I've picked some players from the list- if you were chosen you should have received a PM.

Thanks for all the applications! I'll look over them shortly.

Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the an­cient walls of Castle Ravenloft, as rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind’s howling increases as he turns his gaze down toward the village of Barovia, where far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. A lightning flash rips through the darkness, but Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind fills the midnight air.

The master of Castle Ravenloft is having guests for dinner—and you are invited.

I'm looking for 6 people for a RP heavy campaign that'll last perhaps two years. The campaign starts at level 1, and newbies are welcome. Please note that Curse of Strahd is a horror game. However there's a difference between fun horror and genuinely upsetting, and I'm willing to avoid subjects if something's bothering you.

Some key points

• Material from the PHB, Xanathar's, Volo's, Mordenkainen's is fine. Homebrew and Unearthed Arcana requires review.
• I'd prefer that you didn't play characters who are Evil aligned. Morally ambiguous, sure, but you need to care a bit about your party.
• Including backstory, goals, history, stuff that can be explored in Barovia is very much appreciated.

Application form

Name / Ability Scores (Point Buy or Standard Array) / Class / Race / Background / Backstory (only needs to be a short summary, but go ham if you want) / Personality Traits

Example backstories (feel free to use these)

Name: Xai’Bo

Ability Scores (Point Buy): 8 / 14+2 / 14 / 10 / 15+1 / 10

Class: Druid

Race: Wood Elf

Background: Folk Hero

Backstory: Xai’Bo grew up among his Wood Elf brethren but left after he was hit by a feeling of wanderlust. He came across the outskirts of a human village, and although he had no interest in them, on many occasions he found himself protecting them. The incidents increased in frequency and a sense of the imbalance of nature grew within him. Eventually he came across the village elder collecting herbs and watched with a keen interest, unseen. It was then that a bear appeared, towering over the elder. Xai’Bo stepped out from his place of hiding and approached the bear, standing tall and banging his club against his shield. The bear retreated and he spent some time speaking with the elder, talking about his time in the woods as an unseen protector and also the strange imbalance in the area. It took some time but eventually he became accustomed to the villagers and spent more time with them. But still one eye was on the strange feeling coming from deeper into the woods….

Goal: To explore the mists and ensure his adopted village is safe

Personality Traits: I judge people by their actions, not their words. I have a strong sense of fair play and always try to find the most equitable solution to arguments.

Ideals: Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)

Bonds: I worked the land, I love the land, and I will protect the land.

Flaws: I have trouble trusting in my allies.

Link: https://ddb.ac/characters/61768762/vNyjyn

I didn't realize that Leonin were from Mythic Odysseys. If it's not allowed, let me know and I'll make up a new one.

Name: Oron Wisebreath (LINK)

Ability Scores (Standard Array): 15+1, 13, 14+2, 10, 12, 8

Class: Fighter (Great Weapon Fighter)

Race: Leonin (His appearance is that of a Bengal Tiger)

Background: Far Traveler

Backstory: Oron Wisebreath is a Bengal Tiger Leonin from a land not well known to this one, from a small village named Traxis. He was a fighter, but also enjoyed taking notes about the world around him. Like the 'Vikings', he was driven by the urge of exploration, however, due to having a son, he was unable to fulfil this urge. When his son got old enough to look after himself, he left home. Taking boat after boat with no specific destination in mind. He would do odd jobs to either earn himself some coin, or buy himself passage to the next location, taking notes about his journey and describing places he's seen. Unsure how he ended up here, he found himself in a tavern near the land of Barovia, drinking maybe just a little too much.

Personality Traits: I have a strong code of honor or sense of propriety that others don’t comprehend. I have my own ideas about what is and is not food, and I find the eating habits of those around me fascinating, confusing, or revolting.
Ideals: Reserved. As someone new to these strange lands, I am cautious and respectful in my dealings.
Bonds: So long as I have this token from my homeland, I can face any adversity in this strange land. (A bear tooth necklace made by my son.)
Flaws: I have a weakness for the new intoxicants and other pleasures of this land.

