FINN'S JOURNAL
The Knights of Dragon Down
Riding, riding across the plain, see them riding home again. Bright their shields, bright their chain- The Knights of Dragon Down.
They have gone where shadows creep. Their blades a bloody harvest reap. Another dragon put fore'er asleep By the Knights of Dragon Down.
On their fingers gem rings gleam. Of such baubles, the very cream Falls into the hands, in a steady stream, Of the Knights of Dragon Down.
In a dark hall a lady sits alone, Her bright eyes gleam as white as bone. Her dark spells a-hunting roam For the Knights of Dragon Down.
With cruel smile, a web she weaves. From each Knight, his soul she cleaves. Armored bone is all she leaves Of the Knights of Dragon Down.
Ladies scream at the touch of bone, As skeletal Knights come riding home. Undead now, fore'er to roam, Are the Knights of Dragon Down.
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Hear them riding, nearer outside. Never sleeping, doomed to ride. There's no place where you can hide From the Knights of Dragon Down.
Silvo needed to rest the horses, and some of us went to explore the giant gate. I was the unfortunate one to learn about the evil, life draining, thick fog just beyond the tree line. I could feel the immense cold of the fog draining my life while at the same time beckoning me to walk deeper into its deadly clutches. I barely fought it off and warned my companions of this new terror.
The axel on one of the wagons was fractured and many in the group were thinking up solutions on how to fix this. I suggested using wood from the forest around us to fix the axel. Tetsuo heroically leapt up into the canopy and dislodged an axel sized tree limb without hardly exerting himself.
The buzzing of flies alerted Janlynn and others to the remains of a youth in the forest not far off the track. The deadly mist seemed to have shifted so that it closed off our way back to the gate and pulled back deeper into the forest. The badly savaged body was found to be holding a sealed note. The note revealed a plea and a warning from the leader of the nearby land of Borovia.
Finn's Journal #1 – May 15 – 2017
Entry #1
My journey has fair well begun. I have spent the first days of my adventure enjoying the hospitality of local farmers along the way south to human civilization. This has kept my belly full and my heart comforted by the warmth of their homely hearths. I never tire of seeing the delight and smiles on their faces - especially the children - as I earn my stay with song and story.
**
Entry #2
Today has been an exciting day as I have met some interesting people along the road. Uphir is a magnificent creature of a type I have never met before. She is a Dragonborn and she is a barbarian of the High Moors to the north. There is a mystery about this loyal, honest, and courageous creature but her eyes hide a deep sadness. I feel safe in her strong presence and I know that we will be life-long friends.
Janlynn is a pure delight! She is a healer and follower of the Lord of the Morning, Lathander. She is young, beautiful, and bold of heart and the world as seen through her eyes is one of optimism and every turn in the road ahead is a new beginning in her search for adventure. Her good humor and kindness flows from her freely to all who encounter her. Surely with such good friends we shall find adventure and stories to share with all.
**
Entry #3
On our journey south with a merchant caravan we came upon a farmhouse that looked like it had been attacked. Further investigation of the house revealed ravenous wolves had taken up residence. Gods only know what happened to the poor farmers who once dwelt there. The wolves attacked, trying to make a meal of the three of us. That was their mistake.
We three valiant adventurers defeated the rabid creatures and avenged those who were lost before us. As this was our first victory over adversaries as a group, we took trophies - Wolf tails and furs. My idea to name our fledgling group "The Company of the Wolf" was embraced by the others, and so our professional careers have officially begun!
**
Entry #4
For some days now Janlynn, Uphir and I have been staying at the Pair of Black Antlers Inn – having been brought into the service of the lovely Innkeeper Tora - I as the entertainment and Uphir as the Inn bouncer. The city of Elturel has proven to be quite intimidating to myself, and I suspect Uphir, as we have navigated the crowded streets and seen every manner of men. Many seem to hold some distain for Uphir, but have not produced spine enough to do anything about it. “The Antlers” is different – they are welcoming and open to all manner of strangers, especially adventurers and I have learned much of the world abroad from these heroic people.
**
Entry#5
We have come together with a regular troupe of adventurers now, all come to the great city of Elturel in search of glory. I shall introduce them in brief, and as our collective tale grows I shall have better opportunity to describe them in full. I have already introduced Janlynn and Uphir.
