CoS Help [Spoilers]

[Vox Silentii]

So my group of 6 just finished death house, where one of them got downed 7 times in one session.
But the thing is i have some trouble with what im gonna do to mess with my players; although its more in the way of "what is strahd gonna do?"

Although i have a couple of ideas, i want something more.

Two of my players are brother and sister, searching for a friend (who sacrificed himself at the death house in another group many moons ago.)
My idea there is too have Strahd ressurect him as his servant, maybe with altered memories so he doesn't recognise the PC's.
Or
Have him chained up in his dungeon, beaten and bloody, have him gain their trust and then BAM! It's was Strahd all along.
Maybe have him as a random zombie when encountering Strahd for the last time.

I also want them to maybe fight each other, as entertainment for the Darklord. Try to get them in a lose/lose situation where the better option would be to duel to the death, only to then ressurect the one who died to make things even less trustworthy between them.
Maybe try to strike a deal with one of them, has to kill the other. Maybe offer safe passage out if he/she does.
But Strahd is a man of his words, so it's hard to make a deal like that.
I also has this idea of "life for a life" to ressurrect their friend if one of them dies. Only to be ressurrected as a zombie.

During the end of the last session, Strahd threw the symbol of their deity at them as a "welcoming gift" with a note stuck on the backside. Hinting that he knows about their friend and sending a message. But i left the session on that cliff hanger not knowing what i should do with it.

Another PC lost his brother before coming to Barovia, being an elf i think i should make Strahd use him to set an example to what "happens to elves" in his land.

What should the little note say? And what ideas do you have that could help me?

[Quoxis]

The „little note“ thing could turn out to be a tarokka (?) card, Strahd likes those to an extent bordering obsession iirc.
The PCs don’t know what this little painting is, so they ask in the village, which is met with strange looks and suspicion of evil. An NPC guides them to the... vishtani...(?) to tell them about it, and with this you can (A) bind them more into the fluff and (B) buy yourself some time to decide on the details, especially if you throw an encounter in on the way there.

[Vox Silentii]

That actually is a good idea, i thinking about using "The Broken One" for the fear effect.

[tieren]

While strahd uses zombies, I think it would be more fitting if he instead raised them as vampire spawn.

Zombies won't be a significant threat by the time they find him.

[Vox Silentii]

While strahd uses zombies, I think it would be more fitting if he instead raised them as vampire spawn.

Zombies won't be a significant threat by the time they find him.

Good call. I agree with you

[the_brazenburn]

There should be a "little note" for each member of the party. When they reach some old abandoned house (with a table set with glasses of both red and white wine), the writing on the note should change. It will tell them that Strahd is looking for allies, and if a player wants to join him, they should raise a glass of red, or a glass of white to reject his offer.


Except that half of the notes have the opposite instructions (white to accept, red to reject).


Watch pandemonium ensue.