5e D&D van richten's guide to ravenloft travelers in the mists

Myriad Entities Become Travelers in the Mists in 5E D&D with Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

July 7, 2021

Salutations, nerds! I’m delving back into the Mists to talk about some of the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons individuals who willfully brave them. These residents of the Domains of Dread aren’t stuck inside individual domains. Rather they’re the ones who wander between. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft talks about how other travelers in the Mist should be otherwise remarkable to keep the fact of the players’ characters crossing between domains feeling special. There is even information presented for playing a 5E D&D character who belongs to one of these groups. Let’s dive into the options for travelers the Mists, shall we?

Travelers in the Mists carry the secrets of Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft suggests how such travelers in the Mists can provide special services to 5E D&D adventurers. They might confirm evidence of other domains, share information on any number of Ravenloft aspects like Mist talismans or accompany adventurers as guides. These travelers have the courage to take bold steps unlike the standard inhabitants of the Domains of Dread.

A Strangers in the Mists table gives some jumping off points for these unusual people like individuals from other worlds also drawn here by the Mists, survivors fleeing a Darklord, an important messenger, a restless spirit and more.

Keepers of the Feather

You might have guessed from the name this faction is wereraven adjacent. They started off as wereravens and over time the occultist iconography they used drew the attention of people interested in what power it could bring them…as well as some more earnest occultists. Suffice it to say the latter got recruited and what we’ve ended up with reminds me a lot of the Watchers from both Buffy and Highlander. They’re pretty similar orders.

If you want to belong to a secret society ull of mystery and dark academia this is a really excellent way to do so. I also super dig the nod to the trope of bored courtiers having a tendency to dabble in the supernatural. This was a thing, historically speaking, and seeing it reflected in 5E D&D delights me.

“When players create Keeper of the Feather characters, ask them the following questions. What sparked your interest in the occult? Did you encounter a mysterious being that you want to understand? Is membership a family tradition? Are you trying to contact someone beyond the grave? Do you seek some other knowledge? What esoteric knowledge most interests you? Are you curious about archeology, astrology, divination, cryptozoology, electricity, or spiritualism? How has this gotten you into trouble? Who aids your investigations? Is another Keeper your mentor? Do you and other Keepers meet regularly? Do you correspond with a Keeper in another domain? Did this person give you your Mark of the Raven talisman?” — Keeper Characters sidebar in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft also describes Keeper Rookeries, which breed and train special ravens capable of delivering messages through the Mists between different domains — a rare service offered only to group members and their allies. There’s also a Keeper Adventures table with plot hooks connected to Keeper Societies.

Vistani

Seeing this excited me. The first time around playing Curse of Strahd before this book came out I wanted to play a vistana and our Dungeon Master was kind enough to homebrew some stuff to oblige me. Seeing it actually supported in the 5E D&D source material is lovely.’

Vistani move through the Mists as a group, taking care of each other as they migrate from domain to domain. Generally, Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft takes a far better view of Vistani than Curse of Strahd did. I’ve played through that campaign twice and one DM I had played them fairly but the other one was convinced they were all evil. This book does a good job making it clear that’s not the case.

Another point of interest to me this book makes clear is that because Vistani have a tendency to adopt people it’s possible to play one who isn’t human (though most of them are).

“When players create Vistani characters, consider asking them the following questions. Did you leave your clan’s caravan? If so, are you seeking to right a wrong done to them, or to spare them from harm? If not, how do you balance your adventures with your family’s travels? Are there ways you and your family keep tabs on one another? How much do you know about navigating the Mists? Do you know how to travel between domains? Do you use divination magic to guide your fate? Or do you know little about it, having left navigation to others? How do you feel about being away from your people? Do you enjoy socializing with a variety of people? Did you seek a settled life? Do you want to finish your tasks quickly and return to your family?” — Vistani Characters sidebar in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft

Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft describes the Vistani in more detail than other factions included in the book. The section touches on their culture, their unique magic and connection to the Mists, wealth of knowledge, their views, what to expect when traveling with them and a handful of noteworthy Vistani individuals.

