11/19/2025 (Part 1): Several Endings in Vallaki and Ravenloft

Antoine Zavagno.Victor Titov 3D modeling. ArtStation. 2024.

In the flooded dungeon corridor beneath Castle Ravenloft, Raktha, Bayleaf, and Komzin press their attack against the vampire spawn. The tight confines of the passage force them into brutal close quarters combat. Raktha, bleeding from earlier wounds, retreats up the stone stairs and draws his longbow. His arrows whistle past Komzin's shoulder into the mass of pale flesh ahead. Endings in Vallaki and Ravenloft

Komzin drives forward with battleaxe and longsword, the dual assault catching one of the spawn across its torso. The creature shrieks as it collapses beneath the fetid water, its body disappearing into the filth. Another spawn immediately scrambles up the stone wall with unnatural speed, bypassing Komzin entirely to fall upon Bayleaf. Its claws and fangs tear into him with savage fury, and for a moment Bayleaf can only stagger backward, overwhelmed by the ferocity of the assault.

Komzin wheels and delivers a series of punishing blows. The wounded spawn retreats along the ceiling, ichor dripping from its many wounds to spatter into the water below as it vanishes into the darkness.

The party retreats once more to the relative safety of the stairs. They take what rest they can, standing watch in shifts while the castle's oppressive silence presses down around them. Raktha works to repair his damaged trident, bending the displaced tines more or less back into place. His shield, however, lies in pieces beyond his skill to mend. He wraps the fragments and tucks them into his pack.

As they prepare to move, a door again opens somewhere above. Footsteps descend, and Cyrus Bellevue's voice calls out softly through the gloom. "Komzin?" The servant appears on the stairs, holding a scroll sealed with black wax and ribbon. He extends it toward the knight, then adds quietly, almost as an afterthought, "Do not come to my kitchen, Komzin. I do not wish the eye of our Master upon me for your crimes."

The words carry a weight of finality. Cyrus turns and climbs back up the stairs without waiting for a response.

Komzin breaks the wax seal and unfolds the parchment. His eyes move across the elegant script before he tucks it into his pack. "Strahd has decided to give us a mission," he says. "He wishes us to retrieve a book from the Amber Temple. He will consider forgiving us and letting us go free if we return this item to him."

"What is the Amber Temple?" Bayleaf asks.

Komzin pauses before answering. "It was a library in the south of Barovia. The Librarian is not friendly with Lord Strahd. It is said that Strahd stole something of value from there.

No one senses that Komzin has left a great deal out of his summary of the Vampire Lord’s missive.

⚔

In the Burgomaster's mansion in Vallaki, Deprimer sits hunched over the book recovered from Rictavio's trove in Blinsky’s attic. The leather-bound volume proves to be a journal of sorts, filled with entries in Strahd's own hand. He summarizes the contents for Krelldutt, describing the vampire lord's complaints about the tedium of immortality and the various methods he employs to entertain himself.

Krelldutt produces several other items from his pack—objects retrieved from the tower where Rictavio died. A Sword of Light wrapped in cloth. An elven cloak, in addition to the journal Deprimer now holds. He offers two other items to Deprimer: a judge's gavel that thrums with faint magic, and a barrister's wig of fine white horsehair. "The wig can make the wearer very persuasive," Krelldutt explains. "You'll need such an item in your struggle to maintain control over Vallaki. I haven’t been able to figure out what this does."

Deprimer accepts both, turning the gavel over in his hands before setting it aside. He and Krelldutt join Dunlarr to wait for the guards to return from searching for ‘Rictavio’ and for Duster. Together they refine their plan—to make the mansion appear unguarded and lure Krieger and Scholtz into an ambush.

The sound of voices drifts up from outside, faint and argumentative. Deprimer moves to a window overlooking the north side of the mansion and peers down. Below, Krieger crouches near the foundation, steel and flint in his hands. An imp hovers beside him. "I don't know why it won't light," the imp complains. "Are you sure you know how to use it?"

Deprimer recognizes the signs immediately. They're attempting to set explosives.

Dunlarr bolts for the stairs, hoping to stop them before they can bring down the mansion’s wall. Deprimer throws open the window and swings himself out, choosing speed over caution. His grip slips on the wet stone and he falls the last several feet, hitting the ground hard enough to drive the breath from his lungs. He rolls to his feet as the imp vanishes from sight.

Deprimer settles the barrister's wig upon his head and raises the gavel. The magical implement pulses in his hand as he brings it down with a sharp crack. Krieger staggers, momentarily stunned by the supernatural force of the blow.

Guards pour into the side yard of the mansion from main street. Deprimer's voice rings out with unnatural authority, the wig amplifying his words. "Seize Krieger! He attempts to destroy the Burgomaster's mansion!" Two of the three red-liveried guards and two blue guards immediately move to obey, surrounding the sergeant. The others hesitate, their expressions uncertain. Deprimer cannot tell if they will follow his orders or if their loyalty lies elsewhere.

As he stands weighing his next move, Scholtz steps from the shadows behind him. The blade comes fast and true, punching through Deprimer's side with enough force to drive him forward. The critical wound sends him stumbling, blood spreading across his shirt. The world tilts as darkness creeps into the edges of his vision.