Marpenoth 7, 1489DR – Leafall (October), Friday

The next morning the party ascends the stairs to investigate the third floor. On this level they find more signs of ruin. They pass some ruined bedchambers, collapsed bathrooms, but also an audience hall.

The west wall of this fifty-foot-long, thirty-foot-wide audience hall has crumbled, leaving a gaping hole and a pile of rubble. Weapons and shields that once hung from the walls have fallen to the floor and succumbed to rust. A large, wooden throne carved to resemble a dragon with unfolding wings faces three tall windows to the west. Slumped in the throne is a gaunt, armored figure with one gauntlet wrapped around the hilt of a great-sword.

Master Do stands right at the entrance of the room and calls out “Hello? Who are you?”

The figure at the end of the hall simply replies, “Go. Away.” Master Do stands his ground and insists, “This place is a mess…”

The creature's grip on the greatsword tightens. "If you have come to destroy me, know this: I perished defending this land from 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."

Not wishing to disturb the figure any further the group slowly backs away and moves on to the rest of the building.

They investigate to the northwest of the fortress and come upon some sort of gathering hall. Through the dust and cobwebs, they see faded war banners adorning the walls of a spacious chamber, in the center of which stands a heavy wooden table. An iron chandelier hangs above the table, which is surrounded by six high-backed chairs with wood-carved dragons perched atop them . Slumped in five of the chairs are skeletal humans in tattered chainmail.

The corpses tilt their heads in their direction . One of them growls, "Why do you the living disturb the dead?"

Through some skilled diplomacy the group is able to speak with one of the spirits, Sir Godfrey Gwilym. He confides that the knights are trapped within Argynvostholt as revenants because their leader, Vladimir Horngaard, wishes to remain as a revenant to ensure Strahd lives in torment in eternity. Sir Godfrey also reveals that this curse may be lifted once the skull of the dragon Argynvost has been returned to the mausoleum, this would also help to weaken Strahd’s power on the land. However, during the battle of Argynvostholt Strahd took the dragon’s skull as a prize and placed it within his castle. The exact location of the skull within Ravenloft is unknown.

With this new information the group goes to the building’s roof to finish their exploration. They find ballistas and turrets, some of them destroyed, and plenty of signs of battle. They also pass by a Dragon Gargoyle which magically activates in their presence and whispers:

When the dragon dreams its dream Within its rightful tomb, The light of Argynvost will beam And rid this land of gloom.

The verse makes a reference to the dragon’s skull being laid to rest.

They climb the roof’s tower and reach the top. From there they get a good view of the land surrounding the structure: To the north and east lies a mist-shrouded valley with dark woods, a small town, and a lonely windmill on a precipice. To the south, a river flows through a foggy marsh. To the west, between rocky hills, they glimpse an abbey perched on a snowy mountainside beyond a long stretch of fog-smothered pines. The abbey was probably the place Father Lucian recommended they visit for more information and aid against Strahd. He said it was led by a group of Morninglord priests, which we know Strahd clearly dislikes.

Having explored the entire building they decide to return back to Van Richten, accompanying the wounded Savid as far as they could so he could return back to the Dusk Elf encampment now that the Vistani have been driven away.

Ezemrelda leaves ahead of the group and they find her already at the tower in a heated exchange with Van Richten. It seems both of them have known each other for a long time. From the argument the group guesses that Ezmerelda was a sort of assistance, or protege, to Van Richten. At some point during their travels they separated, but the cause for their rift remains unclear to the party. For the moment, however, they decide to set aside their quarrel and unite in fighting Strahd and his minions.

After taking a short rest the group decides to investigate the Werewolf den Bladehelm and Makaelis had found previously.

Lacking stealth they are stopped by two guards at the cave’s entrance. Intimidated by the group’s initial presence the guards hesitate to sound the alarm, but the group decides it is probably best to leave the place immediately, as the number of werewolves within remains unknown and it is nighttime.

