Chapter 5: Death House - Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Chapter 5: Death House. Death House is a source of terror in Barovia, and the characters soon discover why The fourth piece of the Rod of Seven Parts is in Barovia, one of the Shadowfell's Domains of Dread. With the aid of an Ulmist inquisitor, the party infiltrates the basement of an eerie locale called Death House. Here, they must stop cults plotting to use the fourth rod piece in vile rituals while also preventing the artifact from falling into of the hands of the infamous vampire Strahd von Zarovich. Running This Chapter This chapter begins after the characters retrieve the third piece of the Rod of Seven Parts. When a character holds this piece, they instinctively know that the next closest piece is located in the village of Barovia, in the domain of Strahd von Zarovich. Although it's a small village, Barovia teems with supernatural threats-including the forebodingly named Death House, the location of the fourth piece. By researching Death House in the Sigil sanctum or asking the Wizards Three about it, the characters learn that Death House is owned by two Barovians named Gustav and Elisabeth Durst, who run a small cult devoted to Barovia's Darklord, Strahd von Zarovich. Given the domain's many greater threats, this minor cult and the house draw scant attention. If the characters ask, Alustriel shares the information in the "Knowledge of Barovia" section. Neither the wizards nor the available research materials in Sigil can reveal further details. This chapter begins with the characters' approach to Death House. Their journey is interrupted by a mob of scared peasants as well as a potentially helpful inquisitor. Most of the chapter describes the horrors the characters encounter as they explore Death House. Once the characters acquire the rod piece, Strahd arrives at Death House to toy with the characters and tries to block their escape. Character Advancement The characters should be 14th level when this chapter begins. They gain a level after they retrieve t...