Dinner with Strahd

‘The Count is having guests for dinner.’

From a player in my First Party upon receiving the invitation.

Ravenloft is not a castle hidden away at the far end of the realm. From the minute most parties
arrive in Barovia, they are under Ravenloft’s shadow, looming over the town of Barovia and the road to
Vallaki. Likewise, Strahd is also not a far-off antagonist who sits back and waits for the party to come
calling. He has goals. Dinner with Strahd is the very simple premise that Strahd invites the party to
dinner at his castle, and it is a cordial, civil affair.

The best time for a dinner invitation would be somewhere in Levels 4-7, as they are beginning to
accomplish their goals in Barovia but do not yet pose a strong threat to Strahd. I plan on having this
encounter serve as a Milestone, and think that inviting the party after a large accomplishment and/or
the recovery of their first Tarokka Card Item is a good time to invite them.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Why Strahd Hosts

2. Why Players Attend
3. Setup for Dinner
4. The Flow of Dinner and Encounters
5. Tarokka Items in Ravenloft

Terminology:
RAW - Ran As Written (According to the Module)
Outsiders - Refers to the Party of Player Characters

Regarding Volenta and Anastrasya: If you have read /u/JonathanWriting’s reddit article on Strahd’s
Brides (which I recommend you do!), in my first campaign I accidentally swapped Volenta and
Anastrasya’s names, so their names/roles became confused. I fixed the names for my current campaign,
but the damage has already been done since I also unintentionally swapped their personalities. So
whichever one is supposed to be the sociopathic one should not be the hostess. I believe Volenta is
supposed to be more sociopathic but I have already messed it up for me, so keep this in mind when I
cover the brides.

For ren.duffy and the COS Discord.

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1. Why Strahd Hosts

RAW, Strahd’s main goals revolve around:

1. Wooing Ireena
2. Finding and Killing Van Richten
3. Looking for any potential consorts/successor among the Outsiders

A dinner invitation isn’t pure whimsy to terrorize your players. Strahd has reasons to extend
such an invitation, and it marks a significant turning point in the campaign. Strahd finally notices the
party at dinner, and thus begins a relationship between them. If he finds a potential consort, for
example, that will change the way he interacts with the party. He might give minions commands not to
harm them. Similarly, a potential successor might be the focus of his minions’ might, to test their mettle
and strength. He might give gifts to someone he favors. And he might harry the party if he learns of their
plans. Dinner has purpose, and does serve to meet Strahd’s goals.

Wooing Ireena

First and foremost, Strahd wants Ireena. If the players bring her to dinner, it becomes an
opportunity for Strahd to talk with her, dance with her, converse with her, get to know her, and
generally just get more face time. No biting, no kidnapping, just good old fashioned courtship. She will
probably display some level of disinterest, ranging from a hesitant no to an angry rebuke. If she is in
attendance, this is a good opportunity to play Ireena and give her some personality that will help the
party care about her when she is inevitably taken from them. That being said, I highly doubt the party
will bring Ireena along because of their fear that he will take or bite her.

Ismark is a lesser concern. If Ismark is in attendance, that means Ireena is there as well, as he
wouldn’t leave her alone somewhere unless it is the Hallowed St. Andral’s. Strahd would likely speak to
him about his new government position as Burgomaster and the responsibilities he has towards his
people and to Count Strahd. He would admonish Ismark for abandoning the Barovians to galavant
around with the Outsiders and his sister, and suggest to Ismark that he return to Barovia to govern their
lost sheep. This is to separate Ireena from Ismark.

Regarding Van Richten

Strahd could use this opportunity to speak about Van Richten, and ask the party if they know of
him. While it might be hard to convince the party to find the renowned vampire slayer so that Strahd
can kill him, Strahd can work an angle here. Strahd could use his knowledge of Van Richten’s background
of slaughtering the Vistani to convince players that Van Richten is a threat to innocent people. At the
very least, it will plant the seed of an idea in the party’s minds. Selling out Van Richten might also be a

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good way for the party to ‘trade’ for someone Strahd takes captive later on in the campaign. They could
bargain for an NPC’s life, or perhaps bargain for one of their own if Strahd has the drop on them. There
are not many ways that the party can learn that Rictavio is Van Richten aside from Rictavio willingly
telling them, so this is not a terribly likely occurrence outside of him being their prophesied Tarokka Ally.

