The return to Vallaki from Castle Ravenloft was too quiet without Vasili walking beside me to break up the monotony of travel. Ragnar is a good man but not a boisterous conversationalist, often preferring the company of the animals to people. In fairness, many people are cads less worth time and attention than the squirrels. Even knowing that Lord Strahd has many more important things to attend to than my personal entertainment whilst walking to and fro for days does not make me (selfishly) wish it any less. Regardless, we pushed on and eventually found ourselves back at the Durst Mill to take our rest.

Happily, it did not appear that any further unsavory activity had been taking place at the mill since we were able to stop that hags that resided there. It had been a concern that there might have been more hags in the... coven? Circle? Group. If there were, they have surely moved on. Hopefully, Ismark will reach out to others and begin to turn this blighted place into a thriving business once again.

In the small hours of the morning, well before time to breakfast, we noted a group of robed figures on the road to Vallaki. By this point, we were familiar with the appearance of Lady Fiona's so-called "Book Club". Doru called out to them and offered them a greeting. They declined to take their rest with us and travel in safety with larger numbers, as we were headed to Vallaki that morning as well, but they agreed to pass on our greetings and best wishes to Lady Fiona.

I'm of two minds about this "Book Club." Clearly, it is something suspect, but to what extent remains unknown. She continues to do a good job as burgomaster of Vallaki, bringing improvements to the town and happiness to the people. Unfair laws have been abolished, and economic expansion blossoms under her rule. What would such a seemingly good person be doing surreptitiously in her basement? I suppose this is a nation ruled by a vampire lord. As long as she isn't performing infernal rituals requiring unwilling human sacrifice, it isn't our business, as it is part of the culture of the land.

Perhaps unknown to my travelling companions, I have been keeping in contact with several individuals from Achelia. We have been in talks, discussing the idea of building a church to Abadar in their town -- much as I told the illusory Burgomasters Barov and Strahd. It was an easy enough lie to weave for them, because it was actually what I intended to do all along, and the lord mayor of Achelia believes it to be a splendid idea. Perhaps he believes it is splendid because I will be fronting all the money for the construction, but he has agreed to supply the labor, so it is a fair deal in my mind. No Church of Abadar is complete without a bank, so that will also be constructed so that fair-priced building and loan operations may be begun throughout the land. Abadar's greatest wish is, after all, to see fair trade, economic growth, and prosperity among the peoples of all sorts.

Upon reaching Vallaki, I was able to briefly meet my contact from Achelia to give him the money needed for the town to start building the Barovian Church of Abadar and First Vault of Barovia. Once he was safely on his way with guards in tow to protect his cargo, we returned to the Blue Water Inn per Lord Strahd's recommendation to speak with Urwin Martikov. It turns out that his brother is master of the winery to the west. Some ten years ago, the gemstone found in Baba Lysaga's tree was stolen from their winery. He had a falling out with his family over this theft and moved to Vallaki to open a tavern where his family's goods could be sold instead of remaining at the winery with his brother.

Now, he says that he's worried about his family, as he has not heard from them in over a month. The shipment of wine never came, and he's had no news from them. He said that even though he and his brother were not on the best of terms, he would not let the business suffer by missing deliveries. When he sent a messenger to find out what was going on, they never returned. We expressed a desire to help him with his problem but suggested that he might want to look to others for help if he was able. We had already been contracted for a job that might take some time. However, if he still hadn't heard any news from his family by the time we returned to Vallaki, we would make it our top priority, as we needed to go to the winery to return the gemstone anyway. As a final note, we did let him know that (just in case) we failed in our mission and did not return, his family's gem was being kept safe at Castle Ravenloft. He should look for it there and ensure it returned to his brother. That seemed to surprise him greatly, even more so when I told him how much Lord Strahd wanted the winery restored and that he was the one who had sent us to him.

