The group return to the Vistani Camp to drop off Alakazaar leaving him in the care of the Vistani. They depart for the ruins of Argynvostholt following the road west through the woods towards the Wizard of Wines and then turning off the main road back southeast up a hill to the manor.
They reach the gloomy remains of a once-resplendent manor. Large towers rise up from the dark manor, but the southern third of the structure has collapsed along with the roof. A moss-covered statue of a dragon sits in the front yard facing the manor.
The group investigate the dragon statue, recognizing it from Arrabelle’s dream. Elora and Bramo are able to determine that the statue is enchanted in some way. Using one of his spells, Bramo learns the statue is imbued with evocation magic. The group guesses that the statue will release a cone of fire or some other magical energy at them should they enter the manor. They split into two groups standing to either side of the stairs leading into the manor.
Bramo goes ahead first as their trapfinder. He searches the staircase and concludes it is safe. He moves up the stairs to inspect the door when the mouth of the dragon statue opens bellowing out a blast of cold in a cone shape! Those standing to the sides barely escape the blast, but Bramo is hit with the full force of it! He is pleased to discover it is merely a cold wind down his back and nothing more severe. Bramo brushes himself off unscathed. The group wonder if the trap was a prank or merely ancient and losing its potency.
The group finds the front door ominously unlocked and enter the manor carefully. Inside they find a large hall with a balcony overhead and stairs leading upwards. A banner depicting a handsome man with long, silver hair and angular features is displayed above the staircase. Multiple doorways lead out of the room and two pairs of busts stand against the north and south walls. One of the busts on the south wall lies shattered on the floor.
The group investigates the busts finding they depict knights with noble bearings. They find the three intact busts are humans, two men and one woman. The names on the busts read: Godfrey Gwilym, Ayfara Vassezac, and Regnier Skelrant. The shattered bust lies in pieces on the floor. Elora is able to assemble the pieces as well as the name and determine that this bust depicted a dragonborn by the name of Vladimir Horngaard.
The group make their way further into the manor through a pair of open doors which led into a dining hall with a long table. The table and chairs were of elegant design in a distinctly draconic motif. Puddles of rainwater and water damage seeping in from the ceiling ruined the dignified atmosphere of the room. The east wall was lined with stained glass windows and a pair of doors with heavy, leaded glasses. From beyond the doors came the sounds of battle!
Fearing it may be their friend Lucien in trouble, the group rushed in. They found themselves in a large chapel with more stained-glass windows, some of which had been shattered. A U-shaped balcony encircled them above, and the far end of the room held and altar and sun iconography. In the center of the room, under attack by three knights in silver armor, was Lucien Brightburn!
The group rushed in to aid him. Ireena moved in behind one of the silver knights allowing Lucien to flank them. Lucien struck with his sword which flared with divine light with every strike! The group was amazed to learn that Lucien was a paladin who wielded the divine power of his god. McCoy, Riley, and Johan made their way into position with Lucien surrounding the knights. Elora and Bronwyn fired spells from the doorway of the chapel, while Bramo maneuvered into the corner of the room to add his magic as well.
Working together with Lucien, the group eventually defeated the knights, finding them to be tough opponents. Lucien explained that they were especially hardy because they were, like him, undead. Lucien thanked the group for coming to his aid again. He told them that he came to explore this ruin as he said he would when last they met. He’d hear rumors of a great light that once shone in this place and came to see if it was the “hidden sun” he sought. While exploring the ruin, he came across the three knights praying in the chapel. He hailed them and introduced himself, but the knights were immediately hostile. He was struggling to hold them off when the group finally arrived to help him.
The group tell him they heard similar rumors from Arrabelle about a light that went dark in this place but could be made to shine again. They invited Lucien to join them exploring the ruin, and he accepted. They asked if he needed to be healed before moving on, but he explained that his undead flesh had already knit itself back together while they spoke.
The group explored more of the manor, discovering a kitchen with a rattling pot. McCoy poked the pot which revealed a bat flapping around inside. The bat flew out and around the room then out into the manor. Bramo wanted to kill it, but the group thought it was harmless. They discussed whether it could be Anastrasya back for revenge.
They found empty rooms on the first floor, abandoned servants’ quarters and a decrepit parlor. One set of doors led out to the collapsed southern wing. The room was exposed to the outside fog and choked with thick spiderwebs. The group decided it was best to leave the room alone.
In one room that found a suspicious sarcophagus propped up against one wall. Fearing what might be inside, they prepared for battle as McCoy opened it. Inside were only the smashed remains of glasses and bottles from what was once a wine cabinet. Investigating the fireplace there, McCoy saw a small ember burning which flared to life as a small dragon made of living flame! The dragon spoke to them telling them that his knights had fallen to darkness. It implored the group to save them by reminding them of the light. Then the flame dragon disappeared.