Finding a Potential Successor/Consort

Strahd is also looking for any potential successors or consorts from among the party’s numbers.
This is a good time to get to know them personally. Granted he will likely hear of their exploits (heroic or
otherwise) from the Vistani and others such as Lady Wachter, but it is only right that he greets his guests
personally. He can give gifts to all party members or to specific party members he is interested in
grooming as a successor or impressing as a partner.

Consort

If there was consort material among the party, he would definitely chat them up at dinner, ask
them to dance at dancing, and probably give them little thoughtful gifts throughout the campaign. Fun
little trinkets, silly little magic items, little notes. Meanwhile, the rest of the party sees them receiving all
this caring attention from Strahd while they deal with the brunt of the minion attacks during encounters
and this potential consort remains unscathed.

You might be wondering ‘This might not really do much’. In my second group, the Bard felt
uncomfortable not being invited into Ismark and Ireena’s home, so he remained outside. He eventually
persuaded Ireena to invite him in, out of courtesy, and the party still talks about how he had to be
invited into the only private residence they have entered so far. The campaign is natural for paranoia,
and the players will not fail to notice some favoritism on Strahd’s part.

Successor

A successor is a bit more tricky. Strahd would definitely pay attention to how they interact with
NPCs, people in positions of power, and what calls they make regarding large events such as the
Vallakian Political Arena, Yester Hill Conclave, and Werewolf Den Politics. Strahd might give them a lead
to a situation he needs resolved. Depending on how Vallaki burns down in your campaign, asking them
to deal with Izek (if he is still alive) both helps Strahd’s ally Lady Wachter seize power and removes a
wild card from the deck in terms of Ireena’s safety. Sending a potential successor after the elusive Van
Richten would also be an option.

Depending on the character, Strahd might even focus them during an encounter. It might be a
good sign if they can endure a round or two of combat against Strahd’s might. Or if they cannot, Strahd
mocks their weakness and loses interest. Banter, challenge, mock, and leave. You’re toying with them
and they will know it.

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 In my first campaign, there were no potential Successors, but in my current group there is a
Paladin of Conquest who might prove promising. His personal Tarokka mentioned warring factions in
Vallaki, and that the powerful sometimes only answer to violence. Strahd will measure both his
ruthlessness and ability to lead. (The paladin is also the leader of the party.) I plan on having Strahd ask
this PC to investigate a non-RAW event regarding the Vistani and say that he trusts the PC to deal with
this ‘With the precision of a surgeon and punishment appropriate to the crime’. This is both a test of
their resolve and a measure of their discretion in terms of force and investigative abilities.

For my second party, Strahd knows that the Barbarian hates seeing children killed, so he
presented the Barbarian with Bracers of Defense (+2 AC) and a Silvered Maul and asked him to slay the
Werewolves and ‘bring the children home’, as well as slay the hags of Old Bonegrinder. The PC is very
enthusiastic about saving the children, which I will use to my advantage to bait the party into a
distraction so I can kidnap Ireena out from under them, but that is a different story for another time.

Intimidation

Suppose you have a party puffed up on their own successes. Maybe they recovered the Bones of
St. Andral’s and stopped the massacre. Maybe they’ve been doing good and gotten one or two Tarokka
items. Or maybe they’re not afraid of what Strahd can do since they have never run into him or crossed
him. Maybe they can handle a few zombies or bats and aren’t as scared as they used to be. This is the
time to shatter their delusions and remind the party who you are. You are Strahd von Zarovich, Vampire
Lord and The Land Itself. They are not the flame; they are but moths, and they are doomed. And You.
Will. Show them.

Remind them of Berez. The town you drowned because they dared incur your wrath. Show
them the Hall of Bones, and remark that even an order of dragons could not stand up to you. Remind
them that every vampire they fight and every ghost in the March of the Dead are their fallen brethren,
all dead, their souls trapped in this land of torment. You corrupted an angel of The Morninglord (The
Abbot). You are the land itself. If there have been any player character deaths, remind them that he did
not raise a finger against them and still they are found wanting. They will see the statues. They will see
his armor patrolling the walls. They will see his spawn and bats around the castle. Rahadin and his wives
will also be in attendance.

But do let them leave at the end of the night. Don’t lock them in. That’s bad manners and unbecoming
of a host. You must remember that under your roof you are a host, and must act nobly and graciously.

In full disclosure, I have not had an issue with this running COS, but between pulling the kids’
gloves off in terms of encounters and fear tactics in a number of ways, I think it is very easy to turn this
franchise around. Especially given how easy it is to kill a PC during a night watch.

