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Having studied the painting and it’s mysterious glowing tower, Zane and Garn quickly climbed the spiral chapel stairway and determined that it was likely the same tower depicted in the painting, though there was no sign of a beacon.

The third and final floor awaited, and you moved up cautiously, following the path the dragonling had taken. You emerged from a drawn curtain into a narrow corridor with ruins from the collapsed ceiling you had seen on the roof ahead.

The first door you tried was unlocked, and you opened it to find a dusty and cobwebbed room with faded war banners adoring the walls. Seated at a heavy wooden table in the centre were five skeletal humans in tattered chainmail. You immediately recognised them as Revenants like the ones you had encountered on the first floor.

Unlike those warriors, these did not rise as you entered. Instead, they all turned their faces to you and a with a guttural voice their leader growled at you: “Why do you the living disturb the dead?”

Garn took the lead and explained you were here to bring peace, and to seek a sword. Without rising, the leader questioned you intently, and revealed very little. It was only once you raised the fact that Argynvost’s spirit had communicated with you — much to his surprise — that he seemed to judge you trustworthy.

The lead Revenant introduced himself as Sir Godfrey Gwilym, and he slowly revealed to you the tragic story of Argynvostholt.

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Centuries ago, a silver dragon named Argynvost had come to this valley of Barovia in the guise of a nobleman named Lord Argynvost. He came both due to the beauty of the land, and to serve as a guardian against the evils contained in the Amber Temple nearby.

He used his resources and charisma to attract other champions of good, and valorous Knights flocked to join his prestigious Order of the Silver Dragon — though few knew their Lord’s true draconic nature.

After a period of peace, the war between Strahd — before he was a vampire — and his foes erupted across Barovia. The Order drove away malefactors searching for the Amber Temple, sheltered Strahd’s enemies, and proved more than a match for Strahd’s battle weary soldiers.

But despite the early victories, the Knights were ultimately overwhelmed when Strahd’s reinforcement swept into the valley. All were slain, and the final battle between Strahd and Argynvost led eventually to the dragon falling. Strahd’s victory was complete and the Amber Temple his to plunder.

The death of Argynvost so enraged the spirit of Vladimir Horngaard, the greatest of the dragon’s Knights, that he returned as a revenant and swore to avenge the destruction of his Order. They killed many of Strahd’s soldiers, but once Strahd became a vampire they were trapped here with him, unable to carry out their vengeance, nor leave this land.

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Sir Gwilym’s face was a skeletal mask, but you sensed the deep sorrow in his tale.

“Vladimir sits alone, waiting, and guarding, never to be free of his torment. And we serve him loyally, in death as in life. If you wish your sword, you will need to convince him to give it. But be warned he will not allow you to kill Strahd. For that is his curse. If you wish him to talk, mention my name — it may trigger something in him that will grant you an audience.”

With that the Revenants turned their attention away from you and resumed their watch.

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Shaken by this encounter, but encouraged by the fact they didn’t immediately murder you, you moved through the rest of the floor, confirming each room clear and empty.

In what seemed to be a study, stripped bare, Bannor uncovered a book which Zandeyr identified as The Oath Celestial, a devotional text for Knights from a place called The Holy Empire of Valentia — a land none of you had heard of. In the same room, Viktor plucked a page of parchment out of the air that was fluttering down from the top of an empty bookcase. Garn took it and read:

My knights have fallen, and this land is lost. The armies of my enemy will not be stopped by sword or spell, claw or fang.

Today I will die, not for avenging those who have fallen, but defending that which I love- this valley, this home, and the ideals of the Order of the Silver Dragon.

The evil surrounds me. The times has come to throw off this guise and show these heathens my true fearsome form. Let it spark terror in their hearts! Let them tell their stories of dark triumph against the protector of the Balinok Mountains! Let Argynvost be remembered as a dragon of honour and valour.

My one regret is that my remains will not lie in their rightful place, in the hallowed mausoleum of Argynvostholt. No doubt my bones will be scattered among my enemies like the coins of a plundered hoard, trophies of a hard-won victory.

I do not fear death. Though my body will die, my spirit will live on. Let it serve as a beacon of light against the darkness. Let it bring hope to a land wrought with despair.

