Thoughts on I10 Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill

  

“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

The master of Gryphon Hill bids you welcome and hopes that you have a pleasant stay. Please forgive him if he does not greet you, for he is rather involved in a little experiment at the moment. No doubt he will call upon you when your services are required. [I10 – 2]

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

Is its sequel as potentially lethal as its predecessor? It might be. In that it is very much alike Ravenloft. But it is also very different, too. It’s almost twice as long as the original. It’s far more detailed. There’s more of a story. And it is also decidedly more Gothic. Where the first is a vampire hunt (and a battle for survival), this adventure is as much a mystery to be unravelled as it is – again – a vampire hunt. There are allusions to Robert Lewis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and to Author Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles – or to the film adaptations of these classic works, anyway. And to Lord Byron, too, to name drop.

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

A darkness clouds this room and the essence of evil permeates the very air. The smell of freshly turned earth is here. This room appears to be 50 feet long from east to west and 30 feet across. There are three empty alcoves in the south wall. Settled into the dirt on the floor, lies a shining black coffin of finely waxed wood. The coffins fittings are of polished brass. The lid is closed.

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

The cold sunlight of a dying fall streams into your window. The inn room comes slowly into focus around you. Hovering over you are people you have never seen before. They look concerned, yet pleased that you are awake. Weakly looking about the room, you see your companions, sprawled in cots lined against the wall of the room. None of them look as if they had much better sleep than you. Each lies weakly in bed, occasionally moaning or breaking into feverish starts. [I10 – 12]

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]

They then encounter a madman who raves: “Thieves! Murderers! You’ve taken them . . . You’ve taken [,] taken them all! The village is empty . . . desolation! Despair! Where are the people? Where are the childrennnnnnn!?” [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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!

Why?

• 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

But Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill is not as fondly remembered as the original, if at all. Indeed, some may even revile it. I do not. I do love its vision and scope. Its ambition. But not its application. It will be hard to run without extensive preparation, and only a seasoned DM should even attempt it, to my thinking, as its details and backstories are scattered throughout. That might be because of how many cooks were in the kitchen. The cover states that I10 is written by Tracy & Laura Hickman, but that was not truly the case, apparently. It was based on an outline by Tracy & Laura Hickman. The design team is noted as: David Cook, Jeff Grubb, Tracy & Laura Hickman, Harold Johnson, and Douglas Niles; but rumour has it that the Hickmans had very little to do with it; in fact, rumour has it that they left very few notes at all concerning their outline before Tracy departed the project to write his Dragonlance novels, and that the remaining members of the design team were each given a part to pen. That might explain some of what lies within its covers. One wonders, for instance, how the townsfolk could not help but notice members of their community being abducted to a place about two miles distance. Etc.

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

There are red herrings galore: the Godefroys’ tragic history of Gryphon Hill, for one. This is not much of a criticism, per say, but I expect that a great many of these herrings will never make much of an impression on the players, and if they do, they might only confuse them, regardless how insightful they are – perhaps more if they are. Those who put everything in their path to the sword probably won’t even know they are there.

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

THE 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.”

― Robert Louis Stevenson, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Postscript

Like its predecessor, this is not a Greyhawk module. Indeed, it’s a Ravenloft® adventure, a gothic adventure, a sequel to Ravenloft before there even ever was a Ravenloft® setting, as that began in 1990.

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]

The trip south has been uneventful, traveling along well-mapped road through lands filled with the rich bounty of the autumn fields of golden-colored grain, brown fields of harvested corn, and gardens ripe with gourds, tomatoes, and pumpkins. [I10 – 10]

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]

As to which faith would factor prominently, none is mentioned in early sourcebooks – and none later, given Almor’s later fate – but given Almor’s close ties with Nyrond, I can only assume their faith would be similar.

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

Bedroom by vitaj

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

Thoughts on I6 Ravenloft

“I am the ancient. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I am not dead. Nor am I alive. I am undead, forever.”