Distraction

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 Chances are good that Strahd knows where Ireena is, and the party had a hand in putting her in
hiding wherever she is located. Inviting her guardians to dinner is the perfect opportunity for him to take
her (willingly or otherwise) if the campaign has reached a point where he would act in order to secure
her safety. This can be done if the party has already done the Special Event in Krezk related to the White
Pool and let Ireena go. Strahd knows there is a way to remove her from him forever, and he would act to
prevent this.

Strahd would also kidnap her if the party is becoming too strong for a straight-up confrontation.
Do remember that the hallowed Church of St. Andral’s is not safe for Ireena. Rahadin could go and scoop
her up with ease. Arrigal would do so for his Dread Lord. The werewolves serve him. Lady Wachter
might do this if he asked. If Izek is still alive, Izek could be informed of her location, and then take her
from him after he has breached the church. The point is to separate the guardians from their charge and
this is one means of which to do so, since the party will probably not take Ireena to dinner.

In my first group, this was Strahd’s purpose in the invitation. The party had a 30-minute out of
character debate as to whether to accept the invitation or not. They attended, leaving Ismark and Ireena
behind. Strahd had some wolves and spawn attack the Winery where the siblings were at, and they took
Ireena and left Ismark’s head on a pike for the Outsiders. (While horrific, the head-on-a-pike meme was
started by the party who put a druid’s head on a pike after the Yester Hill encounter.) Strahd sent them
a wedding invitation a day later, and the party had a set amount of time to do what they needed to do
before the wedding. The players loved Dinner, mourned Ismark’s death afterwards, and the main quest
timer helped galvanize them into action.

In Thanks for Services Rendered

Strahd might wish to thank the party for killing Izek, someone who clearly had ill intentions for
Ireena. Strahd could also play the benevolent dictator and thank the party for removing another threat
from his land. Granted, Strahd has no rivals but there are a number of evil NPCs who live in Barovia who
the players will come into conflict with. The hags of Bonegrinder and the druids of Yester Hill are two
groups who are both evil and aren’t considered allies of Strahd. RAW, the module does say that Strahd
will show up to the Wintersplinter Ritual to let them know when to begin, which is confusing since the
druids are doing this to win Strahd’s favor and this whole plan was Baba Lysaga’s crafting, who Strahd
does not recognize at all. The easiest way to fix this is to remove Strahd from the rite but that’s not the
point. The point is Strahd could very easily go, ‘Hey, thanks for dealing with that upstart group of druids
out there who were going to do something terrible. That would have been terrible for my people.’ and
call it there. Remember, he’s never doing this only to thank the party, but it is the perfect cover.

2. Why Players Attend

Novelty

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 Let’s be real. The moment the invitation flew out of Strahd’s Carriage (here on known as Death
Cart), my first party knew they were getting invited to Ravenloft, and the players were ecstatic. The
player characters had more apprehension, but the players were excited and the invitation could be
unexpected. My second party has been promised an invitation from Rahadin when they buried the
Burgomaster, and the players eagerly anticipated its arrival. While it is not a reason for the player
characters to go to the enemy’s stronghold and dine, it will get your players in that mindset of walking
through the tunnel at the big game going ‘THIS IS WHAT WE PLAY FOR’. My first party decided to stop in
Vallaki and purchase fine clothes for the occasion. Along with ascots because ascots, the haberdasher
recommended, were trendy and excellent neck protection.

Scouting for the Inevitable Siege

Most parties will likely realize that they must confront Strahd in Ravenloft eventually. Seizing the
opportunity to scout out Ravenloft, its fortifications, its defenses, its traps, and its layout is a good
reason for a tactical party to visit. This is something that an NPC could bring up to them who knows of
their intentions. I used Ismark to play up this angle, since the players knew he wanted to kill Strahd
already. One thing that the players will likely learn is that a frontal assault might not be the best for
them since the front is heavily guarded. So they will look for and consider other means of entrance. (The
Servant’s Entrance, Climbing the walls, etc) This isn’t a big reason to go but it helps. The party might also
encounter The Heart of Sorrow, which is crucial to destroy before fighting Strahd. Even if the PCs do not
understand its significance, they will understand its power by simply gazing upon it and feel the beating
heart of the tower itself.

