Skyrim: The One that Got Away

Adventures in Skyrim - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

Since the basement was a dead end, we decide to try the upper floors of Ravensburg Castle next - finding living mannequins dressed as bandits guarding the floor along with a good number of vampire mistresses and a lich!  We also learn the place is owned by the ridiculously named Count Bran von Lurk who makes his vampirism no secret, given the decor. While raiding his treasury we are jumped by three "devourer of souls" who are surprisingly deadly, managing to behead Braga before they are destroyed.

Excuse me sir, did you know you are on fire?

Finding the basement key, Van Helsing and I return there and find the path guarded by a gigantic skeleton. Van Helsing's magics and his summoned daedra are crushed like ants beneath this behemoth but it proves no match for me. After more vampire mistresses (von Lurk must be a real fox) I stumble upon the most unique companion I've had so far... a headless, tormented soul!

Had to give him a mask so he'd stop freaking me out.

For someone without a head he's pretty efficient at dispatching the wraiths lingering in the underground graveyard nearby (because some things can't be buried deep enough? lol) culminating in a showdown with the Count and his coffin buddy, Lestat. Both are easily slain, but after shanking von Lurk he just laughs an disappears as a fine mist. Damn!

Still, that seems to have banished him from the castle as the once dark and cobwebbed walls are now well lit and shiny! This also ended the torment of "tormented soul" and set him free. With Ravensburg Castle cleared it was time to continue to Riften to finish Braga's bandit hunting quest. I owed her that much at least.