DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: RAVENLOFT: HEIR OF STRAHD Exclusive Excerpt

Delilah S. Dawson shares, “Five secretive strangers with nothing in common wake up in a misty forest. What could possibly go wrong? Well, since it’s Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft, pretty much everything. I wanted this story to feel like playing a campaign with your friends, merging the whimsy of a creative DM with the cruelty of finicky dice and the horror of the Domains of Dread. Longtime fans will appreciate that Castle Ravenloft is still crawling with creepy creatures and haunted by classic Strahd, an old school vampire defined by his cruelty and hauteur, while D&D newbies who’ve seen the movie but not yet created their first character sheet will find a welcoming introduction to a whole new world of fun.”

There you have it: whimsy, horror, creeps, haunts, and old-school vampires. We’re already obsessed. We also feel duty-bound to tell you that this book is dedicated to “My Chemical Romance, because they get it.” Have you ever heard anything better? We now feel true confidence that this vampiric tale is going to ROCK. Now let’s sink our fangs into this excerpt.

Excerpt From DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: RAVENLOFT: HEIR OF STRAHD by Delilah S. Dawson 

The party enters the carriage waiting to take them to the mysterious Castle Ravenloft.

As if he didn’t even feel the rain, Chivarion walked around the coach, which was fancier than most of the ones Kah had seen back home in Waterdeep. The ink-black horses were fine-boned and well mannered, barely twitching their tails as they waited in the raging storm, which was good, because there was no one holding their reins. Kah didn’t know much of horses, but she understood that this was unusual.

“Does a ghost drive it, do you think?” Chivarion asked, running a hand down a horse’s sleek wet neck.

“Does a ghost,” Alishai asked slowly, “drive the coach? Because I would humbly suggest it is more likely magic.”

Chivarion held up his arms to the storm. “Magic—bah! Does this place not seem haunted to you? Does it not constantly feel as if a dagger is aimed at your heart? Were those not zombies?”

Alishai blinked against the rain. “I want to argue that, but I cannot.”

“It is magic,” Rotrog admitted, “but that is no less sinister an answer.”

“It isn’t a nice bit of magic,” Kah agreed. “Mean magic, that.”

Thunder growled overhead, and a spear of lightning arced down to strike a nearby tree in an explosion of white-hot heat that made Kah double over, her arms shielding her face. The tree split in two with a screech as flames bloomed from its heart. Half of it slowly, slowly fell, and she and the drow and the tiefling were forced to run closer to the coach unless they wanted to be simultaneously crushed and set afire. Oddly, the horses did not react. To anything.

“Back into the murder house, or do we prefer the ghost-driven fancy man wagon?” Chivarion asked.

Another grumble of thunder, and lightning struck the roof of the butcher’s cabin, setting it aflame. Rotrog and Fielle ran out the door and were instantly soaked. Rotrog stopped just beyond the threshold, but Fielle took a few halting steps toward the coach as the cabin’s fiery roof collapsed with a mighty whump. Two doors swung open—one on either side of the coach—and the human stuck her daisylike yellow head inside.

“There’s a note,” she said, holding up a heavy white envelope, careful to keep it inside the coach where it wouldn’t get soaked by the rain. She leaned inside to read it and then clambered up the step and into the interior, where she peered out at them. “It’s from Count von Zarovich himself,” she called. “Extending a more formal invitation. And I think we should take him up on it.”

“That’s only because you’re soft and weak and will die out here tonight, otherwise,” Chivarion called over the steady thrum of the rain.

“Seems like a good enough reason,” she replied. “We’ve nowhere safe to rest. There’s enough room for everyone inside. Let’s at least stay at the castle tonight. Perhaps things will look different tomorrow when the sun is shining. Nothing good can come of remaining where we are.”

Kah did not need further inducement. She scrambled up into the carriage, settling into a far corner. It was an immediate relief, being out of the rain. Akadi was the goddess of fair skies, but also of tempests, and Kah understood that this weather was a message that could not be ignored. As Master Ondraz said back home, one must remain as flexible as the willow if one wished to bend in the winds of the harshest storms. Master Ondraz also said that life was a journey and the traveler an artist; Kah had never felt much like an artist, but she knew that creativity was important, and it just seemed uncreative to stand outside by a burning building when a more pleasant method of travel was available to take her on an adventure. Besides, Fielle was right—nothing worse could possibly happen to them, not after being attacked by undead swine and angry butchers.