—Count Strahd von Zarovich [I6 Ravenloft – 2]

I6 Ravenloft

Outside the Inn, a fog lies over the town this evening, draping everything in its clammy grasp. The damp cobbled street shines as the light of street lanterns dances across the slick stones. The cold fog chills the bones and shivers the soul of anyone outside.

Yet inside these tavern walls the food is hearty and the ale is warm and frothy. A fire blazes in the hearth and the tavern is alive with the tumbling voices of country folk.

Suddenly, a hush falls over the tavern. Even the flagons of ale seem to silence themselves. The tavern door swings open. Framed by the lamp-lit fog, a form strides into the room. His heavy, booted footfalls and the jingle of his coins shatter the silence. His brightly colored clothes are draped in loose folds about him and his hat hangs askew, hiding his eyes in shadows. Without hesitation, he walks directly up to your table and stands proudly in a wide stance with folded arms. [I6 – 7]

That’s a creepy intro, isn’t it? Pregnant with possibility. Fraught with subtext. Dripping with the essence of hundreds of Hollywood classics. Such a passage could raise goosebumps if you’re in the right frame of mind, picturing the passage in Technicolour and Panavision. Technicolour and Panavision doesn’t seem quite right, though, not for gothic horror. I’m inclined to see it in B&W, in stark light and cloaked in shadow, and a thousand shades of grey.

Tis October; the season, I suppose, that more than a few DMs, and not a few players, would prefer their adventure to have a certain…theme. There are more than a few scenarios out there that fit the bill, but I expect that none are as tailored to the season as Call of Cthulhu® or Ravenloft®. When I say Ravenloft, I might mean TSR’s 2^nd edition campaign setting—either should scratch that itch.

They might, and would, but I’d like to rewind a little and draw our attention to the singular adventure module I6 Ravenloft. It’s the iconic adventure that set D&D down the gothic path that was to be TSR’s template for its aforementioned, then future, setting. And it’s arguably still the best gothic horror adventure TSR or WotC have ever produced. Indeed, it tops more than a few lists as the best D&D adventure of all time, regardless of edition.

Is it? It spawned a sequel. A setting. And it has been rewritten under pseudonyms for each edition. That suggests its continued popularity, and its longevity, I imagine. Reverence, even. Lavished with that kind of love, it keeps rising from the dead, you might say. But is it truly the best adventure of all time?

It might be. It’s a challenge, though. Lethally so. It would be. It’s brimming with more undead than just about every classic horror film combined, what with its zombies and skeletons, its ghosts and ghouls. But it wouldn’t have claimed its beloved top spot because of its abundance of undead “cannon fodder;” it did for its namesake: Strahd. Or should I say Dracula? Bram Stoker’s classic novel is, without a doubt, Strahd’s inspiration. And, indeed, for Ravenloft.

Can I say that? You can bet your bottom vial of holy water, I can. You know it, and I know it. Strahd…. Vlad…. If that were not enough, Strahd’s castle mirrors Vlad’s reclusive fortress in the Carpathians. Secluded. Sinister. Strahd also appears to be as attracted to young maidens as Vlad. Ireena Kolyana and Gertruda vis-à-vis Lucy and Mia. Moreover, he too has maiden vampires to attend to him, an army of gypsies, and a madman at his beck and call in Cyrus Belview, whose diet is as deranged as was Renfield’s.

That’s where the similarities end, though. Mostly, anyway. Where Vlad absconds from his retreat for the happy hunting grounds of London, our heroes must face our villain in his own lair. And where Vlad’s gypsies are a little more dedicated in their service of their master in Stoker’s book, ours take little interest in defending theirs—in text, that is.

The mood is as eerie.

A perpetual rolling blackness of thunderclouds casts a gray pall over the land. The darker silhouette of Castle Ravenloft looks over the valley from its 1,000 foot pillar of rock. [I6 – 6]

Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors about the muddy roadway. Thick, cold mists spread a pallor over the road. Giant tree trunks stand on both sides of the road, their branches clawing into the mists. In every direction the mists grow thicker and the forest grows more oppressive. [I6 – 6]

There is a deathly stillness in the dark Barovian woods. [I6 – 6]

But, where Jonathan Harker could leave at any time, were he able to, our heroes may not.

