Road to the Death House
Ambience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eePl-I8heFc&t=3221s&ab_channel=SwordCoastSoundscapes
Music when seeing the hamlet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1WpoZR9YI&t=317s&ab_channel=MABMusicTTRPG
Gates of Barovia
The fog spills out of the forest to swallow up the road behind you. Ahead, jutting from the impenetrable woods on both sides of the road, are high stone buttresses looming gray in the fog. Huge iron gates hang on the stonework. Dew clings with cold tenacity to the rusted bars. Two headless statues of armed guardians flank the gate, their heads now lying among the weeds at their feet. They greet you only with silence.
Old Svalich Road
Black pools of water stand like dark mirrors in and around the muddy roadway. Giant trees loom on both sides of the road, their branches clawing at the mist. The towering trees, whose tops are lost in heavy gray mist, block out all but a death-gray light. The tree trunks are unnaturally close to one another, and the woods have the silence of a forgotten grave, yet exude the feeling of an unvoiced scream.
The players can roll a perception check. On a success, one of the players notices 'a scent of death in the air'. Following the trail yields the following result:
The foul scent leads you to a human corpse half-buried in the underbrush about fifty feet from the road. The young man appears to be a commoner. His muddy clothes are torn and raked with claw marks. Crows have been at the body, which is surrounded by paw prints. The man has obviously been dead for several days. He holds a crumpled envelope in one hand.
The man, Dalvan Olensky, has a letter. It has been torn, but something can be visible: the words "do not return to these lands" and "all is lost" and "call upon your holy men, and let them encircle this land with a seal, so that none can enter."
If players linger in the woods, they hear wolves, who visit soon...
When going further, it begins to rain.
Forgotten Hamlet
In the distance, the players see a hamlet, partially overgrown by the forests around. A sign showing the hamlet's name has been long rotten and is unreadable. Two children stand outside a large manor; holding a lamp.
This can be illustrated in the next image:
https://jamesrpgart.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Death-House-Thumbnail.jpg
The Death House
Ambience for the Death House:
Main: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOTyzCntzJo&t=205s&ab_channel=SwordCoastSoundscapes
Dungeon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqUiXz1tcmM&t=1269s&ab_channel=SwordCoastSoundscapes
For the Death House, i use the following resources:
Curse of Strahd - Death House: https://5e.tools/adventure.html#cos,19
Dragnacarta's Death House: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EzxgIETC_sjVpKxrBFJ1NB64wfq13QwL/view
2. Main Hall
In addition to its normal carvings, the wood walls present the image of a tanned man with antlers, green eyes, elven ears and long, dark hair (Oberon, Patron of Arculeus). The creatures makes a gesture of giving something to three spirit-like beings (olive, green and grey a gem to each of them.
8. Library
Rock names: Granite, Basalt, Limestone, Sandstone, Diabase, Marble, Gneiss
The key to the Children's Room is not here, so the door in the attic will have to be lockpicked.
9. Secret Room
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 basterd 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
Secret Room Treasure:
Three blank books with black leather covers (worth 25 gp each)
Two spell scrolls: bless and identify.
A small vial of werewolf blood
Deed to the windmill and house
Will of the Durst Family
10. Conservatory
Song of Elizabeth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXNNzUKrtq4&ab_channel=LucasKing
Lancelot is a small pug.
11. Balcony
Combat music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB82NWiZyAc&ab_channel=FrancisBoninMusic
May play this when seeing all of the cobwebs and non-clean stuff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaHUz4-G4x0&ab_channel=kensukeushio-Topic
The Animated Armor has 40 hit points. Its attacks are AoE, and can hit up to 2 creatures standing in front of it. It makes the two attacks at two different initiatives; and can move up to half its speed at these initiatives too.
14. Storage Room
Instead of one, there may be up to two Animated Brooms.
15. Nursemaid's Suite
I will run the Alien Encounter.
