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Important characters

• Rose (Rosavalda) Durst
• Thorne (Thornboldt) Durst
• Lord Gustav Durst
• Lady Elisabeth Durst
• Sophaxis - hound
• Lancelot - pup
• Maid Margaret
• Walter Durst

Story

• Durst high nobles
• Informal noble association
• Famine after mists
• lost loads of wealth
• Hunger for a period
• wanted status with Strahd
• Elisabeth suggested eating travellers
• Horror but sure
• Made larger/deeper crypt
• Justification into death magic to gain eternal life
• Children kept safe
• Turned away from Gustav who turned to nursemaid Margaret
• Elisabeth weirdly accepted situation
• Walter is at least a month or two old
• Elizabeth then killed Margaret
• Steals Walter to basement to do thing - blood of his mother in his mouth
• Norganus listens this time - making Walter into a Wendigo, Elisabeth into a ghast and many cultists into ghouls
• Gustav realises in horror, commits suicide not really thinking
• Durst Manor is the actual name of the building, the name it has given itself is Dom Smerti ("House of Death"), friendly with the mist.

https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/willie_k._and_virginia_vanderbilts_mansion_at_666_fifth_avenue_in_manhattan

Print

carrion crawler

"This is not what it looks like, just a "mood board" image approximation". Most importantly, there are lights in the windows and while everything in these lands look dreary, it does look inhabitated with lights in the windows and faint light can be seen flickering, like a fireplace. It's a welcome contrast from everything else even if it looks pretty "uptight" and probably a mansion of nobility. The house is significantly better of than most of the nearby ones, but it has seen better days. There are It has a gated portico on the ground floor, and the rusty gate is slightly ajar.

The house has wooden floors throughout, and all windows have hinges that allow them to swing outward. The height of the ceilings vary a bit by floor.

<<Use "Barovia buildings" pic>>

"This is not what it looks like, just a "mood board" image approximation". The ruined buildings nearby.

When any party member catch sight of a balcony on 3rd floor if they haven't already closed the outer door it slams shut and the wind makes what sounds like a sigh as the door locks. Boards cover all the windows which in turn has locking sound and the sound of stones falling and the whole thing rattles the house. This only takes a moment, and then the house is calm.

<< Play piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozPZ9votiIQ >>

Durst Manor’s Living Facade Contrary to the module, Durst Manor looks well-kept and recently inhabited. From the outside, lighted oil lamps can be seen inside the windows. When characters first enter the house, fireplaces and lamps provide illumination and warmth on the first and second floor. When any character arrives at the third floor, the manor drops any pretense of being inhabited. The oiled wood of the walls and floors ages and cracks before the character’s eyes, and all lights are extinguished. A cold chill replaces the warmth of the fires, and the illusory feast in area 5 disappears. At the same time, the manor alters its exterior to keep its new prey from escaping. Windows are suddenly bricked over, as are any doorways leading outside.

Hallway

• A painting with the house exterior, full of mist, opressively, around it

Balcony, on 3rd floor: House drops facade. Rose and Thorne start to fade, they look at each other in surprise and horror, hug and cry as their visage fades and the sounds of sobbing slowly echoes out.

Ideas 1

• tracks of a sack drawn to death house - ruse! - finally found in Barovia church basement

<< COMBAT: Play "Epic Dark Music Mix 1-Hour | Battle Powerful Choir Horror Music" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOgyLJhaTbs >>

Creepy little girl talking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vK6_vPcqxE&list=RDCMUCejRwWhTN76XWgNVNU_ZExA&index=7

Baby screaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL2B-AAnsHo

1 hour suspense (basement?) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI2wq39BPFo

King in yellow generated list? Good start for basement at least https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CEpRkapZn0&list=RD0zvJTgq3PLQ&index=3

https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8sfpkn/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_part_2_entering/

3D both https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p2HIPLRZMc

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/KOQDWG

https://www.reddit.com/r/CurseofStrahd/comments/8xu9lo/fleshing_out_curse_of_strahd_the_village_of/

ACTUAL START!!!

Twenty minutes of travel up the road and it twists towards North East and continues fairly straight onwards.

• Continue along the road?
• 60 minutes in, roll random encounter

Another hour or so of travel along the road, to the East is a couple miles clearing on a small hill and a hamlet. You can see a small windmill on a slightly raised hill a few hundred feet to the South West (North East).

The smaller road up to the hamlet is about half a mile. The crossroad towards it has a milestone:

• Arrow on the larger road: "Barovia 23 miles"
• Arrow up to the hamlet: "Soveja"

Passive Perception 12+ you hear a faint crying. Looking from behind a boulder, you hear the voice of a girl that doesn't seem to have been the source of the crying:

"Hello there, what's your name?"

<<Use "Rose and Thorne" pic!>>

It's two children, ten-year-old Rosavalda ("Rose") and her seven-year-old brother, Thornboldt ("Thorn"). Thorn is weeping and clutching a stuffed doll. Rose is trying to hush the boy.

If the characters approach the children or call out to them, add the following:

She shushes the boy and turns to you and say, "There's a monster in our house!" She then points to the small collection of houses of which there is a tall brick row house. "Is there anything you could do to help, maybe?"

Characters who question the children learn the following information:

• They were supposed to stay upstairs and care for their baby brother, but Thorne got scared by the monster’s cries and ran outside.
• Rose ask the players to go make sure Walter is okay.
• It looks like they both are too frightened to back into the house themselves
• The children don't know what the "monster" looks like, but they've heard its terrible howls.
• Their parents (Gustav and Elisabeth Durst) keep the monster trapped in the basement.
• There's a baby (Walter) in the third-floor nursery. (Untrue, but the children believe it.)
• There are plenty of shiny things, weapons and armour inside the building

Rose and Thorn say that they don't want to go back in the house until they know the monster is gone but they can be convinced to come in, behind the adventurers.

Rose and Thorne are the actual ghosts of the children. They don’t know they’re dead yet because their bodies are still locked in their room in the attic. Everything they say here is therefore sincere. They also appear entirely corporeal outside the home, looking alive and well. They will get distraught at the thought of them being dead and it takes thorough explanation. They will scream and dissipate.

