The battle with Sir Vladimir Horngaard began, as the party sought to end their trials in Argynvostholt. Esmeralda tried to keep the Phantom Warriors at bay, while others tried to attack the revenant himself. He seemed unperturbed by the attacks and sliced through the wolves Qwib Qwib had summoned. Rasper and Nail fought off Phantom Warriors and used oil soaked bolts with his crossbow to attack Vladimir. Altheon and Iroh kept the heat on, realizing that fire seemed to be preventing the undead creature from regenerating. Xylil setup Spirit Guardians to eat away at the undead menaces, while Azalea’s shadow spirit and her acid arrows attacked from afar.
The Phantom Warriors were wailing on the party, with some trying to focus on Azalea, though her distance helped keep that at bay. However, one was able to break Nail, causing Rasper the most pain the little Kenku has ever experienced. Vladimir himself got to Xylil, and in two swift strikes, cut down the unicornborn, killing him on the spot. Out of fury, the rest of the party focused on Vladimir, with a new set of wolves absolutely ripping the undead flesh from his bones, and ending his threat. With the fight over, Altheon revived Xylil, though the cleric looked harrowed from their experience.
Looking through what remained of the castle, and found a journal that belonged to Argynvost. Reading through it, they found it recounted the history of a man who came to this valley before Strahd took over, well before he became a vampire even. He tried to fight off the forces of King Barov, and later Strahd, but was slowly wittled down. He grew concerned about an Amber Temple of a dark power and what might happen if Strahd were to find it. In his final entry, he reveals that he has secretly been a Silver Dragon this entire time, and died fighting the forces of Strahd von Zarovich.
In another room, they came across one undead who didn’t seem to attack them. Instead, he was drinking soup. He introduced himself as Sir Godfrey Gwylim, a knight in the Order of the Silver Dragon. He revealed that they were all reanimated out of the rage and fury of Vladimir, his former lover. Not wanting Strahd to die, and instead suffer in this hell with him, Vladimir strikes any who side with Strahd, and any who would strike him down. But Godfrey believes that they might be laid to rest if the beacon could be lit. The beacon is the magical presence of Agynvost himself. Over the years, many of his bones have been recovered and laid in the mausoleum, but his skull is still missing, no doubt a favored trophy of Strahd. He asks the party to recover it for him, and return it to rest, so that all the knights might rest themselves. In exchange, he grants some magic items and potions to the party and any soup they would wish to take themselves.
The group heads back to Valaki, and make their plans to find the Amber Temple in the south, and learn more about the source of Strahd’s power.