Nim is a halfling adventurer. I have not had much of a chance to get to know him well but I can say he has a strong heart and great courage and, as a follower of Ilmater, takes personal responsibility in helping those less fortunate than himself. For some as yet unknown reason, he hides behind a guarded and taciturn mask, unable or unwilling to let people see his true self. He is a stalwart companion and has shown wisdom in his thoughts and actions.
Akkiir is an Elf! Not a typical and usually grumpy wood elf, but a true high born elf as out of legend. He has the grace of the elves in his movement and manner and to watch him employ his blades is a sight most magnificent. His humor is sometimes hard to find, but what can one expect from such a creature. With Akkiir on the team, what danger can we not face?
Tetsuo is a man from the very far east, beyond the horde lands to the very edge of the world as known by humans. All humans are a bit queer to me, but even the other humans seem to find this man different from themselves. He speaks an unknown language and his common is heavily accented. Like Akkiir, he is a warrior and carries himself with a strength and grace. His skills with the staff and his hands and feet are impressive. He is quiet and contemplative, but when he does speak, he gives wise council. He is always calm, even in the face of great danger.
**
Entry #6 - Day 1
Well, we wanted adventure and we seem to have found it. Today a client has come into the Inn and hired us on the spot! I don’t even think we discussed payment we were so excited to have an actual adventure before us. He was looking for protection on his way north and was in a great hurry. We were planning to head that way ourselves so it seemed like the Wildwanderer was watching out for us.
We all rushed north and I had taken the opportunity to get to know our employer, Silvo. He was of the Vistani, a travelling people with a thick accent from some far off human place. Silvo is a man of great humor and love of creativity and music, so we quickly became fast friends. We all rode hard and did not stop until night was falling and we began to make camp with another unrelated group of wagons. Then things took a terrifying turn.
As Silvo and I were playing and singing around the fire with a rousing rendition of "The Knights of Dragon Down", Silvo broke into a secret, cursed last verse of the song. Suddenly a great gathering storm seemed to rush towards us all from the east, with lightning flashing and evil, strange colored clouds. Thick mist soon began to rise supernaturally from the ground all over the land as the hairs all over my body rose in chill terror. Uphir struck out at Silvo in anger, thinking that he had unleashed this terrible curse upon us all. Silvo was lighthearted at first, but then taken aback by the anger of Uphir.
Whether it was the cursed verse or not (It most likely was, just so we’re clear), soon evil shapes began to be seen circling the encampment, their huge canine forms silhouetted by the flashing lightning. Then the devil riders came upon the camp in a rush, with their terrible hounds, charging in and killing all in front of them, and the surrounding wolves did likewise. As much as Nim and Tetsuo were prepared to fight to save the people from being slaughtered, even they had to admit that escaping was the only option.
So, we ran west, away from the terrors behind us. Howling wolves and those massive hounds chased us, some in the group would say “herding us”, into a dark forest. Our beleaguered group ran as fast as they could, deeper and deeper into this strange misty wood. Eventually we decided to find a defensible position to fight off our pursuers. Sure enough, we found ourselves battling three massive “Ghost Hounds”, whose bodies turned to mist when they were destroyed. It was a hard battle but we prevailed.
We followed bobbing lights in the distance that led us to a narrow track and saw Silvo racing along with 2 of his wagons. We quickly jumped aboard and raced away from the danger as fast as his exhausted mounts could take us. The howling of pursuit followed for many long minutes until finally we arrived at a great wall and gate blocking the track, it’s tall walls going deep into the forest on each side. As we raced towards the gates in desperation, through no mortal means, the gigantic gates opened to let us in, and closed tightly behind us when we were through. The howling of pursuit ended there.
Akkiir, Nim and Tetsuo inflicted grievous wounds upon the creatures even as Uphir sustained mortal wounds that would have felled a warhorse. I have never seen Janlynn so fiercly fight as she wielded her stout mace against our enemies, moving to help Uphir.It was such a marvelously heroic sight to see her drag Uphir backwards towards the wagons even as she was binding her wounds.
The fight against the beasts was proving to be futile as they seemed to be healing all of the wounds that were given to them. The troupe fought braveley to protect their retreat to the wagons as Silvo got the horses under way. We who could jumped onto the wagon - Akkiir jumped right on one of the horses. With great effort, even as the wagon began to speed away, Janlynn pulled Uphir onto the back step of the wagon with Tetsuo and Nim helping to keep her from falling.
