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

[not-so-newguy]

Day 19 – Day 24​

DAY 19 (evening continued): The sentient pommel of the Sun Sword urged Elyrion to seek out a nearby pond, but The Gang decided that the matter could wait until morning. They slept in a dilapidated bunkroom located above the imprisoned Mongrelfolk.


DAY 20(early morning): The Gang promised the Abbot to return with the wedding dress for his Tatyana-Flesh-Golem. After breakfast they sought out this pond that the Sun Sword kept blabbering about. The pond was located within Krezk near its northern wall and the source of clean water for the entire community. Locals going through their daily routine witnessed Elyrion step near the pond and a ghost with an aura of sunlight emerged from the water.

The apparition was Sergei Von Zarovich, deceased brother of Strahd. A conversation followed with Elyrion. He deemed the elven rogue worthy of wielding the Sun Sword. Attunement with the Sun Sword can only be gained with the Ghost’s approval, otherwise it’s just a sword pommel. He also gave them the history of Strahd.

A brief history of Strahd

Spoiler

>>This history is paraphrased from the Curse of Strahd book pages 9-10. I added the fact that Barovia’s original world was Mystara, specifically located in the mountains north of Karameikos.<<<

• Strahd was a count, a prince, a soldier, and conqueror.
• His life was chiefly driven by a desire for revenge against his father’s enemies.
• He drove them into a high mountain valley and vanquished them. He renamed the region Barovia after his father Barov.
• With the help of wizards, he created Castle Ravenloft and named it after his mother Ravenovia.

• Strahd, fearing death, makes a pact with the Dark Powers in the Amber Temple.

• Mom reluctantly visited Strahd. She died on the way there.
• Sergei, Strahd’s younger brother and favored son of Ravenovia, moved in with Strahd. He met Tatyana, a local Barovian mayor’s daughter, and fell in love. Strahd coveted her.

• Sergei and Tatyana decided to get married.
• On the wedding day, Strahd killed Sergei, drank his blood, and sealed the pact with the Dark Powers of the Amber Temple. He pursued Tatyana throughout Ravenloft declaring his love to her. She hurled herself from the castle’s balcony.
• His own soldiers turned against him and shot Strahd with arrows. This would have killed him if he were still human. But the pact was sealed, and he was a vampire now. In pure rage, he slaughtered everyone in Castle Ravenloft that day.
• Strahd sealed his family in crypts within Ravenloft in grief.

• Barovia and its inhabitants ceased to exist in the mountains north of Karameikos. They no longer existed in Mystara at all. The land had become a pocket domain existing somewhere within the ethereal, between worlds.
• Strahd has been the jailor of his own prison ever since.

Day 20: The Gang went back to Vallaki and bullied the Burgermeister into giving them his wife’s wedding dress. Then returned to Krezk and gave it to the Abbot. The Abbot promised to cast Raise Dead for them.

Day 21: They went to Vallaki again. Bought a variety of potions from the local apothecary. Everything was 50gp, regardless of its stated powers. The Gang bought potions of healing, holy water, anti-charms, and maybe more. I told them to put little asterisks next to those potions in their inventory. Because they’re extra awesome. Yep, super powerful.

Day 22: The Gang went to Castle Ravenloft via Strahd’s stagecoach. It was anticlimactic, but The Gang did learn a little of what they’re up against. They only explored several rooms, but the first one had four red dragon wyrmlings lounging above. So that was nice. Strahd unceremoniously cut the dinner short since Moss was not there. They agreed to meet within a week.

[DM’s note: The player of Moss couldn’t make it that session and he’s important to this meeting. Also, I realized that I am unprepared to run this section. I need to map it and reread it.]

Day 23: The Gang returned to Vallaki, bougth cold weather gear, then they traveled to the Wizard of Wines. They spoke to Davian and got information on the Amber Temple and Tsolenka Pass.

Davian’s knowledge: Davian knew that the Kavani Tribe lived there. Unlike the Yester Hill Tribe, the Kavani do not worship Strahd. They mostly stayed hidden from others but have been known to ambush travelers on occasion. They can be cannibalistic. They lived in the foothills of Mount Ghakis but made pilgrimages to the Amber Temple. They have a legend of a Roc that lives near the peak of Mount Ghakis.