I'd love to get in on this! Backstory can be tweaked to fit the start if picked.

(This sounds fun!)

Name: Armann Kosiba

Ability Scores (Standard Array.): 10 8 13 14 13 16

Class: Monk (Way of the Ripple. If not accepted, Open Palm.)

Race: Variant Human

Background: Hermit

Backstory: Arman was a masculine and tricky youngster, protecting his camp from bandits and other creatures. As he has aged, the 72-year-old man has kept both of those things, and now plans on cheating out the ruler for his riches. (Heavily WIP.)

Personality Traits: As a teenager, Arman was playful, lazy, and aggressive. The man has considerably mellowed out since then, having lost much of his aggression and laziness. He is irascible toward Dwarves in general, due to marrying his beloved daughter Holy. Arman is mostly kind to most other people. His goofy side is also still present, and his somewhat frequent failures at blending with the local culture and his struggle at battling are a constant source of humor for the geezer. Moreover, his boastful nature leads him to occasional goofs, such as misreading Elvish so much he orders dishes completely different from what he figured, or pretending to know how to ride horses only to ridicule himself. 

Allo, Quiet Owl!

The following is my PC application for Curse of Strahd.

Name: Melantha  [Chaotic Good]

Ability Scores (Point Buy plus Race Bonus):
STR 8 | DEX 14 | CON 15 | INT 10 | WIS 10 | CHA 17

Class: Warlock [Hexblade]

Race: Verdan

Background: Courtier

Backstory: They identified her as a lost Eladrin Elf.  Because she couldn't recall much about her species or her homeland to refute that deduction, that label stuck.

With that, Melantha was taken in as a secondary citizen of Sshamath, one of the up-and-coming Underdark metropolises.  On finding a place to consider as her home, a Drow Lich named Calimar Arkhenneld (former member of the Conclave of Sshamath) offered her shelter and a position as a functionary in said Conclave - in particular, inventorying and appraising magic-imbued items. The reason he chose to promote her, though, were due his interest in why this one longsword - a sentient magical weapon carved from the essence of the Shadowfell - in his collection was pining for this 'elf' as its new master.

During her first few years as the Conclave's courtier, one member - Tsabrak of the Blood: a Drow vampire, and head of the College of Necromancy - became attracted to Melantha.  It wasn't just Melantha's exotic appearance that captivated him; it was also her black blood.  In exchange for a small taste of that "pure ambrosia", Tsabrak would give Melantha expensive gifts, valuable gems, and fine dining.  Upon speaking with Calimar, the Drow vampire even convinced the Drow Lich to gift and help attune the sentient longsword to her.

Overtime, Tsabrak became addicted to Melantha's blood, so much that his increasing visits with her were on the cusp of derailing his position within the Conclave. Not only that, but the black blood forced a side effect of Chaotic Magic on every spell the Drow vampire casts. One moment of him being a potted plant had the other Conclave members put Tsabrak under house arrest until the addiction dies out. Fearing that Melantha's blood would lead to a calamity if used by the wrong people, the Conclave exiled her from Sshamath until her 100th birthday.

With supplies and equipment given to her by Calimar, Melantha struck out onto the surface world, forced to seek out a new life beyond her adopted homeland. 
One day, while rummaging through her backpack, Melantha picked out a book that tells of her mentor's findings - mayhaps a series of side projects that he was hoping for her to help research on.  One section tells of a great temple of amber atop a mountain in the land of Barovia that holds secrets of magic long since lost. Taking this one project on behalf of her mentor, Melantha strives to seek this temple to uncover the arcane power within.

Personality Traits:
Melantha: 
+ I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing right. I can’t help it—I’m a perfectionist.
+ I always want to know how things work and what makes people tick.
Ideals: People. I’m committed to the people I care about, not to ideals. (Neutral)
Bond: I owe Calimar Arkhenneld a great debt for forging me into the person I am today.
Flaw: I’m horribly jealous of anyone who can outshine my handiwork. Everywhere I go, I’m surrounded by rivals.

