A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Kill the Witch

Todays victim

Alright, so the vinegary was back in the possession of the Martikovs, but all isn't well. 3 magical green gems have been taken from the area that enabled the grapes to grow and the Martikovs need the teams help to find them. They agree, but first they have to take Ireena and Ismark back to Kerzk with a wagon load of wine to get into the town. During the travels they are ambushed several times by wolfs and dire wolfs until they almost reach Kerzk when they tired and worn meets three vistani travellers having a good time. Also a skeletal rider has two times crossed their path. They finally enters Kerzk as the sun begins to set. They stay at the burgomasters house, but once again the monk and rouge decide to enter the night. They search the house and finds a fifth room that seemed to have been occupied by a teenage boy, but there is no one living there anymore. They sneak out and finds a family graveyard at the back where they can find desecrated graves, except one that have been made recently. Reading the gravestone they deduce that the burgomaster have lost four children, the latest just a few days ago.

Suddenly they hear the door from the cottage open and close. They follow the sound and see a cloaked figure move to the north as in a trance and they follow behind. At the pond near a gazebo the figure stops and a shape takes form in the water, a man who shines up as he see the figure and speaks to it and they hear the figure answer, but with two voices, hearing the names Tatyana and Sergei. The water forms a hand that stretches out toward the figure they realises are Ireena so they run after her to stop her from being dragged down, but the monk stumbles and accidentally pushes her into the pool. As she is dragged into the water the cloud gathers and they see the red eyes in the clouds and a angry voice crying out in the night and a blue bolt of lightning strikes the pond, pushing them back and destroying the gazebo. Shocked and despaired they sneak back to the cottage as the whole village have awakened and goes out to the pond. Sneaking back they entered their room from the window and then goes with everyone else to the pond where they can witness Ismark entering the pool and finding his sisters cloak. This is both the fun part of being a DM and the boring one. Playing I might have gotten the same idea as they that Ireena have been taken by Strahd or something, but as a DM I know she is perfectly safe, but how am I gonna tell them that in game? So I put them toward Madam Eve again. Also they have a new mystery on who Sergei and Tatyana is. So the night ends at midnight as the abbey's bell toll.

In the morning they send Ismark home with the two Martikovs that followed with the wagon while they took of to the destroyed village of Berez where the Martikovs believe one of the so called seeds are. They feel unnerved at once entering the ruins. 7 scarecrows stands in the ruins, a pen of goats with human skulls and across the river they see a light near some stone menhirs. They search the ruins and finds a strange tree in the middle with a floating skull near the front that they avoid, finds the burgomasters mansion and a statue of a girl named Marina that looks exactly like Ireena. They enter the burgomasters mansion and encounter the spirit of the dead burgomaster that tells the story of the village. Marina that was about to be taken by Strahd and the burgomaster and the priest killed her in order to save her soul and that Strahd destroyed the village shouting out that no one would take Tatyana from him, reminding them of the name image in the pond called Ireena. And that another threat have arrived in Berez, the hag Baba Lysaga that a few days ago came back with a green glowing gem and took it into her hut. They realise they need to take out Lysaga, but before forming a plan they head over the river to the menhirs and find a farmer girl who was sent out by the Martikovs to keep track on Lysaga, named Muriel. She tells them about Baba Lysaga as well, but she won't help them since she fears the hag more than anything else. So they start to think.