Day 24: The Gang left the winery for the Amber Temple but first they needed to travel through the foothills of Mount Ghakis where it was perpetually winter. The main feature of this area is Tsolenka Pass which features a gatehouse, guard tower, and bridge. [Significant changes here from the book]

The gatehouse had a closed portcullis with a curtain of green fire behind it. Mounted on top of the structure were two gargoyles. Directly behind the gatehouse is the guard tower, and hundreds of feet further down the road and out of view was the bridge.

The Gang approached the tower, the gargoyles animated and attacked. The gargoyles were easily defeated. The Gang climbed the wall to avoid the green fire. They decided to explore the guard tower.

Ground Floor: This was a long-abandoned hearth room. A shield bearing a silver dragon and two matching stone dragon statuettes were discovered. A crate held 20 silvered arrows and silvered chains.

Upper Floor: A cage in the center of the room with a werewolf chained to the floor with silvered chains. A desk with parchment. Everything seemed newer here in comparison to the rest of the area. The parchment contained notes; it seemed like someone was performing sadistic experiments that involved testing the pain threshold of the werewolf chained to the floor.

They talked to the weakened lycanthrope. His name was Emil and he was part of the pack of werewolves living in Barovia. Here was his story:

For centuries, the werewolves lived independently from Strahd. Recently, the old pack leader, Skennis, decided to step down. The new leader was Kiril, who soon after decided to swear allegiance to Strahd. In return for their obedience, the Werewolves, just like the Vistani, were allowed to leave Barovia whenever they wished.

Kiril decided to expand the pack by capturing children, forcing them to fight to the death, and then adopting the survivor into the pack. Many of the pack grumbled but said nothing. Emil did not stay silent and openly confronted Kiril. Emil was defeated and forced into captivity of Ludmilla, one of the “brides of Strahd.” She transported him to Tsolenka Pass where she has been performing sadistic experiments on him.

Boots thudded overhead, followed by a wolf's low growl. “She’s here,” Emil’s whispered, his face stricken with dread. “And she brought Woofie.”

Woofie walked down the stairs. His lower half had the bipedal legs of a werewolf hybrid. His upper half looked to be a dozen or so grotesque experiments successfully grafted together. Most notable was the large, poisoned scorpion stinger rising from the hump on its back.

Ludmilla appeared at the top of the stairs, her stern face a mask of hardened rage. “This foolish pact of Strahd ends here.” She moved forward with fangs and claws growing longer and sharper.

Elyrion rushed forward, willing the Sun Blade into existence. The Radiant light of the blade met Ludmilla’s enraged face, her expression changed to surprise, then to fear and pain as the holy light burned her visage. She retreated and disappeared up onto the roof of the guard tower.

The Gang made mincemeat of Woofie, then Elyrion rushed up the stairs in pursuit of Ludmilla and found nothing. She had disappeared.

After exploring the rest of the guard tower, the Gang decided to continue forward towards the Amber Temple. Emil refused to go, stating that going to the source of Strahd’s power was surely suicide. Persuasion and cajoling did not affect him. He promised that he would meet the Gang, should they survive, in three days (Day 27) at the crossroads southeast of Krezk, near the Raven River.

The Gang continued and crossed the bridge of Tsolenka Pass. There were huge archways on both sides of the bridge. A graceful dragon statue sat atop the near side of the archway, facing across the bridge. The matching one on the far side was broken; only the talons that clutched the stone arch remained.

After several hours of climbing switchbacks carved into the mountains, the Gang finally reached the frigid peak. They were on an unnaturally flattened plain, 100 yards ahead of them was a squat stone monastery attached to Ghakis Peak. The Peak itself is shaped like Half Dome in Yosemite. Pics for clarification:

END.​

 

[not-so-newguy]

Amber Temple, Old Windmill, Barovia Village.​

Elyrion/ Wood Elf/ 6th Level Rogue(Thief)
Grant/ Shifter/ 6th Level Ranger (Hunter)
Mamol/ Hill Dwarf/ 6th Level Twilight Cleric
Moss/ Human/ 6th Level Druid (Spores)
Sleeps/ Tabaxi/ 5th Level Monk (Open Hand)/ 1st Level Peace Cleric

Not present at the session:
Smugly/ Red Dragonborn/ 5th Level Monk (Open Hand)/ 1st Level Sorcerer or Wizard (can’t remember)

Hello Fireball, My Old Friend.​

Day 24: It had been a while since they could enjoy a normal conversation. The screaming winds coming out of the north shoved the Gang forward. The switchbacks had finally ended, and they reached the carved peak of Ghakis. With plenty of yelling and gesturing, they agreed to enter the squat stone structure up ahead.

