Gothic horror at its darkest. Adventurers are drawn through the Mists into the Domains of Dread, each a pocket dimension ruled by a tragic Darklord imprisoned by the Dark Powers as both warden and prisoner. Moral dilemmas, supernatural terror, and the creeping corruption of the land itself test the party's resolve as they struggle to escape — or to free a Domain from its curse. Trust no one, for the Mists have eyes, and every act of heroism or cowardice is weighed by forces beyond mortal understanding.
Story Arcs
Into the Mists
The adventurers are traveling through familiar lands when the Mists of Ravenloft rise without warning, swallowing the road, the sky, and all sense of direction. When the fog lifts, they find themselves in the Domain of Barovia — a land of eternal twilight, crumbling villages, and terrified peasants who speak in whispers of the Devil Strahd. The party must orient themselves in this hostile land, earn the trust of the beleaguered Barovians, and discover that escape is impossible without confronting the Darklord who rules from Castle Ravenloft. Along the way, they encounter a Vistani seer who reveals that the Mists brought them here for a purpose — they carry a spark of hope that the Dark Powers wish to test.
The Darklord's Curse
Having survived Barovia, the party discovers they can pass through the Mists between Domains — but only deeper into the Demiplane of Dread, never back to their home world. They enter Lamordia, a Domain of mad science and flesh golems ruled by the tormented Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, whose obsession with creating perfect life has left a trail of abominations across the frozen landscape. The party must navigate the moral horror of Mordenheim's work — her creations are sentient and suffering — while seeking an artifact called the Apparatus of Kwalish, rumored to be able to part the Mists. But the artifact is locked within Mordenheim's laboratory, guarded by her greatest and most terrible creation.
Escaping the Demiplane
With the Apparatus in hand, the party learns it requires a component found only in the Domain of Har'Akir — a desert realm ruled by the mummy lord Ankhtepot, an ancient pharaoh cursed to undeath for his hubris. The component is the Sunstone, buried in Ankhtepot's pyramid, and the Darklord will not relinquish it willingly. The party must brave a Domain where the dead outnumber the living, forge an alliance with a rebellion of the living against their undead overlord, and descend into the pyramid for a final confrontation. If they can activate the Apparatus with the Sunstone, the Mists will part — but the Dark Powers offer each adventurer a terrible bargain: remain as a Darklord of their own Domain, with power beyond imagining, or leave and lose all memory of the horrors they've witnessed.
Session Outlines
These outlines are for planning reference only. Actual sessions are not created by the template.
Swallowed by the Mists
Begin with the party on a routine journey — perhaps escorting a merchant caravan or traveling between towns. The Mists rise suddenly, thick and impenetrable, cutting visibility to five feet. Sounds distort. Companions vanish and reappear. When the Mists finally thin, the party stands on a muddy road in Barovia, under a sky of perpetual gray. The village of Barovia lies ahead, its buildings sagging, its people hollow-eyed. Introduce the mood immediately: a weeping woman clutching a child who won't wake, a shopkeeper who refuses to sell after dark, and the distant silhouette of Castle Ravenloft on the cliffs above. The party learns that no one leaves Barovia — the Mists always bring them back.
The Village of Barovia
The party explores the village and surrounding area. Key encounters: a Vistani camp outside the village where the seer Madam Eva reads their fortunes with the Tarokka deck, prophesying their role in the Domain's fate; the church of Barovia where a priest struggles against vampire spawn that scratch at the doors each night; and the burgomaster's mansion where the dead burgomaster's daughter, Ireena Kolyana, begs for protection from Strahd's obsessive pursuit. Combat encounter with zombie and specter attacks at nightfall — Strahd's minions testing the newcomers. Establish that Strahd has noticed the party and is curious.
The Shadow of Castle Ravenloft
The party receives an invitation to Castle Ravenloft — delivered by a wolf that transforms into a vampire spawn bearing a wax-sealed letter. Strahd invites them to dinner. Whether they accept or not drives the session. If they go, Strahd is a charming, melancholic host who reveals his tragic backstory — his murder of his brother Sergei, his cursed immortality, his eternal pursuit of Ireena (the reincarnation of his lost love Tatyana). He lets them leave unharmed, confident they cannot escape. If they refuse, Strahd sends werewolf and ghost minions to demonstrate his reach. Either way, the party learns from Madam Eva that the Mists respond to the defeat of a Darklord — but killing Strahd may not be within their power yet.