Thank you for reading this application for consideration of me joining this Curse of Strahd Campaign.
Have a Pleasant Day~!

Name / Ability Scores (Point Buy or Standard Array) / Class / Race / Background / Backstory (only needs to be a short summary, but go ham if you want) / Personality Traits

Name: Wendel Hogcollar

Ability Scores: Standard Array

Class: Warlock (Pact of the Genie)

Race: Stout Halfling

Background: Charlatan 

Backstory: Wendel was born to a pair of down-on-their-luck halflings in Mirabar.  Wendel and his older brother grew up learning to take advantage of people and make ends-meet, against their mother's wishes.  Though his older brother grew out of this mindset and became a merchant, Wendel stayed on the streets scamming and hustling.  Through his scamming, Wendel's luck ran out and he found himself accused of theft.  After serving his sentence of hard labor out in the fields for four years, Wendel moved far from his home city of Mirabar and hustled on the road.  Through one of his scams, Wendel came into possession of a tiny stag statuette, thinking he can sell this for coin.  To his surprise, a Dao known as Eessem lived within the stag and promised Wendel a partnership; Wendel took the deal.

Now, with a genie on his side, Wendel's road to riches is assured for sure and he will deal with jail-time again.   (Rolling just in-case the result fits his narrative as well  2)

Personality Traits: I lie about almost everything, even when there’s no good reason to. Sarcasm and insults are my weapons of choice

Name: Sister Agatha Whitley

Ability Scores, Standard Array (with bonuses): Str 15, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 10.

Class: Cleric, Twilight Domain

Race: Goliath

Background: Acolyte

Backstory: Raised in a church dedicated to Ezra, the god of the Mists. She has previously travelled to Barovia to assist some travellers. Has grown fond keeping travelers safe while traversing the mists. As a worshipper of Ezra, she sees her ability to keep people safe while traveling through the mists her divine duty.  Having interacted with other people, I believe thier deities as just other iterations of my own god, Ezra. 

Personality Traits:

• I am tolerant of other faiths and respect the worship of other gods.
• I see omens in every event and action. The gods try to speak to us, we just need to listen.

Ideal: 

• Faith. I trust that my deity will guide my actions. I have faith that if I work hard, things will go well. (Lawful)

Bond:

• Everything I do is for the common people.

Flaw:

• My piety sometimes leads me to blindly trust those that profess faith in my god.

Name: Sirron {Neutral Good}

Ability Scores {Standard Array} STR: 8, DEX: 15, CON: 12, INT: 13 +1, WIS: 10, CHA: 14 +2

Class: Bard {College of Lore}

Race: Tiefling

Background: Entertainer

Backstory: Sirron grew up in a small village that was rather dull, however one day that all changed and not in the way that he was expecting. While Sirron, his older sister and his father were returning from a rather unproductive hunting trip they were attacked by a pack of what he assumed to have been wolves. As his father and older sister fought with the beasts Sirron ran off towards the village, not realizing that the pack had came from the very same direction. When he made it back to the village he was greeted by the torn up body of his friend as well as three older villagers that he'd meet a couple of times in the past that were close with his parents.

Sirron froze for just a couple of seconds as he tried to think of what to do. If he kept standing around he was as good as dead but there was no way he could fight a pack of wolves on his own and survive, after a couple seconds he started running again until he was at the house that he called home. He rushed into the house and barricaded the door before collapsing on the floor and blacking out. When he came to later that night he could hear someone or something pounding on the door, although he was hesitant at first he did finally unbarricade the door and was shocked to see his sister standing at the door. She was in pretty rough shape so he quickly helped her inside but even with his best efforts he knew she probably wouldn't make it through the remainder of the night. Before she died Sirron promised her that he'd track down and kill the beasts that did this even though he now knew that they weren't regular wolves but werewolves.

Goals: Track down and kill the werewolves that destroyed the village he once called home and possibly track down and reunite with his biological family.

