This mansion has walls of plastered stone that display many scars where the plaster has fallen away from age and neglect. Drapes cover every window, including a large, arched opening above the mansion's double entrance doors.
People come and go from the mansion at all hours during the day. Guards bring criminals cited for "malicious unhappiness." Men and women arrive carrying bundles of twigs, which are piled about the mansion's grand foyer (area N3a) until the construction of the wicker sun for the Festival of the Blazing Sun gets under way.
If the characters knock on the front doors, a maid (LG female human commoner) lets them in, escorts them to the den (area N3e), and leaves to fetch the baron.
ROLEPLAYING THE VALLAKOVICH FAMILY
Use the following information to roleplay the burgomaster and his family.
The Baron. The burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich (NE male human noble), is a ruthless heel who prides himself on his good breeding and finely honed leadership skills. He stages repeated celebrations to foster happiness, and his "All will be well!" catchphrase has become a sad and tiresome punchline.
The baron has a brittle ego, and he lashes out at anyone who pokes fun at his festivals or treats him disrespectfully. He has two pet mastiffs that follow him everywhere, as well as a urderous and deformed henchman named Izek Strazni (see appendix D). In addition to his weapons, Izek carries an iron ring of keys that unlock the stocks in the town square (area NB).
If the characters get on his bad side, the baron accuses them of being "spies of the devil Strahd" and sends twelve guards to arrest them, seize their weapons, and run them out of town. If the guards fail in their duty, the baron sends Izek to rally a mob of thirty commoners to lynch the party. If the commoners also fail, the baron summons the twelve remaining guards to defend his mansion, giving characters the run of the town. If the characters get on his good side, he insists that they join him in the next festival as special guests and asks that they tell everyone that all will, indeed, be well.
Two members of the baron's household staff have vanished in the past week: the butler and the baroness's lady-in-waiting. The baron has charged Izek with finding out what happened to them, but investigation isn't Izek's forte. Searches have been organized, to no avail.
The Baroness. At the risk of sacrificing her sanity, the baron's wife, Lydia Petrovna (LG female human commoner), has embraced her husband's philosophy of happiness. She laughs at th� baron's every comment, to the extent that it has become a nervous reflex, and she tries to spread
good cheer by throwing daily tea-and sandwich parties in the parlor for her "dearest friends," many of them poor folk who tolerate the baroness only because they crave something warm to eat and drink. Lydia is a gods-fearing woman and the younger sister of the-town priest, Father Lucian Petrovkh. She is a descendant of Tasha Petrovna, a priest entombed in Castle Raven
loft (chapter 4, area K84, crypt 11).
The Baronet. The baron's miserable son, Victor Vallakovich (NE male human mage), has confined himself to the attic (area N3t), where he is content to avoid the unwanted attention of his mother and the disapproving glares of his father. Years ago, Victor found an old spellbook in the mansion's library and used it to teach himself magic. He has been busy constructing a telepor
tation circle in the hope of escaping Barovia and leaving his parents to their doom.
ENTRANCE HALL AND V ESTIBULE
Framed portraits adorn the walls of this grand foyer, which features a wide staircase with a sculpted railing. A long, carpeted hall attached to the foyer stretches almost the length of the mansion and has several doors leading away from it, including one at the far end. Bundles of twigs are heaped against the walls.
The twigs are being stored here until they can be fashioned into a wooden effigy of the sun (for the Festival of the Blazing Sun).
The stairs climb to the upstairs gallery (area N3i). The portraits depict the baron, his family, and their ancestors. Close inspection reveals that some of the people portrayed look very much alike. Tucked in the northeast corner of the foyer is a vestibule packed with fine cloaks, coats, and boots.
PARLOR
lThis parlor contains a fine array offurnishings and draperies, with an overall feminine touch. The baroness sometimes entertains guests here.
