Recap 2

After resting in the children's room for the night, the party made their way back down stairs, checking each floor thoroughly as they did. They found a few clues and also some useful items. In the Hunter's den they found a heavy crossbow, a light crossbow, a hand crossbow, and 20 bolts for each weapon. Three of which were magical. Also an unknown weapon (Pistol) was found with 20 odd pieces of ammunition for it. (10 lead and 10 silver)

Red velvet drapes covered the windows of an extensive library. An exquisite mahogany desk and a matching high-back chair faced the entrance and the fireplace, above which hung a framed picture of a windmill perched atop a rocky crag. Situated in corners of the room were two overstuffed chairs. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the south wall. A rolling wooden ladder allowed one to more easily reach the high shelves. The desk had 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, and a wooden seal bearing the Durst family’s insignia (a windmill). The desk drawer was empty except for an iron key, which unlocked the door to Rose and Thorn's room. The bookshelves held hundreds of tomes covering a range of topics including history, warfare, and alchemy. There were also several shelves containing first-edition collected works of poetry and fiction, including "Snow Dwarf and the Seven Wights."

A secret door behind one bookshelf was unlocked and swung open by pulling on a switch disguised to look like a red-covered book with a blank spine. Ronin very astutely found the secret door and quickly entered the secret library until he noticed the skeleton sticking out of a closed chest and ran out screaming. This secret room contained bookshelves packed with tomes describing fiend-summoning rituals and the necromantic rituals of a cult called the Priests of Osybus. The rituals were bogus, though Ronin took some to study later. A heavy wooden chest with clawed iron feet stood against the south wall, its lid half-closed. Sticking out of the chest was a skeleton in leather armor. Close inspection revealed that the skeleton belonged to a human who triggered a poisoned dart trap. Three darts were stuck in the dead adventurer’s armor and ribcage. The dart-firing mechanism inside the chest no longer functioned.
Clutched in the skeleton’s left hand was a letter bearing the seal of Strahd von Zarovich, which the adventurer tried to remove from the chest. Written in flowing script, the letter read as follows.

> My most pathetic servant,
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> I am not a messiah sent to you by the Dark Powers of this land. I have not come to lead you on a path to immortality. However many souls you have bled on your hidden altar, however many visitors you have tortured in your dungeon, know that you are not the ones who brought me to this beautiful land. You are but worms writhing in my earth.
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> You say that you are cursed, your fortunes spent. You abandoned love for madness, took solace in the bosom of another woman, and sired a stillborn son. Cursed by darkness? Of that I have no doubt. Save you from your wretchedness? I think not. I much prefer you as you are.
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> Your dread lord and master,
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> Strahd von Zarovich
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The upper hall contained unlit oil lamps mounted on the walls. Hanging above the mantelpiece was 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. Standing suits of armor flanked wooden doors in the east and west walls. Each suit of armor clutched a spear and had a visored helm shaped like a wolf’s head. The doors were carved with dancing youths, although close inspection revealed that the youths weren’t really dancing but fighting off swarms of bats.

Though beautifully made and decorated, no one took any of the armor with them because of the weight. Nor did anyone stack it all up down stairs near the door for quick retrieval later. (Dukus talked about taking a suit, but in the end I believe he left it there.)

After clearing out the house itself, the party made their way up to the attic to then descend the 50 feet to the "basement." There they found the family crypts. Several crypts had been hewn from the earth. Each crypt was sealed with a stone slab, except baby Walter's. The stone slab in one crypt was etched with the name Rosavalda Durst. The chamber beyond contained an empty coffin on a stone bier. Rose’s skeletal remains were placed in the coffin, a prayer said, then the child’s ghost found peace and disappeared forever. Robin's character, possessed by Rose’s ghost, was no longer possessed after this. The stone slab in the southern crypt was etched with the name Thornboldt Durst. The chamber beyond contained an empty coffin on a stone bier.
When Thorn’s skeletal remains were placed in the coffin, the child’s ghost found peace and disappeared forever.

After this touching moment the party was even more ready to make someone pay for what had happened to these children. They boldly went into the following rooms and finally explored the dining hall. It contained 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. Baby Walter's tiny remains were found. In the larder (pantry) Ronin found more than he was looking for when the Grick hanging from the ceiling attacked. Emboldened by his victory, he stormed into the next crossroad and was ambushed by 4 Ghouls. This battle was livened up by some acrobatics from Kai. When Ronin tried the same maneuver, he fell and cut his head, missing his target. After that his confidence seemed greatly reduced as he crept around the rest of the dungeon.

After the Ghoul battle Adrian heard chanting coming from the lower levels of the "basement." Believing that to be the big boss fight, our heroes first tried to finish investigating this floor. The Western area of this level revealed a common room with a 30' deep well and 5 small sleeping chambers around it. The contents of the chest in each room was examined. The Ball sack potions were found to be mystery potions of Healing. Here we left our heroes taking a short rest and identifying the items they had found.

*Credit to Andy for the recap.*

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