The sun is quickly setting on Shadowfell’s Barovia and the adventurers sit around the fire that mercifully caught on the driest of the damp wood they'd collected… The day has been long and their epic pursuit will likely last another harsh day. Tomorrow perhaps, they will find Castle Ravenloft and enter in its murky halls!
On a nearby branch, an albino raven watches the exhausted and discouraged group while picking fleshy bites from a squirrel.
Poking the burning logs with a stick clutched in his claws, the thri-keen ranger busily keeps the fire alive, while his companion, a veteran Space Marine opens his hood to drink concentrated vitamins from his silver flask. Their new ally, an enigmatic warforged, still keeps three dangerous secrets from them: her Von Zarovich heritage, her psionically-bonded BattleMech hidden in the nearby trees, and that running within the blood-like fluid that powers her is the curse of the dhampire. Their guide in these lands is of vistani stock... he calls himself a "knight," thought he wears no armor. To pass the time, he casts bone dice by himself, and in the dim light, none of the others notice as the dice turn up 6's again and again, compelled by the power of "The Force" that he reveres.
Standing somewhat on the side, in deep religious meditation, is Joan of Arc, her eyes closed. But her right hand is firm on her bloody longsword. They have to be ready for anything the Devil Strahd could hurl at them again.
The thri-keen tells his friends that he hopes no more bats will come swirling around the camp this night, as every encounter with them makes him shriek with fear and run. The Vistani reminds him that he will need courage if they are to fight Strahd and save the insectoid’s kidnapped bride. The thri-keen was going to answer, but in the distance, the sinister howling of wolves erupts in the night …
While the static noise of the Jedi’s laser sword signals that the vistani is ready to fight, the warforged murmurs “Oh dear Ezra, will we survive the night?”
Yes, this incredibly exotic team stands together facing Barovia’s evil, in a brand new incarnation of Ravenloft!
Fifth edition, or "D&D Next," will be out soon and we are glad to announce the FoS is working on this incredible project. This is so important for us, it will be in fact the FoS's main project for 2012!
WotC has announced that D&D Next will be modular, and so will be Ravenloft! By enabling any PC from any universe to enter the mists, we feel we are bringing the setting back to its roots by having the Dark Powers snatching fools from any universe and bringing them to the land of the mists.
This April, we are glad we now can announce the following: we are one of the eight fan teams working with WotC to playtest the new 5e rules, and of course we will set our project in Ravenloft (heh!), hoping that it will seduce all multiverse fans and become the new canon.
And on the same day that the D&D Next players handbook will be released, we will release our own Ravenloft 5th edition Campaign Setting netbook.
Of course, we have been working on this for a while, and there are some of you out there that have guessed something about this project, of course we ask you to keep spoilers for yourself!
You’ll understand that we can’t say much about it at this moment, but here are a few teasers our masters have allowed to share:
- First, Ravenloft 5th edition will enable any PC from any universe or any game system to enter the mists and work. Yes, that is how easy and open D&D Next will be!
- Second, a big piece of news in D&D Next is that there won’t be magic-users, wizards, or sorcerers anymore as a class, since all PCs will have magic rituals, so everybody will have spell casting powers! Yes, even the barbarian! In Ravenloft, expect big changes in the darklords' background! Some of the core's darklords will be changed drastically! (And also expect some new darklords from universes that have never connected to Ravenloft before! We would tell you who one is, but He-shall-not-be-named!)
- Third, D&D Next will be more than just an RPG. Drawing on the success of the Castle Ravenloft board game, expect new elements in the form of cards, miniatures, tiles, and tokens. For example, players will get "charisma" points in the form of “chance cards”, which will be used to buy powers like healing surge or another save roll. And each monster will have a built-in "AI" attack pattern, in the form of a step-by-step procedure on its card to help the DM run encounters smoothly. In Ravenloft, it means players will be able to draw collectible cards for failed power checks! This new RPG / board game system will have no limits!
This is a summary of our 5th edition plan. But we need your feedback! Embracing the Open Playtest nature of D&D Next means we need to hear your thoughts! Please react to this preliminary proposition! And tell us how you see Ravenloft in D&D Next!
Again, those in the know, no spoilers for now!
Joël, for the FoS
YA GOT ME AGAIN, GUYS!! YA GOT ME AGAIN!! 
