Chapter Ten – Searching The Courtyard Area:
Castle Ravenloft Courtyard and other locations lay before our Heroes. Father Tobias casts his detection spell, guarded by the 2 Paladins.
The rest of the party take guard fearing further attacks by Shadow creatures.
Ismark notices strange but unidentifiable lights and movement atop the 90’ foot curtain wall in the courtyard. Is this the march of the undead that they had viewed from afar?
Unfortunately, Father Tobias can discern nothing within the range of his spell having decided to focus on Mirafir’s ‘Ring of Spell Storing’ – a family heirloom that he would never be without.
To try and extended the range of the spell Father Tobias urges his comrades to head out into the courtyard beyond. Thora forces open the jammed door with a thunderous shove it bursts open.
In the cobbled courtyard there are strewn the detritus of long ago fought battles. Towering above there is an enormous 50’ foot high building that has boarded up stained glass windows
The Chapel perhaps?
Thora determines that it is on one floor with high vaulted ceiling.
Galan and Frimley explore the courtyard together, using their ‘Cloaks of Elvenkind’ to stay hidden from prying eyes.
Peering through a nearby portcullis with large iron gates they see an abandoned and untended garden beyond.
They continue skirting the courtyard alone the curtain wall until the reach a 20’ foot high building in the courtyard.
Galan and Frimly listen at double doors and Frimly hears the sound of swarming Rats. They decide to continue around to the west side of yard where another portcullis with double gates lies.
Both Frimly and Galan are unmolested and return to party who have now all recovered from the Shadows attacks and have returned to full strength.
The adventureres decide to try and lift the portcullis leading to the garden. First Thora fails then Sigune too.
Thora: ‘What folly is this to try alone?’
Instead they try together and finally succeed in lifting the gate. The others rush through to the garden cortyard and only then the ladies step inside and the portcullis slowly lowers itself to the ground.
Searching The Garden Courtyard Area:
CHAPLE GARDEN:
At the back of the keep, behind towering buttresses and tall, boarded-up stained-glass windows, a small garden struggles to survive.
Small flowers press skyward against the gloom.
A pair of large iron doors blocks the way to the West.
Inside and above us, Gargoyle water features are still spouting spumes of cloudy water, the adventurers explore amongst the myriad stone features, checking some beautifully crafted alabaster statues for secret switches and suchlike. They find nothing.
To the SOUTH of this courtyard lies a portcullis. Again the mighty warrior women combined power is enough to open it!
A decision is made to wedge open this portcullis with a heavy garden bench but even as the furniture is moved then a handful of the stone Gargoyles spring to life and make to attack those foolish enough to disturb this place of contemplation.
The warriors are prepared and as the stone sentinels fly over the curtain wall they are met with hard steel and iron wills.
First Galan slays one, and then two more charge down from high above to attack.
Father Tobias, Sir Ly and Ismark take on two more.
Minor wounds are taken but soon five Gargoyles lay brutally slain upon the puddle strewn courtyard.
The party continue together, on into another courtyard at the front of Strahd’s domain, passing three seemingly interlinked towers each of differing widths and heights.
Another portcullis is forced upwards and the party troop through to the front courtyard and where the main gates and doors leading into the castle stand closed to all.
Then out of the very thinnest of air the hideous sight and sound of a foul Ghost falls upon those brave and foolhardy souls.
Father Tobias screams out warnings for this solitary creature is more dangerous and powerful than they can imagine.
We are now all trapped and will need to fight for our very lives.