The party retreats from the den, but are met with a messenger outside the cave’s mouth. They are given a letter invitation for dinner…

My friends,

Know that it is I who have brought you to this land, my home, and know that I alone can release you from it. I bid you dine at my castle so that we can meet in civilized surroundings. Your passage here will be a safe one. I await your arrival.

Your host,

Strahd von Zarovich

Marpenoth 6, 1489DR – Leafall (October), Thursday

4pm

After defeating the revenants in the chapel the party exits the room through the northern door. Tucked behind the mansion is a fog-shrouded cemetery enclosed by a seven-foot-tall fence of wrought iron. In the northeast corner stands a mausoleum.

They suddenly feel like someone or something is watching them. Looking up, they spot a well-dressed man with a thick mane of thistledown hair observing from a high tower window. He draws the curtain and disappears from view.

They continue forward and notice that the corpses from the gravestones appear to have crawled out of the earth. Of the missing corpses there is no sign, but the surrounding fence is intact, which suggests that no one got into the cemetery from outside.

They reach the mausoleum. Tarnished, silver-plated gargoyles shaped like dragon wyrmlings cling to the stone-tiled roof of this mausoleum. An eight-foot-tall, four-foot-wide white marble door set into the southwest wall is engraved with a name: ARGYNVOST.

The interior of the mausoleum is dark and dusty. They spot four empty alcoves with raised floors. Etched into the far wall is a verse written in Draconic. Unfortunately, no on in the party can read Draconic, so they copy down the etching hoping they might run into someone who may be able to translate the text.

They exit the mausoleum, pass by the cemetery and re-enter the mansion to continue their investigation. As they search through the kitchen and wine cellar they find a wounded elf named Savid. He had been tasked with finding the young Arabelle, the Vistana child kidnapped and rescued earlier, and report back to the Vistani camp.

Savid was attacked on the road by needle blights, and once wounded sought refuse in the old mansion. The party offers to take him back to the camp once their investigation is complete. He in turn offers some history on the old fort:

• Argynvost was a silver dragon that liked to assume human forms. Argynvostholt was the dragon's home. In human guise, the noble dragon led a group of knights called the Order of the Silver Dragon. They gave shelter to refugees who had come to the valley to escape Strahd's army.
• Strahd's soldiers slew the dragon, destroyed the order, and sacked the mansion.
• Vistani and dusk elves avoid the mansion, believing that the dragon's ghost haunts it.

The wine in this cellar has long turned to vinegar, but they bear the name of a winemaker that keeps popping up: Wizard of Wines. Next they enter what appears to be a parlor. From the hearth springs forth a fiery dragon. It flies about the room and speaks to the group:

“My knights have fallen into darkness. Save them if you can. Show them the light they have lost!"

With that, the fire burns out.

Confused and a little wary the party moves to check the second floor. They find more ruin and signs of the devastation that took place centuries ago. While investigating the northern rooms the party is attacked by a group of phantom warriors.

At this point, Bladehelm also makes his entrance downstairs. He had been investigating the werewolf den with Makaelis but soon got tired of “that insufferable warlock!” And so he decided to ditch the caster and catch up with the rest of the group. He happens to walk in at the right moment and is able to help the party in the battle.

After defeating the foes, the group witnesses a smoky dragon apparition fly past them and to the main hallway up through another set of stairs. Where did it go? Before looking further, they all settle down for a long rest.

Marpenoth 5, 1489DR – Leafall (October), Thursday

After leaving the Vistani encampment near Vallaki, the group heads back to Van Richten’s tower where Kasimir and the rest of their group awaits. It is decided that the group will help Van Richten attack the Vistani encampment and help free the few Dusk Elves that remain.

Kasimir also reveals to Arannis that he is, in fact, a Dusk Elf. His parents were fortunate to survive the initial slaughter of their people, but were soon discovered after Arannis’ birth. An elder Vistana offered to help take the child to safety. Arannis’ parent died trying to help them escape notice.

The group waits until dark, hoping for most of the Vistani to be too drunk and tired to expect an attack. They take with them the Vistani prisoner they captured earlier and tell him to help get the women and children out of Barovia safely in exchange for his own life. He agrees and leads the party unseen to the encampment.

