Session Eleven: Ashes on Yester Hill and the Blood Sap of Gulthias
Poisoned wine, undead trees, and storm-born cults. Just another Saturday.
Date: June 7, 2025
Players: Sean D. (Sören Ironwood – Aasimar Paladin), Chris (Radley – Human Eldritch Knight), Trip (Daermon Cobain – Half-Elf Swashbuckler Rogue)
Filed Under: Curse of Strahd, Adventure Recaps, D&D Gothic Horror, Fantasy RPG
Previously in Barovia...
Eleven days have passed since the mists swallowed the party and dragged them into Barovia—a land where time crawls, the sun is a rumor, and hope is thinner than the air atop Yester Hill. Five of those days were lost to the Death House, where the group first learned what it meant to suffer and survive in a place that feeds on fear.
Only two days ago, Valen’eir was publicly executed in the town square of Vallaki, his death sending ripples through the party and marking a grim turning point in their journey. Radley and Traxidor, now exiled from that so-called sanctuary, have trudged westward through betrayal, bloodshed, and nightmare.
In the shadow of this trauma, the party sought solace—and found more rot. The Wizard of Wines winery, once Barovia’s last true source of joy, was overrun by druids and blights, its vintage tainted, its legacy nearly destroyed. The Martikov family, secret guardians of the land and wereravens by blood, revealed that the vineyard’s vitality had always depended on three stolen magical gems—without them, the land dies.
As Traxidor fell in battle, a new ally arrived: Daermon Cobain, a half-elf stranger from the mists with quick hands and quicker blades. Together, the remaining three turned their eyes south, toward a place whispered in dread: Yester Hill—a sacred mound of stone, storm, and sacrifice.
Now, with death behind them and dread ahead, the adventurers steel themselves for what lies atop the hill… and beneath its roots.
Ravens and Bloodshed in the Vats
The battle atop the crumbling catwalks of the Wizard of Wines winery fermented into frenzy. A lone druid, defiant and wild-eyed, hurled thunder at Sören—but the paladin stood untouched, wrapped in divine calm.
Below, the last of the twig blights clawed toward Traxidor—until the air screamed.
A swarm of ravens descended like a biblical plague, shredding blights with beak and claw. When the silence returned, feathers mixed with pulp and twig gore in ankle-deep ruin. A massacre—and a miracle.
The druid, wounded and cornered, shifted into panther form and vanished into the treeline. Sören gave chase, but speed favored the beast. Meanwhile, Radley, lost in the winery’s labyrinthine corridors, stumbled into the Martikovs’ quarters before regrouping.
A Stranger Emerges
From the mist came Daermon Cobain, a half-elf armed with style and suspicion. The Martikovs had hailed him as a possible ally. He arrived in time to see the druid flee, then slipped silently into the winery’s chaos, blade ready.
Inside, terse introductions were exchanged. The alliance was swift and unspoken.
They found Traxidor—broken but breathing—collapsed in a blood-slick hallway. Sören discovered a tainted flask near one of the vats. Adrian Martikov confirmed the worst: someone had poisoned the wine.
The vineyard was lost, Davian Martikov declared, voice cracking. The land was blighted. The wine spoiled. The legacy—ruined.
But gratitude remained. The Martikovs offered three unspoiled barrels, and something rarer still: a night of safety.
Day Ten – Level Five Awakened
At dawn, the survivors awoke changed—hardened, stronger. They had reached Level 5, and with it, new powers and heavier burdens.
The Martikovs revealed the vineyard’s fertility had always depended on three magical gems. All had been stolen by the druids. One, Davian feared, now lay at Yester Hill, a sacred and storm-wracked druidic site to the south.
With Traxidor recovering, the trio pressed on.
Yester Hill: The Mound That Hates the Sky
The hill rose like a bruise on the land—bald, black, and ringed with monolithic cairns. A crude wall of stones encircled its crown, and lightning stitched the roiling sky above.
Within the circle: druids. Dozens. Chanting, swaying, encircling a towering effigy—a humanoid figure lashed together from logs, vines, and madness.
A frontal assault meant death. Instead, the adventurers curved eastward, toward a shadowed copse.
There, something worse awaited.
The Gulthias Tree
It wept blood.
