The Curse of Strahd Von Zarovich
Under raging storm clouds, A lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft.
The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness.
Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself.
Rumbling thunder pounds the castle’s spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain.
Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come-all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them.
Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind-or perhaps a lone wolf-fills the midnight air. The master of Raven loft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
Adventurers from a foreign land find themselves in Barovia, a mysterious realm surrounded by deadly fog and ruled by Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire and wizard.
Using a deck of tarokka cards to predict their future, a fortune-teller named Madam Eva sets them on a dark course that takes them to many corners of Barovia, culminating with a vampire hunt in Castle Ravenloft. Madam Eva's people are called the Vistani. They travel in covered wagons from world to world, luring strangers into Strahd's domain.
Barovia is a land of ghosts, werewolves, and other fell creatures. The wilderness hides many secrets, including forgotten ruins and battlefields that tell the story of Strahd's life as a conqueror. Adventurers who explore the wilderness find the remnants of Strahd's ancient enemies, not all of them as dead as one might expect.
For the people of Barovia, there is no escape from this harsh. land. The town of Vallaki stands ready to defend itself against the servants of Strahd, but it's far from the sanctuary it purports to be. The village of Krezk lies near the edge of Strahd's domain, its abbey now in the clutches of evil, misguided creatures.
Of all the settlements in Strahd's domain, the village of Barovia is by far the most oppressed. Many of its shops are closed, and the locals have succumbed to despair. It is well known. that Strahd desires the burgomasters’s adopted daughter, Ireena Kolyana. The villagers neither protector nor harm her, lest they incur the vampire’s wrath. Few know that Ireeria bears an uncanny resemblance to Tatyana, Strahd’s dead beloved.
The village of Barovia cowers in the shadow of Castle Ravenloft, Strahd's home and fortress. The castle stands atop a great spire of rock, invincible and ever watchful. Every night, thousands of bats fly out of the castle to feed. It is said that Strahd sometimes flies with them. Barovia will never be safe until the evil in his castle is destroyed.
---
Hello and welcome to my interest check. This will be based upon the classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure, The Curse of Strahd. That being said it is not going to be a D&D RP, but a more traditional RP experience that focuses more on collaborative writing, charcters and a shared plot, rather than any kind of mechanic. It will however, be based in a very similar universe as D&D in regards to magic, ‘race’ and ‘class’, though more creativity will be allowed in the character creation.
Depending on the level of interest and the kind of character ideas that come forth, our protagonists will likely be part of a pre-existing group that finds themselves drawn into Barovia via a plea for help – as this will give us more of a base for interesting interactions and relationships. So keep this in mind when thinking about your backgrounds. However, should there be one or more characters that do not fit into this start, it isn’t too much of a problem as there is a slightly more open-ended introduction that can apply to them.
I will play the roll of ‘DM’ in the sense that I’m not going to have my own character, but rather oversee the introduction of NPCs, settings and the like and try and keep everything moving in the right direction.
In terms of plot and progression I intend to keep things moving and linked together as much as our characters allow. That being said, this will be an ‘open’ world in terms of your characters can do what they wish, but please do remember this is a plot driven narrative, and it sure would be good if all characters had the ultimate shared goal of ‘defeat Stradh and/or escape Barovia’ (or at least something that fits in with the story in an interesting and constructive way).
This will of course have a mild horror theme, something central to the plot and setting. So balanced and not overpowered characters are a must. I think I’ll generally not be accepting anyone who lies too far beyond a more ‘normal’ individual or adventurer in terms of power or capabilities. Of course, you’re heroes and heroines, and lie above the average commoner by quite a bit, however I’d the majority of any very powerful abilities should come from, not before, our adventure. For example, traditionally, strong fighters are not the smartest, powerful mages are weak and sickly, archers aren’t too durable – you get the picture, balance. If you’re real good at something, I expect you to also have some weaknesses to round things out. And of course there can be exceptions to rule, but it’s gotta be good.
Also it may be worth keeping in mind that anyone out of the ordinary (ie non-human races and spellcasters) are very unusual in Barovia and may find it difficult to befriend the locals.
Because this RP is based in, but not using the D&D world, combat will be more realistic in the sense you don’t have a pool of hit points to draw upon – damage is real and owie. Fortunately magic and such can offer a limited remedy to these issues when available. I will be using some dice behind the scenes to determine the outcome of certain actions, but this will certainly not be the focus.
All the usual RP & Guild rules you’d expect apply. I’m not going to list them.
Should you have any questions or are interested please let me know.
I’m aiming for the imaginary standard of High-Casual. I encourage all who desire to apply. I’m not a huge stickler for spelling and grammar, as long as it reads well and you’re making an effort to contribute to the shared world-building and story we’re making in a positive way, we’re all good.
I’ll iron out the specifics of character creation and whatnot in an OOC should we gather sufficient attention.
Post frequency, I’d like to aim for a minimum of weekly, but we’ll see how everything goes. Disclaimer: I intend to take control of those who disappear and make them my little NPC plot playthings. Refunds will be on a case by case basis. Joking aside, all I require is communication - otherwise see above.
Also brief note to say that I’m taking up the idea of doing this from a previous RP that did not get off the ground. As such I’ve mentioned those who were looking to participate, should any of you be interested please do feel free to join up, or not – whatever the case may be.
