Argenvostholt

visited

Argenvostholt

A large ruined manor house on a high promontory above a river valley. The former seat of the Order of the Silver Dragon. A third of the structure has collapsed, as has part of the roof, but the rest remains intact. A dark octagonal tower rises above the surrounding architecture. Named in text carved over the front entrance.

Exterior

A stone roundabout at the western approach holds a ten-foot granite cube supporting a moss-covered statue of a silver dragon, wings folded, looking east toward the mansion. The dragon statue is a golem or construct: when someone steps onto the flagstone landing before the front doors, it opens its mouth and exhales a 60-foot cone of harmless cold air, then closes its mouth again. The effect is purely atmospheric.

Flagstone steps flanked by stone railings climb to a landing before a pair of tall wooden doors with rusted iron bands and knockers shaped like small dragons. The word Argenvostholt is carved into the lintel.

Foyer (Ground Floor)

A grand staircase leads to stone balconies held aloft by pillars and arches. A tall faded tapestry depicting a nobleman in silver armor hangs above the staircase landing. Six sets of double doors lead off the foyer. Three alabaster busts of handsome, similar-looking men stand on marble pedestals along the walls; a fourth bust has been knocked over and shattered. Two wrought-iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling like monstrous black spiders. Rainwater has worked its way in; a puddle spreads from one wall.

When the party entered, a great winged shadow crossed the walls and disappeared, accompanied by a soft bestial hiss. Source not identified.

Northwest Den (Ground Floor)

A wood-paneled room that has been ransacked — furnishings tossed about, a cold dead hearth between two narrow windows. A sarcophagus of black wood against the north wall bears a queen's effigy carved into the lid; on closer inspection, the lid has been modified with hinges on both sides and a split down the middle, suggesting Dutch doors. Opening it reveals a wine cabinet: empty decanters, wine glasses (now broken), stored bottles. The hearth is notable (see below).

A sconce near the east wall operates a hidden mechanism: pulling it opens a secret door in the wallpaper leading to a dark moldy storage room containing five barrels. The mold is not the brown mold encountered at the Wizard of Wines Winery.

The Fire Dragon

When Brother Moro walked past the hearth in the northwest den, fire erupted from the dead hearth and assumed a draconic form with smoky wings. It hissed and crackled and then spoke:

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

It then burned out. The fire has not returned. This is consistent with a bound spirit, a construct, or a message left specifically for those who came with good intentions and Draconic speakers.

Balcony and Upper Floors (Second Floor)

Stone balconies flank the foyer, their balusters carved to resemble armored knights. Weapons and shields hang along the walls. Alabaster busts flank corridors leading north and south. Spiral staircases at the western ends lead up to additional floors. The northwest guest room contains a black marble fireplace with a sculpted mantelpiece, a framed portrait of a handsome man with thistledown hair and a wry smile (consistent with the other busts throughout the house — same figure, slightly altered across apparent time), a rotted bed with dragon-carved posts, an empty wardrobe, and an overstuffed leather chair facing the hearth. Nothing found.

Dining Hall (Ground Floor, East)

A twenty-foot table with dragon-sculpted legs and chairs with dragon-wing-carved backs, several overturned or smashed. A crystal chandelier that glows with soft white light. Two life-size statues of knights with dragon-winged helms and shields. Rainwater through the ceiling feeds a puddle. Leaded glass doors with cracked panes open east into the chapel.

Chapel (Ground Floor, East)

Fractured wooden pillars support a U-shaped wooden balcony. A stone altar at the east end is carved with a rising sun bas-relief. Iron candelabras flank the altar. Tall arching stained-glass windows behind the altar depict silver dragons; one window has been shattered, and fog pours through the gap, filling the floor in mist.

Three armored revenants are kneeling before the altar. When Celeste's footsteps on the shattered glass alerted them, they stood, turned, and looked at her with hatred burning in their eyes. Combat pending as of Session 19.

Known Inhabitants

Connection to the Order of the Silver Dragon

The Order of the Silver Dragon had its base here. Sir Laszlo Dornick directed the party to this location as the order's seat. According to Moro's notes, Dornick described himself as an oathbreaker whose order's master had been betrayed and killed by Strahd von Zarovich. The fire dragon's message ("my knights have fallen into darkness") may describe the current spiritual or undead state of the knights — their loyalty to the order corrupted, their purpose lost.

First Visited

Session 19