---

---

Bannor remembered the vial dropping. There was nothing he could do. This was the end.

The explosion threw him through the air, slamming into the Tower. He felt his skin burning, his lungs burning, his soul burning. And then: nothing.

Blackness.
Stillness.
Quiet.

It had stopped. The voices, the whispers, the singing. Gone.

He knew he was dead, but he was thankful. He felt a surge of faith, a rediscovery of that which he had turned his back on. Perhaps it was not too late.

And then he heard it. A whisper. Voices. Inside his head. NO. NO NO NO.

“Yes”

“Welcome back”

But it was two voices this time. Speaking over the top of each other, in sync. One was familiar, the other a mystery.

“I’m not done with you yet. There is more death/life. I give you a curse/gift, and a gift/curse”

“But you must choose”

“Power over life, or power over death?”

Bannor couldn’t differentiate between the voices, couldn’t tell which one was offering what.

He had to make a choice, and after the slightest pause, he did: “Power over death”

The voices laughed.

“Very well. It is done. Use this well, my protege.”

The singing in Bannor’s head started again. He could feel himself being pulled back. There was nothing he could do. This was the end.

---

Bannor came to with a start, back in Barovia, the badly burnt faces of his friends looking down at him. The faces were staring directly into his eyes with confusion — and fear? Bannor reached up to feel his face, and realised the terrible truth: where his eyes were there was nothing — just empty sockets.

But he could still see.

Viktor tried to calm him, but he staggered to his feet, the remnants of pain from the fire still burning, and reeled away into the darkness.

---

You spent the night in the tower, tending to your wounds, and keeping a close watch over Bannor, who was curled into a ball on the lone bed. He asked for a mirror from Zandeyr, and spent a lot of time staring at his ruined eyes.

The following morning you examined the destruction downstairs. The wagon was destroyed, as was anything inside. All that remained was molten steel and charred timber. Zane’s search took him to the lake edge, where he found nothing, but did notice some humanoid figures watching from the far shore of the lake — some miles away. He called Zandeyr over, who used his eyeglass to discover that the figures had backward bending legs, suggesting a bipedal animal of some kind.

Bannor started using his mirror to speak to people, and filled his empty sockets with gems from a selection Zandeyr had stashed in a pouch.

As you made plans for leaving for Berez, Xarann revealed that following his study of the Tome he had recalled why the name ‘Patrina’ was strangely familiar. He recounted a conversation you had had — seemingly months ago but likely only days — with the Dusk Elf leader Kasimir, who had begged for your help to find a way to return his long dead sister Patrina to life. She was the last hope for the Dusk Elf race, as Strahd had long ago slaughtered all the females, leaving them with no future and no hope. He had mentioned a place called the Amber Temple, but warned of its deadly nature and asked you to return when you were prepared for such a place.

This recollection sparked all of your memories, and excited them too. Here was a chance to do something genuinely good, to save the Dusk Elf race from extinction. To repent for the slaughter of the mongrelfolk, the killing of an Angel, to redeem your corrupting souls.

And so, despite having already delayed your planned investigation of Berez, you decided to delay it again and head for Vallaki and the Dusk Elf encampment.

---

Kasimir was surprised, but thrilled, to see you. He said no other adventurers in Barovia — and there had been many — had ever answered his call. He reiterated what he knew: his sister, Patrina, was a target of Strahd’s affection some centuries ago, but she had died before that attraction could be consummated with marriage. Strahd, in revenge, had murdered all of the Dusk Elf women, condemning the race to a slow but inevitable extinction. Some decades after her death, Patrina had started to talk to Kasimir through his dreams, urging him to visit the Amber Temple to find the secret to restoring her to life.

---

You questioned him as to why Strahd took such an extreme action, and extracted a confession from Kasimir. He hung his head in shame as he told you that he and his fellows had killed Patrina, seeing that as a fate kinder than being in Strahd’s eternal thrall.

