Page 65 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

is activated (see area K61 for details), a stone elevator K33. KING'S APARTMENT STAIR
compartment measuring 10 feet on a side rises up the
western half of the shaft. At the same time, a solid block This dark hall is concealed behind two secret doors.
of stone, also 10 feet on a side, descends in the eastern
half of the shaft, acting as a counterweight. Both stone This arched corridor has been swept clean. Oak paneling
blocks have thick iron chains bolted to them, by which
they are hoisted and lowered them as needed. decorates the walls to a height of four feet. Mounted on
Scaling the shaft is impossible without the aid of the east wall above the wood paneling are three unlit oil
magic or the use of a climber's kit, because the walls lamps spaced ten feet apart. A plain wooden door is set
are smooth and slick with mildew, and the greasy iron into the west wall, and light seeps through its cracks. A
chains are too thick and slippery to grasp. staircase at the north end of the west wall ascends into
Set into the roof of the shaft is a 5-foot-square stone darkness.
trapdoor that can be pushed open to reveal area K47.
K31B. SHAFT ACCESS The staircase climbs 40 feet to area K45. The door in
the west wall opens into area K32.

This ten-foot-square room overlooks a vertical shaft K34. SERVANTS' UPPER FLOOR
to the south that plunges into darkness and contin­
ues upward.
Dirt-caked windows allow little light to enter this upstairs
room. Broken bed frames and torn bits of mattress litter
This vantage point is 130 feet from the bottom of the the floors. A tall, dusty wardrobe roughly shaped like a
shaft (area K31a). Forty feet down is area K31, and
40 feet up is a stone trapdoor in the ceiling that opens coffin, its black doors painted with fey creatures, stands
into area K47. between two cracked, full-length mirrors hanging on the
A door in the north wall is easy to spot from this side south wall. A staircase descends along the north wall.
oak-paneled walls. Stained, yellowed lace hangs neatly I I
(no ability check required) and opens into area K39.
K32. MAID IN HELL If someone opens the wardrobe, read:

A plain white dress yellowed with age flies out of the
Oil lamps illuminate this long, rectangular chamber with

The dress flaps around to the music of the storm.
from eight canopied beds. The figure of a woman moves wardrobe and begins to dance in the middle of the room.
lithely about the room, dusting furniture and humming
quietly. Around her pale, slender neck is a gold necklace If anyone touches the dancing dress, it collapses in a
with a ruby pendant. lifeless heap on the floor. Otherwise, it dances forever.
Hanging in the wardrobe are a few rotted servant's uni­
forms, none of which are animate or valuable.
The maid, Helga Ruvak, is a vampire spawn who Set into the south wall, behind the hanging mirror
claims to be the daughter of the village bootmaker, kid­ west of the wardrobe, is a secret door. It can be pulled
napped and forced into service by Strahd. She pleads, open to reveal a closet choked with dust and cobwebs
on her hands and knees if necessary, to be saved from and that contains a wooden ladder that leads-up 20 feet
this awful place. to another secret door in the tower stairway (area K20).
Helga will join the party if the characters ask her The staircase leads down to area K24.
along. She intends to attack the characters but does so
only if she senses an opportunity t_hat doesn't involve ROOMS OF WEEPING
having to fight the entire party. �be also attacks if com- Refer to map 5 of the castle for. area:sK35 through K46.
manded to do so by Strahd. . _ _ _ .
Helga plays the p�rt of the in11,oc�· �f d�rri_sel in distress K35. GUARDIAN.VERMIN
to the last, revealing hei; fefo9f�,9,!\lY "."hen she attacks.
She is, in fact, the bootm�_ker'{cf�ug�tei- she claims to
be, but she chose a li(e-of evil with St:a:hd; A door of delicately engraved steel stands at the west
'TREASURE
t �:' _.�. , ' Helga's gold necklace with its ruby pendant.is a gift from end of this short, dark hallway. Intricate details stand out
'.: .. _.
clearly on the door's surface. The door seems to shine
"\. .
..
;t ;':•'i;.
� i}ttrt\ , worth, 750 gp. with a light of its own, untouched by time. Flanking the
:/'tf_·,_'.,· \ .,- , .Strahd: The necklace is almost five centuries old and is
;.
door are two alcoves in shadow. A dark, vaguely man­
·:. '":,::..,:·�·� .; . . shaped figure stands in each alcove.
CHAPTER 4 I CASTLE RAVENLOIT