Entry 17

We'd fled the castle seeking a long rest at our windmill to the west. Surprise that Strahd left us undisturbed; is he that confident of his power or our weakness? In the morning we return to the castle finding the draw-bridge still down and the portcullis open. We send Esmerelda in her wagon to take Gertruda back to Barovia to her mother, Mad Mary...one promise hopefully fulfilled. Although we know Strahd could retrieve her anytime. As for us, we enter the castle determined to find the dragon skull.

There is much of the 1st floor, north wing unexplored. So we enter the front doors, down familiar halls, to the chapel but fail to find any secret doors. But we do note the broken stained-glass window Esmerelda had used in her escape weeks ago. And thru it, we see an outside door to the west-wing. Inside we find a kitchen, servant quarters, and steep stairs up. But no access to the 1st floor space we known exists.

So we climb the stairs entering a room with 3 tall broken mirrors, and a secret panel behind one. A 20ft ladder propped against the inner wall leads to secret trap door. Caution rules as we retreat to the chapel to take known stairs to the 3rd floor. We eventually find a room with a trap door on the floor. And a secret door that opens into a tower. Narrow stairs without railing circle the inner perimeter. But most disturbing is the red glow from above and the pulsing energy that makes the source feel as if it is the heart-beat of the castle itself.

The pulsing grows in intensity causing the stairs to sway and jostle as if an earthquake threatens. We rush down the stairs avoiding a fall, finding an exit onto the 2nd floor. As soon as we enter the room a dress animates to dance around the room. We ignore it as we search. Another door opens to a chamber. A beautiful woman rises from a chair pleading, "Oh please save me." Xoji steps forward and thrusts his sunsword, "Don't let her looks sway you; her aura is evil." And the visage turns to that of an ugly witch, soon slain. Passage to the outer walls takes us to the northeast archer tower, where 3 vampire spawn fly in as bats and transform to attack us! Spells and blades versus claws and bites till they coalesce into mists and float out the arrow slits, back to their coffins (or where ever they rest). Too misty outside to visually follow them.

We've pretty much cleared the 1st and 2nd floors. We climb to the 3rd floor searching the empty archer tower. Floor by floor, one tower after another, we search in vain. We do come upon a well-dressed human who welcomes us kindly but Xoji is already advancing per his "Divine Sense." Blades and spells till the vampire jumps out an open window landing on rooftops below like an agile cat. Sent further on his way by ranged spells. We explore to find a bedroom that provides a short rest for Domine and Xoji as they attune to their newest magic items. Meanwhile Morthos has found a trap door in the ceiling of the closet. But again caution to climb sinlge-file into an unknown area. We take known stairs to climb.

At the landing, Morthos notes the portrait of a Strahd likeness to the right above a visible trap door. A rug lays on the landing before a door. As Morthos advances, the rug engulfs him. Him suffocating as we try to kill the animated rug without harming/killing our rogue too badly. Fire does the trick as the rogue has some immunity. But then the portrait comes to life with its hand motioning in a cast that Kasomir counters. The portraits curls in flames from more spells cast against it. We find the trap door is an access to the elevator shaft we found yesterday. An awkward setup for use of the elevator.

Behind the door is a lounge with cats lazed upon the couches. The adjoining room has shelves full of pickled ingredients (bat wings, centipedes, eyes of something, etc). But drag marks and footprints on the floor reveal recent passage. Trailing them we open the next door to find a cauldron bubbling in the empty room center. That is, till we enter the room, when 7 cackling sorceress appear as they cast. Morthos on the ground doubled-up in laughter. Blades and fireballs eliminate the threat. At least we find the other end of the trap door from the closet below.

And yet we still search for the dragon skull. Half our spells already used and its already noon. We need to exit before sunset. Where next?