“What cause have you to fear the
darkness of the night, when within your own heart is darkness itself?
Why then
judge you my works so harshly.”
– COUNT STRAHD VON ZAROVICH [I10 Ravenloft II: The
House on Gryphon Hill – 2]
 |
| I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill |
If the above quote doesn’t inform you that this sequel is
very different from the original, nothing will. Unprepared, you probably wouldn’t like this adventure,
especially if you were enamoured with I6 Ravenloft. I6 is very much an
AD&D adventure module steeped with gothic elements. It attempts to be a
horror story; and it succeeds in that regard only so far as the mechanics of
the game allows it. It’s dark. It’s moody. A storm rages. Cobwebs and dust
cover corners and every surface. But its castle is far more Victorian that
Mediaeval. And there’s an organ in it, for God’s sake. One imagines Toccata in
D minor echoing throughout. I do, anyway. But it is still D&D. One gets
what one expects: spiders, gargoyles, an abundance of undead. And vampires.
It’s an homage to Dracula, after all. Count Strahd von Zarovich, by any other
name…. But is it scary? Not really. Like I said: it’s D&D. The only terror
the players are probably going to feel is the likelihood that their characters
are going to die. And they are very likely going to, too. Note undead, above. A
great many drain levels.
 |
| Baravia |
The premise: The citizenry is being preyed upon – a la
Orlane in N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God – but not in the way
you think. The people are frightened, or oblivious to their danger, or vacant
and supposedly skeptical of any at all. But this is not the reason why the PCs were lured
to the sleepy village of Mordentshire. It all began when a certain noted Alchemist,
one Count Strahd von Zarovich, came to town….
The High Faith received a letter a short while ago
from Lord Byron Weathermay of Mordentshire, a small seacoast hamlet. Lord Byron’s
daughter, Lady Virginia Weathermay, is set to marry a newcomer to the region,
named Count Strahd Von Zarovich. While this Strahd fellow seems to be an
appealing chap, Lord Byron feels there is something unnatural about him, and
before giving up his only daughter has asked the Faith if they would dispatch
some investigators for some discreet checking. The Faith has in the past
received large building donations from the Weathermays, and so dispatched your
party to deal with the matter. [I10 – 10]
Were it that simple. It never is, is it?
At the start of the adventure, the player characters
are recovering from a raging fever and may not remember all the circumstances
of their recent mission. [I10 – 10]
They have no recollection of their travels, only this horrific
encounter:
 |
| A Black Figure |
There is a strange feeling to the room as though you
are looking at it through a fog.
Suddenly, a resounding shriek of metal fills the tomb!
A heavy steel portcullis crashes down, blocking the stairs to the north by
which you entered this room. The lid to the coffin is flung open and a black
figure flies high into the air, hovering near the darkened ceiling! [I10 –
12]
They fought. They may even have died!
You have been defeated!. You see the dark, twisted
visage of the vampire moving toward you, his hand outstretched. You cannot
move! You cannot even scream! He smiles at the terror in your eyes... his hand
reaching out toward your throat as he seeks to steal the last of your life from
you… as you…
…suddenly awaken, sitting bolt upright in your bed.
The dying echo of your screams resound around you. Cold sweat soaks the bed
sheets and trickles down your back.
It seemed so real! The great towers of some place
called Ravenloft ... the misty vales and the terrible tragedy of a man who had
sold his soul to unlife. Too much to drink? Och, last night! Perhaps the mutton
was not quite done.
 |
| Cold Sunlight |
Then they awoke, the past three days blank!
The player characters will discover when they check
that their gear is missing from their room. They can learn from Marion Atwater,
the servant girl attending them, Dominic the Innkeeper or Docteur d’Honaire, that when the fever overtook them they were first
overcome with delirium and threw their gear about and attacked phantoms,
damaging their weapons and equipment. All their gear was thus removed for
safekeeping elsewhere. Damages have [already] been paid for by Lord Weathermay,
and he instructed that the heroes' equipment was to be repaired and cleaned at
the various businesses around town. [I10 – 13]
Our PCs, after a period of rest, will obviously want to
retrieve their equipment. They descend from their sickbeds, where they meet the
good Docteur d’Honaire, the resident
physician of Saulbridge Sanitarium. He knows all the PCs by name, as he has
been attending them ever since the onset of the malady. [I10 – 13]
Thus their ordeal begins. As they collect their gear,
they may note that some of the good people of Mordentshire are not quite
right….
Mordentshire was once an open and happy community, a
friendly place to live. More and more lately, [however], the people here have
become standoffish. Many used to say that it was all the cause of that new
fellow moving into the old Gryphon Hill estate. Now few wish to talk at all.
