Campaign Status (30 seconds to read)
Campaign: Curse of Strahd Highland Edition
Session: 5
Party Level: 2 (Achieved Level 3 Milestone at session end) [1]
Current Location: Death House (Ritual Chamber) → Preparing to enter Barovia [2, 3]
Status: Death House escaped after fulfilling the cult’s ritual sacrifice [4, 5]
Next Session: TBD
1. Session Summary
The fifth session picking up directly from the cliffhanger in Room 31 (the Strahd Shrine), where Valamir pried the smoky gray crystal orb from the wooden statue, summoning five shadows [6, 7]. The party survived the chaotic encounter through strategic spellcasting, Hellish Rebuke, and Daemon the Direwolf tearing down foes [8, 9]. Realizing their magical bread from the larder had turned to mold upon leaving its room, the DM allowed the battered party to take a Long Rest, fully restoring their health, spell slots, and drained Strength scores [10-12].
Fully rested, the party thoroughly explored the dungeon [13, 14]. In the Cult Leader Quarters, Kaelen and Jocelyn triggered two skeletal guardians (Tokka and Razar), destroying them swiftly and uncovering a rich cache of loot—including a Cloak of Protection, a Chain Shirt, a Yellow Leather Spell Book, and four Health Potions [15-19]. Moving to the cultist side-quarters, the party picked and smashed locked chests, gathering gemstones, a silvered shortsword, and a skin pouch of gold and silver [20-24].
Descending into the lowest level, the group bypassed cell traps, burned animated cell skeletons with Bonfire, and combined their Strength to force open a heavy iron portcullis into the flooded Ritual Chamber (Area 38) [2, 25, 26]. There, shadow executioners and Volsac the Master Torturer confronted them while chanting “One must die!” [2, 27, 28]. After a brutal battle featuring critical strikes, Flammable Tar, and Moonbeam, the party realized the house demanded a blood offering [29-32]. Working together, they grappled a cultist executioner, shoved him into the brazen bull, and lit a Bonfire beneath it [4]. As his screams filled the chamber, the chanting shifted to “He is the Ancient, He is the Land,” and the Death House released its grip on the party, allowing them to escape and reach Level 3 [1, 5, 33]!
2. Key Events
- Shadow Ambush Defeated: The party vanquished all five shadows in Room 31 and secured the smoky gray crystal orb (25 gp) [7, 34].
- The Long Rest: The party rested for 8 hours, recovering all HP, spell slots, and lost Strength points [11, 12].
- Cult Leader’s Foot Locker Looted: Defeated skeletal guardians Tokka & Razar to claim a Cloak of Protection, Chain Shirt, Yellow Leather Spell Book, Bullseye Lantern, and 4 Potions of Healing [15, 18, 19].
- Looting the Cultist Quarters: Unlocked 5 chests containing an eye patch with a carnelian (50 gp), an ivory hairbrush (25 gp), a silvered shortsword (110 gp), moss agates (30 gp total), and a skin pouch with 11 gp and 60 sp [20-24].
- Lifting the Portcullis: Valamir and Billy Bob combined forces to lift the heavy iron gate into the flooded ritual chamber [26].
- The Ritual Sacrifice: The party grappled a cultist executioner and sacrificed him inside the brazen bull using Bonfire, appeasing the house and securing safe passage out [4, 5].
- Milestone Level Up: The party successfully completed Death House and earned Level 3 [1].
3. NPCs Encountered
- Tokka & Razar:
- Role: Skeletal guardians in the Cult Leader Quarters [15, 35].
- Personality: Hostile and territorial [36].
- Status: Destroyed by Kaelen’s Hellish Rebuke/Green-Flame Blade and Daemon’s bite [16, 17, 37].
- Volsac the Master Torturer & Cultist Executioners:
- Role: Spectral executioners and cult leaders in the Ritual Chamber [2, 28].
- Personality: Sadistic and demanding (“One must die!”) [27, 38].
- Revelations: Demanded a sacrifice on the altar/brazen bull to allow the party to leave [38].
- Status: One executioner was sacrificed in the brazen bull; the remaining spirits faded once appeased [1, 4].
4. Locations Visited
- Room 31 (Strahd Shrine): Site of the Shadow battle and crystal orb retrieval [6, 7].
- Cult Leader Quarters: Bedchamber containing an unlocked foot locker guarded by Tokka and Razar [13, 35].
- Cultist Quarters & Water Cistern: A central 30-ft deep well surrounded by 5 small rooms with locked chests [14, 39].
- Dungeon Jail Cells: Hallways lined with shackles and cell doors containing chained skeletons [40, 41].
- Area 38 (The Ritual Chamber): A 40×40 ft room submerged in 2 ft of murky water, featuring an octagonal dais, stone altar, rusty shackles, and a bronze brazen bull [2].
5. Combat Summary
- 5 Shadows (Room 31): Defeated using Hellish Rebuke (Kaelen), Chill Touch (Maritza), bow/sword strikes, and Daemon the Direwolf [8, 9, 42-44].
- Tokka & Razar (Cult Leader Quarters): Ambushed Kaelen at the foot locker; killed by Kaelen’s Green-Flame Blade and Daemon leaping over a kneeling Kaelen to crush Tokka’s face [16, 17, 37, 45].
