Page 31 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

If someone spots the berserker, read: FALSE TRAIL
This encounter occurs only if the characters are travel­
I You discover a foot trail that cuts through the wilderness. I
You startle a wild-looking figure caked in gray mud and ing; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.
clutching a crude stone axe. Whether it's a man or a
woman, you can't tell.

The berserkers shun civilized folk. They try to remain Evil druids left this trail. Following it in either direction
hidden and withdraw if they are spotted, attacking only leads to a spiked pit (see "Sample Traps" in chapter 5 of
if trapped or threatened. the Dungeon Master's Guide). A thin tarp made of twigs
and pine needles conceals the pit, the bottom of which is
CORPSE lined with sharpened wooden stakes.
This encounter occurs only if the characters are travel­
I
ing; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter. GHOST

I You find a corpse. A baleful apparition appears before you, its hollow eyes I
I
dark with anger.
Roll a d6 to determine the nature of the corpse:
1-2. The corpse belonged to a wolf killed by spears and Many ghosts haunt this land. This particular ghost is
crossbow bolts. all that remains of a person drained of life by Strahd
3-5. The corpse belongs to a Barovian man, woman, (decide whether it's a man or a woman). It appears and
or child who was clearly torn to pieces by dire wolves. hisses, "No one will ever know you died here." It then at­
If the party is accompanied by Barovian scouts (see tacks. If the ghost succeeds in possessing a character, it
above), the scouts recognize the corpse as the person leads its host to the gates of Ravenloft (area J) and hurls
they were searching for. the host's body into the chasm.
6. The corpse looks like one of the characters (deter­ GRAVE
mined randomly) but has been stripped of armor, This encounter occurs only if the characters are travel­
weapons, and valuables. If moved, its flesh melts away ing; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.
until only the skeleton remains. I You stumble upon an old grave. I

I DIRE WOLVES I There is a 25 percent chance that the grave is intact,

A snarling wolf the size of a grizzly bear steps out
appearing as an elongated earthen mound or a rocky
of the fog.
cairn. Characters who dig up the grave find the skeletal
remains of a human clad in rusted chain mail (a soldier).
The area is lightly obscured by fog. If more than one Among the bones lie corroded weapons.
dire wolf is present, the others aren't far behind and can If the grave isn't intact, it has been violated. The char­
be seen as dark shadows in the fog. The dire wolves of acters find a shallow, mud-filled hole with dirt or rocks
Barovia are cruel, overgrown wolves and Strahd's loyal strewn around it and a few scattered bones within.
servants. They can't be charmed or frightened.
HIDDEN BUNDLE
DRUID AND TWIG BLIGHTS This encounter occurs only if the characters are travel­
ing; otherwise, treat the result as no encounter.
The characters find a leather-wrapped bundle hidden
A gaunt figure with wild hair and bare feet bounds toward in the underbrush, stuffed inside a hollow log, or nestled
you on all fours, wearing a tattered gown of stitched ani­ in the boughs of a tree. If they open the. bundle; read:
mal skins. You can't tell whether it's a man or a woman.
It stops, sniffs the air, and laughs like a lunatic. The I The bundle contains one set.of common clothes sized for ·
ground nearby is crawling with tiny twig monsters. a human adult. ]

The Barovian wilderness is home to druids who worship The clothes have a drab Barovian·'style to th�m. They
'
.
Strahd because of his ability to control the weather and belong to a wereraven or wer.ewolf.
· the beasts of Barovia. The druids are savage and violent,
and each controls a host of twig blights, which fights HUNTING TRAP
until destroyed. If all the twig blights are destroyed or This encounter occurs only if the characters are travel­
the druid loses more than half of its hit points, the druid ing; otherwise ., treat the result as no encounter.
flees, heading toward Vester Hill (area Y).

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• CHAPTER 2 I THE LANDS OF BAROVTA
30
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