Page 55 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

the drawbridge and portcullis fill both gate towers. The K6. OV ERLOOK
latch mechanism in each tower is magically activated by
a word that only Strahd knows. It can also be activated
with a successful casting of dispel magic (DC 14). Nei­ Dark clouds overhead drizzle constantly. A flagstone
ther the drawbridge nor the portcullis will move until
both latches are activated. avenue passes between empty outbuildings, leading to a
stone-paved overlook. The overlook has a low stone wall
K2. CENTER COURT GATE adorned with outward-facing gargoyle carvings.
Two gates, one north of the keep and one to the south,
prevent easy access to what lies beyond them. If a character peers over the balcony, read:

A massive wall juts out to connect the outer walls of the A flash of lightning illuminates the dismal village of Baro­
castle with the keep. A twenty-foot-wide, twenty-foot-tall via, its rooftops visible above a smothering blanket of fog
archway offers passage through the connecting wall but one thousand feet below.
is blocked by a rusting iron portcullis.
If a character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception)
The portcullis is unlocked and can be lifted with a suc­ score of 15 or higher peers over the wall, add:
cessful DC 15 Strength check. It can also be opened
with a command word that only Strahd and Cyrus Bel­
view (area K62) know. Unless the portcullis is wedged Underneath the platform on which you stand, about one
or propped open, it falls back into place once it is let go. hundred feet down, a stone construction protrudes from
the cliff face. Three dirt-caked windows are set into it.
K3. SERVANTS' COURTYARD

The windows are so dirty as to be opaque, although a
This courtyard northeast of the keep is enclosed by tow­ character within reach of one can scrape the dirt away
and see a dusty tomb beyond (area K88). Characters
ering walls. A stone carriage house with hinged wooden who try to reach the windows from the overlook must
doors stands silent in the corner where the outer walls descend 110 feet and move 20 feet back under the plat­
meet. Across from the carriage house, a slender wooden form. This descent can't be accomplished without the
door reinforced with iron bands leads into the keep. aid of magic or the use of a climber's kit.
Anyone who falls from the overlook plummets
1,000 feet.
The carriage house is described in area K4. The
wooden door, which leads to area K23, is swollen and FORTUNES OF RAVENLOFT
stuck in its frame. A character can shoulder open the If your card reading indicates an encounter with Strahd
stuck door with a successful DC 10 Strength check. in this area, he is looking out over the balcony.
K4. CARRIAGE HOUSE
MAIN FLOOR
I I the courtyard (area Kl):
Read the following text if the characters open the car­
Refer to map 3 of the castle for areas K7 through K24.
riage house doors:
K7. ENTRY
Read the following text if the characters approach from
The double doors swing open to reveal a sleek, black car-
riage fitted with glass windows and brass lanterns.

The ornate outer doors of the castle hang open, flanked
K5. CHAPEL GARDEN. by fluttering torches in iron sconces. Twenty feet inside
. ... "' .· the castle is a second set of doors .
·,·.
At the back of the keep, behind towering buttresses and
tall, boarded-up stained-glass windows, a small garden If one or more characters approach from area Kl and
struggles to survive. Small flowers press skyward against come within 10 feet of the double doors, read:
the gloom. A pair of large iron gates blocks the way to I I
some kind of overlook. The doors in front of you sud.denly swi�g open, revealing
a grand hall filled with the sound of organ music.

The large iron gates squeal loudly on rusted hinges
when opened. Beyond them lies area K6.

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