This isn't the tower...it is! - CoS

 

As we follow our heroes, they had an action-packed evening!   Upon their return to the Dragon Manor, divided into 2 groups, the first group (Eravan, Castiel and Banshee) decide to take the skull into the house in search of the ghostly dragon.  They call out for him but don't find him in the house.  They do find a very hung over Dorol who comes to help them and reminds them that the painting that they saw earlier showed a beacon of light shooting forth from the mausoleum behind the manor.  So, they take it back there and as they arrive, the doors to the mausoleum are made of solid stone and won't budge.  They try many different things to get it open but what finally does it is trying to blow it up.  Banshee uses Eldritch Blast, Dorol shoves and Eravan uses thunder to finally get it open.  As the last bit of the door crumbles to the ground they see the vast skeletal remains of the Silver Dragon without its skull.  They immediately put the skull in with the rest.

 

While this is happening, Dante and Virgil arrive at the house and, not seeing anyone, enter the manor to search for their friends.  Once they cross the threshold of the entrance, Virgil feels and hears a swooshing sound behind him.  As he turns to see what it is, he sees the dark mist that had entered him upon the death of Vladimir, The Dragons right hand "gone crazy" man, enter into the body of one of the dead servants we killed the last time we were here who attacked us (dumb mistake on their part) and he rises, pointing at Virgil and saying, "I told you I would come back for you!"  Virgil and Dante, with a grim grin, react quicker than he does and flank him to get the upper hand.  Virgil decides to turn on his Eladrian radiance, knowing that the undead don't like this type of aura.  Their battle doesn't last long but as they are dancing around each other, all are aware of the sound of approaching armored boots.

 

Even the group outside at the mausoleum become aware of the boots and get a sense of urgency.  As Virgil and Dante finish off the reincarnation of Vladimir and rush to attack their new foes, the outside group return the skull and as that happens, a pillar of light shoots forth from the mausoleum and crashes through Barovia.  As it touches the group, they feel refreshed and alive with new energy and power!  (we all level up!)

The group comes together and decides to continue their trip to the mountain tower where they know that a weapon of light rests that can defeat Strahd.  They don't reach it that day and make camp for the night.  At the camp, Dante sets up Alarms around the camp, Castiel makes a nest...2 of them since Eravan accidentally destroys the first one with boulders of ice, Banshee turns on his sentinel mode and Virgil and Dante have a chat with Eravan about joining the Crimson Order.  Eravan is elated and cautious about joining the group.  He is humbled to be considered worthy to join a group officially but is cautious because he doesn't want to stop preparing for the time when he feels that he can try to find his mother...if that is even a possibility.  He admits to them his hatred for the drow.

During the evening, we noticed the sounds of the wild night life, but nothing disturbed our camp.  We also have a conversation with the whole group about what our talents are, and our skill sets so as to be able to fight better and support each other in battle.  We talk about that all night long and are surprised when the sun rises on the horizon.  Surprisingly, we don't feel tired.  It must be the effects of the pillar of light.

 

Okay, here we go again!  The next day we continue our travels towards the mountain and arrive to the base.  We travel on the old unused path through a mountain pass and see in the distance a tower rising among the rocks.  As we approach, we notice that it is guarded by a walled gate and behind the tower, we see a cathedral on a higher rise, connected with a bridge.  The mountain wind is biting, and the cold is not too pleasant but the warm dire wolf pelt cloaks that Dante made the night before are keeping us all warm...except Banshee.  He doesn't feel the cold.

As we approach the wall, we see a portcullis blocking the entrance but more amazing is that behind the portcullis stretching from wall to wall is a green wall of flame.  Eravan is intrigued by this wonder but Castiel, trusting in his new abilities, walks through the fire.  He doesn't catch on fire, but he feels excruciating pain from the flames and realizes that these flames are not normal flames.  Not wanting to suffer like Castiel, Eravan focuses on the flames and utters the spell to end their effect.  He feels the flames power push back and with shear will (and dumb luck) he is able to enforce his will and dispel the power.

The rest of the group passes through and sees that the tower is over 3 stories high and that there is a door at the base.  We enter in and see a ladder leading up to a trap door in the roof of the tower.  Dante climbs first followed by Eravan, Castiel, Banshee and Dorol.  Virgil decides to hang back, maybe thinking that it would be a tight fit if all went up to the roof of the tower.

As Dante emerges, he sees that there are 6 golden statues, representing maiden warriors.  As the rest of us come through the trap door, Dante notices a skeleton in rusty armor, lying face down in the center. He walks over and turns the body over and sees a rusty great sword, but he doesn't have long to contemplate this because at that moment, ghostly figures emerge from each statue, wisps of their earthly forms, of the maidens and one howls, "You cannot have what we protect!" (or something like that)

 

As they attack, flying through us and around us, we feel the strong sense of urgency to not let them touch us.  They attack all on the roof but luckily, most of us dodge out of the way, not giving them a chance to lay their ghostly hands on us.  Dante is not so lucky in that regard.  He gets hit twice by them and feels such a freezing and bone chilling pain that he realizes that this is not a normal attack.   Dorol, pretty agile for a hung-over dwarf, evades their touch and summoning his faith in his god, calls forth power and with 2 amazing swipes of the great sword won from Vladimir, destroys one of the ghosts.  Eravan, not wanting to be in such close quarters, misty steps to the top of one of the statues and sends forth a ray of frost to the closest.  Virgil, below still, doesn't want to miss out on the fight, misty steps up to the tower and ignites both his Eladriel radiance and his flame blades.  Castiel turns his walking staff into a thorny battle staff and with his druidic power, can now deal the natural magical damage to really hurt these maidens from another plane.  Banshee swings his unearthly halberd slicing and dicing any flurry of unworldly phantom that comes within range.

 

Dante, Virgil, Dorol, and Banshee were the ones who delivered the final blows that sent the ghosts back to their plane of existence.  As the last one is vanquished, the wind around the tire turns into a flurry of snow and the wind grows stronger to culminate in a small snow flurry that magically brings forth the hilt of a magnificent Long Sword.  Dante walks forward and picks it up and feels a connection with something...something that he is not sure of, but he is not afraid of what he feels.  But again, his attention is drawn away to the fact that the storm doesn't dissipate but grows stronger.  The group realizes that the tower won't be enough to keep them from the effects of the storm, so the group decides to go to the cathedral and seek refuge there.  They make it across the bridge and enter the cathedral entrance, which doesn't have doors that they can shut.  Feeling relieved though to be out of the cold storm, they venture farther in.  Again, their senses are alert because they hear voices...human voices and as they come to the top of a set of stairs that lead down into a room, Castiel tries to go into a room at the top of the stairs but is stopped by a firebolt flying over his head.  They look to see where the attack came from and see a mechanical giant in front of them and hear the warning, "The dark treasures of this place are mine!  Be gone and get out of here!"  Eravan tries to reason with the "mechanical giant" but the owner responds with fire bolts.  Luckily, their aim is horrible and doesn't hit anyone.  Eravan warns the robot that we just need shelter and not to trifle with us.  The young half-elf is tired of being attacked and is not in the mood to deal with another threat.

The robot again answers with another firebolt and that ticks Eravan off so he sends a fireball inside the head of the mechanical monstrosity, taming the spell so as not to kill but just to give the operator a warning of his power.  The operator responds with another firebolt and Eravan gives up and joins the group in entering a room out of reach take a short rest.  The whole time, they hear activity in the hallways and hear voices, but no one comes into the room.