Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

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Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ender »

PREFACE: I'm running my Curse of Strahd campaign a little backwards as my players started in Zeidenberg, made their way through the ruins of Berez, and are now in Vallaki. I've foreshadowed Ireena with the statue in Berez and the dolls in Vallaki, but Ireena herself hasn't made an appearance yet.

In my Curse of Strahd campaign, I'm intending to add Leo Dilisnya (not just his bones) into the mix, liberally stealing ideas from Dungeon 207's Fair Barovia. It is generations after he was sealed inside the tomb in the Wachter mausoleum (assuming we take I, Strahd as true) and Leo has escaped his confines thanks to Karl and Nikolai Wachter (Fiona's sons) messing things up. My intention is this: Leo didn't really go crazy, at least any more than he already was, and found a way to "hibernate" while in the tomb. He's a man out of time, waking in the present, and is still out for revenge. He blames the Wachters for his torment as much as Strahd, so he carefully and methodically plots his vengeance. He wants to hurt the Wachters and draw Strahd out. Here's the outline of his plan:

1. Kill either Karl or Nikolai, specifically with poison (hey, it's Leo after all), but mutilate the corpse and make sure Fiona sees it. He will drop the body of the one Wachter son into the middle of a play that both Fiona and the party are attending. Very visibly on the body will be a note in blood that reads "HAVE YOU SEEN MY BROTHER?" The party is currently befriending Fiona as a mutual enemy against the psychologically oppressive burgomaster of Vallaki and she will be stricken with rage and despair, asking the party for help.

2. The other brother has been kidnapped and is placed inside a tomb like Leo was. He has a few hours of air and Fiona will be delivered a note telling her that time is short. He gives her clues to her son's whereabouts. (I haven't decided whether or not Leo is lying. I like the idea that he sends the party on a wild goose chase just to get Fiona alone, but don't really want to completely rip away any sense of accomplishment from the party.)

3. Leo uses Ernst Larnak to double-cross Fiona, poisoning her and the remaining Wachters (Stella might survive).

4. I think I'm also going to make Leo the reason for the special event "St. Andral's Feast", where the vampire spawn attack the church. I want Leo to have the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind because he plans to set another trap for Strahd using it. Perhaps the relic within the church was actually the Holy Symbol instead of the Bones of St. Andral or perhaps Father Lucian simply knew its location. Either way, Leo obtains it and secrets it away, but makes it somewhat obvious that he has them and where he can be found. This is another attempt to draw Strahd into his trap. Naturally, the party springs the trap instead and will recover the Holy Symbol themselves.

From a metagame perspective, I want Leo involved in all of this because I want the party to become invested in Strahd's history. The hunt for Leo should reveal bits and pieces of the past, like Lorvinia Wachter's role in Leo's imprisonment, the note from Vasili von Holtz (since they will encounter Vasili at some point), the importance of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (the first tarokka reading item they encounter), and should set up "history" as a theme so that the Tome of Strahd has some weight when they get it.

Does anyone have any ideas how to make the murder mystery interesting? What red herrings Leo would have established? What other changes or embellishments might make the plot more effective? Ideas in general?
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ember in the Dark »

Having Leo be a part of the game could be fairly interesting, and I love the idea of having the dead body be dropped onto the stage. I will probably steal something like that for my own campaign.

As for making the murder mystery more interesting, maybe have Leo frame someone else in Vallaki- perhaps Victor Vallakovich, the current burghomaster's son?

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Strahd will be enraged beyond reason if he finds out that Leo is still alive. Maybe once the party could be asked by Strahd to capture Leo alive (or undead, as it were), for Strahd'/ personal amusement.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ender »

I think I want Strahd to be enraged at learning Leo is not only alive, but has managed to be a thorn in his side once more. Not only that, but I think that should also be Leo's goal with the intent of drawing Strahd out to get his revenge. As such, I don't think he should try to frame someone else. A part of me thinks he should want to be discovered and tracked down, at least subconsciously. Here's some random thoughts:

1. Once Strahd gets Leo's "message", I think he'll "send" Vasili von Holtz to meet with the players to subtly guide them in the right direction to deal with Leo. He's smart enough not to fall into a trap again and would rather send those capable fighters he's been watching.

