Argynvostholt

APPROACHING THE MANSION

History

When Strahd defeated the defeated the silver dragon Argynvost, the survivors of the Order of the Silver Dragon fled to this valley. After the dragon was slain, Strahd had its corpse hacked to pieces, stripped to the bone, and transported to Castle Ravenloft as a trophy. Since the dragon's death, Argynvostholt has become a haunted ruin, a former bastion of nobility and light turned into a place of desolation and unrest.

l was looking at dead men. Before another hour passed, I'd send them wailing on their way to rotting hell. All of them.
Strahd von Zarovich
in I, Strahd: The Merriqirs of a Vampire

THE Order of the Silver Dragon
The death of Argynvost enraged the spirit of Vladimir Horngaard, the greatest of the dragon's knights. Horngaard returned as a revenant and swore to avenge the destruction of the order. His zeal was so great that it also brought back the spirits of several other knights, who rose as revenants under Vladimir's command. The vengeful revenants killed many of Strahd's soldiers, and whenever the undead knights were cut down, their spirits found new corpses to inhabit.

After receiving that news, Vladimir ceased his advance and led his knights back to Argynvostholt. He realized that Strahd had already died and been damned to a hell of his own creation. With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, Vladimir set his knights to killing Strahd's agents and anyone else who might help to ease Strahd's torment. Consumed by hatred, the knights have lost their honor and nobility. Their redemption hinges on whether Vladimir can set aside that hatred. The undead knight can be found brooding in the ruins of Argynvostholt.

The spirit of the dragon Argynvost isn't at rest, either. It can sense that the knights have been corrupted, and it reaches out to the characters, hoping they will help the
knights find peace. If the characters retrieve the dragon's skull from Castle Ravenloft and place it in the mausoleum of Argynvostholt, the dragon's spirit ascends to the highest tower of the mansion and transforms into a beacon of light that flashes across Barovia. The light of the beacon reminds Vladimir Horngaard of what he has lost, enabling him and his fellow knights to let go of their hatred and find both redemption and rest.

APPROACHING THE MANSION
A winding branch of the Old Svalich Road meanders up the forested slope of a mountain spur to the old mansion, which is perched on high ground overlooking the Svalich Woods and the Luna River valley.

When the characters first come within sight of Argynvostholt, read:
High above the river valley juts a quiet promontory upon which looms a sepulchral mansion, its turrets capped with fairytale cones, its towers lined with sculpted battlements. A third of the structure has collapsed, as has part of the roof, but the rest appears intact. A dark, octagonal tower rises above the surrounding architecture.
Out of the fog comes a distant peal of thunder, quickly accompanied by the howling of wolves in the woods below, but the house stands silent, seeming like the fossilized
remains of some long-dead thing smote upon the mountainside.

AREAS OF ARGYNVOSTHOLT
The following areas correspond to labels on the maps of Argynvostholt on page 131 and 137.

Q1. DRAGON STATUE
Perched atop a ten-foot-wide, ten-foot-high cube of granite is a moss-covered statue of a dragon, its wings tucked close to its body. The statue looks east, toward the mansion. The fog makes it hard to see the dragon's features from a distance, but close inspection reveals that it's a silver dragon of noble bearing, its spiny frill cracked and broken in many places.

Q2. MAIN ENTRANCE
Flagstone steps flanked by stone railings climb to a landing in front of a pair of tall, wooden doors with rusted iron bands and knockers shaped like small dragons. Carved into the lintel above the entrance is the word ARGYNVOSTHOLT.

If a creature climbs the steps or sets foot on the landing, the dragon statue (area Ql) opens its mouth and exhales a 60-foot cone of harmless cold air, then closes its mouth and doesn't activate again until the next dawn. At one time, the statue would breathe a cone of ice and hail, but its magic has deteriorated over the years. The doors are unlocked and can be pushed open to reveal a dark foyer (area Q3).

Q3. DRAGON'S FOYER (ENCOUNTER: ILLUSIONARY OMEN)
This room feels like a king's tomb. A grand staircase leads up to stone balconies held aloft by stone pillars and arches. A tall, faded tapestry depicting a nobleman in silver armour hangs from an iron rod above the staircase landing.

Six sets of double doors lead from this foyer. Along the walls, displayed on marble pedestals, are three alabaster busts of handsome men. A fourth bust and its pedestal
have been knocked over, and their shattered remains lie strewn across the mosaic floor. Two chandeliers of wrought iron hang from the ceiling like monstrous black spiders. The tapestry is torn in places and worthless. It is a portrait of Lord Argynvost. The alabaster busts depict several of the dragon's other human guises. The stairs lead up to the second-floor balconies (area Q18).

