DragnaCarta
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Curse of Strahd Reloaded Update: Survey Follow-Up & Arc R Complete
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 00:13:19 +0000 UTCBefore I get into this week's Reloaded progress update, I want to thank everyone who voted and shared their thoughts and feedback in response to last week's blog post. While there were too many comments for me to respond to, know that I read every single one, and that I deeply appreciate everyone who took the time to respond to the survey or share their experience with Reloaded; you guys are why I write this thing, and I'm honored that my work can form a part of your campaigns. (To those who asked questions I wasn't able to answer over there—feel free to re-post them here, and I'll make sure to get to them as soon as I can.)
With respect to the poll itself: "Publish new arcs first, then add design notes later" won a clear majority, though it was far from a landslide; 61% of respondents voted to focus on new arcs first, while 39% of respondents voted to prioritize some kind of design notes first (though those respondents were split amongst the three different options for doing so).
As a result, I'll be keeping my eyes focused on the big prize—finishing the first full draft of Re-Reloaded—and worrying about adding developer commentary and meta-guidance later (though it will be added—the blog response showed me there's a clear appetite for this new material, and I want to make sure I'm doing my part to make the guide more accessible and customizable wherever feasibly possible).
I. Reloaded Update
Speaking of finishing Reloaded: the rough draft of Arc R: Trials of the Mountain is officially done, clocking in at approximately 110 pages and 50,000 words! I still have some minor edits to make over the next few days, but I feel relatively confident that I'll be able to release it publicly by the end of the week. In the meantime, to tide you over, please enjoy these brief previews of the material to come (though you can read the draft arc in full by becoming a Bronze+ member of the Patreon):
The Shrine of the Rozana
As the players climb the steps, continue:
You ascend the steps into the darkness—and enter an enormous, cavernous space more than two hundred feet across.
In contrast to the sharp chill of the mountain air, the atmosphere here is pleasantly warm—almost humid. A thick, dark-brown loam covers the floor, and thick vines climb the walls, which shimmer with countless deposits of glowing cerulean crystals.
Honeybees flit from tall, sweet-smelling hives to dart across a field of verdant, flowering bushes, mosses, and small trees, itself crossed by a bubbling brook that echoes with the occasional croaking of frogs and the chirping of unseen crickets. Clumps of soft, white mist drift lazily through the air like small, puffy clouds, clustering most thickly near the base of a small, crystal-clear pool fed by a narrow waterfall.
At the center of the pool rises a three-sided stone pillar, its front marked simply with a three-pointed star. Beyond and above it, a tangle of thick, grey-brown roots carpets the wall, which rises from the floor to the stalactite-dotted ceiling more than fifty feet overhead.
Fifteen feet up the wall, the mass of roots seems to form an enormous face: bearded and wrinkled, with an ancient, wizened visage. It’s only when you see the roots just beneath it—rising and falling like a mighty chest—that you realize the face isn’t made of roots at all, but framed by them, its dark, gray-blue skin blending with the stone of the wall behind it.
The face’s eyes open, revealing glittering emerald eyes, and an ancient, resonant voice spills forth from its bearded lips. “The Seeker spoke true, then,” it rasps. “You have come at last.”
Burebis's Gift
If the players agree to return to him after exploring the Amber Temple, Burebis sags in gratitude and relief. As thanks, he offers the players a boon to aid them in their travels to and from the Temple. Read the following test, replacing the blank with the name of the character who bears the whistle of the Keepers:
Burebis’s old eyes trace across your forms, eventually coming to rest upon ___________. “I sense the feel of the Seeker’s magic upon you,” he says. “You carry a boon of the ravens, do you not?”
If the whistle is revealed, Burebis asks that it be placed upon the stone pillar at the center of the pool, so that he may inspect it. If the players do so, continue:
Burebis’s eyes close, and the white clouds of mist that rise from the pool begin to swirl through the air toward the pillar’s surface. A pale, cerulean glow surrounds the whistle and, for a moment, a great and terrible winged shadow crosses the clouds’ depths, its fierce cry seeming to echo from a far distance. Then—the shadow is gone, the glow fades, and the mists drift lazily down toward the earth once more.