The highest peak of the snowy mountain looked like some titan had chopped its pinnacle vertically down the middle, then sliced it halfway horizontally, removing a significant portion of the peak. The Gang was thus making their way across an unnaturally flat hemispherical plateau towards a sheer cliff. Extending from the center base of the cliff was a four-room structure seemingly carved out of a huge block of stone.

The Gang swung the double doors open and wedged pitons into the doors to ensure that they would stay open in case of emergency. Elyrion willed his Sun Blade’s light to its full brightness. The frigid hallway before them featured two doors on the left and right, with a fifth set of double doors at the far end of the hall.

Chiseled into the walls of the corridor was the same inscription in dozens of different languages:

"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 malevolent divinity.
Our arrogance and folly forged
this place into our prison.
Leave now, before our damnation becomes yours.”

Sitting up against the corner at the end of the hall was a dead body, covered in tattered robes. They could tell from its mummified features that it had been here for a great number of years, preserved by the cold climate of the mountain. A close inspection revealed that the corpse was likely a young man when he was alive. In one hand, he clutched an iron hammer. In the other, a dulled iron chisel.

The four rooms had crumbled furniture and broken wares. This seemed to be abandoned living quarters, complete with kitchen and dining room. They opened the double doors and discovered stairs going down beyond the edge of the Sun Blade’s light.

The stone staircase descended two hundred feet into Mount Ghakis. The stairs terminated in another hallway that was ten feet wide and tall, and fifty feet long.

On either side of the hallway, they saw elaborate carvings that depicted the monastery above, as well as a group of twenty humanoid figures. The figures were shown excavating a portion of the mountainside through magical means.

Further down the hallway, the carvings showed the construction of a massive underground structure, the Amber Temple itself.

Beyond that, the carvings showed the humanoid figures trapping evil-looking entities into large blocks of stone.

As the hallway progressed, the detail and care of the carvings began to degrade. The humanoid figures began to look like the evil entities they captured, and they began to attack and kill one another.

At the end of the hallway was one final carving, hastily scrawled. In it was one living humanoid figure, surrounded by evil faces all bearing down upon it. In one hand, the figure held a hammer; in the other, a chisel.

Beyond the hallway was a large natural cavern. At the far end of the cavern there was a pair of large amber doors, slightly ajar.

Moss and Elyrion approached the amber doors and peered through. On the other side of the doors was a twenty-foot-wide balcony made of black marble that extended to the left and right. From deep within the inky darkness directly ahead, a fiery light appeared. Before the pair could explore any further, the fiery light quickly grew exponentially, and they were subsequently engulfed in a fireball spell. They retreated to the group singed and shaken.

Mamol with his superior Dwarven Darkvision was next to peek through the amber doors. Again, he was hit with a fireball spell originating from directly ahead.

Finally Grant, taking the precaution to cast Pass Without Trace, took the lead. This time there was no fireball forthcoming. He explored a little further:

He discovered that the balcony overlooked a vast temple. Black marble staircases at each end of the balcony descended thirty feet down to the temple floor. He spotted the vaulted ceiling thirty feet above the balcony on which he stood. A set of amber doors were closed directly to the west, while open doors stood to the east. Finally, he could spot arrow slits along the walls to the left and right at the same height as the balcony. Three pairs of glowing orange eyes appeared in the arrow slits to the left. Fireballs spewed forth from each pair of glowing eyes. Grant managed to survive by sheer luck of the dice.

The Gang decided that it was in their best interest to busy themselves with something other than the Amber Temple. They returned to the Wizard of Wines by nightfall.

Soylent Dream Cakes​

Day 25: They awoke early in the morning fully healed (yay 5e) with a new destination, the Old Windmill. They traveled across the valley without incident. Several hours later, they were east of Vallaki. The Old Windmill was about fifteen minutes to the south.

