The House of Lament: Journey into the Mists

About the adventure

Across all the universe, across all realms and realities, there is one force more mysterious and frightening that any other. A force that strikes without warning or remorse, one that snatches entire worlds from the material plane and everyone upon them: The Dark Powers of the Mists. Existing in some dark and forgotten corner of the Realms of Shadow lies a never ending expanse of roiling mists and vague semi-reality. These are the Domains of Dread. Part prison, part playground, each Dread Domain is a pocket dimension, warped and twisted by the minds of madmen. The very rules of nature hold no sway here. You and your companions are each of you the bearer of a great sin, a crime not easily paid for. And as a result of your guilt, the mists have swallowed you whole. In your quest to escape, It's up to you to face the worst of what this waking nightmare has to offer, to traverse each of its dreary shadowed corners and face the most terrifying enemy of all- the enemy within. Journey into the Mists is my own homebrew campaign, heavily adapted from the Curse of Strahd book, and the expanded Dread Domains from Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Your adventure will take you all across this dark and dangerous reality to face every flavor of horror you can imagine, from Gothic castles and Eldritch summoning, to viscous Slashers, strange forest rituals and even seances with the all to unquiet dead. But through it all, the true focus of this module will be on you and your companions. It takes a special kind of madness to survive in a nightmare like the Domains of Dread; here all monsters are alike, be they man or beast. You will have to confront not only the darkness threatening to encroach all around, but also the darkness threatening to consume from within- lest you become worse than the horrors that you face. For me, the draw of this campaign is its true open ended nature. Owing to the expanded content from Van Richten's, you and your fellow players will be dropped into a dark and horrific sandbox and left to make of it what you will. There is a wealth of content covering the Dread Domains, with more than enough space left to incorporate your characters, their quests and their struggles. A word of warning however: this is explicitly a Horror adventure, and not one for the faint of heart. You will face all manors of terror on your quest to escape the mists, and your morals will be tested. You will be placed in situations where there is no right answer, and you may need to make sacrifices to survive. With all that said, if you still wish to wander where even the angels themselves fear to tread, then this table may just be the one for you.

Additional Details

How to prepare

There are only four mandatory elements at my table, a Discord Account (And preferably installed onto your PC, though you are welcome to use the browser extension) as I run all of my games through there, a DnDBeyond account, a Mural account (I will discuss further in session 0) and a working Microphone. From there, I use Foundry Vtt to run all my combat encounters, which is free for players to use in Browser (Though I am currently experimenting with switching to TaleSpire). I am happy to use webcams as well, but I understand not every group is comfortable using them. This is something that can be discussed in session 0. While knowing the rules ahead of time will certainly make my job much easier, it is not essential, as one of the best ways to learn DnD is by doing.

What I provide

I design all of the maps we will use in game myself, either from scratch or based on the dungeon designs from the various DnD Adventure books. This way, I can ensure they are exactly what I want them to be every time. I also have access to all official content via DnDBeyond, which I will share with the group at the start of Session 0.

Gameplay details

Games at my table often include descriptions of graphic violence, swearing and other such adult themes. As part of every game I run, I ask my players to fill in an anonymous tabletop safety form, as well as facilitating a free session 0 to discuss the results from the form as well as discuss any further topics raised by the form or the players themselves. I also run a 'Red Card Rule' at my table, in that any participant can call 'Red Card' at any time for any reason, and everyone will step away to talk about whats occurred, sort out the best way we can move forward, and go from there. Finally, I am open to be contacted on my Discord both in and outside of scheduled games to answer any questions or problems you may have. Doily the DM Discord: DoilytheDM#5045

Content warnings

(none)

Safety tools used

Aftercare
Bleed
Breaks
Debriefing
Lines and Veils
Luxton Technique
Luxton Technique Discussion
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
Open Door
Session 0

How will character creation work

This game will start at level 1 and go up to level 20. Character creation will begin during and after session 0. This allows me to explain and confirm any homebrew rules we will use at the table, as well as give a more detailed idea of the setting and themes with everyone, before anyone begins making their characters. This also allows me to help anyone who needs it for character creation while I am there. I will then give everyone a week (or two as needed/discussed) to finalize their characters. Over this time, I will be available via my Discord for anyone who needs additional assistance/has backstory queries. Once everyone is happy and set, we'll dive in with Session 1!

Players can expect

• Find a game to join solo or search for a professional game master for you and your friends/coworkers/family.
• Book your session and wait for the Game Master to approve you.
• If you don't have a blast with your first game, your next game is on us.