Other groups of travelers in the Mists

Church of Ezra. Pious souls who pray to the Mists. Cathedrals are mentioned so if I were going to run this I’d probably play them as an expy of the Catholic church with some variances. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: This group reminds me of the Shimmerglow faith from our own Dark Paths series too, which would terrific modules to incorporate into a 5E D&D game set in the Domains of Dread.]
The Circle. Knights connected to the Shadowlands. They remind me of tales of old Camelot. I suspect The Circle to be a reference to the Round Table. One of the knights might be a dullahan to make things a bit more interesting.
The Kargat. Vampires into political intrigue and sneaking in Darkon. These travelers in the Mists have some pretty big Dimir energy, if you’ve read about Ravnica. Of everyone mentioned so far these are the first who seem to be explicitly the bad guys. But they’re probably reasonable bad guys. I mean, they clearly want something other than to eat you that you can leverage, unlike some of the groups upcoming.
Order of the Guardians. I don’t know if you’ve seen Van Helsing, and I do mean the super cheesy movie starring Hugh Jackman, but these travelers in the Mists remind me of his order. They’re kind of the Dark Powers version of the SCP Foundation, which means they’ve accumulated a lot of cursed stuff some very bad entities want. There’s a lot to unpack here in this one little paragraph and I think of all of these I’m the most interested in this one.
Priests of Osybus. There’s always a cult. If you look at them they’ve got this pseudo-Egyptian aesthetic and have a lot more information and stat blocks in another part of the book. Long story short this mysterious figure, Osybus, tried to become immortal. He gathered a bunch of followers promising them immortality, turned them undead and then — surprise — betrayed them. There’s a lot of creepy stuff they can do, they’re undead and all in all seem pretty cutthroat so they’re pretty up there in terms of things you don’t want to run into in the Mists.
Ulmist Inquisition. I mean, we can’t really do gothic without going back to the Hunchback of Notre Dame aesthetic, right? There’s always a religious nutcase and these travelers in the Mists see corruption everywhere and pry into your brain to look at your sins. Basically they’re so anti-cultist they became a cult. Also bad news — they’re probably not going to like you. They might break out the thumb screws.

5e D&D van richten's guide to ravenloft travelers in the mists 2

Firan Zal’honan’s mysterious research leads him to discover an accursed amber sarcophagus. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]

Mist Wanderers

In addition to the factions and groups of travelers in the Mists a number of individuals included in Van Ricthen’s Guide to Ravenloft represent specific characters who carry rumors and mysteries from domain to domain. Whether they travel using Mist talismans or some other means they might offer their aid to 5E D&D adventurers when needed. Each entry includes the individual’s traits — ideals, bonds and flaws — along with some ideas for adventures involving them.

Alanik Ray and Arthur Sedgwick. The Great Detective and his young physician partner investigate mysteries wherever need and novelty take them.
The Caller. A disarming schemer whose mysterious agenda gradually molds the Land of the Mists to a nefarious purpose.
Erasmus van Richten. The ghostly son of Ingrid and Rudolph van Richten follows his father, trying to aid him and ever wishing he could let his father know he’s okay.
Ez d’Avenir. She hopes that her explorations and her old mentor’s wisdom eventually allow her to create a place that feels safe enough to call home.
Firan Zal’honan. An intellectual whose ambitions drive him to travel the domains, visit accursed sites and investigate inscrutable prophecy cycles, temporal conjunctions and an unknown figure he calls “the escapee.”
Jander Sunstar. A adventurer tragically transformed into a vampire there’s also myriad copies of him scattered across the planes who all believe they’re the real Jander.
Larissa Snowmane. A captain who pilots the paddleboat River Dancer along the rivers and coasts of Ravenloft’s domains, righting wrongs and ferrying those in need to new homes. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: This sort of reminds me of another Nerdarcy creation. In Procession a powerful entity makes its centuries old ritual journey to the Realm of Shadow and will kill to remain uninterrupted.]
Rudolph van Richten. A scholar and monster hunter who arms others with the knowledge they need to confront the dark.
The Weathermay-Foxgrove Twins. Laurie and Gennifer are relentless adventurers. The former trained in martial techniques to combat the undead while the latter learned the medicine and traditions of numerous domains.

If you want a social encounter in the Mists there’s a whole lot of different kinds you could have here ranging from friendly to probably uncomfortable and cool to very likely to spark a combat. This section of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft also drives the point home as much as any other that while Curse of Strahd was a contained campaign you can absolutely just run in the dread domains and take your 5E D&D game off the rails.

Of course as always go forth, have fun, tweet me @Pyrosynthesis and stay nerdy!

*Featured image — Vistani Wayfarers emerge from the Mists into a new land. Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft presents a variety of groups and individuals who routinely travel the Mists. [Image courtesy Wizards of the Coast]