Expedition to Castle Raven-Sharn [Archive] - Wizards Community

Expedition to Castle Raven-Sharn [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
servetus
10-29-07, 02:25 AM I'm running my PCs through the first 2 modules of the Shadows of the Last War series, somewhat re-adapted so that the schema storyline ends in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade since I didn't care for Grasp of the Emerald Claw. As part of that tinkering, I wanted to give the vampire who captures Lucan Stellos in the introduction to Whispers of the Vampire's Blade a much bigger role in the campaign. Basically, after that module the PCs will have beaten their main recurring Emerald Claw bad guys, only to learn that the whole time their nemeses been working for this vampire who's plotting in the depths of Sharn.

At which point it occurs to me--why not make that vampire Strahd ir'Zarovich? The Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module suggests locating it on the Karrnath-Mror Holds border in Eberron, which lets you preserve the small isolated village flavor of the module. But with a lot of creative adaptation, I figure that Ravensharn could be one of the earliest towers of Sharn, long since destroyed and built over, but with plenty of lower levels still intact and recently re-opened. This gives a very different, urban take on the Ravenloft module--plus the much-anticipated moment, a year or so from now, when I first drop the name "Strahd" on my players :).

Here's how I'm thinking it works out....

Strahd's family originally ruled a small area near Shaarat, within the present-day borders of Sharn. After Breggor captured Sharn, and the city began expanding, it grew to envelop Ravenloft, and the land of Barovia became simply more of the outlying farms feeding the city. I'm not sure how Strahd felt about this at the time, but he adapted and maintained control over his district of the city. Then, when the War of the Mark came to Sharn, he allied with Tarkanian (to fit in with some other connections to the War of the Mark that are already in my campaign, including an old ally of the tiKamnidhs (d'Canniths, give or take a little linguistic drift) that the PCs rescued from a suspended animation spell as part of my version of The Forgotten Forge, and who will be able to provide the PCs with historical clues about Strahd's original tenure in Sharn).

When the tiKamnidhs ran Strahd out of Sharn, he fled to southern Cyre. Somewhere along the way, he's fallen in with Vol (I'm still working this part out, but it explains why the Emerald Claw in Sharn is working for him). Recently, his "new" home has been annexed by the Valenar elves, and as they don't taste very good, Strahd has decided to return to the ruins of his old tower.

Now he is trying to figure out what to do with this major teeming megapolis that someone has dropped on his ancestral lands. Sharn was big before, but this is ridiculous! Luckily, much of his old tower remains, having simply been built over and forgotten.

He's spent the last few decades re-establishing some of his old power centers, such as the fains that figure so prominently in the Ravenloft module, and now he's starting to put his plots in motion. One of these plots involves his bid to gain control of the old Cannith schema (which I've re-interpreted as being about making undead warforged, to fit in with the undead theme of this campaign), which the PCs are currently in the middle of foiling.

But what else should he be up to? This is as far as I've gotten. Any ideas or advice on how to integrate a Ravenloft campaign into Sharn? Why do you think Strahd is working with/for Vol? What are his goals now that he's returned to Sharn? What parts of the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module have to be jettisoned, and what parts can be repurposed? This whole concept is still very fluid, since I only thought of it this morning. I originally bought the Ravenloft module just for a few ideas of how to run a vampire bad guy, but I think I can get more use out of it. And, really, the name "Strahd" should terrify the players a lot more than "Calderus" (the vampire name from Whispers of the Vampire's Blade).
Dragonlord20000
10-29-07, 05:08 PM I think you should maintain Strahd's oppession with his lost love. However heres the twist:

Strahd didn't loose a lover in the War of the Mark, oh no, instead his wife had died years before and he was a single parent to a beautiful 13 year old girl until the fateful day that the d'Canniths (I like how you spell, just don't want to look) killed her in an attempt to intimidate Strahd and force him to leave. Guilt stricken he feel out of the war, and found solice in the faith of Vol, hoping that the blood within may return his daughter. He was mostly a lay worshipper until the day Vol herself saw his power and invited him into the inner circle of the religion. Strahd gained more out of this deal then Vol though, Strahd believes that Vol herself is the rebirth of his lost daughter, or at least a cosmic replacement. Vol finds this silly, as thousands of years as a lich has hardened her beyond childish fealings, but still values his contribution.

In other words Strahd's main plot is to do something so magnificent in the name of Lady Vol, a gift any father would envy giving his daughter. He hopes that the rulership of the city of sharn is enough to earn his fatherly role, and Vol might just accept it with that kind of leverage (if you don't like political domination, anything grand and overreaching works).

Finally on a more critiquey point, I like undead warforged schema. I kinda figure Strahd is using it to undermine Cannith's monopoly or technology. Legal warforged, who everyone understands has no mind or soul, yet aren't someones dead husband could shake up the continent's economy.

Just some ideas, because this seems like a neat, though intensive modification.
Harcourt_Fenton_Mudd
11-15-07, 01:13 PM IMHO, I would keep Strahd and Lady Vol antagonistic to one another. There's only room for one King/Queen of the dead. Then you can have the party (knowingly or unknowingly) working for Vol trying to shaft her biggest rival.

I'm intrigued about the "Raven Tower" idea. Making Strahd an urban vamp lets you do all sorts of nifty PC harassment.

Players get involved investigating scema.
Players residence gets overrun by Strahd zombies, bats, rats, etc.
Players tell authorities who question party's sanity.
Players keep digging until they come head to head with Strahd.

