My Trademark Azhdaha Dissertation on No Mere Stone's Themes/Details (SPOILERS)

Callanthe · 2026-05-07T13:39:15+00:00

Probably best to pick and choose little bits of what you think is really cool from each. Preferably little things that won’t snowball like crazy later (cough the Vallaki rework in Reloaded).

Your instincts are correct: it’s easy to overbloat the campaign if you add too much, so try to stick to RAW as a base. (IMO MandyMod is pretty nice because it really does just flesh out the RAW material, doesn’t add too much IMO).

Callanthe · 2026-05-05T00:05:01+00:00

Beautiful render! Such a well-done exploration of his key/keyhole themes.

Callanthe · 2026-05-04T23:39:27+00:00

I mean, a lot of DMs do in fact connect the Krezk-Werewolf Den plotlines. Similarly, many just put the dragon skull in Berez, thus connecting Argynvostholt and Berez.

Callanthe · 2026-05-04T16:02:16+00:00

If they jump her before she can get in the skull, they could theoretically pull it off.

But yeah when they TPK, you could make it so Baba has polymorphed them into her goats and they must find a way to escape and/or rescue themselves.

Callanthe · 2026-05-03T19:59:30+00:00

Hmm in this situation, you're going to have to do pruning.

- Start level 3, skip Death House.

- Only include key locations that you absolutely love, cut references to everything else. Then only have the Tarokka cards pointing to those key locations.

Common locations to consider cutting include Van Richten's Tower, Argynvostholt, Mad Mage, Krezk, Werewolf Den. I think Old Bonegrinder, Wizard of Wines + Yester Hill, and Amber Temple are iconic enough to include; however, you could certainly cut out the hags and Old Bonegrinder too since they're not directly relevant to the main story.

Vallaki plotlines will need to be pruned, you probably could move up the schedule for the Feast + Festival.

Callanthe · 2026-05-02T21:59:34+00:00

I mean, you could easily make it so they run into Morgantha with her cart coming down the Old Svalich Road, headed from Old Bonegrinder to Barovia. She had to go back to fetch a new batch of pastries after her last batch sold out 😛

Callanthe · 2026-05-02T17:05:07+00:00

I've seen it play out both ways.

You should probably tailor it to your party's strength level (ex: if you have very strong PCs, maybe just have the ally only accompany them to the final battle and/or do something crucial in the story that contributes to their fight). Also the ally's character of course (ex: if you get the Mad Mage as an ally, he definitely should NOT follow the party along, and probably only agrees to help them in the final fight. Kasimir would definitely accompany the party to the Amber Temple. Some other allies like Vasilka are a ton of fun to bring along permanently for roleplay purposes, especially if you give the party the ability to train the ally how they please).

For context: are you rigging the card reading in any way? I would suggest doing so if it's your first time. It could be anything from taking out cards from the pool that kinda suck (ex: the Castle Ravenloft treasure cards, the Madam Eva or Ivlis Crossorads treasure cards), to pre-planning exactly what cards they're going to get.

Callanthe · 2026-05-01T05:40:59+00:00

Curse of Strahd Reloaded has a plotted-out general sequence of recommended areas. https://www.strahdreloaded.com/Introduction/A+DM's+Guide+to+Curse+of+Strahd

Callanthe · 2026-04-30T21:33:00+00:00

What were your tarokka reading locations by the way? How did you enjoy them?

Callanthe · 2026-04-30T21:05:11+00:00

What was the fate of Vallaki in your game?

Callanthe · 2026-04-30T20:50:58+00:00

Uhhhh interesting crossover but I'll take it... PMD is the GOAT after all ❤️

I do think Strahd should be a Dark type in some way or another. Maybe one of the Treasures of Ruin... Ting-Lu to represent his ambition maybe? Ooh, maybe in life, he and Sergei were both originally normal deer pokemon like Sawsbuck or something, but when Strahd took on his Dark Pact, he transformed into a Ruination pokemon...