SHADOW OF Argynvost
The first time the characters pass through this foyer, read:
A great shadow with wings moves across the walls and I disappears. You hear the soft bestial hiss in the darkness. The draconic shadow is ominous yet harmless.

Q4. SPIDERS' BALLROOM (ENCOUNTER: GIANT SPIDERS)
Rubble is strewn throughout much of this vast chamber, caused by the partial collapse of the rooms above it. Thick webs stretch from wall to wall, and moving among them are too many giant spiders to count. Nine giant spiders nest here. They attack anyone who gets too close.

Q6. DRAGON'S DEN (ENCOUNTER: LIVING FIRE ILLUSION)
This wood-panelled den has been ransacked, its furnishings tossed about. A cold, dark hearth dominates the west wall between two narrow windows. Now, only shattered wineglasses and decanters are to be found on the shelves. The den's other furnishings include rotted divans, broken chairs, overturned ottomans, and smashed oil lamps.

LIVING FIRE
If the beacon of Argynvostholt (area Q53) has not been lit, read the following text when the characters approach the fireplace for the first time:

A fire erupts in the dead hearth and assumes a draconic I form. It hisses, crackles, and unfurls its smoky wings. The fire doesn't attack. On its turn, it speaks. The fiery dragon hisses as it addresses you. "My knights have fallen into darkness. Save them if you can. Show them the light they have lost!" With that, the fire burns out.

The dragon refers to the Circle or the Silver Dragon and the beacon.

Q7. PARLOR
Tattered velvet drapes cover the tall, slender windows that encircle this parlour. The furnishings are covered with dust and cobwebs, and lie in disarray. A damaged brass
chandelier hangs from the ceiling, which is covered with a faded mural that depicts metallic dragons and colourful birds flying beneath white clouds. Time and neglect have damaged the furnishings, leaving nothing of value.

Q8. IRON GATE
An iron gate, chained shut, closes off a 10-foot-tall archway on the north wall of the mansion. The lock can be picked or smashed.

Ten-foot-high flights of stone steps to the west and east of the archway lead up to landings and doors that provide access to areas Q7 and Q9.

Q9. SERVANTS' QUARTERS
Tattered brown drapes cover the windows. Strewn about the floor is the wreckage of half a dozen beds and other pieces of furniture. Lord Argynvost's household staff once slept here. The room contains nothing of value. Beyond the curtain lies the kitchen.

Q10. KITCHEN
This kitchen has been plundered, its tables overturned. The floor is littered with rusted utensils and smashed crockery. Narrow windows flanking a hearth look out over a cemetery. An open iron pot hangs from a hook inside the blackened fireplace. It rattles on its hook and bobs up and down, as though something is inside it. The iron pot contains an ordinary bat. When the characters get close, it flies out and flaps about the room.

Q11. WINE STORAGE (NPC: Savid THE WOUNDED ELF)
Five barrels lie in wooden braces along the walls of this dark, mouldy storage room. Hiding behind the barrels is a wounded elf named Savid (N male dusk elf scout). He has 4 hit points remaining and is grateful for any healing the characters can provide.

Vistani and dusk elves avoid the mansion, believing that the dragon's ghost haunts it. The wine in the barrels turned to vinegar and evaporated long ago. Emblazoned on the barrels' sides are the name of the winery, the Wizard of Wines, and the name of the wine, Champagne du le Stomp. A secret door at the north end of the west wall can be pulled open to reveal a den.

Q12. DINING HALL
A twenty-foot-long table with sculpted dragons for legs stands in the centre of this hall. The chairs that surround the table have backs carved to resemble folded dragon in windowed alcoves are two life-sized statues depicting knights with dragon-winged helms and shields. Rainwater trickles through cracks in the ceiling, flowing down the west wall and adding to a large puddle on the floor. Five sets of wooden doors lead to this hall. The doors in the northeast corner hang open. A pair of leaded glass doors, their panes cracked and broken, stand open between panels of stained glass set into the east wall. These panels depict silver dragons in flight. Beyond the glass doors lies a dark, misty room that appears to be a chapel. A continual light spell was cost on the crystal chandelier long ago and has never been dispelled. The knight statues are lifelike but inanimate.