Tarokka Items

If your party has any Tarokka Card readings in Castle Ravenloft, they will see this as an
opportunity to try and recover those, especially if they initially were like ‘how will we ever get this
before fighting Strahd’. I would personally never lead a party into the Catacombs for a myriad of
reasons, but as detailed later in the guide, there are four or so locations that would be easier to lead
players to during the course of dinner, such as The Chapel.

Intrigue

Any intrigue-minded players or socialites will jump at the opportunity to gain intel on their
enemy. There are quite a few NPCs in Ravenloft that they can interact with, not all of whom are undead.
Cyrus Belview, Lief Lipsiege, and Rahadin are all non-undead Ravenloft residents who can be met during
the course of dinner. There are also a couple NPCs who might not be terribly fond of Strahd, though are
unlikely to directly aid the party. RAW, Escher knows he is on the outs (or at least being ignored) and
thus might certainly talk with the party. Whether you play Escher as someone who will betray Strahd, or
is being a double agent for Strahd, is up to your discretion; but he is a great NPC to use here. I also
repurposed one of Strahd’s locked up brides, Sasha Ivliskova, for this dinner as well since he needs
servers for dinner and Cyrus just isn’t cut out for this type of dinner. (I held Helga in reserve for one new

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NPC in Ravenloft during the Siege.) Rahadin, as Chamberlain, could serve but really should be at the
table as family, acknowledging his importance and brotherhood with Strahd.

How to Convince Cautious/Cowardly/Scared Parties to Attend

IF YOU WANT PLAYERS TO ACCEPT, DO NOT HAVE STRAHD DIRECTLY ATTACK THEM BEFORE
DINNER. This means no Strahd at the funeral of Kolyan. No Strahd at the Blue Water Inn. No Strahd
attacking the party at St. Andral’s Massacre. His minions? Sure. Him? No. He can interact. He can say hi
or warn the bard not to touch ‘his’ Ireena. But the minute he lays a finger on them you’ve given them a
big reason to not accept this invitation. I made this mistake in my first COS campaign. Never again. What
ended up happening was the party just raised Arabelle back from the dead (via The Abbot) and returned
her to Luvash. They were more than happy to accompany the party to dinner, which made the PCs feel
safer.

3. Dinner Preparation

Attendees

The first thing to note is the number of characters dining. My attendees include:

● The Party of Outsiders (5 PCs in both of my campaigns)

● Strahd von Zarovich
● Strahd’s Three Wives

My First Party brought a Wachter Brother, as one of my PCs started a relationship with him.
Rahadin did not make an appearance at dinner for unique reasons to my party. Sasha and
Escher served. This means there are two servers and no Cyrus, who isn’t formal dinner material.

My Second Party will be different in that I will also have Rahadin show up to dinner this time as
they met him when they buried Kolyan. Escher served alone this time, as I had other plans for
Sasha as well, since I learned more about her character thanks to COS.Discord’s Escher and she
plays a bigger, unique role. This time, Cyrus served alongside Escher.

Minor Note on Servers: Good help are always nearby, but not seen. So one upside of using
Spawn [Escher, Sasha, Helga] is that they can just stand on the ceiling of the Dining Room, out of sight,
still nearby to perform their duties. Also it is a good mental image of a whole dinner party and the two
servers just standing on the ceiling above them. Cyrus should stand outside the Dining Room, within
earshot but out of sight.

Seating Arrangement

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 A very minor detail, but important for the mood. Strahd sits at the head of the table, as it is his
house and he is Lord. There are traditionally two places of honor at a dining table - the other head of the
table and the seat immediately to the host’s right. Now, who sits there? Rahadin has this tricky aura that
pretty much means he must be isolated from the party. So putting him at the opposite head of the table
would both isolate him from players and demonstrate his importance to Strahd. (No mere Chamberlain
would sit at the head of the table, but a brother would, which is how Rahadin sees himself.)

The other place of honor has three potential candidates in my mind:

1. The leader of the party, if the party has a clear leader. Placing them at a seat of honor places
them by Strahd, and acknowledges their importance.
2. This is also a place for one of Strahd’s wives, at his side. On one hand, Ludmilla is his first wife,
perhaps the most loyal, primus inter pares, etc. On the other hand, I had Volenta’s character be
more about the pomp and circumstance of Ravenloft and really being Strahd’s hostess-style wife
who’s all about managing Ravenloft and its repairs etc.
3. The last option is a potential Successor or Consort among the party - someone Strahd wishes to
speak with and get to know. He would invite them to sit at his side.

