Expulsion from House Durst

My companions rise from their rest shortly after I finish my pre-packed 'meal', and few (if any) bother to notice me replacing the specimen container back into my pack. They gather water from the well, but it appears foul.
 
Returning to our exploration, we reenter the room of the statue, finding a trapdoor leading under the rugs of the house's bottom-floor den. It is noted for later. We continue west through these catacombs until we discover a dining and bedroom. I am among the last to peer through these tight spaces, but as the others begin to rummage through the bedroom's storage, two intelligent undead burst from the wall-- formerly the Dursts Gustav and Elisabeth, it would seem-- and attack with savagery in assault and in odor. Despite the ambush and the close quarters, we all deal devastating blows until the final strikes are dealt by Lenore and myself. As the common goods are pillaged from the room (and I am given a novice wizard's spellbook), I draw my research journal and begin biopsies of these corpses, while the others keep watch on my behalf. These "ghasts" are similar to ghouls or other wretched semi-intelligent undead, but have savage claws and odor-producing organs that can be weaponized as "stink bombs". They also have a putrid ichre in place of blood that, when choked down and consumed, I expect will grant a resistance to the hazards of poison, venom, and other bacteriophages for a time. My empty specimen jar serves as a fine container, though I offer a vial's worth to Alfonse. He accepts graciously. These ghast claws, on the other hand, will require some material investment to turn to viable weapons.
 
I complete my documentation and pack up, as we return through the dining room and back to a junction we visited previously. Heading North, we descend down another staircase. This depth has grown particularly claustrophobic as we face both a prison and a room of 13 showcased mummified trinkets. Most bear no cause for interest, but a dagger with a rat's skull etched into the pommel, and an orb fashioned from the eye of a nothic both demand my attention. I collect them as we move onward, ignoring a portcullis to a watery level below and maneuver through the holding cells. The chanting is close now, cycling such phrases as "He is ancient. He is the land." and other terms I expect relate to the worship of Strahd. If my assumptions are false, there may yet be another threat of note in these lands.
 
Shortly after finding a gold ring, Quicknife locates a false door and opens it, leading into the room we saw previously: a pool of water with walkways on all sides, the portcullis at the Eastern edge with a dilapidated hand crank, and a refuse pile to the West, all surrounding a central dais with a platform clearly intended for sacrifices. The room has grown silent. Quicknife is cautious to leap onto the platform, and in inspecting it, a band of 13 ethereal entities clad in black robes materialize. Their chanting becomes "One must die."
 
None of us are interested in the demands of a dead cabal or a restless house.
 
As I maneuver to the portcullis and crank it open, we agree that the refuse pile is clearly an ambush in waiting. After some debate, Lenore conjures a great bonfire upon the filth, drawing a shift that leads in a great mound of flesh to emerge from it. At the center of this abomination, the Durst infant writhes, bawling and screeching while the flesh around it lurches forward. We are all trapped upon this walkway, firing at an angle as the creature assaults Belmont, the only one who closed distance. My own psionic weapons have little purchase here, and Lenore's lightning arcana appears to have a regenerative effect on the creature. We continue pummeling it until Alfonse's slugs and Belmont's consecrated weapon finally obliterate the terror.
 
At such point, I would have delighted in studying its remains, but the house itself begins to churn and shake, and both entrances to this room seal shut. Belmont is able to hoist the portcullis open, and we slip past and head back to the first floor of the catacombs. With new ghoul activity, Quicknife leads us past the undead in a stealthy evasion, returning us to the den on the first floor. However, the stuffed wolves have animated, indistinguishable from they were in life. As they block our exit, I gesture the others to move behind me before unleashing my psionic mind blast. The wolves drop to the floor and struggle to move, and we sprint past them.
 
Trying to exit, we are nearly trapped in the opening foyer, but dive through and rescue Belmont from being trapped within. Rushing to the stairs, we push past the four suits of armor (whom had animated and attempted to stop us, continuing the chant "One must die") and make it to the second floor. More dead ends set us to continue to the third floor, where the bathroom door bursts and the water supernaturally impedes our progress. Belmont sets his chained weapon aflame and thrusts it to the core of the flood, sizzling it away in a cloud of steam. Making it to the room adjacent to the balcony, we find the ghost of the handmaiden reliving her birth, and spinning blades obstructing our exit in time with her contractions. Although I can't discern a solution to disabling it, Alphonse finds the right timing to pass through it, and we follows his example. Upon the balcony, it appears to have an infinite drop, but I recognize the presence of an illusion and tell the others to disregard it. Rappelling on ropes, we encounter the ghosts of the children from before-- now clearly manifestations of the house-- and escape their protestations of our exit. These companions were impressive in form and expertise, and I feel confident in their capacity for coordinated execution.
 
Finally beyond the gate, we collect ourselves only for a moment before making eye contact with what appears to be a dire wolf and three regular wolves, gleaming red eyes piercing the mist. The lesser wolves engage, and we quickly dispatch them. The dire wolf only observes before fading into the mist, just before a bat flew away.
 
If this was Strahd's introduction, I do not expect he is ready to talk.