The plan they concoct are that they take 70 feet of rope, cut it into 10 feet pieces and pour oil on them and tie them around the scarecrows they learned from Muriel is a living construct and a early warning system for Baba Lysaga. Then they let Katrina attack one of them and draw the others toward her and escape across the river and hide near the menhirs (which I would let strengthen her magical powers somehow) and also force Baba Lysaga from her hut so the others could enter and search it and prepare an ambush on the hag. Katrina is able to destroy one of the scarecrows with two fire bolts and hide near the menhirs as Baba Lysaga take her time coming out and flying over as the other scarecrows gather around their burning brother. The others enter the hut unseen with the monks hiding ability and as they enter they see the green glow from under a crib with a child. Hope goes forward to push it away, but her hands goes through it revealing the green glow below the floor. Toby goes forth, swings his axe and breaks through, revealing the seed. Imiral picks it up and they feel the whole hut losing power. Imiral hides beside the opening aided by his pass ability, Hope hides behind the bed, Toby in a cupboard and Cygnus in a wardrobe. Now, I must have interpreted the rules wrong since Baba Lysaga enters and looks at the broken floor and they decided to quickly execute an ambush in succession. First Imiral attacks and draw her attention by hitting her with his staff and then let her fixate on the glowing gem. From the bed Hope stabs the hag in the back and that is followed up by Toby and Cygnus striking her with all they got. In one first strike round they bring the hag down to half of a 120 HP. They rolled all pretty good initiative so they keep wailing on her and when she finally gets an attack I wondered if I was gonna use word of command stun or the crown of madness. Had the stun been for all I would probably used that, but since it was single I used the crown on the monk, but Imiral made the save and then it was pretty much over as the party slayed the hag. Within 2 rounds. I must have done something wrong. When they meet old Woodsplinter there won't be anything holding back. And they were only 4 persons.

After releasing two swarms of ravens from cages outside the hut they reunite at the menhirs and Muriel thanks them before leaving, but at the same time wonders if they are out of their mind. As they leave the village they see a raven flying above them and then they witness a vision in the mist of a battle a long time ago and a dragon flying above them toward a mansion alone in the valley. They return to Vallaki and the Blue Water Inn where the wagon from the vineyard have parked and left its cargo. Ismark is mourning in the room he had last and the party decide to lay low, but then they notice the elven like character they were looking for last time, Rictavio. The monk and rouge decide to follow him around and they see him feeding his horse Drusilla and then walking toward his wagon in storage. Unbeknownst to them he notice pretty much that they follow him, with a passive perception of 17. So he sneaks in to the shop and disappears through a backdoor with the loyal storeowners who gets richly paid for his wagon. Imiral and Hope enters and begins to haggle for a component pouch for the monk (which I need to check up if a monk really need) and some rope and oil.

They return to the inn and tells the rest of the party that tells them that maybe they should look into the room itself. They sneak up and lock pick the door and enters unnoticed. Looking through Rictavios stuff they only find a journal describing his journey and certain oddities he has found. Realising nothing is there they leave again, but notices a wind draft coming from the wall and finds a secret door that leads to the kitchen where the staff is in full swing preparing the dinner. They climb back and sneak out of the secret passageway, closes it and also locking the door to Rictavios room again before heading back. They stay and observe the different patrons of the inn and then walks to bed. During the morning routine they begin question Urwin Martikoff over the first lost seed that disappeared over 10 years ago. And all he can say that the event pretty much forced him out of the vineyard to Vallaki with his beloved and the only odd thing he can recall was that he think he heard a cat. Then they leave. And gets attacked by 14 wolves that knocks out Cygnus and Katrina within two turns and both Toby and Hope are bloodied.  Only Imiral was undamaged. And Cygnus had a AC of 19. Now, part of that was my fault since I recalled 4E of Prone be forced to use an action to stand, but here it halves your speed. So we wasted actions on standing instead of hitting. My bad. Meanwhile they continue to find bundles of cloth with either wolf fur and raven feathers travelling and twice have founded some trinkets lying around like a mirror with an medusa on the back and a flag from a ship lost at sea with the sign of Strahd on it. Earlier they even had found a ravens claw, but I think they threw it away. These things the monk saved on the other hand. Closing up on the vineyard they are cornered by 3 vallakian scouts on a search quest for some missing townsfolk. As they are busy with other duties they decline to help immediately, but they will keep their eyes open. Reaching their goal they hand over the seed to Davian Martikov and follows him unto the field where he digs a whole and plant it. As he covers it up they can see a pulsating green light emitting from the stone and flowing through the earth and by some magic the vines starts to heal and actually produce grapes. The vineyard is back in business for the moment... until they meet Woodsplinter that is, hehehe!