For my First Party, I had Volenta at her husband’s left and the leader of the party at his right. For my
Second Party, Volenta sits at her husband’s left and the PC he is trying to schmooze sits on his right.

Interspersing his other wives with party members would probably be good host behavior to stimulate
conversation. Otherwise the old ‘party on one side, enemies on the other’ works as well.

Seating Detail

One minor detail I add to my table is that the backs of the chairs at dinner have the names of
the previous adventurers/guests engraved into the backs of them, in chronological order. So each is
probably going to have a few dozen names of Strahd’s previous dinner guests. Few are probably legible,
but it does serve as a testament to the never-changing Barovia and the fact that your party walks a path
that many have trodden before, all of whom have now fallen into darkness in one way or another.

Food

Food could be cooked either in Ravenloft or outsourced from Vallaki, particularly Wachterhaus. I
had it be a full meal with salad, potatoes, veal (no wolf meat at Strahd’s table), breads, and wine. The
players and Rahadin will be served Wizard of Wines wine options. The vampires drink wine from
different bottles without labels, and, if asked, Strahd would simply say that it is made in-house. (Read: It
is actually blood. They are drinking human blood. More on this later in the Wine Cellar portion.)

One detail to keep in mind is that some exotic races have their own diets. My kenku, for
example, eats rats and mice and has his own dietary needs. I had Cyrus (run with a Tahm Kench style

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accent, for those of you familiar with League of Legends) prepare a special dinner cart for this PC
complete with rats, mice, a few lizards and aquatic crustaceans, along with some berries and fruit which
are easy to eat. I also delivered in that beautiful Tahm voice, “I thought it uncouth to serve you anything
with wings, and I did prepare everything you see here with my own unique blend of herbs and seasoning
procured from the corners of Faerun, courtesy of the Vistani. The mix here includes turmeric, which
does wonders for arthritis and scrivener’s hand.”

Defense

Our dear Count would also not entirely trust the party’s manners. His Animated Armor will be
positioned nearby, as well as a few vampire spawn in case things escalate. Granted he, Rahadin, and his
wives could probably wipe most parties, but just in case your party decides to pick a fight and/or has The
Sunsword already, Strahd would take precautions. Rahadin doesn’t care about light and would focus The
Sunsword’s wielder first. Strahd’s Animated Armor would as well. There’s also the wall of gargoyles and
statues in the entrance corridors, so Strahd has plenty of pawns set on the board before dinner begins.
While I highly doubt a party would pick a fight, Strahd would be prepared for one.

4. The Flow of Dinner and Encounters

The Invitation Arrives

The Death Cart (Read: Strahd’s Carriage) delivers the Invitation to Dinner with The Count of
Ravenloft to wherever the players are located. My First Party called it ‘Death Cart’ so the name stuck
and that’s what I’m calling it here. I had it pull up without horses, without riders, the door swinging open
and the invitation flies out and lands at their feet. If the party ignores or destroys it (First Party’s Wizard
did this), cue a Harry Potter moment where dozens more just fly out at them until they get the message.
Cue a conversation about whether to attend. DO MAKE SURE TO MENTION THAT THEIR SAFETY IS
GUARANTEED. The default Invitation is not terribly personal, but it does work as a simple invitation. I
used this both times with minor modifications.

Death Cart brings them to Ravenloft. My First Party wanted to stop at Vallaki to clean up and get
Ascots of Neck Protection, so I played Death Cart as it would allow them to stop as long as it was on the
way to the castle.

Arrival

Do be sure to read relevant descriptions of the Ravenloft Moors and Ravenloft Approach as they
arrive. The statues, etc do not attack player while they are here and remain within the parameters of a
tour and good guest behavior. The organ can be heard in the background. Volenta greets them in the
Main Hall, welcomes them to Ravenloft, and leads them to the Dining Room. Escher and your other
server of choice are quietly talking together by the stairs to K21, across from the Dining Room. The party

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enters the Dining Room, and Strahd finishes his organ piece and welcomes them. The wives are already
present. Rahadin is last to arrive, and dinner begins.

Dinner

My First Party was pretty stunned, so you might have to lead the conversation a bit. If Strahd
has a potential consort/successor, he definitely focuses on them, but is interested in the party’s origins,
homelands, and what they think of Barovia. One popular gift idea to the party is Full Plate Mail, which is
actually Strahd’s Animated Armor. Volenta speaks about Ravenloft and its vast history, and some of the
reconstruction plans. But play the wives how you want to. Rahadin would ask the party to give Kasimir
his regards. Strahd has plenty of stories to tell as well. The conquest of the land, his parents, his arcane
studies, his family, Berez, Barovia, Death House, etc. The party might be intimidated silent in-character,
so be prepared to have a good story to tell them and/or questions to ask based on their experiences
and/or backgrounds.