Several ravens flew overhead, and Grant decided to commune with one (I forget the spell). Using the raven’s sight, the Ranger spotted the Old Windmill. The raven then flew back north along the Vallaki Road and spotted old Morgantha traveling south. The Gang decided to ambush her.

The five of them got the jump on her and managed to wrap her in chains. Morgantha’s features transformed into something fiendish, similar to Bilbo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring movie. After learning that Dream Cakes were made of children, they killed Morgantha. They traveled back to the Old Windmill.

Moss and Elyrion (I think) knocked and entered the Old Windmill. They discovered an elderly lady walking down the stairs. She smiled and nodded as she continued towards a barrel in the center of the room. They had a tense conversation while this was happening. It ended when the old lady knocked on the barrel three times and called towards the upstairs, “Oh Bella! Can you get down here?”

A small demon emerged from the barrel, a Dretch to be specific, and attacked the party. A fight ensued. Bella came down the stairs ten seconds later. The Dretch was easily dispatched. The Hags, for they were indeed Hags, turned invisible and escaped.

The Gang explored the Old Windmill and found evidence of grounded down children’s bones. Thay also discovered two children in cages. The Gang burned the windmill to the ground and escorted the children to the Village of Barovia.

Barovia Village Revisited​

Day 25 (late afternoon): They arrived in the Village and delivered the kids to Ismark. They had a brief conversation.

The Gang decided to go to Bildrath’s Mercantile and give persuasion another try. Madame Eva’s divination revealed that Bildrath’s nephew, Parriwimple, was the Gang’s “destined ally against Strahd,” whatever that means. They’ve already tried to persuade Parriwimple to join them once and failed once.

The Gang entered and exchanged pleasantries with Bildrath, then asked to talk to Parriwimple and he acquiesced. They talked to Parriwimple. I can’t remember the conversation, but the Gang walked away with Inspiration.

They returned to Bildrath. The Gang ended up striking a deal with the shop proprietor. The Gang would find and pay for two able bodied people to replace Parriwimple as Bildrath’s assistant.

The Gang will be 7th Level after their next Long Rest.

END SESSION​

 

[EthanSental]

The hello fireball had me singing the Simon and Garfunkel song in my head

 

[not-so-newguy]

I am taking a break from DMing CoS. Another player will be running Shadowrun 3rd edition tonight. I'm really looking forward to playing instead of running.

It's been about 10 months since I started Curse of Strahd. I'm realizing now that I typically get burnt out from DMing around 9 months. I'm certain that I will get the itch again to run a game, but right now DMing feels like a chore and I'm sure my game has suffered for it. Plus, I'm attempting a new career as a voice actor and I need to focus on that. It's taking up a lot of my mental bandwidth and time.

All that said, my next big post will be a summation of the campaign so far with some speculation on things to come. The second half of the campaign will start with the PCs finally having that dinner with Strahd. Cyrus, Strahd's chef, will provide a tour of Ravenloft after the dinner. It'll give the party a chance to "case the joint" with limited danger. They're 7th level now. Certainly powerful, but not ready to face Strahd in his full wrath.

 

[EthanSental]

Keep us in the loop when you DM again ir even any feedback on the Shadowrun sessions as our group never could pull more than 3 sessions of it at any given time.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Keep us in the loop when you DM again ir even any feedback on the Shadowrun sessions as our group never could pull more than 3 sessions of it at any given time.

Yeah, I'm looking through a pdf and it's complicated. Not sure how the new GM will pull it off.

I have to say that the whole premise and lore is great. It's like Bladerunner and D&D had a baby.

 

[not-so-newguy]

Shadowrun 3rd edition update:
The GM has a great grasp of the setting. Apparently, he's been collecting the books for decades. Some of them are still in their plastic cover. The rules are complex and we're probably "playing it wrong," but we're having fun with it. This is good break from the usual heroic fantasy that we typically run.

I'm playing the sample Drone Rigger that's in the book. It's set in the San Francisco Bay Area, year 2082. Our first mission is to extract a defecting scientist from within a corporation's headquarters and get her to safety. We begin tonight.