Escape from Barovia
The party discovers that while they cannot return home through the Mists, they can pass to other Domains if they carry a token of the Darklord's power. They must infiltrate Castle Ravenloft to steal one of Strahd's personal effects — his signet ring, a vial of his blood, or a page from his journal. This is a stealth and infiltration session through the castle's haunted halls, dodging vampire spawn patrols, animated armor, and Strahd's wraith servants. Success allows the party to step into the Mists and emerge in a new Domain — Lamordia, a land of snow-covered forests and crackling lightning from towers on the horizon.
The Frozen Domain of Lamordia
The party arrives in Lamordia — a bleak, snow-swept Domain inspired by Frankenstein. The village of Ludendorf huddles against the cold, its people suspicious of strangers and terrified of the Schloss Mordenheim on the cliff above. Introduce the Domain's horror: flesh golems wander the forests, stitched from mismatched parts, some still whimpering in confused half-life. The party hears rumors of Dr. Mordenheim's work and learns that a strange device — the Apparatus of Kwalish — was brought here decades ago by a traveler from beyond the Mists. It is now locked in the Schloss. Key NPC: Brother Gravik, a monk who runs the only hospice, tending to those mutilated by Mordenheim's escaped creations.
The Abominations of Mordenheim
The party ventures toward Schloss Mordenheim and encounters the full horror of Viktra Mordenheim's work. A village has been overtaken by her creations — flesh golems who have formed a crude parody of civilization, mimicking the living. Some are hostile, but one — a creation called Elise — is fully sentient, articulate, and desperate for help. Elise reveals that Mordenheim's latest experiment aims to transfer a living soul into a constructed body, achieving true artificial life. The "donor" is unwilling. Moral dilemma: Elise asks the party to destroy Mordenheim, but doing so might doom all her creations, who depend on Mordenheim's maintenance to survive. Combat with hostile flesh constructs and a wraith bound as a laboratory guardian.
The Schloss Mordenheim
The party infiltrates or assaults the Schloss. The interior is a nightmarish laboratory filled with vats of preservative fluid, galvanic apparatus, and half-finished creations on slabs. Mordenheim herself is brilliant, tragic, and utterly unrepentant — she believes her work will transcend death itself and considers the suffering of her subjects a necessary cost. The Apparatus of Kwalish is in her vault. The party must fight or negotiate past Mordenheim's greatest creation — a massive flesh golem composite with the bound soul of a vampire spawn, giving it supernatural speed and hunger. Retrieving the Apparatus, the party learns it needs the Sunstone from Har'Akir to part the Mists permanently.
Into the Desert of Har'Akir
Using the Apparatus to navigate the Mists, the party arrives in Har'Akir — an endless desert under a burning sun that never sets but never warms. The Domain is ruled by Ankhtepot, an ancient pharaoh cursed to undeath as a mummy lord. The living population clings to a single oasis city, Muhar, where they pay tribute in grave goods to Ankhtepot's pyramid to keep his wrath at bay. The party meets Khedira, a rebel leader organizing resistance against the undead. She knows the Sunstone is in the deepest chamber of Ankhtepot's pyramid — placed there as the anchor of his curse. Undead patrols of zombies and specters sweep the desert at night.
The Rebellion of Muhar
The party must help Khedira rally the people of Muhar for a coordinated assault on the pyramid. Ankhtepot sends his undead legions to crush the rebellion before it starts — a siege encounter with waves of zombies, vampire spawn captains, and ghostly chariots. The party must defend the oasis city while Khedira's scouts find a secret entrance to the pyramid. Key moral moment: Ankhtepot offers to let the party take the Sunstone if they betray Khedira and the rebels, leaving Har'Akir to its fate. The offer is genuine — the Sunstone is replaceable to him, but the rebellion is not. The party must choose.
The Pyramid of Ankhtepot
The party enters the pyramid through the secret passage. The interior is a vast tomb complex with trapped corridors, sand-filled chambers, and animated guardian statues. Deeper levels hold Ankhtepot's treasury (guarded by specters bound to specific items) and a gallery of sarcophagi containing his mummified court. The Sunstone is in the deepest burial chamber, resting on a plinth surrounded by wards. Removing it triggers the pyramid's final defenses and alerts Ankhtepot himself.