2. Maybe Leo goes a step too far this time. He's spent time studying Strahd since his release and could have discovered that Strahd has an interest in this one Barovian girl. If he makes any move to harm Ireena... I imagine it's the last time Leo will ever trouble Strahd. Leo identifying Ireena as one of Strahd's weaknesses would also give the players a clue that this girl is important.

3. I'd love to include a Ba'al Verzi dagger. Maybe Leo's own dagger has been passed down through the generations of the Wachters as a gift. Having it sitting on a mantelpiece gathering dust would make for a good Chekhov's Gun, only to have it stolen at some point which should get the players thinking about it.

4. I've already established in the game that Leo Dilisnya visited Father Lucian Petrovich, seeking the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. I need to figure out exactly what Father Petrovich knows and how/why Leo gets his hands on the Holy Symbol. Pretty sure the good Father is going to get murdered by the end.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ember in the Dark »

RE: point 1. I definitely agree that's what Strahd would do, and on top of that, I'd have him make explain everything to the characters- with some lies and deception, of course.

Leo Dilisnya can be treated as the most vile man who ever walked the earth. "In days of yore, he walked the earth, wearing a mask of rigteousnes and virtue, gaining his good lord's trust through dutiful service. Every act he committed, every word he uttered ws no more than a lie or illusion. All of this was done to prepare for an act of treachery most vile- on the Lord Strahd's wedding- when he was to be joined in matrimony to the finest woman who ever graced the earth with her presence- Leo did his dirty work. He butchered them- he and his men slaughtered my Lord's guiests, defenseless and unarmed, killing men, women and children. He killed my lords Beloved Tatyana- his bride, the only woman he truely loved, before his eyes.

Now, through some trick of dark sorcery, this monster walks the earth once more. I assume you, he was a monastery long before whatever force returned him from the grave now fills him. I implore you, if justice holds any worth within your hearts, find this man, and bring about the justice Barovia so rightly deserved."

(Obviously, he's lying about the whole "his wedding day" bit... but it's not like he'd be honest to the players about that).

Something like this could come out of the mouth of any good or neutrally aligned quest giver and players wouldn't bat an eye at hunting him down. In addition to promises of payments, maybe once the job is done, they could receive an invitation to dine with Lord von Zarovich

2. Yes, play on this. All the more reason for Strahd to want Leo dead, as soon as possible.

3. I like this idea as well. The DMG has magic item called a "poison dagger" that could work for the blade. Not only a cool Checkov's gun, could be a really nice thing to get as a reward for completing a quest too.

As for the 4th part, I can't be of much help because I haven't read enough about Vallaki yet.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ender »

Ember in the Dark wrote:In addition to promises of payments, maybe once the job is done, they could receive an invitation to dine with Lord von Zarovich
Indeed I already plan on this. I'm playing Strahd very much like Mads Mikkelsen's portrayal of Hannibal in the titular television series--that is, utter evil hidden behind the veneer of civility. It would be a shame to have the dinner invitation only show up at the end as a trap and never give the players any real interaction with him.
Ember in the Dark wrote:2. Yes, play on this. All the more reason for Strahd to want Leo dead, as soon as possible.
My one concern is that if Leo actually gets to Ireena, I don't think Strahd would bother with his guise anymore and would go straight at Leo. I need to find a way to preserve the Vasili von Holtz facade. I've been thinking about the note that Ireena's father sends out and might have Leo stumble across it instead of that "the Vistani sent a fake note" thing. The players can find it in Leo's possessions while trying to track him down and that could lead them to the village of Barovia and, by extension, Ireena. Naturally, they'd have to stop Leo before he can do anything to her, otherwise I'd feel obligated to bring Strahd in. And while "Strahd utterly destroys Leo" would make for a great scene showcasing exactly how powerful Strahd is as a warning to the party... it also means they don't succeed in stopping Leo themselves.
Ember in the Dark wrote:3. I like this idea as well. The DMG has magic item called a "poison dagger" that could work for the blade. Not only a cool Checkov's gun, could be a really nice thing to get as a reward for completing a quest too.
I assume you mean the Dagger of Venom. I'd certainly use that as the basis for the weapon, but would probably give it some other ability... and a curse. I seem to recall a QtR that had ideas for a Ba'al Verzi Dagger.
As for the 4th part, I can't be of much help because I haven't read enough about Vallaki yet.
Vallaki is a plot-and-NPC-dense section of the adventure. It's got a veritable ton of interconnected threads and sets up a lot of dominoes to fall based on character actions. It makes for an excellent central hub from a metagame perspective of the story. That's specifically why I decided to run the adventure in reverse, geographically-speaking, so that they hit Vallaki and can head out on the different spokes to accomplish different things.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ember in the Dark »

