Curse of Strahd

Session 004 - Death House

19 min read

Details

Summary

The party delved into the depths of Durst Manor, navigating a stairwell lined with macabre cult relics while an eerie chant — “He is the ancient. He is the land” — echoed from below. Kaelis scouted a decrepit cell block filled with shackled skeletal remains, claiming a gold ring from a robed skeleton and discovering a hidden door that led to a vast, flooded chamber. At its center stood a blood-stained altar on a raised dais, and when Lucien approached it, thirteen shadowy, faceless figures materialized above and began chanting in unison: “One must die.” Unable to reason with the apparitions, the party turned their attention to a mound of refuse in the corner — which lurched to life as a grotesque amalgamation of fused human remains, with the form of baby Walter visible within its writhing mass. The battle was brutal; the creature engulfed Mortimer entirely, leaving him blinded and restrained, and struck him down the moment he broke free. Lucien sustained the party with magical restoration and debilitating enchantments, Chrystandar hurled elemental magic, Leoberos delivered a devastating holy strike, and Kaelis landed the killing blow. As the flesh mound collapsed, a psychic scream tore through every party member’s mind — then silence.

The manor itself seemed to retaliate, shaking violently as bricks fell and the portcullis slammed shut, briefly trapping Leoberos before the party fled into the mists of Barovia. After a short rest to tend wounds and divide their spoils — including a protective cloak claimed by Mortimer and a crystal orb taken by Chrystandar as an arcane focus — the group traveled southwest for roughly six hours before arriving at the grim Village of Barovia. There, they entered a tavern and met Ismark, son of the Burgomaster, who recognized his father’s letter and led them to the family mansion. Inside, they met his adopted sister, Ireena Kolyana — a striking young woman whose auburn hair matched the lock found woven into a figure eight in the cult’s reliquary, sending a chill through the party. Ireena revealed that undead creatures had besieged the manor for weeks and that her father had died three days prior. Ismark asked the party to help bury the Burgomaster at dawn and then escort Ireena to the better-defended town of Vallaki, away from the vampire who had haunted Barovia for centuries and whose bite marks already marked Ireena’s neck. The party agreed without hesitation and settled in for a restless night, the weight of all they had witnessed pressing heavily upon them.

Recap

The party descended deeper into the bowels of Durst Manor, following a stairwell lined with grisly alcoves packed with macabre cult relics — vials of coagulated blood, a severed finger, a dragon’s tooth wrapped in silver wire, a shard of amber, and a lock of auburn hair woven into a figure eight, among other disturbing trophies. Leoberos muttered quietly to himself as he took in the horrors, before steeling his nerves and declaring that the place needed cleansing. While he led the way, Lucien and Kaelis quietly helped themselves to a few of the more interesting relics, and Lucien openly pocketed a dried bouquet of wolf’s bane, reasoning it might prove useful in a land crawling with werewolves. All the while, a faint rhythmic chanting drifted up from the darkness below — “He is the ancient. He is the land” — repeating over and over like a prayer that had long since curdled into something sinister.

Kaelis scouted ahead into a musty cell block reeking of rust and old death, where the skeletal remains of shackled prisoners hung from the walls in various states of decay. Among the cells, he found a more substantial skeleton dressed in a tattered black robe, a simple gold ring still on one of its bony fingers, which he quietly claimed. A careful search of the area revealed a hidden door concealed within the cell block’s stonework, and the party gathered around it, suspecting it led toward the large chamber they had glimpsed earlier but been unable to reach. When Kaelis eased the door open, the chanting stopped dead.

Beyond the secret door lay a vast, flooded chamber — roughly forty feet in every direction — with a raised stone dais rising from dark, still water at its center. Chains hung from the ceiling above a blood-stained altar carved with gruesome depictions of grasping figures, and a mound of refuse and bones festered in a small alcove at the far end. Leoberos waded into the black water toward the dais, sending ripples across the surface, and the silence that followed felt heavy and expectant. When Lucien climbed the steps of the dais and reached the altar, thirteen shadowy figures materialized on the ledges above, their faces nothing but voids, their black torches swallowing the light around them. In one terrible, unified voice, they began to chant: “One must die. One must die. One must die.”

