RAVENLOFT HUNTS GUIDE

Greetings adventurers,
Here is the complete guide about Barovia hunts, realized by @melyssandria#5231, @wirios and @percemer.
Reminder: To start, we invite you to have a look on Developer Blog: The Monster Hunts of Barovia.
Your First Hunt: Direfang

“Direfang is a dangerous undead dire wolf. First hunted down and killed by a farmer for attacking his family, its body was discarded in the Ivlis River. Downstream, a young necromancer, shunned for his abilities, found the dire wolf corpse and reanimated it. He gleefully set it loose upon the village. After the evening’s slaughter, the dire wolf returned to the necromancer, who smiled and opened his arms in welcome to his new friend. The creature, soaked with viscera and in a murderous frenzy leapt into the young man’s embrace and much to his surprise, devoured him whole.
A terrifying sight to see, it is said that Direfang only appears to those about to die.”

“Crafted by witches' hands long ago, Bolgera was given the size and power to be an unbreakable guardian of the coven. After constructing his great form of fire-hardened wood, green straw from the cursed meadows, and clothing from fallen champions, a poultice of powerful magic was applied. After the dark incantations were spoken, to the witches' surprise, Bolgera came to life in a rage, tossing aside his creators and escaping into the forest. The witches cut their scarecrow recipe to a quarter strength after that. Bolgera is not fast, but he swings a devastating attack and many swords have shattered trying to cut him down.”

“Once there was a curious child named Susanna, who wanted something new and interesting to grow in her garden. She found a strange seed pod while walking near the Whispering Woods and planted it in her planter box. Susanna watered it and watched it sprout and grow. She sang to it every day and in only a few months it had grown almost as tall as her. It wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen before, it grew into a twisted knot of roots and branches in the shape of a man, but before long it had grown much taller than one. She called him Gnarly Jak.
Soon after, thieves came to rob Susanna’s home and the little girl fled into the night. Hearing Susanna’s screams, Gnarly Jak pulled himself from the planter box and stormed into the men, crushing them into the ground. He ran off looking for Susanna and killed anyone that crossed is path. They say he’s still looking for Susanna to this day.”

“Some say that Lycosa is simply a freakishly large spider while others claim the beast was magically transformed from a house spider. The story at the local tavern is that Lycosa is a sorceress trapped in spider form. She demonstrates more than normal intelligence for a spider and is rumored to have constructed hidden passages around Barovia. This would explain how she has remained untraceable and how she attacks from almost anywhere at any time, disappearing again just as easily. These tales make for entertaining campfire talk and stories to keep children in their beds at night, but no one knows the truth.”

“At nearly eight feet tall, Cusca was an undefeated knight’s champion. Legend tells that when the devil Strahd lured Cusca’s beloved Doressa to Ravenloft, Cusca rode to the castle to bargain for her freedom or rescue her by force. Already bored with Doressa and her unshakeable loyalty to her lover, Strahd made a deal with Cusca, and Doressa went free. The knight found himself in Strahd’s service and trapped in Barovia. As a cruel joke, Stradh refused to free Cusca even after death and kept the knight and his steed in his service to this day. Now Cusca roams Barova looking for a way home that he will never find.”

“Young Nemilos started out like other boys in the village, gleefully playing games like “knights and wights” after chores. When his father fell ill, the man become violently abusive, causing Nemilos to run away from his once-happy home. Angry and seeking answers, the boy found himself at a hidden shrine to the Dark Powers. With whispered promises of riches, power and control echoing in his head, Nemilos swore allegiance and grew powerful.
He roamed Barovia, attacking any fool who held on to the brittle lie of happiness and hope, leaving no survivors. As a dread servant of the Dark Powers, Nemilos pleaded with his evil masters to grant him the darkest of powers after death, and with unblinking faith, sliced his own throat. Then Nemilos rose again with a most terrifying grin and went about his dark lord’s evil work.”

“Inspired by the articulated dolls of the famous toy-makers Blinsky and Von Weerg, Strahd sought to have powerful armored knights crafted for him. By design, they were to help guard his castle and keep the people in line with yet another flavor of fear. Strahd has employed a number of skilled magic users over the millennia, and he put his best to the task to create an infernal sentinel to do his bidding.
The result was an astounding effigy of fire and steel that would do exactly as he commanded. Stradh used it to great effect slaughtering would-be treasure hunters and “inspiring” villagers to submit and serve. The people came to call this terror Strahd’s Puppet. However, eventually this activity lost its luster and Strahd assigned members of his guard to run the sentinel’s show of force. Today, when the Puppet appears, no one know who wields its power or why.”

“The Youngest of the sisters of Strahd’s vampire spawn, Noctessa was seduced by Strahd and was convinced that she would be his eternal love. So much so, that when Strahd eventually lost interest in her, she accused the other sisters of sabotaging her future with him. The more she tried to get Strahd’s attention back, the more he spurned her. She became increasingly angry and violent until ultimately Strahd banished her from the castle, enraging her even further. Noctessa’s cruelty and malice know no bounds, and only a fool would even attempt to defeat her without their most powerful allies.”

“As an orphaned human child, Lazaric was fascinated with the packs of wolves that stalked the woods beyond the village. Being small and different, he was abused and bullied bu the other children. One night, he heard villagers whispering about werewolves in the Howling Hills. Lazaric went looking for them.
He eventually found the werewolf pack and begged them to make him into a werewolf too. Even though saw him as a runt, the werewolves bit him and let him join their pack. But as the weakest among them, they delighted in pushing him around. Eventually, Lazaric snapped and viciously lashed out at them. Years of pent-up anger were released in a flurry of vengeance that made him impossibly strong. He killed and devoured every one of them, even when they cowered and recognized him as their alpha. Now he is cursed to prowl the woods alone, angry and hungry.”

“After a coven sister insulted her cooking, Ras Manca killed the offending witch. She chopped up the remains and secretly fed her to the rest of the coven in the evening stew. That was on her 16th birthday. Her attitude has not improved since and no coven will have her. Alone in the mountains of Barovia, Ras Manca’s cruelty and madness have grown over the years and earned her a most fearful reputation. Her erratic behavior befuddles her victims and her minions overwhelm them, all to the sound of her cackling laughter.”