Page 34 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

via, captured werewolves can be forced to divulge the AREAS OF BAROVIA
location of their den, where they keep their prisoners.
The following areas correspond to labels on the map of
Barovia on page 35 and on the poster map.
WILL-0'-WISP
I This random encounter occurs only once. If it comes up I A. OLD SVALICH ROAD
again, treat the result as no encounter.

Several hundred yards away, through the fog, you see a
flickering torchlight. Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors in and
around the muddy roadway. Giant trees loom on both
sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mist.
If the characters follow the flickering light, read:
If the characters are walking along the road, they arrive
The torchlight flutters as it moves away from you, but at area B after 5 hours. If the characters are traveling in
you never lose sight of it. You make your way quickly yet Vistani wagons, the travel time is halved.
cautiously through the fog until you come upon the shell B. GATES OF BAROVIA
of a ruined tower. The upper floors of the structure have
collapsed, leaving heaps of rubble and shattered timber Two sets of these gates exist: one west of the village of
Barovia and one east of the village.
around the tower's base. The feeble light moves through
an open doorway on the ground floor, then flickers and
goes out. The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road be­
hind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on
both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming
The light is a will-o'-wisp that enters the ruined tower gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework.
and becomes invisible, hoping to lure the characters in­
side to their doom. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two
The floor of the tower is made of packed earth. Its inte­ headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their
rior is desecrated ground (see "Wilderness Hazards" in heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They
chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). Against the greet you only with silence.
inside wall of the tower, across from the open doorway,
is a closed, empty wooden chest.
If the characters disturb the chest, 3d6 zombies erupt If the characters are traveling on foot, the gates swing
from the earthen floor and attack. Once the zombies ap­ open as they approach, screeching as the hinges move.
pear, the will-o'-wisp becomes visible and joins the fray.
I WOLVES I THE LANDS OF BAROVIA: COMMON FEATURES
Unless the text says otherwise, the following rules apply to
doors, secret doors, locks, and webs in these lands.
Doors. A wooden door can be forced open with a suc­
This land is home to many wolves, their howls at the mo-
ment too close for comfort. cessful DC 10 Strength check, or DC 15 if the door is
barred or reinforced in some other manner. Increase the
DC by 5 if the door is made of stone, or by 10 if it is made
of iron. Decrease the DC by 5 if the door is made of glass
Characters have a few minutes to steel themselves be­ or amber, or if the door is weakened in some manner
fore these wolves attack. They heed the will of Strahd (such as by rot or corrosion).
and can't be charmed or frightened. presence, such as scratch marks on a nearby wall or foot­
Secret Doors. If there are obvious clues to a secret door's
I them to pick a typical lock with a successful DC 15 Dexter­
prints leading to it, a character with a passive Wisdom
ZOMBIES
(Perception) score of 15 or higher notices the secret door.
Otherwise, finding a secret door requires a search of the
The ungodly stench of rotting flesh hangs in the air. Up
area and a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.
Locks. A creature proficient with thieves' tools can use
ahead, the walking, moaning corpses of dead men and
women lumber about.
ity check. A typical padlock can be broken by smashing it
with a bludgeoning or slashing weapon and succeeding on
a DC 20 Strength check.
These unfortunate Barovians·fell prey to the evils of Webs. Characters can pass through ordinary webs, in­
the land and now shamble from place to place as a cluding thick cobwebs, without fear of being restrained
ravenous mob. or slowed down. A character can clear away the cobwebs
from a 10-foot square as an action. Webs woven by giant
spiders are a different matter; see "Dungeon Hazards" in
chapter 5 in the Dungeon Master's Guide for rules on giant
spider webs.
-- CHAPTER 2 I TH.E LANDS OF BAROVlA