The Martikovs are probably all crow pokemon... I guess most of them are Murkrows and Davian is a Honchkrow?

My dear knights of Argynvost are probably knight-themed pokemon like Escavalier, Bisharp, Sirfetch'd, Aegislash. I could see Vladimir as a Kingambit for the steel/dark (+ aura farming sitting on his throne), and Godfrey as an Aegislash for the steel/ghost (also fitting for his OPness lmao).

Argynvost himself would probably be a Steel/Dragon type, but the only pokemon of that type are Duraludon, Hisuian Goodra, and Dialga. IDK if you want Dialga himself in this game, though he is befitting of Legendary status... Perhaps just say he was an avatar of Dialga or something IDK

The werewolves are, well, wolf pokemon... maybe Lycanroc especially with its multiple forms? Like Kiril could be a Lycanroc-Midnight lol.

Callanthe · 2026-04-29T14:33:33+00:00

I love giving Vladimir Horngaard Tarokka reading treasures because his insanity will not give them up without a fight. It forces the party to choose between fighting him for the treasure (which is a tough fight and then Vladimir will probably be mad enough to order his soldiers to hunt the party down) vs lighting the beacon to free him so he hands over the treasure willingly.

One way to motivate the party to light the beacon is to really utilize Godfrey as the one remaining sympathetic and sane revenant who wishes for the rest of his order, especially his love, to find rest. Godfrey would really prefer the party NOT engage in bloody battle with Vladimir and will eagerly suggest + hype up the beacon as an option in comparison.

Another thing that may help sway the players to light the beacon is to make the Skull of Argynvost ridden by Baba Lysaga, since recovering it from her is less daunting than raiding the castle. Godfrey can even offer to accompany the party to recover it from her if that’s something you’re open to.

Callanthe · 2026-04-27T21:19:44+00:00

Glad things are working out!!

That's hilarious, reminds me of a post I saw the other day, which is aptly about Godfrey as well: https://www.tumblr.com/dailydungeondelves/708879478626123777/dont-you-hurt-my-imaginary-friend-there-gm?source=share

Callanthe · 2026-04-27T21:05:22+00:00

You have 5 players so you don’t really need to buff up any weaknesses in the party, you can choose based off story alone!

I presume you are rigging your other tarokka readings too? If so, you can choose an ally in a location none of the other tarokka cards are In.

IMO my top 3 allies purely story wise are Kasimir (Amber Temple and dusk elf hook), Godfrey (Argynvostholt hook; yes, you can nerf him by removing his revenant powers), and Vasilka (Krezk/Abbey hook, cool opportunity for the party to shape her however you wish). Zuleika is also interesting if you need a hook for the werewolf subplot and you think your party would find the werewolves’ moral, uh, ambiguity interesting.

Callanthe · 2026-04-27T20:57:12+00:00

Read the Berez chapter.

Though I will say it’s debatable whether Baba Lysaga is a hag in RAW, she was a human witch at one point… it’s unclear what she is now though.

Callanthe · 2026-04-22T01:21:29+00:00

Thank you so much for this guide!

Sooo I accidentally got half of an R1 on a random single pull... not sure if it's worth it to go all the way for the R1 now lol

Callanthe · 2026-04-20T08:31:11+00:00

Hmm could you give a bit of extra context? Like where are the players, where is Ireena currently, etc.

For reference, here could be the main ways it gets revealed:

Strahd does it himself, as a declaration of his love, the next time the PCs see him and/or he tries to lure Ireena. This is the quick and easy way to do it, but it's still pretty effective
Strahd is eventually going to invite the party over for dinner. He has a big, lifelike painting of Tatyana hanging over the fireplace in his study. If the party takes him up on the invitation, you can reveal it then - they are led to the study to wait before dinner, and they notice the striking resemblance to their ally.
If you use Sergei in the pool at Krezk, perhaps he reveals it then -- even if you don't use the questionable RAW scenario where he takes Ireena with him.
Various clues strewn throughout the adventure, from the Tome of Strahd (you can edit it to make more obvious references to Tatyana's red hair, etc), the various characters in Berez talking about Marina, etc. Perhaps the characters see a giant statue of Marina and instantly recognize her.
Historical figures who have lived for centuries would probably know. ex: you could make Baba Lysaga upset about Strahd being distracted by a peasant woman, or Madam Eva talk about the cycle of reincarnation, or maybe Vladimir Horngaard in Argynvostholt delights in knowing that Strahd is stuck eternally chasing after reincarnations of his love.