As the wagon was gaining speed and being chased by these dog-things, the second wagon which was driven by poor Oleg was swarmed. His horses went down under the ravenous maws of the beasts and the wagon upturned, breaking apart. Oleg's fate was certain. In some sick turn of fate with or without the gods' intervention - he gave his life so that we could escape. He will not be forgotten.
We rode hard down the narrow track for some time, watching dark and evil looking trees fly past us in a flurry. Uphir was stabilized and properly situated upon the wagon and there was little conversation, even from me, as we raced somberly farther away from the undead pack. After about fifteen minutes the narrow track opened up as we seemed to be coming out of the thick forest into a more open, grassy region.
We took about an hour to catch our breath and while Uphir was resting and tended to by Janlynn and I, Nim continued to ask questions of the children and Tetsuo went to scout out the house. My eastern friend could hear the distant wails of a baby coming from within the house and after circling the building had determined that the sound was likely coming from a third floor window which had a balcony. He climbed up and not only could he hear the child crying, but swore he could see a shadow moving within.
Many within the troupe were becoming very suspect about the situation. To them it seemed like an obvious trap and that the children were not as they seemed. As strongly as Akkiir expressed his concerns abou this, I held the position that they were children who needed help. Tetsuo was very determined that the house should be searched and the baby Walter rescued. Unfortunately Akkiir's wisdom would be proven true, much to our detriment.
Right there at the edge of the forest was a narrow, four story farm house with a large barn across the road from it. Silvo quickly reined in the horses and pulled up in front of the barn. The horses had been running full out and needed to rest. As Silvo attended the horses, many of the group went to investigate the barn to see if it would be a potential safe place to gather our wits. Janlynn and I stayed back to help tend to Uphir.
A sound was heard from within the barn so it was thoroughly investigated. The structure was dilapitated and appeared to be ancient and not maintained. A startling discovery was to be found within the shadows of the barn - two children.Both the girl and her younger brother were sickly looking with a grey pallor to their skin. They seemed terrified and spoke of the monster in the basement of the house across the road. They hadn't seen their parents in a long while and had left their baby brother Walter in the house. The girls name was Rose and the boys name was Thorn.
Attempts to break into the Balcony doors proved impossible and even I could admit that the doors seemed to be somehow magically resistant to any attempt to open or break through, even with Uphir's great strength. Janlynn found the same issue with the boarded up windows. We decided that we would have to use the front door. I think all of our minds felt the prickling of danger at the thought of walking into a possibly haunted house through the only entry that was open, as if it was luring us in.
Uphir lead they way into the house into the main hall and then beyond into the house proper. The inside of the house seemed to be very well maintained and lived in. It seemed as though a fairly well to do aristocratic family lived here. The portraits on the wall showed a family resemblance to the children we met outside - right down to the greay pallor of their skin. A sound was heard from deeper in the house, so we continued to explore.
A kitchen; a dining room with place settings and silverware ready for a meal; a clothes closet where I found my new hat: all revealed no monster or any danger. All rooms were very well appointed. No way was found leading to the basement and the cries of the wailing baby beckoned us to go up the grand staircase. Secret doors were searched for and at Nim's direction we decided we would all leave the house and go back so he could question the children again.
Silvo and the solace of his wagon were gone upon our exit from the house. I was hit very hard by this betrayal as I had become quite friendly with Silvo in the last day or so. Silvo's duplicitous nature was not a shock to most others as they had been suspicious of him since the beginning, especially Uphir.With frustration, we entered the barn to call upon the children to help us figure out the house and things took a decidedly creepy turn. Nim approached the spot in one of the stalls where the children huddled under their blanket and as he pulled the blanket back it sagged to the floor - the children were gone. All that remained of them was the sound of Thorn sobbing quietly on the breeze.
Our next course of action was to seek shelter - forgetting all about exploring the house.With the howling of the wolves once again growing louder, we settled down for the night in the drafty barn loft and set our watches. It is now, as I pen this, that we sit here waiting for morning. The sounds of movement can be heard shuffling around outside and in the nearby forest. Nim has declared that it is the dead who walk this land in the depths of the night. I must steel my courage and try to get some sleep in this gods forsaken place.
Finn's Journal #2 – May 22 – 2017
.....It was when Janlynn and others began giving the body a proper burial that the Zombie mold dogs attacked. They quickly came charging out of the dark trees around us. These creatures looked as if they may have been dogs at one time, but long since they seem to have expired and been animated as mummified undead mongrels covered in brown mold. Their dark skin looked dry and tightly encased their almost skeletal bodies
The troupe quickly sprang into action and turned to meet the pack of rotting canines. We had to protect the wagons and horses before we could try to escape these horrors. I called upon what small reserve of power I had to ensorcell the beasts with Faerie Fire to aid my comrades in combat as I climbed a nearby tree to gain higher advantage. The horrors slammed into our front lines like a rock slide, biting and rending with evil abandon.
Finn's Journal #3 – May 29 – 2017
Entry #7 - Day 2
It was a very fitful night of sleep that we all endured, some of us more than others. Uphir, Tetsuo and Akkiir all suffered from some strange, supernatural affliction while they slept. It appears as if they each had such unspeakable nightmares that they were being physically affected by them – slowly dying before our eyes! Frantically Nim, Janlynn and I tried to find a solution to their ailment, but not even Janlynn’s knowledge of healing and power of her deity could help them. It was suggested in a moment of desperation that we should bring them into the house to see if they improve.
First Uphir was brought in and it seemed to have no noticeable effect on her condition. It was thought best that we should move all the inflicted in the house and we sat our watch in the entry hall, with its grand stairway leading up into the dark depths of the house. Just as we thought we were going to lose Uphir she awoke with a start and a feral growl. She sprang up, grabbing Janlynn and crushing her into the wall by the fireplace. It took her a moment to come back to herself from her dazed, fugue state.
With much concern, we tried to console her and as she calmed a bit, she told us some of her nightmare – she was being attacked and devoured by rotting undead. She looked shaken to the core. Just then Tetsuo and Akkiir woke up with similar reactions. The usually unflappable Tetsuo screamed in despair in his strange language and backed away from everyone. After a few wide-eyed moments, his mask of calm returned to his face and he quietly settled himself. Akkiir woke up screaming in terror and collapsed on his side looking wildly about. He sat that way for some time, not responding to any attempts to console him.
Things settled down after a while but neither Akkiir nor Tetsuo would speak of their fevered nightmares. Tetsuo went to sleep again and much to Akkiir’s distress some of the others did as well. Akkiir could not stress enough the dangers that awaited us in our dreams. During our watch through the night we could hear the odd sounds from upstairs – small children running and laughing; bangs; and at one point a child’s ball came bouncing down the stairs to roll across the floor. It was disturbing to think that some child ghost living upstairs wanted us to come and be his playmates. No thank you. Was it the ghost of Walter? Perhaps Thorn and Rose? Or something else entirely?
In the morning, such that it was (Even daylight is dark in this place with those self-same cursed storm clouds obscuring the sky), Janlynn and Nim went outside to pay homage to their deities and perform their morning rituals. In true faith to Lathander, the Lord of the Morning and Patron of New Beginnings, Janlynn planted one of her saplings into the desecrated soil of this place. Perhaps in some small way this gesture will begin the healing of this land. I rather like to think so....
While such austere proceeding were taking place outside, I decided I would have a look around this floor of the house. I managed to plunder some wine, foodstuffs, a hand crossbow, a new pipe, and holder to replace my worn cob pipe, and a pack of playing cards in a fancy box. The foodstuffs were redistributed amongst everyone's rucksacks.
We pocketed the papers and vowed to spend more time looking through the library when we had more time. We still had to scout out the rest of the house and find some clues to this mysterious place. The room across the hall was a richly appointed room with musical instruments including a harpsicord and large harp.
It was decided, at Akkiir's suggestion, that we leave this cursed house and make a break for this town of Borovia we'd heard about. Perhaps we will find succor there, or at the very least a foamy pint of beer in a cozy Inn! It was already noon but we began our trip in earnest. After only travelling a little way we came upon a familiar sight - Thick mist completely blocking our progress along the road. All in the group felt that this strange land was telling us that we needed to finish our business at the house before we could leave, as if the fog itself contained some dark intelligence.
Just to be sure, we headed back and past the house in the direction of the great gate. Sure enough, that way was blocked as well. We made our way back to the house with grim resignation. I piped us back with an uplifting tune, uncaring if the dark trees or their denizens heard me or not. We were off to war, or so it felt.
