Curse of Strahd

Session 002 - Durst Manor

18 min read

Details

Summary

The adventurers explored the second floor of Durst Manor, uncovering its many unsettling secrets. In the conservatory, a harpsichord still hummed as if recently played by invisible hands, and alabaster figurines revealed themselves to be carved skeletons — which Leoberos promptly confiscated. The library yielded a hidden iron key and, thanks to Ysarissa’s sharp eye, a secret room concealing a trapped chest beside a long-dead skeleton. Within, the party recovered a chilling letter signed by Strahd von Zarovich mocking the Dursts’ sacrifices, along with clerical scrolls, a manor deed, and a deed to a windmill bearing a crest they had seen elsewhere in the house. Ascending to the third floor, the manor itself seemed to react — every light extinguished at once and the walls groaned — as the party entered a cobweb-laden, decayed upper level. There, they battled a suit of animated black plate armor that nearly killed Mortimer before he delivered the finishing blow with his mace, and then faced a ghostly nursemaid weeping over a desiccated infant named Walter, who revealed only the word “Mother” before attacking. The party defeated her as well, and also dispatched an animated broom with characteristic efficiency.

In the master bedroom, the grim fate of the Durst family came into full focus: Gustav Durst hung desiccated from the canopy of his bed, and a heartfelt farewell letter to his children Rose and Thorn confessed that obsession had destroyed them all. The party claimed jewelry from the vanity before Ysarissa discovered that the room’s large mirror concealed a hidden staircase leading to the attic — the only path remaining, as every window and balcony on the floor had been bricked over. With no way out but upward, the adventurers paused at the foot of the stairs, each feeling a newfound sharpening of their abilities forged through the manor’s trials of blood, shadow, and grief.

Recap

The adventurers gathered themselves and pressed onward through the gloomy corridors of Durst Manor, ascending the red marble staircase to the second floor. There, oil lamps cast a warm but uneasy glow across an open hallway, where a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family hung above a fireplace mantel. Gustav and Elizabeth Durst were depicted alongside their smiling children, Rose and Thorn, with a swaddled infant cradled in the father’s arms — though the mother’s gaze toward the baby carried something unsettling, something that looked almost like scorn. Four suits of armor with wolf-head helmets stood sentinel along the walls, each clutching a spear, and Mortimer wasted no time in relieving one of its weapon and passing it along to Leoberos.

Following the faint sound of harpsichord music drifting from behind the southern doors, Leoberos pushed them open — and the music stopped instantly. Beyond lay a grand conservatory draped in gossamer curtains, its walls adorned with stained glass hangings depicting singers and musicians. A full-size harpsichord occupied one corner and a large harp another, and when Mortimer pressed his hand to the harpsichord’s keys, he felt a faint vibration still humming through the wood, as though invisible fingers had only just lifted from it. On the mantelpiece, Kaelis examined a collection of alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers, only to discover that several of them were, in fact, exquisitely carved skeletons. Leoberos declared them evil without hesitation and began tucking them into his pack.

The party moved on to a richly appointed library, its floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with hundreds of rare and ancient tomes. A rolling wooden ladder allowed access to the highest shelves, and while Mortimer and Ysarissa marveled at what appeared to be first-edition works of poetry and fiction, Kaelis rifled through the mahogany desk at the room’s center. Hidden within a drawer, a concealed compartment snapped open to reveal a small iron key. Meanwhile, Ysarissa noticed something peculiar among the books — a single volume with a blank spine where every other book bore a label. She pulled it without hesitation, and a section of the bookcase swung inward to reveal a secret room beyond.

The hidden chamber was thick with dust and shadow, its shelves packed with more tomes, and against the far wall stood a heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet. Half-submerged in the open lid of the chest was a skeleton clad in leather armor, three darts lodged in its ribcage — the remnants of a trap that had long since been sprung. Clutched in the skeleton’s bony hand was a letter, which Kaelis carefully extracted. The message was addressed to a “most pathetic servant” and signed by Strahd von Zarovich himself, who mocked the recipient’s sacrifices and ambitions with cold contempt: “You are but worms writhing in my earth.” Inside the chest, the party recovered three clerical scrolls, a deed to the manor, a deed to a windmill bearing the Durst family’s insignia, and a signed will — all of which Lucien took into his keeping. Chrystandar claimed three blank black leather tomes, and the party noted that the windmill crest matched a symbol they had seen elsewhere in the house.