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - The Wine Wizards

The place seems to have seen better days

They leave in the morning toward Kerzk stumbling upon wolves and druids they kill until they reach the walls of Kerzk. The villager are not friendly so they are pushed away to the Wizards of the Wine since the town is running low on wine and if they can acquire more they will let them in. And they continue. The sisters begin grumbling about Ismark hogging the experience and delaying the level ups and that they can't drop the free loaders of. Of course their numbers have saved them more than one time. As they approach the vineyard they notice that there is a hidden bundle of clothes under a bush in the woods. The only thing they notice is that it have fur on it. They leave it since they guess it is a werewolf. As they walk I remind them that they still touched it and would have made it possible for a wolf to sniff them out. They don't have much time to think about that since as thy approach the road to the vineyard a man beckons them to the woods on the side. Carefully with weapons on the ready. The vineyard have been overrun by druids and blights and stopped the production of the wine that the people of the valley can drown their sorrows in. So it's druid hunting time.

They get to look at a map of the house and decided to take a stealthy way into the house and go from floor to floor. So they head through the vegetation and stands before the loading area when suddenly they hear something move between the vines. 30 humanoid figures made out of vines walking toward them like zombies. They rush in and finds a broken door which they enter, Katrina mends it and they close and block it as they walk down some stairs to the basement. While there they notice a druid together with 5 of those blights walking behind a wine rack. After a short plan Katrina runs forward and blast all of them with the spell burning hands creating a cone of fire hitting the four blight right in front of her full force and the last blight and druid are able to block some of the imapct. Meanwhile Toby rush forward and push the rack on them and killing the most damaged blights while Cygnus slays the last blight with his sword. Imiral and Hope takes bottles of wine from the rack to save them. Imiral runs up the fallen rack and hits the druid with the quarterstaff and Toby lungs forward swinging his axe to slay it. Going through the basement they find a secret door they open and send in Katrina through. Sadly for them it's a room with brown mould that instantly freezes her and she falls unconscious. Toby drags her out and Cygnus heals her with his lay on hands.

Continuing after that interruption they return to the first floor and find the processing area for the wine as 4 big cask stands in the room. Several blights walk below the casks and a single druid stands at the balcony above pouring some potions into one of the vats. Imiral sneaks from below and uses his mage hand to knock her into the vat. As the blights scampers up to try to save her the team let Katrina throw fire bolts to burn blights and Imiral and Hope push the dead blights across the balcony and burning the rest of them. As well as dragging those who tried to rescue the druid into the vat with another mage hand. They continue the search through the rooms and they find another druid atop the winch above the docking area they entered first. They ensnare it in place and Cygnus brings the winch to the side where they can kill it, but not without it using it staff to suck 4 hp from Toby and regain them for himself. After slaying him they check the staff and realises it's part from the GArthias tree, enabling the druids to control the blights so the monk pick it up and breaks it upon his knee, destroying all the blights in a radius of 300 feet. They check the final floor and finds a lone druid rummaging through some clothes and attack her with vengeance. It goes quick as usual lately, but this one had skin of bark making it a bit harder to hit. I really need to get time to check out how to plan battles better, they are either to hard or to easy.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - The Walk of the Land

Look, dire wolves!

After leaving the Vistani encampment they cross a bridge over a river when they are suddenly attacked by 3 dire wolves, two on the front and one in the back. After killing two the third escapes, one of them even rolled a nat 1 and fell upon the paladins sword. After resting up they continue to another gate in the middle of nowhere when suddenly 9 wolfs attacks, trapping them at the gate. And here one of my sisters get's more and more irritated. The wolves in the front charges at my paladin and getting a critical and knocking me out, and the rest goes on the monk. She gets pissed as she uses up all her Ki-points to dodge since she fears attacks more than the believe to make damage. And she rolls horrible all the time. Everyone is bloodied and the wolves are closing in. I pull out my secret weapon. Two more characters that waited at the top of the wall. A half-orc barbarian named Toby that spears one of the wolves with his javelin and then the human sorceress Katrina Bargov that blasts two of the wolves with magic missiles. Now one of the wolfs attacking the monk rolls a 1 so the monk is able to grab it and throw at another wolf killing both. Also, after studying the rules and choices of the monk I can tell her that the best strategy is probably to wield the staff one-handed and then get the bonus action attack. It takes some time for me to explain the benefit of more attacks that total up a higher damage value than just one possible stronger attack. A range of 6-14 is better than 3-10. Sadly for her that was the last battle for today