The party attempted to reason with the apparitions, but their words went unanswered, and a hand passed clean through one of the figures when tested. With no obvious way to satisfy the ritual’s demand and the chanting pressing in on all sides, Lucien moved toward the mound of refuse in the alcove to investigate — and the mound rose to meet him. A grotesque amalgamation of arms, legs, and staring eyes lurched upright, the remains of countless victims fused into a single shambling horror, with the unmistakable form of baby Walter visible somewhere within its writhing mass. The battle that followed was brutal and desperate, with the creature slamming into the party with tremendous force and engulfing Mortimer entirely within its mass, leaving him blinded, restrained, and unable to breathe. Mortimer managed to wrench himself free through sheer force of will, only to be struck down the moment he tried to scramble to safety.

Throughout the fight, Lucien kept the party alive with words of magical restoration and taunting enchantments that left the creature stumbling in its attacks, while Chrystandar hurled elemental magic at the beast — though its damp, fleshy composition shrugged off fire and cold alike. Leoberos threw himself into the fray, channeling a burst of holy energy through his blade in a devastating blow that visibly staggered the creature. Kaelis, firing from the shadows, loosed a final arrow that found its mark, and as the flesh mound collapsed, a psychic scream tore through the minds of every party member — even those who lay unconscious on the flooded stone. Then there was silence.

The victory was short-lived. The manor itself seemed to shudder with rage at the creature’s defeat — bricks crashed from the ceiling, water churned across the dais, and the portcullis slammed shut with a thunderous clang, trapping Leoberos on the far side of the chamber. The rest of the party fled through the secret door in a blind panic, racing through the cell block and up through the house as the walls groaned and shifted around them. They burst out of the front door into the thick mists of Barovia, gasping and stumbling into the open air. Leoberos, finding the door locked behind him, drove his longsword into the wood as a final act of defiance, declared his work done, and walked away without looking back.

The party took a short rest in the shadow of the accursed manor, tending to their wounds and taking stock of what they had recovered. Among their findings, a magical cloak was identified as a protective garment that would bolster the wearer’s defenses, and Mortimer claimed it, attuning to it as the group prepared to move on. They also distributed healing draughts, a bullseye lantern, and a crystal orb that Chrystandar claimed as his new arcane focus. After roughly six hours of travel southwest through the fog-shrouded landscape, faint lights appeared in the distance, and the party followed them like moths to a flame.

They arrived in the Village of Barovia — a dismal, half-dead settlement of slick cobblestones, boarded-up windows, and buildings scarred from floor to roofline with deep claw marks. A mournful sobbing echoed through the empty streets, and the only establishment showing any sign of life was a tavern whose sign, the party noticed, had once read “Blood of the Vine” before someone had scratched the F into an N. Inside, they found a pudgy barkeep named Arik, a trio of Vistani sitting together at a corner table, and a young man drinking alone who waved them over and ordered pitchers of wine on their behalf. He introduced himself as Ismark, son of the Burgomaster, and when Leoberos placed the Burgomaster’s letter on the table before him, Ismark’s expression shifted with recognition and grief.

Ismark led the party to the family mansion — a weary, fire-scarred structure with every window barred and claw marks raked across its walls — where they met his adopted sister, Ireena Kolyana. She was a striking young woman with auburn hair, and the moment the party laid eyes on her, a chill passed through them: her hair was the same shade as the lock they had found woven into a figure eight in the cult’s reliquary deep beneath Durst Manor. Ireena explained that wolves and undead creatures had besieged the house night after night for weeks, and that their father, Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich, had died three days prior — his body still lying on the floor of the mansion, awaiting burial. Ismark asked the party to help carry their father to the local priest at the graveyard at dawn, and then to escort Ireena to the town of Vallaki, a settlement rumored to be well-defended and beyond the reach of the vampire who had haunted Barovia for over four hundred years. Ireena bore the marks of that vampire’s bite on her neck, and Ismark feared what a second encounter might mean for her. The party agreed without hesitation, accepted the offer of the upstairs bedrooms for the night, and settled in to rest — though the weight of everything they had seen pressed heavily on each of them as they closed their eyes.

Scenes

1. The Reliquary Stairs

The party descends deeper into the basement of Durst Manor, discovering a collection of macabre trophies and hearing eerie chanting.

  • The party regroups in the basement and decides to explore a set of stairs leading further down.
  • Leoberos leads the way and discovers alcoves along the stairwell filled with grisly relics, including a vial of coagulated blood, a severed finger, a dragon’s tooth, and other disturbing trophies.
  • Kaelis and Lucien surreptitiously pocket several items from the alcoves, including a shard of amber and a dragon’s tooth.
  • Lucien openly takes a dried bouquet of wolf’s bane from the collection.
  • The party begins to hear a faint, rhythmic chanting coming from the darkness below: ‘He is the ancient. He is the land.‘

2. The Cell Block

Kaelis scouts ahead into a musty jail area filled with the remains of prisoners.