Then the investigation of the house truly began. We carefully crept up the grand stairway with Nim and Tetsuo in the lead with their practiced stealth and grace. The hallway on the second floor contained two ornate sets of doors on opposing walls, each flanked by two ornate suits of armor posed with spear in hand. At the end of the hall was a family portrait of the Durst Family -With both Rose and Thorn, their parents, and a young baby being held in the father's arms. Intriguingly, the mother was shown to be looking over at the baby with distain on her face. As a precaution, the suits of armor were relieved of their spears.
There was a small door on the stairway that led to a servant’s quarters with not much of interest in there. The door on the right opened into a library! It contained hundreds of tomes along its shelves. Unfortunately, I was unable to spend any time reviewing the books. Soon a secret door was found that opened into a small hidden room. This room contained more books (Which seem to relate to some dark ritual) and a chest with a skeletal corpse laying half into it, the victim of the poisoned darts that once protected the chest.
Inside the chest was found a letter from dread lord Strahd von Zarovich to Gustav Durst (See below); Three black hard-covered books with blank pages; Three clerical scrolls with the following spells - Bless, Protection from poison, and Spiritual Weapon; a deed to the house; a deed to a windmill; and a will from Gustov and Elizabeth Durst leaving all their wealth and belongings to their children Rose and Thorn. (No mention of Walter).
We then quickly decided to ascend to the third floor. Low lying mist could be seen slightly pouring out upon the stairs from the landing above giving, all of us that prickly sensation of the awaiting the unknown to spring upon us. As Nim and Tetsuo ascended the stairs they found another landing with a black suit of armor. Just as they set foot upon the landing the black suit of armor came to life and began attacking! At the same time the four suits of armor below came to life and rushed to grab their weapons and began attacking from below.
Akkiir made his blade sing as it slashed and pierced wickedly at the enemies. Janlynn was at the bottom of the stairs as well and attacked with her heavy mace. Uphir sprung from the stairway and knocked over one assailant as she landed heavily among them, her black scaled skin glistening in the low light of the landing. I once again used an evocation to outline our enemies in bright green faerie fire so that they would be easier to hit. As I understand it, this spell is most appreciated, so I will describe its use often.
Both Akkiir and Nim took hits early in the fight which bloodied them. Nim moved down the stairs to leap upon the lower landing as well to help against the four armored ghosts......
Finn's Journal #5 – June 12 – 2017
Akkiir, Nim and Tetsuo tried to overcome Uphir to no avail. For her part, Uphir tried to just get away from them. I tried to stop them from fighting, thinking we could reason our way out of the situation. As this encounter moved into the children's bedchamber and then once again back out into the hall, Tetsuo had begun attacking the bones in the room trying to destroy them, thereby hopefully to release Uphir from Roses control. The idea came upon us that perhaps if we gave the bones a proper burial, it might release the spirits to their proper afterlife.
So, Tetsuo and Janlynn wrapped the remains in separate bedsheets, and snuck past the tense arguing that was going on in the hallway to head outside and bury the children with the proper rituals of Lathander, the Morning Lord. At one point during the confrontation in the Attic hallway, Uphir pushed Akkiir violently into the wall and he collapsed in a fit of crying and tears! At first this seemed like a ploy of Akkiir's to manipulate the spirit of Rose in some way, but it turned out to be much more serious.
We learned that Akkiir had become possessed by Thorn! Now the situation was becoming rapidly more dangerous for all involved. As we were praying that Tetsuo and Janlynn would be successful, Uphir became agitated and demanded to know where they got off to. She demanded that we look throughout the house for them and finally encountered the two coming in the front door from outside in the main hall. We took a short rest before continuing - with Akkiir and Uphir recommending taking a full long rest.
Our suspicion was that the longer these spirits were in our friends, the harder it would be to get rid of them. We tried to lure Uphir and Akkiir outside to see what effect that would have, but they strongly refused. We decided to head back upstairs to the attic and take the secret door down to the basement and our two possessed friends reluctantly agreed.
Checking the large storage room filled with old furniture and all manner of ancient junk covered in dusty, rotting sheets, a body was found in a large chest. Our investigation revealed that this was the body of the Nursemaid, hidden in this chest by her murderer or murderers. The secret door to the basement was in the corner of this room, right where we would expect it to be.
The rickety, wooden, tight spiral staircase wound down into darkness. Our troupe took a collective deep breath and then squeezed ourselves into the narrow confines of the descending stairwell, wiping old cob webs out of our faces as we went. A great many skittering insects fled from the light and heat of the torches. Trying to be stealthy was a tricky business as the ancient wooden stairs creaked and groaned under our weight. Janlynn and I stayed several steps behind the mighty frame of Uphir just to be safe.