They arrive at Vallaki where they get into the inn and begans searching the town. They notice that there have been a festival and the people seems less inclined to talk to them. They also notice someone with a monster arm putting up posters for another festival at the end of the week. Most people eye them suspiciously since they are high-elfs, tie flings and a tall half-orc. They learn that there is another elven kind in town, some circus leader named Rictavio who also stays in the inn. They learn about the burgomaster and his festivals as well as the Wachter family and their dislike of the burgomaster. They install themselves in the inn and the thief and monk decide to go around town. They haggle at the only shop for information on the wagon parked outside with some kind of animal in it, but the owners are tightlipped. They walk around and enters the toy shop with the toymaker Blinsky. Its no fun, is no Blinsky! My sisters get the impression he would have designed the halloweentowns christmas toys in the Nightmare before Christmas. There eyes where especially drawn to a doll in the links of Ireena. After asking Blinsky about the doll they get that someone that Blinsky fears have ordered the same type of doll every month for a long time, but out of fear he won't say who, and as the push him for an answer they are pushed out of the shop.

They head back to the inn and mention this for the silverhawks that agree to look into it during a night break in. They sleep a bit to refill their spells and such and Imiral and Cygnus heads out as a scout party since they only need 6 hours sleep. They watch the shop and are joined two hours later by the others. Hope goes forward and lock picks the door to enter. And Hope falls as she walks inside, but Blinsky seems to sleep. Katrina goes up the stairs to prepare a sleep spell in case of him awakening while Toby and Cygnus guards the street. Imiral and Hope starts rummaging through the back and finds a accountant book, but it seems to have no mention of the buyer of that very doll. Although they can confirm increased spending each month. Imiral picks up the doll looking at it and when looking away, Blinsky's tame monkey grabs the doll and climbs the ceiling. Imiral silence it and grabs it with his mage hand. Suddenly Cygnus and Toby enters the shop and close the door whispering about town guards appearing. Imiral puts the doll back and they all enters the second floor and hides in a room. Spying out the door they hear the guards knocking loudly on the door and awakening Blinsky. He goes down and it's the burgomasters servant with the devil hand. As he takes the doll and Blinsky heads back to bed the team lets out the monkey in the corridor and jumps put the window. The monk and rouge makes the fall with grace while the Silverhawks lands in a pile. They head back and prepares for an early start in the morning.