Continuing their search of the second floor, the party found a modest servants’ quarters — a pair of mattresses, some chests, a dumbwaiter, and a closet hung with aged, old-fashioned uniforms. Unlike the rest of the manor, which felt strangely maintained with lit fires and warm food, this room was clearly long abandoned. The contrast was deeply unsettling, a reminder that whatever kept this house alive was not human.

When Leoberos led the way up to the third floor, the manor seemed to respond. The moment he set foot on the upper landing, every lamp, candle, and fireplace in the house went dark simultaneously, and the sound of shifting bricks echoed through the walls like a slow, deliberate heartbeat. The third floor was a world apart from the polished lower levels — cobwebs clung to every surface, dust lay thick on the floors, and the luster of the woodwork had long since cracked and faded. The only light came from Chrystandar, whose magical illumination cast long shadows across the dusty balcony. Then, without warning, a suit of black plate armor standing against the wall lurched to life, its visor glowing with a dim red light, and it turned toward the party.

The battle was brutal. The animated armor moved with mechanical precision, focusing its assault on Mortimer and battering the cleric to within an inch of his life. Lucien hurled magical insults at the construct to throw off its aim, while Chrystandar launched a bolt of fire from the stairwell. Ysarissa and Kaelis maneuvered around the balcony, seeking gaps in the armor’s defenses, and Leoberos drew a longsword that seemed to resist his very grip as he swung it. Leoberos called upon his celestial power to restore Mortimer’s failing strength, and Mortimer, bloodied but furious, called down divine radiance upon the construct. It was a powerful blow from Mortimer’s mace — a vengeful, crashing strike — that finally brought the black plate crashing to the floor in a heap of inert metal. The party caught their breath, and Lucien received healing to close the wounds he had taken in the fray.

Pressing deeper into the third floor, Leoberos opened a door and found himself face to face with something far more sorrowful than the armor. A ghostly, skeletally thin young woman stood over a crib draped in black, rocking it gently and weeping in silence. She was transparent, barely there, and yet her grief filled the room like a cold fog. When she turned toward Leoberos, she held out what appeared to be a swaddled infant — desiccated, dried, and clearly long dead. “Poor Walter,” she whispered. “He’s dead.” When Leoberos asked who had done this, she answered only: “Mother.”

The nursemaid’s sorrow curdled into fury in an instant, and her hands became claws as she lunged at the party. Mortimer called down divine fire while Chrystandar unleashed a volley of magical force from the hallway. Ysarissa pressed in with her blade, and Kaelis loosed arrows from the doorway. The specter struck at Leoberos as it passed through him like a cold wind, but the party held firm. Mortimer struck it again with a toll of divine death, and Ysarissa’s blade found its mark one final time — the nursemaid faded into oblivion with a sound like a dying sigh. A search of the nursery revealed only an empty blanket in the crib. Whatever Walter had been, nothing remained of him now.

The party continued their sweep of the floor, finding a bathroom with a wooden tub and a clever rainwater collection system, and a storage closet that yielded nothing of value — except for an animated broom that launched itself at Leoberos the moment he opened the door. It missed. Leoberos caught it, declared it evil, and threw it into the nearest fireplace. No one questioned this.

In the master bedroom, the party found the grim culmination of the Durst family’s story. Burgundy drapes covered the bricked-over windows, a tiger-skin rug lay across the floor in surprisingly good condition, and from the canopy of the four-poster bed hung a desiccated body with a makeshift noose around its neck — almost certainly Gustav Durst. On the vanity, Kaelis opened a silver and gold jewelry box to find three gold rings and a platinum necklace with a topaz pendant, all of which the party claimed. On a parlor table nearby, Leoberos found a note in Gustav’s hand, addressed to Rose and Thorn. In it, he confessed that what had begun as survival had become obsession, and that obsession had become their ruin. He wrote that he loved his children with all his heart, and that no darkness or death could ever change that. He asked only that all their souls might find peace.

When Lucien glanced into the large mirror on the wall, he saw his own reflection staring back — but the figure in the glass was gaunt and hollow-eyed, as though starving. Ysarissa, ever sharp-eyed, noticed that the mirror itself was mounted on a hinge. She pushed it aside to reveal a cobweb-choked staircase climbing upward into darkness — the attic. The party confirmed that every window and balcony on the floor had been bricked over, sealing them inside the manor entirely. There was nowhere left to go but up.