Zane left the wagon on hearing this, and travelled to the arms of Ireena, seeking some solace and comfort in this cold land. The rest of you considered Kasimir’s words. Viktor sought advice from the Morninglord, asking for guidance: were you ready to face the Amber Temple, and would you all die if you did? The answer was both reassuring and terrifying: you were ready, but you may die.

You all decided it was worth the risk.

---

Kasimir warned you that you would be heading for Mount Balinok, and that the cold there was overwhelming. You equipped yourself with cold weather supplies from the Vallaki wolf hunters, and headed off on the long journey to the South. Kasimir hadn’t lied — the higher you climbed, the colder it got, and soon even the animal skins and furs could barely keep you warm enough.

Bannor’s madness was growing worse as you travelled, as he would only speak via the mirror and developed a disturbing habit of shoving it in people’s faces answer questions or test their words.

---

Eventually you reached an ice and snow covered plateau. Chiselled into the mountain ahead was some kind of massive structure. Six 20ft tall amber statues of wizards flanked an entrance to the temple beyond. With a last glance at the mountain and open sky, you headed down into darkness.

---

Steps led down to a balcony made of black marble, overlooking a vast and empty hall ahead. The walls were covered with some kind of amber glaze that led the entire place a golden hue. But it was dark down here, and deathly still, and freezing cold.

You could only see half way across the chamber, but Xarann could see to the far end of the space. He was shocked to see a massive, 40ft figure towering in the shadows at the back of the room. It was too dim to make out clearly, but he quickly warned everyone and you decided to stay away from the hall for the moment.

With Bannor checking carefully, you opened the first door on the balcony which led into an empty guard room, ancient shattered wood covering the floor. You easily found a secret door that opened into another empty room that had arrow slits to fire into unwanted visitors.

Zane heard some movement from a pair of double doors at the West end of the platform, and you positioned carefully for whatever lay beyond as you flung the doors open. Standing inside were 5 heavy set barbarian warriors in skins and fur and big weapons, a large female gladiator, and a huge white wolf that Zandeyr recognised as a Dire Wolf.

After a momentary stare down, the woman asked you why you were here. It soon became evident they used this room as a shelter as they hunted in the mountains outside, but ventured no further into the temple. You came to an agreement to leave each other be, and she warned you that this was no a safe place — most who entered never returned.

---

You moved back to the open doors at the opposite end of the balcony. They led to a room with a strange circular hole carved into the floor. Zane carefully moved toward it and saw that it spiralled down into the room below this one, opening at the ceiling before dropping to the lower floor below. The funnel was hacked out of the stone floor with rough handholds, so obviously carved by someone long ago.

As he looked down, he saw a light start to move toward the hole, and caught a brief glimpse of some kind of flame atop a whiteish skull before he quickly withdrew and cautioned you all to keep quiet. Viktor, supported by Xarann, took a leaning look down, and confirmed there was more than one of those things down there, and that they seemed to be floating.

Two open doors led to the North, and a long hall lay beyond. The marble floor had deep cracks in it, as if something very heavy had pounded up and down the hall. You couldn’t see to the far end, so Viktor lit a coin with magic and tossed it the length of the corridor. The black marble domed ceiling reflected the light as it travelled to the end of the room, where it pinged into the far wall, the noise exacerbated by the deathly silence of the tomb.

---

A silence that was summarily broken by the sound of heavy footsteps of a jackal-headed Amber Golem with a that thumped through the open doors at the far end and strode determinedly toward you. Reacting quickly, Xarann threw a web across the corridor, which managed to just snare the construct, but you could see it wouldn’t hold it for long, the thin strands being strained to breaking point by the strength of the creature. Zane and Garn charged into battle, and despite some solid strikes found it difficult to pierce the heavily stone body of the creature. And it retaliated by thumping both of them into the rock hard walls with its fists.

Bannor and Viktor joined the fray, while Zandeyr peppered it with arrows (that split into shards upon hitting). Even Kasimir got involved, loosing a barrage of fire bolts. The golem broke free of the webbing, but despite some heavy hitting it was felled after a series of magic bolt and weapon blows, with Bannor’s lethal dagger closing the deal.