A DnD Tale: Curse of Strahd - Bodyguards

Conquering Barovia, one house at the time

So, after the house imploded poltergeist-style the party returns to the inn. Bloodied, battered and bruised they enter the inn. Now, eladrins isn't one of the standard races, but an example of a modified race in the Dungeon Master's Guide that was the high-elven race in 4E. My sister who plays the high-elf Imiral played an eladrin elf in the other campaign and just to spite her a bit without her knowing it I gave the eladrins an aura in Barovia like the big elves in Lord of the Rings when Frodo sees Glorfindel through the shadows. And both sisters believe that it is due to the paladin powers. They didn't even question the fey step or that I even called it that. Sibling rivalry can be fun. This all leads to my description of the party and "... Cygnus with his golden aura appears as shining as ever". Ismark visits them and tells them that the preparations for the burial of the burgomaster is complete and they will need taking the coffin to the church in the morning. For the first time they have the day of so they start to walk around town. First they are drawn to a house by the sounds of crying and as they enter and walk to the top floor they find Mad Mary, a woman crying over a miss-formed doll belong to her daughter Gertruda that have been gone for a week. Mary kept her daughter locked inside to protect her, but Gertruda apparently longed to be free as she became a teenager. Mary in desperation gives them the doll and ask them to fid her daughter. They discover the burgomaster's mansion, but find it ominous with the wolf paw prints and human footprints around the fortified mansion and the stories they heard from the tavern about the undead that have been assailing the burgomaster and pretty much caused his premature death. They don't know it is the burgomaster's mansion so they avoid it. They also try to haggle at the local shop, especially as the rouge now promoted to an arcane trickster and need a component pouch. They trade it for a spell book they found in the basement and can't really use. They head back to the inn and wakes up the next morning, eating breakfast and getting picked up by Cygnus and Ismark who take them to Ireena and the coffin. They start to bring it out, but the monk Imiral rolls a 1, of course, stumbles and Ireena have to rush forward and pick up the coffin before it falls to the ground. They bring it to the church and meet the priest Donavich. As they enter the chapel they hear the screams from below, a man calling out for his father how hungry he is. Donovich tells them that it is Doru, his son that have been turned to a vampire by the devil when a wizard appears and rallyed the barovians to fight against their oppressor. And they failed, and his son returned like that. They go on with the funeral as they walk outside to the cemetery where everyone has to help dig the grave and lower the coffin. Donovich says the prayer to the morning lord at what is supposed to be high noon and they fill it in. Returning Donovich tells them that if they are gonna take Ireena away he recommend the Abby of Saint Markovia in the village of Kerzk or the town of Vallacia, with it's fortified walls to protect from the devil. Cygnus takes the monk and rouge aside and tells them that the monster under the church must be destroyed, it's a danger to the people. They agree and ask the priest if he can bless their cursed property. Ireena and Ismark agrees to escort the priest and as he leaves they begin to search for a way down and finds a trapdoor in the first room they enter. They try to pull it open, but don't have strength enough to open it. The paladin stares at them, pushes them away and barely is able to open the trapdoor. As they enter the basement floor they see a lone man hiding in the shadows. He tries to avoid them, but as they get closer his eyes turns red and he grows fangs and attack them.

Father and son

Imiral blocks the way out while Cygnus and Hope begins bashing at him.  Cygnus smiting him with divine smite to stop his regenerative powers while Hope sneak attacks him. Doru begins running up the wall and to the roof to reach the trap door. Imiral uses his mage hand and pulls Doru down on the ground. Doru gets up and attacks Imiral and after some rounds are able to grapple him, but before he is able to bite the monk Hope are able to cast a spell that forces Imiral to laugh hysterical and become incapacitated enabling Imiral to pick up his stake and hammer and ram it through Doru's heart, slaying the vampire spawn. Cygnus picks up the body and brings it to the alter in the chapel. Donavich return, sees his son and breaks down crying. The party leaves. They get ready for their final night in the village of Barovia and in the morning all 5 heads out. After travelling for some time they are assaulted by 2 dire wolves. Easy job. As the road splits they discuss a while looking at the map and finally decide to take the shortest road to Vallakia. They arrive at Tzer Pool where some Vistani have made camp. Trying to hurry past they are called to a meeting with madam Eve, the leader of these Vistani.

Well, she looks trustworthy

They are given a fortune telling when they enter as she pulls four cards describing 3 items that can help them, a person that can aid them and the very place where they will confront Strahd. The players didn't get this at all. Which could be my fault, but still, it feels like something I have to remind them to push them in the right direction. And I'm probably to nice to them since they don't write anything down at all so they rely on me telling them where to go. Well, that was the end of the first day, 14 hours of play, and I only had prepared the Death house section of the game, the rest randomised by using the book. And they wanted to play more the day after. Good god! As a bonus this is the reading they got:

1. This card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand enemy

Master of Glyphs - Priest

You will find what you seek in the castle, amid ruins of a place of supplication

2. This card tells of a powerful force for good and protection, a holy symbol of great hope.

4 of Glyphs - Sheperd

Find the mother - she who gave birth to evil

3. This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight.

2 of Swords - Paladin

I see a sleeping prince, a servant of light and the brother of darkness. The treasure lies with him.

4. This card sheds light on one who will help you greatly in the battle against darkness.

Ghost

I see a fallen paladin of a fallen order of knights. He lingers like a ghost in a dead dragon’s lair.

5. Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This card will lead you to him!

Seer

He awaits you in a place of wisdom, warmth, and despair. Great secrets are there.

