The party acquires the Tome of Strahd and explores the temple. Eiric and Maulduk are enchanted by a statue, but Esmeralda destroys it.
Hadrioul finds a secret passage that leads them to a hidden room with a lich. Maulduk calls the lich by the name of Rich. He invites the lich to join the party, and Rich agrees.
Full write-up
After defeating a humanoid fox, the party recovers Arcanaloth’s spellbook, a robe of useful things, gold spectacles, and the Tome of Strahd. Hadrioul picks up the spellbook and the robe of useful things, while Eiric takes the Tome of Strahd. Maulduk is fitted with the gold spectacles and looks quite intellectual.
Maulduk flexes his wings and flies up the northwest corner balcony with locked amber doors. The balcony crumbles beneath his weight, but he manages not to fall. Eiric casts levitation on Maulduk, then the barbarian throws down a rope and allows Eiric to climb up and into Maulduk’s arms. While in this position, the party considers many different possible ways of opening the door (including using Maulduk as a battering ram).
Eventually, they settle on having Maulduk hold onto the ring-shaped door handles and to yank the doors open with his incredible strength.
Eiric and Maulduk are immediately drawn towards a fascinating statue and cannot pull themselves away to throw a rope down to the party. Hadrioul uses a grappling hook and rope to get access to a high window near the door with the help of Revali’s bardic inspiration. Esmeralda, Hadrioul, and Revali climb to the second floor. Hadiroul detects that there is some sort of magical enchantment upon the statue and manages to resist it.
While Revali eats some crunchy rations, Esmeralda tries to shake Maulduk from his fascination with her throwing axe, but all it does is serve to irritate Maulduk. Meanwhile, Hadrioul and (mostly) Revali tie a rope around Maulduk and begin pulling him away. Impatient, Esmeralda simply destroys the statue and the strange enchantment is broken.
Once the statue has been destroyed, the party searches the area. Hadrioul finds a hidden door, and Maulduk leads the way into a secret chamber. Within the finely adorned chamber is a skeletal figure that Hadrioul suspects may be a lich. The lich does not remember its name or much of its past. Maulduk befriends the lich and calls him Rich. Rich is pleased with his new name. When Maulduk suggests that Rich join the party in adventuring, Rich agrees. They help the lich find its spellbook, which is entitled the Incants of Exethanter. Rich the Lich takes them on a tour of their library, where Hadrioul discerns that the lich has extraordinarily powerful spells. After putting their heads together, Hadrioul and Maulduk realize that Rich’s memory might be recoverable through a *Greater Restoration* spell. The pair agree that it may not be the right time to restore the lich’s memory and they may want to do so as a last resort against Strahd.