Confronting the Darklord
Ankhtepot rises from his sarcophagus and confronts the party in the heart of the pyramid. He is ancient, powerful, and tragic — cursed to undeath for murdering his own children to extend his reign. The mummy lord fights with devastating necrotic power, legendary actions, and the ability to command every undead in the Domain. His lair actions cause the pyramid to shift and collapse around the combatants. This is the climactic combat — the party must defeat or banish Ankhtepot to claim the Sunstone. Khedira's rebels create a distraction above, drawing off the lesser undead.
The Dark Powers' Bargain
With the Sunstone, the party activates the Apparatus of Kwalish. The Mists part, revealing a shimmering doorway home. But the Dark Powers are not finished — each party member is visited by a personal manifestation offering a Domain of their own: unlimited power, a world shaped to their desires, eternal life. The catch is becoming a Darklord — imprisoned forever, repeating their greatest sin for eternity. Each player must roleplay their character's decision. Those who refuse step through the doorway and emerge in the sunlight of the mortal world, memories intact, forever changed. Those who accept... well, that is another story entirely. The campaign ends with the survivors on a familiar road, the Mists fading behind them, unsure if what they experienced was real — until they find one of Strahd's tokens still in their pocket.
NPCs
Count Strahd von Zarovich
Vampire · Darklord of Barovia
The first and most iconic Darklord — a centuries-old vampire who murdered his brother Sergei to claim Sergei's bride, Tatyana, only to watch her throw herself from the castle walls rather than accept him. The Dark Powers cursed him with immortality and dominion over Barovia, a prison shaped by his own guilt. Strahd is charming, cultured, melancholic, and utterly ruthless — he views mortals as amusements, cattle, or both, and he is always several moves ahead of any opponent.
Madam Eva
Vistani · Seer and Fortune Teller
An ancient Vistani woman whose Tarokka card readings reveal truths that even the Darklords cannot suppress. She sits in her tent outside the village of Barovia, surrounded by candles and incense, and speaks in riddles that only become clear in hindsight. She is one of the few beings who can move freely between Domains, and her relationship with Strahd is complex — she serves him, pities him, and quietly undermines him in equal measure.
Ireena Kolyana
Human · Burgomaster's Daughter
The adopted daughter of the late burgomaster of Barovia, Ireena is the latest reincarnation of Tatyana — the woman Strahd has pursued across centuries. She is brave, resourceful, and deeply frightened, bearing two bite marks on her neck from Strahd's visits. She does not remember her past lives but feels a strange, mournful familiarity with the castle. Protecting Ireena becomes a moral imperative for the party, though she refuses to be treated as a helpless victim.
Dr. Viktra Mordenheim
Human · Darklord of Lamordia
A brilliant anatomist and alchemist whose obsession with creating perfect life has made her the Darklord of Lamordia. She is cold, clinical, and views living beings as raw materials for her experiments. Her curse is that her creations always suffer — she can build a perfect body but never grant it a peaceful existence. She is not a cackling villain but a tragic figure consumed by intellectual hubris, unable to see the horror of her work because she is blinded by its elegance.
Elise
Flesh Golem · Sentient Creation
Mordenheim's most successful creation — a flesh golem with full sentience, intelligence, and emotional depth, stitched together from a dozen different corpses. Elise speaks eloquently, reads voraciously, and desperately wants to be treated as a person rather than a thing. She is torn between gratitude to her creator and horror at what Mordenheim continues to do. She serves as the moral heart of the Lamordia arc, forcing the party to confront what it means to be alive.
Ankhtepot
Mummy Lord · Darklord of Har'Akir
An ancient pharaoh who murdered his own children to prevent a prophecy that one would overthrow him. The Dark Powers cursed him to undeath as a mummy lord, ruling a desert Domain where nothing grows and the dead serve him for eternity. Ankhtepot is regal, imperious, and consumed by a grief he will never admit — he genuinely loved his children and is haunted by what he did. His power is immense, but his curse ensures that everything he builds crumbles to sand.