My second party is running on a platform of ‘No more dead kids’ after the Death House and
Arabelle incidents, so Strahd is going to give the Barbarian a Silvered Maul and tell them that both the
Hags at Bonegrinder and the Werewolves of the Den have kidnapped children and they must be
stopped. This is done both to test the strength of the players (why would Strahd lift a finger against
them if they can’t even handle 3 old crones and a score of werefolk) and is also to help coax my
Barbarian into thinking maybe this Strahd fellow isn’t so bad.

Wine and Blood

At dinner, I will make it that the vampires are drinking wine from a different bottle than the PCs.
There is a payoff here. At some point, Escher or another server might ask a PC or two to help bring up
more wine.

(NOTE: It is recommended by the writer and consultant that you pull aside the one player who is brought
down here aside for a private conversation. This is done to make that PC feel alone and powerless, not
surrounded by their comrades, and prevents the group from immediately rallying upon their return to
dinner if your group is full of noble intentions and low on discretion.)

So they take them down the K21 Stairs to The Wine Cellar. Instead of this being largely ruined, RAW, it is
a well-used winery, but only in part to store wine. A random male Vallakian is hanging from the ceiling
by his feet, very much dead, bleeding into a large basin on the floor. Cyrus could perhaps be bottling
more ‘wine’ when they arrive. If Escher, I would say, ‘Stick to the brand-name wine while you’re here.’ If
Sasha, I would say, ‘Do not forget who your host is. Who my husband is.’ Either option should also
mention that this person was merely dinner, not a consort.

This is also a good time for Escher or Sasha to mention that there’s some ‘lost little girl searching
for her fairy tale prince’ up in the tower. ‘Maybe this will happen to her,’ they gesture to the man

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hanging from the roof. ‘Maybe she’ll just be another one of us, cast aside from his favor.’ This girl is
Gertruda, who really has no place at a fancy dinner but should be mentioned, especially for groups who
met Mad Mary.

The following image was my inspiration for this event, and will remind players, once again, who
their host really is. Yes, he’s romantic around Ireena. But he’s obsessive. Yes, he’s charming and graceful
as a host. But he’s also the undead abomination they must slay in order to return home.

Screenshot from Darkest Dungeon: The Crimson Court, and the inspiration for this little scene.

Dancing

After dinner conclues, Strahd will invite them upstairs to the Throne Room for some dancing and
music. They will leave the Dining Room and take the stairs across from the landing up to the Throne
Room. He would have drinks, animated musical instruments, and this room would be cleaned up for
guests. There are a myriad of things you can do here, so I’ll just share a few of mine.

Strahd + Volenta

Strahd would dance with [Ireena (if present), his wives, any potential Consorts]. Otherwise he
dances and strikes up small conversations with people as the night goes on. In my mind, Volenta is
always at his side when talking with guests/etc. While she’s not officially Countess Zarovich, she’s
definitely the most proper and a social night is definitely where she shines as hostess.

The Other Brides

The other two would dance with their husband when asked, and otherwise can be played how
you want. If your group enjoys the social aspects, intrigue, or heavily roleplays, you might consider how

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the three wives interact with each other, their shared husband, and the other consorts, as well as any
goals they might have. The three of them all being loyal to Strahd is a given, but would there be
rivalries within the trio of brides?

How I Ran the Brides

Largely inspired by /u/JonathanWriting, I ran the wives as Ludmilla being primus inter pares, and
Strahd’s eldest wife who is a spellcaster. They, together, worked on the Heart of Sorrow. She is close to
Volenta, having helped fix her up with Strahd, and Rahadin, who are old friends at this point. Volenta
definitely plays the hostess, as she does here. Borrowing a bit from one of the people I wrote this guide
for, Anastrasya is the newest female bride, and is more eye candy than a long-term utility to Strahd. So
her place in the group is in question, and Ludmilla has a careful eye on her. Escher and Sasha are two
peas in a pod, both trying to remain in Strahd’s good graces despite being ignored or swept to the side.
They might realize that Anatrasya’s position is under question, and they might be trying to work to
replace her.

