In the shadow-drenched halls of Castle Ravenloft, the air was thick with anticipation and dread. The Nefarious Do-Gooders, having traversed the treacherous catacombs beneath the ancient structure, found themselves locked in a chilling standoff with the master of Barovia himself—Strahd von Zarovich. The events leading to this confrontation were as perilous as they were unexpected, drawing the adventurers deeper into the vampire lord’s deadly web.

Their journey through the castle’s underbelly had been haunted by the specters of the past, culminating in a dire battle against undead women and a trapped steel helmet, an encounter that had left the party both wary and resolute. Aided by Emil, who revealed his lycanthropic nature in the heat of battle, they had survived, only to uncover a mystery that hinted at Strahd’s ever-looming presence—an open coffin, untouched by their hands.

As they deliberated their next move, an invisible force seized Tempest, dragging her towards a dark alcove. Strahd’s voice, cold and mocking, filled the room, threatening to turn her into one of his vampiric minions or to end her life should they dare approach. The party, undeterred by the vampire’s threats, scrambled to devise a strategy to combat Strahd’s invisibility and formidable powers. Their arsenal of spells and abilities seemed limited against an unseen foe, and the situation grew dire as technical difficulties plagued their efforts, hindering their ability to access vital spells.

The standoff intensified when an invisible entity, presumed to be Strahd, took a more aggressive stance. Despite their best efforts, including Thorn’s rapier strike and Tempest’s attempt to polymorph Strahd into a snail, the vampire lord remained unscathed, revealing his ability to resist their spells. Emil, their newfound ally, charged into the fray only to be swiftly incapacitated, a stark reminder of Strahd’s power.

As the battle raged on, Strahd’s true form became visible, his attacks leaving Tempest gravely wounded. The party witnessed his supernatural healing abilities, realizing the enormity of the challenge before them. In a desperate bid to turn the tide, they considered wielding the Sunsword, a weapon believed to be Strahd’s bane. A plan emerged to pass the radiant blade between them, hoping its light would weaken the vampire lord enough to break his dominion over Barovia.

Their resolve hardened, the adventurers launched a coordinated assault. Maledurk, rendered invisible, struck Strahd with the Sunsword, inflicting a magical wound that resisted the vampire’s healing touch. Thorn, seizing the moment, made Maledurk visible to maximize the sword’s luminous effect. The light of the Sunsword illuminated the grim visage of Strahd and his illusory duplicates, revealing the true extent of their enemy’s cunning.

As the battle reached its climax, Tempest, now revived by Elora’s healing magic, prepared to unleash a Lightning Bolt, undeterred by the risk to her allies. Emil, his claws sharp and ready, dispelled one of Strahd’s illusions with a ferocious swipe, landing a critical blow on the vampire lord himself. The party fought with renewed vigor, their attacks revealing the illusions for what they were—mere shadows of Strahd’s malice.

Strahd, relentless in his assault, filled the room with a dense fog, blinding Maledurk and sowing chaos among the adventurers. Yet, even as they struggled to discern friend from foe in the suffocating mist, they devised a final, desperate strategy—a Wall of Force to trap Strahd, eliminating any chance of escape. The room became a battleground enclosed by invisible walls, setting the stage for a confrontation that would decide the fate of Barovia.

As the session drew to a close, the Nefarious Do-Gooders stood united, their spirits unbroken by the horrors they had faced. The Wall of Force, their last gambit, encapsulated not just their enemy, but their hopes for a future free from Strahd’s tyranny. The stage was set for a battle that would either end in their victory or in the continuation of Barovia’s eternal night.