  • Kaelis scouts ahead into a cell block smelling of rust and decay.
  • The group finds skeletal remains shackled to the walls and a more substantial skeleton wearing a tattered black robe in one of the cells.
  • Kaelis retrieves a basic gold ring from the finger of the robed skeleton.
  • While searching the cells, Kaelis discovers a secret door leading toward a larger chamber.

3. The Ritual Chamber and the Flesh Mound

The party discovers a hidden sacrificial chamber beneath the manor, faces a horrific demand for sacrifice, and battles a grotesque flesh mound.

  • Kaelis opens the secret door, leading the party into a large, flooded chamber roughly 40 by 40 feet.
  • The party finds a raised dais with a blood-stained altar carved with gruesome depictions, and chains hanging from the ceiling above it.
  • Leoberos wades into the dark water toward the dais, causing the mysterious chanting to stop momentarily.
  • Lucien climbs onto the dais, triggering the appearance of thirteen shadowy figures wielding black torches that seem to swallow light.
  • The apparitions begin a rhythmic chant demanding a sacrifice: ‘One must die. One must die.’
  • Lucien attempts to interact with the phantasmal figures, but his hand passes right through them.
  • The party debates how to satisfy the ritual’s demand before deciding to investigate a mound of refuse in an alcove.
  • As the party approaches the mound, a grotesque amalgamation of victims rises up — a flesh mound with the remains of baby Walter visible at its center.
  • Ysarissa fires her longbow at the mound of flesh, striking the creature as the battle begins.
  • Mortimer uses a necrotic touch against the undead mass, dealing damage and preventing it from regaining vitality, though the creature retaliates with powerful slams.
  • Mortimer is engulfed by the creature, becoming blinded and restrained within its mass and unable to breathe.
  • Mortimer manages a heroic escape from the creature’s grasp, only to be struck down by a powerful blow as he tries to retreat up the wall.
  • Chrystandar unleashes a gout of magical flame, though the damp, fleshy mass proves resistant to fire.
  • Leoberos successfully cranks open the portcullis and joins the fray, taunting the beast to protect his fallen comrade.
  • Lucien uses bardic magic to mock the creature, hindering its attacks and providing healing words to keep allies standing.
  • Chrystandar is struck down by the flesh mound as he attempts to retreat.
  • Leoberos channels divine power into a devastating smite, dealing massive damage and causing the creature to falter.
  • Ysarissa moves in close, striking the mound with her scimitar.
  • Kaelis fires a final arrow from his short bow, and as the creature falls, a psychic scream echoes through the minds of the entire party before silence descends.

4. Escape from Durst Manor

With the creature defeated, the party tends to their wounded and flees the collapsing, malevolent house.

  • Mortimer uses his remaining divine energy to heal the fallen Chrystandar, bringing the wizard back to consciousness.
  • The manor begins to shake with rage as bricks fall from the ceiling and the structure shifts violently around the party.
  • Leoberos passes through the portcullis, which slams shut behind him, separating him from the group.
  • The rest of the party rushes through the secret door and up a ladder to escape the basement.
  • The adventurers flee through the house as the walls seem to close in around them.
  • The party bursts out of the front door into the thick mists of Barovia as the house seals itself behind them.
  • Leoberos stabs his longsword into the locked front door of the manor as a final gesture of defiance before walking away.

5. Rest and Recovery Outside the Manor

The party takes a short rest outside the manor to recover, identify their findings, and distribute equipment.

  • The party moves a safe distance from the house to take a short rest.
  • Mortimer performs a ritual to detect magical properties in their new items, identifying the cloak and the potions as magical.
  • The group determines the cloak is an abjuration item that enhances the wearer’s armor class and saving throws.
  • Mortimer takes the cloak and begins the process of attuning to it.
  • The party distributes other items, including healing potions, a bullseye lantern, and thieves’ tools.
  • Chrystandar claims a crystal orb to use as his new arcane focus.
  • The group decides to travel southwest, moving away from the accursed manor toward faint lights in the distance.

6. Arrival at the Village of Barovia

After a long trek through the fog, the party reaches a dismal, boarded-up village and seeks shelter at the local tavern.

