We begin in the Sun God’s chapel with Elmer in the midst of a healing spell. We notice that the bodies of the undead soldiers appear to have been buried before. We decide to return to the room with the sarcophagus wine bar to rest, but hear a creaking sound coming from the west. Corrina stealths over and examines the room to the west and notices nothing out of the ordinary, The room has a large table with chairs scattered about and a water dripping down the western wall forming a puddle on the floor. There are also two statues of knights with winged helms on in two alcoves in the east side of the room. The group passes through it into the main room of the first floor. We begin to head toward the room with the sarcophagus when we hear a horse drawn cart outside the front door. Elgian peers out the front window to see a human dressed in Vistani garb driving a cart up to the front steps of the mansion. In the cart is a coffin. After stopping to urinate against the base of the dragon statue, the human unhooks the horse from the cart and rides off.
The group heads out the front door, approaching the cart. Elgian examines the coffin, noticing that it looks similar to the coffins found in Heinrich’s shop. The name “Elmer Vandoot” is written on the front. Strangely unperturbed, Elmer opens the coffin. Dozens of bats pour out and begin attacking Elmer. They do not seem interested in the rest of us. Mondross puts most of the bats to sleep as Elmer climbs into the now-empty coffin and hurls sacred flame upward at the remaining bats before shutting himself into the coffin. Corrina traps a bat and attempts to interrogate it, but all it will say is “Kill Elmer”. We carry Elmer in the coffin to the room with the sarcophagus.
After a brief rest in the sarcophagus room we head to the second floor balcony. Ada enchants her short sword as the group comes upon a set of double doors. Elmer and Ismark open them to reveal a dilapidated bedroom. We notice a portrait of a man with thistle-down hair, and abundance of dragon imagery, and a wardrobe. In the wardrobe there is a leather scroll case containing the spells Bane and Mending, but there is little else in the room. Returning to the balcony we take the hallway to the north and happen upon a door that is already ajar. Corrina peeks in and hears a hissing noise. Thinking it will be the flame dragon again the group enters the room.
As we walk in, a small hissing dragon of smoke and ash erupts from the fireplace and flies out the door into the hallway. We follow the dragon up a spiral staircase on the west end of the hallway to the third floor. We exit onto a hallway filled with rubble and rainwater, the floor sagging. Elgian and Corrina follow the dragon over the rubble and around the corner to a room. In this room a gaunt, armored figure sits facing away from the entrance, holding a great sword. The dragon lands on the back of the figure’s chair and vanishes.
The rest of the group makes their way to the room and we hail the figure. He responds, “Go away”. After some prodding he tells:
“If you have come to destroy me, know this: I perished defending this land f r om evil over four centuries ago, and because of my failure, I am forever doomed. If you destroy this body, my spirit will find a new corpse to inhabit, and I will hunt you down. You cannot free me from my damnation, nor would I wish it.
If you have come to free this land from the creature that feasts on the blood of the innocent, know this: There is no monster I hate more than Strahd von Zarovich. He
slew Argynvost, broke the life of the knight I loved, and destroyed the valiant order to which I devoted my life, but Strahd has already died once. He can’t be allowed to die again. Instead, he must suffer eternally in a hell of his own creation, from which he can never escape. Whatever can be done to bring him misery and unrest, I will do, but I will destroy anyone who tries to end his torment.”
We try to engage with him further as an ally, but it seems we only risk antagonizing him, so we leave the room.
We wander about finding two destroyed bedrooms to the south and a collapsed bathroom across the hall from knight. Through this we find a room with religious imagery and stained glass windows depicting three different figures, two of which Ismark and Ireena are sure are St. Andrall and the Morning Lord. Leaving there through a door to the north we find our way to a large room on the north side of the hallway. As we explore as piece of parchment flutters to the floor. Reading it, it appears to be a page from Argynvost’s journal. It discusses an upcoming battle with Strahd and Argynvost’s likely death, noting that Argynvost’s only regret is that his bones will not be lain to rest in Argynvostholt’s mausoleum. In this room we also find a book called The Oath Celestial, which appears the be devotional text for the knights of the Holy Order of Vallentia. We pocket the book.
We make our way up to the mansion’s roof. One of the dragon statues whispers
“When the dragon dreams its dream
Within its rightful tomb,
The light of Argynvost will beam
And rid this land of gloom.”
that when the dragon’s bones are returned to the mausoleum Argynvost’s light will shine again and part the gloom. We approach the backmost tower, but the door is bolted from the inside so we make our way back to the chapel balcony. On the way we find a curtain we had left open closed. Back on the second floor we come to a small alcove covered b a curtain. Pushing the curtain aside we see a white pedestal with a black cloth over it. Corrina uses mage hand to move the cloth, revealing Elgian’s severed head underneath. Elmer pockets it.
We proceed up a hallway to another, perpendicular hallway, one door at either end. As we approach one of the doors both fly open. A total of seven ghosts surround us. Their attacks hurt but do not cut and they can pass through us easily. When they are struck they begin to dissipate and when they are killed they vanish entirely. After several attacks Ireena collapses and we realize that the hallway we had entered from is closed off by a wall of stone. Elgian takes out one of the spectrals and Corrina, badly hurt makes her way to the rightmost door as there is nowhere to hide. Elgian and Ada each take out a spectral as Elmer heals Ireena. Elgian is struck and collapses, dropping the Sword by Ireena who kicks it over to Ada. Ada takes out another spectral as Ireena is struck and collapses again. Mondross and Ismark are both attacked and both collapse. Mondross manages to wake up and move to heal Ismark but notices that he has died and heals Ireena instead. Elmer is struck and collapses, the group takes out the remaining spectrals.