Pillar of Ravenloft

In 2022, I wrote a late-game adventure for characters of levels 9–10 set inside the Pillar of Ravenloft, the immense rock upon which Castle Ravenloft stands.

I once lived in San Francisco and often traveled to Yosemite to hike. When I began working on Legends of Barovia and read the descriptions of Castle Ravenloft standing atop a vast stone pillar, I could not help but imagine El Capitan.

Anyone who has visited Yosemite knows the sight: an immense wall of solid granite rising nearly 3,000 feet above the valley, famous for its difficult and dangerous climbs. If Castle Ravenloft truly rested upon a stone pillar, I imagined it would look something like El Capitan.

In Ravenloft and Curse of Strahd, characters can attempt to scale the Pillar as a rather ridiculous alternative route into the castle.

But what if there were another way into Ravenloft?

Curse of Strahd does not include a traditional dungeon beneath the castle, so I began with a simple idea:

What if the Pillar of Ravenloft was hollow?
What if ancient temples, caverns, and a sprawling multilevel dungeon had remained hidden inside it for centuries?

The original goal was to create a dangerous, high-level dungeon crawl that offered a secret entrance into Castle Ravenloft. However, I also wanted the adventure to explore several of Barovia’s oldest mysteries:

Where did the Dark Powers come from?
What happened to the dusk elves?
What existed in Barovia before the arrival of humans?

These questions led to the forgotten history beneath the Pillar.

Long before humans came to Barovia, the dusk elves inhabited the valley. They came for a far off land, an elven realm that had fallen into darkness.

A temple and portal were created within the stone pillar, the dusk elves worshiped the their god, the Shadow Fey, who helped crafted the portal to allow the dusk elves to escape their realm, however it was not just the dusk elves, but also Dark Powers that secretly used the portal to enter Barovia.

The ancient fey of the valley eventually rose against them. They closed the portal, defeated those who worshiped within the temple, captured the Dark Powers, and imprisoned them within what would later become known as the Amber Temple.

The temple, the portal, and the secrets buried within the Pillar were gradually forgotten. A few inhabitants of Barovia still know fragments of the story through old myths and legends, but no one understands the full truth, not even Strahd.

Characters who survive the dungeon can eventually reach a hidden vault beneath Crypt 14. From there, they may climb into the crypts of Castle Ravenloft, entering the castle through a route unknown to Strahd himself.

DM Andy and I spent a great deal of time discussing the history, atmosphere, and themes of the adventure. He created three incredible maps that lead deeper into the Pillar and eventually toward the secret entrance beneath Ravenloft.

The original adventure was released to my supporters as a Foundry VTT module in 2022. It was downloaded more than 1,000 times before being incorporated into the complete Legends of Barovia Foundry campaign v12.

Over the years, I received a great deal of feedback, suggestions, and new ideas, eventually filling several pages of notes. Some supporters suggested that the ancient portal might connect Barovia to other Domains of Dread, drawing inspiration from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.

I always thought this was an excellent idea.

With the release of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, I began reading through the expanded Domains of Dread and considering where the portal might lead.

Of all the domains, Sithicus seemed to fit best.

Its ruined elven realm, living shadows, ancient magical catastrophe, and ties to Lord Soth offered a natural continuation of the history already established beneath the Pillar.

I spent several weeks revisiting the adventure, updating stat blocks, refining encounters, incorporating years of feedback, expanding the lore, and connecting the ancient portal to Sithicus for groups who wish to continue their journey beyond Barovia.

The portal beneath the Pillar now leads to the homeland of the Shadow Fey. Should it be opened, characters may travel beyond Barovia and enter Sithicus.

The Shadow Fey and Sithicus

Long before Lord Soth came to Sithicus, it was a beautiful elven realm of ancient forests, shining cities, and powerful fey magic.

Its fall began when the Great Chasm opened beneath the land. From its depths came living shadows, the Mists, and the corrupting influence of the Dark Powers. Over centuries, the realm decayed. Its forests grew dark, its cities fell into ruin, and many of its elves were changed into dusk elves.

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Shadow Fey

Among them was a powerful elven fey who had once guarded the realm. The same darkness that transformed her people corrupted her into the Shadow Fey.

Seeking to save the dusk elves, she created a portal between Sithicus and Barovia. Many of her people escaped through the gate and settled in Barovia, becoming the ancestors of the valley’s dusk elves.

But the Dark Powers also passed through the portal.

Their influence slowly began to corrupt Barovia. When the ancient fey of the valley discovered the gate, they closed it, sealed the temple within the Pillar of Ravenloft, and trapped the Shadow Fey and the remaining dusk elves in Sithicus.

Centuries later, after Strahd rose to power, Lord Soth emerged from the Mists into Barovia. For a short time, Soth and Strahd tolerated one another, but their alliance soon soured.

Soth eventually discovered the forgotten portal beneath the Pillar of Ravenloft. He kept its existence secret from Strahd and used it to escape into Sithicus.

There, the Dark Powers claimed him as the realm’s Darklord.

Soth believed he had escaped Barovia, but Sithicus became his prison. The Shadow Fey now remains trapped within her ruined homeland, ruled by the black knight who came centuries after its fall.

Since then, she has attempted to open other portals from Sithicus into Tepest, Mordent, the Shadowlands, and other Domains of Dread. She hopes to find a new home for her people and escape Lord Soth.

But every portal she opens also gives the darkness beneath the Great Chasm another path into the Domains of Dread.