial part of the battle bearing much-needed firepower for the PCs to put the final kibosh down on the vampire horde. Lyssa & Strahd are gone, though she has been defeated once more, and the PCs have saved the day again!

Cue another Domain Turn (3 months time) in which *the* major angle plays out. You know which one - the Tuefeldorf Massacre. All of the PCs beloved leaders and NPCs were lured there under the pretense of a truce, only to be betrayed and brutally slain. War breaks out. The complete annexation of Gundarak. Some of the PCs are even on the front lines as battle commences over this turn. Rats in the overflowing mass graves, sieges, war, death & destruction. You know the story. The beautiful Level 2 Province of Solyss that my original players *LITERALLY PUT ON THE RAVENLOFT MAP* is gone. Burned to a crisp. The statue of Vincent Burace toppled (see Black Box adventure campaign). The tomb of Destanial Magorian robbed & desecrated. With Gundarak literally burning down around them, the PCs had no choice but to flee.

This most dramatic exit (with flames, fog and water everywhere) was the segue into our next adventure - where our wartorn players wash up on the shores of Odiare...

Next up - THE CREATED!

Stay tuned!

[MadStepDad]

THE CREATED

By this time, we moved the game to our friendly neighborhood New England Comics Store where we pretty much have run of the place on Thursday nights. Mostly Magic players here, though there is another game of friendly D&D players that are older (and louder). All love, and the perfect setting.

Has anybody here actually ran "The Created" before? I never have. All the reviews said it best - it will take a special group of players and a special DM in order to run this adventure properly. I could never figure it out before, until I realized the perfect "special group of players" in this case was a group of 10-13 year old kids! Dark Pinocchio it is.

The PCs were still recoiling in fear from the horrors they saw in Gundarak when they were set awash in the Mists. For hours, days maybe. Across land and swampy marshes they traveled. Little did they know, technically "they crossed the border" (according to the module at least; that wants the PCs to be a part of Odiare *before* it's sucked into Ravenloft). In fact, they're just in time to celebrate "Bambeen". The story unfolds from there.

This was another decent-sized adventure, but still nowhere near the length of "The Awakening". Things started slowly and innocently enough during the "First Act" of this show as the players explored the village of Odiare and roleplayed with the various town personalities. Soon enough, "First Blood" is spilled and the PCs get caught up investigating the murder of a local. All the while, the main event of their Bambeen festival is taking place tonight at the Secolo Theater (I showed the players a Youtube clip of a Punch & Judy routine for comparison sake).

Sure enough, the PCs are called away from the show by the constable (to investigate a dead-end clue) only to miss the carionette attack at the Theater; exactly as specified in the module. Now there's a body at the theater - the parents are all gone, and the children are all lost and scared. BOOM - Odiare is drawn into the Mists and the PCs are unwittingly right back where they started; stuck in their Ravenloft prison.

The best part of the module happened almost by mistake, when the Druid and Barbarian players both had to miss sessions. So it was easy to "write them out" after the mad dash through the nighttime streets of Odiare in search of a runaway carrionette. This is one of the hardest, most-railroadie segments perhaps in Ravenloft history - as the module has DM assume control of the PCs if they seperate for more than 5 rounds. But with 2 players missing from this one segment, it was PERFECT for me. So the Druid was "seized" by carrionettes while the Barbarian remained mindlessly indifferent as usual. In addition, my Paladin Rick von Pier was caught in the 5 round rule (thus his body "hijacked" by carrionettes), but I shared this information with him in between sessions - as another lesson in "Player vs. Character" knowledge (a *VERY* tough lesson to teach in this age bracket).

The only two players left were the Gnome Rogue & Sonyo the Monk, who were unaware of carionettes secretly stealing their friends bodies. So now we've got barbarian & druid (both players absent so I'm NPCing them) with the druid & RVP the Paladin as secret carrionette turncoats. That swerve was especially potent during the "Dim the Lights" chapter, when Maligno set up the trap at Guiseppe's Toy Shop. The "human bodies" inside were revealed to be a set-up - a swarm of carrionettes started swarming the players - and suddenly - the turncoat PCs turned the tide in favor of the Maligno & his evil dolls much to the remaining players' horror! Another Ravenloft twist!

Now we've a few sessions of just straight Toy Story madness. Pure D&D fun. Got the map of Guiseppe's Toy Shop, the miniatures, the Mountain Dew flowing. Honestly, it reminded me of some of my earliest D&D memories ever - 10 years old myself, playing in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles RPG. Good, goofy FUN. In this case we've got fire-breathing Hobby Dragons, animated hoop & sticks and lots of animated toys to work our way through - made even more difficult by the PCs new "toy" bodies themselves. After figuring out how to escape their cages, they fought their way through the toy shop (including the pet cat Gatto!) and ran through the city ("Honey I Shrunk the Kids"-like) in search of more silver sewing needles, which they saw was key to the "transformation". Then they needed to *FIND* their carrionette-controlled human bodies, which was another adventure-in-an-adventure itself! All told, everybody got a run inside a wooden carrionette, even the players who missed that one session (because this thing ran for weeks, maybe even longer).

All the while, anticipation is building in the parentless-village of Odiare about another performance by Maligno at the Secola Theater (advertised as "Sir Arduin and the Wyrm"). By this point, Maligno has grown confident in his control of the PCs, and by default the entire domain. So this mandatory "performance" is more of a massive ego flex for the new Dictator-in-Chief, Maligno. Finally we build up to the final crescendo, with the ready-for-revenge / back-in-their-human bodies / full-power PCs having all kinds of moral conundrums about the gathering of parentless children during Maligno's performance. In the end, the PCs SAVED the children - destroyed the carrionettes - sent a flaming bolt through Maligno's eye! - and wound up torching the entire Secola Theater to the ground! A most-magnificent, fiery conclusion befit a dark Pinocchio.

In conclusion, the PCs took *another* Domain Turn (3 months spent in Odiare), helping the townsfolk reunite and rebuild. After spending so much time in this realm over the course of this adventure, and being so closely acquainted with the children of the community in particular, it was only natural for the players to have quite an affinity for the region. They personally helped sponsor and rebuild the *NEW* Secola Theater, which will be premiering a brand-new show when it opens that is all about THEM arriving from the Mists to save the community. I used this adventure as a rare "feel-good" moment in Ravenloft. The players "won", and even established another home away from home. Here in Odiare, they are revered as heroes forevermore. After 3 months time they were ready to move on; back home to Gundarak. They had to see what happened to the Domain they came from.

In this case, they secured voyage upon a local trading ship called "The Endurance", where Captain Garvyn has promised them safe travel across the Sea of Sorrows... mwahahahahahaha!

Next up!

SHIP of HORRORS!

Stay tuned!