Now, to battle! A

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Eventually you reached the final room. You were forced to climb over mounds of collapsed rubble, and you emerged into a large room. At the far end a large wooden throne stood with its back to you, carved to resemble a dragon with unfolding wings. Two massive arms rested on the throne arms, one resting atop the hilt of a greatsword.

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Garn called out cautiously, but there was no response. As you slowly moved forward, a deep voice commanded you to stop — and leave. Garn evoked Gwilym’s name, and you watched as the figures fist slowly clenched, and he whispered the name back to you: “Godfrey…Godfrey” “Approach”.

You moved around in front and saw a mountain of a man seated on the throne. The power emanating from him was overwhelming, and you quickly realised he was not to be trifled with. His right hand rested on an massive greatsword, its hilt sculpted to resemble silver dragon wings and a pommel shaped like a silver dragon’s head clutching a black opal between its teeth. Could this be the sword you were seeking?

Garn introduced you, and repeated the tale he had woven for Sir Godfrey, appealing to Horngaard’s thirst for vengeance. At the mention of the Sunsword, he stopped you, and stood. Hanging from his belt was the hilt of a plain looking sword — with no blade. Horngaard held your gaze for a moment before sitting again. That was the sword? Broken?

When the idea of destroying or defeating Strahd was raised, the Knight Commander’s grip on the greatsword tightened. “I perished defending this land from evil over four centuries ago, and that failure has forever doomed me. Know this: there is no monster I hate more than the creature Strahd von Zarovich. He slew Argynvost, destroyed the order to which I dedicated my life, and murdered my one true love. 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. Whatever can be done to bring him misery and unrest, I will do. But I will destroy anyone who tries to end his torment.”

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You withdrew from the Commander’s chamber, and revisited the his Revenant guard. Sir Godfrey confirmed what you had heard, and that their Lord Commander would never be swayed from the path he had chosen. Freeing his — and their — souls from this land was the only way, unless you chose to fight.

An impasse. It seemed clear that somehow lighting the Beacon of Argynvostholt was the way to achieve both of your goals — freeing the tortured Revenants and recovering the sword. Godfrey agreed it might work, but claimed the Beacon had never been lit so there was no way of knowing its true purpose.

Eventually you left and climbed the final steps of the chapel tower, which emerged into a round chamber with a stone floor and a 30ft high pitched roof in which ravens perched. 10ft high arched windows were evenly spaced around the walls, each containing a lead latticework fitted with small panes of glass. All were intact, unlike the rest of the building.

But there was no Beacon here, and no obvious means of mounting or lighting one. Viktor cast a spell to summon the light of the Morninglord, and you could see from below that the glass refracted and intensified the light that shone through them, but it was hardly reaching beyond the borders of the ruined castle. Certainly no Beacon.

Having ventured everywhere else, you worked your way out onto the roof of the building. There you found little of interest, until you noticed a silver-plated gargoyle shaped like a dragon wyrmling perched atop a parapet. As you moved near it, it spoke:

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

Finally you had the answer. Argynvost’s bones must be returned to the mausoleum, and then the Beacon will be lit. But where were the bones?

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After some thought you decided that perhaps the answer lie below you, in the ruined section of the castle where the giant spiders lay. It seemed likely the destruction was caused by the final battle with Strahd, the dragon corpse crashing into its very home.

Xarann attempted to destroy the spiders with jets of flame that he cast, but it only managed to fry the webbing in which they perched — and made them flee toward you. Xandeyr quickly cast a spell that tangled them before they could reach you, and they retreated to the upper floors of the building. Searching the now revealed ballroom alas revealed nothing.

You returned to Sir Godfrey who told you his assumption was that Strahd had destroyed or removed the bones as trophies, though he was not there to witness it. You now knew what you needed to do. But you knew not how to do it. Seeking out those who might have lived in those times and witnessed the desecration of Argynvost’s bones seemed one course of action, but for now you had no leads and no great hope of finding any.

Despondently you realised you would have to abandon the sword — for now. It was time to move on. The closest destination was the Wizard of Wines vineyard, and you set off West toward it with gloomy hearts.

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Meta:

Level up! You should all now be level six.

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Session played: 12 August 2019