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Strahd’s Tell-Tale Heart

Curse of Strahd 

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Session 72 – 2022-10-01

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We start off by searching around. Moving south in the room, the rest of the room is more of the same. There is an opening in the southern wall near the center. On the eastern wall, in the alcove spotted already, Rinn can see a semi transparent barrier. On the other side there appear to be windows. From here, he can see lightning in the distance. He moved to that alcove to study it more closely. There are tall stained glass windows on the eastern wall and two coffins resting atop marble slabs. The slabs have some writing on them. Rinn moves to the alcove and tests the stairs leading down into the area and the barrier carefully. Finding no traps and determining that he can pass through the barrier, he entered the room. There is no sound in the room. Moving to the windows, he is unable to see out of them clearly because they are stained glass. He came see streaks of lightning and the occasional shadow flies by quickly. It appears the battle outside still rages. He moved to the coffins and begins to check them out. He calls back to Haldar that it appears safe too come in. He doesn’t respond. Rinn tries to message him using the spell of that name, still he doesn’t seem to respond. Haldar tries to enter the room but is unable. He attempts to use his shield to break the barrier. It passes through until his hand reaches the barrier. The shields can pass through but Haldar can’t. He shrugs his shoulders at Rinn. Rinn begins looking for some sort of switch or leaver on the inside that would open or remove the force barrier. He finds none. Snoggly tries and is likewise blocked.

Rinn checks the writing on the coffin’s. On the northern coffin, it reads. “King Barov Von-Zarovich”. Checkling the writing on the second coffin, it reads “Queen Ravenovia Van Roeyen”. Clearly, these are Strahd’s father and mother. Looking out of the windows again, he can see that we are in an outcropping, within the pillar stone about a thousand feet above Barovia Village. Misty approached the next passage which leads to a stone door. There is writing above the door reading “Alestra Amastacia, Bride to be!”. Misty can see further south now. Rinn leaves the coffin chamber and relays what he’s seen. Danika asks if we can use the windows in this room to get the rest out of here. Rinn told her that it a thousand foot drop out of those windows. She holds out her wings indicating that she can get people down fro here. Rinn asked her, if she can get through the barrier, but she couldn’t. Rinn then tried to carry her through the barrier, but it wouldn’t allow her to pass through the barrier even then. We tried to use the Sunsword to effectively cancel the barrier. It had no effect. We keep looking but find nothing. Rinn approaches Arabelle, asks her, knowing she can sense Strahd in this castle, is she able to sense his sister Alestra? She took Rinn’s hands and concentrated but couldn’t since Alestra anywhere. He thanked her. Luvash tells us that Vistani women that gain the sight usually can control it well until adulthood. Snoggly asked Piddlewick if he knew a way to walk through the barrier. Piddlewick proceeded to walk through the barrier and turned to indicate that you just walk through it. We went over everything we had seen so far and couldn’t think of anything we’d missed. 

We moved further south. Rinn caught up with Misty at the next crypt further south. Seeing that it is possibly the final resting place of Alestra, Rinn began trying to get in. He checked it and then opened it. Inside he sees a crypt that is elegantly festooned with fine jewelry and delicate vale’s hanging as if are floating in the air. A 3x6 foot bier of marble is centered in the chamber with a beautiful Eleven woman laying peacefully with her hands folded upon her abdomen holding a bouquet of wilting flowers like those found in the high forest of Faerun. At the base of the bier lays an envelope.  Rinn moves to check her to see if she is alive. She appears to be quite dead. He opens the envelope and reads it’s contents. It has a capital letter “B” at the top of the letter and it says, “You’ll find the Elven woman in the prearranged room in the Copper Kettle. She is heavily sedated, and she is unharmed and uncompromised as you requested. There is a tincture on the night table that should arouse her enough to be guided out the front as a young lady that has simply imbibed to heavily. My people will be sure the guards look the other way. Leave the remainder of the agreed upon payment there. Do not cross the guild, for I assure you that we know where to find you and your kind. Despite your bravado, I assure you that permanent death is quite easily arranged.”. The signature is “R. B.”. 

Rinn remembers that the Copper Kettle is a tavern in Baldur’s Gate. There is a thieves guild at the Copper Kettle called the Fire Knives and their leader is a person named Renal Bloodscalp. Renal is somewhat associated with people in Waterdeep. Rinn also notices the jewelry in this room is jewelry that his family made. Either she had it with her or it may even go deeper than his sister. Rinn asks Kyana to check her, “Is she under the effects of some sort of spell or potion?”. Kyanna checks her and tells him she appears to be dead. Rinn asked if she can tell how long she’s been dead. She shows no sign of decay so it must have been very recent. Rinn inspected her for visible wounds. We find nothing but healed over puncture wounds like those inflicted by a vampire but they are weeks old. Kyanna told Rinn that we know where she is at. After we finish dealing with Strahd, we can take her to someone who can resurrect her. Rinn kisses her on the forehead and backs out of the room, closing it off. Rinn stood here, lost and unable to clearly focus on a way forward. 

Misty moved to the West side of the chamber to check the crypt for writing. It said, “Ivan Ivalscovich, Champion of Winter Dog Racing. The race may go to the swift, but vengeance is for the losers relatives.”. Next to that is an opening with a large spiral staircase going up. Misty moved south and to another crypt. The door read, “Sir Jonwald the Trickster, The joke was on him!”. She moved all the way south and looked back across the chamber. She saw a portcullis in the center of the south wall. Misty stealths to that opening and peaks around the corner. She sees a staircase going down into darkness and peering up from the darkness was a pair of red orbs. She starts to feel drawn to them. Her will and her better sense of survival kicks in and she decides to back away from it. As she does, she gets a sense that what she had seen was unnatural. She maps out a plan to get safely back to the rest of the party but the DM has other plans. As she begins to execute the plan, she suddenly finds herself flat on her back in a total darkness within some sort of container like a bios, which she surmises is a coffin. Even her dark vision is useless here as there is no light at all. Everywhere she reaches, she finds a barrier of wood.

Meanwhile, checking back with the rest of the party, Rinn was sullen and appeared lost in thought. Zanfyr, looked back and saw that Danika and Luvash and the rest are gathered at the magical barrier. Rinn moved to Piddlewick and pointed out that Danika is trying to get the others to safety. She is seeking a window that would allow them to leave. He asked, “Is there another window somewhere down here that we can use to leave?”. Piddlewick only points back to the chamber beyond the barrier. Snoggly and Zanfyr hear some clanking as something armored is approaching. Zanfyr alerts the rest. Rinn had already moved beyond the barrier and didn’t hear this. He realizes that in this chamber, he can’t hear a thing, even noises he attempts to make. Haldar see’s an undead thing moving from the west and south in their direction. He puts it down quickly. Haldar follow it’s path back from where it came, realizing that Misty was off in that direction, to see where she is. 

Misty is trying to dig her way out of the box she is in. As Haldar moves south, he eventually finds the portcullis opening to the south and moves down towards it. Before he gets to it, he suddenly disappears from this room and finds himself in a box as well. He takes out a dagger and begins digging and prying at the wood. Rinn opens King Barov’s coffin and finds a body, very well preserved. He finds a gauntlet on his hand. He is so well preserved, he looks as though he could just open his eyes and sit straight up as if he were simply sleeping. He checks the inside for any switch that might deactivate the barrier. Meanwhile, Misty keeps digging on the top of the box, banging on it, trying to get out. Haldar begins banging on the top of his box and trying to pry it open.  Haldar hears the shredding and tearing of wood. Rinn does not find any switches or mechanisms in the King’s coffin so he moves to the Queen’s coffin and opens it to check it. Zanfyr and Snoggly hear more footsteps like before. A metallic clanging followed by scraping as if the metal was then being dragged. He alerts the rest of the group.

Back in the coffin room, Misty successfully escapes her coffin to stand on it and gaze about the room. It’s putrid smelling and she can hear some banging. She pulls out a bullseye lantern to see what she can. The room is full of coffins. Haldar see’s the light as it beams in his general direction. He quiets and listens. She guesses where the banging was coming from and looks down to get down and cross the room but the room is full of water, about a foot deep. The kitty doesn’t like the water. She jumps from coffin to coffin, heading in the general direction of the noise. Haldar can hear some light foot falls  on wood that seems to be getting a little closer. The light appears to be moving with the thumping. Misty see’s a ladder that goes up on the north wall of the room. 

Zanfyr turns to see an undead soldier coming up behind him. He runs up to him and takes a bite out of him. He gets a mouth full of wight. The dusk elf runs up and attacks with a melee weapon. Ezmerelda pulls out a cross bow as she moves around to get a vantage point on it. The Wight attacks Zanfyr and misses but hits on his second attack. Kyanna moves to where she has a clear line of sight on it and hits it for a lot of damage. Piddlewick moves up and hits it. Zanfyr attacks and misses it. The Dusk Elf take it out. Rinn see’s a complete skeleton dressed in the purple robes with gold trim. He searches her coffin for anything that might control the barrier. He doesn’t find anything.   

All of the coffins in the room except the two that Misty and Haldar populate burst open. Even the one under Misty as she’s moved to an occupied coffin. Haldar increases his effort to bust out of the coffin he is in and springs to his feet, jumps down to the half foot to a foot of water. The water is full of bones as well. He noted the ladder on the northern wall. He see’s a confused looking Tabaxi standing on one of the coffins. The undead he determines, are Wights. He casts Zepher Strike. Misty see’s Haldar across the room. She runs across the room to get to the ladder. The Wight behind her attacks and misses. She makes it too the ladder and jumps up the the first few rungs, waiting there for Haldar to catch up, in case he needs her. There are 14 Wights in all. Haldar moves across the room and climbs the stones that are slimy and sticking out of the wall. Misty chases up behind him and they leave the wights behind, climbing out of this room. It’s about a forty foot climb emerging into a 10 foot square crypt. There is a stone door enclosing them in the crypt. They open the crypt and get out and close it back up.

