Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness.
Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power—and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself.
Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come—all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them.
Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind—or perhaps a lone wolf—fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
DM Notes
Milestone levelling
Real dice or dice on character sheet.
Party Initiative
Antitoxin is a cure for poisoning
Use of passives instead of dice rolls if applicable
Armeros was born into the minor nobility of a once-prominent family known more for its rumors than its riches. Whispers followed the name for generations—quiet claims of infernal pacts, devilish ancestors, and unspoken debts sealed in blood. Whether truth or legend, Armeros learned young that perception is as powerful as lineage. He cultivated the mystique, wore the suspicion like a cloak, and turned it into an advantage in the cutthroat world of politics and court intrigue.
He thrived in courtly circles, speaking with precision and maneuvering through scandal and shadow like a seasoned blade through silk. But when his rise began to outshine his father's influence, it sparked more than envy—it provoked fear. His father, ever calculating and cold, saw in Armeros a threat to his standing and a living reminder of the family’s buried shame. The solution was swift and cruel: exile. Armeros was disowned and cast out, stripped of title, protection, and inheritance.
But Armeros was not broken.
Driven by the need to reclaim his status and prove himself greater than those who abandoned him, he sought power from other sources. He reached beyond mortal courts and noble houses, and found a willing patron in Kazzak, a cunning and ancient Fiend with ambitions of his own. The pact they forged was not one of desperation, but of design—Armeros would receive the infernal might he required to remake himself, and Kazzak would gain a refined, obedient instrument on the Material Plane.
With magic flowing through his veins and fire behind his words, Armeros became more than an exile. Charming, calculating, and coldly disciplined, he moves through cities and noble courts gathering influence like coin, weaving alliances and trading favors with the skill of a devil and the polish of a diplomat. He is no puppet—his pact is a tool, and his ambition remains the true master.
Now, Kazzak has given him a new mission.
A foul realm of mist and undeath lies cloaked from the eyes of Hell—Barovia, a prison ruled by the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Within its borders are countless mortal souls—including a large portion that by infernal law should belong to the Nine Hells, but are instead locked in a stagnant torment under Strahd’s dominion. Kazzak wants them freed—not out of mercy, but to collect what is owed.
Armeros has been sent to Barovia to find a way to end Strahd’s rule and break the barriers that hold the souls hostage. Whether through diplomacy, corruption, or destruction, the path is his to shape—as long as the mission is fulfilled. To Armeros, it is more than a task. It is an opportunity. A chance to wield power, reclaim dignity, and prove to his father—and to Kazzak—that he is not merely a product of whispered legacy, but a force of his own making.
Posting is a minimum of twice a day: Awesome! I can totally do that. Would be glad to have a really active game!
Real chance of character death: Cool! I have plenty of character ideas.
backstory (summary): Trapped in the lost mines of a dwarven city as a child, Kolgon lost all contact with the outside world. The mines thought him perserverance, strenght and patiance. Deep in the mines he found lost scriptures telling great stories about a mountain god. Through these scriptures, Kolgons faith began to form and eventually he would find his way out of the mines not with the help of dwarven intelligence or cunning, but simply through the power of faith. Now he serves his god, combining his dwarven talents for metal work and forging, with undying loyalty to his new found deity.
Backstory: After her village was badly damaged during a battle which claimed her parents, Caelynn has begun to travel, aiming to make as much money as she can to help the rebuilding efforts, and to find the group that tried to destroy her home. Using her skills as an entertainer, she has meandered from place to place, helping those she can along the way.
Portrait: it’s also my profile picture because clearly I can’t do image links haha
Kaylethas "Kayle" Virethorn was born in the twilight realm of Shadowfell, where the Shadar-kai exist in eternal gloom under the watchful eye of the Raven Queen. As a child, Kayle showed an unusual obsession with light, fire, lightning, even the controlled detonation of magical energy. His elders saw this fascination with evocation as a dangerous indulgence, too close to the chaos of passion and emotion that the Shadar-kai strive to control.
Kayle was exiled from his enclave after a catastrophic magical experiment in a temple devoted to the Raven Queen burned down half the sanctuary. He had been attempting to channel the latent sorrow of the Shadowfell into destructive force, seeking to understand the nature of light through the prism of shadow. He succeeded, maybe a little too well?
Wandering the Material Plane, Kayle sought arcane libraries and relics. He lived in candlelit corners of forgotten universities and befriended outcast mages and disgraced scholars. He grew more powerful but always distant, the shadow of the Raven Queen’s expectations ever looming. He sought purpose, not just knowledge, but meaning.
That’s when he heard whispers of Barovia. A cursed land shrouded in fog and ruled by a tyrant. Some said it was cut off from the gods. Others said it was the perfect testing ground for forbidden magic. Kayle was drawn to it like a moth to flame.
Whether by design or by accident, Kayle stepped into the mists—perhaps as a punishment by the Raven Queen, perhaps a calling from something older. Now trapped in Barovia, Kayle sees this grim domain as a twisted reflection of his own homeland, and he intends to either conquer the darkness from within, or use it to reshape himself into something greater.
