The party takes a rest in the ancient lecture hall. Victor, after paging through his black tome, decides that it is possible to restore his arm, even if it will never be the same. He thinks if he finds the right components, he can "heal" his missing appendage. Vannan and Grimtooth offer to aid him in his quest to find the necessary ingredients for the ritual.
The party then decides to tackle the door they've been warned not to open at the initial room they entered in the temple. Lideydri opens the door to find three more green flaming skulls floating in the air. She quickly closes the door. They then decide to inspect the large statue in the great hall at the center of the temple. They descend the stairs sticking close to the wall so as not to draw the fire of the flaming skulls from up above.
Lideydri is hit by rays of fire coming from the great statue's head. The party takes cover as Roger casts a fireball at the statue's face. His wild magic causes him to teleport at will. The party takes cover as Bjorn yells to move forward. More flaming rays come from the statue. Roger casts orbs of force that go streaking toward the menacing granite form. Again, his wild magic manifests. This time as a happy little flumph pops into existence quite confused and scared. Pop, pop, pop! Three fire balls turn the flumph into cinders.
Lideydri takes the opportunity to charge the statue and get behind its flanks. Roger sends more magic missiles at the head of the statue. Bjorn takes cover in a hallway behind a pillar and sees his reflection on the walls, not reflecting his actions but silently urging him to leave. Gilly enters the hallway and sees the same sight. Roger makes his way to the hallway. Lideydri ponders what to do. Bjorn joins Lideydri behind the statue and notices the outline of a door. Lideydri opens the door and finds a stairway spiraling upward inside the statue. She ascends and finds the smoking carcass of some sort of fox like humanoid wearing a robe (of many things). A pair of gold spectacles lay on the floor next to the dead things head.
She returns to the base of the statue. She investigates a room with open doors. As she enters, four specters begin to take shape. The two paladins turn the spirits and dispatch them as they attempt to flee one by one. While the paladins are doing their thing, Roger notices a secret door. Gilly attempts to open it but Roger believes arcana has sealed it shut. As they decide what to do next, Bjorn comes walking by singing a song. The lyrics just happen to contain the command to open the portal, "Knock, knock, knock(ing on heaven's door)."
They find a stairway going upward that leads to a library. Many books fill the room but they all are untitled and contain blank pages. Roger inspects the room and finds another secret door. This time it leads to an empty closet more or less. Until they find yet another secret door. Lideydri pushes the door open to reveal a room filled with old royal furnishings. Standing in the center of the room at a table they see a skeletal figure, its eyes glowing red. It says, "Do I know you?" in a slow questioning manner. The party find that this undead thing lives in this room and is very limited on knowledge. He remembers some vague things but not its own name. He is reading a book titled "The Incants of Exethanter" but will not let the party read it. He tells a tale of how ancient wizards built this temple to imprison the evils of old. However, other things came to the evil thing's beckons and over the years the wizards were eventually defeated. The amber sarcophagi are the bottles that hold the evil spirits still but the spirits can still interact with the world. If one touches the sarcophagi, the spirit may propose a dark gift upon the mortal. They communicate telepathically and only if the offer is agreed is the dark grant fulfilled.
The lich also describes how Strahd had come to the temple, seeking power and enticed by the evil spirits. He makes a pact with the evil that if he kills his brother, the evils will make him the ruler of Barovia and give him eternal life. The lich also says the evil spirits will betray Strahd if another evil force takes his place. Strahd's lust for pain and death feed these evil spirits and so they support Strahd.
After learning enough the party leaves telling the lich they will return if they have further questions. They go down another staircase that leads to a large vault with three sarcophagi and some crates. Lideydri correctly pieces together that these are similar crates as in the coffin maker's cottage. Lideydri and Bjorn pummel the vampiric spawn inside the crates, Roger summons a tiger while Gilly and Kasimir fire on the spawn from above. Bjorn takes a nasty bite from one of them.
Once the spawn have been dispatched Lideydri traverses a fissure and finds another amber golem protecting a hoard of treasure. She returns to tell the party of the golem. The party feeling depleted of spell and strength decide to take a long rest in the temple.
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