This definitely has possibilities.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
servetus 10-29-07, 02:25 AM	I'm running my PCs through the first 2 modules of the Shadows of the Last War series, somewhat re-adapted so that the schema storyline ends in Whispers of the Vampire's Blade since I didn't care for Grasp of the Emerald Claw. As part of that tinkering, I wanted to give the vampire who captures Lucan Stellos in the introduction to Whispers of the Vampire's Blade a much bigger role in the campaign. Basically, after that module the PCs will have beaten their main recurring Emerald Claw bad guys, only to learn that the whole time their nemeses been working for this vampire who's plotting in the depths of Sharn. At which point it occurs to me--why not make that vampire Strahd ir'Zarovich? The Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module suggests locating it on the Karrnath-Mror Holds border in Eberron, which lets you preserve the small isolated village flavor of the module. But with a lot of creative adaptation, I figure that Ravensharn could be one of the earliest towers of Sharn, long since destroyed and built over, but with plenty of lower levels still intact and recently re-opened. This gives a very different, urban take on the Ravenloft module--plus the much-anticipated moment, a year or so from now, when I first drop the name "Strahd" on my players :). Here's how I'm thinking it works out.... Strahd's family originally ruled a small area near Shaarat, within the present-day borders of Sharn. After Breggor captured Sharn, and the city began expanding, it grew to envelop Ravenloft, and the land of Barovia became simply more of the outlying farms feeding the city. I'm not sure how Strahd felt about this at the time, but he adapted and maintained control over his district of the city. Then, when the War of the Mark came to Sharn, he allied with Tarkanian (to fit in with some other connections to the War of the Mark that are already in my campaign, including an old ally of the tiKamnidhs (d'Canniths, give or take a little linguistic drift) that the PCs rescued from a suspended animation spell as part of my version of The Forgotten Forge, and who will be able to provide the PCs with historical clues about Strahd's original tenure in Sharn). When the tiKamnidhs ran Strahd out of Sharn, he fled to southern Cyre. Somewhere along the way, he's fallen in with Vol (I'm still working this part out, but it explains why the Emerald Claw in Sharn is working for him). Recently, his "new" home has been annexed by the Valenar elves, and as they don't taste very good, Strahd has decided to return to the ruins of his old tower. Now he is trying to figure out what to do with this major teeming megapolis that someone has dropped on his ancestral lands. Sharn was big before, but this is ridiculous! Luckily, much of his old tower remains, having simply been built over and forgotten. He's spent the last few decades re-establishing some of his old power centers, such as the fains that figure so prominently in the Ravenloft module, and now he's starting to put his plots in motion. One of these plots involves his bid to gain control of the old Cannith schema (which I've re-interpreted as being about making undead warforged, to fit in with the undead theme of this campaign), which the PCs are currently in the middle of foiling. But what else should he be up to? This is as far as I've gotten. Any ideas or advice on how to integrate a Ravenloft campaign into Sharn? Why do you think Strahd is working with/for Vol? What are his goals now that he's returned to Sharn? What parts of the Expedition to Castle Ravenloft module have to be jettisoned, and what parts can be repurposed? This whole concept is still very fluid, since I only thought of it this morning. I originally bought the Ravenloft module just for a few ideas of how to run a vampire bad guy, but I think I can get more use out of it. And, really, the name "Strahd" should terrify the players a lot more than "Calderus" (the vampire name from Whispers of the Vampire's Blade).
Dragonlord20000 10-29-07, 05:08 PM	I think you should maintain Strahd's oppession with his lost love. However heres the twist: Strahd didn't loose a lover in the War of the Mark, oh no, instead his wife had died years before and he was a single parent to a beautiful 13 year old girl until the fateful day that the d'Canniths (I like how you spell, just don't want to look) killed her in an attempt to intimidate Strahd and force him to leave. Guilt stricken he feel out of the war, and found solice in the faith of Vol, hoping that the blood within may return his daughter. He was mostly a lay worshipper until the day Vol herself saw his power and invited him into the inner circle of the religion. Strahd gained more out of this deal then Vol though, Strahd believes that Vol herself is the rebirth of his lost daughter, or at least a cosmic replacement. Vol finds this silly, as thousands of years as a lich has hardened her beyond childish fealings, but still values his contribution. In other words Strahd's main plot is to do something so magnificent in the name of Lady Vol, a gift any father would envy giving his daughter. He hopes that the rulership of the city of sharn is enough to earn his fatherly role, and Vol might just accept it with that kind of leverage (if you don't like political domination, anything grand and overreaching works). Finally on a more critiquey point, I like undead warforged schema. I kinda figure Strahd is using it to undermine Cannith's monopoly or technology. Legal warforged, who everyone understands has no mind or soul, yet aren't someones dead husband could shake up the continent's economy. Just some ideas, because this seems like a neat, though intensive modification.
Harcourt_Fenton_Mudd 11-15-07, 01:13 PM	IMHO, I would keep Strahd and Lady Vol antagonistic to one another. There's only room for one King/Queen of the dead. Then you can have the party (knowingly or unknowingly) working for Vol trying to shaft her biggest rival. I'm intrigued about the "Raven Tower" idea. Making Strahd an urban vamp lets you do all sorts of nifty PC harassment. Players get involved investigating scema. Players residence gets overrun by Strahd zombies, bats, rats, etc. Players tell authorities who question party's sanity. Players keep digging until they come head to head with Strahd. This definitely has possibilities.