# [[Heart of Sorrow]] The **Heart of Sorrow** is a massive magical structure hidden within [[Castle Ravenloft]] that appears to sustain and protect [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]]. It was created by [[Khazan]] and contains a beating human heart with a [[Philosopher's Stone#Status|red stone]] embedded inside it. ## Appearance The Heart of Sorrow appears from a distance to be an enormous crystalline heart floating within one of Ravenloft's towers. Up close, it is made from many pieces of glass or crystal joined together by magic. Inside the structure is: - an actual beating human heart - a **red stone** embedded within that heart - intense red magical light that pulses in time with the heartbeat The surrounding crystal emits powerful magical heat and radiation. ## Location The Heart of Sorrow is located high within [[Castle Ravenloft]], reached by climbing a narrow spiral staircase. As someone approaches the Heart: - the magical pressure becomes more intense - gravity appears to become stronger - the climb becomes increasingly difficult [[Erno]] was able to continue upward despite this pressure, possibly because of the influence of his pendant. ## Purpose According to [[Gristlegut]], the Heart of Sorrow is **Strahd's living heart**. It provides Strahd with a significant amount of: - supernatural power - protection from damage - apparent resistance to being harmed Erno concluded that the Heart may be directly sustaining or protecting Strahd. Exactly what would happen to Strahd if the Heart were damaged or destroyed is not yet known. ## Construction The Heart of Sorrow is one of [[Khazan]]'s greatest creations. The enormous heart-shaped crystal appears to function as a magical shell or container around the actual biological heart inside it. Although the material is clearly magical and stronger than ordinary glass, it does **not** appear indestructible. Erno believed it could potentially be broken with sufficient force. ## The Red Stone Embedded directly within the beating heart is a **red stone**. The Gang does not yet know exactly what the stone is. Given the Gang's ongoing search for magical gemstones and their importance to Barovia, the stone may be significant. [VERIFY: whether the red stone is one of the known gemstones connected to Barovia.] ## Strahd's Transformation Near the Heart is a mosaic depicting [[Strahd von Zarovich|Strahd]] tearing his own heart from his chest during his transformation into a vampire. A building appears in the background of the image, colored a sickly yellow. The image appears to depict the location where Strahd's vampiric transformation took place. The Gang does not yet know what the building is. ## Session 17 [[Gristlegut]] led [[Zar]] and [[Erno]] to the Heart of Sorrow while giving them a tour of [[Castle Ravenloft]]. He told them that: - the Heart is Strahd's living heart - it provides a large amount of Strahd's power and protection - it was created by [[Khazan]] - it is one of Strahd's most valuable possessions Erno climbed closer and examined the Heart directly. He discovered the actual beating heart and the red stone hidden inside the surrounding crystal. Zar immediately considered destroying it. Erno convinced him that attacking one of Strahd's most important possessions while they were still inside Ravenloft was probably a bad idea. ## Open Questions - What exactly does the Heart of Sorrow do for Strahd? - What would happen if it were destroyed? - What is the red stone embedded inside it? - Is the red stone one of the gemstones the Gang has been investigating? - Why did Khazan create the Heart? - Where did Strahd's vampiric transformation take place? - What is the yellow building depicted in the mosaic?