A Curse of Strahds [IC]

As you are searching the room, while looking at the mirror, you notice some of the carved berries are actually eyeballs. You accidentally push up against the mirror and it pushes open, revealing a cobweb-filled wooden staircase leading up.

“Why does it always go up?” Lae grunts disappointingly. 

"Well I didn't find a way to the basement  but I found another hidden staircase up." 

I take it there isn't much else of value in the bedroom? 

"How long do you think it has been since this room has been used? Have those kids been here alone?" 

No, nothing else of value.

Embir walks into the nursery and parts the shroud around the crib. She sees a tightly-wrapped, baby-sized bundle laying in the crib. She unwraps the blanket, finding nothing inside then exits to the bedroom looking upset.

As Embir relays what she found, Zander, you remember Strahd's letter. You are able to put together the parts about "another woman" and "stillborn child" with Embir's information to realize that the master of the house and the nurse maid  (whose bedroom you must be in) had an affair, resulting in the birth of a stillborn baby, whose nursery this must be, thus the shroud. You also realize the specter must have been the spirit of the nurse maid protecting the nursery.

“I have yet to learn this spell, but have heard other priests speak of it.. does anyone know Detect Evil and Good? It may help us with these children.. I suspect something is amiss here.”

Embir breaks out of her reverie a bit. "I have that spell. Should I cast it here or wait til we go upstairs? I assume we're going upstairs? Casting it will crowd my healing abilities a bit, but if it's what everyone wants, I will do it."

I've had doubts that things are what they seem here as well. I think we should wait until we see the children again, Embir.

Now we have two more ways to go, the stairs up and the stained glass doors in the master bedroom. Zander looks through the stained glass to see if it's transparent enough to make out anything on the other side.

The window are pretty dusty, but wiping the dust away, the doors appear to lead to a balcony at the front of the house.

I'll take a peek on the balcony, but if there's nothing of note I'll go back to the stairs up that we found.

Nothing really on the balcony. You can see the mists still surrounding the property. They have not come any nearer, but have not backed off any either.

Is anyone actually going up the steps?

I will go second, with crossbow ready. 

I'll go behind Zennas, shortbow out. Let's push Lae in front.

"Cool lets go" necros wispers. i ready eldritch  blast 

Lae readies his mace, “Aye.. save the spell til we see the children Embir”.

The children? We don't know if the children are in on this yet, let's hold off on just blasting things. If the children are innocent then we'd have just committed murder.

Embir laughs. "My spell only detects evil and good. It doesn't 'blast' anyone. I know we have not traveled together long, but I thought it was long enough you would know I would try to never blast children."

Oh, my apologies, I thought he was talking to Necros. I wasn't paying attention. Let's get up these stairs.

" just because  i have to make moral choices that no one whats to make, dose not make me evil. I will do whatever  it takes for my friends. Even if it means giving  up  this form."necros  says with indignation.

You climb the stairs to what appears to be an attic area. The bare hall is choked with dust and cobwebs. You see 2 doors on the left (more or less), and 2 doors on the right (although the farthest on each side face each other and are only about 5 feet apart). The nearest doorway on the right is held shut with a padlock.

"Well let's see if this lock gives me as much trouble as the last one."

I will attempt to pick the padlock with my tools. Sleigh of hands: 17