DINING ROOM
Characters can hear the chatter of female voices as they approach this room. The first time they peer in side, read:
A chandelier of wrought iron fitted with wax candles hangs above a polished wooden dining table. Around the table are seated eight women of various ages in comfort able, high-backed hairs. They wear faded clothes, drink tea, and devour cake while a ninth woman, well dressed and very pleased with herself, circles the table and talks excitedly about decorations for the impending festival. l
The women seated at the table are eight Vallakian peasants (LG female commoners) invited to spend time with the baroness, Lydia Petrovna, who is bribing them with tea and cake. Lydia has assigned these women the task of stitching children's costumes and weaving together a wicker sun for the Festival of the Blazing Sun. Lydia assumes that the characters are here at the in vitation of her husband, the burgomaster. She calls for the maid to take them to the den (area N3e) and then to inform Baron Vallakovich (see area N21) that his guests have arrived.
A serving table stands in one corner of the dining hall.
SERVANTS' QUARTERS
lThis room contains four simple beds and an equal number of plain wooden trunks.
The household staff consists of a maid (LG female human commoner) and a cook (LG male human com moner). The other two beds belonged to the butler and the baroness's lady-in-waiting, both of whom have gone missing (see area N3t). The trunks contain the staff's clothing and uniforms.
KITCHEN
A cook wearing a white apron over a black smock busies himself in this warm, well-appointed kitchen. A staircase in one corner climbs to the upper floor.
The wagon also contains the torn-up remains of a doll. A character who makes a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers that the doll was once a colorfully dressed Vistani effigy. Stitched into its tattered pants is a slogan: "Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!"
VICTOR'S WORKROOM
Victor spends most of his time here, leaving only when he needs food or spell components. When the characters first set eyes on the door to this room, read:
Someone has carved a large skull into this door. Hanging from the doorknob is a wooden sign that reads "ALL IS NOT WELL!" You hear a young man's voice beyond.
Anyone who inspects the carving and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices a small, nearly invisible glyph etched into the skull's forehead.
This is a glyph of warding (5d8 lightning damage) that triggers if anyone other than Victor opens the door.
The voice belongs to Victor. He is reading aloud from his spellbook. Anyone who listens at the door and succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check can tell he's badly pronouncing some kind of teleportation spell.
If the characters open the door, read:
Someone has taken old, mismatched furniture and created a study is this dusty, lamplit chamber. Tables are strewn with pieces of parchment, on which strange diagrams are drawn, and a freestanding bookshelf holds a collection of bones. A dusty rug covers the floor in front of a pine box, on which lounges a skeletal cat. Several more skeletal cats skulk about. Most unnerving of all is the sight of three small children standing with their backs to you in the northeast corner of the room.
If the characters trigger the glyph of warding or other wise announce their arrival, Victor casts a greater invisibility spell on himself and hides in a corner. Otherwise, he's visible. If the characters can see Victor, read:
In the center of the room, perched on a stool, is a thin young man with a premature streak of gray in his dark hair. He cradles an open leather-bound book in his arms.
Victor found a spellbook in his father's library and is using it to teach himself the art of spellcasting. Only recently has he been able to decipher some of its high-level spells. He's a weird, awkward, and off-putting fellow who is dangerous only if threatened.
For practice and for fun, Victor dug up some old cat bones behind the Wachter estate (see area N4) and animated them, creating six cat skeletons (use the cat stat block, but give them darkvision out to a range of 60 feet and immunity to poison damage, exhaustion, and the poisoned condition). The skeletons attack only when Victor commands them to.
The "children" standing in the corner are painted wooden dolls dressed in clothing that Victor wore as a child. He pretends they are his disobedient pupils. The sheets of parchment are covered with elaborate diagrams of teleportation circles. Victor drew them in an effort to learn the teleportation circle spell, which he's still trying to master (see "Teleportation Circle" below).
The trunk contains several bolts of silk cloth, needles and thread, and a half-finished wizard's robe. Victor started to make the robe for himself but found the work tedious and stopped.