Q13. CHAPEL OF MORNING (ENCOUNTER: REVENANTS)
Cracked wooden pillars support a wooden, U-shaped balcony that overhangs this stone-walled chapel. Narrow archways lead to spiral staircases that curl up to the balcony, and a door set into the north wall has a wooden beam barring it. At the east end of the chapel rests a stone altar flanked by iron candelabras. The altar is carved with a rising sun bas-relief. Tall, arching windows set with panels of stained glass decorate the walls behind the altar. One of the windows has been shattered, covering the chapel floor with shards of coloured glass and allowing thick fog to enter and fill the room. If the beacon has not been lit (see areas Q16 and Q53), add:

Characters who study the room's iconography and orientation (the fact that it draws light from the east) can determine, that the chapel is dedicated to a god of the dawn. Characters who stand near the altar and look up can see the hollow interior of the beacon tower. The tower's lower landing (area Q50) is 60 feet above the chapel floor, and the upper landing (area Q51) is another 20 feet above that.

Q15. CEMETERY
Tucked behind the mansion is a fog-shrouded cemetery enclosed by a seven-foot-tall fence of wrought iron. In the northeast corner stands a mausoleum.

Read the following text when the characters cross the cemetery for the first time:

You suddenly feel like someone or something is watching you. Looking up, you spot a well-dressed man with a thick mane of thistledown hair observing you from a high tower window. He draws the curtain and disappears from view.

The thick fog obscures the fact that five of the graves have been dug up. Closer inspection (Perception check) reveals that the corpses buried there crawled out of the earth. Of the missing corpses there is no sign, but the surrounding fence is intact, which suggests that no one got into the cemetery from outside.

Q16. DRAGON'S MAUSOLEUM
Tarnished, silver-plated gargoyles shaped like dragon wyrmlings cling to the stone-tiled roof of this mausoleum.

An eight-foot-tall, four-foot-wide white marble door set into the southwest wall is engraved with a name:
Argynvost.

The interior of the mausoleum is dark and dusty. You see four empty alcoves with raised floors. Etched into the far wall is a verse written in Draconic. Characters who can read the Draconic script can decipher the writing on the wall:
Here lie the bones and treasures of Argynvost, lord of Argynvostholt and founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon.

Q18. BALCONIES
Two stone balconies flank the main foyer. Balusters carved to resemble knights in shining armor support their elegantly carved stone railings. Weapons and shields festoon the walls along each of these walkways, while alabaster busts of handsome men flank hallways that lead north and south away from the foyer. At the west end of each balcony is an archway that leads to a spiral staircase going up.

The balcony is 20 feet above the floor of the foyer (area Q3). The weapons and shields hanging on the walls are nonmagical. The busts, displayed atop wooden pedestals,
depict various human guises of the dragon Argynvost.

Q19. RUINED BEDCHAMBERS
There are two of these rooms.
The south end of this room has collapsed, exposing the chamber to the elements. A few furnishings lie broken under fallen debris from the level above. The wooden floor creaks underfoot. Although it is safe to walk on, doing so attracts the giant spiders from area Q4. The spiders crawl up into the room and attack. The floor here is 20 feet above the floor of the ballroom.

Q20. SOUTH ALCOVE
A red velvet curtain hangs in front of an alcove in the southeast corner of this hall. It ripples ever so slightly. One of the narrow windows in the back of the alcove has a broken glass pane through which a slight breeze passes, causing the curtain to move. When the characters look behind the curtain, read:

A black cloth covers something atop a white marble pedestal.

Beneath the black cloth is the severed head of a randomly determined character-an illusion created by Strahd's consciousness. In actuality, it's an exquisite alabaster bust of a handsome, middle-aged human with a neatly trimmed mustache and beard (Lord Argynvost).

The illusion is too strong to be disbelieved, but it can be dispelled if the bust is broken or covered up again.

Q22. BATHROOM
The room contains an iron tub and has wood paneling on the walls that rises to a height of three feet. Above the paneling, the walls are painted with a continuous, faded
mural of a mountainscape. The mural accurately depicts the Balinok Mountains.

Q23. STORAGE ROOM
Rainwater seeps through cracks in the ceiling and flows into a pool on the sagging wooden floor. The pool fills about half the room. Bare stone shelves line the walls. The wooden floor is soft and rotten, it can't support more than 50 kg.

Q24. CHAPEL BALCONY
This wooden balcony overhangs the mansion's chapel. An exquisitely carved wooden throne rests at the west end between two doors, and narrow archways lead to spiral
staircases going up and down. Hanging from the high ceiling is an iron chandelier with candle holders shaped like tiny silver dragons.

Q26. NORTHEAST GUEST ROOM (ENCOUNTER: SMOKE MEPHIT)
The door to this room hangs open. Two beds with torn canopies stand against opposite walls with a tattered rug lying on the floor between them. Set into the far wall is a fireplace black with soot. A soft hiss issues from the hearth. When one or more characters approach within 10 feet of the fireplace, add:

A small, hissing dragon made of ash and smoke erupts from the fireplace, filling the room with soot as it beats its wings.
The smoky dragonet. If left alone, it flies out of the room at a speed of 30 feet, up the spiral stairs case (area Ql 7 ), through the curtain at area Q30, over the rubble in area Q33, and into area Q36. Once there, it lands on the back of Vladimir's throne and disappears.