Rinn comes out of the room and tells them that he can find no way to open the barrier. He finds out that they were attacked by a couple of Wights while he was behind the barrier. Haldar and Misty approach the group from the northwest and let them know that a bunch of wights are coming out of lone of the crypts soon. Misty, Haldar, and Kyanna move back to watch the crypt the wights would be coming from. Snoggly asked what Rinn did see in the coffins. He describes the gauntlet, the conditions of the corpses. Snoggly asked he he had tried to remove the gauntlet. Rinn told him that he was trying not to desecrate the corpses but thought again about it and returned to the room to retrieve the gauntlet. He removed the gauntlet from the kings hand and checks him for anything else. He opens the robe to see what else it might be hiding. He finds a medallion and takes it. Rinn. Snoggly and Haldar see a lot of activity around the barrier where Luvash and Arabelle moving back away from the barrier and Danika pounding on the barrier. Rinn pockets the medallion and move to the foot of the coffin to look at Barov’s feet. Snoggly asked what was wrong. Danika said that Arabella just warned that Strahd was coming. Kyanna moved to the barrier and through it. She approaches Rinn and taps him on the shoulder and motions for him to leave with her. He does, on the way out, he throws a firebolt into each coffin, setting them ablaze. 

Rinn finds out what Arabella had said and asks her if she knows from where Strahd comes. Arabelle points to the south, toward the portcullis in the southern wall and says, “He’s coming from there!”. Rinn suggests that we return to the northwest corner of the room and back down to the room with the hourglass and the brazier. Kyanna asks Piddlewick to take us to  the heart, quickly. He takes off as fast as little Piddlewick can go, toward the northwest door of this chamber. As he passes Rinn, Rinn scoops him up and carry’s him, having him simply point the way, as he can move much faster. They move to the northwest door and down the stairs to the room with the hourglass and brazier. The come into that room fro the middle door. Piddlewick points to the northwest door and they head up that stair case, back up some floors. He leads them to another staircase and they have not seen yet, and they head up that one. 

They reach a room with several dead bodies and a wide spiral staircase. Above us, a reddish light flares and the settles into dull pulsing red glow. The tower, 60 feet wide at it’s base starts narrowing as it goes up. High in the tower, a crystalline heart pulses with a reddish light. The bodies appear to be Vallakian and nearby each are large black feathers. We start climbing the stairs. We move up about forty feet and come to landing with a passageway leading off to the west. We keep moving quickly up the stairs. As we run up the stairs, we start taking bow shots at it. Rinn, Haldar, and Kyanna fire on it. There are a couple of hits and we continue up the stairs. At the 110 foot mark, we feel a powerful thrumming heartbeat much as we felt in the chapel. Up here though, it is much stronger and threatens to throw us off. Everyone has to make a dex saving throw. Piddlewick fails the save and falls from the stairs crashing and seemingly shattering on the floor below. The rest of us manage not to fall. We continue up the stairs and make it up another 40 feet or so. Rinn makes sure he stays close to the wall. They pause and fire on it again. Rinn critically hits it built only for one more point of damage than when he didn’t critically hit it. Haldar missed his last two attacks and this two as well. Kyanna hit it. We brace in preparation for the thrumming. Everyone succeeds their saving throws again but Ezmerelda. She failed and fell. Snoggly used his last spell to cast feather fall To save her. We continue up the stairs.

As we reach closer to the heart, quite a few Halberds start to animate and move to attack. Initiatives are rolled. As the Halberds approach, Rinn pulls the Sunsword and a shield and attacks the first one. A Halbred moves to attack Rinn and misses. Haldar attacks the heart and hits it once for quite a bit of damage. He flattens himself against the wall. Misty moves and then pounces to get behind some of the Halbreds and attacks them. She doesn’t quite a bit of damage. She takes one down. She blast the heart with a Guiding Bolt doing a quite a bit of damage. One of the Halbreds moves to attack Kyanna and misses. The Dusk Elf fires at the heart and misses. Zanfyr moves close enough to hit with his cold breath. It manages to avoid some of the damage but still take a quite a bit of damage. Halbred attacks Misty and misses. Another Halbred attacks Kyanna and hits her critically but for very little damage. Rinn is attacked and missed. Misty is attacked again but still missed. A Halbred move to Haldar and misses. We hear another giant heartbeat sound causing all of us to make a Dex save again. Danika got Ezmerelda and she is climbing fast as Danika continues flying up. We stop here.

Chris, turn on the recorder.