 

[not-so-newguy]

We're still playing shadowrun, but sessions are kinda sporadic.

Meanwhile, I'm still grinding away at prepping the second half of Curse of Strahd. The PCs will be 7th level when we restart. We'll kick off things with a Dinner with Strahd, which will lead to a curated Tour of Castle Ravenloft. Of course, I expect the PCs to take an unsanctioned tour of the place afterwards... but then again maybe not. The players like to be unpredictable.

Restart date is undetermined at this point. Probably December or January.

Anyway here are some pics of Castle Ravenloft. The book provides a bunch of 3D isometric maps which are very good, but I like having a simple 2D map on hand

Here be maps:

Spoiler

 

[not-so-newguy]

We will be restarting in December but I'm not sure how many sessions we can play during the holidays. I just started working on A Night in Ravenloft. This should be the first of several visits to the Castle. I'm hoping that the players will learn the layout this first time around.

The following is my write up of Dinner with Strahd within the Castle. I also compiled a bunch of pertinent Strahd info that I've created over the course of the campaign.

Cyrus Belview is hands down my favorite NPC to play, like ever. He is a cross between Sylvester the Cat, The Nerd from Robot Chicken, and Marty Feldman's Igor.

K10. Dining Hall p56 in CoS
Three large crystal chandeliers illuminate this magnificent chamber. Pillars of stone stand against white marble walls, supporting the ceiling.

In the center of the room, a long table is covered with a clean white satin cloth. Places are set for each of you with fine-china, silverware, and a crystal goblet filled with an amber liquid.

At the center of the far west wall, between floor-to-ceiling mirrors, stands a massive organ. Its pipes blare Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Seated at the organ, facing away from you, Escher pounds the keys in raptured ecstasy.

The rest of Strahd’s consorts sit at the table: Anastasia the Red, Volenta the Masked, and Ludmilla the White. Anastasia and Volenta turn towards the Gang as if your entrance has interrupted their conversation, while Ludmilla glares at the Rogue side-eyed with her sun scorched face. She has not forgotten your previous encounter at Tsolenka Pass. The final figure, Strahd, stands at the head of the table. Upon your entrance, he stretches out his arms in a welcoming gesture.

Strahd claps his hands twice and Escher abruptly stops playing. A deep silence falls over the dining hall.

“Welcome again to Castle Ravenloft!” Thunder is felt and heard. Without glancing back, he addresses Escher. “That’s enough of you. Go back to your room now.” Escher stands and walks past Strahd towards the bronze doors where you’re standing. The moment is awkward and stretches out. There’s a tension felt between Escher and Strahd as the former Bard walks across the dining room.

“Dead vamp walking,” Anastasia quips under her breath and Volenta giggles. Escher flinches at the comment and exits past you.

[Cyrus] “Watch the cart Escher! (under his breath) chump-ass bard.” The Bard goes up the stairs to the east.

“Please, please sit down. You must be hungry after your journey.”

Strahd claps a second time.

Cyrus rolls his squeaky cart into the dining room and rolls open the cloche which reveals roasted pig surrounded by savory vegetables, sweet fruits, and baked bread.

[Cyrus] “I fattened this pig up for the slaughter myself, I did.”

Strahd and his consorts laugh Dr Evil style. Thunder is felt and heard.

The organ appears locked in place and immovable, but a character who makes a successful DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices scratch marks on the floor that suggest that the organ can be slid outward. A character who tries pushing various keys and pedals discovers that one of the pedals, when depressed, causes the organ to slide outward about 2 feet, allowing access to a secret door in the back wall that swings open into area K11. Because this secret door is hidden behind the organ, it can't be found and opened until the organ is moved out of the way.



The Dinner: Tonight’s itinerary

• Cyrus can taste-test dinner for poison, if necessary. PCs are invited to use spells. The food is safe.
• Cyrus will provide a guided tour of the castle after dinner. The tour will be strictly limited to help ensure your safety. It should be mostly harmless.
• The Gang will then spend the night in the Guest Room. Feel free to explore the castle if you like, but it will be much more dangerous. The Pact will still stand.
• You are forbidden from taking anything from the Castle. Not a single coin. Discovery of theft will break the Pact.
• The following morning, when the Gang passes the draw bridge, Strahd’s Pact will end.

