Curse of Strahd DM questions (spoilers)

[Specter]

1) If the party is with Ireena and reach the Vistani camp south of the castle (near the village of Barovia), how would the Vistani react? Specifically, why wouldn't they tell Strahd or try to keep her there?

2) Assuming the party actually leads Ireena to either the church in Vallaki or the pool in Kresk where she would be off-limits to Strahd, what would prevent him from going absolutely berserk and destroying the party? Doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would patiently wait for after that.

3) If Strahd scries on the party and see her with them, what would he do?

Thanks in advance.

[Aembrosia]

1) they want nothing to do with her or strahd. They will remain neutral if possible. To some degree abhorent.
2) this one is certainly weird. The way it makes the most sense is if the party got a good draw on the sunsword and found it early. Strahd is extremely vulnerable outside of his lair.
3) be a little concerned. Pay a visit. Heavily imply she is turning into a vampire. Oh ireena. Why must you hurt me. You know how much the others and i miss you so back home. You look like you havent eaten in weeks.

You are going to have to give Irina up but it doesn't have to be for nothing you can use that to fuel his anger it's no longer a game it's serious business

[Specter]

Thanks for the reply. I guess it comes down to some Vistani in league with him (they even refer to him as 'our prince' in one of the hooks), and the others not caring at all.

[ruy343]

I recently DM'd this adventure, and had quite a bit of fun with Strahd's personality. I'll offer what I did.



1) If the party is with Ireena and reach the Vistani camp south of the castle (near the village of Barovia), how would the Vistani react? Specifically, why wouldn't they tell Strahd or try to keep her there?

When my players got to Madam Eva, and she was fortune telling about Strahd and how to defeat him, I decided to see it as Madam Eva trying to lure the characters into a game for Strahd: teh same game he's been playing for hundreds of years. Luring hapless adventurers with noble ideas into his land, sending them on a hopeless quest, and then crushing their hopes and dreams mercilessly is how Strahd gets his kicks.

As such, the vistani at the camp recognize their role to get the characters excited, and treat them well. I don't think that they would recognize Ireena though: the folks at the camp haven't lived long enough to have seen her previous incarnation. But, if you wanted them to alert Strahd, be my guest! Strahd would probably follow the characters around and harass them on and off, showing up when it's truly terrifying, and explaining to Ireena: "I can make this all go away, if you'll just come with me" :smallamused:


2) Assuming the party actually leads Ireena to either the church in Vallaki or the pool in Kresk where she would be off-limits to Strahd, what would prevent him from going absolutely berserk and destroying the party? Doesn't seem like the kind of thing he would patiently wait for after that.

Ireena did, in fact, make it to the church in Vallaki, but the players didn't feel that she'd be safe there after the whole "stealing the bones of the saint in the basement thing." I dropped hints that the abbot in Krezk would be powerful enough to protect her throughout several sessions (the Krezk storyline is more satisfying anyway), and they decided to follow up on that lead. After leaving her witht he mayor of Krezk to visit the Wizard of the Wines, they went back and spoke to the abbot (yet another of Strahd's playthings: a twisted, macabre celestial who honestly thinks that stitching together a bride for Strahd is the answer. He was super fun to roleplay, and the looks on my players' faces were glorious).

After all of that, they had no idea what to do with Ireena. They stayed the night with the mayor of Krezk. At midnight, Ireena awoke, and had a strong urge to step outside into the cold night, as though she was being compelled by some ghost. A few religious checks later, the players realized that it wasn't malevolent, so they accompanied her to the edge of the pool, where they had the encounter with Sergei. The moment she embraced him in the water, a voice resounded (and I shouted at the top of my lungs while hitting the table, "SHE IS MINE!!!"), Lightning struck the pool, and Strahd appeared on the walls of Krezk, hailing fireballs down on the group, and eventually killing two of our four-man party (Strahd is merciless when he's mad!). The party eventually escaped (Ezmerelda came to their rescue), and Strahd felt that it wasn't worth it to continue (though he could likely have killed them all) and left. The abbot (who has the ability to cast Raise Dead per the rules) explained to the characters that they had a choice: he could only save one of their friends, while the other needed to be burned immediately to prevent him from becoming a vampire spawn at dawn (personal liberty). That was one of the best roleplaying moments for the surviving characters: who do they save?


3) If Strahd scries on the party and see her with them, what would he do?

He should pay special attention to their actions and drop in on them from time to time, as I responded in answer 1.