Khedira
Human · Rebel Leader of Muhar
A fierce young woman who leads the living resistance against Ankhtepot's undead tyranny in Har'Akir. Her parents were taken by the mummy lord's patrols and raised as mindless undead servants, and she has sworn to free every soul in the Domain or die trying. She is charismatic, tactical, and willing to make hard sacrifices — but she will not compromise her people's freedom for any bargain, no matter how tempting.
Locations
Village of Barovia
A crumbling village huddled beneath the shadow of Castle Ravenloft, its buildings listing on rotting foundations, its streets perpetually muddy. The people of Barovia live in a state of quiet despair — they know they are trapped, they know Strahd watches, and they have long since stopped hoping for rescue. A few candles burn in windows after dark, but most homes are shuttered and silent. The church stands at the village center, its bells rung only to warn of the undead.
Castle Ravenloft
An impossibly vast Gothic fortress perched on a thousand-foot pillar of rock overlooking all of Barovia. Its spires claw at the perpetually overcast sky, and bats swirl around its parapets in endless clouds. The interior is a maze of crumbling halls, opulent chambers frozen in time, and dungeons where Strahd's experiments and prisoners are kept. Every shadow moves, every portrait's eyes follow, and the castle itself seems alive — doors open to rooms that weren't there before, and corridors rearrange when no one is looking.
Schloss Mordenheim
A fortress-laboratory carved into a cliff face in the frozen Domain of Lamordia, its towers bristling with lightning rods that crackle in the perpetual storms. The interior is a nightmare of surgical theaters, galvanic apparatus, and preservation vats containing half-formed creations floating in amber fluid. The halls smell of formaldehyde and ozone, and the moans of conscious experiments echo through the stone corridors. Mordenheim's private chambers are surprisingly austere — she cares nothing for comfort, only results.
Ludendorf
A small village in Lamordia, perpetually blanketed in snow, where the inhabitants live in fear of Mordenheim's escaped creations that wander the surrounding forests. The buildings are sturdy timber and stone, designed to withstand both the cold and the occasional flesh golem that stumbles into town. Brother Gravik's hospice is the warmest place in the village — both in temperature and in spirit — and serves as the unofficial gathering place for the traumatized populace.
Muhar
The last city of the living in Har'Akir, built around a sacred oasis that Ankhtepot's curse cannot fully corrupt. Its sandstone walls are etched with protective hieroglyphs, and its people live a precarious existence — farming the oasis by day and barricading against undead patrols by night. The marketplace still functions, trading in survival essentials and the occasional relic dug from the endless sands. Khedira's rebels meet in the catacombs beneath the temple, plotting their resistance.
Pyramid of Ankhtepot
A colossal step pyramid rising from the desert sands of Har'Akir, its limestone surfaces carved with thousands of hieroglyphs chronicling Ankhtepot's reign and crimes. The interior is a labyrinth of trapped corridors, sand-flooded chambers, and burial vaults containing the mummified remains of Ankhtepot's court — all of whom rise to defend their master when intruders approach. The deepest chamber holds the Sunstone on a plinth of black basalt, surrounded by wards that pulse with necrotic energy and the weight of millennia of accumulated dread.
Quests
Escape the Demiplane of Dread
The party has been drawn into the Domains of Dread by the Mists, and no conventional means of escape exist. They must find the Apparatus of Kwalish in Lamordia and the Sunstone in Har'Akir to create a doorway home. Each item is guarded by a Darklord who will not relinquish it willingly, and the Dark Powers themselves seem to conspire against the party's escape.
Protect Ireena Kolyana
Strahd's obsessive pursuit of Ireena — the latest reincarnation of his lost love Tatyana — puts her in constant danger. The party must keep her safe from Strahd's minions while navigating Barovia, knowing that Strahd could simply take her by force at any moment. Ireena herself refuses to hide and insists on helping, making protection a delicate balance of respect and vigilance.
The Fate of Mordenheim's Creations
Elise and the other sentient flesh golems of Lamordia face an uncertain future. If Mordenheim is destroyed, her creations may deteriorate without maintenance. If she lives, she will continue her horrific experiments. The party must find a third option — perhaps convincing Mordenheim to teach Elise the maintenance techniques, or finding another way to sustain the creations independently.
