Editing Ravenloft Campaign (section)

==The Hook==
The hook the gets the player characters involved is a letter purporting to be from the Burgomaster of Barovia, asking the characters to travel there and providing a map on how to get there.  The exact reason we can discuss and work with.  The map marks Barovia in some obscure remote location and no one's ever heard of it.  The world that the PCs wander into Ravenloft from also isn't particularly consequential to the module.  Presumably it's some D&D world of some sort.  Traditionally this was Grayhawk, but if anyone has any strong preferences we can decide upon something.  It could even be another domain in Ravenloft's plane, although ideally it's some place the PCs generally like and want to get back to, as escaping the mists surrounding Barovia is assumed to be a general motive in the campaign.  There is also a time limit to escape.

It may be beneficial for the Player Characters to all be part of some organization--whether it's a traditional "adventuring party" or a guild or whatever.  This gives them reason for the Burgomaster's letter to be collectively delivered.  It may also be beneficial for the PCs and the reason for their involvement to be something that would translate after arrival into getting involved in the events transpiring in Ravenloft.  Granted, the motive to escape may provide that as well, but it's often useful to have other motives for doing things.  PCs might even have secondary motived for traveling to Barovia, like rumors than an enemy they want to thwart has fled to the region where Barovia is marked on the map.  Or because it may be useful for them to lay low in some remote region until the authorities back home quit looking for them after their heist... of course, though, they'll have to go back after that to actually go retrieve all the money from where they've hid it (giving them a motive to escape Ravenloft).  Etc.