D&D 5E (2014) A Middling DM Runs Curse of Strahd

[not-so-newguy]

thanks for still taking the time for the recaps!

Thanks! I appreciate it

 

[not-so-newguy]

Game Prep Thursday June 12​

We’ll spend some, maybe all, of the next session tying up the loose ends in Vallaki. This is also a chance to revisit Barovia Village and the Winery. For this session only, I’m going to ignore random encounters while traveling between the villages and winery to expedite things.

When we’re done with all that, the group will need to decide where to go next.

Vallaki​

Fiona Wachter: Believes she’s a cat. Needs Greater Restoration. Stays with Father Lucian at first, eventually adopted by Baroness Lydia Petrovna.
Nikolai and Karl Wachter: The Venture Brothers. Irresponsible and dumb, but not malicious. Take over the estate.
Baron Vargas: Negotiate with PCs about Influence in Vallaki. The loss of Izek and the traitorous Captain Korga, plus the coup, has greatly weakened the Baron. He is vulnerable to another coup. Maybe Vasili?
Father Lucian: With the addition of Fiona, who needs her own room, Ireena is now sleeping on a pew. Not the best of living situations, but safe.
Ireena: Her Hope Rating is 14. The Rating will dwindle until there’s a resolution. With things resolved amicably in Vallaki, moving to Krezk is an unnecessary risk as far as she’s concerned. Even if the PCs find the hallowed area there.
Morgantha: Elderly lady who sells Dream Pastries. She’s said to live in the Old Windmill. An NPC shares the story of Baker Valentine from Barovia Village.

A couple of years ago the Baker’s two teenage daughters named Ophelia and Bella went missing. His wife died of a broken heart. Soon after that, Valentine decided to start a new life in Vallaki. He hired some folks to accompany him.

When they passed near the Old Windmill, he was greeted by Morgantha who was flanked by the Baker’s daughters. The trio invited the baker to the decrepit windmill. The rest of his hired guards were too scared to go. They pleaded with the Baker to come to his senses. He refused and they parted ways, the Baker to the windmill and the rest of the crew to Vallaki.

Rictavio: I indicated that he’s an important NPC, but I don’t know what to do with him. He just seems like a distraction at this point. Any ideas?

Wizard of Wines​

Davian: Best source of setting info
Stephania: Barely functional. Needs Greater Restoration
Help Shipping Wine (Final visit Krezk)

Village of Barovia​

Bildrath
Ismark is here. The raids have stopped, but things still suck.
Sad Mary committed suicide. Victor is secretly squatting there now.
Church is abandoned. POTENTIAL ENCOUNTER: Two Vampire Spawn live in the basement. They work for Ludmilla and are tasked with gathering five peasants.

Letter from Strahd. ​

Rahidin leaves Ravenloft with the written invitation from Strahd. He is tasked with searching for the party. This is his itinerary:

• Village of Barovia (8am) (Blood on the Vine and Ismark)
• Valaki (12pm) (Blue Water Inn and the Baron’s Mansion)
• Krezk (2pm) (Outside the Gate)
• Wizard of Wines (4pm) (Davian)

The day of his departure is undecided at this point. He will repeat this route every day until the PCs are found. Anybody dealing with Rahidin will be traumatized and will remember him. I still need to write the letter.

The PCs next move​

After the above is addressed, the PCs have five apparent choices. But who knows? They might decide to storm Ravenloft.

1. Krezk
2. The Old Windmill
3. Werewolves: A tribe of humans suspected of being werewolves live North of Krezk.
4. Berez: Swamp and home of Baba Lysaga. The most powerful Hag in Barovia. The suspected location of the Red Dragon Crush gem stolen from Wizard of Wines.
5. Yester Hill. Location of the Gulthias Tree. A well-known gathering place for evil druids and barbarians.

