The Durst Manor (Part 1)

Our session opens with our heroes finding they are trapped inside the elegantly appointed row house, the door locked and unable to be opened, the windows obscured by the thick, sinister fog that seemed as if it unnaturally herded them where it wanted them to go with no sign of the two children. As the wind howls outside, the group takes in their surroundings.  They notice a shield en-blazed with a stylized gold windmill on a red field.  Thixian comment that the house is nice looking inside, probably one of the nicest they have ever been in, while Velcar states that he feels the house is cursed. Thixian agrees that they should explore carefully, considering they know that there is a monster somewhere in the house. 

 

They make their way thru the first floor of the home, entering a main hall with a black marble fireplace on one end and a sweeping red marble staircase spiraling up towards the upper floors on the other. A longsword with a windmill cameo on the hilt hangs above the fireplace.  The walls are adorned with wood paneling that depicts vines and flowers with dancing satyrs and nymphs but upon closer examination, Anet notices that serpents and skulls are hidden within the design.  Thixian removes the sword from where it is mounted from to keep.  During a discussion as to who should keep the sword, Velcar reminds the party that they should keep their voices down as they are unaware of who or what might be in the house. Velcar also notes that for a house that seems derelict from the outside, it is very clean and nicely furnished on the inside, which strikes him as odd. 

Finding nothing more of interest in the hall, the party passes thru a set of doors that brings them into what appears to be the kitchen, counters contain various cookware items the pantry holds various food stuffs and a stove and a dumbwaiter are in the back corner of the room.  Valcar makes the observation that there's plenty of fresh food in the home, meaning that someone must be living in the home.  Anet decides to investigate the food to see if it's safe to eat, taking a tiny nibble of what appears to be beef jerky.  He quickly realizes that while the food may look fresh, it's very stale in taste.  He also gets a feeling that the meat that he tried isn't beef - he has a feeling that it might be human flesh.  He tries to give some of the meat to Ava, the owlbear, who quickly turns away from the proffered food and wanders away.  Velcar quickly leaves the room after having gotten a strong whiff of garlic which turns his stomach. The other three, disgusted by the human flesh jerky, follow behind Velcar. 

They follow Velcar into an ornately decorated dining room with a table set for 8, a exquisite meal set out on the mahogany table, and wood paneling covers the walls.  Ava again decides to examine the food, this time avoiding tasting it.  As he investigates, the food changes before his eyes - the meat suddenly becomes rotted and infested with maggots, the bread become moldy and full of weevils. Valcar tells the party that there is something off with the house, that it appears that it's well kept and the food is fresh but that it isn't.  He knows something isn't right with the house and he is becoming uneasy with it, feeling that there's much more going on then just a monster in the basement and a missing baby.  Thixian agrees - "Things it seems is not what it seems.  Take things with a grain of salt."  

Valcar places his hand upon the table, closing his eyes to use his senses to see if anyone has sat at the table recently. He tells the party there appears to be a glamour over the house and that he feels nobody has been at the table, let alone in the house, for a very long time.  What they are seeing is simply a facade and they should all be on high alert while moving thru the house. In agreement, Thixian states that the house is definitely more than it seems.

Before leaving the room, Ava decides to check the paneling again and notes that what seems a simple motif of deer walking among the trees of a forest holds a more sinister motif - twisted faces are carved in the trunks of the trees and hungry wolves lurk within their shadows, ready to snap at an unsuspecting doe as it walks by. 

Moving on from the dining room, the party enters what appears to be a hunter's den.  Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, and wooden goblets. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag’s head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves, and two cabinets are against the walls of the room. The wolves instantly put the party at unease, Velcar noting that they are very large in size, like Direwolves. Anet immediately examines the wolves but finds they are only stuffed wolves, their gaze on the center of the room. 

Velcar sits in one of the padded chairs, pulling out a pipe to have a few puffs while he closes his eyes and "feels" the room.  The feeling that something has changed with the wolves comes over him, he opens his eyes and sees that the gaze of the animals has shifted to looking where Velcar is now sitting. Keeping their eyes on the wolves, Anet and Thixian quickly search the cabinets.  They find the first cabinet to be unlocked, which they find a deck of cards (which Thixian quickly pockets) as well as wine goblets.  Anet uses his skills to unlock the second cabinet and they find an assortment of crossbows and bolts for each. They also find a small glass ball sitting upon a piece of parchment.  Upon the parchment is written two things - the word "Hope" and the phrase "The Sun Doth Rise". Anet recognizes the globe as a driftglobe which upon speaking the words, will emit either light or sunlight. Velcar again examines one of the wolves - he notices that as he looks away, the gaze of the wolf shifts, this time looking directly at him while the others have once again began looking at the center of the room.   