Personality Traits:

- I know a story relevant to almost every situation.

- I'm a hopeless romantic, always searching for that "special someone".

Ideals:

- Beauty. When I preform, I make the world better than it was {Good}

Bonds:

- My instrument is my most treasured possession, and it reminds me of someone I love.

Flaws:

- I once satirized a noble who still wants my head. It was a mistake that I will likely repeat.

Character Name: Dayeurian Sunbirth

Ability Scores (PB): STR 9, DEX 14, CON 12, INT 17, WIS 12, CHA, 12

Race: Eladrin

Class: Wizard

Background: Archeologist

Backstory Summary: Born under the summer sun, Dayeurian was known to act first and think later. Being an adventurer at heart, he set off to find himself in the land of the Feywild. After a week of being lost in the wilderness, he stumbled upon an ancient temple lost to time. Overflowing with curiosity, he ran in without a second thought. Stumbling into a trap, he dropped into a cage filled only with a skeleton and their belongings. After realization of his situation set in, he felt the season of Winter take over for the first time in his life. With a clear and somber mind, he misty stepped out of the cell, but not before taking the belongings left by the skeleton. After finding his way out of the temple, he discovered he was holding an ancient spellbook, with most of its pages torn from it. He spent many years in his Winter season studying and learning from mages, curious to learn more from the book. He was sent to the Material Plane to learn more, and once the adventure began, his Summer self returned. (This can be tied in to #5 and the missing pages can lead him to Barovia)

Personality Traits:

• I might fail, but I will never give up.
• I have no qualms about stealing from the dead.

Ideals:

• Death Wish. Nothing is more exhilarating than a narrow escape from the jaws of death. (Chaotic)

Bonds:

• I won’t sell an art object or other treasure that has historical significance or is one of a kind.

Flaws:

• When given the choice of going left or right, I always go left.

What level would characters start? I'm guessing 1, but as it isn't specified I wanted to be sure.

Name: Ruel Torn

Ability Scores (Point Buy) 16 10 14 10 11 16

Class: Paladin 

Race: Human

Backstory: Life had dealt a very sorry hand for Ruel left as an infant on the steps on the monastery with nothing but few rags and an old long sword with an emblem engraved in the pommel not known to the brothers within. Time went slowly in the monastery for Ruel not a studious person by nature he longed for adventure and excitement but as Brother Moonrunner was oft fond of saying a monk craves not these things. Ruel grew strong but his desire to learn more about his heritage became an obsession. Fate took its turn as it often will and it was an explorer who turned up at the monastery on the verge of death riddled with a plague and babbling in his feverish dreams, had a single moment of clarity when his eyes fell on Ruels sword and the emblem on its pommel. "Order of the Silver Dragon the order lives perhaps there is hope for Barovia" imparting this information with the last breath of his body. From that moment on Ruel dedicated his life to finding out more about the mysterious Brotherhood and his time at the monastery instilled within him to help those less fortunate, so Ruel took to the road living on his wits and his sword and hoping that the next leap of fate would be the leap home.

Personality Traits

I feel tremendous empathy for all who suffer. The leader of my community had something wise to say on every topic, and I am eager to share that wisdom.

Ideals

Greater Good. Our lot is to lay down our lives in defense of others. (Good)

Bonds

I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves

Flaws

I'd risk too much to uncover a lost bit of knowledge.

Link https://ddb.ac/characters/61784529/lk7quc 

Characters start at level 1. I'll update my initial post to reflect this.

Is my Leonin OK to play? If not, I'll change the race.

Quote from 0verkill >>

Name: Bex Yimeran

Alignment: TBD, was thinking about LE, but considering CG.

Race: Half-Orc

Class: Fighter

Background: Soldier (Mercenary)

Ability scores(Point Buy): STR 17, DEX 13, CON 15, INT 10, WIS 11, CHA 9.

