The Curse: Desperation in Ravenloft (Strahd and So Much MORE!)
Trapped in a cursed land where the sun never shines, you must brave the Mists of Ravenloft—or be broken by the horrors that dwell within.
$30.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Friday – 10:30 PM UTC
Aug 1 / Session 37
3–3.5 Hour Duration
4 / 6 Seats Filled
Schedule
Report Adventure
About the adventure
Come and play D&D as you've never experienced it before! Exciting role-play, dynamic storytelling, deep character building, and gritty homebrew combat rules! Though the campaign begins in Barovia, under the shadow of Count Strahd von Zarovich, our stories will carry us throughout the Mists, into Domains of Dread beyond your wildest comprehension. Will you survive the daunting horrors that lie hidden within the Mists, or will you succumb to the darkness? Barovia, an ancient mountain valley locked away in the swirling Mists for countless generations, it's name and beauty long forgotten in the realms of Man. The residents of this weary place eke out a tenuous existence beneath the perpetually gray skies, no one in living memory has seen an unobscured sun. Even in death escape is forbidden, souls locked away, forced to return again and again to life in a new age, a new body. Yet more children are born than the souls that are trapped for all eternity, and so many are born the Soulless, moving through their tedious half-life never knowing joy or laughter, tears or pain. Barovians carry their fear with them in every moment, wearing it like a heavy, burdensome cloak. But when the nebulous sun goes down and the valley grows truly dark, even those with the lightest cloaks huddle around their fires, sheltered and pretending their walls protect them. Over them all looms the spectre of Ravenloft, the forbidding fortress that myth, legend, and rumor claim is the home of their cursed Lord, Strahd von Zarovich. The stories say that in every sixth generation the soul of the Lord's ancient love is reborn and he will once again stalk the land and it's people. But none has even a story of their grandmother's grandmother viewing Count Strahd in the flesh, and the gates of Ravenloft have remained closed and barred. Many believe him dead, rotted away in his crumbling keep, but still his name is only uttered in trembling whispers, lest his presence be roused upon the speaker. What does it mean to live in this sunless land, can it even be called a life? Every day much the same as the one before, until it is not... ***IMPORTANT - MUST READ*** Curse of Strahd is a dark, brutal adventure that will test your prowess, fortitude, and ingenuity in very extreme ways. I intend to run this game with a level of gritty realism that will likely wear down your character's will to live. What is right will not always be obvious, and all morality will be heavily obscured in the mists that permeate Ravenloft. This is NOT a game for the faint of heart. Do you have what it takes to survive the horrors of Ravenloft and the other Domains of Dread? “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” - Friedrick Neitzsche
Meet the Game Master
5.0
(56)
4 years on StartPlaying
750 games hosted
Highly rated for: Storytelling, Creativity, Inclusive
Average response time: 24+ hours
Response rate: 100%
About me
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Bilbo Baggins The road awaits… I've been a professional Storyteller for almost four years now, and making a living from my creativity is a lifelong dream. I've recently been more and more interested in telling stories utilizing the SWADE ruleset. I want a more dynamic and narrative game, one wherein the players have a considerable amount of control over the story. I strive to make my table a safe and inclusive space for everyone. I will not tolerate bigotry, hatred, or intolerance (it's a paradox, look it up). As an incredibly neurospicy transwoman educator I want my players to have a safe space to play and explore. To tell the best stories we have to be vulnerable. To be vulnerable we have to feel safe. All of my tables are neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ inclusive and friendly. Like all good stories, mine has a beginning. So how did it all begin? I first set foot on the road when I was but a wee lass. I grew up on the stories of Bilbo, Frodo, and the Fellowship. My father and I bought the old (somewhat new at the time) red box D&D on a lark for my older sister. She never really played, but fast forward a couple of years and her boyfriend played, and I was interested, so he ran a couple of games for me. Before I knew it, my feet were swept out from underneath me. Already hooked on science fiction and fantasy (think Heinlein, Asimov, Le Guin, etc.), I had found a new way to explore the worlds I loved. I quickly moved from D&D Basic to AD&D (1st edition), as I wanted more complexity and options in my stories. When AD&D 2nd ed. came out five years later I balked and grumbled, and then saw that they fixed many of the