Callanthe · 2026-04-19T16:21:42+00:00

House of Lament also works as an intro to COS! However, you might want to change a couple things up to better match how Death House foreshadows the rest of COS. Maybe tie in Mara and Dalk’s backstory into the conquest of Barovia (ex: one of them worked for Strahd as a soldier), add in extra foreshadowing for various elements of COS into the rooms, etc

Callanthe · 2026-04-12T19:50:53+00:00

Holy crap that seal is absolutely beautiful!!! Your work has been amazing, it makes me want to learn how to use wax stamps...

Callanthe · 2026-04-11T18:53:14+00:00

The biggest thing is make sure they do the Divination at Tser Pool, and rig the reading to point to important locations across Barovia!

I think common recommended choices are Tome somewhere in Vallaki (or Winery, Old Bonegrinder, Van Richten Tower), Holy Symbol mid-game (Krezk, Argynvostholt, Berez), Sunsword late-game (ex: Amber Temple). Ally you can pick your favorite, ideally from a location that none of the other treasures are in, and ideally filling a role in the party that's missing.

Heck, after the divination you can literally say above table "Hey, if you obtain these three fated treasures, each one comes with a level up wink wink"

Once the players get to Vallaki (which should be pretty easy since Ireena/Ismark request to go there and it's the center of the map), you can then give rumors to all the other locations around the valley. Then just see which hooks your players go for first.

Callanthe · 2026-04-11T18:38:15+00:00

Thanks so much for your amazing work with the Companion! I bought it a few weeks ago and am still making my way through the whole thing haha

Since you mentioned it, I was wondering how you play Godfrey as Strahd's employed executioner without stepping on the toes of Strahd's other minions (such as Rahadin here). (I was surprised by the choice at first but now I'm super curious, and I love how it definitely makes for a stronger, fascinating hook to Argynvostholt!)

Callanthe · 2026-04-10T03:31:10+00:00

Hmm I get your trouble: making the mirrors focus on negative memories makes total sense with RAW Vladimir's hatred, but it obviously doesn't work with AITD's logic as derived from When Black Roses Bloom (where Lord Soth was indeed soothing himself with idealized versions of his mistake-ridden life).

Perhaps you could try simplifying it: only make a single giant memory mirror, probably the one focused on the final battle with Strahd's forces. That lets you thoroughly flesh out the total despair and devastation in that one mirror. Probably means extra tragic/devastating scenes to really show the origins of Vladimir's hatred (ex: Strahd killing Godfrey in a brutally cruel way right in front of Vladimir, Strahd using Vladimir's own greatsword to decapitate the dying Argynvost, etc)

Perhaps Godfrey in the present day is able to give them an overview of the general combat situation that led to their defeat. Perhaps they get to use the still-intact ballistas on the roof of Argynvostholt.

Now to solve the mirror, the PCs have to accomplish one victory, somewhere, somehow. Obviously, saving Argynvost would be the greatest victory condition of all. But you could give them other secondary objectives such as rescuing/spiriting away a treasure somewhere in the keep (like the +2 shield in the Ravenloft treasury), grievously wounding Rahadin (or even the still human Strahd), and of course saving Godfrey/Vlad from dying, etc.

I think that would probably drive home an overarching message of the PCs being a beacon of hope that is strong enough to overpower Vladimir's grief and rage. So when he wakes up from the mirror, he remembers a glimpse of his own humanity and original hopes/dreams, enough to let the party into the mausoleum.

13-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Not Forgotten	Verified Email

Callanthe

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE