Session 2: The Heart of the House

Our heroes took a moment to catch their breath in the grim, silent basement of the wretched house, the echoes of their battle with the ghouls still fresh in their minds. After a short rest, they pressed on, delving deeper into the darkness that permeated the very stones of the foundation.

The Ghouls' Hoard

The sleeping quarters of the slain ghouls proved fruitful, if unsettling. Within several footlockers, the party discovered a strange collection of belongings. One contained a pouch, disturbingly crafted from human skin, filled with gold and silver. Others held an ornate ivory hairbrush, three beautiful moss agates, and a silvered short sword that hummed with a subtle power against the unnatural.

A Trove of Trinkets

The party's inventory grew with their findings:

The Lurker in the Hall

Sending a familiar ahead—Gowain Heylgwyn's cat—the party scouted a dilapidated dining hall littered with humanoid bones. The air was thick with the stench of rot. In a darkened alcove at the far end of the room, a horror lay in wait. A grotesque, segmented worm-like creature, a Carrion Crawler, lashed out from the shadows. The battle was swift and brutal. With deadly accuracy, Lorian Calmorn loosed two critical shots from his crossbow, crippling the beast before the others moved in to deliver the final, crushing blows.

The Orb and the Shadows

Their path led them to a chamber containing a wooden statue of a gaunt, pale-faced man with a wolf at his side. In the statue's hand rested a smoky gray orb. Sensing a trap, Getafix doused the room in oil, stood at a safe distance, and used a rope to yank the orb from the statue’s grasp.

Their caution was rewarded. The moment the orb was displaced, the shadows in the room coalesced into four incorporeal, malevolent beings that lunged to attack. Getafix threw his arcane flame into the oil-soaked room, turning it into a raging inferno. Using the hallway as a bottleneck, they dispatched the shadow creatures, who were weakened by the flames and the party's strategic onslaught.

A Moment of Grace

With the immediate threat neutralized, the adventurers discovered the crypts of the Durst family. Compelled by a foreign sense of longing from the spirits possessing them, two of the heroes carried the skeletal remains of Rose and Thorn down from the attic where they had starved. With great effort, they opened the stone crypts and gently laid the children's bones to rest in their empty coffins. As the last slab was closed, the party members felt the psychic presence of the children recede, replaced by a wave of wordless gratitude. Rose and Thorn were finally at peace, and the party was free from their influence.

A Good Boy
In another part of the basement, the party discovered a haggard but living dog. Through the lingering memory of Rose, they called him by name: Sophaxis. The loyal hound, immediately taken with Getafix, joined their quest. They also discovered a marvelous Cloak of Protection and a small cache of healing potions.

The Final Sacrifice

Their descent led them to a sub-basement, where the source of a maddening chant—"He is the Ancient; He is the Land"—was finally revealed. Upon entering a large room containing an altar atop a large dais, the chanting ceased. That is–until Lorian stepped upon the dais, at which point the chanting began anew: "One must die! One must die!"
Thirteen spectral figures appeared around the room, chanting this refrain ceaselessly.

When the party refused to offer one of their own, the house itself seemed to rebel. The apparitions proclaimed, "The end is nigh. Flesh will be taken," and vanished. From the murky depths, a quivering mass of flesh, pocked with writhing mouths and lidless eyes, emerged. In its shifting form, the party saw the agonized, half-formed face of Elizabeth Durst, the mother of the children, now a grotesque abomination.

The House's Wrath

The battle was desperate. The creature’s mere presence was a psychic assault, and its attacks were ferocious. Yet, through teamwork—and a barrage of divine power, booming blades, and crossbow bolts—the heroes vanquished the monstrosity. As the creature exploded in a shower of radiant energy, the house began to tear itself apart.

What followed was a frantic, desperate escape. The party dodged falling rocks, navigated flooded corridors filled with refuse, scrambled up a staircase that had twisted into a slick, angled slide, and navigated a room filled with magical black smoke. For their final challenge, they faced a doorway blocked by a whirlwind of magical, whirling blades. Using his Shield spell, Getafix created a magical barrier, allowing the party to pass through the final obstacle to safety.

A Glimmer of Hope

They crashed through the balcony doors of the nursemaid's suite and rappelled down to the ground outside. As they landed, the oppressive mists that surrounded the estate finally dissipated, revealing a village nearby. At the crossroads where their journey began, a picnic basket waited for them, filled with Red Dragon Crush wine, bread, and fruit.

But the house had one last cruel jest to offer. As the heroes gathered themselves, Sophaxis, the loyal dog, padded over, gave Getafix a final, affectionate lick... and crumbled into dust. The house giveth, and the house taketh away.

With the horrors of Durst Manor behind them, and the village opened up to them, the adventurers are now level three and can finally begin to unravel the mystery that brought them to this cursed land.