I think I have an idea.

Strahd now knows that Leo is somehow still alive. On the list of "things Strahd doesn't want to happen", this is probably #3. Number #2 would be Ireena dying, and #1 would be Leo finding out about Tatyana/Ireena and getting his hands on her.

As such, Strahd is currently preoccupied by ensuring that nobody that could possibly have any connection to Leo enters Barovia. He's not going to risk keeping his eyes of the village for a second, not when Leo walks the earth.

As such, he wants the party to take care of it. He works on ensuring his worst case scenario cannot happen, the party takes care of Leo before that can even become an issue.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Zilfer »

Well if Leo did get Ireena he would know it is the trump card. While Strahd might want to go personally himself he would know that if he goes personally himself it most likely would get Ireena killed. (If that is where you want the Reincarnation of Tatyana to die this time then have him go by all means.)

If you want him to play more calculated, than he would know as long as he sends the party and doesn’t go himself that’s the best chance he has at her living. Leo would not want to give up his trump card and potential mental knife he has. Leo probably wants to kill Ireena in front of Strahd ultimately especially if he thinks he can’t beat strahd. (Having had his plans foiled twice by Strahd.)

Another factor to consider is Leo was a VERY good liar(on account of being an assassin Ba’al Verzi that tricked everyone and murdered his own relative as well as someone who found out his identity as an assassin). He could potentially talk himself up as being an ally to the PC’s against strahd. (This is what I want to do in my Campaign) This might be a reason he would want to go, and I could see an awesome scene where Vasili Von Holtz is revealed to be Count Strahd Von Zarovich himself by Leo calling him out on his “poorly made disguise.” If you’ve managed to keep a secret from the party thus far it could be a cool reveal, and give the players a bit of worry about their allies.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

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For anyone interested, here's an account of how Leo has factored into my game thus far:

Leo Dilisnya assumed the guise of "Brother Amal" while in Vallaki. I'd have used "Brother Henrik", like Fair Barovia, but there's already the coffin maker with a similar name. He showed up, briefly, everywhere in Vallaki. The rogue tried to follow him once and found him nimble enough to take to the rooftops in flight and escaped. The cleric noticed he had been intimidating Father Petrovich, and had been searching for the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind (in my game, Leo wants to get the Holy Symbol and corrupt it to use against Strahd without harming himself in the process). The others noticed a couple charmed individuals in town acting strangely. One of the players was a friend of the coffin maker, who told the group that there was a subversive element in Vallaki working to overthrow Strahd, led by Brother Amal. Another player found six crates filled with grave dirt in the coffin maker's house and became suspicious, but did nothing with the information. In the meantime, one of the players started working as a personal guard for Lady Wachter and investigated a break-in at her place. Leo had left a note written in blood on her bed that read "DO YOU FEEL SAFE?" The guard found the person had climbed in through her window and deduced he must be strong and nimble.