[I10 – 19]
They have reason to be afraid. They can be grouped into
three categories:
- The Unknowing: These include those good citizens who are unaware that something sinister is happening. They believe that life is proceeding normally, save for occasional isolated cases of fever and delirium the affect some of the citizens.
- The Fearfully Silent: These
residents know something of what is happening… some more than others… but fear
the same fate so greatly, they keep their silence. These will react with fear
and distrust of all who are strangers, and will hide behind a mask of rudeness,
apathy, and anger.
- The Converted: These residents are no longer truly human, for an evil spirit now occupies this body, the human soul trapped elsewhere in the evil form. These all act quite differently from the other townspeople. They always have a rather vacant expression and often seem as though they are not paying any attention. They will answer questions but will find some excuse to then leave. Their manner may easily be mistaken for stubbornness or a distrust of strangers. They speak in slow and lifeless flat tones. Any work which they are observed performing is always without enthusiasm or even progress. For example, an innkeeper might clean the same glass repeatedly. However, these same people will. on the command of their master, become a fierce and terrible force for evil. [I10 – 19]
Can the PCs save the good people of Mordentshire? That
remains to be seen. The clock is ticking! They have only five days to do it!
Luckily, there’s a timeline chart within to help the DM
keep track of what goes on, hour by hour for those days. That will truly be a
godsend, because there’s a lot going on in this module, and far too little help
in my opinion keeping it all straight – it’s going to require extensive reading
and a nimble memory for retention!
- Weather plays a part in the story and the PCs reactions.
- There’s a detailed Cargo Roster of 20 shipments, but only 12 noted shipping times.
- Times for “Conversions,” otherwise called Transpossessions. Some are marked with asterisks, although I can’t for the life of me discover why that might be.
- There are 52 NPCs; and 52 potential transpossessions with noted “Creatures of the Night.” Few NPCs are given alignment, only the most important: Lord Byron Weathermay, Lady Virginia Anne Weathermay, and Mistresss Ysilda Gemanine Ardent; the rest are detailed in an exhaustive list beside the “Creatures of the Night.” This list is important as printed because each has a “Match” column where their transpossessions can be noted.
- And of course, there is Strahd: his manifestation, his motivation, and the placement of the McGuffins to be predetermined, and potentially swapped out (much as they might be in the original Ravenloft). Where this was done using dice rolls and Tarot cards in I6, this is done with dice rolls and The Mesmerist’s Pendulum in I10. (Back in 1986 this might have necessitated the partial destruction of the trifold cover – or the meticulous copying onto menu cards, or some such – if a copier was not available to you.) It’s cumbersome, and not as well realised as was the Tarot card reading in the original.
This adventure is VERY fluid and freeform. It is not a
railroad. Although it is best if the PCs proceed by chapter, as presented.
I’m not going to go into the adventure. That would spoil
the fun, and it would make this a very long post indeed. But I will say that
the plot plays out in the town, the moors, and then in the manors of Gryphon
Hill and Heather House. And that the PCs have McGuffins to search for, just as
they did in the original. Last time is was the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind and the
Sunsword, this time it’s The Alchemist’s Diary, The Missing Entry, The Soul
Searcher Orb, The Ring of Reversion, The Rod of Rastinon, and The Apparatus.
Their placement (aside from the Apparatus) is randomised, much like Strahd’s
state and motive, much like they were in I6, presumably to make the module replayable.
The town is laid out, but none of the buildings. Gryphon Hill and Heather House
are fully realised, being the most important locales of the adventure.
Is this a good adventure? I think so. It is gothic in the
extreme, inspired by some of the most evocative classic literature, and I
believe it does its damnedest to live up to its inspirations.
Is this a great adventure? It could be, but it has its
flaws. It is almost twice as long as I6, and much like a lot of modules of its
era, it is not laid out as efficiently as it might be. The plot is presented as
a series of Events; then the chapters follow, where the town buildings and
manor rooms are detailed as all adventures are.
I especially love the Pregens listed.
