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After catching your breath and a short recovery, you pressed further into the fortress of Argynvostholt. Ahead you found the remains of a Chapel of the Morninglord, no longer consecrated and no longer safe. Fog seeped into the room from a cracked window. Zane ventured up the spiral staircases to find two higher stories, and a further level above.

Back on the ground floor, a large ruined ballroom lay exposed to the open air along the Southern boundary, thick with webbing inhabited by giant spiders which you were quick to retreat from.

The next room you opened was some kind of den, wood- panelling lining the walls with a cold, dark hearth. Standing against one wall was a sarcophagus of black wood with a queen’s effigy carved into the lid. Against your better judgement you opened the casement, only to find it to have been converted into some kind of wine cabinet, now full of shattered glasses.

As Bannor moved to check the next door, the hearth erupted into flames which assumed a draconic form, spitting and crackling as it unfurled its smoky wings. You all took ready stances, but left the flames alone. After a few moments, the dragon suddenly hissed and addressed you:

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

And with that the fire burnt out as quickly as it had started. Pondering the words you recalled the deathly warriors that attacked you had believed they were doing so to help defeat Strahd, so perhaps they were some of the knights the flaming dragon spoke of.

The next series of rooms were all abandoned and ransacked, servant’s quarters, kitchens, and parlours. You found a wine storage room, full of empty barrels of Champagne du le Stomp from the Wizards of Wines.

As you searched the room you discovered a cowering dusk elf named Savid, who yielded quickly to you and begged for help. He claimed to have been hiding here after being attacked by needle blights in the woods outside. When questioned he said he was searching for a missing girl, Arabelle, on behalf of the Vistani.

You filled him in on what had happened. He was horrified, and asked for help returning home. You had no time for as escort quest, so refused. He warned you that Argynvostholt was not safe, even after you told him you’d destroyed the warriors. He called them Revenants and said ‘you know they’ll come back’.

He also told you how Argynvost had been a mighty dragon who led the Knights of the Order of the Silver Dragon in an epic battle against Strahd, but who was ultimately defeated. With that Savid was gone, clutching a sword to his waist and praying for protection.

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Heeding the words of the elf, Viktor decided that burying the dead Revenants and consecrating their graves might save them from their deadly fate, or at least buy you some time before having to face them again. You all agreed, and went to work in the soft ground of the disturbed graves outside.

While Viktor followed his incantations, you decided to explore the mausoleum that lay in the graveyard. After copious checks from Bannor, you carefully cracked the seal to the chamber within, swinging open the white marble door. The interior was dark, dusty, quiet, and still. Four empty alcoves with raised floors stood around the edges, and etched into the far wall was a verse written in Draconic, which Xarann read aloud:

Here lie the bones and treasures of Argynvost lord of Argynvostholt and founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon.

Perhaps it should have said ‘here lay’, as the chamber was empty — something Bannor confirmed after a thorough search. Whatever was meant to be in this room was no longer here.

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You moved upstairs next, taking the grand staircase from the entrance hall. The rooms to the South were ruined, exposed to the open air, and also showed signs of giant spider activity.

Checking a small alcove, you found a shrouded bust on a pedestal. Removing the shroud revealed a horrific sight: Xarann’s head mounted atop. As the real Xarann recoiled in horror — head still intact — you knocked it to the ground. Nothing changed, and you all couldn’t un-see it. Zandeyr poked and prodded at it a little before deciding you should take the head with you — a task Viktor grudgingly accepted.

Zane and Garn finished the job they’d started earlier and climbed to the top of the circular stairway to find a view over the rooftop of the stronghold. Largely in ruins to the South, large rotted ballista stood on the other battlements, and a hole stood in the centre of the roof. The stairs climbed further still, but a rotting gap in the steps made them stop their ascent.

Retreating to the second floor you continued exploring. The first room you checked was clearly a guest room with a tattered rug on the floor and a fireplace, black with soot, fixed on the far wall. A soft hiss issued from the health, and as you stepped toward it a small, hissing dragon erupted from the fireplace, filling the room with black soot as it beat its wings. It screeched and shot over your heads and out of the room. Those outside saw it careen into the entry landing area and shoot up the stairs disappearing toward the third floor.

Tempted to follow, wiser heads decided this floor needed to be made safe first. Approaching a t-junction, you found a body dead on the floor. Zandeyr inspected and determined it was several weeks old, and evidently some kind of thief hoping to loot something from this forsaken place. You pressed on, and as you reached the next door you were suddenly cut off from retreat by the slam of a huge stone barrier blocking the corridor from whence you came.

The door of the room in front was flung open and two phantom warriors burst forth, attacking you with silent determination. At the same time the door on the opposite end also burst open and two more warriors bore down on you. They had the element of surprise and wailed into you with fury and swinging longswords.

Viktor quickly assessed the situation and called upon the Morninglord to turn the undead creatures, which forced the warriors to withdraw. You now had the initiative, and Zane and Garn proceeded to attack their respective foes, while Xarann went to work with his spells and Zandeyr his bow. Bannor took advantage of the situation to emerge from the shadows and unleash some nasty shiv work.

The warriors managed some telling blows, but were rapidly felled, as were the final two once you turned your attention to them.

A search of the rooms revealed a small wooden coffer that contained four potions of murky brown fluid, which you stashed for further investigation. You moved back to the stone wall, which refused to budge until it suddenly faded to nothingness.

The final room you entered was another guest room, draped in cobwebs. A framed portrait of the man you were coming to recognise as Argynvost in human form hung above a mantle and opposite a decrepit bed with posts carved like dragons.

Above an empty fireplace was another painting, slashed in two with the lower half hanging loose like a piece of flesh. When you held the pieces together you saw a painting of the mansion in better days, under clear winter skies (something you hadn’t seen since arriving) with snow-capped mountains in the background. And in the foreground, the top of the chapel you recently visited glowed like a silver beacon…

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Session played: 29 July 2019