A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

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De Montour
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A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by De Montour »

This is a little side trek adventure that I have come up with to add into the events of Curse of Strahd, which I intend to start running soon. The reason for the villain having incurred the wrath of another Darklord in the first place is hinted at, but it is an adult theme which may not be to everyone’s taste and may be glossed over or ignored.

Some of the characters are NPCs from the Beast of Graenseskov adventure by Aaron Infante Levy. It is a superbly written sandbox adventure set in the misty borders of Barovia. It isn’t needed for this adventure though and could be fitted in around any small community of the DM’s own making.

Without further adieu...


Kalmar Davos is a Wolfwere from a realm named Kartakass, which apparently lies somewhere beyond the mists to the south of Barovia. Kalmar has made the mistake of angering Harkon Lukas, an exceptionally powerful Wolfwere of his homeland and has been forced to flee into the mists.
Pursued by Lukas’ minions and in fear for his life, Kalmar tumbled into a small pond and began to swim.

It was at this point that he was claimed by the mists of Ravenloft. Kalmar began to realise that he was no longer swimming in a still pond and that he was, in fact, being pulled along by the current of a fast flowing river.
The mists had cleared and he saw that there were banks of trees on each side of the river. Suddenly he heard a voice shouting and felt a loop of rope drop about his shoulders as a man began to haul him out of the water.

The man was Arlo Paszek, a Charcoal Burner in the employ of a local nobleman named Borje Volchykrov. Surprisingly, Kalmar found that he was able to communicate with the fellow. Arlo, it transpired, was the son of a Nova Vaasan adventurer and a Barovian peasant mother. He was fluent in the language of both lands and the Vaasi language was the same tongue, more or less, as that spoken in his homeland of Kartakass.

Arlo lived several hours journey from Volchykrov Manor with his wife and daughter. This suited him very well as Arlo liked to drink and when he was in his cups, he liked to brawl. He had been flogged on a number of occasions by the Boyar’s men for being a troublemaker. It was best for all involved that Arlo spent as little time in the vicinity of the Weary Horse as possible.

His wife believed that the only reason he had not been thrown into a dungeon by the Boyar was that there were no other charcoal burners in this region of Barovia and the Boyar liked his hall to be warm during the notoriously cold winters.
Arlo’s wife was called Anjabet, or Anja to her family and friends. She loved her husband dearly, despite his faults and the pair of them doted upon their five year old daughter, Katilda.

Right from the very moment that Kalmar returned to their cabin with her husband, she sensed that there was something wrong with this stranger, though she could not quite put her finger upon it. He was certainly charming and could hold a tune, but she did not like the way that he looked at her when Arlo was not looking. Neither did Bartus, their dog. Arlo had been forced to chain the big mastiff up in his kennel to prevent blood from being spilled in the house.

That night, in their beds, Anja insisted that this stranger must leave the following day. Arlo reminded her that he would be taking a delivery of charcoal to the Manor in a few days time and that he would take Kalmar with him then. But Anja was not to be refused and finally Arlo agreed that he would take Kalmar to see the Boyar the following morning.

Anja had been right not to trust the stranger for her husband would never reach Volchykrov Manor. Kalmar assumed the form of a monstrous man-wolf hybrid and fell upon the unsuspecting charcoal burner, after lulling him with his Song of Lethargy. Arlo put up as strong a fight as he could, but he was no match for the rending teeth and claws of the Wolfwere.

The villainous Kalmar waited until the next day before returning to the cabin. He had assumed the form of his unfortunate victim and wrapped a piece of bloodstained cloth, ripped from his shirt about his head as a bandage. He concocted a story about how he and ‘Kalmar’ had been set upon by wolves and that he had been knocked unconscious by a low hanging branch during their flight. When he came to, he was dressed in Kalmar’s clothing. He knew not why, nor where the fellow had disappeared to and that the blow must have caused him some memory lapse.

Anjabet accepted his story at first, but as the day wore on she began to notice things about him that did not quite ring true. Neither Turnip (their donkey) nor Bartus (the Hound) would let Arlo near them and Bartus had always been Arlo’s dog, first and foremost. Secondly, Arlo was now possessed of a fine singing voice, deep, rich and baritone. Surely a blow to the head could not have caused him to develop this. The Arlo she knew had not a musical note in his head. He also seemed to have forgotten how to tend the Charcoal Kiln and had let the latest load of embers catch flame, destroying the lot.