They had almost finished putting the pieces together when tragedy struck. The party had spent a few days doing very little in the way of investigating, which let Leo get to Father Petrovich and turn him. He then obtained the Holy Symbol. Karl and Nikolai Wachter were kidnapped and killed. One was strangled and dropped onto a stage via noose in front of Lady Wachter. A bloody note on his body read "HAVE YOU SEEN MY BROTHER?" and a small pouch of grave dirt was tucked into his pocket. Leo wanted to leave clues. He met the party as they regrouped in the church and gave them an ultimatum: they could keep trying to chase after the Holy Symbol, now in his possession, or they could try to save the missing Wachter twin before he suffocates. Unfortunately, some of the players misunderstood my ultimatum, thinking Amal had offered to give them the Holy Symbol if they joined him. So the coffin maker's friend offered to join Amal, who let him (knowing he had the advantage still), as well as two others. The party was now split, half on Amal's side, the other half against him.

Amal had those that joined him leave the area before he sent two vampire spawn into the church, chained it shut, and lit it on fire. An epic fight ensued between the already battered players and the spawn. They managed to defeat them and escape the church moments before the fire reached them. Amal was nowhere to be found. About this time, the guard player found his way to the Wachter crypt (by intuition... not by following clues I had left for him in the Wachter house that he never explored...) and found the twin buried in a tomb... having suffocated hours prior; there had been no chance of saving him in the first place. Meanwhile, Amal and the coffin maker spoke with those that had joined him. It was explained that he planned to take Strahd apart piece by piece, starting with shaking his control over the populace and destabilizing his largest supporting house (though it was made clear he had a more personal grudge with the Wachter house). He wanted Lady Wachter to watch her children die one by one before he let her die. His plan for that was already in motion and he had learned of a tantalizing lead in the village of Barovia that he wants to follow up on: a peasant girl that Strahd apparently has an interest in. He intends to find her and take her from Strahd. Brother Amal told those with him that their friends had perished in the church, but they those by his side would be spared. In fact, he would make them stronger for the fight to come... at which point he grabbed the coffin maker's friend and sunk his teeth into his neck.

Cut to black. That was the end of the most recent session.

So, thus far, Leo has helped tie together some of the disparate elements of Vallaki and will be their impetus to continue to the village of Barovia (I did not have my players start in the village, as the module does). My plan is to have Leo be the reason that the players learn more about Strahd's history. Vasili von Holtz will explain "Strahd's" side of the story to the guard, though eventually the truth will come to light, probably from Leo himself. I think I've decided that I'm reframing Strahd a bit in the adventure. He's evil, but his biggest effect on the land isn't that he is oppressive or a terror; rather, everywhere the party goes, they'll find someone he's made into a monster through his actions. Leo is the first one they have seen, and he works on both the physical and metaphorical level. Leo was always an evil person, but after so long being tortured in his tomb, he's even more deranged than he was. The Dark Powers are pushing the players to become monsters themselves, in order to combat Strahd... but will they break the cycle and find a way to defeat Strahd that doesn't end with them becoming like Leo?
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ember in the Dark »

Yep, this does it. I'm stealing this idea. I'm not sending my characters through Ravenloft "backwards", as it were, but I now have another moving part to add to Vallaki.... not that I needed more. But I think, like you said, this could help tie things together.

When I finally get my group there, it will be very interesting to see how things go. What faction will turn out on top, I wonder....
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

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An update: So Leo managed to escape Vallaki, with Father Petrovich now a vampire spawn. The rest of his followers were killed in part by the party and in part by Ezmerelda, who showed up looking for Rictavio. Leo is on his way to the village of Barovia to kidnap Ireena and then intends to take the Holy Symbol of Ravenloft to an ancient monastery where he can corrupt its magic. I haven't decided yet what his plan is, exactly. Fair Barovia has his followers performing some dark ritual at the monastery to desecrate it. I'd like to do something similar, perhaps a ritual that either makes him immune to the Holy Symbol's effects or something that makes the effects directed toward Strahd, specifically. Maybe using Ireena's blood could tie it to Strahd's curse.

