The Tome of Strahd (Chris Perkins)

One of the hardest parts of DMing is when there are large blocks of text that you have to read out to your group, while still trying to be engaging. I am not great at this. Chris Perkins really is.
This reading is ripped from episode 21 of the amazing series Dice, Camera, Action! in which Chris Perkins himself runs Curse of Strahd. This is available on KZbin for free on the Dungeons & Dragons official channel, and if you are running CoS, I highly recommend that you check it out.
I'm posting this here for DMs who are running Curse of Strahd, but don't want to read out the two full pages of surprisingly difficult to read handwriting that is the Tome of Strahd. Simply print out a copy from your book, give it to the party, and hit play on this video while they read along.
I have no rights to this audio. Literally the only reason I'm doing this is so that DMs can play this section of the video for their players, and not have to find it in the stream. My hope is that, since I'm not getting money for putting this up, and I'm telling you all where to find the full stream, Wizards of the Coast will figure I'm just giving their stream free advertising, and let me keep it up.

[@noreenbowman6689]

Oh my stars! I can't wait to use this once they find the tome. It will definitely help a lot. Thank you for uploading this!

[@drtoonie]

I'm glad I could help!

[@cphcider]

I took a crack at transcribing it, in case you want to read it to your players yourself: ****** I am the ancient, I am the land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was a warrior. I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wraith (wrath?) of an angry god. But the war years and the killing years wore down my soul. As the wind wears stone into sand. All goodness slipped from my life. I found my youth and strength gone, and all I had left was death. My army settled in the valley of Barovia and took power over the people in the name of a just god, but with none of a god's grace or justice. I called for my family, long unseated from their ancient thrones and brought them here to settle in this castle, Ravenloft. They came with a younger brother of mine, Sergei. He was handsome and youthful; I hated him for both. From the families of the valley, one spirit shone above all others. A rare beauty who was called perfection, joy, and treasure. Her name was Tatyana, and I longed for her to be mine. I loved her with all my heart. I loved her for her youth. I loved her for her joy. But she spurned me. "Old One," was her name to me. "Elder," and "Brother," also. Her heart went to Sergei, and they were betrothed. The date was set. With words, she called me Brother, but when I looked into her eyes, they reflected another name: Death. It was the death of the aged that she saw in me. She loved her youth and enjoyed it, but I had squandered mine. The death she saw in me turned her from me. And so I came to hate death. My death. My hate is very strong. I would not be called Death so soon, so I made a pact with Death. A pact of blood. On the day of the wedding I killed Sergei, my brother. My pact was sealed with his blood. I found Tatyana weeping in the garden east of the chapel. She fled from me. She did not let me explain, and a great anger swelled within me. She had but to understand the pact I made for her. I persued her. Finally, in despair, she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted fall from my grasp forever. It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found - not even I know her final fate. Arrows from the castle guards pierced me to my soul, but I did not die. Nor did I live. I became undead... forever. I have studied much since then. "Vampyr" is my new name. I still lust for life and youth and I curse the living that took them from me. Even the sun is against me. It is the sun and its light I fear the most, but little else can harm me now. Even a stake through my heart does not kill me, though it holds me from movement. But the sword, that cursed sword that Sergei brought. I must dispose of that awful tool. I fear and hate it as much as the sun. I have often hunted for Tatyana. I have even felt her within my grasp, but she escapes. She taunts me. She TAUNTS me. What will it take to bend her love to me? I now reside far below Ravenloft. I live among the dead and sleep beneath the very stones of this hollow castle of despair. I shall seal shut the walls of the stairs, that none may disturb me.

[@pierrehurley]

This gets me so hyped for my DND games i have in COS

[@xtraordinaryxtd9484]

My party just found the book and they are about to read it next week. They are in for a surprise as i am sitting here like a porcupine from the chills. P.s. I was putting Easter eggs of the first few sentences of this monologue across their campaign.

[@aylix2137]

A unique and well-fitting voice, I expected something deeper and more commanding, but for strahd, I think I like this better...

[@Paidtkillu]

Thank you, sir!

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

Not all the Children of Night are evil