As the adventurers stood at the foot of the hidden staircase, each of them felt something shift within themselves — a deepening of skill, a sharpening of instinct, as though the trials of the manor had forged them into something stronger than they had been when they entered. They were changed, tempered by blood and shadow and grief. And above them, the attic waited in silence.

Scenes

1. Ascending to the Second Floor

The party moves from the ground floor of Durst Manor to the second floor, discovering a family portrait and mysterious suits of armor.

  • The party discusses their next move while hearing faint harpsichord music from above.
  • Kaelis and Leoberos lead the way up the red marble staircase to the second floor.
  • The party enters an open hallway lit by oil lamps.
  • They observe a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav, Elizabeth, Rose, Thorn, and a swaddled baby. The mother appears to look at the baby with scorn.
  • The party notices four suits of armor with wolf-head helms clutching spears.
  • Mortimer takes a spear from one of the suits of armor and hands it to Leoberos.

2. The Conservatory

Leoberos opens the southern doors to a large conservatory where the mysterious music suddenly stops.

  • Leoberos opens the southern doors, causing the harpsichord music to cease instantly.
  • The party explores the conservatory, noting gossamer drapes, a harpsichord, and a large harp.
  • Mortimer touches the harpsichord and feels a lingering vibration, suggesting it was recently played.
  • Lucien attempts to play the harpsichord and the harp to test their quality and tuning.
  • Kaelis examines alabaster figurines on the mantelpiece, discovering that some depict well-dressed skeletons.
  • Leoberos declares the skeletal figurines evil and begins collecting them.

3. The Library and the Secret Room

While searching a well-appointed library, the party discovers a hidden compartment and a secret door leading to a grim discovery.

  • The party enters a library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and a rolling ladder.
  • Kaelis searches a mahogany desk and triggers a hidden compartment, finding an iron key inside.
  • Ysarissa discovers a secret switch disguised as a book with a blank spine on the shelves.
  • Ysarissa pulls the switch, revealing a secret room containing bookshelves and a heavy wooden chest.
  • The party finds a man-sized skeleton in leather armor trapped in the lid of the chest, killed by poison darts.

4. A Message from the Dread Lord

The party recovers items from the secret chest, including a chilling letter from Strahd von Zarovich and several valuable documents.

  • Kaelis examines the chest and confirms the dart trap is no longer active.
  • The party recovers a letter from the skeleton’s hand addressed to a ‘pathetic servant’ from Strahd von Zarovich.
  • The letter mocks the recipient’s sacrifices and descent into madness, claiming they are merely ‘worms writhing in my earth.’
  • Mortimer finds three clerical spell scrolls — bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon — inside the chest.
  • The party also discovers a deed to the house, a deed to a windmill, and a signed will.
  • Chrystandar takes three blank black leather tomes found in the room.
  • Lucien takes possession of the deeds and the will.
  • The party identifies the windmill as the Durst family crest, matching an insignia on a previously found sword.

5. The Servants’ Quarters

The party investigates a room used by the manor’s former staff.

  • The party enters a room containing mattresses, chests, and old uniforms.
  • A dumbwaiter is found in the corner of the room.
  • The party observes that while the rest of the house feels maintained with lit fires, this room is aged and unused.
  • The party concludes the house is haunted due to the lack of living servants despite the otherwise maintained atmosphere.

6. Ascending to the Third Floor

The party moves up the grand staircase to the third floor, triggering a dramatic change in the house’s environment.

  • Leoberos leads the way up the red marble staircase to the third floor.
  • As the party ascends, all lights and fireplaces on the first and second floors suddenly extinguish.
  • The sound of shifting bricks is heard throughout the manor.
  • The party reaches a dusty, cobweb-covered balcony on the third floor, contrasting sharply with the clean lower levels.
  • Chrystandar provides the only light using a magical spell.
  • A suit of black plate armor standing against the wall suddenly animates and attacks as the party approaches.

7. Battle with the Animated Armor

The party engages in a difficult combat against a suit of black plate armor that comes to life on the third-floor balcony.

