The Basement#

The circular staircase descends into the earth beneath the Durst Mansion to reveal a tunnel system carved out of earth, clay, and rock. The narrow tunnels are supported with timber braces and the rooms are held up by thick wooden posts with crossbeams and the whole basement is filled with an unintelligible murmuring.

At the bottom of the stairs two paths lead off, one to the left and right. The party follows the left path and walks past a tunnel revealing half open stone slab doors. The tunnel turns and small stairs lead down to a larger room with a table and multiple alcoves fitted with straw beds. The room looks like it has not been used in decades as a thick layer of dust covers the floors.

Another set of stairs leads further down to reveal another room with a well in the middle and five adjacent rooms, each bearing a bed and a chest. A snarl in one of the rooms alerts the party to two humanoid figures with elongated limbs and rotting flesh. Benjamin and Thaddeus get ready to face the figures as Reese connects to the mind of one of the figures and reaches out to it, in vain. The figure turns abruptly and lunges towards the party. As Ilizeiros manages to slay one of the creatures and Benjamin struggles to hold his ground, a third creature comes up from the well and pulls Reese down into it. The creature coming for Benjamin manages to fell him even after getting both arms blown off. While Thaddeus administers first aid to Benjamin, Ilizeiros and Reese finish off the last standing creature in the well.

After the fight everyone takes time to tend to their wounds and explore the rest of the room. The chests hold a silvered short sword, some coin and different smaller objects of value, and the party decides to rest in these rooms. During Benjamins watch strange noises of footstep disturb the parties sleep, but no further sound is heard and the rest continues uninterrupted thereafter.

Having regained some of their energy the party continues further into the basement. At the next fork in the path they take a right turn and come upon a staircase that leads them further down.

The Reliquary#

Coming down the stairs, the murmuring gets louder and becomes intelligible. It sounds like a dozen voices repeating “He is the ancient, He is the land …” over and over again. At the bottom of the stairs the room widens into a large chamber with columns holding up the ceiling. Shelves along the walls hold a plethora of strange and mysterious objects:

  • A vial of coagulated blood
  • A lock of auburn hair, woven into a figure eight
  • A shriveled severed finger
  • A sun symbol made from woven wicker
  • A patch of dried human skin
  • A vial of murky swamp water
  • The severed claw of a raven
  • A black twig with blood-red thorns
  • A dragon’s tooth wrapped in silver wire
  • The tattered remains of a large bird feather
  • A shard of amber
  • A dried bouquet of wolf’s bane
  • The desiccated ear of an elf

Reese reaches out with his arcane senses to see if any of the objects are magical and then takes the shriveled finger and the shard of amber. Unbeknownst to the rest of the party, Reese also realizes, that the cards each of them had received, are pulsing with magical energy. The party continues in the direction of the chanting.

The Ritual Chamber#

The party enters a large room where murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood. Upon the altar the party finds a ceremonial dagger.

As soon as the party steps on to the dais, 13 spectral figures appear on top of the ledges who seem to be the source of the chanting. The chant however changes to “One must die! One must die!…”. The party debates their possibilities and tries to dupe the cult by making it appear as if Reese cut off his finger. The attempt to step down from the dais leads to a change in the chant yet again to “Come demon, we awaken thee”, as a creature made of flesh, bone and corpses starts emerging from a pile of remains. The portcullis to the room slams shut and a bitter fight ensues. The party tries to stand clear of the flesh mound as they are plagued by visions of the deaths of the cults previous victims in these very chamber. As the party chips away at the flesh mound they begin to reveal that at the heart of this thing held in place by fleshy tendrils is the crying baby Walter. The party tries to free the crying baby and succeeds in the end, holding the dead body of Walter in their arms.

The ghosts of Rose and Thorn appear before them, Thorn is smiling and his sister thanks the party for saving their brother, but a loud sound cuts the moment of triumph short. The basement shakes and as bricks start coming down from the ceiling, Rose turns to the players and shouts “RUN” …