 

[not-so-newguy]

added to notes

VALLAKI
Guards Vs Cultist: With Lady Wachter dead and the Baron’s presumed return, the local guards attack the cultists soon after her death. The Guards, with better arms and numbers, easily defeat the remaining Cultists of the Frog Demon Bobugbubilz (bo-BUG-boo-bills). Four Guards lose their lives.

LETTER FROM STRAHD
Rahidan tells the adventurers that Strahd will be insulted if they ignore his invitation.

(player's handout)
Dearest Heroic Adventurers,

To the new members, welcome to Barovia. I’m sure your cohorts have informed you of your current predicament. I would just like to reiterate our agreement of nonviolence. This pact extends to new members as well.

I applaud your efforts in Vallaki. Lady Wachter did not stand a chance; then again, few unarmed women stand a chance against an arrow to the back of the head.

I must say that you have a far more subtle hand than the previous bunch. There’s a fine line between boldness and foolishness, and those fools crossed way over it. My condolences, Smugly and Moss, on your losses.

The reason I am writing to you is to extend an invitation to dinner and to spend an evening in my home, Castle Ravenloft. My servant, Chef Cyrus Belview, will be happy to accompany you after dinner to explore the castle, if you so desire.

I am prepared to welcome you anytime in the next 3 days.

Strahd

 

[not-so-newguy]

We're still playing! I am overdue for a recap.

The Gang is about to enter the Amber Temple. They're 6th level and will get pummeled if they try to take this on. Hopefully they'll see it early and travel somewhere else. Maybe the werewolves.

Anyway, I converted the Upper-level map of Amber Temple into 5-foot square. A map with zero artistry but functional, nonetheless. I learned that mapping a dungeon helps me to retain information about that dungeon. Something about putting pencil to paper really does the trick. Which means that I'll need to map out Ravenloft, a daunting task.

 

[EthanSental]

That time gap from this update to the last one makes me say the classic, time flies but wow, that’s 6 weeks did go by fast from when I hit like before!

 

[not-so-newguy]

That time gap from this update to the last one makes me say the classic, time flies but wow, that’s 6 weeks did go by fast from when I hit like before!

First... thanks for checking in.

Second... Oof, has it been that long? I plan on doing a narrative style recap for the next session.

Meanwhile, I will post some bullet-point recaps in the next couple of days to fill in the time gap. Right now, I'm enjoying some after-work cervezas. Too tired to think straight.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Amber Temple Lower Level converted to 5 foot squares. Ugly but functional.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Recap of last 3-4 sessions​

Situation at The Martikov Winery

• Davian, the patriarch wereraven winemaker, must get back to the winemaking.
• The ceremony to re-attune the Gem takes place in the morning of day ten.
• The wine for Purple Grape Crush #6 is safe for now.
• The Red Dragon Crush Gem is still at large, believed to be in the Swamp of Berez.
• The Champgn Du Le Stomp went missing ten years ago.
• The residents of the winery focus on their work, maintaining constant vigilance for Druids.
• After the ceremony, their first goal is to bottle the available wine and ship it out.

Keepers of the Feather

• A clandestine group of wereravens and some humans who secretly oppose Strahd.
• They operate as spies conferring with ravens to be their eyes and ears.
• Davian is the Gang’s most reliable resource for Barovian knowledge.

Marta and Hans from Vallaki. Arrive on Day 10. Tell of attack by Wintersplinter and Wachter Coup. PCs remember the couples’ faces from Blue Water Inn.

• Lady Wachter along with two dozen cultist arrived at the Baron’s mansion on the night the PCs left.
• She has claimed rulership over town and openly declared allegiance to Strahd.
• Captain Korga has switched sides to Wachter.
• Wintersplinter destroyed part of the southern wall. Killed 6 guards, 2 Cultists, and 10 townsfolk. Finally killed by guards and cultists.
• Some cultists used occult magic to fight Wintersplinter.
• The Baron is in public stocks under constant guard
• The Baroness is imprisoned in her mansion.
• Baron’s son Victor escaped out the attic window, turns out he’s a mage of some power.
• Victor warded the attic, two cultists were killed, and now nobody will go up there in fear of more traps.
• Ireena still in St Andral’s.