No one has left Barovia for centuries. This is because of the trapping fog that exists everywhere in Barovia. Once it is breathed, it infuses itself around a character's vital organs as a neutralized poison. […] It does not harm characters as long as they continue to breathe the air in Barovia. However, when they leave Barovia, the poison becomes active. [I6 – 6]

Suffice it to say, Ravenloft would not be Ravenloft without Strahd, as much as “Dracula” would not be “Dracula” without Vlad.

It’s because of Strahd that I6 is #1. And it is because of Strashd that Ravenloft is the challenge it is: A deadly one. Strahd is a vampire, after all.

Strahd is a slightly above-average vampire. He has the normal 18/76 strength and his blows drain 2 life levels from his opponents. Strahd has the usual vampire abilities. He can only be hit by magical weapons and can regenerate 3 hit points per round. He can assume gaseous form at will or shape change into a large bat. He can charm person at will by gazing into a character's eyes, causing that character to make a saving throw vs. spells with a penalty of -2. [I6 – 3]

If that were not enough, Strahd is also a 10th level magic user. [I6 – 3]

He's genius and should be played as such. The Hickman’s even say as much.

Strahd chooses when he attacks. Strahd is supposed to be a genius, play him as one. Whenever he is aware of the PCs' positions, he is allowed to make an attack how and where he wants. [I6 – 3]

He knows what the heroes are doing:

Strahd has a variety of spies and servants. They report to him four times each day (at dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight). There is a 60% chance that Strahd knows the PCs' location at these times. [I6 – 3]

And he will choose when and where to attack. To his advantage. [I6 – 3]

Strahd chooses the time and method of his attacks carefully. […]

1. Strahd attacks a single PC for 5 melee rounds, then leaves.
2. Strahd calls 10-15 Strahd zombies to attack the party. All of the zombies must attack at the same time in the same place.
3. Strahd calls 3-12 worg wolves to attack the party. All of the wolves must attack at the same time in the same place. [I6 – 3]

Strahd knows when to withdraw. He knows when he is in over his head. If he is losing a battle he becomes gaseous, polymorphs into a wolf or bat, and/ or summons other creatures to guard his retreat. [I6 – 3]

It goes without saying that Strahd might be impossible to beat outside his lair. And maybe in the daylight hours…. And even then…. The players had best hope that the final confrontation isn’t in Strahd’s tome—which it most likely will be—because even gaining entry will be a harrowing experience.

‘Nuff said on that.

If Strahd were not enough, there are other vampires in the keep. Ghouls, skeletons, and zombies, be they the Strahd variety or not. And banshees and spectres, and wraiths and wights. And in random encounter tables, too! These are not the disarmed 5e undead. They inflict disease and paralyse. They have the capacity to drain levels. Permanently! If the PCs are not lucky, exceedingly lucky, they are going to lose levels, and before long the adventure will be above their pay grade. That will take a toll on the party. No one is going to save against all those attacks.

So, is this adventure survivable? It is. If our heroes are careful. If they have a couple high-level clerics. A paladin would be a boon, too, I imagine. Even then, they are going to have to learn to travel by day. That should be apparent, once they came face to face with the undead once the perpetual twilight sets to darkest night.

I won’t describe the adventure in detail. That would be onerous. If I did, those who know it would be bored; those who don’t will be cheated of their future enjoyment. And claustrophobic terror.

I will say that the descriptive passages are works of art. They set the stage, eevoke the mood, and keep the tension taut.

Take the Burgomaster’s house as example:

The interior of the house is well furnished, although the fixtures show sign of considerable wear. Obvious oddities are the boarded-up windows and the overuse of holy symbols in every room. The Burgomaster is in a side drawing room - dead. He is lying in a room that is dark, despite the candles burning in his honor. The stench in the house is horrible. [I6 – 9]

That passage reeks of fear and desperation.