- Cell Skeletons: Animated upon being poked with a staff; burned to ash using Bonfire [25, 46].
- The Ritual Chamber Executioners & Volsac:
- Tactics: Kaelen landed a Natural 20 Eldritch Blast (10 damage) [29]; Valamir delivered a Natural 20 great axe cleave (14 damage) slicing a cultist in half [47]; Apple Bottomjeans sprayed Flammable Tar while Jocelyn ignited it with Alchemist’s Fire [30, 48]; Apple Bottomjeans cast Moonbeam (15 radiant damage) to disintegrate an executioner [31].
- Close Call: Kaelen fell into a 10-ft hidden spiked pit trap while trying to flank, but Maritza threw him a rope and pulled him to safety [49-52].
- The Finishing Combo: Jocelyn, Billy Bob, and Daemon grappled an executioner, dragged him to the brazen bull, and lit Bonfire beneath him to fulfill the sacrifice [4].
6. Player Character Highlights
- Valamir (Orc Barbarian): Lifted the heavy portcullis with Billy Bob [26], landed a Natural 20 great axe cleave to bisect an executioner [47], and served as a jumping ramp for Daemon [45, 53]!
- Kaelen (Shifter Warlock): Crushed enemies with Hellish Rebuke and Green-Flame Blade [8, 16, 37], claimed the Chain Shirt [54], picked cultist chests [20], landed a critical Natural 20 Eldritch Blast [29], and survived a tumble into a spiked pit trap [50].
- Jocelyn (Elf Ranger) & Daemon: Jocelyn claimed the Cloak of Protection [55], landed high-damage Hunter’s Mark shots [56], and threw Alchemist’s Fire onto tarred enemies [48]. Daemon was an absolute MVP—ripping faces off shadows [9], leaping over party members to execute Tokka [17, 45], and dragging the cultist executioner to the brazen bull [4]!
- Maritza Varga (Orc Cleric): Kept the party alive with Healing Word [57], cast Chill Touch [44], threw a rescue rope to pull Kaelen out of the spiked pit [51, 52], and Blessed the front liners during combat [58, 59].
- Apple Bottomjeans (Earth Genasi Druid): Burned cell skeletons with Bonfire [25], coated Volsac in Flammable Tar [30], and disintegrated a cultist executioner with a 15-damage Moonbeam [31]!
- Billy Bob (Goliath Rogue): Picked multiple locked chests with Thieves’ Tools to gather gold, silver, and a silvered shortsword [22, 24], helped lift the heavy portcullis [26], and helped grapple the cultist for the final sacrifice [60].
7. Plot Threads / Quest Hooks
- Resolved:
- The Death House basement has been cleared and its dark cult appeased through sacrifice [4, 5].
- The party safely escaped Death House and achieved Level 3 [1, 3].
- Active:
- Step out of Death House into the gloomy, fog-shrouded Village of Barovia [3, 61].
- Unanswered Mysteries:
- The true nature of the gaunt, pale man depicted in the statue (Strahd von Zarovich) [3, 6].
- What awaits the party in the broader realm of Barovia [61].
8. Lore Revealed
- Barovian Nature: Barovia harbors no goodwill unless appeased; sacrificing a life satisfies the house’s ancient dark magic [5].
- Chanting Shift: The cult’s chant changes from “One must die!” to “He is the Ancient, He is the Land” once a blood sacrifice is made [27, 33].
- The Master’s Statue: The statue in Room 31 depicts the master of Barovia, a gaunt man holding a crystal orb with a wolf at his side [3, 6].
9. Funny or Memorable Quotes
- “Justin’s being kissed by a door!” — Reaction to the mimic attack [62, 63].
- “I need you to understand how I built this character, and it was not with strength in mind.” — Keri, when forced to lower her Strength score [64].
- “I feel like no one cares about me… I feel unheard.” — Kaelen, complaining about low HP while holding a loaf of moldy bread [65, 66].
- “Suck it, Dad! Here’s the foreskin bag for you!” — Billy Bob’s reaction to finding coins in a human skin pouch and pranking Valamir’s drink [24, 67].
- “Justin, all fours!” — Jocelyn commanding Valamir to act as a jumping ramp for Daemon [45, 53].
10. Rules or Table Issues
- Magical Food Mechanics: The DM clarified that the magical larder bread provides 10 HP of healing but instantly spoils if removed from the larder room [10, 68].
- Strength Drain Recovery: Confirmed that ability score reductions (like Shadow Strength drain) are fully restored upon completing a Long Rest [12].
- Holding Actions & Grappling: Handled mechanics for holding weapon swings and combined Strength checks for lifting heavy gates and grappling enemies into environmental hazards [4, 26, 69].
11. Next Session Setup
The Death House has been completed! Having appeased the cult with the brazen bull sacrifice, the party exits the estate unharmed and achieves a milestone level-up to Level 3 [1, 5].
DM Preparation: Assist players with leveling up their characters to Level 3 and prepare the introduction to the Village of Barovia, including initial encounters with local Barovians [3, 61].