1am

Luvash and Arrigal, the Vistani leaders, are defeated and the camp secured. Kasimir decides to stay with his people for now to help them settle, but he will join our adventurers once they decide to travel towards the Amber Temple, a place he says holds great power to help them defeat Strahd.

After the successful attack they all head back to the tower and as promised Van Richten reveals the location of the werewolf den. It found east of his tower. He will not, however, give them the sunsword, but will join the group with sword in tow once they decide to conduct an assault on Castle Ravenloft. For now, he will keep the sword safe until it is needed.

They retire for the night.

Marpenoth 3, 1489DR – Leafall (October)

7am

The following morning the group headed towards the home they saw the vampires enter the previous night. After clearing the surrounding area there entered the home through the back door.

The home was dark and musky, some furniture items seemed out of place, as if there might have been a struggle. The party heads towards the basement and they encounter an ungodly sight: Kneeling over an altar, holding a very dead body, are three robed figures. A battle ensues and soon a Vampire Spawn joins from the shadows.

The party triumphs and they investigate the rest of the basement. They take a closer look at the body and find it to be a older man, scarred with unholy symbols, and missing several organs. They also find a letter in the robes of one of robed men:

My faithful servants, I hope you have all needed resources for our shared endeavor. I look forward to hearing of your progress.

LLTN,

W

The party moves their search to the second floor of the house. The last bedroom down the hallway contains signs of violence and struggle. The window has been broken in, with shattered glass littering the floor. There are drops of blood on the wood, and the bed sheets appeared to have been dragged towards the broken window. There is a lone pink slipper on the floor. The room appears to have been occupied by a young woman, who is now missing, presumably kidnapped.

Assuming the mysterious “W” is probably Lady Wachter, the party heads towards her estate.

They find guards surrounding the mansion, access closed off to all citizens. When they question one of the guards he tells the group that Lady Wachter is wanted for murder, but no one can find her.

The burgonmaster has ordered the search of her home in hopes of finding her whereabouts. No one is granted access inside except for Makaelis, who was able to bluff his way into being an “investigator.”

Makaelis enters the home and investigates the basement, where he find an assortment of bones, ritual books, incantations, glyphs, and other treasures. He also finds an ornate letter addressed to Lady Wachter:

My dear Lady Wachter,

 

How pleased I have become with your work. Your reward is soon to come. I bid you dine at my castle to further discuss matters. It will be a grand event.

 

Your Lord,

Strahd von Zarovich

Due to his sticky hands, Makaelis briefly suffers the appearance of an unseemly Third Eye on his forehead, but it would disappear after his next rest.

10am

The group now returns to the burgonmaster’s mansion hoping to capitalize on the present chaos. He is beside himself with anger. With the festival so close at hand, Lady Wachter on the loose, and his right hand man dead, Baron Vallakovich will need all the help he can get. He agrees to deputize the party and sends them on their way. He wants his festival to succeed and the murderess caught!

The group returns to St. Andral to check up on Ireena and to speak to Father Lucian in case he can offer further assistance.

Marpenoth 2, 1489DR – Leafall (October)

7am

The following morning the group makes their way north to the Town of Vallaki. On the way they encounter a large pack of wolves, but win relatively easily.

The Old Svalich Road meanders into a valley watched over by dark, brooding mountains to the north and south. The woods recede, revealing a sullen mountain burg surrounded by a wooden palisade. Thick fog presses up against this wall, as though looking for a way inside, hoping to catch the town aslumber.

The dirt road ends at a set of sturdy iron gates with a pair of shadowy figures standing behind them. Planted in the ground and flanking the road outside the gates are a half-dozen pikes with wolves’ heads impaled on them.

9am

The shadowy figures turn out to be town guards, and they demand all travelers identify themselves before entering through the gates. The party reveals their names and purpose and enter the town, heading first to the church of St. Andral, where they hope Ireena will be granted asylum.

The church of St. Andral is very similar to the church they visited back in Barovia, the only difference being this church has an active congregation. As the group enters the church they see dozens of people praying to the altar, which holds an ornate box atop it.

