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An intricate but small carving in a piece of tree bark of a chapel. The sides of the altar are carved with bas-reliefs of angelic figures entwined with grape vines. The light from above falls directly on a silver statuette. A cloaked figure is draped over the altar, and a black mace lies on the floor near its feet.
Izek burst through the wall of Saint Andral's church like a vampiric Kool-Aid Man, helping lift the timber that trapped Ireena in the ruined chamber. Strahd summoned a whirlwind that caught Tobias and Geronimo, as well as dozens of Vallakians, but Ghalwin misty stepped out from the tornado to fight Strahd directly. Ajuni stepped through the crowd and shone sunlight upon the count, causing him to back away as he summoned swarms of bats that descended on the fleeing townsfolk.
Ez cut through the swarm with lightning bolts as Tobias flew up through the heart of the storm on Geronimo’s back to assist. Strahd then split the ground with earthquakes and fissures, trying to separate Ghalwin from the rest of the group but Ajuni misty stepped beside him. Gleaming with sunlight, the two pushed back the vampire together, but Strahd resisted her attempts to hold him as she resisted attempts to charm and his rays of frost. Ajuni requested that Strahd withdraw, and he surprisingly agreed, choosing to wait for the Holy Symbol's light to fade before striking again.
The Heralds took shelter in the church's consecrated crypt, beneath the collapsed timber that Izek cleared. There, they argued their next move, and the vote was split on whether to confront Strahd or wait out his wrath. Ireena believed herself a curse and wanted to give herself up to save Vallaki, but as she protested, Ajuni put her to sleep to spare her from the group's ultimate decision. At last, Ajuni persuaded a teary-eyed Ghalwin to change his vote. Apart from Tobias saving the orphanage from a wolf pack attack, the group remained hidden, staying strong as the sounds of slaughter echoed above them through the night. Their strength returned only after the night’s rumbling faded, and they were sure that the Ladies Three had returned to their fanes.
After the Crimson Dusk Of Vallaki, the town had been broken when they emerged. Hundreds were dead, and half the guard force was killed; The Arasek Stockyard lay in ruin, and Gunther and Yelena were dead. However, the orphanage children had survived using Shakti’s hidden bunkers, and much of the town's shops and their friends had been successfully stewarded by the Martikovs. The Heralds decided to leave Lancelot behind to guard Ireena and Jarmo's body, promising to return within a day. A group of well-meaning adventurers once again left Vallaki in ruin, and the smell of bodies and burning wood followed them east.
Strahd's influence on the land had indeed been taken at dawn; the valley's size had quartered. They crossed into the wilds through the fey crossing to the Durst Windmill, then again to the outskirts of Barovia. There, they met the Bonerider once more, but this time, their recurring ally acknowledged them. He offered a wooden carving of a chapel containing images of a silver statuette, a draped figure, and a black mace, then pointed toward Castle Ravenloft and carried on. This encounter caused the Heralds to change their plan; instead of attacking Strahd through the mountainside window, they would find Chapel Ravenloft.
Ghalwin and Ezmerelda swiftly led them to the mountainside, and with Tobias’ magic, they climbed to the main floor. Once again going invisible, Ajuni and Ez drew away vampire spawn guards with the smell of blood, while the others forced open a swollen door to the servants’ quarters. They found Ludmilla’s former bedroom, and a magically dancing dress, then turned and found a stairway to the larders. They slipped past Cyrus Belview in his hall of bones and entered the trap organ room. On the far side, they strangely encountered Piddlwick II, but found that the clockwork wished to play the piano. They considered forcing him into the Bag of Holding, but instead crept past him while he struck the keys in discordant tones.
Still invisible, they crossed the grand hallway towards where they believed the chapel to be, but eight blue-eyed Gargoyles animated and attacked! They ran down a hallway, and Tobias opened a set of bronze doors bearing the Morninglord’s symbol; Izek and Ghalwin moved to slam the doors behind them, as the Heralds found themselves in a chapel exactly matching Bonerider's carving.