Q27. KNIGHTS' QUARTERS (ENCOUNTER: PHANTOM WARRIORS)
This room is littered with the wreckage of ancient bunk beds. Five dirt-caked windows allow precious little light to enter, and between them are four empty armor stands.
Empty torch sconces line the walls. Four phantom warriors (see appendix D) haunt this room. They manifest only when the characters enter the room or trigger the magic trap in area Q25. They fight until destroyed.

Q28. KNIGHTS' QUARTERS (ENCOUNTER: PHANTOM WARRIORS, TREASURE)
Tattered and faded drapes cover the windows of this circular room, and empty torch sconces line the walls. Broken bunk beds and armor stands are strewn on the floor.
Three phantom warriors (see appendix D) haunt this room. They manifest only when the characters enter the room or trigger the magic trap in area Q25. They fight
until destroyed.

TREASURE
Buried under the wreckage is a small wooden coffee containing four potions of invulnerability. A search of the room yields this lost cache.

Q29. NORTH WEST GUEST ROOM
The contents of this room are draped in cobwebs. Between curtained windows stands a black marble hearth with a sculpted mantelpiece, above which hangs a framed portrait of a handsome, well-dressed man with a wry smile and a thick mane of thistledown hair. Opposite the fireplace is a large bed with a rotting mattress and wooden posts carved to resemble dragons. Across from the double doors stands a tall wardrobe, its doors hanging open, revealing a dark and empty cavity. The only other piece of furniture is an overstuffed leather chair that faces the hearth. The portrait depicts Argynvost, Godfrey and Vladimir.

Q32. RUINED BED CHAMBERS
These two rooms stand across from each other, separated by a ruined corridor that abruptly ends to the south of their doors. Most of this chamber has collapsed. The wooden floor is strewn with rubble and falls away into a foggy abyss to the south.

Q33. COLLAPSED CEILING
The roof over this part of the mansion has collapsed, creating a twenty-foot-diameter gaping hole with broken rafters bisecting it. Dark storm clouds roll across the sky
overhead. The floor is piled with rocks, broken tiles, shattered beams, and other debris. Beneath the rubble lie a sagging floor and puddles of rainwater.
The ceiling here is 20 feet high, and the rubble is difficult terrain. Vladimir Horngaard (see area Q36) can hear visitors climbing over the rubble and can't be surprised by them.

Q35. UPSTAIRS GALLERY
This room has dark wood paneling on the walls that rises to a height of three feet. Above the paneling, the walls are painted with murals of religious figures performing holy rites. In the center of the west wall is a tattered curtain hanging in an open doorway. Three tall, slender stainedglass windows set into the opposite wall depict figures in white robes with orange sunrises behind their heads.
From north to south, the three stained-glass windows portray Saint Andra!, the Sorted/Morninglord, and Saint Markovia.

Q36. DRAGON'S AUDIENCE HALL (TREASURE, FORTUNES OF RAVENLOFT)
The west wall of this fifty-foot-long, thirty-foot-wide audience hall has crumbled, leaving a gaping hole and a pile of rubble. A large, wooden throne carved to resemble a dragon with unfolding wings faces three tall windows to the west. Sitting in the throne is one of Strahds Brides. The spider lady. Standing behind her is a gaunt, armoured figure with one gauntlet wrapped around the hilt of a greatsword. Vladimir Horngaard, commander of the fallen Order of the Silver Dragon.

His body is serving as a host for the revenant. He follows the brides commands.

"If you have come to free this land from the creature that feasts on the blood of the innocent, know this: There is no monster I hate more than Strahd von Zarovich. He
slew Argynvost, broke the life of the knight I loved, and destroyed the valiant order to which I devoted my life, 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, from which he can never escape. Whatever can be done to bring him misery and unrest, I will do, but I will destroy anyone who tries to end his torment."

If Sir Godfrey helps the characters face Vladimir, anguished recognition shines in Vladimir's eyes, yet only lighting the beacon can free him.

TREASURE
Vladimir Horngaard wields a flaming greatsword.

Q37. KNIGHTS OF THE ORDER
The leaders of the Order of the Silver Dragon used to convene here. Through the dust and cobwebs, you see faded war banners adorning the walls of a spacious chamber, in the center of which stands a heavy wooden table. An iron chandelier hangs above the table, which is surrounded by six high-backed chairs with wood-carved dragons perched atop them. Slumped in five of the chairs are skeletal humans in tattered chainmail. If the beacon in area Q53 has been lit, the spirits of these revenants are laid to rest, leaving behind their inanimate corpses.

