The party shortly question the kids outside of the House
We learn that their names are Rose and Thorn
As we enter the house, the party sees that the place is immaculate but shrouded in darkness
Floors well oiled and the furniture freshly dusted
Doors seem to be opening and closing on their own
The stuffed wolves seem to be watching them
The ornate carvings in the wood paneling is not always as it seems
Shortly after entering, the party splits up
Anakir and Pelanil run upstairs, chasing the sound of a harpsicord
The rest of the group stays on the first floor as Bardolf searches for loot
Bardolf, taken by the quality of the dining room drapes, accidentally tears them to shreds as he tries to cut them down. He pockets the silverware instead
Shalooti explores a room full of stuffed wolves, and finds herself a deck of playing cards, but runs, scared, out of the room before she can unlock the other cabinet containing the crossbows
As Pelanil and Anakir reach the second floor, the sound of the harpsicord is soon replaced by that of a wailing child
Anakir attacks a completely ordinary suit of armor, unable to take its spear
They stop halfway to the third floor as they hear footsteps and a woman shushing the baby
Anakir sends a message to Elora telling her that they know where the baby is, but her response is cut off by maniacal laughing
Instead of his second message, Elora hears heavy breathing
and upon trying to contact the woman upstairs, Anakir senses his message has been redirected miles away where a man answers and says he looks forward to meeting him
The party regroups on the second floor where they find their way to the library
Inside, Elora finds an iron key among other things at the desk
While pursuing the books, Shalooti, finds a secret lever that opens a door to a secret room
Inside the secret room, the party finds books that reference the occult
they also see a human skeleton, near a chest, with a poison dart in their side, holding a note
in the chest, they find the dead to the house, a deed to a windmill, and a will signed by Elizabeth Durst and Gustav Durst bequeathing the house and windmill to their two children Thornboldt and Rosevalda
The letter held by the skeleton is so terrifying that it sends Shalooti into a panic and she flees the room
As Anakir tries reading it, he becomes instantly paralyzed, but comes to as the group discusses how to save him
From the note, we learn:
The people that lived in this house were part of a cult that attempted to worship Strahd
Strahd mocked them for this
They tortured and killed people in their dungeon and "on their hidden alter"
Gustav Durst had a stillborn child with another woman
The handwriting on this letter is the same as the letter that was brought to the party at the tavern by Arrigal
Upon leaving the secret room, the house now seems disgusting
After learning this information, the party climbs to the third floor, intent on finding this baby once and for all
but they're met at the top of the stairs by an animate suit of armor who proved to be a tough foe
The party nearly finished it off as they grouped up to push it over the railing, but the armor stumbled back up the stairs for one more strike on Pelanil before being dealt its final blow by Elora
Anakir rushes into the room with the crying baby to find no woman, but only a bundle lying in the crib
After mixing random elements, hoping for a Potion of Healing but only getting salt water, Anakir unwraps the bundle to find no baby
A woman stirs on the bed in the other room
She screams and attacks Anakir, knocking him unconscious
As the party prepares for yet another battle, Shalooti conjures up the image of a small baby boy and presents it to the specter...