The group took the message to mean they were meant to save the knights here and restore the light. They decided they should try not to kill any more of the knights if they could help it. Lucien reminded them that the knights they had slain were undead revenants such as himself, and they could not permanently kill them. They would return in time.
Exploring the last room of the first floor, they wound several moldy casks of wine in a storage room. Hidden towards the back of the room was a wounded Dusk Elf named Savid. He weakly asked them to identify themselves, and they told him in Elven that they were friends. He relaxed, pleased to hear his native tongue. He explained that he was out searching for a missing Vistani girl named Arrabelle who had gone missing several days ago. He was ambushed in the woods by a horde of blights who had wounded him badly. He fled them to the relative safety of the ruin. He had lain here for a few days now without food trying to recover his strength to no avail.
The group work to heal and feed Savid and explain that they had found and rescued Arrabelle a few days ago. Savid felt foolish for being injured on a pointless quest which had already been completed but reassured him that he had done a good thing. They were planning to return to the Vistani Camp after exploring the ruin and invited Savid to join them. He accepted, telling them he would help as best he could with his sword and bow.
While speaking with Savid he innocently said Strahd’s name, prompting the group to hush him. They tried to create a cover story, saying they had come here to recover the elf and were now leaving to take him home. None knew if Strahd were still watching or if he accepted their ruse.
The group made their way up to the second-floor balcony. There they saw hallways and doors leading off into the manner as well as four more busts. They went down the north hall to search a room there. A hiss issued from the fireplace, and McCoy went to investigate it. A dragon made of spoke appeared, hissing and flapping its wings. McCoy tried to talk to it, but it flew past him out the room. The group watched it fly down the hall, around the corner, and up the stairs. They decided to follow it.
The smoke dragon led them up to the third floor. They followed its sooty trail out to a large room where a hole had collapsed in the ceiling and chunks of the walls had collapsed. The trail lead into the room to the west and they entered to see a room overlooking the front of the manor. Among the ruin, facing away from them, sat a large, wooden throne shaped like dragon’s wings. Slumped in the throne was a still figure clutching a greatsword in one hand. The sword’s pommel was a silver-inlaid dragon’s head and the crossguard was shaped like spread dragon’s wings.
They called out to the figure in Common and Draconic but got no reply. Staring at the figure, they remembered the words of Madam Eva, “The treasure lies in a dragon’s house, in hands once clean and now corrupted.” They wondered if these could be the treasure they sought, if this could be Sergei’s sunsword. They approached the figure cautiously, Riley and Elora circled around one side and Johan and McCoy circled the other.
The figure in the chair was a dragonborn knight in armor. It was completely still and appeared to be dead. Warily, they approached to inspect the sword and see if it was magical. As Elora got close enough to study it, the figure spoke in a growling voice and told them to “Go away.” The group persisted and the figure threatened them, still unmoving. He told them he had died four centuries ago trying to defend the land from Strahd von Zarovich and his evil, and he had been cursed for his failure. Now he cannot die, for he is already dead. If they try to kill him, he will come back and hunt them to the ends of the land wherever they go, he will find them and kill them.
He explains that Strahd slew the dragon Argynvost, kill the knight he loved, and destroyed the order he’d devoted his life to. Now all he has left is his hatred, and his only mission is ensuring Strahd’s endless suffering. Strahd can’t be allowed to be destroyed. He must remain here in his personal hell for eternity, being forever tormented for his sins. He would not allow anyone to deprive Strahd of his endless torment, and he swore to destroy anyone with such an intention.
The group tells him they also hate Strahd and have no intention of ending his suffering. They want only to cause him pain. The dragonborn invites them to sit and do nothing and bask in Strahd’s endless torment as he does. They ask him about his knights and where they are. He tells them most of them reside here in this castle awaiting his orders, waiting to crush anyone who would grant release to Strahd.
They ask him about his oaths and about the light that once shone in this place, but he tells them all of that is gone. All of it is forgotten, there is nothing but darkness here in this place. They ask about helping the innocent souls left here, and he tells them there are no innocent souls in Barovia. All who come to this place are the damned, condemned alongside of him to suffer here in Strahd’s hell. There are none here who don’t deserve to be here.
The group ask about the knight he loved, but he tells them he can no longer remember the knight’s name. That too has been taken away from him by Strahd. There is nothing left of the love he once had, only his hatred remains. Elora reminds the group of what Arrabelle said about “love remembering and broken hearts forgetting.”
Johan mentions having the woman that Strahd seeks and denying her to him to torment him. The dragonborn asks who Strahd could desire so that he could destroy her. The group quickly starts backpedaling, but the dragonborn eyes Elora with sinister intent. The dragonborn derides the group for claiming to be heroes, recognizing them as adventurers and mercenaries and fools. He tells them he need not even look at their faces to know them, for he has seen and slain countless just like them before.