Now, she cowers from him at night. Once she dreamed that her husband would show an interest in her ‘as a woman’ once more, but he is changed terribly and the lascivious looks he gives her both frighten her and turn her stomach. Worse yet is the look of predatory hunger that he reserves for their little daughter.

He rarely leaves the vicinity of their cabin these days. Anja and Tilda have not had the opportunity to flee to the Manor and the safety of the Weary Horse. Anja has made no effort to remind Arlo of his deliveries and hopes that eventually the Boyar will send his ‘Knights’ to investigate the situation.

Kalmar, for his part, revels in the fear that he has instilled in this isolated little family. He is enjoying it so much that he has, for the moment, forgone the terrible things that he has planned for them. The woman is comely enough and buxom and he wonders if he, like that bast**d Lukas, will be able to whelp pups upon a human female.

The child will make a fine snack one of these days, but not just yet. The little girl’s terror adds piquancy to the horror that the woman is experiencing.

The characters find themselves at Volchykrov Manor. The Boyar, or possibly Ser Cedomir, orders them to find out why Arlo has not made his last two deliveries of Charcoal and to ‘teach the peasant scum a lesson he won’t quickly forget’ for his tardiness.

If such an entrance is not appropriate, then Stravko Nosek(the innkeeper of the Weary Horse and Anjabet’s brother) will try to get the characters to find out what has happened to his brother in law.


I welcome any and all critiques. :)
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Re: A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by Mistmaster »

The wolfwere/ungratefull monster as the villain of the story is a bit of a cliche, isn't it? Why if, instead, Kalmar, was gratefull with his savior and host, and the next day they were attaked by bandits who killed Arlo and were pursued and killed by Kalmar? The PG's could start to pursue Kalmar only to realize than, maybe, they are being hasty.
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De Montour
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Re: A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by De Montour »

Thanks for your thoughts Mistmaster.

A cliché is only a cliché when it's played out and I would agree that for many of the posters and DMs on this forum, that is exactly how this comes across.

However, my players will be a bunch of noobs, completely unfamiliar with adventuring in Ravenloft. I think it will work best as a little aside, after Death House and before they aid Ismark the Lesser to rid Graenseskov of 'the Beast'.

I hinted that Kalmar has fled Kartakass because he may have discovered that the Greater Wolfweres ar the offspring of Harkon Lukas and human females. Lukas clearly doesn't want this possibility to become common knowledge. Hence he has attempted to have Kalmar murdered.

Upon meeting Anjabet, any gratitude that he may have to Arlo is forgotten as his plan to create his own Greater Wolfwere offspring surfaces.

I do quite like your twist with the bandits, but I reckon that I want to keep things quite simple.
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De Montour
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Re: A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by De Montour »

Though, I'm not sure if that is the 'official' view on how Greater Wolfweres are created. I believe that I may have picked that notion in a previous thread on this forum, several years ago and it has become 'Head Canon'.
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Re: A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by Mistmaster »

Understood. I probably am too obsessed with this kind of twist.
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Re: A small additional adventure for Curse of Strahd

Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

De Montour wrote:I hinted that Kalmar has fled Kartakass because he may have discovered that the Greater Wolfweres ar the offspring of Harkon Lukas and human females.
It's a bit muddied, but if anything, you have it backwards:
http://fraternityofshadows.com/wiki/Cat ... r_Wolfwere
The exact percentage of Harkon Lukas's progeny that are greater wolfweres has been the subject of some contradiction. According to 2nd Edition materials, greater wolfweres are the children of Harkon Lukas and wolfwere mothers,Speculation.png implying that Harkon Lukas can and does mate with humans. Only a small subset of the greater wolfweres' progeny go on to become greater wolfweres.[1][2],
On the other hand, 3rd Edition makes no call on whether the mother must be a wolfwere or a human, but it's specified that only a fraction of the wolfweres descended directly from Harkon Lukas become greater wolfweres.[3]
But with that said, if it works for you, go with it.
"We're realistic heroes. We're not here to save the world, just nudge the world into a better place."
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