The party came across a portrait of Gustav and Elisabeth Durst with their two smiling children, Rose and Thorn. Cradled in the father’s arms was a swaddled baby, which the mother regarded with a hint of scorn.
 
From the letter found in the secret room behind the library, it is clear that the Durst’s were part of – and even leading – a cult dedicated to the Vampire Lord Strahd. The party also learned that Walter was not Elisabeth’s child, but in fact the Nursemaid’s.