Before the adventure you are instructed to do a placeholder reading in case of the players avoiding any reading or making it impossible to have one (maybe killing the seer for example) and these cards I drew:

1. Enchanter
2. Avenger
3. Druid
4. Donjon
5. Darklord

I actually liked this one better since it didn't have most of the things being in the castle and Strahd being at the center of power is a bit more cinematic.

A DnD Tale: The Curse of Strahd - Barovias finest

Allow Me Too Introduce Myself, I'm a Man of Wealth and Taste!

Long time coming, but I finally made the switch from 4E to 5E. Mostly by listening to Acquisition Inc and Dice, Camera and Action and since I finally got a steady income I allowed myself to get all the starters book and currently getting every book and adventure for 5E... as well as getting stuff from 4E I need to continue the large campaign that haven't been going on for 2 years. So now I have official tokens and maps for that. And they work fine for 5E as well since my sisters aren't quite ready for "theatre of the mind" that seems to be the standard. Could also be due to me being not that clear, but also everyone around the table having problem with saying what they mean or hearing. Which became obvious as I played Curse of Strahd with two of my sisters.

Sadly we only have one to share on three people

The story began when the monk Imiral, a high elf from a mountain monastery outside of Mithral on the Nerathian continent finds him selves alone on a forest road as the dark catches him as a thick fog begins to suround him. He sees a light just beside the main road by a small trail. Walking up he finds a tiefling sitting by a fire, playing with some cards. Startled the female tiefling flings a knife toward him that just misses. The tiefling unfriendly accepts to let the monk stays after he gives up his only silver coin. The tiefling is a rouge that specialises in burglary and have lightened the pockets of some important looking person and found a letter from some burgomaster of the village of Barovia. The tiefling named Hope begins to ask the monk if he knows anything about this Barovia, but neither do. The tieflings greed get the better of her and she is set to get her hand on some possible reward. As the night lingers on they take turn around the camp fire, but as they feel dawn appearing something feels amiss. Somehow they have phased to another dimension.

The people around here is rather weird

Following the only road they can see they suddenly stop when they hear a branch crack from one side of the road and two red eyes starring at them from the mists on the other side. They carefully make their way away from the eyes to the sound and finds a dead body ravaged by wolves holding a letter (a mistake from my side since I misremembered when and how the body would come into play, but it still freaked my sisters out). They read the letter and notices that something is of, they almost describe the same thing, but looking over it again and again they notice the different hand writing, the wording and so on. The howls of wolfs draws near and they decide to get out of there. They continue to follow the road and sees a gate. As they approaches the gates open, they pass and the gates close behind them. No one is there operating the gates. They continue and they feel the sun falling (since they can't see the sky as the clouds lie as a blanket over the sky. As they approach the only town they seen since they arrived in this cursed lands they enter. And the town is empty and life-less. Walking down the main road they reach a cross-roads and two children stands there, a 7-year old and a girl of 10 years old. They are afraid to return home since there is a monster in the basement. Being the heroes, especially when it comes to small kids they enter a lonesome house, and especially being told there is a one-year old child in the nursery at the third floor.  Entering the house they immediately get that something is wrong. The wall panels and the paintings and such at first glance seems like normal, but at closer inspection have some rather disturbing images. Of course my sister believes that it's something that changes after awhile instead of always be there, so they scared themselves more than the book suggested. The players are their own worst enemies. They walk up the marble staircase to the third floor. They knew it was to the left and walks toward the door, but the tiefling notices something in the wall and finds a hidden passageway to the attic. They closes the passageway and enters the nursery. They look around and are about to open the door to the nursery when a spectre appears of a young woman and charges at them. After a quick battle they banish the spectre before it can hit them and then enters the nursery. They find a cradle covered by some black sheets they pull aside. Inside they find a baby-sized bundle. They unwrap it and it's empty.