The golem had shattered when killed, and Bannor replaced his ‘eyes’ with a new amber pair, which seemed more appropriate for the setting.

---

The room the golem had emerged from opened out into the main chamber, where you found yourself 30ft above the floor on a raised balcony. And in front of you stood the huge granite statue, a wizard in flowing robes with hand outstretched as if in the midst of casting a spell. The head of the statue was shrouded in a void of pure darkness that none of you could see through, making you very wary of getting closer. On the floor below you could see two exits, flanked by more statues of wizards, these one in white marble and of lesser workmanship than the giant.

---

You took the magical darkness around the head as a warning, and decided to leave it be for the moment. Xarann realised you’d missed a door behind, so you retreated to the golem corridor and opened it cautiously. Inside was something unexpected: a theatre of some kind, with red marble benches leading down to a lectern with a obsidian panel hanging behind it. Zandeyr moved toward the lectern, and spotted a figure hiding behind it. After some stern threats, a badly burnt man stepped out, half his hair missing and his clothing tattered from fire.

---

He introduced himself as Vilnius, and claimed to have been hiding here to avoid the Amber Golem outside. He also told you he had been in the Temple with his master — a wizard by the name of Jakarion — who was now dead, killed by floating flaming skulls. This all seemed very unlikely. Bannor came bounding over the red benches and demanded Vilnius speak true, and such was the terror that the amber eyed rogue generated in Vilnius that he stammered out answers that showed his story to be possibly true.

His master’s body was in the corridor behind the barbarian room (meaning there were more flameskulls than the ones you had already seen), and he just wanted to get out of here. Bannor frisked him, and other than his spellbook and a half eaten rat, the only thing he carried was a gold amulet shaped like an upside down V, which Bannor relieved him of. As Zandeyr escorted him back to the entrance, he did say he wouldn’t mind retrieving Jakarion’s staff and spellbook, but Zandeyr wasn’t in the mood and soon Vilnius was gone.

---

You searched a room off the balcony and found a secret door that opened to stairs leading down into darkness, and also emitting a powerful stench of death. As Bannor was searching for the door with his mirror, Viktor quietly cast a restoration spell on him, hoping it would quell Bannor’s troubled mind. The decision was made to stay on this level before descending, and you made your way back to the Barbarians. They insisted on retreating outside before they would let you open the doors to where you expected to find the dead wizard. Wisely as it turned out.

---

As you peeled open the amber doors, three fireballs hurtled through the entrance and exploded into the room. Despite burns and flashbacks to Bannor’s wagon trick, you charged into the corridor beyond and engaged with the three green flamed floating skulls within. By closing the distance to them you were able to nullify any further fireballs, and they soon dropped to the ground ‘dead’, their flames extinguished.

The body of Jakarion was indeed in this room, and his charred corpse grasped a ice coloured staff. Zandeyr picked it up, paused for a moment, then handed it to Xarann. As he did Xarann noticed he held onto the staff for a moment too long before releasing it — “I guess I can’t use it… you have it”. Xarann immediately confirmed it had magical qualities that would reveal themselves to him with study. If Jakarion had a spellbook, it must have been destroyed by the fire in which he died.

---

Injured and hurting, you retreated back to the Barbarian room, secured it, gathered what meagre wood you could find to make a fire, and rested for some hours to recover.

---

When you rose, Zane announced that he had had a revelation, which was that there was important business to do back in Vallaki, business called Ireena. He departed with your blessing, though he promised he would return once the various transactions were complete.

The rest of your continued on, finding one room containing thousands of empty vials and another set of descending stairs. The next room you opened had another surprise — dominating the room was a twelve-foot tall model of a dark castle with high walls and tall spires. You immediately recognised it as Strahd’s home: Castle Ravenloft.

---

---

Treasure:

• Gold amulet (1000gp)
• Staff of Frost

Session played: 17 February 2020