It takes a few minutes to head up the little hill, and on the way you see most houses are dilapitated and most likely uninhabited. The only decent looking house is the one looking to be in the middle, clearly a manor house.

<<Use "House on a hill lighter" pic>>

(((Sack track leads up to the house and inside, lifted, lots of foot tracks mesh out)))

1a & 1b Entrance

(area 1A) A wrought-iron gate with hinges on one side and a lock on the other fills the archway of a stone portico. The gate is unlocked, and its rusty hinges shriek when the gate is opened. Oil lamps hang from the portico ceiling by chains, flanking a set of oaken doors that open into a grand foyer (area 1B). The first floor has 10-foot-high ceilings

Hanging on the south wall of the foyer is a shield emblazoned with a coat-of-arms (a stylized golden windmill on a red field - the family crest), flanked by framed portraits of stony-faced aristocrats (long-dead members of the Durst family). Mahogany-framed double doors leading from the foyer to the main hall (area 2A) are set with panes of stained glass.

2 Main Hall

The rooms seems cleaned, the floorboards and wall panels are well oiled, the drapes and wallpaper haven't faded, and the furniture looks new.

A wide hall (area 2A) runs the width of the house, with a black marble fireplace at one end and a sweeping, red marble staircase at the other. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a longsword (nonmagical) with a windmill cameo worked into the hilt. The wood-paneled walls are ornately sculpted with images of vines, flowers, nymphs, and satyrs. Characters who search the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspect the paneling can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, see carved images of famine and death—starving men, women, and children inconspicuously woven into the wall designs. The decorative paneling follows the staircase as it circles upward to the second floor.

A cloakroom (area 2B) has several black cloaks hanging from hooks on the walls. A top hat sits on a high shelf.

3 Den of Wolves

(Until characters reach the third floor of the manor, this room remains as-written. Afterward, however, the stuffed wolves becomes real wolves. Driven by a hunger that mirrors the famine that started it all, the wolves will stalk characters through the manor house and attack the weakest looking character.)

(After leaving the room, before third floor, the wolves will move when not observed. Just creepy.)

This oak-paneled room looks like a hunter's den. Mounted above the fireplace is a stag's head, and positioned around the outskirts of the room are three stuffed wolves.

Two padded chairs draped in animal furs face the hearth, with an oak table between them supporting a cask of wine, two carved wooden goblets, a pipe rack, and a candelabrum. A chandelier hangs above a cloth-covered table surrounded by four chairs.

Two cabinets stand against the walls. The east cabinet sports a lock that can be picked with thieves' tools and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. It holds a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow, a hand crossbow, and 20 bolts for each weapon (the string is unstrung and well kept). The north cabinet is unlocked and holds a small box containing a deck of playing cards and an assortment of wine glasses.

Trapdoor

A trapdoor is hidden in the southwest corner of the floor. It can't be detected or opened until the characters approach it from the underside (see area 32). Until then, Death House supernaturally hides the trapdoor.

4 Kitchen and Pantry

The kitchen is neat and tidy, as written with dishware, cookware, and utensils neatly placed on shelves. A stone, dome-shaped oven stands near the east wall, its bent iron stovepipe connecting to a hole in the ceiling. Behind the stove and to the left is a thin door leading to a pantry (area 4B).

The kitchen and pantry are completely bare of any food. The shelves of the pantry are lined by empty burlap sacks that used to contain flour and grain of various sorts.

Hanging on the walls of the kitchen and inside drawers are various cooking implements like meat cleavers, butcher knives, and iron pans are available in abundance here. Silver knives deal D4-1 damage unless propped up better with skills (tools and at least an hour work).

The emaciated body of a rat can be found behind a crate on a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check.

Dumbwaiter

Behind a small door in the southwest corner of the kitchen is a dumbwaiter—a 2-foot-wide stone shaft containing a wooden elevator box attached to a simple rope-and-pulley mechanism that must be operated manually. The shaft connects to areas 7A (the servants' quarters) and 12A (the master bedroom). Hanging on the wall next to the dumbwaiter is a tiny brass bell attached by wires to buttons in those other areas.

A Small character can squeeze into the elevator box with a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. The dumbwaiter's rope-and-pulley mechanism can support 200 pounds of weight before breaking.

5 Dining Room

The centerpiece of this wood-paneled dining room is a carved mahogany table surrounded by eight high-backed chairs with sculpted armrests and cushioned seats. A crystal chandelier hangs above the table, which is covered with resplendent silverware and crystalware polished to a dazzling shine. Mounted above the marble fireplace is a mahogany-framed painting of an alpine vale.

On the mahogany table you find a resplendent feast of meats, fruits, and cheeses laid out. In front of each of the table's eight high-backed chairs is a place setting. Every plate holds morsels of food, and each shows signs of having recently been eaten. It looks as if the dinner party left mid-meal.

(The food is a semi-real illusion created by the house in order to lure in and weaken its prey. A Detect Magic spell reveals the food's illusory nature.)

(Characters who partake of the table's feast suffer no immediate ill effects. Instead, the food is delicious and they feel satiated.)

(It is only when the party ascends to the third floor and above—when the house reveals its true nature — that the food’s effect is felt. Any character who ate food from the dining room must succeed on a DC 12 Con- stitution saving throw. On a failure, affected characters suddenly feel extreme hunger pangs and gain one level of exhaustion.)

(If food is brought, it turns to ash upon the house showing its true nature.)

Red silk drapes cover the windows, and a tapestry depicting hunting dogs and horse-mounted aristocrats chasing after a wolf hangs from an iron rod bolted to the south wall.

The wall paneling is carved with elegant images of deer among the trees. Characters who search the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspect the paneling can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, see twisted faces carved into the tree trunks and wolves lurking amid the carved foliage.

(The silverware tarnishes beyond sales value (can be smelted), the crystal cracks, the portrait fades, and the tapestry rots if removed from the house.)

6 Upper Hall

(After a character reaches the third floor and the house reveals its true nature, the suits of armor here will begin to change poses and placements around the hall when no one is looking. They are otherwise harmless.)

