**Part of an open-ended series of gothic horror stories, this is another thrilling dark fantasy set in the Ravenloft universe of Dungeons & Dragons * *—where vampires and dark magic reign*** * * * * **War-hardened vampire Strahd von Zarovich will do anything to win the hand of the woman he loves—even if it comes at the cost of his brother’s life** Ever since a vampire slew his son, Dr. Rudolph Van Richten has waged a personal war against these monstrosities of night. Now he has discovered the Font of Knowledge—and the most powerful vampire of them all: Strahd. The very heart of evil in Barovia, Strahd Von Zarovich has ruled his land with an iron fist for nearly four centuries. At first, he was a strict but fair human lord, demanding honesty and repaying treachery with death. He rose to power through war, his life comprised of armies and assassins, taxes and laws. But beneath the grim gray weight of these thousand duties, Strahd was growing old. Then came Tatyana. The nearly dead soul of Strahd was revived; his dusty heart began to beat again. Tatyana awoke something in him—the hope of the youth and happiness he had so willingly squandered. And she awoke in him desire; raised his spirit to empyrean heights so that when he fell, he fell like a meteor. The Devil Strahd, his people call him now, an unnatural necromancer by all accounts. But few of the living know he is a vampire lord. Van Richten is one of those few.