ROGOLD GILDENMAN
LG 8th-level Cleric
Rogold Gildenman is one of the Clerics of the High
Faith in Osterton, three days journey to the north. The church has received
numerous building donations over the years from the Weathermays of
Mordentshire, so when a plea for aid arrived from Lord Byron, head of that
family, the Church was more than eager to lend whatever help available. This
aid consists of charging Rogold with the task of assembling a hardy crew of
seasoned adventurers and investigating the matter. Most of the party owes the
High Faith in one degree or another, and this mission should clean up a lot of
old debts. (In Rogold’s case, a rich parish to the East has been awarded by the
Crown to the High Faith, and suitable candidates to settle the area are being
scouted. A good report on this adventure will ensure his commission.) Rogold’s
firmest ally in the party is Brother Summer, and only Rogold knows Summer’s
secret: this fellow cleric of the Faith is a half-orc and a fighter. [Inner
fold]
THADEUS MONT BREEZAR
LN 10th-level Magic-User
Thadeus Mont Breezar feels old. A lot of the fun has
gone out of crusading across the countryside, counting on the fighters to
preserve your hide. The key to Thadeus’s
irritation, however, is his new glasses. His vision has deteriorated to the
point he cannot hit anything at over 30 feet away (treat spells as grenades for
area struck). Though the thick lenses he wears correct the problem, he is
irritated that he must wear them. Thadeus carries two pair of glasses, one in a
solid metal box, to prevent them breaking. He is, however, unhappy with his
advancing age, and when the High Faith in Osterton put out a call for
adventurers to investigate a small matter in Mordentshire, it appeared a
perfect opportunity to prove that Thadeus the Magnificent can still twist a
spell or two, even if the High Faith is playing politics and putting one of
their own, a young puppy named Rogold, in charge. Thadeus is bringing his own
student and scribe, a half-elf named Mysti Tokana, with him. [Inner fold]
PHILLIPE DELAMANA
LG 9th-level Paladin
Phillipe Delamana is a very depressed Paladin. As a
fighter of the first water, the leader of the holy armies against evil, and a
stalwart foe of darkness in all its forms, he has in his long career come upon
a depressing fact: Evil keeps coming back. It may be defeated, it may be
repulsed, or it may be driven off, but over the long term evil in some form
will return to an area. There seems to be as much evil in the world as there
are waters of the ocean, and their attack upon order and good are as relentless
as the sea pounding on the shore. Still, were it not for noble fighters such as
he, evil would wash over the land without resistance. For this reason, when
Rogold’s faith put out a call for adventurers to investigate odd doings in
Mordentshire, Phillipe signed up. There probably will be a greater devil
holding the entire coast under his sway, or a mad chaotic wizard turning people
into waterfowl. Anyway, it beats waiting for the forms of darkness to attack in
one of their ever-insidious forms. [Inner fold]
AMAR BORI SANDFLINGER
TN Gnome 6th-level Illusionist/Thief
Amar Bori Sandflinger hails from the prestigious
Sandflingers of the far-off Misty Hills, or at least that is what he says. Amar
Bori has never been known to lie, but he has a reputation around Osterton of
stretching the truth into some rather odd configurations. He states that his
present circumstances result from a long and complicated tale (which he will
gladly tell to any who does not get out of the room) involving his being
entrusted to safeguard the family treasures across the desert, only to be
kidnapped by evil nomads, and all the moneys he earns will be used some far
time in the future to recover those lost artifacts, and to reward the Holy Man
who came to his rescue. Rogold, a cleric of the High Faith, recruited Amar Bori
from the local jail, where Amar was currently residing after trying to explain
why he was creating illusions of small flying elephants in a local bar,
inspiring a small riot on the previous evening. [Inner fold]
BRENDA OF THE CRIMSON BLADE
NG 10th-level Fighter
Brenda of the Crimson Blade likes sharp objects, in
particular swords. Her favorite current implement of destruction is
Troll-Cleaver, a massive blade that, combined with her specialization in
battling with it, makes Brenda a deadly combatant. Brenda believes in a
relentless and continual persecution of evil, wherever it may be found. She
does not agree with more pristine ordered definitions of Good-Law, and in fact
tends to look down on Cavaliers, Paladins, and their ilk as over-specialized
dinosaurs. As a result of her desire to smite the foe, she has run up a rather
large tab with the High Faith in Osterton, and needs the gold to pay for a
large number of cures, heals, restorations, and one raise dead. When Rogold set
forth the proposal for investigating this Strahd fellow, and offered to clear
up her debts in return, she reached for her backpack sheath and readied
Troll-Cleaver for battle. [Inner fold]
BROTHER SUMMER
LN Half-Orc 5th-level Fighter/4th-Level Cleric
Brother Summer's name at birth was Kregash Garzalla,
as for the first twelve years of his life he was raised by his mother’s people, the Orcs of the Blue Hills. In his twelfth year a
party of adventurers destroyed his encampment, but, as Garzalla appeared nearly
human, assumed he was a captive thrall from the surrounding area. Given a
choice between passing for human or ending up meeting the swords of the party,
Garzalla feigned memory-loss and was turned over to the clerics of the High
Faith as their ward. There Garzalla took his present name of Summer, met Rogold
Gildenman, and entered the priesthood. Rogold is the only living being to know
of Summer’s past, his true race, and his fighting ability. Summer protects the
last two jealously, and though he will attack on the fighter chart, will not
readily admit to his skill, nor pick up an edged weapon unless the situation is
critical. [Inner fold]
T.G. REDANTO
TN 8th-level Thief-Acrobat
Mysti Tokana is the scribe, student, and (it is
rumored, though not to her face), the half-elf daughter of Thadeus Mont
Breezar. The last is untrue, though the human rabble needs explanations as to
why a crotchety old human mage takes on a young half-elf as an assistant, and
rumors of being a daughter are better than accusations of being a paramour.
