Barovian Newcomers
After years of not playing, we're finally back: Last night, my friends and I had our Session 0 for Curse of Strahd, which I will be DMing.
It's our first time using DnD, and it was the first time we ever approached this "professionally" or did a Session 0. Mind you, this group of players has a history of being almost comically dense, chaotic and misguided. To use a German phrase, they are a bunch of cucumbers (an absolute clown show). No murder-hobos or overly horny bards... just idiots.
I am really happy with this cast of characters; it will be so exciting to see how they will fare in Barovia.
Anyway, I was thinking I could introduce you to this group of characters, since I'm considering documenting our Barovian escapades and sharing them online. So, here goes.
The Dawn Twins: Elarion & Serenya are Aasimar twins, grown up in a lathandrian monastery and with the message that they are the Morninglord's gift to Toril. While the cleric Elarion, 3 minutes older than his sister, is more the bookish/ curious type, Serenya, a paladin, has a habit of smiting first and asking questions later. They're thick as thieves, and I am curious to see what the hopelessness and isolation of Barovia does to them.
Elena Morvain: A 10 year old human girl with a rabbit plushie and an invisible friend she calls "smiley" is more than a little creepy. Once you notice that the plushie turns its head and watches you from time to time and follows its mistress into fights, you start to realise that this little kid is not as helpless as you might think. She’s going to make many people very uncomfortable.
Gargamel Lorian: You might think that this Goliath Barbarian is stupid, and he is, but that assessment kinda does him a disservice. There is a lot of tragic gentle giant energy! He's a weaponless fighter who's used to clearing up barfights on the side while doing his main job. The main job is being the beloved mascot of the well-known Lorian brewery. He takes pride in this, but the owners treat him like property, and the more you talk to him about it, the you realise how literal that is.
Lilith Windfänger: an orphaned bard who has never been able to settle down anywhere, nor does she want to. She's a half-elf with fiery red hair, a glamorous collection of stage outfits and a voice that just perfectly suits her lyre. She's a haunted hedonist, and in Barovia, she'll have to deal with the ghosts that haunt her and the massive lack of vices and things to indulge in.
Kaelir Thornveil: a morally grey eco-assassin, hired by a grove of druids to "take care" of people who threaten nature or the balance of things. He's an arcane trickster rogue/ ranger, a wood-elf, and not a man of many words. When it comes to the path before him, I think he’ll either become an avenger of the wilds or be forced to face what “balance” means when everything’s already dying.
