RECAP: Ravenloft Session 5, 12-14-25

Exploration of a Haunted House and Background Context

The group is investigating an old house known as the “death house,” with various floors including an attic (fourth floor). The house has secret or hidden areas, including a stairwell to the attic obscured by furniture. The players are on the third floor, unsure about the attic layout and their current objective.

Investigation of Hidden Staircase and Locked Attic Door

The hidden stairwell is accessed by moving an armoire, revealing stairs with awkward door placement opening directly onto stairs rather than a landing. The northern and eastern walls of the room are solid; southern wall sounds hollow, indicating a room behind. No secret doors or passages are found in this area, and the dust is undisturbed, suggesting the space has been sealed for some time (around 15 years).

The door at the top of the stairs (attic door) is wooden with an ornate lock on the inside, designed to lock something in the attic. The door is locked and attempts to pick it triggers a powerful unseen force that slams into the lockpicker, knocking him backward and causing damage. No physical trap is detected on the door or lock; the force is interpreted as a magical or spectral defense, possibly undead in nature.

Knowledge checks (Undead Lore) confirm this as a known haunting phenomenon—disembodied forces defending a sealed area. Despite the danger, the lock is eventually picked successfully on a second attempt without triggering the force again.

The attic is a large room with five doors, one leading out onto a balcony, others opaque and dusty, with cobwebs and no signs of recent use. An iron hook on the wall holds an old padlock and a rusty iron key tied to a desiccated ribbon.

Haunted Doll and Rocking Chair Incident

One room contains a rocking chair that moves on its own and a doll that suddenly sits up and speaks, warning the party to leave or be trapped forever. The doll aggressively attacks, initiating combat with the party. Combat details:

• The doll is a soulbound construct, fast and dangerous, capable of delivering critical hits that immobilize victims.
• The party uses various combat techniques; the doll is damaged and eventually destroyed by a critical hit from a divine lance spell, which causes the doll to explode into porcelain shards.
• The doll’s voice box or magical component is absent or destroyed; only a glass bead (eyeball) is salvaged.
• The party is deeply unsettled by the encounter, reinforcing the haunted nature of the house.

Discovery of a Secret Door Leading to a Spiral Staircase

A cleverly hidden door in the stone wall is found, matching a hollow area seen earlier. The door opens to reveal a narrow, spiral stone staircase descending downward, indicating further unexplored levels below the house. The players decide to complete exploration of the attic before descending. The attic contains covered old furniture, an old mirror similar to one previously destroyed, and an empty chest of folded sheets.

Another ghostly encounter:

• Two childlike ghosts, Rose and Thorne, appear semi-transparent and interact normally with the party.

• They reveal the need to rescue a young girl named Ireena, who is trapped in the basement by “the monster.”
• Rose wears a necklace matching one recovered by the party, identified as a yellow starburst gemstone that may be the “amber shard” mentioned in prior lore.
• The ghost children provide background about their parents locking them in rooms to protect them from the monster.

The party finds a children’s bedroom with two small beds, a toy box, and a dollhouse replicating the house itself. Skeletons of two children are found embracing on the floor, suggesting tragic history. The ghost girl Rose urges the party to rescue Arena before midnight, warning that staying past that time will trap Arena forever. The party equips Rose with her necklace, which magically appears real on her ghostly form. Rose offers to lead the party to the basement where Ireena is held.

Narrow Spiral Staircase and Dungeon-like Area

The party descends the narrow spiral staircase, reaching lower floors and eventually the basement. They observe rooms with rudimentary beds, some stained with blood and signs of decay, indicating prisoners or torture victims. A pungent smell of decomposition and sulfur is noticeable. A large room contains a dry, desiccated wooden bucket attached to a rope, resembling a well, but with no water. The party notes the lack of footprints or recent disturbance, except for signs of past suffering.

Encounter with Ghouls and Combat Engagement

The party encounters ghouls—undead creatures with high agility and multiple attacks. Stealth is employed by some party members to scout, but combat is inevitable. Multiple ghouls attack, biting and clawing, inflicting damage and threatening to infect party members with ghoul fever (a debilitating disease). The party successfully kills several ghouls but suffers some damage and disease risk. The cleric uses a three-action spell called “Channel Energy” or “Heal” with a 30-foot emanation to heal allies and damage undead simultaneously. The spell significantly impacts the battle, killing weakened ghouls and restoring party members’ hit points. Combat continues with ghouls attacking and the party defending, with strategic positioning and use of abilities.

Session Conclusion and Next Steps

The session ends with the party in the basement combat zone, facing multiple ghouls and preparing to continue the descent and search.

Key Locations and Findings

Location	Description/Findings	Notable Items/Entities
Third Floor	Hidden stairway to attic, locked door with magical defense	Nanny’s ghost mirror (destroyed), child bones
Attic (Fourth Floor)	Large room with multiple doors, dusty and unused, padlock & key on wall, letter from Strad to Durst	Letter from Strad, balcony, old furniture
Attic Rooms	Children’s bedroom, rocking chair moves, haunted doll attacks	Soulbound doll (construct), glowing doll’s eyeball
Secret Stone Door & Stairs	Hidden door opens to spiral staircase descending below	Spiral staircase, leads to basement
Children’s Bedroom (Attic)	Two small beds, dollhouse replica of house, semi-transparent ghosts Rose and Thorne appear	Necklace (amber shard?), skeletons of two children
Basement	Dungeon-like rooms with rudimentary beds, smell of decay, dry well, signs of torture	Beds with stains, decomposing remains
Basement Hallways	Narrow corridors, wooden support pillars, rooms with tables and chairs	Encounter with ghouls