Eventually the bottom was reached after what felt like two-hundred feet of descent. The stairs opened into a crypt area where large engraved capstones closed off the interment niches. One of these capstones was lying beside an open crypt with a small coffin inside. The name engraved upon the stone was Walter Durst. Beside this one there were the closed tombs of Rose and Thorn. Opening those niches revealed empty child-sized coffins inside. There was another un-named closed tomb here as well.
We suddenly knew what we needed to do. We ascended and retrieved the bones of Rose and Thorn as well as the remains of the Nursemaid and the strange stone effigy of Walter. Bringing them down to the crypts, we properly interred each of them in their proper places and gave them proper rights from Janlynn and Nim. As soon as Rose and Thorn were in their tombs they left the bodies of Uphir and Akkiir and as their souls left they whispered a raspy "Thank You" upon the stifling air of the crypts.
Exploring a bit further we came upon the closed tombs of Elizabeth and Gustav Durst. Needing to know if their bodies and spirits lay to rest, Elizabeth's tomb was opened and as Janlynn opened the coffin to see that nothing was inside a huge swarm of insects overcame her, almost bearing her to the ground. Janlynn suffered vicious injury from these vile insects and all who could, helped get them off her even as one rushed to close and seal the tombs once again.
We decided that we had succeeded in helping our friends escape the control of restless spirits so we would take a long rest before continuing to explore. Nim was particularly satisfied and genuinely moved that he could keep his promise to Rose and Thorn. This was important to my halfling friend and I could feel his emotions as I looked into his watery eyes. This is truly a creature who cares deeply about those in need, whether living or tortured spirit. This is a friend that I hope I will never disappoint or let down. He is an example for all of us to try to emulate.
Finn's Journal #4 – June 05 – 2017
Nim landed, spun, and, with one sure motion, struck one of the assailing suits of armor directly through the visor of its wolf helm with such precision and force that the armor flew apart to land in a jumbled pile around him. Just a few short breaths later, the rest of the suits of armor collapsed as well - as if they were supernaturally tethered together so that destroying one destroyed the rest.
Surprised, but quite willing to accept a gift from Tymora when it is given, the troupe collected the spears and armor and separated them from each other before deciding to continue exploring the third floor. Searching the rooms on this floor, the Master Bedroom was discovered - a well-appointed chamber covered in ages of dust and cobwebs. The armoires and other furniture were searched and revealed nothing of value or importance.
It was when we followed the haunted crying of the baby that we encountered such a bone-chilling sight that I must pause a moment and collect myself before I continue with the description. Investigating another bed chamber which we later believe belonged to the house maid, a horrifying sight appeared before our eyes as the sheets on the aged bed began to rise slightly, taking on the form of a person lying in bed under the covers. As this was happening, blood began to manifest on top of the sheets - a huge amount between the legs of the hidden figure and several other localized places. Immediately I felt that the large blood stain represented a woman giving birth, but the other spots look like stab wounds all over the form.
Nim and the others near the front watched this as they peered through the slightly open door. Soon the bed sheets completed their inflation and with a shocking assault, a ghostly form of a screeching woman rose and threw the bloodied sheets at the door, slamming it closed. Everyone backed up in startled fear of the strange hate-filled apparition in the room. We only had moments to come to our senses, when the ghostly form of the house maid floated directly through a wall and started to assail the group.
This undead creature was met with courage as weapons were swung with great force, but all attacks merely passed directly through the translucent form. Janlynn stepped forward, speaking words of power from her god and brought forth a great light to banish the creature, but it had little effect. Janlynn suffered for her attempt as the chilling touch of the creature began to steal her soul. I used some of my power to taunt the creature into making an opening for one of my comrades, but it worked all too well and the ghost came directly for me.
Unsure how to combat this entity, I lurched backwards into the bathroom just as Janlynn unleashed more power of Lathander and in a flash of energy the being was thankfully destroyed. With more standard weapons having no effect, we were in a very dire situation. Janlynn saved all our lives in that moment. Praise be to Lathander and all the goodly gods of the Realms.
Heading back into the haunted bedroom, we followed the sound of the wailing baby to a room off that room. Nim and Uphir opened the door and suddenly the wailing stopped. Sitting in the center of the mostly empty, dark room was an ancient crib with a black veil hanging from the ceiling and concealing what was in the crib. The terrifying sound of small movements could be heard coming from the crib and the black veil shivered somewhat from an unseen force.