Strahd has made one party member the Sheriff of Barovia and made another the new Burgomaster of Vallaki. The party, as a whole, has been co-opted into hunting down Leo and bringing him to justice. "Vasili von Holtz" has been their intermediary between themselves and Strahd. Leo has a couple days head start and is likely already in the village of Barovia or at the monastery. Clearly, a final showdown is coming. I think Leo will certainly try to acquire Ireena and put her in some danger in an attempt to draw out Strahd, but the party should intervene and rescue her at the last moment, defeating Leo. I imagine that Strahd, as Vasili, would be waiting in the wings, but not wanting to tip his hand too soon. Assuming the party succeeds, I think it will be time for Strahd to invite them to a real, honest, and cordial dinner at the Castle. Not for combat, but rather so he can try to make them allies.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

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So Leo captured Ireena and a friendly party NPC (former PC). He's currently trying to work some dark magic ritual on the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind to make him immune to its power so that he can use it against Strahd without reprisals. The party has just entered into a temple to Mother Night / The Raven Queen where the NPCs are being kept, and Leo has been waiting for them. I'm planning on opening with Leo telling them a tale about Strahd, painting Leo as a complete victim. Here's what I have so far:
Leo Dilisnya wrote:Let me tell you the story of Count Strahd von Zarovich. They say he was a great warrior, riding into battle, charging into the fray at the front of his soldiers. It is true that his prowess with a blade was unmatched. He could cleave his way through the lines of battle with ease and marshal his men to victory. He was a soldier, a warrior, a general.

And then, one day, there were no more wars to fight. He had rebuffed the Terg invasion and stamped out the pagans of the land. In gratitude for this victory, King Barov and Queen Ravenia gifted him Castle Ravenloft and the surrounding land they christened Barovia. And so the general became a Count and sat upon his throne. But peace did not suit him; not like his brother.

Sergei was a man of the cloth, sent by King Barov to aid Strahd in ruling the people. Strahd knew little of the common folk, for they were beneath him, but Sergei was among them in the church daily. When Strahd's younger brother arrived, there was tension, but nothing unheard of amongst blood. It wasn't until Sergei professed his love for a peasant woman that Strahd truly feared his brother was mad. He tried to convince him of the error of his ways, but Sergei would hear none of it. He had invited this woman to the castle and Strahd, as host, was obligated to permit her a visit.

From the moment she arrived... when Tatyana Federovna stepped foot in Castle Ravenloft, and Strahd von Zarovich laid eyes on her, Barovia was never again the same. He coveted her; knew that Sergei wasn't good enough for her. She had to be Strahd's. On the day of Tatyana and Sergei's wedding, he completed his studies of the dark arts, transforming himself into a creature of the night and slaughtering the honored guests... and his younger brother. He tried to take Tatyana for himself, to make her into the same monstrosity he had become, but in despair she flung herself from the castle ramparts and ended her life before she could be subjected to an eternity of undeath.

I was there that day. I was one of the guests in the dining hall when Strahd tore my family to pieces. I barely escaped with my life, but the count never stopped hunting me, knowing I was one of the few remaining that knew the truth of that day. I tried to tell others, to rally the people against the monster, but he found me in hiding, years later, thanks to his underling, Lovinia Wachter. Despite my best efforts, he sank his teeth into my flesh and drank from me. As punishment for my attempted coup, he made me into this, and buried me in the Wachter crypt, sealed in stone forever more... until those twins stumbled upon me by accident. Now... now I can have vengeance after all these years.