Escher

Oh Escher, the favorite of the COS Discord Server. Definitely neglected by Strahd, I played him as
being a wallflower and just smoking a pipe while dancing and talking carry on. Two of my PCs pulled out
pipes and engaged him in conversation, and he was grateful for the company and their interest in him.
He gave them a brief tour of The Chapel, and spoke of some history. Whether he’s a double-agent for
Strahd or is willing to help the party is up to your discretion, but he would be in attendance and
probably ignored by Strahd regardless. He is the best candidate for a during-dancing tour to a few of the
Tarokka locations.

Sasha Ivliskova

(Do keep in mind that her presence outside of the crypts is not strictly according to the module,
but a change I made for a few reasons. The first of these being I wanted to keep Helga in reserve for a
later Ravenloft encounter. The second being I thought it would make sense for one of Strahd’s
wives/consorts to be sympathetic to the party without being directly hostile to Strahd. The third big
reason was because of Petrovna’s Holy Symbol. It is a small magic item that is found in the Catacombs of
Ravenloft, but by the time the party gets it they are here to kill Strahd and will not run back to St.
Markovia’s Abbey for one sidequest.)

In my first party, I had Sasha serve dinner alongside Escher. She slipped the face of the party
Tasha Petrovna’s Holy Symbol with a note that said something along the lines of ‘Not everyone here is
an enemy.’ He approached her at dancing and asked her to dance, and she told him some things about
the castle etc. It worked well for my party since the paladin used Divine Sense the minute they sat down
at dinner, so there was a serious out-of-character conversation about whether or not they can trust a

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vampire etc. Sasha, like Escher, is also doing what they are able to remain in Strahd’s good graces to
avoid enclosure in a crypt for years on end.

With my second party, things were different. I had more information on her character so she
only showed up at dancing and talked with the party a bit, before slipping the above holy symbol to one
of the wallflower PCs and stating that when they were to return to slay her husband, they would have
help on the inside. They’re not sure whether to trust her or not, but it is a small start. Unlike the first
time, she’s not so much interested in remaining in her husband’s good graces in an attempt to return to
his side, so much as it is an attempt to remain freed from her crypt in order to try and assist in his
downfall.

Lief Lipsiege

I had him very briefly show up during dancing for a glass of wine and to take a break of
approximately ten minutes before returning to his books. Have a few deadpan accountant jokes and/or
puns ready. He does not smile and does not show mirth but a few deadpan jokes add to the atmosphere
of a fun night at Ravenloft.

If you need inspiration for deadpan accountant jokes, I can provide:

Rahadin

My first party had unique circumstances for Rahadin, so his grand reveal was here, where I had
him walk out for a cello solo during the dancing. The second group has met him already, and he will be

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here drinking wine, socializing, probably being hit on by the bard. He’ll likely speak with Ludmilla at
length about old topics and, once again, compliment her on finding such a good match for Strahd (read:
Volenta).

Conclusion

As the night winds down, Strahd and Volenta walk them down to the front doors to see off their
guests. One’s guests should not be attacked at a dinner party, no matter what Game of Thrones teaches
us. So they say goodnight and bid them safe travels and head upstairs together. The first party saw them
walk off preparing for a night of passion and feasting on Gertruda. The party takes Death Cart back to
wherever they wish to go, and that’s that.

5. Tarokka Items in Ravenloft

We spend a good amount of time consulting the Tarokka deck, trying to find ‘better’ ways to set
the cards and not screw over a party. Generally speaking, items being placed in Ravenloft are the most
troublesome, since the only time the module sends you to Ravenloft is when the PCs are ready to battle
Strahd. Dinner with Strahd solves this issue as the players are invited to enter Ravenloft for dinner.
There are four locations that the players can easily visit outside the Catacombs for both encounters
during dinner festivities and to recover Tarokka items.

1. The Chapel

The Chapel is the only other notable room on the first floor of Ravenloft, easily accessible from
The Dining Room. A tour before dinner will easily lead the players here. In my first campaign, Escher
took a few players to the overlook of the Chapel from the hallway that connects it to the Throne Room.
The Icon of Ravenloft is also here, so make sure whoever is leading the tour informs the players that no
one in Ravenloft can touch the icon (as everyone is evil).

The easiest way to get players to The Chapel from Dinner is along the first floor. The easiest way
to get to The Chapel from Dancing is by the upper hallway that connects the Throne Room to the
overlook in The Chapel. Players can then explore The Chapel from the overlook by accessing the stairs
directly next to the thrones.

