Sister Margret Lillywhite, a passionate follower of St. Cuthbert training to be a paladin, hears rumors of a strange house in the north. Screams of children can be heard from within and all those who enter it are never seen again. These rumors fall on mostly deaf ears within the church. It is far away and the actual location of the house is never reported. However Margaret sets off to the north to investigate these mysteries and prove herself to St. Cuthbert.
Dimitri Pavlov, a tinkerer that followed in the footsteps of his wife, a renowned paladin of St. Cuthbert. However, several years ago his wife, Ezmerelda, went missing without a trace. However, years later a letter addressed to his wife arrives at his home. The letter called for Esmerelda’s aid to help the land of Barovia and signed by the towns leader Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich. Dimitri researches this land and finds that only a few individuals know of its location, the nomadic Vistani who frequent the norther lands. He sets off in hopes of finding information about his missing wife.
Ninzara, a drow abandoned in the northern woods by her people. She was unable to hold her own during a raid and was left behind. She has spent the last 200 years tending to these woods and harvesting mushrooms in isolation. Only occasionally trading with travelers and the Vistani. Familiar with these woods she occasionally stumbles upon a strange home in the woods. A pristine, seemingly abandoned manor, the cries of children echoing from within. The home is never in the same place twice and only appears when she is aimlessly exploring. However, two strangers appear in her woods. Sister Margaret and Dimitri are seeking out the Vistani and this strange home. She reluctantly guides them through her woods in search of the house.
Durst Manor
The three find themselves wandering in the rain when they happen upon two children on the side of the trail. Rose and Thorn Durst introduce themselves and explain that their home has been attacked by a horrible monster and that their parents and brother are still inside. The party enter <InternalLink link={{“discriminant”:“/maps/”,“value”:“durst-manor”}} /> in search of answers and the missing The Durst Family.
Exploring the home the party encounters a house seemingly stuck in time. Dates on painting indicate that the house in hundreds of years old but it remains in pristine condition. The fire is still warm and the parlor is set up to host guests.
Climbing to the second floor the party find a hidden room at in the library. A small store room holding a bookcase and a chest. The chest holds a few scrolls and important documents including a letter from an individual named Strahd Von Zarovich who mocks and chastises the Durst family for their worship of him and pursuit of immortality. The small bookcase contains numerous works about blood letting, ritualistic cannibalism, and ways to drain the life force from others. The works are horrific but completely inaccurate.
Once on the fourth floor the house mutates showing its true form. A worn and rundown manor. The windows bricked over making escape impossible. A suit of armor animates in the hall attacking the party. Once defeated the party explores the home finding the master bedroom. Mr. Durst hangs from the bedpost, a letter of his final remorse laying at his feet. The southern bedroom contains the remains of a maid, strangled in her sleep. The party finds a hidden doorway leading to the fourth floor.
In the attack the party unlocks a door to a small bedroom, the remains of two familiar children laying on the floor. The inside of the door shows claw marks. The ghosts of Rose and Thorn appear before the party and explain that their Mother locked them in this room and never returned. Screams of pain and a terrible monster could be heard throughout the night. They tried to escape but were unable to break open the door to their room. They slowly staved in their bedroom together. For centuries the home has lured people into the house, using their visages to appeal to would be heroes. They request to be buried outside the home, hoping to finally escape their confines. The party finds a dollhouse that is a replica of the manor and in it a secret set of stairs to the basement. The party finds a hidden door in the attic with a set of stairs leading down into the depths.