Page 110 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

If the characters trigger the glyph of warding or other­
This dusty, twenty-foot-square room has a high-pitched wise announce their arrival, Victor casts a greater invis­
ceiling that reaches its peak twenty feet above. The ibility spell on himself and hides in a corner. Otherwise,
wooden rafters are shrouded in cobwebs. Except for an he's visible. If the characters can see Victor, read:
old table with a lantern on it, the room is empty.
In the center of the room, perched on a stool, is a thin
A door in the south wall can be pulled open to area N3s. young man with a premature streak of gray in his dark
hair. He cradles an open leather-bound book in his arms.
N3s. ATTIC STORAGE

Victor found a spellbook in his father's library and is
This large attic is full of old, forgotten things draped using it to teach himself the art of spellcasting. Only re­
in white sheets. Piled around them are barrels, crates, cently has he been able to decipher some of its high-level
trunks, and old furnishings covered with cobwebs and spells. He's a weird, awkward, and off-putting fellow
dust. You see a clear footpath through the maze. who is dangerous only if threatened.
For practice and for fun, Victor dug up some old cat
bones behind the Wachter estate (see area N4) and ani­
Characters can follow a single set of human footprints mated them, creating six cat skeletons (use the cat stat
in the dust that lead to area N3t. block, but give them darkvision out to a range of 60 feet
Searching through the junk in this attic uncovers a and immunity to poison damage, exhaustion, and the
few old paintings and antiques, but nothing of value. poisoned condition). The skeletons attack only when Vic­
tor commands them to.
FORTUNES OF RAVENLOFT The "children" standing in the corner are painted
If your card reading reveals that a treasure is here, the wooden dolls dressed in clothing that Victor wore as a
item is hidden in a trunk. Each character has a cumula­ child. He pretends they are his disobedient pupils.
tive 20 percent chance of finding the item for every hour The sheets of parchment are covered with elaborate
the character spends searching the attic. diagrams of teleportation circles. Victor drew them in an
effort to learn the teleportation circle spell, which he's
N3T. VICTOR'S WORKROOM still trying to master (see "Teleportation Circle" below).
Victor spends most of his time here, leaving only when The trunk contains several bolts of silk cloth, needles
he needs food or spell components. When the charac­ and thread, and a half-finished wizard's robe. Victor
ters first set eyes on the door to this room, read: started to make the robe for himself but found the work
tedious and stopped.
Someone has carved a large skull into this door. Hanging Teleportation Circle. Victor's spellbook contains in­
from the doorknob is a wooden sign that reads "ALL IS complete text for a teleportation circle spell, along with
the sigil sequences of three permanent teleportation cir­
NOT WELL!" You hear a young man's voice beyond. cles, the locations of which aren't described. There's not
enough text to prepare the spell properly, but that hasn't
Anyone who inspects the carving and succeeds on a DC stopped Victor from trying to learn to cast it.
14 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices a small, Victor recently inscribed his own version of a telepor­
nearly invisible glyph etched into the skull's forehead. tation circle on the floor. It's hidden under the rug so
This is a glyph of warding (5d8 lightning damage) that that his parents don't find it. In the past couple of weeks,
triggers if anyone other than Victor opens the door. Victor has managed to imbue the circle with magic, but
The voice belongs to Victor. He is reading aloud from he failed to account for several factors. His circle doesn't
his spellbook. Anyone who listens at the door and suc­ fade after use, nor does it function like the teleportation
ceeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check can tell circle spell. If the circle is used in the casting of a tele­
he's badly pronouncing some kind of teleportation spell. portation circle spell, whether the actual spell or Victor's
If the characters open the door, read: version of it, any creature standing on the circle when
the spell is cast takes 3dl0 force damage and isn't tele­
ported anywhere. If this damage reduces the creature to
Someone has taken old, mismatched furniture and cre­ 0 hit points, the creature is disintegrated. Any character
ated a study is this dusty, lamplit chamber. Tables are who studies the circle and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelli-
strewn with pieces of parchment, on which strange dia­ . gence (Arcana) check realizes that Victor's circle is hor­
. ri�ly flawed and potentially deadly when used.
,
grams are drawn, and a freestanding bookshelf holds a ... ·-Yictor ha� tested his' circle�on two reluctant servants
,
collection of bones. A dusty rug covers the floor in front : (cprnpelled by his suggt!stion spell} .- irt,hoth cases link-
.
of a pine box, on which lounges a skeletal cat. Several . ing his circle 'td on"e ci( the 'oth�t'.-ci�cles �hose sigils are"
more skeletal cats skulk about. Most unnerving of all is . in hi�'�pellbook,:Each ��r;ant wa�:·toih �p�rt before.,._'·
0
the sight of three small children standing with their backs . ,:\ric�01:'s �ye:�' b'ef�;e_ ;adistii�g in a flash' of purple. light. .•
i
to you in the northeast corner of the room. · --Vict�1,-dcies1{ 1 know'QoW-fo fix-the dtcfe but plans' to
. .. mak�:inore rilci°difie'atio�s.tb if'b'.efofe.fo�tfrlgit 'again.'
.
.;. . . ... ' ., . .t.. - - • . ·':1:-� • :-·i- .. .' .
.
· CHAPTER 5 I THE TO\V.N OF,VALLAKI