Jeremiah takes a deep breath, and lets it out in a long sigh. ‘Well, that was intense. Let’s see if we can escape without encountering further hordes of attackers though?’

He looks at the rosary beads. ‘I’m drawn to either the fire, or the dove’s skull. Do any of you have specific preferences?’

He also throws out some Healing Word goodness - Shiara heals for 7 hp, Jimmy heals for 9 hp

In order to defeat the Dark Emperor Strahd, a number of quests must be completed in an order of your choosing before you are able to enter the Cathedral of Affliction. Here they are in no particular order. There are four Boss Fight quests, three Item Hunts, and the Cathedral. You'll need to finish all the Boss Fights and Item Hunts before you can enter the Cathedral, but the order you do them in is up to you.  Some quests will be more difficult than others. 

DESECRATION: DEFEAT THE THORNED ONE, AFFLICTED MONSTROSITY
"I am awake in a sleeping body.."
The Thorned One is a combination of demon and plant with the body of a human and the skeletal head of a goat. According to the ancient scriptures, he was once a man who was haunted by visions of the Affliction. He became very tired and slept in the arms of the statue he is found in, in the ruins of a temple east of Mount Baratok, but then woke up and realized he had been transformed into a beast of constant anger and pain. Legends state that when the creature is asleep, the man inside awakes within the creature's dreams.

DESECRATION: DEFEAT KRISTIANA OF THE WRAPPED AGONY, KNIGHT OF AFFLICTION
"I, Kristiana in penance, excommunicate you, expel you, execrate you with the blessing of our Affliction of the greatest pain."
Kristiana is a knight and holy warrior dedicated to Strahd, The Dark Emperor. She is said to wander around Tsolenka Pass near the Amber Temple on Mount Ghakis, ready to confront any who defy His Holiness. Legends state that her sword is affected by the Affliction, so it is covered in red bandages that are anointed in consecrated oils just like the armor of the Brotherhood. She has been known to say that goals of her and the Brotherhood are "different, opposite, yet complementary," suggesting that she is in direct opposition to the Brotherhood.

DESECRATION: DEFEAT COERCITOR EZZOZITO, SCION OF ABJURATION
"The unborn one stopped crying when placed in the arms of the false mother. Sometimes I can't help but think there's something living in that wicker. Sometimes it seems to be rocking him in the darkness."
Truly a deformity of the Affliction, Ezzozito has the appearance of a giant warped fetus, pulsing with power and cradled by an unholy automoton, accompanied by a strange, snake like creature that protects him and attacks any foe that enters his chambers deep beneath the earth of the Ruins of Berez. His supposed birth mother was burned at the stake for being a witch by the Brotherhood, and a blindfold was put on him so he would not see her burn. Before she died, she asked someone to build a horrible representation in her likeness so that her son would not miss her. When it was finished and Ezzozito was placed in the wicker person's arms, he stopped crying.

RELIC: FIND THE CHALICE OF INVERTED VERSES
A most powerful relic. A rusty iron cup, of simple appearance, filled with the tears of atonement. Its interior is embossed in lackluster silver, and depicts rows of spiral verses, which descend to the bottom. These rhymes speak of pagan beasts and forbidden fruit. It is guarded by a faceless god. He awaits you at the end of a long and winding road, deep in the mountains in the Amber Temple.

RELIC: THE DRIED FLOWERS BATHED IN TEARS
I remember it with great sorrow. Intagria was one of us, born in Barovia like you and me. She was peculiar, however, because every day, after a day gathering olives, she stayed in the mountains while the rest of us left. Some said they had seen her cry, and that's why she stayed among the olive trees, to be alone with her sorrow. Many years of drought razed the land back then, but although the other crops dried up and died, the olive trees on our hill would not: they remained the best harvests, to everyone's surprise. This gave rise to the rumor that the olive trees were being watered by the girl's very tears. One morning, we found the girl dead, leaning on one of the olive trees: whether she died of sorrow we will never know. We buried her in Argynvostholt next to the olive trees where she cried. The next day, the olive trees has withered.

REDEMPTION: DESTROY THE DARK EMPEROR STRAHD, THE LAST SON OF THE AFFLICTION.
Travel to His Cathedral, and using the three holy relics, enter his domain. Only the most penitent will survive. 

Ingrid grips her axe tightly as the holy light burns always the bile on the axe before she places it back in it’s harness. “I agree, Jeremiah. Let us leave this foul place.”

She approaches the pile of beads, Picking up the scaly coin, flipping it in the air once before placing it in her rosary.

Ingrid will lead the party out of the abbey before pointing east. “We have 2 options, We can take the long road to Mount Baratok to awaken the thorned one, or we can take the road south towards the fortress of Argynvostholt, seeking the dried flowers.”

With a curious twinkle in his eye, Jimmy saunters up to the pile of beads and palms the Consecrated Amethyst and quickly stuffs it on his growing rosary bead chain.  "This shiny one seems to be calling my name...and talking to me....ya'll hear it?"  Grinning his Cheshire grin, he turns and walks back to the group.

