With Strahd having turned the last two remaining Vampire Cows that hadn’t been defeated by the Invisible Plunger’s of The Invisible Man?? Thing?? Person?? there seemed nothing that could stand in his way.

So flanked by his new Vampire Cow Minions Strahd clicked his fingers at the doors of Castle Ravenloft only for them to NOT OPEN.
He tried again! Same thing.

Elsewhere in the castle Assterion having felt the presence of another vampire was casually walking down the main stairs.. or at least as far as he could before the spider-webs became too thick to pass though requring him to cut his way into the main hall.

With some curiosity he chose to allow Strahd entry into the first room of Castle Ravenloft.. giving him just-enough to come in.. but no more.

Strahd stepped into the castle – his Vampire Cow Minions failing to cross the threshold (for they were not invited) he quickly found his footing unstable as the floor below dropped a full inch as the trap sprung dropping him into a unfinished pit track – the floor level being a illusion which even when Strahd insisted the Cow’s could come in was too much of a challenge for the creatures to pass.

Unable to remember the reason for the pit-trap Strahd assumed it was the new vampires fault.

The two vampires met in the main entry, pillars overtaken by dust, creeping vines and eons of disrepair, thick webbing sticky underfoot and chocking all the hallways leading to the east and south. Strahd admitted that he didn’t remember who Assterion was, but the younger, white haired elven vampire remembered coming to the castle to defeat Strahd.. and then … not.. he abandoned the party only to show up later – taking over the lower floors of the Castle while the upper floors remained in the control of his rival.

Speaking of which… from the tallest peak of Ravenloft Castle Koran had a perfect view of the strangers as they arrived, sensing evil from the strangers he watched as one was thrown over the side of the castle in a bag, a arm, then another clutching a broom reaching out and then a women climbing out and righting herself onto the broom – swearing the entire time as she flew up and towards the higher section of the castle.

Koran was a being of divine faith and it was obvious that this was a witch, a wicked being.

Tasha the Dark (Iggwilv the Witch Queen) meanwhile was having a bad day, having been tossed over the side by Strahd von Zarovich she had no issue making a deal with Koran for his aid in return for saying that she most certainly planned to kill Strahd in return for his bright idea of dragging them along to Cavitius.

Concerning Koran was that Tasha appeared to cast a spell upon him – but feeling nothing he could not read her, leading to the minor mistake of giving her his True Name.

Meanwhile down below a fight broke out between Assterion and Strahd von Zarovich. Strahd being grabbed by the Gargoyles and calling upon his Dark Powers to take control over the Front Lobby of Castle Ravenloft – commanding the Dragon Wymlings to rescue him – this worked but alas as Strahd pooled to Ooze form Sir Bonesalot was destroyed… but not before Strahd could use his bones as weapons against Assertion.

The fact that Assterion couldn’t take him seriously in his ‘blobfish form’ lead to the vampire underestimating the danger as Strahd summoned his Wolves – sicking them en-mass onto the Vampire. Assterion spending his last moment to draw his dark powers to banish Strahd from the castle – but it was too late – Strahd used his Rod of Lordly Might into Battleaxe Form to destroy Assterion, staking him to death.

This should have been the last of Assterion, but adding insult to Injury Strahd cast Animate Dead on him to bring him back as a skeleton – dubbing Assterion ‘The New Sir Bonesalot’ and forming himself over Assterion’s and forcing him to carry Strahd around.

Koran sensing a new great evil and the return of Strahd set out to defeat him.

Strahd meanwhile having figured out that having command over Castle Ravenloft worked on the logic of ‘he who last licked it owns it’ set about taking back control of his Castle. First he tried to clear the hallway – accidently burning away all his family portraits in the process. This didn’t hurt nearly as much as having to attack his pride and joy – his fully kitted out Battle Organ which had been trapped to generate a unlimited number of animated objects until destroyed!

Having one his favourite ‘pug-wolf’ then fall though the rotten floorbords into a pit of zombies was also a bit of a downer.

So after that Strahd was left to explore his castle.

Inspiration Log

Assterion: Lost 1 point using Dark Powers to take back control of the Front Entrance/Lobby
Strahd: Lost 1 point using Dark Powers to become the ‘Darklord of the Front Entrance of Castle Ravenloft’ and gain control of the Dragon Wyrmling’s
Strahd: Lost 1 point using Dark Powers to command the animated objects trap in the Dining Room to stop attacking.
Assterion: Gained 1 point for being totally unable to take Strahd seriously in ‘blobfish form’.
Koran: Gained 1 point for uncovering one of Tasha’s secrets
Strahd: Gained 1 point for voluntarily reverting to Blobfish form/voice
Strahd: Gained 1 point for using the chair leg stake to ‘finish’ Assterion only to rise him from the dead as the ‘New Sir Bonesalot’.
Strahd: LEVEL UP as a result of defeating Assertion – now level 18!