In the clearing stood a twisted, vampiric tree, its bark oozing crimson sap. Against its roots, a skeleton clutched a war axe embedded deep in the trunk.
Six blights stood watch.
The party spread to strike—but Sören misstepped. The blights pounced.
Magic, steel, and cunning roared to life. Daermon flashed between foes like a killing breeze. Sören, surrounded, was a radiant juggernaut. Radley carved a path through sap and rot.
Then the tree shook.
From its limbs fell a dozen twig blights, crawling with frantic, insectile malice. They attacked with unnatural speed. Sören was overrun. Daermon was seized by living vines—but Radley struck them down in a blur of fury and steel.
All three survived—but barely.
The Legend of Gulthias
Sören pulled the axe free. Its weight was ancient. Its blade whispered rage.
A Gulthias Tree—a creature born when a vampire is staked and its blood seeps into the wood. That stake sprouted a tree, grown mad on undeath and sorrow. Its children: the blights. Its thirst: eternal.
There was no time to burn it.
Drums. Chanting. From the west, more druids approached. The hill stirred with dark purpose.
The party ran.
The Party: Transformed by Blood and Fire
Radley Fullthorn (Human Fighter – Eldritch Knight)
Now dances between arcane fury and martial steel. His strikes cut not just deep, but smart.
Sören Ironwood (Aasimar Paladin – Oath of Vengeance)
Glows with divine justice—but the light now casts long shadows.
Daermon Cobain (Half-Elf Rogue – Swashbuckler)
All charm, all steel, all mystery. A blade with a smirk.
Traxidor (Half-Elf Cleric – Life Domain)
Still healing. But Barovia doesn’t wait long.
FAQ (In-World Knowledge)
What is a Gulthias Tree?
A vampiric abomination. It’s birthed when a vampire is slain and the stake grows into a corrupted tree, spawning blights—plant-like undead minions.
What is Yester Hill?
A druidic ritual site tied to Strahd and ancient, naturalistic evil. Storms and blood magic fill its air.
Who is Strahd?
Barovia’s eternal tyrant. A vampire lord who warps land, time, and fate to his will.
What’s a Swashbuckler Rogue?
A rogue that blends finesse, panache, and speed. Think Zorro meets Assassin’s Creed.
Glossary of Dread
Gulthias Tree
A tree born of undeath, corrupted by vampire blood. Its sap is blood. Its children are monsters.
Blights
Plant horrors. Twig blights swarm. Needle blights shoot. Vine blights entangle.
Thunderwave
A shockwave spell that slams enemies back. A boom heard before the pain.
Effigy
A massive construct used in rituals—often dark, often deadly.
Martikovs
Allies. Winemakers. Wereravens. Guardians of the last joys in Barovia.
Destrier
A warhorse. Strahd’s is said to be aflame, infernal, and faster than thought.
Next Time…
The effigy will burn.
The druids will howl.
Strahd may descend.
Will the hill consume them all?
Original campaign journal from Dungeon Master Sean Scanlon:
Session Eleven - June 7, 2025
Players: Sean D. (Sören Ironwood - Aasimar/Paladin), Chris (Radley - Human/Fighter), Trip (Daermon Cobain - Half Elf/Rogue).
Sören continues to face off against the druid on the walkway overlooking the vineyard’s fermentation hall. As the twig blights continue to scramble from the cracked vat, the raven cawing increases, as the blights overrun Traxidor. Then abruptly the ravens swoop down and begin attacking the blights. The melee between them is savage and bloody. When the confrontation subsided, scores of ravens lay shredded across the fermentation hall’s floor. The blood is mixed with twigs and sticks of destroyed blights. The remaining ravens returns to the rafters above. Meanwhile, the druid assaults Soren with blasts of thunder wave spells. However they prove ineffective against the paladin. Before she can be slain, she transforms into a panther and flees. Sören attempts to pursue but is easily outpaced. Radley had disengaged from the blights and became disoriented as he traversed some stairs. He comes upon a hallway with several doors and opens to see if there are other foes. He hastened to come upon the Martikovs living chambers and bedroom before rejoining Sören. Meanwhile, a newcomer to Barovia, Daermon, is hailed by the Martikov family as he comes upon the vineyard from out of the mists. They recognize him as an adventurer by his arms and armor, and believe he is an ally of the party. They tell him “his companions” are in the winery, but are now besieged by blights. Curious, and desiring to find allies in foreboding Barovia, he hastened to the winery. He arrives at the winery as the Druid in panther form springs out the loading dock and sprints toward the distant tree line. He enters the winery and soon encounters the party. After a quick introduction and explanation he joins them in exploring the building. An unconscious Traxidore is soon located in the passageway they entered. He appears to have been overrun as the swarm of twig blights swelled and the ravens attacked. At the base of one of the fermentation vats Sören finds a flask, and he suspected it might have contained a poison. After the Martikovs are summoned back to the winery, Davian’s son Adrian tastes a drop from the vats and confirms it has been tainted. With the vineyard incapable of growing grapes any longer, and the aging vat’s contents spoiled, Davian glumly proclaims that the winery seems finished. He is grateful to have had his home returned, but despairs over their livelihood being lost. Despite this, he gifts the three remaining casks of wine to the adventurers for ridding them of the blights. Additionally, they invite the adventurers to shelter in the winery for the evening, as the party takes a much deserved rest as the day comes to a close.
