The morning after the attack on the congregation, the party began preparing the chapel grounds for consecration in the name of Toedd the Great Lion. Their work, however, was abruptly interrupted by a horrifying discovery.
Standing near the chapel was a massive, dead tree that had not been there before. Its twisted, lifeless branches stretched toward the sky, and hanging from those branches were dozens of bodies.
As the party approached and inspected the corpses more closely, they were struck with a horrifying realization.
Every single body was of Toedd the Great Lion.
Before the party could fully comprehend the meaning of this gruesome display, two figures appeared before the dead tree: a Blood Witch and her Nosferatu servant. The pair claimed to be messengers of their master, Lord Strahd von Zarovich.
They informed the party that Strahd was in hiding and requested their presence beneath the now-abandoned Castle Ravenloft, within the ancient catacombs hidden below the castle.
The messengers delivered one final warning: the party had only three days to reach the catacombs.
With little time to waste, the party set out for Castle Ravenloft. Along the way, they made a brief stop in Vallaki, unaware that they were being followed.
Watching them from the shadows was the Clan of the Hollow Temple, a secretive Drow spy ring operating in the service of Acererak.
As the party finally reached the entrance leading into Castle Ravenloft, their pursuers made their move. The Clan of the Hollow Temple emerged from the shadows and launched a sudden attack.
A fierce battle erupted at the gates of Ravenloft.
When the last of the Hollow Temple Clan had fallen, the party searched through the bodies of their attackers. They discovered a set of sealed orders belonging to the Drow spies.
The orders revealed the true purpose of the Clan’s mission.
Their primary objective was to capture Kordyc.
Acererak has taken an interest in the Duergar’s condition. The lich desires to add the Duergar afflicted with lycanthropy to his ever-growing collection of rare and unusual creatures.
But there was another mission the Clan had also been sent to investigate the movements of the party and determine whether Lord Strahd von Zarovich was still present in Barovia.