Ch. 2-H: Tser Falls

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The Tser Falls is often an overlooked moment for the characters to view that massive waterfall in all their glory. Many DM’s make the mistake when players take the muddy trail to visit Madam Eva that the players can hop right back onto the main road. I’ve done my best to encapsulate the feeling of that and hope people enjoy it!

UPDATE
I’ve finally done it, it took a bit, because I forgot, but I opened up the map because I am running a Ravenloft campaign and realized, I had some work to do! My Tser fall entry now includes Varikov’s Cave from 3E. Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. The area itself has hide volumes and you can easily cut it out if you don’t want it. I’ve included my full writeup for this location below! Everyone enjoy!

Thank you to GENGUS for his waterfall-version-2, I built on that to make the massive Tser Falls, and used WheatyPete The Gnarled Pass, and utilized the bridge.

Changelog.

0.5 – Initial Release
1.0 – Massive update! Changed up how most of the falls looks, added atmosphere, adjusted building style to match my current, and added Varikov’s cave from 3E.

Ch. 2-H Tser Falls
SETUP: Formed primarily of runoff from melting snow high in the mountains, the Ivlis River runs clear and cold down into the valley of Barovia, forming a spectacular waterfall called Tser Falls. For all the beauty of the cascade, its name commemorates a terrible story: A century ago, a Barovian villager named Tsertsimir Bobrishchev leaped over the falls to his death, driven by grief at the death of his lover. His body was found in the pool just downstream, and his nickname is now the name by which both the falls and the pool are known. (Source: 3E Expedition to Castle Ravenloft)

If your characters reach the Tser Falls by following the footpath from the Vistani Encampment, read:

Draped in a cloak of mist, a beautiful waterfall plummets over a high cliff carved from the shoulders of the mountains. Far above, a bridge crosses over the river at what seems to be a dizzying height. (Source: 3E Expedition to Castle Ravenloft)

You follow the river to the base of a canyon, at the far end of which a great waterfall spills into a pool, pillowing forth clouds of cold mist. A great stone bridge spans the canyon nearly one thousand feet overhead. (Source: 5E: Curse of Strahd)

If the characters are on the high road instead, read:

You follow the dirt road as it clings to the side of a mountain and ends before an arching bridge of mold-encrusted stone that spans a natural chasm. Gargoyles cloaked in black moss perch on the corners of the bridge, their frowns weaterworn. On the mountainous side of the bridge, a waterfall spills into a misty pool nearly a thousand feet below. The pool feeds a river that meanders into the fog-shrouded pines that blanket the valley.. (Source: 5E: Curse of Strahd)

The chasm’s walls are slippery and sheer, and can’t be scaled without the aid of magic or a climber’s kit. The bridge is slick with moisture but safe to cross. The road south of the bridge leads down the mountain leads to the River Ivlis Crossroads; the road north cuts through the mountains to the second set of Gates of Barovia.

The gargoyles on the bridge are harmless sculptures.

2-HE-1: Varikov’s Cave
(Source: 3E Expedition to Castle Ravenloft)
SETUP: A cave behind the waterfall is the lair of Varikov the Trapper, a dwarf ranger who is one of Strahd’s human spies in Barovia. Teetering on the brink of madness, Varikov has given up hunting wolves (in fact, his animal companion is a wolf) and started hunting, skinning, and stuffing human prey. The results of this grisly work are displayed in his cavern lair.

The PCs enter the cave through the falls at the southeast corner of the map. Read the text below as the PCs enter. Draw or reveal only the outer cave at first, until the PCs move into a position (and bring light) so they can see into Varikov’s inner sanctum. Varikov is standing at his workbench, while his animal companion Farkash (F) is curled on the floor in the eastern part of the cave. Make a Perception check for Varikov to see whether he hears the PCs enter. If the PCs are using stealth as they enter, use their Stealth check results as the DC for this check. Otherwise, the DC is 5.

When the characters enter the cave, read the following text:

A musty stench greets you as you emerge from the waterfall into a cave behind it. A sheet of water roars over the mouth of the cave, spraying a fine mist into the air. A brown bear the size of a man stands motionless on its hind legs at the other side of the cave. Deeper in, the cavern widens and rises into a larger cave above and behind this one.

Varikov stuffed a smallish brown bear and posed it erect on its hind legs near the entrance of the cave to frighten unwelcome visitors.

When the PCs get close enough to make out details of Varikov’s appearance, read the following text:

This dwarf’s face is twisted in a lunatic rage, his mouth contorted in a sadistic smile. He wears a chain shirt and swings an axe in each hand. A necklace of teeth hangs around his neck, clattering as he moves—and clearly including human teeth as well as more bestial fangs

FEATURES OF THE CAVE

Chute Trap: mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; DC 18 Dexterity save avoids; deposits character in pool outside the falls; Perception DC 20; Sleight of Hand DC 18. A character who succumbs to this trap, located in the narrow passageway in the southern end of the area, finds himself in the pool at the base of the Tser Falls.

Camouflaged Pit Trap: mechanical; touch trigger; manual reset; DC 20 Dexterity save avoids; 20 ft. deep (2d6, fall); Perception DC 20; Sleight of Hand DC 19. This trap, in the eastern part of the chamber, is positioned to catch unwary intruders who approach the “werewolf” standing a short distance away.

Chasm: A chasm bisects the northern part of the cave. It is 50 feet deep, so characters who fall in take 5d6 points of damage. Scaling the sides to get out requires a successful DC 15 Athletics check.

Rope Bridge: This bridge is solid and sturdy, a reliable way to cross the chasm. Two ropes form railings along the sides. It is possible to untie the ends of the rope bridge. It takes two full-round actions to untie one end of the bridge, but a DC 15 Survival check reduces the time to an action. If only one of the two supporting ropes is attached, everyone on the bridge must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity save to avoid falling off, and thereafter must make successful DC 15 Athletics checks to move along the remnants of the bridge. The two ropes that support the bridge have 8 hit points each.

Workbench: This long, high table adjacent to where Varikov begins this encounter contains the tools of the taxidermist’s trade—numerous knives, scrapers, needles and thread, saws, cleavers, glass eyes, brushes, and other tools with less obvious purposes, none of them clean. Stuffed

“Werewolf” (W): In his time, Varikov has killed a real werewolf, but he was disappointed that she reverted to her humanoid form when she died. Seeking to commemorate this remarkable battle of his in a different way, Varikov killed several wolves and a burly villager and assembled various pieces together to create this prize of taxidermy—his masterpiece. It resembles a werewolf in hybrid form, with wolf fur adorning its head, hands, back, and feet. A wolf tail, ears, and claws complete the ensemble. Varikov has placed this decoration next to the eastern end of the rope bridge. It contains nothing of interest.

Stuffed Human (H): Varikov’s first work of human taxidermy was this adventurer he killed almost three months ago. He is dressed in his banded mail and posed as if in combat, holding a greatsword in one hand and a sprig of wolfsbane in the other. He bears a plain gold band on the ring finger of his left hand. The name of this adventurer was Jeref Maurgan. His wife, Helene, would appreciate word of his fate, even though the news is bad.

Bed: The pile of furs in the southwestern corner of the cave serves as Varikov’s rude bed. He keeps a pouch with 116 gp buried under the furs (Investigation DC 15).

Fortunes of Ravenloft
If your card reading reveals that a treasure is here, it is on Varikov’s workbench.