  • The party travels for approximately six hours through the fog-shrouded landscape before spotting faint lights in the distance.
  • They enter the Village of Barovia, noting the slick cobblestones, boarded-up houses, and heavy claw marks scarring nearly every building.
  • A mournful sobbing echoes through the streets, emanating from a nearby townhouse.
  • The party spots several landmarks, including Bildrath’s Mercantile and a tavern with a precariously hanging sign reading ‘Blood on the Vine’ — though Leoberos notices the sign originally read ‘Blood of the Vine,’ with the F scratched into an N.
  • The party enters the tavern, meeting the pudgy barkeep Arik and observing three Vistani sitting together.
  • A young man sitting alone invites the party to join him and orders pitchers of wine for them.
  • The young man introduces himself as Ismark, son of the Burgomaster.
  • Leoberos presents the Burgomaster’s letter to Ismark, declaring the party’s intent to succeed where others have failed.

7. The Burgomaster’s Mansion and the Escort Request

Ismark leads the party to the family mansion, where they meet Ireena and learn of the Burgomaster’s death and a desperate plea for help.

  • Ismark leads the party to a weary-looking mansion heavily scarred by claw marks and fire damage, with all windows barred by planks.
  • Inside, they meet Ireena Kolyana, a striking young woman with auburn hair, who explains that wolves and undead creatures have attacked the house night after night for weeks.
  • Ireena reveals that their father, the Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich, died three days ago, and strangely the attacks have stopped since his death.
  • The party discovers the Burgomaster’s body lying on the floor of the mansion, awaiting burial.
  • Ireena and Ismark request the party’s help in transporting their father’s body to the local priest, Donavich, at the graveyard for a proper burial.
  • Ismark asks the party to escort Ireena to the town of Vallaki, a settlement in the heart of the valley rumored to be well-defended and beyond the reach of the vampire.
  • Ismark explains that Ireena has been bitten by the vampire and fears she may turn if bitten again.
  • The party notices that Ireena’s auburn hair matches the lock of hair they found woven into a figure eight in the reliquary of Durst Manor.
  • The party agrees to help bury the Burgomaster at dawn and escort Ireena to Vallaki.
  • Ismark offers the party the upstairs bedrooms for the night, and the group settles in to rest.

Memorable Moments

  • [dramatic] “This place needs cleansing.” (Leoberos; Muttering ‘find your happy place’ under his breath after seeing the grisly reliquary, then steeling himself and marching down the stairs)
  • [dramatic] “One must die. One must die. One must die.” (Shadowy Figures; Thirteen void-faced apparitions manifesting on the ledges of the sacrificial chamber, chanting in unison and demanding a sacrifice from the party)
  • [dramatic] A grotesque flesh mound composed of the remains of cult victims — with baby Walter visible at its center — rises from a pile of refuse as Lucien approaches, triggering a desperate battle. (The party had been debating how to satisfy the ritual demand when the horrifying creature emerged, catching everyone off guard)
  • [epic] Mortimer heroically wrenches himself free from inside the flesh mound’s engulfing mass, only to be immediately struck down as he tries to scramble up the wall to safety. (Mortimer had positioned himself thinking he was safe, was engulfed, escaped, and was then knocked unconscious in rapid succession)
  • [epic] Kaelis fires a final arrow into the flesh mound, dropping it as a psychic scream echoes through the minds of every party member — even those who were unconscious. (After a grueling battle with many missed attacks, the killing blow came from the shadows as the creature’s dying mental assault reached everyone)
  • [dramatic] As the flesh mound falls, Durst Manor shakes with rage — bricks crash from the ceiling, the portcullis slams shut trapping Leoberos on the other side, and the party flees in a blind panic through the secret door. (The house itself seemed to react with fury to the party’s victory, turning their triumph into a desperate scramble for survival)
  • [dramatic] Leoberos stabs his longsword into the locked front door of Durst Manor, declares his work done, and walks away without looking back. (A final act of defiance after the house sealed itself against the party following their escape from its depths)
  • [intriguing] The party notices that Ireena Kolyana’s auburn hair matches the lock of hair woven into a figure eight found in the cult’s reliquary deep within Durst Manor. (A chilling connection suggesting the cult’s interest in Ireena predates the party’s arrival and may be tied to Strahd’s obsession)

Session log

From the GM Assistant session lists. GMA doesn’t distinguish visited/met/found from mentioned, so these lists can include things only talked about.

Present in this session

Quests & Threads touched

Also noted (no wiki page)

  • Spells & abilities used: Burning Hands, Chill Touch, Chromatic Orb, Cure Wounds, Detect Magic, Divine Smite, Healing Word, Hex, Magic Missile, Ray of Frost, Sacred Flame, Toll the Dead, Vicious Mockery

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