Vladimir Horngaard

Vladimir Horngaard, Argnvost's field commander, found himself fighting Count Strahd von Zarovich'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 of the Silver Dragon led hundreds of refugees to Argynvost's valley. Strahd tracked the retreating knights to their sanctuary and overwhelmed them with a vast force. Horngaard 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. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and battled Strahd's armies to the bitter end.

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.

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 von Zarovich.

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 honour 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.