Day Ten - Characters Advance to 5th Level
In the morning the adventurers debate their next move and settle upon trying to find the magic gems the druids had stolen. When asked where the druids might have taken it, Davian tells them that the druids live throughout the Svalich Woods, residing with a scattered tribe of wild men, but that Yester Hill to the south is sacred to them. He is ecstatic at the idea of having the vineyard restored. The party departs but leaves the still unconscious Traxidor in the Martikovs' care. They continue down the road that brought them to the Wizards of Wine and soon arrive at a great barren hill. It is littered with a line of tall cairns. Alarmingly, there is a wall of stones at the top, which is periodically struck by bolts of lightning. The wall consists of great boulders nearly 20’ high, and connected by a pile of much smaller stones, piled between 5-8 feet high. Inside there is a group of chanting druids that form a semi-circle around a giant effigy of a man-like figure. Initially, the party plans to attack, but are discouraged by the distance from the stones to the druids, a circle preventing them from mounting a surprise ambush. Rather, they would need to charge them in the open. Then, they see a copse of brush and small trees on the southern slope of the hill. At its center is a great blackened tree. The party moves along the eastern slope of the hill to investigate, when a glow can be seen in the clouds above. Soon a fiery streak plunges from the overcast, and the adventurers' hearts sink. It is their nemesis, Strahd Von Zarovich riding his flaming destrier. He descends and lands near the spot where they had recently stood. If he is aware of their presence he gives no sign. The they also see a group of wild men milling about the cairns near the hills eastern base. The party continues southward to the copse of trees. When they enter, they discover the bole of the central trees is enormous, and were to stand arm to arm they could not encircle its trunk. However, they spy a skeleton slumped amid its great roots, with an axe struck in the tree. The tree oozes a sap like blood from fissures in its bark. But more alarmingly there are six man sized blights lurking around it. The party begins to spread out in the hopes of surprising the blights. However, as they take position, Sören steps on a branch and there is an audible cracking sound which three of the blights react. Discovered too soon, the party leaps into action and releases a devastating opening attack of spells, arrows, and melee attacks. It seems they will make short work of the creatures, but then a dozen other twig blights drop from the tree’s branches and scuttle after the adventurers. Sören is immediately overrun, but he battles bravely steadily striking at his attackers. Their new companion Daermon engages in a retreating tactic of striking and falling back as two of the larger blights lash at him with vine-like appendages. However, Radley is a man who appears to have found his calling, and his sword flourishes from side to side. He strikes blights, dispatching foes all around him. When Daermon is finally captured by the vine-blights, Radley dispatches the foe, leaving the entangling vines that had wrapped around his companion laying limply on him. But despite their brave attacks the blights do wear down their strength, and when the fight is over they are all wounded and depleted.
Sören pulls the axe from the tree and sees it has an ornately carved handle. However, it seems almost impossible to chop this tree's great girth with this axe. He examines the misshapenness of the tree with its weeping sap and great dark leaves. He suspects this is a Gulthias Trees, and recollects the legend of how they were created. He tells the story of a powerful vampire named Gulthias, who despite his strength was defeated when a wooden stake was driven through his heart. His blood infused the stake and a sapling grew from it. A mad druid found the sapling and nurtured it until it grew into a mature tree. The blights are the seed of those trees. However, there is no time for further rest, as they see a group of wild men and druids climbing the hill from the west, drawn to the fight by the flashes from the party’s fire and booming thunder wave spells during their melee. The wild mean do not seem more curious than alarmed; perhaps because of the flashing lighting from the druid circle? Regardless, they will arrive in a minute or two, so the adventurers prepare to rapidly depart.