The Gang focused their attention on the news delivered by Hans and Marta. Smugly, Moss, Mamol, Sleeps, Grant, and Elyrion leave the winery and go to Vallaki.

Vallaki​

Day 11(daytime): They arrived in Vallaki. Cultists of the Frog Demon Bobugbubilz are present amongst the guardsmen. They are clearly Lady Wachter loyalists and seem to have some authority.
The Gang visits St. Andrals, after that they scope out The Baron’s Mansion where the Baroness is reportedly in prison. Ernst, Lady Wachter’s servant, is discovered watching the Gang.
They also spot the Baron in public stocks.

Day 11-12 (around midnight): The Gang infiltrates the Baron’s Mansion, rescues the Baroness, finds the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind buried in the Baron’s attic. Later that evening they free the Baron from the stocks.

Day 12 (daytime): The Gang receives a letter, delivered by Ernst, from Lady Wachter. Here are the contents of the letter:

Spoiler

I will pay you the respect of being blunt:

fact #1 Ernst observed you studying the old mansion of the former Burgermeister.
fact #2 Former Baroness Lady Lydia Petrovna is freed from the old mansion less than 24 hours later.
Fact #3 Former Baron Vargas was quietly freed from his stocks
fact #4 You alone have the ability and potential motivation to accomplish this.

Despite our differences, I believe we can come to a peaceful solution.
It’s either peace or mutually assured destruction.
Please meet me at my estate in eastern Vallaki.
Make arrangements with my servant Ernst.

Sincerely,
Burgermeisterin Fiona Wachter
A Most Loyal Servant of Strahd

The Gang decides that they must eliminate Lady Wachter and reinstall Baron Vargas as leader of Vallaki. They believe he is the lesser of two evils.
They inform Ernst that they will meet with her at noon tomorrow.

Day 12-13 (around midnight): The Gang infiltrates Lady Wachter’s home. Unfortunately, Lady Wachter’s home is heavily guarded. The exterior is protected by 6 cultists, 2 guardsmen with halberds, and Captain Korga (bandit captain stats). The interior is protected by 4 cult fanatics who are playing Pedro upstairs near the Lady’s bedroom.

The Gang ambush the Cult Fanatics and repel the mooks coming from the exterior. In the middle of the fight, Blalach emerges from a linen closet and helps the Gang.

Blalach

Spoiler

Blalach is played by the guy who owns the house we’re gaming at. Let’s call him Rob. The place where we play is kind of an artsy flop house. I guess that’s the best way to describe it. Unique and awesome place to play.

Anyway, Rob will be popping into the campaign randomly. He’s completely new to the game, so I made a champion fighter armed with a magical flail.

Smugly goes into Lady Wachter’s room and finds Lady Wachter trying to escape out of the 2nd story window, while Captain Korga waits below. Smugly beats her up, but she still manages to escape. Grant pushes Smugly out of the way and finishes off the usurper with an arrow. Captain Korga escapes.

Blalach explains that he was ambushed and held prisoner. Captain Korga and the cultists (great band name) were planning to sacrifice him. Blalach wants revenge on Korga. The Gang obliges and they hunt him down and kill him.

The Gang will be 6th level after the next Long Rest.

