Page 70 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

TORMENTED SPIRIT K46. PARAPETS
The spirit ofVarushka, a maid, haunts this chamber.
She took her own life when Strahd began feeding on
her, denying him the chance to turn her into a vam­ You stand on a ten-foot-wide walkway that encircles most
pire spawn. of the keep. The drizzle of rain continues, punctuated by
The blood in the tub isn't real, but rather a manifesta­ the occasional clap of thunder or stroke of lightning. Far
tion of Varushka's tormented spirit. If the blood is dis­
turbed in any way, read: below these parapets are the shining wet cobblestones of
the courtyard.
A blood-drenched creature explodes out of the tub and
attaches to the ceiling, cackling maniacally. Blood pours The walkway runs around the front of the upper por­
off its pale flesh, bony limbs, and stringy hair as it scut­ tion of the keep. Battlemented walkways extend from
tles away. the keep north, south, and east to the outer walls of the
castle as well. (See map 2 for the length and location
of the castle walls.) All the windows leading from this
The creature that erupts from the tub is no more real area into the keep are shut and locked, but can easily
than the blood. It can't be harmed and doesn't attack. It be broken.
scuttles across the ceiling, disappearing into area K44 If the characters loiter on the parapets or atop the
through one of the archways. Once there, it disappears. castle walls for more than 5 minutes, they encounter
Strahd's animated armor (see appendix D) making the
K44. CLOSET rounds. It patrols the parapets and the outer walls of
Ravenloft day and night. Under a darkened sky, charac­
ters without darkvision are more likely to hear the clat­
The walls here are lined with iron hooks, upon which ter of the armor approaching before they can see it.
The armor can't be salvaged if it is reduced to 0
hang black capes and formal wear. Two arched windows
hit points.
in the south wall are covered by heavy curtains.
SPIRES OF RAVENLOFT
Twenty-eight capes and sixteen sets of fine clothes are Refer to maps 6 through 10 of Castle Ravenloft for areas
stored here. Red satin drapes hang in the archways K4 7 through K60.
that connect this closet to the adjoining bath chamber
(area K43). K47. P O RTRAIT OF STRAHD

K45. HALL OF HEROES
You come to a dark landing ten feet wide and twenty
feet long. A cold draft of wind rushes down the spiral
Dark alcoves line the walls of this long hall. The ceiling staircase at the north end of the east wall and whistles
has fallen here, leaving rubble strewn across the floor. mournfully through the room before streaming down the
Overhead, the beams of Raven loft's roof are exposed. stairs to the south.
Lightning from the dark clouds above sporadically illumi­ An ornate, square rug covers the floor to the south. Set
nates the hall, lighting the faces of life-sized human stat­ into the west wall is an ironbound wooden door with a
ues in the alcoves. Each visage is frozen in terror.
wooden trapdoor set into the floor in front of it. Hanging
on the north wall above the trapdoor is a framed portrait
The ten statues that line this corridor depict ancient of a handsome, well-dressed man with a serene yet pene­
heroes. In actuality, the faces of the statues are stoic and trating gaze.
expressionless, but whenever the lightning flashes, their
expressions change to utter horror until the hall goes
dark again. The ornate rug is actually a rug of smothering. It at­
The statues are imbued with the spirits of Strahd's tacks creatures, other than undead, that move across it
ancestors, all of which grieve over the termination of or anyone who tries to move it or otherwise disturb it.
their bloodline. Each spirit will answer one question . Underneath the rug is a bare stone floor.
.
if addressed directly. The spirits' answers are always The wooden, square trapdoor is 4 feet on.a.side and as
short and vague, and. there is a 20 percent chance that a thick as··the floor, with recessed'iron hinges and an jron
spirit's answer is wrong. ··· · ,. · . ring buiit into: the s.ide cipposJt¢, the h,inges. Puiling· up ... , ··
-
The stairs at the west end. of the hall descend 40 feet . on the-r.ing· ope'ri� the ·c:100r. B�iowt6'e.1r;;'pdoor, charac/
:
to area K33. An opeii �tchWay·to the east reveals a , · te1lsee �-�e. of t»1i?" thi�gs; �ithe�·�'1io-(oot-dee·t> shaff .::
tower landing beyqnd (pai: :ofarea K20). . · ;'(area 'K3Jaf�r;' i(thi{ elev�'to'i;-trap Kas b�en activ:�t . ed�; ·
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. ', .... :cret'·Hilt�r·'in)fs fop/::· '. ·:. ;' :· \,,:/_i;;:"'i.tr .. ·-·. ' .
· .· ';? · (see)re�·-K61);·a-stciri� ·eJetatoi', c.o.wp�rtine�t � i_th a· se­
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�,-/' CHAPTER 4,· i 6�S1'LE RAVENLOF'l' 69
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