And take Madam Eva’s tent:

Within, all is dimly illuminated in pools of red light. A small, low table stands across from the doorway, covered in a black velvet cloth. Glints of light seem to flash from a crystal ball on the table as a hunched figure peers into its depths. She speaks. Her voice crackles like dry weeds. Her tone soars and falls like the wind outside. "At last you have arrived!" Her sudden cackling laughter bursts like mad lightning from her withered lips. [I6 – 11]

I love Madam Eva. She’s a cunning old bird.

I’ve gushed on about this module thus far. It deserves such praise, I think. It’s well written, beautifully imagined, brilliantly realised.

Even the artwork is top rate.

But is Ravenloft perfect?

Is anything?

Few Barovian citizens are detailed.

The Barovians

Bildrath, Barovian merchant, LN; Parriwimple, Barovian, LN; Arik, Barovian barkeep, CN; Ismark the Lesser, Barovian, LG; Mad Mary, Barovian, CN; Ireena Kolyana, Barovian, LG; Donavich, Barovian priest, LG; Gertruda, Barovian, NG

That’s the extent of them.

Not a single building in the town is mapped. More damning is the question, “how have these people have survived?” The simple answer is that they survive because it’s Strahd’s desire that they do. They are his larder, so to speak. But there’s nary a farm noted on the map or in the text. There is mention of food—at Strahd’s table, at least:

In the center of the room, a long, heavy table stands covered with a fine white satin cloth. The table is laden with delectable foods of every type: roasted beast basted in a savory sauce, roots and herbs of every taste, and sweet fruits and vegetables. [I6 – 14]

Not so much for the villagers. So, I ask you, how are they sustained? Where do they get their food?

No villager has left Barovia for centuries. Those who tried never returned, dying from the vile snapping teeth of the Barovian wolves and the choking deadly fog. [I6 – 6]

Which is quite a different statement from:

No one has left Barovia for centuries. [I6 – 6]

It’s presumed (by me, at least) that the gypsies can.

The gypsies were given a potion by Strahd that cancels the effects of the fog. This potion is jealously guarded by Madam Eva, who buried it in a secret place. [I6 – 6]

If the villagers have not left in centuries, I presume it’s the gypsies that have brought their necessities in. Otherwise, how is Bildrath’s mercantile restocked?

Bildrath trades with the gypsies when they pass through. [I6 – 8]

Obviously. But how does Bildreth pay them? By fleecing adventurers, it would seem.

Bildrath […] will sell the PCs anything on the official AD&D shopping list, except items found under "Religious Items," "Livestock," and "Transport." Everything is ten times the normal price. [I6 – 8]

Food and sundries aside, one wonders how the people have survived predation for centuries.

The poor villagers of Barovia have been terrorized for centuries by "the devil" Strahd. [I6 – 6]

Their constant state of fear would take its toll. Personally, I expect that the villagers would have been driven mad, long ago. As they must have been.

Mindlessly, Arik cleans glasses, one after the other. When they are all clean, he starts over. If spoken to, he takes orders for drinks in a dull, hollow voice. After serving drinks, he returns to cleaning glasses. Arik ignores all questions. [I6 – 8]

[Mad Mary] is lost in her sorrow and despondency. She barely recognizes the presence of anyone in the room. [I6 – 9]

The priest has been praying and chanting throughout the night. His voice is hoarse and weak. [I6 – 9]

Barovia

The townsfolk aside, the Gypsies are underutilized, at best. And under realised.

The Gypsies

Gypsies AL NE [I6 – 32]

Gypsies' traditions, humor, and language are dark and mysterious. Only the gypsies can pass through Barovia at will. Their leader, Madam Eva, foreshadows the events that befall adventurers. Gypsies may be found anywhere. [I6 – 32]

They are usually noted as NE, but in one instance as LN; and yet madam Eva is CN.

Their purpose?

They “work for” Strahd.

It was they who delivered “the Burgomaster’s” letter to the PCs.

His accented voice speaks, "I have been sent to you to deliver this message! If you be creatures of honor, you will come to my master's aid at first light. It is not advisable to travel the Svalich woods at night!" He pulls from his tunic a sealed letter, addressed to all of you in beautiful £lowing script. He drops the letter on the table. "Take the west road from here some five hours march down through the Svalich woods. There you will find my master in Barovia."

