Recap
The party found a chained goblin scribe tending an endless ledger for “the hag,” knocked him out after spotting a “magical scepter” on his table, and looted 415 gold @ 00:13:11–00:22:31. Ghostly arms then ambushed them through a throne-room window; their wailing scream knocked most of the party unconscious and carried them to a prison cell atop the castle’s highest spire, where a well-dressed man — almost certainly Strahd von Zarovich — appeared below, waved, and turned to mist @ 00:33:53–01:33:50.
Blocked by a magical force field, Jake and Nutty invented “piss coat” — soaking a hide in urine to lever warded bars apart — which worked repeatedly for the rest of the session @ 01:15:52–04:25:30. Below, the party found ancient catacombs lined with Strahd’s family crypts: they killed a banshee revealed as Sasha Ivliskova, one of Strahd’s wives, looting 3,300 gold @ 02:19:40–03:07:19; Nutty accidentally woke a vampire bride, Petrina Velikovna, by pouring his own blood into her mouth, and the party beheaded her @ 03:15:51–03:21:00. In a third crypt they found Sergei’s preserved body with the Sun Sword’s blade and magic armor; holy water triggered a mind-link revealing Strahd murdered his own brother and Tatiana out of jealousy @ 03:50:41–04:10:16.
Reaching Strahd’s own crypt, the party piss-coated through warded bars that had briefly turned Jess’s character to stone. Donnie, chasing a lost familiar, crashed into the final bars, touched Strahd’s sealed coffin area, and was fatally drained — dying and rising on the spot as a chaotic-evil vampire thrall @ 04:56:54–05:19:31. The whole party leveled up to 6th level; the session ended with Strahd still asleep in his coffin, the Sun Sword’s hilt still missing, and the party down one ally turned vampire.
Key events
- The party knocks out a chained goblin accountant and loots 415 gold @ 00:13:11–00:22:31.
- Four ghosts ambush the party through a window; their scream knocks most of the party out and carries them to the top of the castle’s spire @ 00:33:53–01:10:34.
- A well-dressed man, likely Strahd, appears below the spire, waves, and turns to mist @ 01:33:50.
- Jake and Nutty invent “piss coat” to bend warded bars and bypass a magical force field @ 04:25:30 (first notable use among several).
- The party discovers catacombs beneath the keep, roosted by bats, holding ~30 family crypts @ 02:05:07.
- The party kills a banshee revealed as Sasha Ivliskova, one of Strahd’s wives, looting 3,300 gold @ 02:19:40–03:07:19.
- Nutty accidentally awakens the vampire bride Petrina Velikovna by pouring blood into her mouth; she is knocked out and beheaded @ 03:15:51–03:21:00.
- The party finds Sergei von Zarovich’s preserved body with the Sun Sword’s blade and magic armor @ 03:50:41.
- Holy water on Sergei’s body creates a mind-link revealing Strahd murdered Sergei and Tatiana out of jealousy @ 04:00:19–04:10:16.
- A Spellcraft check identifies Jake’s sword as the legendary Sun Sword — its hilt long separated and still lost @ 04:10:16.
- Jess’s character turns to stone touching warded bars at Strahd’s crypt, later restored @ 04:13:44–04:20:48.
- Donnie’s character is fatally drained near Strahd’s sealed coffin, dies, and rises as a chaotic-evil vampire thrall @ 04:56:54–05:19:31.
- The whole party levels up to 6th level @ 05:20:21.
Entities referenced
- NPCs: Strahd von Zarovich, Sasha Ivliskova, Petrina Velikovna, Sergei von Zarovich, Tatiana, the goblin accountant, the four ghosts
- Places: the accountant’s office, the throne/window room, the spire, the warded stairwell, the catacombs, Strahd’s crypt — all within Castle Ravenloft
- Items: the Sun Sword (identified this session), Sergei’s magic armor, the Vonderbux signet ring, the fanged skull trophy
- Quests: Find the Sun Sword’s Hilt (started), Rescue Donovan (started, via Raven’s vampirization)