Session 22

The Heroes climb the stairs of the tower, meeting Strahd in an empty room. After a short banter, the Heroes attack. But it seems the dark lord has lost all will to fight. After resisting the magic of Abdul and Thancred, the vampire monster suffers grievous wounds from Anomander's greatsword, and then Ander stabs him with his Sunsword, bolstered by his divine power.

Bathed in the magical light, Strahd turns to dust, destroyed forever. Outside, the dark mists part, allowing those that are willing to leave the cursed lands.

The Heroes says their farewell, and leave behind the lands of Barovia. Finallly, they're free to return to their home.

THE END

Session 21

The Heroes quickly realize that the disappearance of Anomander and the arrival of the undead are somehow connected. After they destroy the wight, they find Anomander trapped in one of the minor crypts. Having freed him, they bypass the magical trap, and enter into another major tomb.

They soon understand that they've entered the room where Strahd's coffin is kept! Three vampiric brides protect the coffin, but they're no match for the Heroes. Having defeated the three vampires, the Heroes destroy Strahd's coffin.

Leaving the catacombs, the Heroes continue their search for the "sword of light". On one of the upper floors, they meet Rahadin, the dusk elf chamberlain of Strahd. They do not mingle words with the evil elf, and slaughter him and his shadow demon companion on the spot. Not far from these chambers, they find a hall of bones, where the skull of the dragon Argynvost is kept. And in the same room, they find the Sunsword, a magical sword whose blade is a ray of pure sunlight.

Having aquired the weapon they need to destroy Strahd, they seek the Heart of the Castle. They find it in the highest tower of the castle, guarded by more vampire spawns. With eldritch and fire magic, they destroy the Heart and its guardians.

One last evil awaits them, in the highest room of the tower... the devil Strahd himself! 

Session 20

The dark carriage brings the Heroes to Castle Ravenloft, where they find the entrance hall empty, with no one waiting for them. Remembering the words of Madame Eva, they seek to reach the lower levels in order to find the "room of bones" where a "sword of sunlight" should be kept.

On their way, they meet a mongrelfolk servant of Strahd, and a prisoner werewolf. Not trusting anyone, the Heroes avoid forging any alliances with these creatures, and proceed their own way.

They eventually reach the catacombs, where they find the tomb of Sergei, Strahd's brother, and of their parents, the King and Queen of Barovia. When they try to enter the last of the royal family's crypt, a magical trap teleports Anomander away, sealing him in a dark room. In his place, an undead horror appears, ready to attack the others.

Session 19

After the initial suprise, the Heroes meet the Abbot, a celestial being in charge of the temple. He shows the Heroes his "creation", a female creature made of parts borrowed from corpses, and animated with magic. He calls her "the bride of Strahd", and he hopes his creation will bring love into the heart of the vampire lord. To this end, he asks the Heroes to provide a wedding gown for his creaton to wear when he presents her to Strahd.

The Heroes return to Kresk, where they hope to obtain a wedding dress after lavishing more gifts and wine on the burgomaster. While Abdul enjoys the nobleman's company, the others return to the inn where they find Irina; she informs them that Rictavio (see session 6) will meet them the day after.

The meeting is very useful, as Rictavio reveals himself has Rudolf Van Richten, the legendary monster hunter. He shares with the Heroes his knowledge of vampires, including many of their weaknesses.

After the meeting with Van Richten, the Heroes aquire the wedding dress they need for the Abbot, and go back to the Abbey. When they deliver the dress, the Abbot smiles with anticipation. Outside of the abbey, a dark, empty carriage has arrived. The time of the reckoning with the devil Strahd is nigh.

Session 18

Before leaving the pass, the Heroes must contend with the lost spirits of ancient warriors once guarding the gates. Violence is avoided, but before proceeding, they witness the form of the devil Strahd appearing to menace them once more. Nothing more than an illusion, the Heroes take this as a warning sign.

On their way to the village of Kresk, the Heroes are attacked by a mighty Roc. After a bloody fight, the huge eagle tries to escape, but Marlow magically transports himself on the back of the beast and slays it.

The Heroes reach Kresk, where they soon meet the burgomester: he demands from them a tribute in wine before he extends his hospitality. Having good relationships with the Wizards of Vines Winery, the Heroes fetch a few barrels, and are then allowed to spend the night at the local inn.

After a good night of sleep, they once again hit the road, this time bound to the Abbey of Saint Markovia; yet, they're surprised to see that the holy place is inhabited by a clan of mongrelfolk, malicious creatures with a grotesque appearance.

Session 17

The Heroes continue their exploration and reach a secret room guarded by several vampire spawns in Strahd's service. Thanks to the magic of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind, Thancred immobilizes them all, making the task of destroying them much easier. Inside the room, more amber sarcophagi can be found. Ishi opens one of them, sealing one more pact with dark entities. As her skin begins to sag and she takes on an undead visage, she realizes she now has the power to bring back to life a corpse, no matter how long it has been dead.

Not long after, Kasimir the dusk elf (see session 6) makes his appearance. He's angry at Ishi for having stolen a power that he wanted for himself, in order to resurrect his long dead sister. The Heroes calm him down, and promise to use the power to resurrect his sister when they find her corpse. In the meanwhile, they tell him to wait for them in Vallaki, to be called upon when they finally assault Castle Ravenloft.

As Kasimir leaves, the Heroes take a rest, and then ready themselves to destroy the Lich they met the day before. With a careful use of their Shield Guardian construct and a silence spell, they attack the Lich, holding him in place and unable to cast spells. Then with blades and magic they cut the undead horror to pieces, they find his phylactery, and destroy that too.

The Heroes spend the next couple of days to inspect the extensive library of the lich, and gather as much knowledge and spells as they can. Then they load all the treasures they found in the temple on a carriage, and leave, bound to the village of Krezk.

In order to reach the village, they must cross Tsolenka Pass, and the watch-towers guarding it. Yet the towers are not abandoned, as two vrock demons, awake from their petrified slumber and attack the Heroes. After a short fight, the demons are sent back to the Abyss, and the Heroes proceed to explore the towers.

Session 16

The Lich is confused by the Heroes' arrival, and looks like he's lost much of his memories. Blessing their good luck, the Heroes excuses themselves for the intrusion, and prepare to leave the room. But greed gets the best of Marlowe, and he tries to steal one of the undead's magical tomes. Enraged, the creature casts a powerful spell, killing Marlowe on the spot. Ander the paladin valiantly recovers the warlock's corpse, then joins the others in retreat.

 

Thanks to the dark gift obtained from one of the sarcophagi in the Amber Temple, Ander performs a powerful ritual, and brings Marlowe back from the dead. After some rest, the Heroes go back to exploring the Temple, carefully avoiding the lich. In one of the rooms, they find a human wizard in hiding. He came to the temple with his master, now dead, and has been in hiding for a few days, waiting to be rescued. The Heroes escort him to the exit, but only after Ishi has managed to steal a magical amulet from the mage.

 

They soon realise that the amulet is a magical device to control an inactive Shield Guardian they met previously. The Heroes go back to the magical construct, and take control of it. With this new powerful ally, they plan to eventually attack the lich, but they first look around to find more of the "knowledge" Abdul came here for. What they find is more amber sarcophagi (and more dark gifts...), and eventually a treasure room guarded by a stone golem. They destroy the golem, and start basking in the glow of the many piles of treasure.