The coach was an opulent treat, with seats of rich red leather. Heavy drapes covered the glass windows, blocking out their view of the gloomy rain, and lanterns lit the space warmly. There was plenty of room, even for the orc. He was the next to struggle up into the conveyance, tripping on his robes as he did so. Settling into his own corner, he dragged his thick gray fingers over the tassels and woodwork, humming with pleasure at their beauty. The drow joined them shortly thereafter, throwing himself into the center of a bench seat and settling back with his knees spread wide. His tressym crept down from his shoulder to work its claws against his leg, making him wince as the beast settled in.

Only Alishai was left, glowering at them from the rain, the tree merrily on fire behind her. As Kah watched, a wolf materialized out of the mist, then another. Alishai looked over her shoulder and startled. It was perhaps the first time she’d seemed . . . scared.

“Fine, fine,” the tiefling grumbled, feigning insouciance. “I get the message.”

She climbed into the carriage and took her seat, but she crossed her arms and scowled, making it clear that she wasn’t happy about the situation. Kah had seen this attitude in so many people over the years, as if they wished to argue with reality and didn’t understand that reality would always win. The Companions of the Summer Wind—Kah’s particular sect of Akadian worship—preached that change was constant, freedom was the right of all, and you couldn’t fight air, much less a storm. Alishai had not learned that lesson, and perhaps she never would. Both carriage doors gently closed and latched themselves, and with a jangle of traces and the squeaking of wheels, the coach took off despite lacking a driver.

“So do we all agree that this is dangerous?” Alishai said.

Chivarion leaned his head back, his arms across the back of the seat. “I just assume everything is dangerous, darling. Saves time.”

“In such a rural area, perhaps it is the custom for a lord to invite newcomers to his manse?” Rotrog said. “It does seem hospitable.”

“It’s not normal,” Fielle said. “I’ve never heard of a single nobody invited to meet a count. But then again, I’ve only ever lived in a big city, so, as you say, maybe it’s a country thing.” She read the note again, and Alishai snatched it from her hand.

“Unto the visitors in my land, Count Strahd von Zarovich, Lord of Barovia, sends fondest greetings.” Alishai shook her head. “Fondest? A driverless carriage and a creepy chamberlain don’t seem fond to me.” She continued reading, adding a stilted tone, “Fairest friends, I pray you accept my humble—yeah, sounds real humble—hospitality and dine with me tonight. It is rare we receive visitors, and I do so endeavor to make your acquaintance. The carriage shall bear you to the castle safely. I await your arrival with pleasure. Your host, Strahd von Zarovich.” She tossed the heavy paper to the carriage floor. “Fondest? Fairest? I didn’t know the aristocracy was so very fond of hyperbole.”

Reprinted from Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd by Delilah S. Dawson. © 2025 Wizards of the Coast. Published by Random House Worlds, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd: Release Date, Pre-Order Information, and More

Are we a little bit in love with Strahd, just from this excerpt combined with the cover of Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd? The answer to that is… yes. We guess we’re just also fond of hyperbole ourselves. And, so we must ask the next natural question. How can we get our claws on Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd? Well, the release date for Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd is May 13, 2025. But to ensure you get it as soon as possible, you can pre-order the title today across a variety of locations. We recommend you don’t delay.

If you’re still itching to know more about Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd, you can also read through its official description below.

In this original novel set in the world of Ravenloft, Dungeon & Dragons’ popular gothic horror-themed campaign setting, five strangers armed with steel and magic awaken in a mist-shrouded land, with no memory of how they arrived: Rotrog, a prideful orcish wizard; Chivarion, a sardonic drow barbarian; Alishai, an embittered tiefling paladin; Kah, a skittish kenku cleric; and Fielle, a sunny human artificer. After they barely survive a nightmarish welcome to the realm of Barovia, a carriage arrives bearing an invitation from villainous vampire mastermind Strahd von Zarovich inviting them to dine with him at Castle Ravenloft. With no alternative, and determined to find their way home, the strangers accept the summons and travel to the forbidding manor of the mysterious count. But all is not well at Castle Ravenloft. To survive the twisted enigmas of Strahd and his haunted home, the adventurers must confront the dark secrets in their own hearts and find a way to shift from strangers to comrades—before the mists of Barovia claim them forever.

Written by Delilah S. Dawson, acclaimed author the New York Times bestseller Star Wars: Phasma, as well as Star Wars Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, Guillotine, Bloom, The Violence, Camp Scare, Mine, Midnight at the Houdini, Disney Mirrorverse: Pure of Heart, the Minecraft Mob Squad series, and more, this classic adventure is sure to enthrall both new and old D&D fans alike.

Wait, a sardonic drow barbarian?! Say no more. Chivarion was one of our favorites from this excerpt. We are pre-ordering Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft: Heir of Strahd immediately. And we can’t wait.