Velcar picks an apple from a bowl of fruit found on one of the tables.. He sniffs it and finds that even with his heightened sense of smell, it smells of nothing. He crushes the apple in his hand, the juices running down his arm but still, it emits no aroma.  Thixian, watching Velcar crush the apple, hesitantly laughs and comments to remind him never to anger Velcar as he would not like for that to be his head. 

As they move on, Anet notes that the wolves appear to watch them as they walk out of the room.

Ascending up the stairs to the second floor, they enter a great hall. Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn, whom the party recognize as being the two children from outside. Cradled in the father’s arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn.  Velcar tells the party to "Stay Frosty". Standing suits of armor flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. Velcar lights the fireplace to light the room. Anet is uncomfortable with the suits of armor after the unnatural happening with the wolves downstairs but the armor only stands looking out into the room. 

Finding nothing of interest, they move into what appears to be a music room -gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments. A harpsichord with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp.  Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece.

Thixian, musician blood in his veins, is quiet happy in this room and begins to check out the harp while Anet investigates the harpsichord.  Anet picks up a piece of parchment which turns out to be a piece of music entitled "For Elizabeth". As his fingers touch the paper, a sweet melody begins to automatically play upon the instrument. When the music ends, they finger the keys of the instrument but no notes emit from it. When they look inside, they note that the strings of the instrument has been cut.  

Velcar sits at the instrument, trying to use his senses.  However, he feels something brush against his leg and hears a soft whimper. Upon looking under the bench, he finds a small dog, very scared, shivering under him. The brings out a piece of biscuit to offer the dog.  The dog gratefully takes the proffered treat, allowing Velcar to pick him up.  The collar on his neck reveals the name "Lancelot".  Velcar gives the pup some friendly affection to which the dog is receptive to. Upon placing the dog back on the floor, the dog stays closely at Velcar's feet. 

Thixian takes the sheet music that was found by Anet, finding it was written by a Gustaf Durst.  He takes the music to the harp and plays the song on the harp.  It is indeed the same music that was played by the harpsichord. They look to see if there was any changes to the room upon playing the song, but there are no changes to be seen.  Leaving the harp, Thixian then examines the figurines on the fireplace mantel, observing that several are carvings of well-dressed skeletons among the other dancers. 

They leave the room, with Lancelot following closely behind Velcar's heels. Velcar distances himself from the party, seeming to be avoiding Thixian more than the rest. 

They enter a library. Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves. The desk has several items resting atop it: an oil lamp, a jar of ink, a quill pen, a tinderbox, and a letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank sheets of parchment, and a wooden seal bearing the Durst family’s insignia.

Anet searches the desk, finding a drawer. Upon opening the drawer, he finds an iron key.  He also finds a small piece of parchment that reads "Bullwarton's words can open the way".  Anet moves on to the bookshelves.  In a sea of brown and black books, a red spined book titled "An Architect's Way", written by Archibald Bulwarton catches his attention. When he tries to remove the book from the shelf, he hears a click and a secret passage is exposed in the wall.

The secret room contains bookshelves packed with tomes describing fiend-summoning rituals and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the Priests of Osybus. A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in leather armor.  Three darts are stuck in the dead adventurer’s armor.  Anet orders HALO to open the chest since he's basically armor.  He notes that the skeleton appears to the human, and in his hands is clutched a letter. 

It reads:
 

My most pathetic servant,

I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.

You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a bastard son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.

Your dread lord and master,

Strahd von Zarovich

 

Thixian begins to put the pieces together, that Walter is not the mistress of the house but must be the child of Mr Durst with a member of the help. 

The chest itself contains three blank books with black leather covers, three spell scrolls (bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon), a will, the deed to the house, and the deed to a windmill found in the mountians east of Vallaki. The will is signed by Gustav and Elisabeth Durst and bequeathes the house, the windmill, and all other family property to Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst in the event of their parents’ deaths.

