Halls of the Blood King, an official Old School Essentials adventure, is a location-based adventure designed for emergent play. There are things to poke at and NPCs to turn against each other, all in the court of the Blood King himself, a vampire who demands fealty from all the others of his kind. It is written and presented to be easy to pick and up and run. However, it has a problem: the map. These are hardly the halls of the Blood King. There is, actually, one hall, singular, and it loops around the ground floor with doors that directly lead to most of the locations. The vampire hunter has been hiding for one hundred years… in a room directly accessible from the hall. It’s odd. You could make an entirely new map, but it’s going to be much easier to take the locations from Halls of the Blood King and place them in a more appropriate setting: Castle Ravenloft.
Setting the Scene. When the blood tax comes due every hundred years, the Blood King and his court are hosted by one of his subjects. It is now Count Strahd von Zarovich’s turn, and he is none too pleased. They’ve planted blood-thirsty vines on his grounds and laid tongue-texture carpets in his halls. They’re ruining his vibe and he wants them gone. And now adventurers are knocking at the door. But perhaps they could be useful… If they can get rid of all these other damn vampires, Strahd may suffer them to live a little longer…
Random Encounters. Roll 1d12. On a result of 1 or 2, there is a random encounter from I6: Ravenloft. On a 3, a Random Happening from Halls of the Blood King occurs. On a 4, an omen of a possible encounter from the Random Happenings can be shown.
Keying the Castle. Key numbers beginning with a K refer to the map in I6: Ravenloft. Halls of the Blood King is abbreviated HotBK throughout.
K1. Front Courtyard. An iron fence has been erected between the front towers (K12) blocking the entry to the castle (K7). It has a gate in the center and a hole near one of the towers. Use areas 1, 2, and 3 from HotBK.
K5. Chapel Garden. Strahd’s garden is overgrown with rotting roses. Use area 4 from HotBK.
K7. Entry. Add the objects and encounter from area 5 (Entry Hall) from HotBK.
K12. Turret Post (north). Add the objects and encounter from area 8 (West Guest Room) from HotBK.
K12. Turret Post (south). The guards from area 7 (Guards’ Room) of HotBK are quartered here.
K19. Grand Landing. Add the objects and potential random event from area 21 of HotBK.
K25. Audience Hall. Add the objects and encounter from area 12 (Great Hall) from HotBK.
K26. Guard’s Post. The door to area K25 is the one from area 11 (Monstrous Door) in HotBK.
K30. Office of the King’s Accountant. Lief is still chained to his desk, though it has been shoved into a corner to make space for the creature and objects from Area 14 (Games Room) from HotBK.
K32. Maid’s Hall. Add the objects from area 24 (Service Quarters) from HotBK.
K34. Servants’ Upper Floor. Add the objects and encounter from area 22 (Seleana’s Trapped Lair) from HotBK.
K36. Dining Hall of the Count. Add the objects from area 15 (Dining Room) of HotBK.
K37. Study. Contains the objects from area 25 (Princess’s Study) of HotBK.
K38. False Treasury. Add the creatures and objects from area 26 (Secret Conference Room) from HotBK.
K40. The Belfry. Add the throne, webs, and creatures from area 18 (Blood Spider Court) of HotBK.
K43. Bath Chamber. Contains everything from area 19 (Blood Bath) from HotBK.
K45. Hall of Heroes. Add the objects from area 28 (Trophy Room) from HotBK. Strahd is deeply perturbed that the servants of the Blood King have placed his trophy cases in front of the statues of Strahd’s ancestors, even if he typically avoided this area.
K46. Courtyard Overlook. Add the creatures and objects from area 29 (Balcony) from HotBK.
K47. The Landing. Add the creatures and objects from area 31 (King’s Hall) of HotBK.
K49. Lounge. Replace contents with the creatures and objects from area 32 (King’s Chambers) from HotBK.
K50. Guestroom. Add the objects from area 30 (Blood King’s Studio) from HotBK.
K51. Closet. Add the creature and objects from area 9 (Hat Room) from HotBK.
K57. Parapet Pentagram. Add the objects from area 34 (Observatorium) from HotBK.
K60. Northtower Peak. Add the objects from area 33 (Princess’s Chambers) from HotBK.
K63. Wine Cellar. The wine cellar has been repurposed as a temporary pantry. Add everything from area 17 (Pantry) of HotBK.
K65. Kitchen. Add the creatures and objects from area 16 (Kitchen) of HotBK. Cyrus resents the blood servants and is struggling to work alongside them.
K71. Kingsmen Quarters. Add everything from area 10 (East Guest Room) from HotBK.
K72. Office of Vengeance. Add the bookshelves from area 13 (Library) from HotBK.
K75. South Dungeon. Add the creature and objects from area 36 (Dungeon Cells) from HotBK.
K76. Torture Room. Add the creature and objects from area 37 (Torture Room) from HotBK.
And there it is! I’ve been meaning to do this ever since I read Halls of the Blood King. Halloween presented a perfect deadline, but the fates were not with me and I missed it. Here it is regardless. My runnings of Ravenloft have tended to devolve into camp regardless of my spooky intentions, so I like the exaggerated potential for chaos that the combined adventures offer. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Bonus Halloween playlist:
Proving Grounds of Folkvangr 