He was born as cattle, a source of food for vampires breeding an army. His family was his fellow mealstock. One by one, as he grew, he watched his family butchered and drained - sometimes they became the very thing he feared. Hungry, ravenous, laughing eyes leering at him through bloodied bars. And all he could do was cower. He'd barely peaked his twenties when he first witnessed sunlight and salvation reached his pallid flesh - a raid of hunters, drawn by the depravity of the bloodsuckers, brought siege to his owners' lair.
One by one, leering eyes grew dull and clouded, destroyed by fire and excised by unyielding swords. For the first time in his life, the young cattle found peace in darkness, the gurgle of blood from his tormentors a tenable lullaby. The hunters did not free him, but they at least gave him rest. Salvation came when the hunters left, replaced by the shining mercy of Lathanders' beacon.
It has been thirty long years that Murdock has trained himself, memorizing tenets of Lathanders' might, honing his skill in faith and fury, eager to repay his freedom with the fury of life. His trauma has taught him to detest undeath, and all who covet it. Such is why he is here, now, hunting a filthy bloodsucker rumored to be feeding on travelers across the more remote paths of Faerun.
Time zone: Eastern Standard Time, but since I can post day and night, it's not important.
Real chance of character death: I'll have spares ready.
Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness.
Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power—and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself.
Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come—all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them.
Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind—or perhaps a lone wolf—fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
DM Notes
Milestone levelling
Real dice or dice on character sheet.
Party Initiative
Antitoxin is a cure for poisoning
Use of passives instead of dice rolls if applicable
2024 rules.
Character creation.
Remember the old races in the Shadowfell, Hexblood, Shada kai , Dhampir etc
You can't play homebrew characters
Start at lvl 3 and miss the house.
Include the following items
Link to character sheet
alignment
class
race
backstory
portrait
Posting is a minimum of twice a day.
***********************************************************************
Real chance of character death.
time zone
18+
Character Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/130680742/zrRmVZ
Name: Armeros Vaelaris
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Class: Warlock/Fiend Patron
Race: Tiefling (Infernal)
Background: Noble
Backstory:
Armeros was born into the minor nobility of a once-prominent family known more for its rumors than its riches. Whispers followed the name for generations—quiet claims of infernal pacts, devilish ancestors, and unspoken debts sealed in blood. Whether truth or legend, Armeros learned young that perception is as powerful as lineage. He cultivated the mystique, wore the suspicion like a cloak, and turned it into an advantage in the cutthroat world of politics and court intrigue.
He thrived in courtly circles, speaking with precision and maneuvering through scandal and shadow like a seasoned blade through silk. But when his rise began to outshine his father's influence, it sparked more than envy—it provoked fear. His father, ever calculating and cold, saw in Armeros a threat to his standing and a living reminder of the family’s buried shame. The solution was swift and cruel: exile. Armeros was disowned and cast out, stripped of title, protection, and inheritance.
But Armeros was not broken.
Driven by the need to reclaim his status and prove himself greater than those who abandoned him, he sought power from other sources. He reached beyond mortal courts and noble houses, and found a willing patron in Kazzak, a cunning and ancient Fiend with ambitions of his own. The pact they forged was not one of desperation, but of design—Armeros would receive the infernal might he required to remake himself, and Kazzak would gain a refined, obedient instrument on the Material Plane.
With magic flowing through his veins and fire behind his words, Armeros became more than an exile. Charming, calculating, and coldly disciplined, he moves through cities and noble courts gathering influence like coin, weaving alliances and trading favors with the skill of a devil and the polish of a diplomat. He is no puppet—his pact is a tool, and his ambition remains the true master.
Now, Kazzak has given him a new mission.
A foul realm of mist and undeath lies cloaked from the eyes of Hell—Barovia, a prison ruled by the vampire lord Strahd von Zarovich. Within its borders are countless mortal souls—including a large portion that by infernal law should belong to the Nine Hells, but are instead locked in a stagnant torment under Strahd’s dominion. Kazzak wants them freed—not out of mercy, but to collect what is owed.
Armeros has been sent to Barovia to find a way to end Strahd’s rule and break the barriers that hold the souls hostage. Whether through diplomacy, corruption, or destruction, the path is his to shape—as long as the mission is fulfilled. To Armeros, it is more than a task. It is an opportunity. A chance to wield power, reclaim dignity, and prove to his father—and to Kazzak—that he is not merely a product of whispered legacy, but a force of his own making.
Posting is a minimum of twice a day: Awesome! I can totally do that. Would be glad to have a really active game!
Real chance of character death: Cool! I have plenty of character ideas.
Time Zone: EST (GMT-5)
18+: K, I'm old.
Oh, point buy for stats?
Thats ok, you could have rolled your own dice at home, I run an honours system. That 8 on strength though, ouch.