End Session Eleven
Previous Episodes of the Series of Strahd in Barovia with Radley
Session Six: The Tragic Fight Beneath the Church and the Ghostly March of Barovia
In this harrowing continuation of their journey through Barovia, Valen’eir, Radley, Traxidor, and their companions delve deeper into the darkness of this cursed land. Session Six is a tale of tragedy, resilience, and the ever-present shadow of Strahd von Zarovich.
The Haunted Path Through Barovia – Part II
October 26, 2024-As dawn broke in Barovia, the streets lay shrouded in an eerie silence, the mist pressing close to the ground as if concealing unseen horrors.
Session Seven: The Road to Vallaki, Visions of Fate, and the Ever-Tempting Pastries
As dawn broke over the cursed land of Barovia, the adventurers—Valen’eir, the reckless elven wizard; Radley, the brilliant yet impulsive human fighter; and Traxidor, the steadfast half-elf cleric—found themselves standing at the precipice of another chapter in their fateful journey. The cold gloom of morning did little to lift the weight that pressed upon them, but the mission remained unchanged: escort Ireena Kolyana to safety in Vallaki, the so-called beacon of hope in Strahd's domain.
Descending Further: The Dark Secret Beneath Durst Manor
The journey through Barovia continues to reveal the darkness lurking in every corner. As our adventurers—Valen’eir, Radley, Skalt, and Ares—brave the haunted depths beneath the Durst estate, the sinister history of the manor unfolds around them.
The Journey Begins: A Dark Adventure into the Cursed Lands of Barovia
On October 19, our adventurers embarked on their first journey together in a virtual Dungeons & Dragons campaign, played through D&D Beyond and Discord. Set in the Forgotten Realms, the campaign began in the storied city of Daggerford, located on the Sword Coast of Faerûn, where mystery and danger lurk.
Session Nine: The Disappearance of Arabelle and the Fiendish Mill
The cursed lands of Barovia hold no sanctuary for the weary, and each fleeting moment of respite is merely the calm before the next storm. Radley and Traxidor, exiled from Vallaki, found themselves in the tense and volatile company of the Vistani, where secrets and suffering are as commonplace as the ever-present mist. A child was missing, and accusations ran cold and sharp as steel. Yet, darker forces stirred beyond the campfire’s glow. As the adventurers sought answers, they were drawn once more to the twisted windmill, where the sickly-sweet scent of dream pastries masked something far more sinister. But the truth they uncovered was more than they bargained for, and the fiends of Barovia would not suffer trespassers lightly.
The Haunting Tale of Durst Manor and the Village of Barovia: Session Five Recap
In this latest chapter of the adventurers' perilous journey, Valen’eir the Elf Wizard, Radley the Human Fighter, and Traxidor the Half-Elf Cleric ventured further into the dark recesses of Barovia, unraveling its horrors and mysteries. This session, fraught with terror and tragedy, brought the group face-to-face with phantoms, monstrosities, and the shadowy machinations of the land’s ruler, Count Strahd von Zarovich.
Session Eight: Blood in Vallaki—The Execution of Valen’eir and the Road West
Exiled from Vallaki after Valen’eir’s brutal execution, Radley and Traxidor seek refuge with the last dusk elves, uncovering dark secrets and the path to the Amber Temple.
Session Ten: The Witch’s Mockery, the Drowned Girl, and the Screaming Vines
Barovia, in her usual cruelty, does not reward valor with comfort—only pain, humiliation, and the occasional mystical breadcrumb. Players: Sean D. (Sören Ironwood - Aasimar/Paladin), Chris (Radley - Human/Fighter), Carey (Traxidor - Half-Elf/Cleric)
The Tale of the Adventurers in Durst Manor: Session Four Recap
This session tested their resilience, pushed their teamwork to the brink, and revealed their individual strengths and weaknesses in a dungeon that punishes every misstep.