Not Curse Of Strahd Session 10

Not Curse of Strahd Session 10: Tomb Raiders of Ravenloft!

Hey everyone, welcome back for a recap of our latest Curse of Strahd session – Session 10! This time, it was almost entirely dedicated to exploring the eerie catacombs beneath Castle Ravenloft in search of the Mad Dog's Crypt. Let's dive into the tomb-raiding shenanigans!

The session kicked off with the party delving deeper into the catacombs. They systematically began opening and investigating the various crypts, encountering a bizarre array of deceased inhabitants and occasionally, some unexpected surprises.

Here's a rundown of some of the notable tombs and their contents:

Artista De slop the court ceiling painter: An empty room with frescos of imps holding flowers, and a skeleton with a wooden box under its hand. The Rogue successfully swiped the wooden box, which contained seven wood-handled paint brushes and seven small gourds of dried-up paint. These were deemed mostly useless, but the Rogue briefly considered using them to paint with enemy blood.
Lady is low junk, the incredible purveyor of antiques and imports: A skeleton surrounded by heaps of old junk.
Ariel The Heavy (Prince Ariel Diplomat): This crypt housed the apparition of a large rotund man with artificial wings, who promptly triggered an initiative roll. The Rogue managed to sneak attack him and then dash out of the room. This encounter also revealed the tragic backstory of Prince Ariel, who died trying to fly.
Empty tomb with wine bottles: A crypt containing thousands of empty wine bottles.
Saint Markovia dead for all time: This door was trapped with darts, which the Fear triggered (targeting radon). Inside, they found a skeleton that had mostly disintegrated, except for a thigh bone. A ghostly apparition appeared, whispering that the “vampire must be destroyed” and “use me as your weapon”. The thigh bone turned out to be a mace of disruption with extra damage against vampires and the potential to destroy them if they have low hit points and fail a Wisdom saving throw. The Fear claimed this weapon.
Sir Lee the crusher: An oversized skeleton with a blood-stained maul. The party also found three jeweled necklaces worth 750 gold pieces each. The maul, however, was not magical.
Tasha petravona healer of Kings light onto the West servant and companion: A skeleton in priestly vestments with a sun mural on the ceiling. Nothing else of interest was found.
Pedolic the fool of dorphinea: A small skeleton with a wooden box containing a full deck of Illusion Jack evolution playing cards, which can summon various illusions.
Dutch's dorfinea de Silva: A skeleton with a handsome quilt depicting a royal feast.
A tomb with a stone door on the floor: This crypt contained a skull, bones, and rusted armor, guarded by two layering stone gargoyles. The party decided to avoid this one.
The Tomb of the three-faced king: An empty crypt with only a still helm. The helm was non-magical.
Tomb without a name that released gas: Upon picking up the helm from the previous tomb, another nearby tomb started releasing gas, dealing damage to the Fear.
Catsky the bright, ruler inventor and self-proclaimed time traveler: This crypt contained a skeleton with a stoppered drinking horn (filled with gunpowder), a fat pouch, and a weird scepter. Hanging from the ceiling was a glider resembling folded dragon wings. The party also found a musket and two silvered bullets. The Fear took the glider, and the musket and bullets went to the Rogue.
Indie Bach a true or friend no ruler ever had: This tomb had a two-foot square shaft plunging into darkness instead of a marble table. The party opted not to explore it further.
Kazan his word was power: A skeleton with black opal eye sockets and amber teeth. Touching this skeleton caused the mountain to tremble, and a Staff of Power materialized above the slab. Radon grabbed the staff and took lightning damage. Grandma claimed the staff.
Tomb with five big fluffy rabbits: Grandma seemingly used a cookie to create five rabbits.
Elsa filonov on Twitter bug beloved actor many followers: A skeleton with nine alcoves painted with images of a handsome man, and skulls at the feet of each painting.
Sir Cedric uh spin of spin of which: An 11-foot long funeral barge with a skeleton surrounded by hundreds of gold coins, which turned out to be worthless painted clay.
Tasha petravona healer of Kings (again): Another crypt with a skeleton and a sun mural. Nothing of interest was found.
Martha Von zarovich beloved mother: An empty tomb dated 550 years ago. Grandma scratched off the date in a huff.
The Fear (crypt with the Fear's name): Opening this door released a horrid stench, and the party saw a corpse that looked exactly like the Fear. They quickly moved on.
Baron ice glaze druff ice cholesterol: Opening this door caused the air to turn cold, and the party found a longsword beside the Baron's bones. This turned out to be a Luck Blade, granting a +1 bonus to attack and damage, the ability to re-roll one attack roll, and containing a Wish spell. Grandma also claimed this powerful item.
Sir Eric vonderbox: The party continued past this crypt.
Crypt with a skeleton draped in white linen: Nothing else of interest was noted.
Entry sick blue he spurned wolf for the knowledge he could take to heaven: A skeleton with a well-polished skull.
Stefan Stefan, first counselor to King bro Von zarovich: Another skeleton with a well-polished skull. Grandma handed out sandwiches potentially laced with extremely hot chili peppers.
Champion winter dog racing the race may go to the Swift but vengeance is for the losers relatives: A skeleton draped in fur in a crypt painted to look like an evergreen forest.
The Beloved of King barovich: A skeleton in red vestments with a golden holy symbol, in a crypt with a painted canopy of trees and stone ravens.
Tomb with no name (we knew him only by his wealth): An empty crypt with walls painted with mountains of gold coins. The entire floor was discovered to be a rotating trapdoor.
Tomb with no name or epitaph: An empty crypt with two alcoves and a warning carved above them: “pass not these portals you foolish Mortals”. No secret doors were found.
Sir clutch tripolotsky he fell on his own sword: Human bones amid rusty armor with a longsword through the breastplate. The sword was non-magical.
King dostrum the hellborn: A seven-foot long gilded sarcophagus with a painting of a screaming king, and a stuffed owl bear. A voice seemingly coming from the owl bear warned the party not to open the sarcophagus as it contained a pit fiend. They heeded the warning.
Tatsal Iris last of the line: A skeleton (a plaster copy) with three unlit torches that burst into flame when the party entered.
The fellas the Wonder Horse: A larger crypt. Opening the door released hot air and smoke, and a black horse with a flaming mane and fiery hooves reared up to attack before the door was quickly closed.

Finally, the party reached General crowville Mad Dog grass, hey hunt a leader of men and Hounds. The stench of brimstone and burnt fur filled the air, and three pairs of glowing eyes were visible in the darkness. The session ended right as three hellhounds started to emerge from the crypt, setting the stage for a fiery encounter next time.

It was a long and eventful session of tomb exploration, yielding some powerful magical items and terrifying creatures. We'll have to wait until next time to see if they can survive the Mad Dog's Crypt!