Thoughts brooding in each rider's head, the party silently makes their way up the Barovian road into the forest once again. The ride is familiar now, the ever close trees hovering in their constant vigil. No one sees them on their way, not even the usually present Vistanti. They go to the Castle alone.
The road turns steeper once out of the shadow of Lysaga Hill, the surrounding hills becoming quickly rockier. At one point, the group cross a bridge over the distant Tser Falls, the stonework's dizzying height leaving no question to the fate of any that fall below. The trees on the other side take on a more sinister cast, their evergreen branches more gnarled, reaching hungrily for shade instead of sky.
After passing through craggy peaks, the road takes a sudden turn to the east and the startling presence of Castle Ravenloft towers before the riders. Twin guardhouses of turreted stone keep a silent watch over the approach, broken from years of use an exposure. Beyond these, a wide chasm gapes between the Balinok cliffs and the walls of Ravenloft, disappearing into the fog-shrouded distance below. The lowered drawbridge of old wooden beams hangs precariously between the group and the arched entrances of the castle courtyard. The rust-eaten iron of the drawbridge's chains creak in the wind, straining with weight. Above them, stone gargoyles stare down from hollow sockets, grinning hideously. A rotten wooden portcullis, green with growth, hangs in the entry tunnel, though it is drawn and does not bar entrance.
Beyond, the main doors of Castle Ravenloft stand open, a rich, warm light spilling into the courtyard.