Do you understand now? Do you see? Truly see? Or need I spell it out for you?
I think Leo will have pieced together that Ireena is a reincarnation of Tatyana, given that he'd have seen Tatyana back in the day. He wants the players to be on his side, to understand his want for revenge (not that they will side with him, because Ireena/Tatyana is innocent in all this anyway), but mainly he just wants fighters on his side. Any thoughts on the story and if it needs adjusted at all?
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by The Lesser Evil »

I would also include whatever of Strahd's present day machinations Leo can dig up, including everything he can get to undermine their confidence in their allies/former allies. Leo doesn't necessarily have to bring the player characters over to his side (although that would be optimal)- he just needs to shake their resolve enough to shatter any effective response against him. Since the characters are also aware of Fiona Wachter, how much do they know about her diabolist cult "book club"? If I was Leo, I would clue the characters in on that, and the conspiracy to upset the Vallakovich family. Perhaps he pulled some demonlogical texts (there was at least one she had a copy of- The Grimoire of the Four Corners, plus Fiona's own little propaganda work in progress- "The Devil We Know"- see CoS 114 for details on these.

If Leo got to the Village of Barovia before the players do, he might've befriend the priest Donavich by destroying Strahd's Doru spawn, to lay weight to his cause. That way, Leo could play off his initially evil actions in Vallaki as lingering taint from Strahd's evil after a long and unnatural slumber before Leo came to his wits. Donavich's addled mental state could make him an easy pawn for Leo.

Finally, does the Order of the Silver Dragon exist in your version of Curse of Strahd? Because if they do, then they would seem a natural force for Leo to try to ally himself with. Plus they were around during his time so he should know of their existence in the modern timeline. Having some holy seeming knights bedecked out in shining armor, their faith and zealotry risen from the death to combat Strahd and company, might also serve Leo doubly as propaganda tools to persuade the player characters. Also, since they're revenants, they can go out in the daytime. (Enlisting the aid of the Order may be a backup/subsequent plan to keep Leo involved should everything fail with what he's doing now.)
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ender »

The Lesser Evil wrote:Since the characters are also aware of Fiona Wachter, how much do they know about her diabolist cult "book club"? If I was Leo, I would clue the characters in on that, and the conspiracy to upset the Vallakovich family. Perhaps he pulled some demonlogical texts (there was at least one she had a copy of- The Grimoire of the Four Corners, plus Fiona's own little propaganda work in progress- "The Devil We Know"- see CoS 114 for details on these.
Welllllll... Lady Wachter is dead at this point, poisoned by Leo (via her shifty cohort, Ernst). The party had uncovered by that point she had a demonic cult, but they let that plot thread trail off a bit since it didn't seem to directly connect to Strahd at the time.
The Lesser Evil wrote:If Leo got to the Village of Barovia before the players do, he might've befriend the priest Donavich by destroying Strahd's Doru spawn, to lay weight to his cause. That way, Leo could play off his initially evil actions in Vallaki as lingering taint from Strahd's evil after a long and unnatural slumber before Leo came to his wits. Donavich's addled mental state could make him an easy pawn for Leo.
I've made Donavich a fairly neutral party. He has no love for Strahd, thanks to what happened to Doru, but he also blames "adventurers" for Doru's condition since he was convinced to try to rebel against Strahd. Leo had a couple days head-start on the party, so he arrived in the village before them, but he spent most of his time picking off a couple stragglers, turning them into spawn, and setting up his base in the temple. He made sure he was seen taking people and he let the townsfolk know he was a "harbinger of Strahd" and that the party arriving in a couple days were the reason for his wrath. The town ended up bringing a torch-bearing, pitchfork-wielding mob against the party at the most inopportune moment, allowing Leo to kidnap Ireena.
The Lesser Evil wrote:Finally, does the Order of the Silver Dragon exist in your version of Curse of Strahd? Because if they do, then they would seem a natural force for Leo to try to ally himself with. Plus they were around during his time so he should know of their existence in the modern timeline. Having some holy seeming knights bedecked out in shining armor, their faith and zealotry risen from the death to combat Strahd and company, might also serve Leo doubly as propaganda tools to persuade the player characters. Also, since they're revenants, they can go out in the daytime. (Enlisting the aid of the Order may be a backup/subsequent plan to keep Leo involved should everything fail with what he's doing now.)
The Order exists, renamed, but I'm making them failed Dawnslayers. I've placed the Sunsword in Argynvostholt, though it is unable to be wielded by any of the revenant warriors. It is a reminder of both their faith and their failure. Leo didn't contact them in my version. I plan to have Leo's demise by in the upcoming session. As much as I love him as a character, my goal is to use him as the funnel that brings the players directly into conflict with Strahd. Once he's served that purpose, his role in the story is done. That's primarily because I've had him do nasty things and I need Strahd to be the greater threat in Acts II and III, otherwise the party will focus on Leo as their enemy.
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by Ender »

