Later, the party encountered Ezmerelda again, at Van Richten's Tower. As they escaped, they saw someone else fleeing Ravenloft: Ezmerelda d'Avenir had been in the castle at the same time that they had, stealing the Tome of Strahd and escaped, badly wounded, on horseback.
With the help of the wereravens, the party fled the castle. Shortly thereafter, the wereravens Dagmara and Fyodor Martikov arrived at the castle and told the party that they had to leave soon, or they would never be permitted to leave. While Solaris distracted their vampire guard, Fate explored the castle. There, they met with Strahd and were invited to stay the night.
Shortly thereafter, Strahd became lord of Castle Ravenloft, and it served as the base of operations for his wars of reconquest through Barovia.Īfter helping Ismark and Ireena bury their father, Liluth, Fate, Stellaluna, and Solaris accompanied Ismark to dinner at Castle Ravenloft. Shortly after Sergei's birth, there was an assault on the castle, during which young Strahd defended his mother and brother from the invading army. Both Strahd and his younger brother Sergei were born in Castle Ravenloft. King Barov von Zarovich fought to reclaim Ravenloft, which had been captured by the worshipers of dark gods who had conquered the von Zaroviches' ancestral lands.