Character sheet: Here

Backstory:

Bex's mother was once taken captive by a few orcs who had some extreme desires. She was left barely alive and she stumbled back to her village, where she later gave birth to Bex. She was horrified at the baby and abandoned it in the woods, where it was later found by a man that was a part of the mercenary group called The Iron Badgers camped nearby at the time. The man was able to convince his group to keep her and raise her as one of their own, training her as a warrior as she grew up. Recently, the rival mercenary group, called The Jackals, attacked her group, killing almost everyone, including the man that rescued her as a baby. The survivors of the attack were unable to keep the group going, so they disbanded, leaving Bex to find her own way. 

Goal: Vengeance for The Iron Badgers against The Jackals by any means necessary.

Time zone: US Eastern time, also, I won't be able to post on weekends 'till I get a phone, nor do I have Discord.

 

 Forgot to add personality traits and stuff. I'm quoting because my edit button isn't working.

Personality traits: I can stare down a hellhound without flinching.

Ideals: Might. In life as in war, the stronger force wins.

Bonds: I’ll never forget the crushing defeat my company suffered or the enemies who dealt it.

Flaws: My hatred of my enemies is blind and unreasoning.

Quote from Beginner_Bots >>

Is my Leonin OK to play? If not, I'll change the race.

 Leonin is 100% OK. Love your backstory.

Actually, would it be ok to switch my character? I just came up with one that I really like. If it is alright, he is in the spoiler below, if it is not alright, just let me know. :)

Yeah that's fine!

Hello Quiet Owl, 

Is this still open?
I've read a lot of materials when the time permits, but never really played a campaign before. Apologies in advance as I'm also learning to operate the PBP and Forum.
Here's what I've come up with. 

Name: Mavis Vicditas

Alignment: Lawful neutral

Race: Half-Orc

Class: Fighter (Will choose Champion)

Ability Scores (Point Buy): 
STR 17; DEX 12; CON 14; INT 12; WIS 11; CHA 10

Backstory:
Coming from place unknown, Mavis Vicditas knew only the monastery where he grew up. Taught under the purview of the Red Fellowship, Mavis learnt to worship the Red Knight and follow the Goddess' wisdom. He drilled in battle just as the other acolytes and monks, and read many books and scriptures on the doctrine of strategy in his pursuit to be one of the paladin or cleric of the Red Knight.

Despite his prowess in war and his devotion to his Goddess, the blessing of the Red Knight hadn't granted him a place among the Red Fellowship as a cleric. He tried again to be of service to the Goddess by reciting her paladin vow, even as much as devoting his life to her service forevermore, yet still the blessing of the Lady of Strategy had not found him worthy.

A conversation with one of the highest ranked paladin, the Lord General, revealed to him that despite his achievement, he had not done anything substantial to be granted the Goddess' blessing. Vowing to prove his worth to his Goddess, Mavis asked for a task that would proof his worth. The answer came in a dream of a land wreathed in darkness and a dark shadow that encompassed it, with a blackening silver armour in the midst of it.

'A test,' the Goddess whispered, 'to return the brothers lost in the land of mist. Of courage, of mettle, of will, in the midst of horror. Wit and knowledge you must keep, less the scourge feast. Beware, beware, for the mist is dark and full of terror.'

Bringing the dream to the Lord General pointed Mavis to the land of Barovia, an obscured land that none dared to find else they never return. There was a paladin order there many years ago that had long since vanished. With determination, Mavis began his journey to Barovia to investigate the lost paladin brethren and prove his worth to his Goddess.

Personality Traits:
>>> I idolize a particular hero of my faith, and constantly refer to that person’s deeds and example.
>>> I’ve spent so long in the temple that I have little practical experience dealing with people in the outside world.
Ideals: Aspiration. I seek to prove myself worthy of my god’s favor by matching my actions against his or her teachings. (Any)
Bonds: Everything I do is for the common people as they are the one most vulnerable from war and conflict. 
Flaws: I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.

It would be remiss of me not to warn you that I live in South East Asia, thus the time when I post may or may not be late or early to the others or at strange hour entirely. Thank you for the consideration.
Have a great day.