They meet Father Lucian Petrovich, the church’s priest, and he agrees to grant Ireena and her two new wards refuge within the church, but he has a favor to ask. Some days ago the holy bones of St. Andral were stolen from the church. Father Lucian was the only person in Vallaki who knew about the bones, but he recently mentioned them to Yeska, a young boy, to put him at ease about the recent attacks. The bones are believed to protect the church from all evil by villagers and Father Lucian. He suspects it was Milivoj who stole the bones but has been reluctant to confront him because the lad is so temperamental. Father Lucian has also not reported the theft for fear it may create a panic in town.

The party agrees to speak with Milivoj and promise to return with any news. When the group questions Milivoj he admits that Yeska told him about the bones. He also admits to passing along the information to Henrik van der Voort, the local coffin maker, and to stealing the bones for Henrik inreturn for money to help feed his younger sisters and brothers. Milivoj seems repentant, however, and promises not to steal ever again, as he fears he may have endangered the church through his actions. After chastising the lad for a bit the group heads towards the coffin maker’s shop.

---

While the rest of the group is investigating the bone theft, Master Do wanders town with Bladehelm and they arrive at a shop called Blinsky Toys. The owner of this establishment is Gadof Blinsky, an eccentric toymaker with a fascination for eerie playthings. He has a pet monkey called Piccolo, who was gifted to him by Rictavio (whom Asher would later meet at the inn). Piccolo wears a custom-tailored ballerina tutu.

Bladehelm notices dozens of dolls that have an uncanny resemblance to Ireena. When he asks Blinsky about them he says that the dolls are all commissioned work for an Izek Strazni, the burgonmaster’s right hand man. These dolls are not for sale.

Although the shop showcases dozens of different toys and dolls, Master Do becomes enamored with one ventriloquist’s dummy that looks like Strahd von Zarovich, and so he buys it before leaving and heading back to the church with Bladehelm. Upon returning to the church Bladehelm informs Ireena of the odd looking “Ireena dolls” found in the toy shop. She decides to check out the shop later in the day.

---

12pm

The rest of the group visit the coffin maker shop, and force Henrik to divulge the location of the bones. Upon a successful intimidation Henrik tells them they can be found in the room upstairs. The party gathers the bones and some coin, then head back to the church to tell Father Lucian the good news.

On their way back to St. Andral Asher notices the crows following them as they travel through town.

The party returns the bones to Father Lucian and he places them back at the altar, after which a strong holy force is felt take hold of the area. It seems the belief that the bones protected the church may have some foundation… They also meet once more with Milivoj and lecture him on his actions. Dale gives him some money to that the young man can properly support his younger siblings. Milivoj is touched and humbled, swearing never to steal again.

Asher heads off to the local tavern, the Blue Water Inn, to try and reserve accommodations for the group and to check up on Ismark, who would be leaving the next day now that his sister has been safely transported to Vallaki. Upon reaching the inn Asher notices the odd ravens once more. Once inside he rents rooms for those in the party not staying at the church, speaks a while with Ismark, and meets a colorfully dressed half-elf bard named Rictavio.

Asher and Rictavio remain at the inn sharing drink and conversation. The bard describes himself as a ringmaster from a distant land traveling on his colorful carnival wagon. He’s been staying at the inn for almost a month. When he arrived he was accompanied by his monkey, Piccolo. The monkey wasn’t welcome at the inn, so he gave it to Blinsky, seeing the toymaker in need of a friend. Rictavio admits to having no musical talent but manages to entertain locals with his stories of faraway places. As the conversation carried on Rictavio seemed to pay close attention to the silvered dagger held by Asher.

In a moment of epiphany, Asher was also reminded of Madam Eva’s fortune: “This is a card of power and strength. It tells of a weapon of vengeance: a sword of sunlight. The Illusionist… A man is not what he seems. He comes here in a carnival wagon. Therein lies what you seek.”

When Asher began to further inquire on Rictavio’s true purpose the bard daftly deflected and quickly made his exit. As the bard left the inn the rest of the party entered the tavern. They wish to pay the burgonmaster a visit and inquire about the odd festivities and frequent arrests.

