RECAP: Curse of Strahd Session 20, 8-24-26

The Stakes Are High: Setting the Scene in Vallaki

The story unfolds in the town of Vallaki, where political and supernatural turmoil brews:

Lady Wachter’s takeover of the town after the demise of the previous Burgomaster.
Suspicion and fear run rampant as people process the murder confession of Victor Vallakovich, the Burgomaster’s son, now suspected of and having admitted killing his family and apparently (at least to the party) turning into a vampire spawn.

The constabulary is purged and reorganized, with new faces, including many Vistani guards loyal to Lady Wachter’s son Karl, who is now Head of Constables.

The party’s ally, Constable Vasha, finds himself under scrutiny, emphasizing the precarious nature of alliances.
The town is teetering on chaos, with undead activity flourishing at night.

Amid this, the party prepares to investigate a vampire priest, Father Lucian, hiding in the old Church of St. Andrew.

The church is shrouded in darkness and mystery.

Shuttered stained-glass windows block the sunlight, creating a gloomy and oppressive ambiance, and one that is safe for undead.
The party systematically opens the shutters and removes makeshift wooden planks, flooding the sacred space with light, a known bane to undead creatures.
The interior shows strange signs of blood and occult corruption, including a large pool of blood from which sinister, tentacle-like shapes emerge.
The blood-covered altar and the stained glass windows serve as haunting backdrops to the tension mounting inside.

The heroes assess the church carefully, searching for secret doors, traps, and clues to uncover the dark forces at play.

Suddenly, emergent from the blood pool, a grotesque creature appears—Blood Remembers:

A massive, tentacular blood creature resembling a crimson calamari with grasping, writhing arms.
The creature attacks swiftly and brutally, ambushing Grughilda with crushing hits and attempting to grapple and drag her into the blood pool as the blood crawls up her legs.
The party must juggle melee attacks, spells, and positioning to defeat a foe immune to many effects, including bleed damage, precision damage, and critical hits.
The battle highlights clever tactics, such as:
- Sustained spells like Floating Flame to burn the blood creature over multiple rounds.
- Intimidating strike maneuvers to apply the frightening condition despite resistance.
- Strategic healing and cleansing to help the wounded fighter survive grime and injuries.
The combat emphasizes team coordination—ranged attacks, front-line defense, and support spells work in concert to wear down the beast.

The party ultimately forces the monster to recede, though drenched in blood and battle scars, they stand victorious—for now.

With the tentacle horror driven back and the church momentarily secured, the party faces pressing decisions:

Delve deeper into the crypts below the church, where dark secrets and additional undead likely lurk.
Pursue the corrupted vampire priest and disrupt his sinister plans.
Navigate political intrigue and growing unrest in town, balancing allies and enemies carefully.
Prepare for an impending wave of undead, as evidenced by the spider swarm flooding into the area.