The corpses tilt their heads in your direction. One of them growls, "Why do you the living disturb the dead?" The skeletal figures are five revenants. All five are lawful evil. They are awaiting orders from Vladimir (area Q36) and fight only in self-defense. The revenants wear broken chainmail that affords as much protection as leather armor, and they wield longswords.

If the beacon in area Q53 has been lit, Sir Godfrey remains a revenant even after all the other revenants (including Vladimir) are laid to rest, stating that he must perform one final task before his spirit can rest with Vladimir's.

Q39. VLADIMIR'S BEDROOM
Light enters this circular room through five cracked windows. The light falls on a large, dust-covered bed in the center of the room, its posts topped with wood-carved dragons. Two large animals flank the double doors. One is a brown bear standing on its hind legs, its claws outstretched. The other is a dire wolf, its face frozen in an
evil snarl. Near the wolf lies an empty wooden chest. This room once served as a bedchamber for Sir Vladimir Horngaard and Sir Godfrey Gwilym. The bear and the dire wolf are stuffed and harmless. Looters ransacked the chest long ago, leaving nothing of value.

Q40. Argynvost'S STUDY
This room is a haven for dust and cobwebs. Three narrow windows allow slivers of light to illuminate bare oak shelves along the walls and a torn, padded chair lying on its side near a cavernous hearth. A picture above the mantel has been slashed, its lower half hanging down below the frame like a torn piece of flesh. An iron door set in the south corner of the west wall hangs open on one hinge.

Strahd's soldiers forced open the iron door that once sealed Argynvost's vault (area Q41). They also took every book in this study but one. (Many of the books taken from here can be found in Strahd's study in Castle Ravenloft.) The sole remaining volume lies on the floor behind the overturned chair. Titled The Oath Celestial, the book has been partially burned, and its cover was slashed by a sword. Leafing through the crumbling book reveals that it is a devotional text for knights from a place called the Holy Empire of Valentia. Most of the knights who joined Argynvost against Strahd came from that empire now lost beyond the mists.

JOURNAL PAGE
As the characters cross the room, read:
You hear the soft flapping sound of wings, but can't discern its origin. A single piece of parchment blows off the top of a bookshelf, spirals lazily in the air, and lands
gently at your feet. Journal of Argynvost

Q49. BEACON TOWER DOOR
The parapet narrows to a width of ten feet, ending before a sturdy wooden door set into the wall of the eastern tower.
This door is barred from the inside. The phantom warriors in the tower's turrets (area Q52) make ranged attacks against characters who try to force their way into the tower. These spectral defenders have three-quarters cover behind the arrow slits.

Q50. BEACON, LOWER LANDING
A rickety wooden landing and a staircase cling to the walls of this tower. The stairs lead up to another landing twenty feet above, and the floor of the chapel lies sixty
feet below. The landing and the stairs creak and shudder underfoot, but they are safe.

Q51. BEACON, UPPER LANDING (TRAP)
Creaky stairs climb to a wooden landing with three windows that look out over the roof of the mansion. Flanking the windows are two narrow wooden doors. The landing creaks and groans underfoot, much like in area Q50, but here things aren't so safe. The 10-footlong section marked T on the map is particularly weak, collapsing under 50 or more pounds of weight. A creature on this section of the landing when it collapses must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall 20 feet to the landing below (area Q50). The collapse of this section creates a 10-foot gap in the landing. The doors lead to the rooftops of the turrets (area Q52).

Q53. BEACON OF ARGYNVOSTHOLT

Wooden stairs climb to the tower's peak, which has a stone floor and a thirty-foot-high pitched roof. Ravens roost on crisscrossing rafters, coming and going through small holes in the roof. Ten-foot-high, five-foot-wide arched windows are evenly spaced around the walls. Each window consists of a lead latticework titted with small
panes of transparent glass.

LIGHTING THE BEACON (DEVELOPMENT/EVENT)
When the skull of Argynvost is placed in the dragon's mausoleum (area Q16), the dragon's spirit transforms into a brilliant light that fills this room and flashes across the valley like the beacon of a lighthouse. Even if the tower is cast down, the light of Argynvost remains where it is, flashing in the sky. Although the mountains prevent the beacon's light from reaching Castle Ravenloft directly, Strahd can see the light's glow in the sky to the west.

The beacon can be seen in the entire valley. The beacon's light can be felt even by creatures that are blind.

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