The group is increasingly nervous the knight will attack them. Johan asks Lucien to speak him. Lucien introduces himself and talks about his own god Xabris and how he is like the Morninglord, but the dragonborn seems uninterested. The distraction seems to work though and take his attention away from Elora.
The group discuss what to do, worried about angering this dragonborn. They suspect but are not sure that he holds the sword they seek and will not willingly part with it. They are convinced they must somehow make these knights remember who they are and perhaps find out who the dragonborn once loved. They resolve to search the manor for more clues and head back to search the second floor.
Elora searched through some rooms on the southern wing where the ceiling and floor had collapsed. The floorboards creaked heavily as she investigated, but she moved with a light step to keep quiet and found nothing of interest in the rooms.
Heading into the east wing, the group found a hallway with two curtained alcoves. Johan saw something behind one of the fluttering curtains and investigated. He found a short pillar like the other busts they’d seen but covered with a black cloth. He lifted the cloth and found his own severed head beneath it! The head was fresh and seemed to match his own exactly complete with boils and empty eye socket. He alerted the group and asked Elora to confirm what he was seeing. She confirmed the head was real and Johan’s. The group wondered if maybe Vladimir had been literal when he said he’d killed many Johans before.
Elora and Johan each chose a door in the same hallway to open at the same time. Elora found a flooded room with a cracked ceiling and a large pool of rainwater. Johan found a small bathroom with a hissing, undead guard drake perched in the bathtub. They both closed their doors and backed away.
Regrouping with the others, they made their way through a pair of doors leading to the eastern balcony which overlooked the chapel below. A single wooden throne sat there with a female revenant in it. Her hands were folded in prayer, and she looked confused. The group approached her cautiously and introduced herself. The revenant said she was trying to pray but could not remember her prayers or her oaths. She introduced herself as Ayfara but could not remember her last name. Riley provided her with the name Vassezac and she confirmed it was her name, thanking Riley.
They ask Ireena if she knows any prayers of the Morninglord and she steps forward to teach one to Ayfara. She cannot get all the words right, but focuses on the phrase, “Morninglord, shine over our fields and guide us.” She repeats it over and over in prayer. The group promises to look for a book of her oaths and return them to her.
They look through some more empty bedrooms on the second floor before reaching the northern hallway. They enter the hall and turn to explore one of the towers when a wall of stone materializes sealing them in! Suddenly, a battle cry goes out and phantom warriors appear coming right through the walls at them!
McCoy, Lucien, and Johan fight with the phantoms at the west end of the hallway. Riley rushes to the east end of the hallway to protect the rear ranks of the group. Ireena moves past her towards the eastern tower to engage the phantoms there. They are not able to hold the line as the phantoms float through the walls to attack the middle ranks. A phantom strikes down Savid who collapses in a bloody heap. Pietro scrambles to staunch the bleeding and stabilize him but doesn’t know what to do.
Finding their weapons ineffective against the phantoms, Lucien and Johan cast spells of divine enchantment on them and imbue their attacks with divine energy. The phantoms are too close for her eldritch blasts and Bronwyn is forced to use a shocking grasp of lightning against one of the phantoms and retreat. Lucien moves forward to protect her. Riley and Lancelot support Ireena at the east end of the hall against the phantoms allowing Elora to move up and stabilize Savid with a healer’s kit.
During the battle, the phantoms cry out against Strahd’s invading armies. They are seemingly living out their final battle against him with the group instead. The group works together to defeat the phantoms. Something strange happens as they die. Two of the phantoms drop physical objects to the floor. One is a sword from a male warrior and the other a golden necklace from a female warrior. As they die, they are both drawn screaming into the objects. Both objects are magical in nature. Johan takes the sword and Elora takes the necklace.
The group is trapped behind the stone wall with no way out except to wait for its spell to end. They decide to explore the two towers and rest. The group finds the two towers are decrepit barracks that must have once house the phantoms they faced. In one of the towers, Riley discoverers a hidden cache of 4 potions.
While the group rests and heals their wounds, including reviving Savid, Johan and Elora study the items they recovered from the phantoms. Johan’s sword is a longsword with a bluish tint. Blue gems are set in the pommel and crossguard. The crossguard is shaped like two crescent moons. Johan feels a connection to the sword. He hears the faint sound of a constantly grinding whetstone coming from the blade. He bonds with the sword, the spirit haunting the blade becoming part of him.
Elora’s necklace is a red gem shaped like a drop of blood hanging from a golden chain. She too feels a connection to the necklace which offers her magical protection. She bonds with the necklace and hears a soft refrain of “No chance, no choice,” over and over again. The spirit haunting the necklace becomes a part of her and she feels more determined and courageous.
The rest of the group don’t seem to notice any change in Johan or Elora although they both seem to favor their newly acquired treasures. Eventually, the stone wall fades. The group complete their rest and set out to explore the rest of the ruin.
Curse of Ravenloft 