Durst Family
History
The Durst family was an upper class household during the time Strahd first conquered the valley. The family gained wealth and affluence as the primary providers of grain and flour to the nearby Village of Barovia, their fields just on the edge of the Ivlis river basin.
After Strahd’s arrival, the Durst household felt the weight of their new lord’s darkness as it spread over the land. While Mr. Gustav Durst fell into a chronic depression, his wife, Elisabeth, became manically obsessed with her own aging. Aware of the rumors of Strahd’s age-defying magics, Mrs. Durst turned to the arcane, determined to find the answer to eternal youth. To that effect, she started a cult with other members of the upper class, her husband complicit in her actions. During their practices, Mr. and Mrs. Durst locked away their children, Rose and Thorn, to preserve their innocence of the cult's activities. The cult would capture and sacrifice travelers, servants, and neighbors alike on the altar in their basement in hopes of achieving their goal. Unfortunately, they were never successful.
As Mrs. Durst’s mental stability withered, Mr. Durst found himself pulling away from his marriage. He fell into the arms of his children’s nursemaid, the gentle and fair Margaret. Their affair resulted in Margaret’s accidental pregnancy.
As Margaret’s belly swelled with life, Mrs. Durst lost herself in jealousy and hatred, convinced her growing age was the reason for her husband’s adultery. Overcome with her own madness, Mrs. Durst came up with a terrible plan.
A few months after Margaret gave birth to her child - a healthy, baby boy named Walter - Mrs. Durst snuck into the nursemaid’s suite and murdered her. After hiding the body, Mrs. Durst took Walter to the basement and sacrificed the infant in an unholy rite, accompanied only by her most trusted cultists.
The sheer atrocity of this sacrifice attracted the notice of a Dark Power. Amused by the depravity and desperation of the act, the evil god granted Mrs. Durst and her cultists the immortality they so craved - by turning them into ghouls and ghasts.
Mr. Durst, upon discovering what his wife had done, was so overcome with guilt and grief that he hanged himself in the basement. With no adults left to remember them, Rose and Thorn starved to death in their room.
However, the cultists were not the only ones transformed by this final sacrifice. Mrs. Durst’s final rite, so perverted and malignant in its nature, transformed Walter himself. This act of betrayal twisted and broke the infant’s soul and body, morphing Walter’s spirit and flesh into an enormous, horrible monster that wanted sacrifices.
After Strahd’s arrival, the Durst household felt the weight of their new lord’s darkness as it spread over the land. While Mr. Gustav Durst fell into a chronic depression, his wife, Elisabeth, became manically obsessed with her own aging. Aware of the rumors of Strahd’s age-defying magics, Mrs. Durst turned to the arcane, determined to find the answer to eternal youth. To that effect, she started a cult with other members of the upper class, her husband complicit in her actions. During their practices, Mr. and Mrs. Durst locked away their children, Rose and Thorn, to preserve their innocence of the cult's activities. The cult would capture and sacrifice travelers, servants, and neighbors alike on the altar in their basement in hopes of achieving their goal. Unfortunately, they were never successful.
As Mrs. Durst’s mental stability withered, Mr. Durst found himself pulling away from his marriage. He fell into the arms of his children’s nursemaid, the gentle and fair Margaret. Their affair resulted in Margaret’s accidental pregnancy.
As Margaret’s belly swelled with life, Mrs. Durst lost herself in jealousy and hatred, convinced her growing age was the reason for her husband’s adultery. Overcome with her own madness, Mrs. Durst came up with a terrible plan.
A few months after Margaret gave birth to her child - a healthy, baby boy named Walter - Mrs. Durst snuck into the nursemaid’s suite and murdered her. After hiding the body, Mrs. Durst took Walter to the basement and sacrificed the infant in an unholy rite, accompanied only by her most trusted cultists.
The sheer atrocity of this sacrifice attracted the notice of a Dark Power. Amused by the depravity and desperation of the act, the evil god granted Mrs. Durst and her cultists the immortality they so craved - by turning them into ghouls and ghasts.
Mr. Durst, upon discovering what his wife had done, was so overcome with guilt and grief that he hanged himself in the basement. With no adults left to remember them, Rose and Thorn starved to death in their room.
However, the cultists were not the only ones transformed by this final sacrifice. Mrs. Durst’s final rite, so perverted and malignant in its nature, transformed Walter himself. This act of betrayal twisted and broke the infant’s soul and body, morphing Walter’s spirit and flesh into an enormous, horrible monster that wanted sacrifices.
Type
Family
Family Leader
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
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