Argynvost (ar gin vos t)
Years before Strahd was even born, a silver dragon just shy of his first century found his way to the Valley. He was badly wounded from a fierce battle with another dragon,and sought shelter in its sleepy hills. He disguised himself as a human man, and was taken in by the denizens of the mountains. As time went on, he grew to love the valley and its people and chose to remain. With the permission of the Count Von Zarovich and the local deity, he built himself a mansion and established the Order of Silver.
It was from Argynvost that Strahd took the idea of masquerading as his own descendants. With the dragon's ability to change his shape, Argynvost presided over the Order of Silver as a long line of knights, though the highest in the Order knew the truth.
The Order fought with Strahd's forces when civil war came to Svitar and to Barovia some three hundred years later. However, when Strahd rose as a dread vampire, the knights marched against him. Unfortunately, he was too strong for them. With his own knights, many of whom had been turned, he marched into Argynvostholt and slew its master. The dragon was beheaded, and his skull stolen. In despair, the souls of his knights were darkened and twisted and they haunt the halls of him home.
The spirit of Argynvost isn't at rest. He can sense that his beloved knights have been corrupted, and he reaches out to the characters, hoping they will help the knights find peace. It the characters retrieve his skull from Berez and place it in the beacon tower, his spirit transform into a beacon of light that shine across Barovia. The light of that beacon will remind Ser Vladimir of what he has lost, enabling him and his fellow knights to let go of their hatred, and rest.
In Argynvostholt
If the characters encounter his Living Flame and his Ghost, Argynvost will speak to them in his study. He has a wealth of knowledge:- He knows the history of Argynvosholt and the Order of Silver, up to his death.
- He knows the history of the valley going back three centuries prior to Strahd's rule.
- He knows that Felis, a quasi-god, was the local deity of the valley before Strahd drew in dark powers, and that there were two champions of Felis: Rishi and Tatyana (he does not know Tatyana's role in Strahd's downfall.)
- He knows that something has corrupted the beacon in the chapel tower, which has always shown during his life and he is sure it is supposed to shine forever after his death.
Species
Age
Adult Silver Dragon
Life
8786
9127
341 years old
Circumstances of Death
Slain by Strahd
Place of Death
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Aligned Organization
Ruled Locations