Page 58 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

3 rounds, never moving from the organ bench. When the Kl4. HALL OF FAITH
time is up, or if the illusion is attacked, it simply disap­
pears with a mocking laugh.
The moment the figure disappears, a fierce, This grand hall is choked with dust and stretches into
bone-chilling wind rises up and roars through the hall,
putting out all open flames. The characters hear the darkness ahead. Webs hang from the arched ceiling like
screech of ancient hinges and the solid thud of many drapes, and life-sized statues of knights line the hallway
heavy doors slamming shut, one after another, into the on both sides, their eyes seeming to watch you.
distance. They also hear the portcullis clang shut and
the tired groan of the aged drawbridge pulling up. Fi­
nally, unless the doors to this room are being held open, The statues are harmless. Their moving eyes are a sim­
they slam shut (but do not lock). If the characters open ple optical illusion.
the doors, they see that all the torches in areas K7, KB, Double doors stand at both ends of the hall. Above
and K9 have gone out. the doors leading to area KlS hangs a symbol of beaten
The organ appears locked in place and immovable, bronze that looks like a rising or setting sun.
but a character who makes a successful DC 20 Wisdom Kl5. CHAPEL
(Perception) check notices scratch marks on the floor
that suggest that the organ can be slid outward. A char­
acter who tries pushing various keys and pedals dis­ Dim, colored light filters through tall, broken, and board­
covers that one of the pedals, when depressed, causes
the organ to slide outward about 2 feet, allowing access ed-up windows of stained glass, illuminating the ancient
to a secret door in the back wall that swings open into chapel of Raven loft. A few bats flutter about near the top
area Kll. Because this secret door is hidden behind the of the ninety-foot-high domed ceiling. A balcony runs the
organ, it can't be found and opened until the organ is length of the west wall, fifty feet above the floor. In the
moved out of the way. center of the balcony, two dark shapes are slumped in
The food on the table is tasty, the wine delicious.
tall chairs.
Kll. SOUTH ARCHERS' POST Benches coated with centuries of dust lie about the
floor in jumbled disarray. Beyond this debris, lit by a
piercing shaft of light, an altar stands upon a stone plat­
The castle courtyard is visible through arrow slits in the form. The sides of the altar are carved with bas-reliefs of
north and west walls. Leaning against the walls are mir­ angelic figures entwined with grape vines. The light from
rors of various sizes, some as tall as a human and others above falls directly on a silver statuette. A cloaked figure
small enough to fit in a backpack. is draped over the altar, and a black mace lies on the

floor near its feet.
Each arrow slit is 21/2 feet tall and 4 inches wide. The
framed mirrors (seventeen in all) used to hang on var­ The figure slumped on the altar is all that remains of
ious walls of the castle. Strahd had them taken down Gustav Herrenghast, a lawful evil human cleric who
and stored here. tried to obtain the Icon of Ravenloft and did not survive
A secret door in the east wall can be pulled open to re­
veal the back of the pipe organ in area KlO. Characters the attempt. See "Treasure" below for more information
can't pass through the secret door while the organ is on the icon and Gustav's possessions.
A sculpted stone railing cordons off the upstairs bal­
blocking it, and the organ can't be moved from this side.
cony, which is described in area K28.
Kl2. TURRET POST TREASURE
The statuette on the altar is an artifact called the Icon
of Ravenloft (see appendix C). Any evil creature that
A high, domed ceiling caps the thirty-foot-wide octago­ touches the statuette must make a DC 17 Constitution
nal room before you. Frescoes faded with age adorn the saving throw, taking 88 (16d10) radiant damage on a
ceiling, but their images are impossible to make out. Tall, failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
thin arrow slits look out over the courtyard. The statuette is safe for all creatures to handle once it is
no longer in contact with the altar.
Gustav's corpse wears a handsome, fur-lined black
Each arrow slit is 2'h feet tall and 4 inches wide. cloak embroidered with golden thread (worth 250 gp)
and a suit of chain mail, both nonmagical. Gustav's
Kl3. TURRET POST ACCESS HALL black m.ace is a mace of terror.
I FORTUNES OF RAVENLOFT

I This long, narrow corridor runs east to west. Cobwebs fill ,, If your.card reading reveals that a treasure is here, it
·
·
the hall, obstructing sight beyond a few feet. · lies on the floor behind the altar.

CHAPTER 4 I CASTLE RAVENLOFT
57
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