 While HALO and Anet are examining the chest, Thixian examines the books on the bookshelf. A book entitled "The History of Thixian" catches his attention. He pulls the book down and begins to read a narration of his life.  The final page reads "He pulled the book down from the shelf and begins to read, unaware of the creature that watched him from the shadows.  Slowly, the beast began to creep forward." The next page is blank, save for a bloodstain two thirds down the page.  Thixian turns and looks around the room, but there is no indication that there is any other creature in the room. Thixian quickly throws the book across the room.

The letter that was found is handed to Velcar who after reading the letter takes out another piece of parchment from his bag and begins to compare the seal and the handwriting to the letter that he was given in the tavern back in the Sword Coast. He notes that both match exactly, however, the previous letter was signed Kolyan Indirovich with the title Burgomaster while the new letter is written by a Strahd von Zarovich.  He notes about the letter opening - My most pathetic servant - and states that this guy (Strand von Zarovich) is quite a piece of work. 

 A search of the next room finds only servant quarters with nothing of interest to be found. 

Leaving the servant quarters, the party ascends the red staircase, making their way to the third floor.  A cold draft blows down the stairs and they find themselves onto a balcony landing.  The third floor is noticeably different from the first two floors - cobwebs cover the walls and furnishings and a thick layer of dust carpets the floor and surfaces.  Velcar, who had previously told the party to "Stay Frosty", wanders up to a black suit of armor who reaches out, grabs Velcar by the hair and delivers to him a strong sucker punch.

 

 The animated armor fights the party, but the party manages to dodge it's punches and avoid any real damage.  HALO manages to get several good strikes with his great axe upon the foe, crushing in the armor and managing to damage one of the armor's arms.  Thixian wisely uses Vicious Mockery, shouting "You son of a slack sworded crook, I WOUND THEE", using words as a weapon.  Velcar, having taken the sucker punch to the jaw, puts distance between him and the armor, barely missing being hit in the back as he retreats, pulls out his longbow and delivers an arrow to it's helm, separating the helm from the body.  The armor sinks to the floor, defeated. 

Velcar looks around and shares his thoughts with his companions - "This place tries to give the facade that it is homely and pleasant, but in reality it's actually hell."  He continues that it could be a representation of Barovia.

After regaining their breath following the battle, the heroes continue to explore the third floor. They find themselves in the master bedroom. The dusty, cobweb-filled room has burgundy drapes covering the windows, a four-poster bed with embroidered curtains and tattered gossamer veils, a matching pair of empty wardrobes, a vanity with a wood-framed mirror and jewelry box, and a padded chair. A rotting tiger-skin rug lies on the floor in front of the fireplace, which has a dust-covered portrait of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst hanging above it. 

Upon entering the room, they also find a man hanging from a noose, well dressed in appearance, a letter clutches in his hands.  The party immediately recognizes this to be Gustaf Durst, the patriarch of the household seen in the portrait of the family, who has taken his own life. Thixian removes the letter from his hand carefully and reads:

My Beloved Children,

I wish I could do what all fathers do and tell you that monsters aren't real.  But it wouldn't be true.

Life can create things of exquisite beauty.  But it can also twist them into hideous beings.  Selfish.  Violent.  Grotesque.  Monstrous.  It hurts me to say that your mother has turned into once such monster, inside and out.  And I'm afraid the disease that afflicted her mind has taken hold of me as well. 

It sickens me to think what we've put you through.  There is no excuse.  I only ask you, though I know I have not the right to do so, to try and forgive us.  I despise what your mother has become, but I love and pity her all the same.  

Rose, I wish I could see you blossom into a strong, beautiful woman.  Thorn and Walter, I wish I could be there for you.  But I can't.  This is the only way.

Goodbye 

Sadness comes over the party.  Thixian states that he feels that the mother became a monster over her jealousy of the birth of Walter.  

Thixian checks the jewelry box on the vanity and finds some pieces of jewelry as well as another letter, written in a feminine, flowy script.

My Dear Ms Petrovna, 

Your advice on dealing with the unwanted fiend in my home is quiet good advice indeed.  Tonight's ceremony will proceed as planned when the moon is at its highest peak - without, of course, the attendance of Mr Durst.  I must agree with you that, with the assistance of such a remarkable innocent subject, the results of our proceedings may be far improved.  "Innocent," of course, is not quite the term I would use.

