The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

Discussing all things Ravenloft
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Fido
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The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind

Post by Fido »

Gaz I wrote:This platinum holy symbol is crafted in the shape of the sun, with a large crystal surrounded by celestial symbols of light and truth embedded in its center. Most High Priest Kir of the Church of Andral crafted this medallion in 350 BC, after he foresaw that a terrible curse would soon befall Barovia. Kir gave his life to create the Symbol, and the Church of Andral died out after Strahd made his pact with Death. The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind followed the vampire lord into the Realm of Dread, retaining its power.
Thought to be in Strahd's posession, the medallion has been missing since the Grand Conjunction. The Keepers of the Black Feather search for it tirelessly, believing it holds the key to Strahd's destruction.

The Symbol has all the properties of an amulet of undead turning. Additionally, any undead creature vulnerable to sunlight suffers 1d6 fire damage each round it touches the Symbol. When forcefully presented to a vampire, it flares with true sunlight for 1d10 minutes. The Symbol can flare once a week.


My PC's accidently killed a royal family member of a Ravenkin society in South Barovia. One of them had taken an amulet from the neck of the dead raven.
Later, the group has been stalked by ravens and Ravenkin, without them really knowing why. In my last session though, a Ravenkin representative came to them, asking the amulet back. They refused to give it and managed to talk the ravenkin into letting them keep it. They will have to bring the amulet to the Blood o' the Vine inn in the village of Barovia.

At the moment the PC's are in Zeidenburg, having just assassinated the burgomaster. (They're working for the Gundarakite rebels)
On their way to Barovia village through the Balinoks a lot can happen of course.

I was thinking of creating different 'families' in the Ravenkin inhabitants of Barovia. One of the families, the ones who were holding the Symbol of Ravenkind, would be slightly 'evil', or in league with Strahd or whatever. I'll need to find a reason for them to want to keep the symbol to themselves or a reason for them not to want to kill Strahd.

The Ravenkin messenger who told them to bring the symbol to the Blood o' the Vine would be one of the other family then. But why didn't he just bring the symbol to Barovia himself? Maybe he's afraid of Strahd? I'm not sure...

Strahd would of course sense the PC's holding such an item in his domain and will try to do something to stop them. I was thinking along the lines of vampire assassins trying to kill them in the middle of the night or something...
Although that sounds a bit cliché...

Perhaps somebody has other ideas? Or experience concerning this item or the ravenkin in general? Actually I'm just looking for stuff that can occur on the way to Barovia. I will probably also insert some Vistani somewhere along the way...


Thanks,
Fido


(The owner of the local gamesshop told me that the Symbol of Ravenkind is actually around the neck of Strahd's brother or nephew or something... But that's information from some novel, and I don't own any of the 2e books...)
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Post by Rotipher of the FoS »

The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind actually seems to be "invisible" to Strahd's darklordly awareness of extreme good (paladins) and evil (fiends with reality wrinkles) in his domain. In fact, for the first hundred years or so of Barovia's existence as a domain, the Holy Symbol was inside Castle Ravenloft -- hanging forgotten around the neck of murdered Sergei von Zarovich, whom Strahd had reaminated as a zombie for a time (per VotM and your gameshop-owner's report) -- yet Strahd never realized that the "Priest's Pendant" his brother'd worn in life was anything but a sentimental trinket.

So no, Strahd probably would not sense the Holy Symbol's presence in his domain, if he couldn't even sense it in his castle. He might, of course, have a spy among the PCs or their adversaries, who could learn of the Symbol and report it to Strahd.
"Who [u]cares[/u] what the Dark Powers are? They're [i]bastards![/i] That's all I need to know of them." -- Crow
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Fido
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Post by Fido »

I see...

I'll get a spy in there or something. Or use a Vistana raunie...

(more info/tips always appreciated)
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