Raising

the
Stakes
T h e E s s e n t i a l C u r s e o f S t r a h d C o m pa n ion

Van Richten’s Tower

Explore the mysteries of an archwizard’s
legacy in this module guide for
Curse of Strahd

A module guide from Lunch Break Heroes

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Van Richten’s Tower V2. Tower Door

O
n the shore of Lake Baratok stands a crum- As noted previously, replace Khazan’s name above the
bling edifice that was once the property of door with that of Exethanter. This area is otherwise
the wizard, Khazan. The tower serves as a unchanged.
relative safe-haven for characters, in that it
is the only area safe from Strahd’s scrying spell. Aside V4. Tower, First Floor
from that, it is little more than a base of operations or
Scattered around this room are four wooden crates.
a small stop on the way to other locations.
These were brought to the tower by Rudolph van
This chapter aims to add interest to the area by
Richten to store extra supplies.
adding intriguing elements to the tower. It also aims to
Between three of the crates, characters can find 30
eliminate confusion around the tower’s original owner.
days of dried rations, 300 feet of hempen rope, 5 pints
of oil, two healer’s kits, and one hunting trap. The
Video Companion fourth crate contains van Richten’s monster hunting
Watch the companion video for this chapter on YouTube. equipment. Inside, characters will find 7 vials of holy
water, 10 wooden stakes, 10 bulbs of garlic, and a
heavy crossbow with 20 bolts.
Goodbye, Khazan V5. Tower, Second Floor
To streamline your game’s lore and alleviate any con- The floor here is sturdy, and does not collapse when
fusion, this guide recommends that Khazan should be characters step on it. The floor is littered with molder-
removed from your game’s lore and his history merged ing books of various subjects, many of which lay open
with that of Exethanter. at random pages. Time and the elements have ren-
This is done to alleviate player confusion. Firstly, dered most of the books unreadable. All of the books
Khazan’s name sounds too similar to that of Kavan, here are non-magical.
the ancient barbarian at Yester Hill. Secondly, the Within the western wall, four feet above the floor, is
presence of Khazan as a lich within Barovia’s history a small alcove, inside of which sits the bust of a mid-
means that there is a strong possibility that players dle aged man. The bust is of exquisite craftsmanship,
may conflate Khazan and Exethanter. and has been affixed within the alcove with Sovereign
Instead of Khazan, Exethanter served as Strahd’s Glue.
archwizard and constructed the tower on the shores As characters ride the elevator, any character with
of Lake Baratok. All references to Khazan within the a passive Perception score of 10 or higher gets the
tower should be replaced by a reference to Exethanter, impression that the eyes of the bust are following
such as the name above the tower door in area V2. them. If any character approaches within five feet of
Areas of the Tower the bust, it will speak and exuberantly introduce itself
as “Buster”.
The following sections describe updates to the areas
of the tower. Any area not listed here should be run as Buster the Bust
it is written in the module, or adjusted to your liking. Shortly after the creation of the tower, Exethanter
used his magic to give sentience to a marble bust,
V1. Ezmerelda’s Wagon fashioned after his own likeness.
Ezmerelda’s wagon is a staple of many groups’ stories Although Exethanter granted the bust intelligence
of their arrival to the tower. Due to the difficult nature and personality, he did not bother to give it a name.
of discovering the booby trapped door, and the high Buster gained his name only recently after a lengthy
damage of the resulting explosion, this is also the site conversation with Ezmerelda D’Avenir on the subjects
of many character deaths. of literature and history. She decided that no creature
If Ezmerelda is not with the party, this guide rec- of such intelligence should go unnamed, and thus
ommends—at your discretion—moving Ezmerelda’s dubbed the sentient bust “Buster”.
wagon to the outskirts of Krezk, where she may be Although Buster is quite fond of Ezmerelda (“She’s
found inside the Abbey of Saint Markovia. This pro- turned several pages for me!”), he has a very low
vides a much less lethal introduction to the tower. opinion of the tower’s previous occupant, Rudolph van
Richten. Upon first arriving to the tower, Van Richten
ruthlessly interrogated Buster for information, at one
point threatening to burn all of the books in the tower.