The second floor has 12-foot-high ceilings and starts with an elegant hall with mounted and lit oil lamps and cornered by four suits of armours that flank wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutches a spear and has a visored helm shaped like a wolf's head. The doors are carved with dancing youths, although close inspection (DC12) reveals the carvings on the wall depict emaciated children begging for food.

Hanging above the mantelpiece is a wood-framed portrait of the Durst family: Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father's arms is a swaddled baby, which the mother regards with a hint of scorn.

The red marble staircase that started on the first floor continues its upward spiral to area 11. A cold draft can be felt coming down the steps.

• Plate thingies can be used (hard to sell tho as people think they are cursed)
  • Strings/leather needed or they fall apart
  • With help of a blacksmith can be made into useable armor
    • Fix Plate: 500g
    • Fix Halfplate: 250g
    • Fix Breastplate: 125g
    • Scavenging chain from 3 armours (not able to be Plate any more): 50g
  • Mild curse: If Strahd commands them to halt (free interaction), they will, cause the person to be restrained unless using at least a bonus action and Str check DC 13 allowing movement until the start of your next turn
    • Use reaction or Bonus action: DC 16 to break its hold and can move

7 Servants' Room

An undecorated bedroom (area 7A) contains a pair of beds with straw-stuffed mattresses. At the foot of each bed is an empty footlocker. Tidy servants' uniforms hang from hooks in the adjoining closet (area 7B).

Dumbwaiter

A dumbwaiter in the corner of the west wall has a button on the wall next to it. Pressing the button rings the tiny bell in area 4A.

8 Library

The master of the house, Gustav, used to spend many hours here before his suicide.

Red velvet drapes cover the windows of this room. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair face the entrance and the fireplace, above which hangs a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room are two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allows one to more easily reach the high shelves.

The desk has several items resting atop it: an oil lamp, a jar of ink, a quill pen, a tinderbox, and a letter kit containing a red wax candle, four blank sheets of parchment, a wooden seal bearing the Durst family's insignia (the windmill backed by red), a small framed oil painting of a dog. The dog's pose is regal, and the painting goes to great lengths to detail the luster of the dog's dark fur. At the bottom of the painting is written the name "Sophaxis". The desk drawer is empty except for an iron key, which unlocks the door to area 20.

(Sophaxis was the Durst family dog at the time of their curse, and can be found in area 34.)

The bookshelves hold hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy. There are also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction. The books rot and fall apart if taken from the house.

In the top right drawer of the desk is Gustav Durst's journal. If read (skimming for random details or a full read-through would take about five hours -30 min per +1 Int bonus), it starts with every-day life things prior to Strahd and the mists, details the dearth in resources that came, and vaguely mentions "Elisabeth's project with the council" (but without gory details) that alleviated some of the hunger but "other priorities lacking success", about keeping the children out of sight of the project, mentiones his feelings of being pushed away, Margaret, Walter but stops short of the last thigns that happens in the house. The journal will age markedly if taken outside but not crumble to dust.

Secret Door

A secret door behind one bookshelf can be unlocked and swung open by pulling on a switch disguised to look like a red-covered book with a blank spine. A character inspecting the bookshelf spots the fake book with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. Unless the secret door is propped open, springs in the hinges cause it to close on its own. Beyond the secret door lies area 9.

9 Secret Room

This secret room contains bookshelves packed with tomes describing the subject of eternal life and rituals to steal the life force of others through means such as bloodletting, magical spells, cannibalism, and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the Priests of Osybus.

The rituals are bogus, which any character can ascertain after studying the books for 1 hour and succeeding on a DC 12 Intelligence (Arcana) check.

A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stands against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest is a skeleton in leather armor. Close inspection reveals that the skeleton belongs to a human who triggered a poisoned dart trap. Three darts are stuck in the dead adventurer's armor and ribcage. The dart-firing mechanism inside the chest no longer functions.

Clutched in the skeleton's left hand is a letter bearing a seal of a raven (seal of Strahd von Zarovich), which the adventurer tried to remove from the chest. Written in flowing script, the letter reads as follows:

<<Handout: "My most pathetic servants" >>

Treasure

The chest contains three blank books with black leather covers (worth 25 gp each), three spell scrolls (bless, protection from poison, and spiritual weapon), the deed to Durst Manor and Estate (including these lands, large swaths of what now are forests), the deed to two other windmills (one smaller and one apparently larger, further away), and a signed will. The windmills referred to in the deeds are situated in the mountains east of Vallaki (see chapter 6, "Old Bonegrinder"). The will is signed by Gustav and Elisabeth Durst and bequeathes the house, the windmill, and all other family property to Rosavalda and Thornboldt Durst in the event of their parents' deaths.

(The books, scrolls, deeds, and will age markedly if taken from the house but remain intact.)

10 Conservatory

Gossamer drapes cover the windows of this elegantly appointed hall, which has a brass-plated chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Upholstered chairs line the walls, and stained-glass wall hangings depict beautiful men, women, and children singing and playing instruments.

A harpsichord (looks a lot like a piano) with a bench rests in the northwest corner. Near the fireplace is a large standing harp. Alabaster figurines of well-dressed dancers adorn the mantelpiece. Close inspection of them reveals that several are carvings of well-dressed skeletons.

Under the hapsicord hides a malnourished dog called Lancelot, according to lead. Needs some animal handling to get out (food = advantage and add proficiency (yes twice if proficient)). It's Gertruda's dog which has been looking for her.

11 Balcony

Looking up from the red marble stairs, the third floor is unlit but light is reaching it from downstairs. Coming up to the slightly lower ceiling height (8-foot-high ceilings), on the dark dark and dusty balcony is a suit of black plate armor standing against one wall, draped in cobwebs. This suit of animated armor attacks as soon as it takes damage or a character approaches within 5 feet of it. It fights until destroyed. It will try to push characters through the balcony railings (35+ feet drop).(Repair like other suits)

No effort has been made to preserve the contents of the third floor or the attic. These areas are dusty and drafty, everything within them is old and draped in cobwebs, and the floorboards groan underfoot.

