Page 8 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

MARKS OF HORROR sons to stand against the darkness. Here are a couple of
ways to add glimmers of light to a tragic tale:
A gust of air like the foul-smelling breath of some hor­
rible monster greets the adventurers as they climb the • In a land as dreary as Barovia, take the time to de­
steps of a tower in Castle Ravenloft. Nearing the top, scribe the occasional scene of beauty, such as a pretty
they begin to hear the beating of a heart in the darkness flower growing atop a grave.
above. Not a human heart, but the heart of something • Make sure that the heroes have contact with NPCs
monstrous and horrible; Such is the nature of gothic who are honest, friendly, and helpful, such as the Mar­
horror: fear bred by anticipation and the dark realization tikovs in Vallaki or the Krezkovs in Krezk.
that all will be truly and horribly revealed in time.
The following tips can help you make this adventure a PERSONIFICATION
chilling experience for you and your players. Ascribing human characteristics to an inanimate thing
is one way to turn something ordinary into something
THE UNKNOWN malevolent. A groaning house, the wailing wind, grasp­
Horror is born out of fear of the unknown. Our fear is ing mud, and a squatting chest aren't just mundane
heightened when the darkness engulfs us and we can't things-they're characters in your story, made all the
see, or when the truth is behind a locked door, covered creepier thanks to their humanlike traits. Torches sput­
by a sheet, or buried in the soft earth. It's not the mon­ ter nervously, rusty hinges shatter silence with their
ster, but its shadow, that breeds horror. The more we sudden cries of anguish, and cobwebs quietly beckon us
know about a monster, the less we fear it, so the trick to our doom. Here are more examples:
is to keep it out of the light for as long as possible. Here Imagine darkness as a silent crowd that follows the
are two tricks to heighten fear of the unknown: characters everywhere and stares at them while
• When it seems as though the characters have ev­ they sleep.
erything under control, you can have a gust of wind • Imagine trees as towering giants that stand idle yet
suddenly blow out their torches, plunging them ever watchful as characters face the perils of the Sva­
into darkness. lich Woods alone.
Before a monster appears, take a moment to describe
the odor that precedes it, the eerie sound it makes, or DETAILS
the weird shadow it casts. In a horror story, there's no telling where danger might
be lurking. A leering gargoyle might be a monster in dis­
FORESHADOWING guise, or merely a fiendish sculpture. A mirror hanging
Foreshadowing is about finding clues to a horrible truth on a wall might have the power to transfix all who gaze
yet to be revealed. Consider the following examples: into it, or it might be nothing out of the ordinary. In a
horror story, taking the time to describe an object in de­
Before characters encounter a monster, hint at the tail draws attention to it, makes one suspicious of it, and
monster's presence with clues such as claw marks, might distract from the real danger. Here are a couple of
gnawed bones, and bloodstains. tricks you can use:
• Whenever characters take a long rest, give one char­
acter a prophetic dream in which he or she glimpses • In a given encounter area, choose one object or fea­
something yet to be found or encountered. ture to describe in some detail. It need not be import­
ant to the story.
AGE • Allow the character who has the highest passive Wis­
dom (Perception) score to see, hear, or smell some­
Barovia is the grim reflection of its undead master. Al­ thing that no one else can perceive.
most everything here is old and timeworn. Everywhere
the adventurers go, they should be reminded of death, HUMOR
decay, and their own mortality. Here are a couple of
ways to reinforce these pervasive themes: There are no stranger bedfellows than horror and hu­
mor. Tension can't be sustained indefinitely, so a dash
• Take time to describe the rotting timbers of buildings, of humor provides a respite, giving horror a chance to
the faded and moth-eaten clothing of the Barovian sneak up on us later and catch us off guard. While hu­
peasantry, the worm-ridden pages of old books, and morous situations will occur naturally in the course of
the rust on iron fences and gates. running the adventure, here are some tips for creating
• A character gazing into a mirror, a pool, or other re­ humor when needed:
flective surface might glimpse an older, more decrepit
version of himself or herself. Allow NPCs (even evil ones) to tell jokes, speak in a
funnyvoice, or behave idio,tically. Even _morbid humor
-
LIGHT is better than none. ..: . . . . .
A tale that is perpetually dark in tone becomes tiresome When a hero, villain, or morister,'foll� a natural 1:on .::
a:n atta<;k·roli, ability check, 0� -�a�i'iig .. throw, d�scribe'
.
.
-
very quickly. It needs 'to feature the occasional ray of ,' a hum�'io�s rriisna:p'th:at occurs as·a: iesult.of the low
light for contrast and to create a sense of hope. Monsters roll; such' a1, a char11cter �ccidentally kn9ckini. over a
and other terrors must be offset with creatures that are lamp and setting-some drapes on fire·while trying'to
kind and lovable, giving-the characters ev_en_rnore rea- hide o'r move silently: .. , < - ' . ..