Argynvostholt

Argynvostholt (Arr-ghen-vost-holt) is the ancient home of the Silver Order, a brotherhood of knights dedicated to protecting the land from the evil that inhabits it. Founded by Calsifer, a disguised Silver Dragon, the knights were once the stewards of the Amber Temple.

When Strahd invaded, he and his armies defeated the knights and Strahd slew Calsifer, leaving his body draped over one of the towers of the manor. The knights reanimated, becoming revenants dedicated to destroying Strahd, but try as they might, they could not stand against the dark lord. The leader of the knights, Vladimir Horngaard, keeps their souls bound to the manor by his intense hatred. Unfortunately, that same hate blinds him to his men, seeing them as gray phantoms.

When Strahd entrusted the wizard, Khazan, with the destruction of his brother, Sergei's, holy sword, Khazan left the job to his apprentice. The apprentice failed, shattering the blade but not diminishing the power of the sword, and he fled south to Argynvostholt here he begged the knights to take the artifact into their care. To the surprise of all, the skeletal remains of Calsifer reached out and took the sword hilt, encasing it in the enchanted bones of his claws.

Argynvostholt itself is a large manor in poor repair. It sits atop a foothill of the Ghakis mountains, high above the Luna River. At the entrance of the manor is a stone dragon statue that once acted as a security system but has long since become inactive. The manor has three floors, all of which appear unoccupied. However, this is not true - the mansion is inhabited by a combination of skeletal revenants and phantom warriors. These beings rarely move, simply standing in place for years until they are called to action by interlopers.

The southern wall of the manor is badly damaged, leaving gaping holes in places. This is more recent damage, having happened just a few years ago when the witch Baba Lysaga assaulted the manor and stole the skull of Calsifer.

The bones of Calsifer are entwined inside and around the eastern tower, with the fused bones of the dragon's hands forming the heart of the tower itself. When the party returned the dragon's skull to its rightful place, the entire tower began to glow with cyan light and a glowing beacon shot into the sky. The dragon's fused hands opened, revealing the resting place of the Sunsword.

The beacon now glows brightly in the darkness, the only light now that Strahd has stolen the sun from the sky. The revenants, restored by the beacon, faded away, but before they did, Vladimir Horngaard gave the group a special horn that could summon the knights one last time to face Strahd.