Just quoting my previous recap above. Below is a recap of Day 13-Day 19

DAY 13-DAY 16
Aftermath of the Usurper Killed in Vallaki
Fiona Wachter: Believes she’s a cat. Needs Greater Restoration. Stays with Father Lucian at first, eventually adopted by Baroness Lydia Petrovna.
Nikolai and Karl Wachter: The Venture Brothers. Irresponsible and dumb, but not malicious. Take over the estate.
Baron Vargas: Negotiate with PCs about Influence in Vallaki. The loss of Izek and the traitorous Captain Korga, plus the coup, has greatly weakened the Baron politically. He is vulnerable to another coup.
Father Lucian: With the addition of Fiona, who needs her own room, Ireena is now sleeping on a pew. Not the best of living situations, but safe.
Ireena: Her Hope Rating is doing ok, but it will inevitably dwindle with time.
Morgantha: Elderly lady who sells Dream Pastries. She’s said to live in the Old Windmill. An old guard shares the story of Baker Valentine from Barovia Village:

A couple of years ago the Baker’s two teenage daughters named Ophelia and Bella went missing. His wife died of a broken heart. Soon after that, Valentine decided to start a new life in Vallaki. He hired some folks to accompany him.

When they passed near the Old Windmill, he was greeted by Morgantha who was flanked by the Baker’s daughters. The trio invited the baker to the decrepit windmill. The rest of his hired guards were too scared to go. They pleaded with the Baker to come to his senses. He refused and they parted ways, the Baker to the windmill and the rest of the crew to Vallaki.

DAY 17 The Gang traveled back to Yester Hill. They dispatched the Berserkers and Druids there. They spotted a nifty axe plunged into the Gulthias Tree. Moss communed with the tree (evil PC shenanigans). They left.

On their return trip, they came upon a pair of Vistani. They shared some wine. The pair said they were from a Vistani Camp just outside of Vallaki. Arrigal is their leader. The same Arrigal that delivered the fake letter to the Gang waaay back in the first session.

DAY 18: The Gang help the Martikov family finish bottling the wine.

DAY 19: The Gang delivered the wine to Krezk and they were allowed entry into the small town. Krezk is a small communal society where currency is meaningless. Labor and resources are shared as needed.

Krezk Lore

• Villagers never leave out of fear of wolves and werewolves
• The Abbey is named after Saint Markovia; a priestess who took a stand vs Strahd. She and her cohorts were besieged. They eventually died of starvation.
• A person known only as the Abbot arrived 100 years ago.
• He is rarely seen in the village.
• The abbey bell tolls at odd times. Maniacal laughter and howls can be heard.
• Some Krezkans believe he is Strahd and don’t mess with him

As the Burgermeister is doling out rations of wine, the Abbot appears. He’s a handsome young man who has a tranquil aura of calmness about him. He invites the Gang to the Abbey for dinner that evening.

DAY 19 (afternoon): A representative of Strahd who calls himself Rahidan arrived at the gates of Krezk inquiring about the adventurers. He asked for Moss and Smugly by name, but only had a description of the other four adventurers. Rahidan is a Dusk Elf, a species of Elf native to Barovia.

One of the Gang talked with the Dusk Elf outside the gates. Although the conversation itself was polite, it was marred by the aura of disembodied screams that seemed to surround Rahidan. The screams of dying men, women, and children could be heard. The voices seemed distant and muffled, but I’m sure anyone hearing those screams would find them disconcerting.

Anyway, the Elf handed one of the party this letter:

Dearest Stalwart Adventurers,
To the new members, welcome to Barovia. I’m sure your cohorts have informed you of your current predicament. I would just like to reiterate our agreement of nonviolence. This pact extends to new members as well.

I applaud your efforts in Vallaki. Lady Wachter did not stand a chance; then again, few unarmed women stand a chance against an arrow to the back of the head.

I must say that you have a far more subtle hand than the previous bunch. There’s a fine line between boldness and foolishness, and those fools crossed far over it. My condolences, Smugly and Moss, on your losses.

The reason I am writing to you is to extend an invitation to dinner and to spend an evening in my home, Castle Ravenloft. My assistant, Chef Cyrus Belview, will be happy to accompany you after dinner to explore the castle, if you desire.

I am prepared to welcome you anytime in the next 3 days.
Strahd

Rahidan informed the party that Strahd would be “deeply disappointed if they refused the invitation.” It seemed like the word ‘disappointed’ was an understatement.