Oh cool, I still had the group saved from when I rolled stats in the character sheet on here. Much better.
Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145917540
Name: Kolgon Barrelrock
alignment: Chaotic Neutral
class: Cleric, Forge domain
race: Dwarf
backstory (summary): Trapped in the lost mines of a dwarven city as a child, Kolgon lost all contact with the outside world. The mines thought him perserverance, strenght and patiance. Deep in the mines he found lost scriptures telling great stories about a mountain god. Through these scriptures, Kolgons faith began to form and eventually he would find his way out of the mines not with the help of dwarven intelligence or cunning, but simply through the power of faith. Now he serves his god, combining his dwarven talents for metal work and forging, with undying loyalty to his new found deity.
portrait:
Krasherx please can you make your character sheet public so I can see it. Thank you.
Try now, should work :)
I've got it Thank you!
Can I roll ability scores here and if so, should I rerolled 1s?
You can roll here or with your own dice. Reroll any 1s
placeholder
Ability scores: 12 15 9 13 16 15
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
Alright
Ability scores: 10 13 14 15 13 12
I can work with this.
I'll throw my hat into the ring for this one.
Link to character sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/129391621
Alignment: Neutral Good
Class: Bard (College of Lore)
Race: Wood Elf
Backstory: After her village was badly damaged during a battle which claimed her parents, Caelynn has begun to travel, aiming to make as much money as she can to help the rebuilding efforts, and to find the group that tried to destroy her home. Using her skills as an entertainer, she has meandered from place to place, helping those she can along the way.
Portrait:
it’s also my profile picture because clearly I can’t do image links haha
Time Zone: BST (GMT+1)
Character Sheet: https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145922809
Name: Kaylethas "Kayle" Virethorn
Alignment: Neutral (leaning toward good)
Class: Evoker Wizard
Race: Shadar-Kai
Backstory:
Kaylethas "Kayle" Virethorn was born in the twilight realm of Shadowfell, where the Shadar-kai exist in eternal gloom under the watchful eye of the Raven Queen. As a child, Kayle showed an unusual obsession with light, fire, lightning, even the controlled detonation of magical energy. His elders saw this fascination with evocation as a dangerous indulgence, too close to the chaos of passion and emotion that the Shadar-kai strive to control.
Kayle was exiled from his enclave after a catastrophic magical experiment in a temple devoted to the Raven Queen burned down half the sanctuary. He had been attempting to channel the latent sorrow of the Shadowfell into destructive force, seeking to understand the nature of light through the prism of shadow. He succeeded, maybe a little too well?
Wandering the Material Plane, Kayle sought arcane libraries and relics. He lived in candlelit corners of forgotten universities and befriended outcast mages and disgraced scholars. He grew more powerful but always distant, the shadow of the Raven Queen’s expectations ever looming. He sought purpose, not just knowledge, but meaning.
That’s when he heard whispers of Barovia. A cursed land shrouded in fog and ruled by a tyrant. Some said it was cut off from the gods. Others said it was the perfect testing ground for forbidden magic. Kayle was drawn to it like a moth to flame.
Whether by design or by accident, Kayle stepped into the mists—perhaps as a punishment by the Raven Queen, perhaps a calling from something older. Now trapped in Barovia, Kayle sees this grim domain as a twisted reflection of his own homeland, and he intends to either conquer the darkness from within, or use it to reshape himself into something greater.
敬意をこめて,
ジョニー.
Keii o komete,
Johnny.
Holding spot for chat development
https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/145928345/VSxiSn
Murdock Fallow-blood
Lawful-Neutral
Devotion Paladin
Human
He was born as cattle, a source of food for vampires breeding an army. His family was his fellow mealstock. One by one, as he grew, he watched his family butchered and drained - sometimes they became the very thing he feared. Hungry, ravenous, laughing eyes leering at him through bloodied bars. And all he could do was cower. He'd barely peaked his twenties when he first witnessed sunlight and salvation reached his pallid flesh - a raid of hunters, drawn by the depravity of the bloodsuckers, brought siege to his owners' lair.
One by one, leering eyes grew dull and clouded, destroyed by fire and excised by unyielding swords. For the first time in his life, the young cattle found peace in darkness, the gurgle of blood from his tormentors a tenable lullaby. The hunters did not free him, but they at least gave him rest. Salvation came when the hunters left, replaced by the shining mercy of Lathanders' beacon.
It has been thirty long years that Murdock has trained himself, memorizing tenets of Lathanders' might, honing his skill in faith and fury, eager to repay his freedom with the fury of life. His trauma has taught him to detest undeath, and all who covet it. Such is why he is here, now, hunting a filthy bloodsucker rumored to be feeding on travelers across the more remote paths of Faerun.
Time zone: Eastern Standard Time, but since I can post day and night, it's not important.
Real chance of character death: I'll have spares ready.
Ability scores: 17 13 16 15 8 13
Coriana - Company of the Grey Chain
Wagner - Dragon Heist: Bards.
DM - The Old Keep