UPDATE: Well. My party tracked Leo to a temple whose hallowed ground was being suppressed by a ritual, where he had put Ireena and a friendly NPC in a death trap. Freeing one would kill the other. He also covered them in an illusion, swapping their two forms. The party almost freed the "friendly NPC", but didn't quite, so it didn't actually do any harm and allowed them to realize that they actually been about to free Ireena. Meanwhile, Leo was telling the party Strahd's story, trying to convince them that Strahd is their enemy. (While they know he is their enemy, they still wanted to kill Leo, so they kept on going) Ultimately, I accidentally imbalanced the encounter and Leo nearly TPK'd the party because of too many vampire spawn (even though I downgraded them by a couple CR) and a party that doesn't have the best tacticians. Anyway, Strahd-as-Vasili arrived on scene near the end. This is, of course, what Leo wanted. Leo hid and enacted his plan: stop the ritual, re-hallow the temple, and trap Strahd inside. Naturally, he underestimated Strahd and the party, again, and ended up being trapped in the temple himself.

We ended with three of the six party members unconscious, but stable, and the rest at under 10hp. The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is visible and in the hand of a vampire spawn that is currently burning because of the hallowed ground. Leo is trapped in the temple and is taking damage, but has an escape plan. We'll see if the party gives chase. If they do, it won't be hard to take him out at such few hit points. If he survives, though, I'm not sure what to do with him. I don't want Strahd to take him out, because there's been an unfortunate series of NPCs defeated by other NPCs in my game, but I also don't really feel like I want Leo to be a recurring character anymore. The focus needs to shift to Strahd now.
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The Lesser Evil
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Re: Putting Leo Dilisnya in Curse of Strahd

Post by The Lesser Evil »

Ender wrote:UPDATE: Well. My party tracked Leo to a temple whose hallowed ground was being suppressed by a ritual, where he had put Ireena and a friendly NPC in a death trap. Freeing one would kill the other. He also covered them in an illusion, swapping their two forms. The party almost freed the "friendly NPC", but didn't quite, so it didn't actually do any harm and allowed them to realize that they actually been about to free Ireena. Meanwhile, Leo was telling the party Strahd's story, trying to convince them that Strahd is their enemy. (While they know he is their enemy, they still wanted to kill Leo, so they kept on going) Ultimately, I accidentally imbalanced the encounter and Leo nearly TPK'd the party because of too many vampire spawn (even though I downgraded them by a couple CR) and a party that doesn't have the best tacticians. Anyway, Strahd-as-Vasili arrived on scene near the end. This is, of course, what Leo wanted. Leo hid and enacted his plan: stop the ritual, re-hallow the temple, and trap Strahd inside. Naturally, he underestimated Strahd and the party, again, and ended up being trapped in the temple himself.

We ended with three of the six party members unconscious, but stable, and the rest at under 10hp. The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind is visible and in the hand of a vampire spawn that is currently burning because of the hallowed ground. Leo is trapped in the temple and is taking damage, but has an escape plan. We'll see if the party gives chase. If they do, it won't be hard to take him out at such few hit points. If he survives, though, I'm not sure what to do with him. I don't want Strahd to take him out, because there's been an unfortunate series of NPCs defeated by other NPCs in my game, but I also don't really feel like I want Leo to be a recurring character anymore. The focus needs to shift to Strahd now.
If Leo escapes, Strahd could capture him and then say he destroyed him, but instead get control of him and seal him away in the crypts of Castle Ravenloft to ambush the player characters later or otherwise order Leo to attack them at an inopportune time.
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