The room was small and only Nim and Uphir could fit in and, I swear by Glyndraal, no one may ever question their bravery at any time hence, for they crept into the room and cautiously approached the crib. The anticipation of what they would find tied my stomach in knots as I and my comrades imagination ran wild thinking of the horror that sat waiting inside the crib. I imagined some terribly disfigured ghost enfant with glowing eyes and preternatural fangs waiting to ravage my two friends.
The veil was held aside by Uphir as Nim leaned into the crib, speaking soft soothing words to a ragged bundle of cloth lying therein. After several tense moments of Nim speaking to the ghost child and seeing what dangers were upon them, he reached in and carefully pulled back the blanket. What he saw defied what our imaginations had brought forth. Inside was a small black stone shaped like a premature fetus. Nim picked it up and could feel this stone silently, eerily shivering within its wrap. Fortunately, no ghost child attacked.
From the information we had learned before from Strahd's letter to Gustav, we determined that the house maid was the woman with whom Gustav had an affair and he had gotten her pregnant and the child, possibly Walter, was either born stillborn or was killed when the house maid was murdered in her bed. Could Lady Durst be the killer then? A secret stairwell was found that led up to the attic, and the sounds of a tinkling music box could be heard from above. The wrapped stone baby started wailing when we tried to place it back in its crib, so we carefully placed it on it's mother's bed and it cried no more.
Taking a short rest to gather our strength, courage, and wits, we ascended the stairs following the sound of the ghostly music. The door at the top of the stairs was opened and we all entered the attic landing. Following the beguiling sound of the music, it led to a door with a padlock on it. The silent Tetsuo produced the key needed to unlock the door; he must have found it somewhere along the way, and the door was slowly opened and Nim and Uphir once again entered.
Beyond was a room that was quickly identified as likely being Rose and Thorn's room. There were two beds, a toy chest, and a doll house, as well as other things that revealed it to be a child’s bedroom. Sadly, cuddled up together on the floor in the center of the room were the bones and scraps of clothing of two figures - the larger wrapping its arms around the smaller even in death. I felt an overpowering sense of sorrow come over me as I thought of the tortured spirits of the children we encountered in the barn.
The doll house was an exact replica of the real house and, testing that theory, it was decided to see if we could determine if there was a secret stairwell leading to the basement revealed somewhere within. Sure enough, a secret door was found in the attic of the doll house revealing a hidden stairwell leading down through the house. That was one mystery solved at any rate.
No sooner was this revelation presented, but the ghostly forms of Rose and Thorn Durst appeared hovering over their bones. Nim conversed with Rose and we learned that they were locked into this bedroom for their own safety by their parents, who apparently never returned to let them out and they died a horrible death from starvation. Whatever happened in this house prevented the adults from coming back for them. I can only speculate that this house of death still holds a few more bodies for us to find through exploring.
These apparitions did not remember meeting us in the barn and, as opposed to the children we met earlier, they seemed to be aware that they had died. Rose was passionate about us not leaving her and Thorn in this room by themselves again and begged us to play with them. I think to pacify these tortured spirits, Nim agreed to entertain them for a few moments. Uphir was there as well, but seemed uncomfortable with the idea of being Rose's playmate as Rose tried to give her a dolly to play with for their tea party.
After several minutes of negotiating for their release from "Play time", Nim and Uphir had to just get up and head out of the room, promising to return. Rose flew into a rage and charged at Uphir - her ghostly form dispersed upon contact with Uphir's impressive form as she left the room. In a panic Thorn charged at Nim screaming for his sister. As we would soon learn, Nim had escaped a fate that had fallen upon our comrade Uphir.
Almost immediately after leaving the room I think everyone noticed something strange about Uphir's speech and attitude. She was very anxious to be going and even petulantly so as she pouted that we all needed to do what she said as she was the "Boss". The terrifying thought began to dawn on everyone that somehow the spirit of Rose may have somehow taken control of Uphir. Tense glances were passed amongst the group as we worriedly followed Uphir's directions as she commanded us to search the other rooms in the attic.
As we tried to challenge her a little to see what she would do, her behavior became somewhat erratic and soon a scuffle broke out as some tried to subdue her.....
FINN'S JOURNAL