Van Richten's Tower | 3

 Through his centuries of isolation, Buster has spent At your discretion, a successful DC 20 Intelligence
his time thinking, yelling at looters that climb in from check can reveal constellations that are native to your
the scaffolding, and reading the books that lay open on characters’ home land, wherever that may be.
the ground near him. One particular book of poetry is
his favorite. V7. Tower, Fourth Floor
What is Love? When Ezmerelda moved into the tower, she found
Rudolph van Richten’s notes burnt to a crisp, minus
Centuries of reading the same poems over and over
a lone journal entry. With that lone entry, she traced
again have given Buster romantic notions of one day
Rudolph’s steps and reproduced much of his research
finding a love of his own. He has recently become
in Barovia.
smitten with Ezmerelda, who has been kind to him
To that end, the walls of this room are covered in
during her visits to the tower.
Ezmerelda’s hastily scrawled notes and charcoal
In an attempt to woo her, Buster asks the character
drawings of various people and places. Dominating
to find him several items. A new book of poetry, a bou-
the eastern wall are two portraits. The first portrait
quet of flowers, and a bottle of wine. Where the items
is of Strahd von Zarovich, and the other is of a se-
can be found in Barovia is at your discretion.
vere-looking old man with glasses and thinning hair,
Upon receiving the items, Buster will happily tell the
labeled “Rudolph”. A crisscrossing web of dark thread
characters the command word to activate the ani-
connects all of the other notes and portraits to the two
mated the suit of armor on the fourth floor so that they
larger portraits.
may reveal the hidden compartment behind it, and will
A DC 10 Intelligence check reveals that the inter-
freely share any information he has about the tower
connected papers on the wall represent Strahd’s and
and its previous owner.
Van Richten’s connections to other people and places
What Buster Knows within the land of Barovia.
Connected directly to Strahd, characters can find
Buster is willing to share the following pieces of infor-
named portraits of Rahadin and Strahd’s brides Lud-
mation with the characters, if they help him or other-
milla, Anastrasya, Volenta, and Escher. Also connected
wise convince him to do so:
are Lady Wachter and Arrigal.
• The tower was built by Exethanter, Strahd’s
Connected directly to Van Richten are notes regard-
archwizard.
ing Vallaki, the tower that the characters are in, as
• Exethanter left the tower to seek immortality
well as the Vistani camps through the land. There is
and power through lichdom, but never returned.
also a sketch of the severed head that can be found
• Before leaving, Exethanter mentioned a “temple
inside the trunk in this area.
of amber” in the southern mountains.
There are also several drawings of Castle Raven-
• The hole in the wall on the third floor was cre-
loft, done from a distance. A DC 13 Perception check
ated by a lightning strike.
grants information about the layout of the grounds
• The scaffolding was built by looters who stole
and exterior of the castle.
nearly everything from the tower.
Laying flat on the desk is a hand drawn map of the
• The command word for the suit of armor on the
immediate area around Lake Baratok. A circle has
fourth floor is “Ravenovia”.
been drawn around an area of forest to the northwest
V6. Tower, Third Floor of the tower’s location, with the word “Werewolves”
written next to it.
Before the mists sealed Barovia away from the materi-
al plane, Exethanter was fond of stargazing. He spent Exethanter’s Treasure
many nights charting the movement of the stars and In the hidden compartment behind the suit of armor,
planets, and wrote several treatises on astronomical characters will find a bronze telescope and sextant.
phenomena. After the mists arrived to obscure the sky, The two items have tarnished with age, and are well
however, his stargazing hobby came to an end. worn with signs of previous use. Despite the tarnish
As a consolation, Exethanter enchanted the ceiling and wear, the name “Exethanter” is clearly engraved
of this floor of the tower to resemble the night sky. The in the metal on both pieces.
stars and planets were meticulously recreated accord- If presented to Exethanter in the Amber Temple,
ing to his notes and calculations. However, the magic one or both of these items can help to return his lost
of the room has faded over the centuries, leaving only memories. This is useful for parties that are unable to
a few patches of the night sky available for viewing cast Greater Restoration or Wish.
amidst the wooden ceiling.

4 | Van Richten's Tower