  • The animated armor focuses its multi-attacks on Mortimer, leaving the cleric severely wounded with only a few hit points remaining.
  • Lucien uses magical insults to hinder the armor’s accuracy and give it disadvantage on attacks.
  • Chrystandar launches a bolt of fire at the construct from the stairwell.
  • Ysarissa and Kaelis maneuver around the balcony, seeking openings in the armor’s defenses.
  • Leoberos uses his celestial power to heal the badly wounded Mortimer.
  • Mortimer calls down divine radiance against the armor, though the construct resists.
  • Leoberos draws a mysterious, potentially evil longsword to join the fray.
  • Mortimer delivers a powerful, vengeful blow with his mace, finally causing the black plate to collapse into a heap of mundane metal.
  • The party regroups and heals their wounds, with Lucien receiving a cure wounds spell.

8. The Nursemaid’s Grief

The party encounters a spectral nursemaid in a nursery who is mourning a dead infant named Walter.

  • Leoberos opens a door to find a ghostly, skeletally thin young woman rocking a crib and weeping.
  • The specter reveals that the baby, Walter, is dead and blames ‘Mother.’
  • The nursemaid transforms into a hostile specter and attacks the party.
  • Mortimer casts sacred flame while others maneuver to engage.
  • Chrystandar fires magic missiles at the incorporeal undead.
  • Mortimer uses toll the dead to further damage the injured spirit.
  • The party defeats the specter, causing it to fade into oblivion.
  • A search of the nursery reveals the crib contains only an empty blanket.

9. The Bricked-In Balcony and the Animated Broom

The party discovers the house is sealing itself off and encounters a minor animated threat in a storage room.

  • The party finds that balconies and windows throughout the floor have been bricked over, trapping them inside the manor.
  • Leoberos opens a storage closet and is attacked by an animated broom, which misses.
  • Leoberos seizes the broom, declares it evil, and throws it into a fireplace.
  • The party searches the storage room, finding only old linens and cobwebs.

10. The Master Bedroom’s Grim Discovery

The party explores the master suite, finding a jewelry box, a secret staircase, and the tragic remains of Gustav Durst.

  • The party enters a dusty, cobweb-filled master bedroom featuring a four-poster bed, a tiger-skin rug, and burgundy drapes.
  • They discover a desiccated body hanging from the bed’s canopy with a makeshift noose, identified as likely being Gustav Durst.
  • Kaelis finds and opens a silver and gold jewelry box on the vanity, containing three gold rings and a platinum necklace with a topaz pendant.
  • Leoberos finds a suicide note on a parlor table addressed to the Durst children, Rose and Thorn, in which Gustav expresses regret for the obsession that led to the family’s downfall.
  • Lucien looks into a large mirror and sees a disturbing, emaciated reflection of himself.
  • Ysarissa discovers a secret door behind the mirror that rotates to reveal a cobweb-filled staircase leading up to the attic.
  • The party confirms that all windows in the room have been bricked over.
  • The adventurers prepare to ascend to the attic as they experience a surge in their own power and capabilities, reaching second level.

Memorable Moments

  • [dramatic] The nursemaid specter turns to reveal the emaciated, dried-up remains of baby Walter, then whispers ‘Poor Walter, he’s dead’ before transforming into a clawing, hostile spirit. (A moment of gothic horror as what seemed like a grieving ghost revealed a dead infant and immediately turned on the party)
  • [dramatic] “You are but worms writhing in my earth.” (Strahd von Zarovich; Read aloud from a letter found clutched in a skeleton’s hand, Strahd’s chilling words mocked the Durst family’s sacrifices and ambitions)
  • [funny] Leoberos opens a storage closet, gets attacked by an animated broom, catches it, declares it evil, and throws it into a fireplace without missing a beat. (After surviving animated armor and a specter, the party’s paladin was ambushed by a broom and dispatched it with maximum dignity)
  • [intriguing] As the party ascends to the third floor, every light in the manor goes out simultaneously and the sound of shifting bricks echoes through the walls — the house is sealing itself. (The manor seemed to react to the party’s progress, extinguishing all fires and bricking over windows and balconies to trap them inside)

Session log

From the GM Assistant session lists. GMA doesn’t distinguish visited/met/found from mentioned, so these lists can include things only talked about.

Present in this session

Quests & Threads touched

Also noted (no wiki page)

  • Spells & abilities used: Chill Touch, Cure Wounds, Firebolt, Light, Magic Missile, Protection from Evil and Good, Sacred Flame, Toll the Dead, Vicious Mockery

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