20. Children's Room
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOI1ZtV_T5g&ab_channel=UploadAgraphKensukeUshio
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 in which you stand. These furnishings are draped in cobwebs. Slumped on the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing, clutching each other. The smaller of the two cradles a stuffed doll that you also recognize.
The characters can hold a short rest here.
21. Secret Stairs (to Dungeon)
Ambience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqUiXz1tcmM&t=1273s&ab_channel=SwordCoastSoundscapes
The players level up to Level 2.
Rose and Thorn's grandparents are called Vikog and Malza
29. Ghoulish Encounter
There are 7 ghouls instead, 3 of which join the second round.
The mimic joined this encounter, and is dead.
31. Darklord's Shrine
The shadows may deal lowered damage (1d6 + 2).
The party may prepare for the shadows.
As a creature begins to go towards the orb, its shadow tries to escape.
34. Cult Leader's Quarters
A burst open grave is behind the wardrobe of demonic faces.
Mrs. Durst is not here, but instead with Walter.
The treasure is from different make and from earlier adventurers.
Treasure (foot locker)
Horn of Silent Alarm (from an ox) (1 charge left)
3 Healing Potions, 1 Greater Healing Potion
A Mess Kit
A Flask of Alchemist Fire
A Bullseye Lantern
A silver ring worth 20 gp
A pouch holding 73 gp and 223 sp
Hidden Bottom: Spellbook with Disguise Self, Magic Missile, Darkvision, Magic Weapon
Hidden Bottom: Book of Vistani Curses (thieves' cant)
Treasure (demonic face wardrobe)
Cloak of Many Fasions
Gloves of Swimming and Climbing
Set of Black Studded Leather Armor
Pigs with horns in Iskivar
36. Prison
Elizabeth is in the prison. She has 50 hp, 2 turns, and is salty about Walter's experiment going wrong.
38. Ritual Chamber
Music for Walter's Rise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ69RZuayK8&ab_channel=PJSmooth
Battle music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFcpLPBGHqg&t=69s&ab_channel=Spellscapes
The smooth masonry walls of this forty-foot-square room provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. A heavy blanket of mist rolls off the dias. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood. A small, white bundle lies atop it, surrounded by pulsating, fleshy tendrils. The tendrils run to a breach in the far wall that leads to a dark cave, their fleshy masses connecting to a dark, hulking shadow that lies within, its bloated mass rising and falling with a slow, shuddering rhythm.
As soon as you step foot into the chamber, the ghostly chanting you've heard suddenly falls silent.
Next, Cultist Shadows call: "One must die! One must die!" as the tendrils begin to twitch. If one is killed here, the beast is sated, and all doors open. The players can leave the house. If nobody dies, the writhing mass of bones and flesh rises, and Walter's boss fight begins:
Rose and Thorn's visages appear for Letov and Phant (residuals), and scream loudly: "Quick! You have to run!"
The portcullis locks shut.
Lair Actions
Shadows from the cultists that sap strength
Water restrain
After Walter is dead, the Death House slowly begins to crumble. The water becomes grips that try to hold them tight. It has come alife to kill the players, as described in DragnaCarta's guide. The Wolves of the Wolves' Den are animated, and have those statistics. One is headless. A creature that stays in the Death House finds their demise there.
Death House Epilogue
Music while leaving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Luq05JxH0Ns&ab_channel=ChainsawManMusicCollection OR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbCe_L_hXi0
The nursemaid waves from atop the house to thank the players.
The players level up to Level 3.
Muriel is outside of the death house (raven with blue-tipped feathers). She takes a quick peek at the characters and follows them through the Svalich Woods.
About an hour later, the players see a basket on the road. It holds fresh food for a day, a bottle of Purple Dragon Crush, 2 greater healing potions, and a letter from Strahd:
Dearest Visitors,
My eyes and ears have taken notice of your exploits at a certain mansion at the edge of my domain. Your efforts in clearing out that eyesore are much appriciated.
Welcome to Barovia. I hope that you will find your stay most pleasing.
Your host,
Strahd von Zarovich
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