Amid the continued silent stares of the patronage, the gypsy strides to the bar and says to the wary barkeeper, "Fill the glasses, one and all. Their throats-are obviously parched." He drops a purse heavy with gold on the bar. With that, he leaves. [I6 – 7]

So:

The gypsies are in the service of Strahd von Zarovich and fear the consequences of disobedience. [I6 – 32]

The gypsies were given a potion by Strahd that cancels the effects of the fog. [I6 – 6]

The gypsies will carry dirt from his crypt to his new home. [I6 – 5]

Yet they work for themselves.

Bildrath trades with the gypsies when they pass through. [I6 – 8]

Madam Eva

The gypsies lurk near the door. They own the tavern and see to it that all customers pay their bills. [I6 – 8] [Gypsies LN]

Yet they are fiercely loyal to Madam Eva.

This old woman may seem crazed and mad to the PCs but she is, in fact, quite cunning and sharp of mind. She is never fooled by adventurers (she has seen a good many in her time) and is very neutral. She serves Strahd as long as that benefits her and her troupe. She never gives aid and never needs any. [I6 – 11]

[O]ne of the gypsies tells [the PCs], "It was fated that you would visit this humble camp. Madam Eva foretold your coming. She awaits you." [I6 – 11]

Its shortcomings are few and far between, though. The PCs were never meant to spend much time in the town of Barovia; and, depending on which fork in the road they choose once they leave that besieged town, they may never meet Madam Eva at all.

That would be a shame. The fortune telling is a great roleplaying moment. I suggest you move the gypsy camp. To where? Perhaps just before the town. Have the PCs follow the gypsies from the very start when they were given that luring letter. Why not follow such a person? Once past the gate, they can watch the gypsies come and go and discover early on that they cannot. That might raise their hackles concerning these gypsies. Once they, the PCs, discover that they are in as dire straights as the Barovians they will empathise with the villagers all the more quickly.

They’re in the same boat, after all.

“…the world seems full of good men—even if there are monsters in it.”

― Bram Stoker, Dracula

Count Strahd von Zarovich

Postscript

Ravenloft was published as a stand-on-its-own adventure, long before it became a brand or a setting. Long before it became a demi-realm. That means that at one time it could be placed anywhere. Sadly, or maybe fortuitously, I6 does not have a sword-and-sorcery, or a high-fantasy feel. It doesn’t scream Greyhawk, does it? Its tech is gothic, not medieval-esque.

That said, where then might Ravenloft fit in Greyhawk? Some secluded corner of Keoland? I’d like that, but I’m not sure the topography there conforms to Barovia’s. It requires rivers, waterfalls tumbling from towering cliffs amid dense forest. Veluna? Perhaps, but Veluna’s patron is Pelor, NG and not LG. Perrenland would suit, given the names, but Perrenland is a little narrow, to my mind, confined as it is within its enveloping mountain ranges to fit the thematic isolation of centuries Barovia suffers.

My choice is the Pale, betwixt the Rakers and the Troll Fens. That might be best. It’s isolated. Few would travel there, given its dangerous local and its isolation. Even Pholtus fits, standing in for the sun god in question.

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 I6 Ravenloft, 1983

The Castle, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Strahd, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

Undead, by Clyde Caldwell, from I6 Ravenloft, 1983

The Barovians, from Curse of Strahd, 2000

Mad Mary, from Curse of Strahd, 2000

Curse-of-Strahd by sprutnums

Fair Barovia, from Dungeon #207, 2012

The Fortune Teller, from Curse of Strahd, 2000

Count Strahd von Zarovich, from Curse of Strahd, 2000

Sources:

1015 World of Greyhawk Boxed Set, 1983

2009 Monster Manual, 1^st Ed., 1977

2011 Players Handbook, 1^st Ed., 1978

2011A Dungeon Masters Guide, 1^st Ed., 1979

9075 I6 Ravenloft, 1983