As they approach the mansion they notice lights flickering in the attic.

They are given audience and finally meet the somewhat unhinged leader of the town.

Baron Vargas Vallakovich has been forcing weekly festivals on the town for months, believing these festivities will protect Vallaki from the devil Strahd. Citizens that do not participate or are otherwise “disruptive” are arrested and even executed. While the group is speaking with the baron, Asher sneaks off and investigates the mansion, specifically the attic. Asher finds a locked room at the end of the attic with strange lights and noises coming from within. Not wanting to press his luck Asher leaves through a 2nd floor window and meets up with the group outside.

Having been told by the burgonmaster to speak with his right hand man Izek concerning any festival matter, the party heads towards the townsquare. There they find guards taking down old festival decorations and placing up new ones. They also see several citizens tied up in the stocks, including children. Izek is standing to the side serving as supervisor to all the activity.

Outraged by the treatment of the citizens the group confronts Izek about his tactics and demand the people be let go free, at the very least the children. He refuses and threatens to call all the guard on them, and so the group leaves the square before matters become worse.

3pm

As they walk through the alleys Asher and Arannis notice someone following them. They confront the person, who turns out to be one of Lady Wachter’s servants, with an invitation to meet with his mistress. Somewhat skeptical, they follow the man to Lady Wachter’s estate.

Lady Fiona Wachter seeks to gain control of Vallaki. She believes herself to be both of higher birth and competence than Baron Vallakovich. She offers a partnership of sorts between herself and the party, asking the group to seal their deal by killing Izek, the burgonmaster’s creature. She presents her case as one of bringing order and peace back to town, and finally doing away with the horrid festivals everyone has been forced to endure. However, when she learned of Dale’s opinions towards Strahd, she immediately rescinded her offer and ordered them out of her home. She would suffer no ill words against Lord Strahd.

When they return to St. Andral they find that Ireena never returned from her walk into town. The children tell the group that she left to visit a toy shop in town, where the dolls in her likeness were discovered. The party heads towards the shop and question the toymaker Blinsky. He tells them that all the dolls are regularly commissioned by Izek. Izek had related to the toymaker the description of the dolls, whose likeness came from a woman in his dreams. He also admits that Ireena had visited the shop earlier in the day but left alone.

The group wants to investigate the burgonmaster’s house immediately, but Dale objects saying they lack sufficient evidence to accuse Izek. Thankfully, Bladehelm is able to gather information from some street urchins who inform him that Ireena was kidnapped by Izek and probably dragged into the burgonmaster’s mansion. They ultimately all agree to investigate the house.

First, they enter through the attic window Asher had used earlier in the day. They search the attic and enter the previously closed door. There they find an assortment of voodoo dolls, animal bones, and a badly drawn teleportation circle, which they discover could seriously harm any user. Someone has been studying crude magic but the room is presently empty.

They move down to the 2nd floor and finally find Ireena tied up to the bed in Izek’s room. She relates to them her kidnapping and the mad ravings of Izek who is convinced she is the woman he’s been dreaming about, as well as his desire to “have her” later that evening. Izek is expected to return to the room soon, so the group hatches a plan to catch the kidnapper.

They manage to capture the large grunt and sneak his unconscious body out of the mansion through a magical floating spell.

They all make it back to the church and interrogate Izek. With no redeeming information coming out of their questioning they give Ireena the role of judge. She swiftly kills Izek and leaves the room.

Not ones to waste an opportunity the group carries Izek’s dead body through town and dump it visibly in Lady Wachter’s estate. Drama would surely unfold…

They all return to the church and prepare for rest, but as everything begins to quiet down the lookouts spot shadowy figures moving oddly through the mist. In the distance they see a handful of these creatures enter a home while the others make their way towards the church.

They are vampire spawns, and seem to be unable to cross some invisible protective barrier surrounding St. Andral. After several failed attempts to enter the figures disappear and the group is able to catch some rest. They would have to investigate the invaded home in the morning.