2. The Throne Room

The Throne Room is where I take the players for drinks and dancing after dinner. This is easily
accessible but highly populated so players will need to find a clever way to lift the item unless they hang
back or return alone.

This is where Dancing is held, and is easily accessed from the stairs at K19 to the left from where
players will enter Ravenloft.

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 3. The Hall of Bones

Tarokka items here and the Skull of Argynvostholt are both in this room, and are just down the
stairs across from the Dining Room. Hypothetically the party could also steal Argynvostholt’s Skull, but
how they transport a couple hundred pound dragon skull out of Ravenloft is bound to be full of laughs.

The Staircase at K21 can be used to access The Hall of Bones, which is located across from The
Dining Room.

4. The Wine Cellar

Surely the players and vampires will drink wine (and blood for the latter), and thus they will
need to fetch more. One of the servers would ask a player to help as the kegs are heavy. This is a great
way to split one or two off from the main group to take them down here, potentially meet Cyrus
Belview, and search The Wine Cellar.

The Staircase at K21 can be used to access The Wine Cellar, which is located across from The
Dining Room.

5. The Study

This one is a bit tricky, given its proximity to The Heart of Sorrow. If you are fine revealing it this
early in the campaign, The Study can be used. You can access The Study from K21 Stairs through the Hall
of Bones to the K20 Stairs. They’ll have to climb a few levels but they can make it to The Study from
there. They will also need to take the same path back as well. It should also be noted that Gertruda
hangs out in The King’s Bedchambers (K42), and players might not want to leave her here if they meet
her.

I brought players here in my second party, and one of them checked out a book from The Study,
which I will use to Scry on the party later when they forget they have it.

6. Other Tarokka Locations

Other locations break down into two groups - The Catacombs and Private Locations. I advise
against allowing players to explore The Catacombs during dinner as it is both not polite party manners
and should be kept secret and protected as that is where Strahd’s Coffin is located as well as his precious
family. Given a majority of item locations here are locked in Crypts, and many of them have things
trapped inside, it would be wise to delay that access until the Siege of Ravenloft.

Private Locations include The Study and The Treasury, namely since there is no public stairway
to access these locations, and we don’t want to clue players into the locations of the secret staircases in

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Ravenloft. The players will find these when they return, but that’s not part of our Fine Dining Experience
we wish to create here. The North Tower is also reachable in the same manner that The Study is, but it is
a long climb and there’s no real reason for a tour to climb that high.

Moving About The Castle and Nosy Player Characters

One key issue in locations is transportation. You want the players to use public access staircases
in Ravenloft, saving the secret doors and back-hallway staircases for Strahd and his people, and for the
players to find during the siege. There are two entrances to The Catacombs, both of which are not public
access. (There’s also scaling the Cliffs of Ravenloft but that’s an entirely different method that is not part
of dinner.) We need to keep the secret passageways and secret staircases as hidden as possible. This is a
dinner party, the guests must be kept in the public areas, not thumbing through the family remains in
The Catacombs.

To prevent PCs from exploring where they are unbidden, Arcane Lock is a good way of keeping
doors locked that the party should not be going through on tours or trips to ‘the bathroom’. There are
other, simpler, means of deterrence as well. If a player wants to do some sneaking into a room they are
not allowed to enter, I would have a Bodak just sitting in the middle of the room/hallway, and use its
Death Gaze feature on the player to attempt to down them. If the player is downed, the Bodak will drag
them back to dinner, still unconscious, and leave them on the floor outside of the Dining Room or just
on the stairs by the Throne Room if they are dancing. The Bodak will then return to its original position.

Do read your table though. Strahd would warn the players that Ravenloft is very old and that
straying from the group or going where the living are not bidden to go might prove fatal. If they still
don’t heed your advice and try to run off to the Master Bedroom or Catacombs etc, I would feel no
shame in killing the character via Bodak or other unintelligent monster. Strahd and his family would
observe decorum unless attacked, and would not harm a guest, but he did warn them of the dangers of
wandering the castle alone, so if they are attacked and killed Strahd would simply be disappointed.

In Conclusion

And that’s Dinner with Strahd. I do this to share my ideas on a brilliant encounter but also am
curious to see what other DMs have done, so share your ideas with me as well. Thanks to DragnaCarta,
who was my consultant, as well as ren.duffy for giving me a deadline to ensure this document’s timely
creation.

-Andrius

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