Upon a character reaching the third floor of the red marble staircase balcony, the house will reveal its sinister nature. All lamps and fires within the house will extinguish. The highly polished wood paneling on the walls and floors will lose their luster, age, and crack. Cobwebs and dust will appear on surfaces and walls.

On the outside of the house, bricks will appear and cover up the windows and doors, so as to trap the party inside the manor house.

If the outside version of Rose and Thorn that lured the characters to the house have been coaxed inside, they will crumble to dust.

Oil lamps are mounted on the oak-paneled walls, which are carved with woodland scenes of trees, falling leaves, and tiny critters. Characters who search the walls for secret doors or otherwise inspect the paneling can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, notice tiny corpses hanging from the trees and worms bursting up from the ground.

Secret Door

A secret door in the west wall can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. It pushes open easily to reveal a cobweb-filled wooden staircase leading up to the attic.

12 Master Suite

The double doors to this room have dusty panes of stained glass set into them. Designs in the glass resemble windmills.

Entering the room it's clear this is the master bedroom, but what is immediately noticeable is a dessicated body (Gustav Durst) hanging from the canopy of the large bed. A makeshift noose, made from a bed sheet, is fastened around his neck.

(Gustav committed suicide when he returned home to find the grisly remains of Anya, as well as the undead forms of his wife and fellow cultists. He never discovered the bodies of his children, having assumed the worst.)

The dusty, cobweb-filled master bedroom (area 12A) has burgundy drapes covering the windows. Furnishings include a four-poster bed with embroidered curtains and tattered gossamer veils, a matching pair of empty wardrobes, a vanity with a wood-framed mirror and jewelry box (see "Treasure"), and a padded chair. A rotting tiger-skin rug lies on the floor in front of the fireplace, which has a dust-covered portrait of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst hanging above it. A web-filled parlor in the southwest corner contains a table and two chairs, a hastily-written suicide note sits on the table. Resting on the dusty tablecloth is an empty porcelain bowl and a matching jug.

<< Handout: My beloved children >>

A door facing the foot of the bed has a full-length mirror mounted on it. The door opens to reveal an empty, dust-choked closet (area 12B). A door in the parlor leads to an outside balcony (area 12C).

Dumbwaiter

A dumbwaiter in the corner of the west wall has a button on the wall next to it. Pressing the button rings the tiny bell in area 4A.

Treasure

Mrs. Durst's jewelry box on the vanity is made of silver with gold filigree (worth 75 gp). It contains three gold rings (worth 25 gp each) and a thin platinum necklace with a topaz pendant (worth 750 gp). An unsent letter lies in the box.

<< Handout: My Dear Mrs. Petrovna >>

13 Bathroom

This dark room contains a wooden tub with clawed feet, a small iron stove with a kettle resting atop it, and a barrel under a spigot in the east wall. A cistern on the roof used to collect rainwater, which was borne down a pipe to the spigot; however, the plumbing no longer works.

14 Storage Room

Dusty shelves line the walls of this room. A few of the shelves have folded sheets, blankets, and old bars of soap on them. A cobweb-covered broom leans against the far wall.

15 Nursemaid's Suite

Dust and cobwebs shroud an elegantly appointed bedroom (area 15A) and an adjoining nursery (area 15B). Double doors set with panes of stained glass pull open to reveal a balcony (area 15C) overlooking the front of the house. As anyone enters, they hear faint baby cries coming from the door to the side (illusion DC 15).

In the corner of the room hunkers a ghostly apparition, seemingly trying to hide, but in full view. The specter resembles a terrified, skeletally thin young woman who sobs uncontrollably. Her visage is tragic and shy, pressing her beautiful, ghostly form into the corner of her room in order to hide from the party. Margaret is the children's nursemaid and a very confused ghost. She knows that something bad happened to her, but she doesn't actually remember dying. In fact, she frequently jumps between knowing and not knowing she's dead, between past and present.

Margaret speaks fondly of Mr. Durst, saying that he's a very kind man, but doesn’t mention their affair out of propriety. If the players ask her outright about Walter being her child or of her relationship with Mr. Durst, she tells them, "It’s not my place to speak of such things. I’m very sorry..." She also smiles beautifully if asked about Rose, Thorne, or Walter, claiming them all to be wonderful children. It should be obvious that she loves them very much.

If the characters ask Margaret about Mrs. Durst, her smile fades. She doesn't say anything outright bad about her mistress, but players should be able to sense from her mannerisms and answers that Margaret is actually afraid of Mrs. Durst.

Margaret can't hear the baby sounds but asks any visitors to be quiet since the baby is sleeping. When the players approach the bundle in the crib they find a tightly wrapped, baby-sized bundle lying in the crib. It unfurls revealing nothing but the cloth and Margaret is gone. A music box is lying to the side, but it seems the winding mechanism is no attached to the cogs. It doesn't look too hard to fix (DC15 or simply spend 1 minute doing it carefully). This could come in handy later.

The bedroom once belonged to the family's nursemaid, Margaret. The master of the house and Margaret had an affair as Elizabeth delved further and further into her death cult, which led to the birth of a bastard baby that was named Walter. Elizabeth murdered Margaret and then ritually killed Walter, incurring the attention of the Dark Powers to grant her and several cultists eternal life in the shape of ghouls.

The bedroom contains a large bed, two end tables, and an empty wardrobe. Mounted on the wall next to the wardrobe is a full-length mirror with an ornate wooden frame carved to look like ivy and berries. Any character who looks at the mirror on the wall sees a skeletally thin reflection of themselves, as if they were near to starving. Characters who search the wall for secret doors or otherwise inspect the mirror can, with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, notice eyeballs among the berries. The wall behind the mirror has a secret door in it (see "Secret Door" below).

Secret Door

A secret door behind the mirror can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. It pushes open easily to reveal a cobweb-filled wooden staircase leading up to the attic.

16 Attic Hall

This bare hall is choked with dust and cobwebs. This entire floor is 13 feet to the roof, which is tilted inwards in most places.

