Vladimir Horngaard

Located in Q36 Dragon's Audience Hall
The death of Argynvost enraged the spirit of Vladimir Horngaard, the greatest of the dragon’s knights. Horngaard returned as a revenant and swore to avenge the destruction of the order. His zeal was so great that it also brought back the spirits of several other knights, who rose as revenants under Vladimir’s command.
The vengeful revenants killed many of Strahd’s soldiers, and whenever the undead knights were cut down, their spirits found new corpses to inhabit. Though the knights were grossly outnumbered, they waged war for months and slew hundreds of foes.
When Strahd died and became a vampire, Vladimir’s knights should have gone to their everlasting rest, but their spirits couldn’t leave Strahd’s domain. They marched to Castle Ravenloft and were confronted by the Vistani seer Madam Eva, who told them Strahd had died, only to become a prisoner in his own land, tormented by the death of his beloved Tatyana and the murder of his brother Sergei.
After receiving that news, Vladimir ceased his advance and led his knights back to Argynvostholt. He realized that Strahd had already died and been damned to a hell of his own creation. With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, Vladimir set his knights to killing Strahd’s agents and anyone else who might help to ease Strahd’s torment. Consumed by hatred, the knights have lost their honor and nobility. Their redemption hinges on whether Vladimir can set aside that hatred. The undead knight can be found brooding in the ruins of Argynvostholt.
The spirit of the dragon Argynvost isn’t at rest, either. It can sense that the knights have been corrupted, and it reaches out to the characters, hoping they will help the knights find peace. If the characters retrieve the dragon’s skull from Castle Ravenloft and place it in the mausoleum of Argynvostholt, the dragon’s spirit ascends to the highest tower of the mansion and transforms into a beacon of light that flashes across Barovia. The light of the beacon reminds Vladimir Horngaard of what he has lost, enabling him and his fellow knights to let go of their hatred and find both redemption and rest.

REVENANTS OF BAROVIA A revenant, as described in the Monster Manual, has a year to achieve its revenge before its body crumbles to dust and its soul enters the afterlife. In Barovia, however, a revenant can remain in its body indefinitely, and once it has reaped its vengeance, its soul remains trapped in Barovia.
If the body of a revenant is destroyed before its vengeance is fulfilled, its spirit seeks out a new corpse or skeleton to animate. To determine where the revenant’s new body rises, roll a d20 and consult the following table.

d20	Corpse Location
1-4	Village of Barovia cemetery (area E6)
5-11	Church graveyard in Vallaki (N1)
12	Argynvostholt cemetery (Q15)
13	Grave in the village of Krezk (S3)
14	Grave in the Berez cemetery (U4)
15-16	Grave in the Svalich Woods
17-20	Corpse of one deceased PC or NPC wherever it happens to be

Vladimir Horngaard joined the Order of the Silver Dragon at a young age and quickly earned the friendship of its founder, the silver dragon Argynvost. When he became a knight of the order, he traveled to distant lands to wage war against the forces of evil. The dragon stayed home and, in the guise of a human noble named Lord Argynvost, brought new initiates into the order.

Enemies of Strahd. Vladimir found himself fighting Strahd’s armies time and again as they swept across the land. When it became clear that Strahd couldn’t be stopped, the knights of the order led hundreds of refugees to Argynvost’s valley, but Strahd tracked them to their sanctuary and overwhelmed them with a vast force. Vladimir, whom Argynvost had made a field commander, couldn’t hold back the evil tide and was killed, only after the heartbreak of witnessing Strahd himself slay Vladimir’s beloved, his fellow knight Sir Godfrey Gwilym. With the battle won, Strahd surrounded Argynvostholt. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and battled Strahd’s armies to the bitter end.

Deadly Vengeance. Unwilling to accept his failure, Vladimir returned as a revenant. So great was his hatred of Strahd and his thirst for vengeance that those feelings fueled the spirits of many of his fellow knights—including Godfrey—to come back as revenants as well. Vladimir continued to wage the hopeless war, even as Strahd tightened his grip on the valley.

When Strahd became a vampire, Vladimir and his revenants should have gone to their eternal rest. But Strahd’s deeds were so heinous that Barovia and the knight’s spirits became trapped behind curtains of mist.

Blinded by Hatred. Vladimir hates Strahd but doesn’t want to see the vampire given his final rest. Vladimir wants Strahd to suffer forever for the deaths of Godfrey and Argynvost, the destruction of their order, and all the other crimes of which the vampire is guilty. Vladimir believes that all of Barovia has been swept into hell, and he wants to make sure that Strahd stays trapped in it forever. It angers Vladimir that he and his fellow knights are also trapped, but in Vladimir’s mind, such is the price of keeping the vampire confined. Even his love for Godfrey is now just a dim memory shrouded by his hate.

Were Vladimir to let go of his hatred, his spirit would find peace and could remember the warmth of love. Were Strahd to be defeated, even temporarily, the mists surrounding Barovia would fade, allowing the spirits of Vladimir and his knights to enter the afterlife. Nevertheless, Vladimir would rather savor Strahd’s torment than bring peace to his fallen order or peace to the land of Barovia. Gone are the days of honor and valor.

Statistics. Vladimir Horngaard has the statistics of a revenant with the following modifications:

Vladimir’s alignment is lawful evil.

His Armor Class is 17 (half plate).

He has 192 hit points.

He speaks Common and Draconic.

Vladimir wields a greatsword, +2 with a hilt sculpted to resemble silver dragon wings and a pommel shaped like a silver dragon’s head clutching a black opal between its teeth. As an action, he can make two attacks with the sword (+9 to hit). It deals 20 (4d6 + 6) slashing damage on a hit. Against Strahd, Vladimir deals an extra 14 (4d6) slashing damage with the weapon.

Vladimir has a challenge rating of 7 (2,900 XP).

Vladimir Horngaard’s Traits Ideal. “Vengeance is all I have left.” Bond. “I have sworn oaths of allegiance to the Order of the Silver Dragon. Broken though the order may be, my allegiance never dies.” Flaw. “Destroying Strahd would end the vampire’s torment, and that is something I will never allow.”