Thadeus agreed to train the raven-haired half-elf as a favor to her mother, a
former fellow-adventurer who retired after reaching her maximum racial levels.
She is intensely interested in her studies, though maintains her fighting
abilities in order to protect her mentor. She respects her mentor Thadeus, but
is at a loss to explain his most recent behavior. Despite having achieved high
rank among his brethren and sufficient power to spend the rest of his short
human days engaged in research, he instead intends to drag his fragile form
into the hinterlands on an adventure for some damnfool cleric named Rogold.
[Inner fold]
MYSTI TOKANA
CG Half-Elf 5th-level Ranger/Magic-User
T.G. Redanto has been known to tell people his
initials stand for “Terribly
Good” – not a preference for
alignment, but rather his own assessment of his abilities. Redanto tends to be
flashy in his work and in his mode of dress. Possession of his bracers allow
him a bit more variety than the standard patterns of leather armor, and allow him
a little more leeway in his thiefly abilities. He enjoys fine wine, good
company, and brandy and cigars in the drawing room following a excellent meal
(usually something out-of-season and prepared by a master chef). There have
been rare times he has been in dire straits, and on one of those occasions (he
thinks it was the Adventure of the Balor’s Eye, but that was another time),
made the acquaintance of Rogold Gildenman. Now that Rogold is setting off for
the hinterland to investigate a young suitor, it seems like the time to take in
the country (and case a few manor houses on the way. [Inner fold]
Love these! Truly.
So far so good.
 |
| Mordentshire-on-the-Sea |
I particularly dislike the central cardstock fold at the
centre where the town map, the Heather Hill map, the Pregens, the
Adventure Plot Event Chart, the Cargo Roster, the Player handouts, and the NPC
list are all crowded together – on a single twice-fold sheet of heavy paper – double-sided! It
had to be cut up to be useful, preferably copied (not an issue now really, PDFs
being easily printed). But if were cut up, then the map was divided in four
pieces….
If that were its greatest flaw.
There are other even greater flaws, to my mind.
Shall I list them?
***
Spoilers!
My major criticisms would be:
 |
| Gryphon Hill |
The most damning flaws, to my mind, are:
- Heather House is infested with undead. Not possible with the Weathermays living there.
- The lich Azalin is wasted here. Azalin is the Creature’s most powerful, and least trusted, ally. [I10 – 45] He’s an 18th Level Lich and would never – should never – be second-fiddle to anyone or anything, in any form. And it seems improbable to me that he should need aid from Strahd to achieve his goals: The vampire discovered Azalin soon after his arrival in this area, and has promised the lich a new body in return for his aid. [I10 – 45]
- The PCs are relegated to side-show status in the climax, and they cannot affect the final confrontation between Strahd the Alchemist and Strahd the Creature. Not a good design choice.
***
One wonders then, why I should even bother to draw your attention to this
ill-remembered adventure module?
Because it’s October, and it’s the season we delve deeply
into all things that go bump in the night. So, why shouldn't we hold a holy wafer and cross up to it?
Besides, I really don’t believe this to be the turkey
some might baste to be. It dared, however successfully, to follow in the footsteps
of one of the most beloved modules of all time – maybe that might have been to
capitalise on the original adventure’s popularity, perhaps not. And because it
can be run in sequence with, or in tandem with, that most beloved module.
 |
| DREAMS of BAROVIA |
To really challenge your players you may play
RAVENLOFT and RAVENLOFT II: The House on Gryphon Hill as a single linked
campaign. Instead of playing the modules separately, in order, your players
will explore the two simultaneously! For Barovia and Mordentshire, while miles
and perhaps centuries apart, are mystically linked to each other, creating a
bridge between the two worlds.