glaring problems that we had been band-aiding for years. AD&D 2nd edition has always been my game, and I spent many glorious hours trekking across all the known realms. In between I played a multi-verse of other games, but most especially G.U.R.P.S., Champions, the Worlds of Darkness, Shadowrun, Middle Earth (Rolemaster), as well as Robotech and Rifts. I found D&D 3.x and 4e much too crunchy for me (I know, I played Palladium games), but 5e helped me fall in love with D&D all over again. I have also done a lot of free-form online roleplaying, back in the bad old days of AOL chatrooms and IRC. I love playing, but I have always been a DM at heart. A good game, as a player or DM, is a special type of magic. For many years I was a performer in Castleton, at the Oklahoma Renaissance Festival, and I learned how it really feels to wear armour and wield a sword, not to mention a thing or two about creating magic. I try not to bring *too* much of that realism into my games, but some of it I just can't leave out. During COVID I found myself craving D&D, and found an online pick-up game on Roll20. I still game with some of those nerds today. Of course I quickly got the Storyteller bug again, and started running a game. Then I heard about pro-DMs, and I scoffed, like many others. But bartending was slow, I needed money, so I posted a couple of games. Next thing I knew I had two campaigns in full swing, both of which lasted over 3 years and only recently came to an end. So, I started doing this crazy thing, and in April of 2021 I quit my bartending job and starting running games full time. And here I am today. "All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost;" J.R.R. Tolkien
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
Ideally all characters will be native born Barovians, or will have lived the majority of their life in Barovia. Though each will have the standard race and class and stats that make a D&D character sheet, these are simply the tools we utilize to interact with the world. The characters are NOT adventurers, willingly setting out into the world to make their name and find fortune and glory. Instead they are the oppressed, the downtrodden, those who live under the gloom and despair that is the spectre of Strahd and Ravenloft. Will they become heroes, bringing light into the dark, or will they succumb to the weight of grief and fear and pain, and die forgotten and alone? Characters are first level, and stats use the Standard Array +4, plus a free Feat. Pre-generated characters are also available. We will be using a mix of methods to flesh out your character, including the Sword Coast Heroic Chronicle as well as techniques learned and adapted from my years of performing at Renaissance festivals. There are a lot of house rules that will be provided to you. Character concepts will be discussed, primarily via Discord, both before, during, and after Session 0, with all character generation finalized prior to the first game session.
🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈🔞 Combat is tactical and fast paced, role-playing is deep and character driven, and social encounters are meaningful and diverse. Every action you take has consequences (both good and bad) that must be faced. The world lives and breathes around you! The game will run weekly, on Fridays at 5:30 PM US CST. I do have other time slots potentially available, just ask! The game is capped at 5 players, so everyone has a chance to have all the time they want in the spotlight. I strive to make my tables as inclusive as possible, and I warmly welcome those who are neuro-spicy and/or part of the LGBTQ+ community (I'm both!)
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Each player will need to have Discord with working audio input and output. A webcam is nice too, but not required. DroidCam is a great app that turns your phone into a webcam. Each player will also need to download and install Fantasy Grounds Unity, which you can obtain at www.fantasygrounds.com. The Demo (free) version is fine, as I have an Ultimate license.
What Aisling the Red brings to the table
All of the core rulebooks and many optional ones will be available through D&D Beyond and Fantasy Grounds. I will provide an immersive experience utilizing everything a powerful VTT has to offer.
Equipment needed to play
Computer
Headphones
Internet
Microphone
Webcam
Platforms used
Safety
How Aisling the Red creates a safe table
Exciting and dramatic homebrew rules to give you more roleplay ideas and structure, and make combat gritty and brutal. Lots of role-playing and social interaction. Learn how to use Fantasy Grounds, play D&D, and pick up techniques to fully immerse yourself in an amazing story. Combat is tactical and fast paced. The heroes are heroes! Consent checklist filled out and discussed (if needed) prior to Session 0. Digital (and anonymous) XNO cards during play. Aftercare provided as needed. Stars and Wishes after each session.
Content warnings
Safety tools used