Locked Door

The door to area 20 is held shut with a padlock. Its key is kept in the library (area 8), but the lock can also be picked with thieves' tools and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

17 Spare Bedroom

This dust-choked room contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a small iron stove, a writing desk with a stool, an empty wardrobe, and a rocking chair. A smiling doll in a lacy yellow dress sits in the northern window box, cobwebs draping it like a wedding veil. The doll in the northern window box will appear randomly around the attic space after the characters have left the room. The doll is harmless, and is used by the house to fray the characters' nerves.

18 Storage Room

This dusty chamber is packed with old furniture (chairs, coat racks, standing mirrors, dress mannequins, and the like), all draped in dusty white sheets. Near an iron stove, underneath one of the sheets, is an unlocked wooden trunk containing the skeletal remains of the family's nursemaid, wrapped in a tattered bedsheet stained with dry blood. Any character inspecting the remains will identify that she was stabbed to death on a DC10 check.

If the characters disturb the remains, the nursemaid's specter appears and either has the interactions from the other room, or just briefly looking at her own remains, exclaiming "oh no" and fading out again.

Secret Door

A secret door in the east wall appears only when certain conditions are met; see area 21 for more information.

When they enter and go down the stairs, they level up.

19 Spare Bedroom

This web-filled room contains a slender bed, a nightstand, a rocking chair, an empty wardrobe, and a small iron stove.

20. Children's Room

The door to this room is locked from the outside (padlock, key in area 8 or pick lock DC 15, see area 16).

This room contains a bricked-up window (older bricks than other windows) flanked by two dusty, wood-framed beds sized for children. Closer to the door is a toy chest with windmills painted on its sides and a dollhouse that's a perfect replica of the dreary edifice in which you stand. These furnishings are draped in cobwebs. Lying in the middle of the floor are two small skeletons wearing tattered but familiar clothing. The smaller of the two cradles a stuffed doll that you also recognize.

The Durst children, Rose and Thorn, were neglected by their parents and locked in this room until they starved to death. Their small skeletons lie in the middle of the floor, plain as day, wearing tattered clothing that the characters recognize as belonging to the children. Thorn's skeleton cradles the boy's stuffed doll.

The toy chest contains an assortment of stuffed animals and toys. Characters who search the dollhouse and succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check find all of the house's secret doors, including one in the attic that leads to a spiral staircase (a miniature replica of area 21).

Rose and Thorn

If either the dollhouse or the chest is disturbed, the ghosts of Rose and Thorn appear in the middle of the room. Use the ghost statistics in the Monster Manual, with the following modifications:

• The ghosts are Small and lawful good.
• They have 35 (10d6) hit points each.
• They lack the Horrifying Visage action.
• They speak Common and have a challenge rating of 3 (700 XP).

The children don't like it when the characters disturb their toys, but they fight only in self-defense.

Once the characters discover the children's remains, Rose and Thorne will reappear with memories far more intact. They'll also actually look like ghosts this time, spectral and see-through. At this point, they'll recall that they were often locked away when their parents went to "deal with the monster" and that the last time, no one came back for them. They were "so very hungry, but no one came when we cried. And then the hunger went away and we grew very cold and went to sleep."

The final conversation with Rose and Thorne's ghosts in the attic should have the children implore the players for help yet again. They remember much more this time around, but they're still ignorant to the true nature of their parents. However, Rose thinks that their mother might have taken Walter to the basement last. She asks the players to save their baby brother and their parents and defeat the monster once and for all. If asked how to get into the basement, Rose points at the dollhouse revealing the secret entry.

If asked how they died, Rose and Thorn explain that their parents locked them in the attic to protect them from "the monster in the basement," and that they died from hunger. If asked how one gets to the basement, Rose points to the dollhouse and says, "There's a secret door in the attic." Characters who then search the dollhouse for secret doors gain advantage on their Wisdom (Perception) checks to find them.

The children fear abandonment. If one or more characters try to leave, the ghost-children attempt to possess them. If one of the ghosts possesses a character, allow the player to retain control of the character, but assign the character one of the following flaws:

• A character possessed by Rose gains the following flaw: "I like being in charge and get angry when other people tell me what to do."
• A character possessed by Thorn gains the following flaw: "I'm scared of everything, including my own shadow, and weep with despair when things don't go my way."

A character possessed by the ghost of Rose or Thorn won't willingly leave Death House or the dungeon below it. Both ghosts can be intimidated into leaving their hosts with a successful DC 11 Charisma (Intimidation) check made as an action or DC 15 (Persuasion) to hand over control to the players.

A ghost reduced to 0 hit points can reform at dawn the next day. The only way to put the children's spirits to rest is to put their skeletal remains in their tombs (areas 23E and 23F). The children don't know this, however.

If kids possess a character - gain +2 to perception, initiative, insight, AC and saves in addition to the flaws

describe it as feeling like “a child’s hands, searching desperately for a warm embrace.”

Development

If the party lays the children's spirits to rest, each character gains inspiration (see "Inspiration" in chapter 4, "Personality and Background," of the Player's Handbook).

21. Secret Stairs

A narrow spiral staircase made of creaky wood is contained within a 5-foot-wide shaft of mortared stone that starts in the attic and descends 50 feet to the dungeon level, passing through the lower levels of the house as it makes its descent. Thick cobwebs fill the shaft and reduce visibility in the staircase to 5 feet.

The secret door and shaft don't exist until the house reveals them, which can happen in one of two ways:

• The characters find Strahd's letter in the secret room behind the library (area 9).
• The characters find the replica secret door in the attic of the dollhouse (area 20).

Once the house wills the secret door into existence, characters find it automatically if they search the wall (no ability check required). Characters who descend the spiral staircase end up in area 22.

22 Dungeon Level Access

The wooden spiral staircase from the attic ends here. A narrow tunnel stretches southward before branching east and west.

The dungeon level underneath Durst Manor is unlit so characters without darkvision must provide their own light sources. The dungeon is carved out of earth, clay, and rock. The tunnels are 4 feet wide by 7 feet high with timber braces at 5-foot intervals. Rooms are 8 feet tall and supported by thick wooden posts with crossbeams.

