Curse of Strahd Reloaded Update: Survey Follow-Up & Arc R Complete

Before 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