He also told the party that there would be a stagecoach waiting for them at the crossroads east of Vallaki.

DAY 19 (before sunset): The Gang make their way up to the Abbey as the light dies. At the gatehouse, they are met by two mongrel-folk guards. Although insane, they are harmless and escort the group to the Abbey courtyard. They tell the Gang to stay put while they fetch the Abbot.

In the courtyard there are dozens of mongrel-folks. These pitiful creatures are insane and feral; a potential danger to themselves and others. All of them are locked away or chained down.

The pair of Mongrel guards return and escort the Gang into the Abbey Dining Room where the Abbot is waiting with a tall red hair woman. They have dinner and a long conversation:

• The Abbot describes himself as a “Celestial.” A being from the outer planes.
• He was drawn to this Dread Domain because of his pity for Strahd.
• He believes that the Dread Domain is a prison for Strahd. His Jailor is a Dark Power that consumes the souls of the Domain’s inhabitants.
• The Abbot believes that if the Vampire can find something that he truly loves, then he’ll be set free.
• The tall red hair woman is actually a creation of the Abbot and intended to be Strahd’s bride. It has a striking resemblance to Ireena, although its flesh is scarred and stitched together.
• The Abbot offers a free Raise Dead spell to anyone who can provide a proper wedding gown.
• The Mongrel folk are the remains of the Markovians that fought Strahd. The Abbot is doing everything he can to care for them.
• EDIT: Over a week ago, Strahd arrived with a corpse fitting the description of Thalion. The Abbott performed Raise Dead on him. Strahd left with Thalion on the Vampire Lord's Night Mare.

THE ABBEY LIBRARY
The Gang found a slim book describing the Amber Temple. Who wrote it and when it was written is unknown.
Preface to the book:

If you seek honor or power, turn back
For these walls hold naught but doom.
In many vessels below, the darkness shelters a timeless evil
The danger is an infection of a malevolent enemy.
Our arrogance and folly forged this place into our prison.
Leave now, before our damnation becomes yours.



The Amber temple was created to trap powerful dark beings.

• A forgotten Order of Wizards, long before Strahd, created the Temple for this purpose.
• This is the place where Strahd communed with the Dark Powers and made his pact to become a vampire. The Dark Powers made him ruler of the land. The Land was torn from the world and placed in a pocket dimension, i.e. a Dread Domain.
• “The Pact was sealed on Strahd’s brother’s wedding day. Strahd killed his brother, drank his blood, and pursued his brother’s bride through Castle Ravenloft declaring his everlasting love for her. The bride, named Tatyana, threw herself from the castle walls in horror of what Strahd had done.”

DAY 19 (evening): The Gang, escorted by the Mongrel Clovis, explored the gardens to the north. The party suspected that the Sun Sword would be here based on the prophecy of Madam Eva, specifically hidden in a scarcrow.

Sure enough, Elyrion found a sword pommel. Unfortunately, 7 Wights erupted from the ground when the rogue took possession of the pommel. This became a drawn-out fight because Sleeps turned 3 of the Wights with his divine magic. The Gang had to chase them down on the west side of the hill before the creatures disturbed the good folk of Krezk.

The Sun Sword Pommel is speaking telepathically to Elyrion and urging him west “towards the pond.”

 

[Emerikol]

WARNING SPOILERS GALORE
If you're worried about spoilers for Curse of Strahd, then don't read this thread.

I still own and have played the original I6 from 1983. It was ground breaking in terms of art and layout. I've had two groups go through the module.

 

[not-so-newguy]

I'll post Day 19-Day 24 in the next day or two. That should bring the recaps up to date.

Here's the Werewolf Lair converted to 5-foot squares. The dimensions are changed, but the layout is the same. I removed the Wolf's Head cave entrance.
I'm drawing from some 3rd party supplements and have added more backstory to the werewolves which involves internal rivalries within the pack. As written, they're evil meat sacks intended only as PC fodder.