Our business in Vallaki completed for the moment, our next stop was to pause briefly at Argynvostholt to return what had been taken so many centuries ago. The skull of the mighty silver dragon, Argynvost was carefully brought to its final resting place in the fortress's mausoleum. It was a difficult matter, delicately maneuvering the gigantic thing through the tiny arched doorway, but we managed to get it inside. Inside the dark and dusty interior, we could just make out writing on the walls in scrawling Draconic script: Here lie the bones and treasures of Argynvost, lord of Argynvostholt and founder of the Order of the Silver Dragon. We placed the skull in one of the dark alcoves of the mausoleum... I think Doru was expecting some sort of treasure to appear? Poor Doru, the treasure was the friends we made along the way. That, and the releasing of hundreds of tortured souls freed to their final rest.

As the skull was set in place, a beacon atop the manor house released a beam of light shining across the land like a lighthouse. Just seeing it gave me a warm feeling of joy. Doru made a disgusted face looking at it, but he's also somewhat jaded by his experiences. Walking through the manor house afterwards, we saw that Vladimir, Godfrey, and the other revenants of the Order of the Silver Dragon had managed to let go of their hatred and their corporeal bodies. Dozens of corpses littered the floor of Argynvostholt, and presumably, those revenants out wandering the land fell where they stood as well.

Apparently, our actions there drew some unwanted attention. While camped along the Luna River that night, a glowing light in the woods to the west drew Ragnar's attention as he was on watch. It was a near thing, but the creature that attacked us from the underbrush didn't manage to kill anyone... Upon reflection later, it seems that the woman, the undead specter of an elven maiden, had been stalking us deliberately rather than coming upon us by accident. Roderick was able to say that it was an odd thing to see elven women in Barovia, as there hadn't been any seen in at least his grandparents' lifetime.

While not a scholar of the undead, I feel that I know a decent amount about them. I was able to tell that the thing that attacked us was a banshee. This elven woman either betrayed or was betrayed by her family, which led to her death. Unlike ghosts who have unfinished business in need of resolution, or revenants seeking revenge against specific individuals or requiring specific circumstances to be fulfilled to find rest, banshees are so filled with hatred that they are unable to find peace and lash out at any target without cause.

Mire was able to recall that in Lord Strahd's journal, he spoke of a particular elven woman of great magical power: Patrina Velikovna. She courted him while he was still a mortal man and was the one who told him of the secret power kept locked away in the Amber Temple. It may be a coincidence, but I worry that she may have purposefully sought us out because she is displeased by how close our group has become with Lord Strahd. Perhaps the next time we meet, she will be open to initiating a meaningful dialogue together to the betterment of all persons involved. Or perhaps I shall have to think on how to permanently stop a banshee from returning...

Regardless, we pressed on to the ruins of Berez. As we approached the fallen down houses encircling the marshy swamp that had formerly been the town marketplace, we were set upon by more of Baba Lysaga's raven-stuffed scarecrows. They were, however, no match for Mire's skill with fire, making the journey around the town an easy one. The door to the hollowed-out tree in which the witch lived stood open, Baba Lysaga standing in the opening awaiting us as we approached.

Then, she called me a harlot! The nerve. She seemed not to like me very much. That alleviated some of the remaining uncertainty regarding "taking care" of her. While Ragnar, Finrar, and I fought against her through a field of writhing, grasping black tentacles, Doru managed to sneak around behind her, turning into a vampiric mist and reforming in a more opportune location. Roderick and Mire were then free to blast her with spells from a safe distance in the back. Keeping her pinned inside the hut was probably the only reason we lived. That and fireballs, two paladins blessed with god's smite, and a whole mess of reptile fangs and claws. Her own hubris aided in her undoing, as she clearly overestimated her own abilities while underestimating our strengths.

Having known more than one individual to rise from the dead and not really knowing what to do with her body once we had defeated her, we placed Baba Lysaga's body into Doru's coffin in the back of the wagon with the intention of bringing it back to Castle Ravenloft for Lord Strahd's inspection. While there, we shall pick up the gemstone to return to the winery, and I shall likely have to give Lord Strahd my answer at that time. He has been very generous in giving me time to consider his proposal. Many absolute rulers would simply take what they wanted rather than asking. When I next have a few moments alone with Mire, I shall have to ask her for her opinion on my current situation.