Given the lack of strong opinions, Jeremiah opts for the Dove’s Skull.

’I think we should go for the dried flowers, after a good long rest...’

Hera agrees with Jeremiah and takes the fire.

Ingrid sits with Hera later while they are resting for the evening. “How are you holding up, sister? You fought hard today.”

"I'm tired, but I didn't get hit, so otherwise I'm feeling well."

“That is certainly fortuitous. I also was not touched by the desecration. But I imagine our luck is either sign of our holy mission, or a blessing soon to run out.”

Shiara absently grabs the brain matter bead, mostly focused on her spellbook. As she pores over it, a grin begins to form on her face. "Oh, yes. Yes, yes, yes." She lets out a low, cold laugh, and places a hand on a nearby corpse, a dead nun. "You...belong...to me." she whispers, eyes blazing with green fire. Dark light wreathes her and settles across the body, and suddenly the nun's eyes open, filled with the same green fire as Shiara's. A moment later, both fires die out, and the nun stands awkwardly, despite the large hole in her side. Shiara grins, eyes dancing with delight. "I'm back! Let's go find another body to raise, darling." As she and nun go to track down another body in decent condition, you could swear you hear the young woman humming softly.

Shiara is now the proud owner of two raised zombies.

Ingrid stops mid-conversation and watches as Shiara raises her servants, she stares, mouth slightly agape, “well, I’d heard the stories of Shira’s power, glad to see them mostly restored and on our side.”

Shiara snorts. "This is nothing. I used to be able to unleash plagues on entire villages, then animate all the remains. But this...well, it's a start." She grins, her face almost transcendent with delight. "And you need a start before you can get to the end. Strahd's end."

Jeremiah can't help but smile at Shiara's joy, even as a sabre-tooth tiger strolls over and curls up by his feet. 'We’ll need all the strength we can muster to defeat Him.’

RELIC: THE DRIED FLOWERS BATHED IN TEARS

I remember it with great sorrow. Intagria was one of us, born in Barovia like you and me. She was peculiar, however, because every day, after a day gathering olives, she stayed in the mountains while the rest of us left. Some said they had seen her cry, and that's why she stayed among the olive trees, to be alone with her sorrow. Many years of drought razed the land back then, but although the other crops dried up and died, the olive trees on our hill would not: they remained the best harvests, to everyone's surprise. This gave rise to the rumor that the olive trees were being watered by the girl's very tears. One morning, we found the girl dead, leaning on one of the olive trees: whether she died of sorrow we will never know. We buried her in Argynvostholt next to the olive trees where she cried. The next day, the olive trees has withered.

Find the dried flowers bathed in tears in Argynvostholt.

High above the river valley juts a quiet promontory upon which looms a sepulchral mansion, its turrets capped with fairytale cones, its towers lined with sculpted battlements. A third of the structure has collapsed, as has part of the roof, but the rest appears intact. A dark, octagonal tower rises above the surrounding architecture.

Out of the fog comes a distant peal of thunder, quickly accompanied by the howling of wolves in the woods below, but the house stands silent, seeming like the fossilized remains of some long-dead thing smote upon the mountainside by the Affliction.

We begin at AREA Q1.

AREA Q1

Perched atop a ten-foot-wide, ten-foot-high cube of granite is a moss-covered statue of a dragon, its wings tucked close to its body. The statue looks east, toward the mansion.

Jimmy slowly circles around the statue, trying to recall if he remembers anything about the dragon, the symbolism, or the family that lived in the mansion (History: 13).  Any clues that might help them prepare for what may lay ahead of them once they go inside?

Nope

Hera goes up the stairs and enters the mansion.

AREA Q2 - MAIN ENTRANCE

Flagstone steps flanked by stone railings climb to a landing in front of a pair of tall, wooden doors with rusted iron bands and knockers shaped like small dragons. Carved into the lintel above the entrance is the word Argynvostholt. You can hear a liquid dripping behind you as you go up the stairs. As you turn around, the dragon statue in Q1 has it's mouth open, and a black inky fluid is now dripping out of it.

AREA Q3 - DRAGON'S FOYER

This room feels like a king’s tomb. A grand staircase leads up to stone balconies held aloft by stone pillars and arches. A tall, faded tapestry depicting a nobleman in silver armor hangs from an iron rod above the staircase landing.

Six sets of double doors lead from this foyer. Along the walls, displayed on marble pedestals, are three alabaster busts of handsome men. A fourth bust and its pedestal have been knocked over, and their shattered remains lie strewn across the mosaic floor. Two chandeliers of wrought iron hang from the ceiling like monstrous black spiders.

A great Afflicted shadow with wings moves across the walls and disappears. You hear the soft bestial hiss in the darkness.

Suddenly nervous, Jimmy manages to sputter our “d..d..d..dragons?”

“Did anyone else see that shadow moving?”

"Yes. We came here to kill monsters, what we're you expecting?"  Hera will continue moving and lead the group into Q4