II. Other Updates
In other news—for those who are interested in that sort of thing, I released the fourth and final part of my Fanes of Barovia blog series, titled "Completing the Fanes." This blog rounds off the series by discussing my game design prerequisites for the revised reconsecration of the Fanes in Re-Reloaded, as well as my process and ultimate design solution. Silver+ members of the Patreon can read it here.
That's all I've got for this update, so thank you again to all who responded to last week's survey (and especially to all those who shared such kind words about the guide—you really made my week reading those). I'm excited to share Trials of the Mountain with you, and to finally break into Reloaded's final three arcs, so stay tuned!
Cheers,
Dragna
Comments
DragnaCarta
Woo; hope Bonegrinder went well! And yes; they can cure their lycanthropy in Arc I (Walls of Krezk). Van Richten can tell them to go to Krezk for wolfsbane once they meet him in Arc E (Missing Vistana); once there, the Abbot will offer to cure their lycanthropy directly.
Devon Humphries
Hey Dragna loving the campaign so far! Just about to go kill the hags today! Quick question, one of my characters have contracted lycanthropy and wants to cure it. Is there a way to do that that I am missing? Is it planned?
DragnaCarta
Fantastic; I'm so glad to hear! Happy to be helpful - hope you and your players enjoy the rest of the campaign!
piet paaltjes
My teenagers group is at the werewolf den this weekend. It is their 4th full campaign and we all love the depth of your storylines. Big thanks for all this prep you did for me.
DragnaCarta
Hey Drakkentrap! This is a known issue, and my goal is for it to be fixed in the next patch or two. The correct version is that Gertruda traveled to Ravenloft, and the guide will be updated to reflect this. Thanks for raising this, and for the kind words!
Drakkentrap
Hi Dragna, thank you for the amazing work you're doing! I have a question regarding a contradiction found while reading Arc O - Dinner with the Devil. It is written in the Changing Canon box that "A previous version of this guide informed the players that Gertruda traveled to Castle Ravenloft, rather than Vallaki." This is also confirmed by the Changelog (13th December 2023). However, I found the opposite in Arc B - Welcome to Barovia. In the current version it is reported that Gertruda traveled to Castle Ravenloft, while the Deprecated Arc B shows the "new" canon, with Gertruda traveling to Vallaki. Which version should we use? Thanks a lot!
DragnaCarta
Thanks Luke! And hell yeah; that's what I love to hear - glad the campaign is going well! Thanks much for the kind words; I very much hope you enjoy the upcoming releases :)
Luke O'Shea
hi there Dragna, My group party is absolutely loving Re-Reloaded so far, they have just met Stahd at the Ivlis Crossroads and I really enjoyed the lines you wrote for Strahd in that scene! Your persistence in this endeavor is inspiring and my table and I greatly appreciate it. Looking forward to future updates.
DragnaCarta
Chris is correct! I hope to revisit Arc N once the Epilogue is complete. Thank you very much for the kind words! :)
Zachary Beaupré
Sounds good, thank you!
Chris Wooley
Hey Zachary! Not Dragna but someone who has asked this question. From my understanding and perusing the notes Dragna has made available, Arc N is intended more as a downtime arc that serves to develop side characters and add a dynamic element to a revisit of Vallaki than it does advance the plot. Most likely we’ll see that completed once more plot critical elements are addressed in the first srafg
Zachary Beaupré
First of all, thank you for those frequent updates! It truly is appreciated. In the survey post, I posted a question. With your demand, I am reposting it here. Cheers! Quick question concerning the writing process and your progression. As described, you have plans for Arc R to U, but I've noticed that Arc N is still "coming soon". Any update on this? Thank you for all the hard work!