Review: The Pact

• Strahd, his consorts, and other vampire spawn will not attack you. This pact has held up with the sole exception of Ludmilla at Tsolenka Pass who quickly retreated after being damaged by the Sun Sword.
• This Pact will also be extended to Strahd’s Witches who you will soon meet.
• Traps and low intelligence minions will still be lethal.

Strahd Recap

Strahd quote from their first meeting (Recap “Divinations, Strahd, Vallaki”):

[Strahd monologuing] “…I have shown up now in force as a proof of concept. The concept being that I, along with my consorts, could defeat you soundly at any time and there would be nothing that you could do about it…”

“Yet I choose not to do so. I wish for peace, and I wish to prove to you (The Gang) and Ireena that I am a worthy man of reason.”

“Most importantly, I hope that Ireena will eventually see that the safest place is at my side.” Strahd spoke directly to Ireena, who was standing behind the Gang. “You are no mere bauble to be possessed, but the reincarnation of my lost bride Tatyana. Through the centuries I have lost you repeatedly, yet your soul always returns to Barovia. Always returns. I am now seeing the errors in my ways. I am not to take you. You are to choose to come to me without trickery on my part. I hope that I am worthy.”

“Eat [expletive], [expletive].” Ireena answered.

A look of pain crossed Strahd’s face, then he went on “your low opinion of me will change in time. As I was saying, my pacific appearance here is proof that I am choosing peace. In my castle, as we speak, preparations have just started. I hope everyone to spend the night there and dine with us. I will prove to you that you are safe while in my care. You can expect a written invitation when preparations are completed.

“Ireena, I understand that you do not trust me. I understand that you will probably not be there… this time. Perhaps in the future? For I hope that this upcoming dinner will merely be the first of many such meetings.”

How the World of Strahd functions

Clockwork Strahd:

• This info found in The Tome of Strahd which is in the Amber Temple
• About 400 years ago, He became a vampire
• Tatyana is reincarnated every 25 years.
• 200 years ago, Strahd began hibernating out of existential boredom between Tatyana’s iterations. Only waking on her birthday.
• He awakes with the sole purpose of possessing her.
• She’s Duncan Idaho and he’s the God Emperor.
• Ireena is the 9th iteration of Tatyana.
• Elves remember previous iterations of Ireena/Tatyana.
• A few of the eldest human inhabitants may remember the 8th iteration of her.
• The Cohorts prefer him in hibernation but do everything to stay in his good graces while he’s awake.
• Strahd regularly purges his cohorts. The time is drawing near when he will repeat this process.

Strahd’s Goals

• Get Ireena to come to him willingly.
• Replace current cohorts with 4 PCs. Turn other PCs into lower status Spawn.
• Stop the Dark Power from consuming all souls in Barovia. No soul means no nourishment for vampires.

Review: Madame Eva’s Divination

• Card: The Elementalist. The first card tells of history. Knowledge of the ancient will help you better understand your enemy… This item is hidden in a small castle beneath a mountain, guarded by amber giants. You believe the item is in the Amber Temple but you’re not exactly sure what it is. (DMs Note: It’s the Tome of Strahd.)
• Card: The Torturer. There is a town where all is not well. There you will find a house of corruption, and within, a dark room full of still ghosts. You found the Symbol of Ravenkind in the Valaki Mayor’s attic.
• Card: The Missionary. I see a garden dusted with snow, watched over by a scarecrow with a sackcloth grin. Look not to the garden but to the guardian. You found the Sun Sword within a scarecrow in a garden near Saint Markovia’s Abbey.
• Card: The Innocent. I see a young man with a kind heart. A motherless boy! He is strong in body but weak of mind. Seek him out in the Village of Barovia. You believe that this person is Perriwimple who is the nephew and servant of a merchant in Barovia Village. You have made a deal with the merchant to replace Perriwimple with two strong people. You’ve just persuaded two werewolves to be those people.
• Card: The Executioner. Your enemy is a creature of darkness, whose powers are beyond mortality. This last card will lead you to him… I see a dark figure on a balcony, looking down upon this tortured land with a twisted smile. That is all I can provide. The divination is finished. You haven’t talked about this one much.