Free the People of Muhar
Khedira's rebellion against Ankhtepot offers the only hope for the living in Har'Akir. The party can support the rebellion by weakening Ankhtepot's undead forces, securing weapons and supplies, and ultimately assaulting the pyramid. But victory is uncertain, and the cost may be high — Ankhtepot has ruled for millennia, and his power is vast.
Encounters
Night of the Walking Dead
As darkness falls on the village of Barovia, Strahd sends a probing force to test the newcomers. Zombies claw their way from shallow graves in the churchyard while specters drift through walls, their wailing sapping the will of the living. The party must defend the church and the surrounding homes, fighting in the narrow streets where the fog limits visibility and the undead seem to emerge from every shadow.
The Werewolf Pack
Traveling between Domains through the Mists, the party is stalked by a pack of werewolves — former adventurers who accepted the Dark Powers' curse in exchange for the ability to traverse the Mists freely. They attack under a blood-red moon, surrounding the party in a forest clearing. Their alpha offers the party a choice: accept the curse and run free, or die as prey. The werewolves fight with pack tactics, retreating and circling to isolate weaker party members.
The Haunted Laboratory
Inside Schloss Mordenheim, the party encounters the failed experiments — flesh golems gone wrong, animated by pain and rage. The laboratory itself is a hazard, with sparking galvanic coils, pools of alchemical fluid, and chains that animate to restrain intruders. A wraith bound to the laboratory serves as Mordenheim's final guardian, phasing through walls and draining life force while the flesh constructs pin the party in place.
Strahd's Emissaries
Strahd sends his elite vampire spawn to reclaim the token the party stole from Castle Ravenloft. Three vampire spawn ambush the party in a confined space — a narrow bridge, a sealed room, or a mountain pass — using their climbing ability to attack from unexpected angles. They fight with cruel intelligence, targeting spellcasters first and using their charm to turn party members against each other.
The Wrath of the Mummy Lord
Ankhtepot rises from his sarcophagus in the deepest chamber of his pyramid, wreathed in necrotic energy and the fury of an ancient king denied his eternal rest. He fights with devastating rotting fist attacks, Dreadful Glare that paralyzes with fear, and the ability to summon sandstorms within the chamber. His lair actions cause the walls to shift and corridors to seal, while wraiths of his murdered children circle the battlefield, howling with the grief of millennia.
Factions
The Vistani
Chaotic Neutral
A nomadic people who move freely between the Domains of Dread, seemingly immune to the Mists. They serve as merchants, messengers, and fortune tellers, and their relationship with the Darklords is complex — some Vistani clans serve specific Darklords in exchange for safe passage, while others work quietly to undermine them. Madam Eva's clan walks a particularly fine line, appearing loyal to Strahd while subtly aiding those who might challenge him.
The Keepers of the Feather
Lawful Good
A secret society of wereravens who oppose Strahd's tyranny in Barovia. They operate the Blue Water Inn and use their shapeshifting abilities to spy on Strahd's minions, smuggle supplies to resistance cells, and guide lost travelers to safety. They are cautious allies — centuries of oppression have taught them that trust is a luxury, and they will only reveal themselves to those who prove their commitment to fighting the darkness.
The Court of Ankhtepot
Lawful Evil
The mummified nobility of Har'Akir, raised from death to serve their pharaoh for eternity. They retain their intelligence and personalities from life but are utterly bound to Ankhtepot's will, carrying out his decrees with the cold efficiency of those who have long since abandoned hope. Some secretly despise their existence and might aid the party if approached carefully, but betraying Ankhtepot means a fate worse than the undeath they already endure.
Recommended Characters
Pre-built characters designed for this campaign setting. Create them separately from the character templates page.
Dr. Erasmus Van Holtz
Human · Ranger · Level 5
A grim and relentless monster hunter who stalks the mist-shrouded domains of Ravenloft. Dr. Van Holtz has dedicated his life to destroying the undead, but the darkness he fights has begun to take its toll on his soul.
Sister Embris
Tiefling · Cleric · Level 5
A tiefling cleric of the Light Domain who carries a sacred flame through the darkest corners of Ravenloft. Born of fiendish blood but devoted to radiance, Sister Embris fights to prove that one's heritage does not determine one's destiny.
Use This Template
Create a new campaign pre-populated with all the arcs, NPCs, locations, quests, encounters, and factions from this template.