If nothing else, I am relieved that I shall soon no longer have to suffer the harlot's insufferable presence each time we must pass through her quarters to our meeting-space.  We shall be well rid of her indeed.

 

My Thanks,

Mrs. Elisabeth Durst  

 

 Thixian puts more pieces together, saying this proves the child, Walter, is definitely not her child and must be one of the servants and that Mrs Durst is a very jealous woman. He wonders if either of the parents are in the basement, as Mr Durst is hanging beside the bed, making him question if the mother is also not in the basement. He also questions about the ritual referred to in the letter, wondering what is going on.

The next room reveals elegantly appointed bedroom and an adjoining nursery.  Like other rooms on the third floor, the room is covered in dust and cobwebs, and doors open to a balcony overlooking the front of the house. This bedroom once belonged to the family’s nursemaid. Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like ivy and berries.

The nursery contains a crib covered with a hanging black shroud. Velcar pulls back the black shroud to expose a black bundle, the size of a baby.  Before he can reach for it, a specter of the nursemaid appears. She holds a finger to her lips and whispers "Hush, the baby is sleeping".  Velcar nods at her and looks down upon the bundle, he looks back up and the specter vanishes, but her image appears reflected in the crib looking back at the party.   Velcar unwraps the swaddling, to find nothing inside.  The specter looks back at the party, motioning for them to follow, through the mirror.

Thixian feels something is strange about the mirror and investigates it.  As he feels around, he notes that the mirror swings out and exposes a hidden doorway. They enter the hallway behind the mirror, coming to a door locked with a padlock.  Anet takes the key found in the library and finds that it fits the lock.  Cautiously, they open the door and enter an attic room. 

This room contains a bricked-up window flanked by two dusty, wood-framed beds sized for children. Closer to the door is a toy chest with windmills painted on its sides and a dollhouse that’s a perfect replica of the dreary edifice which they stand.  These furnishings are draped in cobwebs. Lying in the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing. The smaller of the two cradles a stuffed doll that they also recognize.

 

Again, a feeling of sadness floods the heroes as they realize that these two skeletons are the two children, Rose and Thorn.  Even the stoic Velcar is visibly affected by the sight before him.  

Thixian walks over to look at the dollhouse when a voice booms thru the room - "Please don't touch our stuff".. The two children appear before the party, holding hands, Thorn clutching the doll that he was holding outside the house.

 

 The children look at them, asking why they have come.  Thixian answers that they children told them to come, to look for Walter.  They reply "We do not know you and we do not speak of Walter."  Velcar asks if it wasn't them that they spoke to outside the house, who did they speak to.  The children rely they do not know, but that their mom told them to stay in their room.  They describe how their mother locked them in the room while she dealt with the monster, but they had been forgotten, growing weak from starvation until they finally died, side by side, on the floor where their skeletal remains still lie. Their souls cannot leave the house, as the curse upon the house keeps them where they are.   Rose continues to tell a tale of a mother who wanted immortality, and who continued to perform rituals on unsupsecting individuals who were lured into the house. However, instead of obtaining inmortality, she created a monster.  Thixian states they have come to destroy the monster.  Upon asking how to get the monster, Rose tells him he must go to the basement.  However, Rose and Thorn decide they would prefer the party stay with them upstairs for eternity. 

 As the players explain that they wish to help the kids by releasing them by defeating the monster, the kids continue to ask them to stay with them.  When they are denied, Thorn walks over to Valcar, trying to take him by the hand.  A wave of cold comes over Velcar and he pulls his hand away.  Thorn, upset by this, suddenly lunges at Velcar and Velcar gets the feeling that Thorn has tried to take possession of him, but Thorn passes thru him, a feeling of cold passing thru his body. 

Rose looks at the party and asks if they think they can defeat the monster.  The party assures her that they can. When asked how to enter the basement, Rose points to the dollhouse.  Upon examination of the dollhouse, which shows each room that they have passed thru, including the attic they now stand.  Little dolls stand in the attic, the likeness to each character apparent, as well as Rose and Thorn, including their skeletons on the floor.  Beyond Rose, in the back corner of the attic, they see a spiral staircase that leads down to the basement of the house. 

Thixian makes a solomn promise to Rose that they will defeat the monster and put the two children to rest. Sad expressions fall upon the faces of the children and they nod and only whisper "Good Luck" before disappearing, leaving the party standing alone in the attic. 

To Be Continued.......