I' Ca th .......................................................... l l8 Ch. 4: Horror Adventures

In fairer days, Rudolph lived with his wife, Ingrid, and son, Erasmus, in their family home outside Rivalis in the domain of Darkon. Brash and recently established as a medical doctor, Rudolph ran afoul of the Radanaviches, a family using Vistani traditions as a cover for brigandage. When the doctor refused to treat one of the family's mortally ill members, the group's leader, Irena Radanavich, ordered her band to kidnap Rudolph's son and then sold the young man to the vampire Baron Metus. Rudolph pursued the Radanaviches, shattered their criminal operation, and brought Irena to justice, but not before suffering her curse: "Live you always among monsters, and see everyone you love die beneath their claws." In the weeks that followed, the curse took hold. Before Rudolph could track down and slay Baron Metus, the vampire murdered both Ingrid and Erasmus.

In the decades since, van Richten has hunted monsters and armed others with the knowledge they need to confront the dark. Though he's made many devoted allies, he keeps them at arm's length, fearing the threat of his curse. When not traveling, van Richten lives out of his herbalist's shop i n Mordentshire in the domain of Mordent. RUD OLPH VAN RICHTE N ' S TRAITS

Ideal. "Evil cannot go unpunished."

Bond. "To protect those I love, I must keep them at a distance and hidden from my enemies."

Flaw. " I am cursed. I will never find peace." ADVENTUR E S WITH RUD OLPH VAN RIGHTEN

Van Richten readily provides mentorship t o characters devoted to fighting the creatures of the night. To represent him, use the stat block for a priest from the Monster Manual or Rictavio from Curse of Strahd. Consider the following plots when featuring van Richten in an adventure: • Long ago, van Richten slew a supernatural villain who terrorized a community, but now that evil has returned. The party must seek out the doctor, since only he knows the secret of defeating the creature-hopefully for good this time. One of van Richten's foes captures the doctor and uses his name to correspond with adventurers, luring those who would learn his secrets into a deadly trap. THE WEAT H E R M AY-FOXGROVE TWI N S

The daughters of the mayor of Mordentshire, Alice Weathermay, twins Gennifer and Laurie grew up as inseparable hellions. Just before their sixteenth birthday, the twins' uncle, renowned monster hunter George Weathermay, returned to Mordent with his fiance, Natalia Vhorishkova. The twins realized that Natalia was manipulating their beloved uncle, eventually exposing her as a werewolf who was using George to pursue one of Mordent's other famous residents, Rudolph van Richten. After the twins saved van Richten and their uncle from the werewolf, both George and van Richten encouraged their investigative instincts, training them as monster hunters. Ever since, Laurie and Gennifer have been relentless adventurers. Laurie, taking after her uncle, trained in martial techniques to combat the undead. She rarely travels without her companions Joan and Tirran, the grown pups of her uncle's foxhounds, and her uncle's magic sword, Gossamer.

Gennifer, working closely with van Richten, learned the medicine and traditions of numerous domains. She's conducted in-depth studies of lycanthropy to assist her and her sister in pursing Natalia Vhorishkova, who remains at large. Secretly, Gennifer fears she's infected with lycanthropy, and despite never exhibiting any signs of the curse, she takes medication of her own concoction to ward it off. GENNIFER'S TRAITS

Ideal. "There's a solution for everything; I just have to be clever enough to see it."

Bond. " My family has endured so much, and now I have to hold my own."

Flaw. "I'll never be as strong as my relatives, so I'll have to be smarter." LAU R I E ' S TRAITS

Ideal. "There's a solution for everything. I just have to take your chance when it arises."

Bond. "Deeds, not words, will maintain my family's respected place in society."

Flaw. " I 'll never be as smart as my relatives, so I ' l l have to b e stronger." ADVEN T U R E S WITH T H E TW I N S

Gennifer and Laurie are skilled and well-prepared adventurers who have the statistics of a druid and a veteran, respectively. Consider the following plots when featuring the twins in an adventure: • The characters have gotten in over their heads, and the Weathermay-Foxgrove twins-pursuing the same quest-come to the rescue. Afterward, the sisters encourage the party to participate in a • training expedition to an infamous locale. Gennifer has vanished. Laurie seeks aid, fearing that Natalia Vhorishkova kidnapped her. I n truth, Gennifer's fear of turning into a lycanthrope has led her to head off on her own-and into' greater danger.