Notes
  • The session begins with casual conversation among the players, discussing personal schedules and potential interruptions due to one player’s child having a playdate.
  • The conversation shifts to discussing travel plans, specifically the challenges of traveling from Bend to Eugene, Oregon, during winter. They consider the conditions of various passes like Santiam Pass and Mackenzie Pass, and the possibility of flying versus driving due to potential snow and road closures.
  • The group debates the merits of flying into Portland and then driving to Eugene versus driving the entire way, taking into account the weather, road conditions, and the necessity of chains or studded tires.
  • The conversation concludes with a decision leaning towards flying to Portland and then driving to Eugene, highlighting the importance of checking daily weather reports and road conditions for winter travel in Oregon.
  • Transitioning into the game, the GM recaps the last session where the party explored catacombs within Castle Ravenloft, encountering a trapped steel helmet and engaging in combat with undead women, aided by a character named Emil who transformed into a giant wolf creature.
  • The party discovers an open coffin that they had not opened themselves, leading to speculation about another entity’s presence, possibly Strahd von Zarovich.
  • A perception check reveals no visible entities in the room, but Tempest is suddenly grabbed by an invisible force and dragged towards a non-magical alcove, where they hear Strahd’s voice expressing displeasure at being disturbed.
  • Strahd threatens to turn Tempest into a vampire or kill her if the party approaches, leading to a discussion on how to deal with Strahd’s invisibility and potential strategies for combat.
  • The party contemplates using various spells and abilities to locate or harm Strahd, including Protection from Energy, Charm Monster, and Invisibility, but face limitations due to the requirement of seeing the target for most spells.
  • Technical difficulties with accessing spells in the game’s interface are mentioned, affecting the players’ ability to execute their strategies.
  • The session ends with the party still engaged in strategizing how to confront Strahd while protecting Tempest and considering the use of Greater Invisibility to potentially locate and attack Strahd without being seen.
  • The party is engaged in a confrontation with an unseen enemy, presumed to be Strahd, in Castle Ravenloft.
  • A character turns invisible and contemplates attacking the unseen enemy, hoping to sever the hand holding a knife to a hostage’s throat, but realizes there is no knife visible.
  • The hostage appears bound and struggling against an unseen force.
  • The party decides to destroy a coffin, suspecting it might be significant to their enemy. They proceed to attack it, prompting a call for initiative rolls.
  • Strahd, remaining unseen, reacts nonchalantly to the party’s actions.
  • Thorn attempts to attack Strahd with a rapier from behind Tempest, but despite hitting something, it doesn’t seem to affect Tempest or Strahd significantly.
  • Tempest, while restrained, attempts to break free using acrobatics but fails. She then tries to cast Polymorph on Strahd to turn him into a snail, but he resists the spell.
  • Strahd becomes visible after being attacked, slices at Tempest causing significant damage, and reveals his ability to automatically succeed on saving throws a limited number of times per day.
  • Emil, presumably an ally, attacks Strahd but is ultimately knocked down and incapacitated.
  • The party notices Strahd healing from their attacks and preparing for further action.
  • Alora attempts to cast a spell on Strahd but fails. Strahd then summons a swarm of bats and bites Tempest, causing her to fall unconscious.
  • The party discusses strategies to defeat Strahd, considering using the Sunsword, a weapon believed to be lethal to him.
  • The party debates making another character, Maledurk, invisible to attack Strahd with the Sunsword, but concerns about timing and visibility are raised.
  • The session ends with the party planning to use the Sunsword against Strahd, hoping it will end his spells and influence over the land.
  • The GM clarifies that it is impossible to kill Strahd von Zarovich with a single blow from the sword the players have, emphasizing the need to reduce Strahd to zero hit points before they can attempt to permanently kill him.
  • The sword is identified as being particularly effective against Strahd, capable of weakening many of his abilities, but not capable of killing him in one hit.
  • A discussion ensues about the effectiveness of the sword in different players’ hands, with the GM explaining that the sword’s light, which negatively affects vampires, will not be visible and thus not effective if the sword itself is made invisible.
  • A plan is formulated involving damaging Strahd, then passing the sword in a cinematic manner to another player, Maledurk, who would then activate its light effect to further weaken Strahd.
  • The GM notes that transferring the sword would consume a player’s action for the turn, and decides to make Maledurk invisible instead, allowing him to attack Strahd with the advantage of surprise.
  • Tempest, a player character, is revealed to have become visible and unconscious, prompting a death saving throw which results in a success, moving them closer to stabilization.
  • Elora attempts to heal the party with a Mass Cure Wounds spell, successfully reviving Tempest and healing other party members within the spell’s radius.
  • Swarms of bats attack the party, with Maledurk, Elora, and Thorn being targeted but only Maledurk and Elora taking damage.
  • Maledurk, while invisible, attacks Strahd with the Sunsword, causing significant damage and a unique, magical wound that does not heal as quickly as others.
  • Strahd, in response to the attacks, casts a spell creating three illusory duplicates of himself to confuse his attackers.
  • Thorn decides to make Maledurk visible to utilize the Sunsword’s light against Strahd and attacks with a psychic lance, causing damage to Strahd and revealing that the light affects all four images of Strahd.
  • The session ends with Tempest preparing to cast Lightning Bolt at Strahd and his duplicates, regardless of proximity to allies.
  • The group discusses tactics for dealing with multiple illusions of Strahd, noting that attacking them reveals which are illusions as they disappear upon being hit.
  • A character named Emil attacks one of the Strahd illusions with claws, making one disappear and then successfully hitting the real Strahd on a subsequent attack.
  • Laura is targeted by a shadow attack but it misses her.
  • A character attempts to attack Strahd directly, but ends up hitting an illusion instead, which disappears. They are informed they can make another attack.
  • Strahd attacks Maledurk with a slashing attack imbued with necrotic magic, dealing 17 points of damage.
  • Laura uses Cure Wounds on Maledurk, healing him for 12 hit points.
  • Bats attack Laura and Maledurk, with Maledurk taking 1 point of damage from them.
  • Strahd casts a spell that fills the room with dense fog, blinding Maledurk temporarily and making it difficult for the characters to see each other or Strahd.
  • Strahd attacks again in the fog, dealing 19 damage to an unspecified target and performs an unknown action.
  • A character plans to use a Wall of Force to create a dome to prevent Strahd from escaping, considering it a final standoff. They also consider using a psychic lance attack on their next turn.
  • The group discusses who has the wooden stake needed to potentially finish Strahd.
  • The character decides to create a rectangular box with the Wall of Force instead of a dome to include everyone in the room, ensuring Strahd cannot escape through any potential openings in the ceiling.
  • The session ends with the room enclosed by the Wall of Force, setting up a confrontation for the next session.
  • Post-game discussion includes personal updates and plans for the next session.