First enemy of the game

Realising that something is very weird they enter the attic and finds a locked room that the tiefling unlocks with her thieves tools and they find a small bedroom with two beds and two skeletons on the floor clothed in the same clothes as the children they met outside and a doll that the boy was holding. Looking around they noticed a doll house in the form of the house they were in and began inspecting it. As they did two ghosts in the form of the children they saw appears. Doing nothing of the children out on the street they told them how they were locked in by their parents as they went to the basement. The players assumed that the monster in the celler killed the parents and therefore the children starved to death. They also finds the secret doors of the house by looking at the doll house and learning about the hidden staircase to the basement. But they decide they might need help with this so they head down stairs and leave the house and heads to the tavern (in the book you should lock them inside the house and that would really have set my sisters of, but reading up I knew that you should probably be around 4-6 people to tackle the horrors of the basement so I let them go in and out without problem, but I would have been more strict with a recommended party, especially a party with limited healing and defences). They left and found the tavern Blood on the Vine where they met Ismark Kolyanovic, the son of the recently dead burgomaster who wrote one of the letters and he confirms their suspicion of someone else writing the first letter. He also learns about their predicament with the house and he offers help by introducing them to Cygnus Swanfeather, an eladrin paladin of Corellon he have hired as a bodyguard for his sister Ireena Kolyanovic as they need to escape the shadows of Castle Ravenloft, the home of the devil himself. And of course he says it they look out toward the castle and thunder lights up the night. As they tell their tale Cygnus agrees to help them. They stay the night at the inn (paid by Ismark) and heads in once again.

Ismark the lesser, how that is possible with someone with 58 hit points I don't know

This time they take a more thorough look through the house. Room by room, floor by floor. They pick up some silverware in the kitchen, find a room filled with stuffed wolfs (I wish they had walked in here the first time since all they talked about was werewolves and I actually believe that in that case they would have attacked them). Walking up to the second floor they have already acquired the knowledge of the secret doors, but when they arrive to the library they still can't find the opening factor, until Cygnus picks out the book that operates the mechanism. There they find a chest with a dead body. The chest contains some documents, a deed of the house, a deed of a windmill and the will of the owners of the house. They take it. Continuing they reach the third floor. They walk through the rooms counter clockwise. As they pass by a armour at the top of the stairs it suddenly springs to life and tires to slam the paladin walking in the front, but it misses and tumbles over the railing and all parts of the armour ends up on the second and first floor, still moving, but unable to do anything (it rolled a nat 1, what was I supposed to do?). They entered a cupboard and is attacked by a broom. Cygnus tries to hit it, but the close quarters make it hard to hit with his sword. Imiral doesn't get it any better and ends up knocking him selves out (rolling two nat 1 in a row). After something like 1 minute + they are able to hack it in two. They heal and continues to the attic. Searching the rooms they finally approaches the secret door to the stairs that leads to the basement and they descend.

Dramatic reenactment of the cupboard fight

As they walk out in the basement they begin to hear some chanting. And they begin searching the basement as the chanting wanes and grows depending on where they go. The first things they find are an empty crypt and next to it a crypt dedicated to Walter Durst, the stillborn child of the owners of the  house. They find some sleeping quarters belonging to some demon-worshipping cultist that Hope begins to loot, feeling certain disgust when finding for example a coin pouch of human skin. As they walk through a corridor and reaches a four-way crossing suddenly the ground begins shaking and four ghouls appears. Cygnus rises his shield and blocks the ghouls from walking past him while he swings his silver sword, aided by Hope and Imiral that hit and runs the ghouls. After slaying the four undead monsters they continue northward and finds four more crypts belonging to the rest of the Durst family, the father, mother and the two children, Thorn and Rose. While searching the crypt of the mother they are attacked by a swarm of centipedes that tries to bite through Cygnus armoured feet, but they are quickly disposed of. They walk back and into a room with a statue of an elegantly clad man holding a crystal. Hope smells something fishy and decide to not disturb the statue. They enter the final room on this floor and finds a chest at the end of a bed, as the tiefling opens it and is about to take something, two ghasts in black robes breaks through the walls and starts attack. Once again Cygnus acts as a shield trapping one of them in their enclosed chamber while the other assails him mercilessly. Hope sneaks attack it while Imiral constantly bangs them over the head with his staff. After the battle Cygnus is bleeding profoundly and suggest that they retreat and places the childrens bones back into their graves and retire for the day since he spent all his healing powers and divine smite.

