The Brides, Escher, and Rahadin

This is a collection of the three brides, escher, and Rahadin. A combination of where the party will meet each NPC, how the NPCs react, and what each NPC’s goals are, what their relationships are like. Note: This is all homebrew speculation as there is next to no actual canon lore about the 3 brides and Escher. In fact they aren't actually NPCs in RAW Curse of Strahd. They actually are locked away in the crypts.

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Do the following NPCS:

Escher
Rahadin
Anastrasya Karelova
Volenta Popofsky

Lᴜᴅᴍɪʟʟᴀ Vilisevic

Ludmilla is Strahd’s oldest bride at nearly 200 years old. She is a taxidermist, a puppeteer, more comfortable around the dead than the living. She has been given arcane knowledge from the Amber Temple by Strahd, yet is not permitted to investigate it herself. She has survived being cast aside like other consorts by not fatiguing him with a need for his attention, while actively seeking ways to attend to the matters he deems important.

Backstory

She came to Barovia as a little girl, joining a Vistani tribe in Faerun that was passing by. She hid in one of the wagons and inadvertently found herself in Strahd’s cursed lands shortly after. She made a living by stealing and hiding in the shadows for years before a kind family in Vallaki adopted her. Her life with her family was better than life on the streets, but because of the color of her skin she was made to feel different, and by the time she was 18 she felt more like an outcast than ever. She set out to investigate the Amber temple one night soon after and ran into the dusk elf Rahadin on one of his trips to petition the dark powers. He perceived the beautiful young girl would provide Strahd an exotic distraction, which she did.

Over the next few years, Strahd taught her as an apprentice of the arcane arts as well as some courtly etiquette. She also served as a source of blood for the vampire. Normally he would have discarded her after a time, but she proved intelligent and charismatic which moved him to making her his bride.

As a vampire, she learned from Rahadin that one day her master would inevitably tire of her, unless she could prove herself useful to him. She then set about actively serving him in both his arcane studies and in recruiting his next bride, Anastrasya.

She now carefully stays out of her master’s way unless he needs her direct aid, and she has ingratiated herself to Rahadin who also keeps her in favor with Strahd.

Relationships

Strahd

Strahd finds her atrociously boring but useful. She's loyal to Strahd to a fault and would do anything to prove she has worth. Strahd keeps her around because she is a great use, and she is used for any time he needs to communicate with someone diplomatically. Ludmilla's strategic mind and clever tactics has garnered her the chore of organizing the Feast of St. Andral.

Rahadin

Rahadin is the closest thing Ludmilla can call a friend. He cared for her when she first arrived and was turned. She was also warned by Rahadin about Strahd's previous brides locked away in the Crypts. She deeply cares and if Rahadin dies, she will hunt the killer ruthlessly and endlessly.

Escher Targolovich

Escher is the newest Consort. He is openly against Strahd which amuses Strahd. So Ludmilla isn't allowed to stop Escher from his schemes. However Ludmilla sees Escher a stupid farm boy who is going to be locked in the crypts soon as he's starting to outlive his amusement, so she doesn't care about what he does anyways, and treats him as if he isn't even worthy of being one of Strahd's Consorts.

Anastrasya Karelova &

Volenta Popofsky

She lets the other two Brides do as they will until she believes their behavior will displease their husband, at which point she quells any rebellion and puts them into their place immediately. Ludmilla is frequently seen as the the leader of the Harem and the other brides respect her but may not directly obey her.

All the brides are as territorial as they are fierce. While they do occasionally allow their neighbors to complete projects in their domains, an uninvited intrusion into a bride’s territory by another bride is met with hostility, if not violence. As such, neither the brides nor any creatures encountered in their territory will willingly follow the PCs past the borders of their own territory.

Ireena Kolyana

She is not jealous of the attention Strahd gives her, knowing that this has happened many times before and that fate will ensure she won't be one of Strahd's consorts. However if she sees an opportunity to manipulate Ireena to Strahd she will take it and take credit to gain favor.

The party.

Strahd is interested in the party and is amused to see their failings. As such the Ludmilla doesn't want to displease Strahd by interfering. Regardless Ludmilla finds them boring but perhaps a useful tool for some of her goals. Otherwise she has no time for the outsiders so long as they stay out of her way.

Playing Lᴜᴅᴍɪʟʟᴀ Vilisevic

Personality

She is cold and scientific almost like a robot. She's analytical and smart. With fierce passion for that she does not know. She's disinterested in most social topics. However she will pretend to care when she must talk to people, if that person has something she wants. However she prefers isolation and time to herself to study the Lessons of the Arcane.