The way heroes cross this bridge is through the
strange and mystical delirium episodes they suffer. When struck down by this
ailment, the heroes awake to find themselves in a different land, faced by new
challenges. Your players may begin in Mordentshire, fall into a fever and awake
to find themselves in Barovia! Then, after adventuring for a time, they suffer
a relapse and regain their senses in Mordentshire. There, the innkeeper tells
them how they lay in a coma for several hours, babbling and murmuring. But,
when they once again return to Barovia, the frightened innkeeper there tells
them the same thing! The heroes will never know which world is the dream and
which “real.” [I10 – 41]
That would be an epic campaign, to be sure. One worth considering, anyway.
“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go
on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a
thunderstorm.”
― Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde
Postscript
So, what to so with it?
Place it!
But where? My choice for the original adventure was to
place it in the Theocracy of the Pale, betwixt the Rakers and the Troll Fens.
It’s isolated. Few would travel there, given its dangerous local and its
isolation. Even the Pale’s patron deity Pholtus fit its tone, standing in for
the sun god in question.
That locale does not suit as well for I10 Ravenloft
II: The House on Gryphon Hill. The town’s full name is actually Mordentshire-on-the-Sea
[I10 – 1], and there is no sea in the Pale.
LORD BYRON MERRILL WEATHERMAY
He serves as the local magistrate in court, though
lets the mayor handle the day to day ruling of the sleepy seaport. [I10 –
45]
A bank of dense fog rolls in from off the sea
blanketing the land in cool, wet grey. [I10 – 15]
A crisp autumn breeze, rich with the tang of salt,
blows from the sea. [I10 – 15]
Where else then might suit if Mordentshire is a town on
the sea? Might I suggest the Prelacy of Almor?ALMOR, PRELACY OF
His Venerable Mercy, the Prelate of Almor (Cleric,
12th level)
Capital: Chathold (pop. 4, 789)
Population: 150,000+
Demi-humans: Few
Humanoids: Few
Resources: foodstuffs, cloth, copper
[Folio – 8]
Almor is/was fruitful, cultured, religious, and on a sea.
As is Mordentshire.
You and your party have been requested by the Church
of the High Faith in Osterton, a major city three days travel to the north, to
investigate a small matter. [I10 – 10]
The religious nature of the “Player Character Background”
would certainly suggest Almor.
Originally a clerical fief of Aerdy, Almor grew in
power and independence as the Great Kingdom became weak and decadent. The
various petty nobles and the Lord Mayor of the town of lnnspa swear allegiance
to the reigning prelate – usually a high priest. The state is only loosely
organized, but it has a strong spirit of freedom and justice based upon
religious precepts. [Folio – 8]
Prelacy of Almor LN, LG [WoGG – 31]
Alignments: NG, CG, N [WoGA – 44]
Religions: Heironeous*, Beory, Rao, Pelor, Zilchus,
Norebo, Pholtus, Ralishaz, Boccob, Delleb, Celestian [LGG – 75]
The Temple of Heironeous should be the most likely
stand-in for the High Faith in Osterton, but my preference would again lean
towards Pholtus, the Blinding Light. Mainly because I chose Pholus as the most
suitable stand-in for the Sun God in I6 Ravenloft.
Pholtus
ALIGNMENT: Lawful good (neutral) [WoGG – 45]
Also, The High Faith’s choice of agents ties in well with
the Pregens admirably.
The One True Way is a strict path, but guarantees
rightness. Show no tolerance for those who do not give all for the cause of
Law, Fanaticism in the name of the Blinding Light is praiseworthy, and Law's
champions shall be rewarded in the era when chaos has been vanquished. [LGG
– 179]
Thoughts? Do you agree? Where might you place this
disparate adventure?
One must always give credit where credit is due. This post is made
possible primarily by the Imaginings of Gary Gygax and his Old Guard, Lenard
Lakofka among them.
Nor could this post exist without the
wizardry of Tracy and Laura Hickman, without whose inspiration and tenacity,
this adventure would not have seen the light of day.
The Art:
Cover art, by Clyde Caldwell, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
Castle Strahd, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983
Strahd, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983
Evil Eye, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
The Alchemist & The Creature, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
Mordentshire-on-the-Sea, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
Gryphon Hill, by Jeff Easley, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
Cover art, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983
Mordentshire map, by David S. LaForce, from I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
Greyhawk map detail, by Darlene, from World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
Pholtus, by Anthony Granato, from Dragon #294, 2002
Sources:
1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983
2009 Monster Manual 1st Ed., 1977
2011 Players Manual 1st Ed., 1978
2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1st Ed., 1979
9025
World of Greyhawk Folio, 1980
9075
I6 Ravenloft, 1983
9181
I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, 1986
11743 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, 2000
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