An eladrin paladin in action

Hope pawns of all the treasures they collected, but decide to keep a silvered short sword for herself. And since they have enough money to live rather comfortably they have to pay they own upkeep. Cygnus stays at the burgomaster mansion. Next day they head in once again. They walk up the stairs and then down into the mansion. Heading down again they find a hidden door that leads to the first floor in the wolf's den room... a bit late for a shortcut, but whatever. They find a staircase leading to yet another floor and the chanting grows more intense. They notice a way into some water which they decide isn't there way. They instead following a path that leads them into the prison. The tiefling finds a lonesome skeleton cultist hanging in one of the cells with a golden ring on one hand that she greedily pawns, snapping the finger of the hand. Imiral meanwhile finds a secret door that leads into the water chamber they wanted to avoid and as they walk out on a walkway above the water the chanting stops. Noticing the mechanism that controls the portcullis in the water they trigger it and opens it up as a final escape. Then they look upon the dias in the middle of the water and climbs it to the alter at the top. As they do 13 blacked figures appears chanting for a sacrifice. Hope fires a cross bolt that goes right through them. As they are about to leave the figures cry out for Lorgoth the Defiler and a bolt of lightning strikes a mound down by a crumbled wall and it comes to life. And the fight is on.

Boss time

The action starts with Hope throwing a flask of alchemist fire we found in the basement at the mound, it hits and the flames scars the monster. Imiral runs forward and attacks it with his staff and move away, dodging an opportunity attack from the monster. The monster tries to stop the flames, but fails but still walks after the monk that was the last to hit it. Cygnus standing on the top of the dias strikes down upon it with his sword and follows it up with divine smite. Hope is up again and sneak attacks the monster from the top of the dias. This goes on for some rounds until the beast finally stops the flames and starts with hitting the monk so that he is bloodied. The monk runs to the other side and out of the water to heal with a healing potion while the monster began assailing the paladin. When the paladin gets bloodied he used his fey step and teleported behind the creature confusing the creature. As Cygnus sword hacked into it it become bloodied and green blood began seeping out and into the water. The rouge continues it attacks while the monk jumps back and attacks it from atop the dias. The party is badly beaten, but in the end Cygnus gives the final strike onto the monster, slicing off one of its arms and it slumping into the water with green goo spreading from it. They take a rest atop the dias with the whole place silent, treating some of the wounds and preparing to leave the accursed house. As they take the shortcut up to the first floor they find themselves in the wolf's den filled with black smoke and the windows bricked up. Where there where doors now a scythe swings and the walls looks brittled and damaged. Hope acts instantly and runs up toward the wall leading to the foyer and smash it up with her silver sword. The wall crumbles and out pours a swarm of rats biting at Hope's feet. After taking care of that threat for a minute trying to avoid inhaling the poisonous smoke they all rush out and behind them the house collapses and the fires that have tried to take the house over the years, finally gets the better. The Death house is no more... and Hope and Imiral realises that the deed is rather worthless, until they remember the windmill and that they still own the land the house stood on. Player character, greed above all else!

Well that doesn't look that dangerous!

With this the characters are level 3 and pretty much prepared for the real adventure. And I had to fudge the dice here and there and the monster didn't play their A-game. I mean, the mound with multiple attacks with a +6 or +7? And the characters have +4 at best with very few means to make more damage? Especially my players who can't read the book all the time and me not caring about their classes, meaning I can't help them that much. I'm glad I actually picked up the spell book cards for the classes arcana overall for a simpler reference than in the 4E campaign where we didn't have books and used PDF:s which they couldn't read correctly and having computers walking back and forth wasn't an option. Especially since some characters really seems to have a problem with understanding if a spell affects one or several people. Also the maps I got was rather good, sadly it was a problem adjusting the size and I should really have made them bigger so that the tokens would fit inside the square. Sadly they now expect it for every encounter, and I don't have those resources and since there is a lot of random encounters built into the book I won't even try it for the most time. At least they can use the tokens I've gotten as references to where they stand or how they march. It was fun to play, but I'm a bit afraid to follow the rules to the letter. Maybe if I had some players that doesn't get pissed if they are hit. Family is the worst.