Goals

The feast of St Andral. She is responsible for setting up the stolen bones. Her goal is to make sure the feast goes off without a hitch and it's ready for Strahd when the day comes.
Finding the Gems. If you play with PyramKing's Legends of Barovia. 3 Gems are hiding. Ludmilla knows they exist and wants to find them to please Strahd. She believes the Fey to be dead but the gems remain. Her latest clue was the Green Gem being given to a wereraven.
Staying on top. Being the top Consort for Strahd has the other brides looking to steal her place. All the brides attempt to sabotage the others without Strahd's knowledge. This include Ludmilla as she's looking to thin the competition.

Interacting with the party

Ludmilla will most likely be hiding in Vallaki preparing for the Feast of St Andral, she doesn't appear like a Vampire and a player friendly image you can show is here.

Her first interaction she'll pretend to be a noble of Vallaki and tries to recruit the party to do something for her disguising it as a quest for good.

Retrieve the Green Fey Gem that was stolen from her Grandmother by the wicked lying Were-ravens.
The current Burgomaster Vargas, is secretly a spy for Strahd, he needs to be eliminated.
The wereravens have been known to be conspiring with Strahd. They should be eliminated.
Ireena should be present at the same time of the Feast of St Andral.

Any further interactions she'll try to get the party aid her current goals and undermining the other brides. Her identity and the other bride's identities as vampires stay hidden until the Dinner with Strahd.

After her identity has been revealed, she does not care for the party and she knows she is too powerful for them to pose any threat. If interaction is necessary, she is open about her desire to please Strahd and how dangerous the other two Brides are. She won't do them any harm if they don't cause any harm to her.

Combat with the party

Ludmilla isn't a combat fanatic, violence isn't necessarily the answer. She won't provoke anything intentionally. Her feedings are never open and she charms a poor soul in private to not bring unwanted attention to herself.

Ludmilla does not appear to have any weapons. She is a spellcaster, and her statblock should reflect that. Depending on the difficulty you want to play her with a different statblock and these are the ones I've gathered. However I recommend DragnaCarta's CR-9 version.

Irregardless on the statblock, Ludmilla isn't stupid. She'll run and heal if she hits 1/2 hitpoints. This will probably frustrate your players but she knows her limits and doesn't have a ego to satisfy. She'll also is smart and will stay on the move frequently, trying to stay out of reach of any martial characters.
Note:If she's expecting a fight, she'll come with 4 Barovian Witches with her as backup that she sends out first as the front line while she stands from afar aiding her allies and hurting the party.

Statblock by DragnaCarta

Lᴜᴅᴍɪʟʟᴀ Vilisevic

Medium undead (shapechanger), neutral evil.

Armor Class 16

Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42)

Speed 30ft

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

16 (+3) 16 (+3) 16 (+3) 18 (+4) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)

Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +3

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6, Arcana +7

Damage Resistances Necrotic; Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing from nonmagical attacks.

Senses Darkvision 60ft, passive Perception 13,

Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal

Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Shapechanger. If Ludmilla isn't in running water or sunlight, she can user her action to polymorph into a Medium cloud of mist, or back into her true form. While in mist form, Ludmilla can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. She is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creatures space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and she can't pass through water. She has advantage on all Strength Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and she is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage she takes from sunlight.

Regeneration. Ludmilla regains 10 hitpoints at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight or running water. If Ludmilla takes radiant damage or damage from holy water the trait doesn't function at the start of Ludmilla's next turn.

Spellcasting. Ludmilla is an 8th level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrils (at will): ray of frost, mage hand, prestidigitation, light
1st level (4 slots): ray of sickness, sleep, shield, fog cloud
2nd level (3 slots): misty step, blindness/deafness, levitate
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, lighting bolt
4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, evard's black tentacles

Spider Climb. Ludmilla can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check. Vambire Weaknesses. Ludmilla has the following flaws: Forbiddance. Ludmilla can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants. Harmed by Running Water. Ludmilla takes 20 acid damage when she ends her turn in running water. Stake to the Heart Ludmilla is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into here heart while she is incapacitated in her resting place. Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Ludmilla takes 20 radiant damage when she starts her turn in sunlight. While in sunglight, she has disadvantage on all attack rolls and ability checks.

Actions

Multiattack. Ludmilla makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by Ludmilla, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and Ludmilla regains hit points equal to that amouunt. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack. +6 to hit, reach 5 ft, one creature. Hit: 8 (2d4+3) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, Ludmilla can auto grapple the target (escape DC 13)

Reactions

Misty Escape (Recharge 5-6). When a creature hits Ludmilla with an attack, she can choost to polymorph into a cloud of mist before the damage is dealt.