As the characters explore the dungeon, they see centuries-old human footprints in the earthen floor leading every which way.

Ghostly Chanting

From the moment they arrive down the stairs, the characters can hear an eerie, incessant chant echoing throughout. It's impossible to gauge where the sound is coming from until the characters reach area 26 or 29. They can't discern its words until they reach area 35.

23 Family Crypts

Several crypts have been hewn from the earth. Each crypt is sealed with a stone slab unless noted otherwise. Removing a slab from its fitting requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check; using a crowbar or the like grants advantage on the check.

23A Empty Crypt

The blank stone slab meant to seal this crypt leans against a nearby wall. The crypt is empty.

23B Walter's Crypt

The blank stone slab meant to seal this crypt leans against a nearby wall. The crypt is empty.

23C Gustav's Crypt

The stone slab is etched with the name Gustav Durst. The chamber beyond contains an empty coffin atop a stone bier.

23D Elisabeth's Crypt

The stone slab is etched with the name Elisabeth Durst. The crypt contains a stone bier with an empty coffin atop it. A swarm of insects (centipedes) boils out of the back wall and attacks if the coffin is disturbed.

23E Rose's Crypt

The stone slab is etched with the name Rosavalda Durst. The chamber beyond contains an empty coffin on a stone bier.

If Rose's skeletal remains (see area 20) are placed in the coffin, the child's ghost finds peace and disappears forever. A character possessed by Rose's ghost when this occurs is no longer possessed. If both Rose and Thorne are returned, party members gain Inspiration.

23F Thorn's Crypt

The stone slab is etched with the name Thornboldt Durst. The chamber beyond contains an empty coffin on a stone bier.

If Thorn's skeletal remains (see area 20) are placed in the coffin, the child's ghost finds peace and disappears forever. A character possessed by Thorn's ghost when this occurs is no longer possessed. If both Rose and Thorne are returned, party members gain Inspiration.

24 Cult Initiates' Quarters

A wooden table and four chairs stand at the east end of this room. To the west are four alcoves containing moldy straw pallets.

25 Well and Cultist Quarters

A 4-foot-diameter well shaft with a 3-foot-high stone lip descends 30 feet to a water-filled cistern. A wooden bucket hangs from a rope-and-pulley mechanism bolted to the crossbeams above the well.

Five side rooms once served as quarters for senior cultists. Each contains a wood-framed bed with a moldy straw mattress and a wooden chest to hold personal belongings. Each chest is secured with a rusty iron padlock that can be picked with thieves' tools and a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. One chest has a Cultist's Logbook

I didn’t write anything down to show my players for this one, but simply described it as a list of names, descriptions of people, and details of somesort of ceremony. In other words, this is a logbook of the cult’s victims kept by one of the head cultists. There’s a column for names of their victims. A second column with the victim’s physical description. And a third column telling gruesome details like, “Struggled profusely” and “No tranquilizers given this time.”

Three skeletally thin ghouls are in this area. One is in area A, one is in area B, and the third is in the well.

The ghoul in the well will grab the first character to venture within five feet of its hiding place, and attempt to drag them in.

Treasure

In addition to some worthless personal effects, each chest contains one or more valuable items.

• 25A. This room's chest contains 11 gp and 60 sp in a pouch made of human skin.
• 25B. This room's chest contains three moss agates (worth 10 gp each) in a folded piece of black cloth.
• 25C. This room's chest contains a black leather eyepatch with a carnelian (worth 50 gp) sewn into it. Also Cultist Logbook
  • No handout.
  • It is a list of names, descriptions of people, and details of somesort of ceremony.
  • This is a logbook of the cult's victims kept by one of the head cultists.
  • There's a column for names of their victims.
  • A second column with the victim's physical description.
  • A third column telling gruesome details like, "Struggled profusely" and "No tranquilizers given this time."
• 25D. This room's chest contains an ivory hairbrush with silver bristles (worth 25 gp).
• 25E. This room's chest contains a silvered shortsword (worth 110 gp).

26 Hidden Spiked Pit

The ghostly chanting heard throughout the dungeon gets discernibly louder as one heads west along this tunnel.

27 Dining Hall

This room contains a plain wooden table flanked by long benches. Moldy humanoid bones lie strewn on the dirt floor—the remains of the cult's vile banquets.

In the middle of the south wall is a darkened alcove (area 28). Characters who approach within 5 feet of the alcove provoke the creature that lurks there.

28 Larder

This area contains a stunted carrion crawler. It is smaller than its full-sized brethren due to a lack of prey, and is a medium-sized creature as a result. In addition, its tentacle attack only has a reach of 5 feet. The carrion crawler slithers out to attack the first character it sees within 5 feet of it. Any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score under 12 is surprised by it. The alcove is otherwise empty.

29 Ghoulish Encounter

The ghostly chanting heard throughout the dungeon is noticeably louder to the north. When one or more characters reach the midpoint of the four-way tunnel intersection, two ghouls (former cultists) rise up out of the ground in the spaces marked X on the map and attack. The ghouls fight until destroyed. If the party is very successfull, indicate up to two more spots in the ground moving, trying to get up.

30 Stairs Down

It's obvious to any character standing at the top of this 20-foot-long staircase that the ghostly chants originate from somewhere below. The door is locked with a (magical) padlock (DC 25 pick lock)

Characters who descend the stairs and follow the hall beyond arrive in area 35.

31 Darklord's Shrine

This room is festooned with moldy skeletons that hang from rusty shackles against the walls. A wide alcove in the south wall contains a painted wooden statue carved in the likeness of a gaunt, pale-faced man wearing a voluminous black cloak, his pale left hand resting on the head of a wolf that stands next to him. In his right hand, he holds a smoky-gray crystal orb.

The room has exits in the west and north walls. Chanting can be heard coming from the west.

If a light source is brought closer to it, the shadows of the statue flickers in an unusual way, increasing in volatility as a person is coming closer to the crystal orb. If the orb is touched, a sinking feeling overcomes the person and they feel eyes staring right back into their soul, causing an involuntary shiver and feeling naked for a second.

The statue depicts Strahd, to whom the cultists made sacrifices in the vain hope that he might reveal his darkest secrets to them. If the characters touch crystal orb from Strahd's hand, five shadows form around the statue and attack them. The shadows (the spirits of former cultists) pursue those who flee beyond the room's confines.

The skeletons on the wall are harmless decor.

Concealed Door

Characters searching the room for secret doors find a concealed door in the middle of the east wall with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check. It's basically an ordinary (albeit rotted) wooden door hidden under a layer of clay. The door pulls open to reveal a stone staircase that climbs 10 feet to a landing (area 32).

Treasure

The crystal orb is worth 25 gp. It can be used as an arcane focus but is not magical.

32 Hidden Trapdoor

The staircase ends at a landing with a 6-foot-high ceiling of close-fitting planks with a wooden trapdoor set into it. The trapdoor is bolted shut from this side and can be pushed open to reveal the den (area 3) above.

Development

Once the trapdoor has been found and opened, it remains available to characters as a way into and out of the dungeon level.

33 Cult Leaders' Den

A chandelier is suspended above a table in the middle of the room. Two high-backed chairs flank the table, which has an empty clay jug and two clay flagons atop it. Iron candlesticks stand in two corners, their candles long since melted away.

34 Cult Leaders' Quarters

This room contains a large wood-framed bed with a rotted feather mattress, a wardrobe containing several old robes, a pair of iron candlesticks, and an open crate containing thirty torches and a leather sack with fifteen candles inside it. At the foot of the bed is an unlocked wooden footlocker containing some gear and magic items (see "Treasure" below).

A death dog lies in wait behind the bed and will attack any character that draws near. The death dog was once the Durst family pet, Sophaxis, whom Gustav fed human flesh. If addressed by name, Sophaxis will cease attacking the party and may be convinced to accompany them with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Animal Handling) check.

If Sophaxis is taken outside of the manor house, it will die and crumble to dust.

After a moment, Mrs. Durst in her ghast form will burst from one of the earthen walls. Unlike the other ghouls who outright attacked the party, Mrs. Durst can actually speak. She’s retained her memory but has also completely succumbed to her dark whims. Her lips and gums have gone black with rot and she smiles madly at the characters. When she introduces herself, tell the players that after closer inspection they can see the vague resemblance to the portrait of her in the main house.

Mrs. Durst has gone completely mad. She’s arrogant and believes herself better than everyone, looking down on the players. She shuns her dead husband and calls him a lecherous traitor who deserved to die. She has even less kind words for Walter and the nursemaid. She even writes off her own children as bothersome nuisances. Don’t be afraid to be vulgar when voicing Mrs. Durst. Try to give her a hissing, gargling voice and use some language you wouldn't use in front of your mother. It’ll make the party hate her all the more.

Should the players ask what she did to Walter, she grins and tells them, "Why don’t you go down even further and find out for yourself."

Mrs. Durst eventually tells the players to get out. But most likely, your players will feel inclined to end her. Good. She’s meant to be utterly repulsive and killing her will make them all feel really great.

Treasure

Characters searching the footlocker find a folded cloak of protection, a small wooden coffer (unlocked) containing four potions of healing, a chain shirt, a mess kit, a flask of alchemist's fire, a bullseye lantern, a set of thieves' tools, and a spellbook with a yellow leather cover containing the following wizard spells:

1st level: disguise self, identify, mage armor, magic missile, protection from evil and good

2nd level: darkvision, hold person, invisibility, magic weapon

These items were taken from adventurers who were drawn into Barovia, captured, and killed by the cult.

35 Reliquary

The ghostly chant emanating from area 38 fills this room. Characters can discern a dozen or so voices saying, over and over, "He is the Ancient. He is the Land."

The cult amassed several "relics" that it used in its rituals. These worthless items are stored in thirteen niches along the walls:

A vial of coagulated blood

• A lock of auburn hair, woven into a figure eight
• A hag's severed finger
• A sun symbol made from woven wicker
• A patch of dried human skin
• A vial of murky swamp water
• The severed claw of a raven
• A black twig with blood-red thorns
• A dragon's tooth wrapped in silver wire
• The tattered remains of a large bird feather
• A shard of amber
• A dried bouquet of wolf's bane
• The desiccated ear of an elf

The southernmost tunnel slopes down at a 20-degree angle into murky water and ends at a rusty portcullis (area 37).

36 Prison

The cultists shackled prisoners to the back walls of alcoves here. The prisoners are long gone (their bones litter the floor in area 27), but the rusty shackles remain.

Secret Door

A secret door in the south wall can be found with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check and pulls open to reveal area 38 beyond.

Treasure

Hanging on the back wall of the cell marked X on the map is a human skeleton clad in a tattered black robe. The skeleton belongs to a cult member who questioned the cult's blind devotion to Strahd. Characters who search the skeleton find a gold ring (worth 25 gp) on one of its bony fingers.

37 Portcullis

This tunnel is blocked by a rusty iron portcullis that can be forcibly lifted with a successful DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. Otherwise, the portcullis can be raised or lowered by turning a wooden wheel half-embedded in the east wall of area 38. (The wheel is beyond the reach of someone east of the portcullis.) The floor around the portcullis is submerged under 2 feet of murky water.

38 Ritual Chamber

This room is higher than any other other rooms in the entire house or basement and is supported by stone pillars. The cult used to perform rituals in this sunken room. The chanting heard throughout the dungeon originates here, yet when the characters arrive, the dungeon falls silent as the chanting mysteriously stops.

The chanting stops as you peer into this forty-foot-square room. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the west wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.

The water is 2 feet deep. The ledges and central dais are 5 feet high (3 feet higher than the water's surface), and the chamber's ceiling is 16 feet high (11 feet above the dais and ledges). The chains dangling from the ceiling are 8 feet long; the cultists would shackle prisoners to the chains, dangle them above the altar, cut them open with knives, and allow the altar to be bathed in blood.

Half embedded in the east wall is a wooden wheel connected to hidden chains and mechanisms. A character can use an action to turn the wheel, raising or lowering the nearby portcullis (see area 37).

The hole in the west wall leads to a naturally formed alcove. The half-submerged pile of body parts is actually a Wendigo. It is in a form of hibernation and takes X turns to wake or will be instantly awoken by damage or if the characters refuse to complete the ritual.

A character standing next to the pile can discern its some sort of monster with a successful DC 11 Intelligence check. A Religion or History DC 15 check will give information of it as a Wendigo.

"One Must Die!"

If any character climbs to the top of the dais, read:

The chanting rises once more as thirteen dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black-robed figure holding a torch, but the torch's fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you'd expect to see faces are voids.

"One must die!" they chant, over and over. "One must die! One must die!"

The specters are actual specters but they will not interact with the characters unless acted upon.

Characters on the dais when the cultists appear must sacrifice a creature on the altar or face the cult's wrath; characters can ascertain what must be done with a successful DC 11 Intelligence (Religion) or Wisdom (Insight) check. To count as a sacrifice, a creature must die on the altar. The apparitions don't care what kind of creature is sacrificed, and they aren't fooled by illusions.

If the characters make the sacrifice, the cultists proclaim three times "The seals are lifted" and then says "Dom Smerti rests again" before fading away. The tireless chant of "He is the Ancient. He is the Land," echoes again in the dungeon. Strahd is aware of the sacrifice, and Death House now does nothing to hinder the characters (see "Endings" below).

If the characters refuse to offer up a sacrifice on the altar, or if they try to escape the room, the ghostly cultists will chant "Dom Smerti consumes the guests", awakening the Wendigo which will attack to devouer the characters and then start chanting "End is nigh! Flesh will rend!". If it goes well, it will try to keep them alive but take any gear, to have a snack later. It pursues prey beyond the room but won't leave the lower level of the dungeon (or dungeon?).

If the wendigo dies, the body of baby Walter is revealed fully and the chanting ends. If Walter is buried in a tomb, the specters of Durst Manor will for ever be appeased and released to the afterlife. The evil spirit of Durst Manor will lose a lot/all of its power.

Wendigo Walter

The wendigo was created when walter was sacrificed, already bathed in his mother's blood and became Walter's toomb, including harbouring baby Walter's memories as well as associated memories from Durst Manor. The wendigo is part of the spirit of the house but fuelled by the innocent soul of Walter. If Walter is buried in a tomb, his soul will be released from the grasp of the house.

When Walter is awakened, the room chills markedly and snow starts to randomly fall, obscuring view further. The falling snow will have an affect on torches, which lose 2ft of illumination at the start of Walter's turn until re-lit.

In his wendigo form, Walter mimics things the spirit heard prior to death, including his sister and his mother.

If a character has fixed up the music box from the Margaret's nursery (15b), which is pretty easy (DC15 or 1 minute careful fixing) and then then plays it during the fight with Walter, suddenly hearing it for who knows how long causes him to falter a bit. He has to pass a Charisma save (DC15) or be stunned for a turn. Walter will at most fail 3 times in the fight before he gains immunity against it.

Endings

(The mists of Ravenloft continue to surround Death House until the characters stand atop the dais and either appease or defy the cultists. Strahd is satisfied either way, prompting the mists to recede.)

The Cult Is Appeased

Durst Manor and its spirits harbors no ill will toward a party willing to sacrifice a life to appease the cult. Once the sacrifice is made, the characters are free to go. All bricked up windows are open and all doors unlocked. Upon emerging from the house, the characters advance a level.

The Cult Is Denied

If the characters deny the cult its sacrifice and either destroy the wendigo or escape from it, Durst Manor attacks them as they try to leave. When they return upstairs, they must roll initiative as they discover several architectural changes:

   All the windows are bricked up; the bricked-up windows and the outer walls are impervious to the party's weapon attacks and damage-dealing spells.

   All the doors are gone, replaced by slashing scythe-blades. A character must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to pass through a blade-trapped doorway unscathed. A character who spends 1 minute studying the blades in a particular doorway can try to take advantage of a momentary gap in their repeating movements and make a DC 15 Intelligence check instead. Failing either check, a character takes 2d10 slashing damage but manages to pass through the doorway. Any creature pushed through a doorway must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the damage. The blades can't be disarmed.

   Every room that contains a fireplace, an oven, or a stove is filled with poisonous black smoke. The room is heavily obscured, and any creature that starts its turn in the smoke must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d10 poison damage.

   The interior walls become rotted and brittle. Each 5-foot-section has AC 5 and 5 hit points, and can also be destroyed with a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Each 5-foot section of wall that's destroyed causes a swarm of rats to pour out and attack. The swarm won't leave the house.

Keep track of initiative as the characters make their way through the house. Once they escape, they advance to 3rd level, and the house does no more to harm them.

Challenge 1: Rocks begin to fall from the ceiling of the ritual chamber. A DC 10 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check can be used to avoid the falling rocks.

Challenge 2: The manor is holding the portcullis closed. A DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check can be used to lift it.

Challenge 3: The cultist quarters (area 25) has flooded and the water is filled with body parts and garbage. A DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check can be used to swim through the room.

Challenge 4: The bones in the dining hall (area 27) are flying through the air in a whirlwind. A DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check can be used to spot a gap in the whirling bones to run through.

Challenge 5: The steps in spiral staircase (area 21) have angled to create a slide. A DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check can be used to climb the slide to the attic.

Challenge 6: Black smoke fills the attic. A DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check can lead the party through the smoke to the lower floor.

Challenge 7: Whirling blades fill up the doorway leading from the nursemaid’s suite (area 15a) to the balcony (area 11). A DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check can be used to dart through without being cut.

Challenge 8: The front door of the house is bricked over, but it looks weak. A DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check can be used to break through.

Outside

• Gift basket with that red cush wine

Twenty feet in front of the door is a neatly presented fruit basket containing not just fruits like apples, pears, and grapes but also some wine (Red Dragon Crush) and cheese (cheddar-like stuff and stilton-like). There is just a small card attached to it that reads "Welcome to Barovia, Count Strahd von Sarovich" and has the raven seal on it.