Teleportation Circle. Victor's spellbook contains in complete text for a teleportation circle spell, along with the sigil sequences of three permanent teleportation circles, the locations of which aren't described. There's not enough text to prepare the spell properly, but that hasn't stopped Victor from trying to learn to cast it.
Victor recently inscribed his own version of a teleportation circle on the floor. It's hidden under the rug so that his parents don't find it. In the past couple of weeks, Victor has managed to imbue the circle with magic, but he failed to account for several factors. His circle doesn't fade after use, nor does it function like the teleportation circle spell. If the circle is used in the casting of a teleportation circle spell, whether the actual spell or Victor's version of it, any creature standing on the circle when the spell is cast takes 3dl0 force damage and isn't teleported anywhere.
If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, the creature is disintegrated. Any character who studies the circle and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check realizes that Victor's circle is horribly flawed and potentially ,deadly when used.
Victor has tested his circle on two reluctant servants. Each servant was ripped apart in front of Victor's eyes. Victor does not know how to fix his spell but is adamant to keep trying.
N3. BURGOMASTER'S MANSION
This mansion has walls of plastered stone that display many scars where the plaster has fallen away from age and neglect. Drapes cover every window, including a large, arched opening above the mansion's double entrance doors.
CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN OF VALLAKI
People come and go from the mansion at all hours during the day. Guards bring criminals cited for "malicious unhappiness." Men and women arrive carrying bundles of wigs, which are piled about the mansion's grand foyer (area N3a) until the construction of the wicker sun for the Festival of the Blazing Sun gets under way.
If the characters knock on the front doors, a maid (LG female human commoner) lets them in, escorts them to the den (area N3e), and leaves to fetch the baron.
ROLEPLAYING THE VALLAKOVICH FAMILY
Use the following information to roleplay the burgomaster and his family.
The Baron. The burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich (NE male human noble), is a ruthless heel who prides himself on his good breeding and finely honed leadership skills. He stages repeated celebrations to foster happiness, and his "All will be well!" catchphrase has become a sad and tiresome punchline. Baron Vallakovich has convinced himself that if he can make every one in Vallaki happy, the town will slip free of Strahd's dark grasp.
The baron has a brittle ego, and he lashes out at anyone who pokes fun at his festivals or treats him disrespectfully. He has two pet mastiffs that follow him everywhere, as well as a murderous and deformed henchman named Izek Strazni (see appendix D). In addition to his weapons, Izek carries an iron ring of keys that unlock the stocks in the town square (area NB). If the characters get on his bad side, the baron accuses them of being "spies of the devil Strahd" and sends twelve guards to arrest them, seize their weapons, and run them out of town. If the guards fail in their duty, the baron sends Izek to rally a mob of thirty commoners to lynch the party. If the commoners also fail, the baron summons the twelve remaining guards to defend his mansion, giving characters the run of the town.
If the characters get on his good side, he insists that they join him in the next festival as special guests and asks that they tell everyone that all will, indeed, be well.
Two members of the baron's household staff have vanished in the past week: the butler and the baroness's lady-in-waiting. The baron has charged Izek with finding out what happened to them, but investigation isn't Izek's forte. Searches have been organized, to no avail.
The Baroness.
At the risk of sacrificing her sanity, the baron's wife, Lydia Petrovna (LG female human commoner), has embraced her husband's philosophy of happiness. She laughs at the baron's every comment, to the extent that it has become a nervous reflex, and she tries to spread good cheer by throwing daily tea-andsandwich parties in the parlor for her "dearest friends," many of them poor folk who tolerate the baroness only because they crave something warm to eat and drink.
Lydia is a gods-fearing woman and the younger sister of the-town priest, Father Lucian Petrovkh. She is a descendant of Tasha Petrovna, a priest entombed in Castle Ravenloft (chapter 4, area K84, crypt 11).
The Baronet.
The baron's miserable son, Victor Vallakovich (NE male human mage), has confined himself to the attic (area N3t), where he is content to avoid the unwanted attention of his mother and the disapproving glares of his father. Years ago, Victor found an old spellbook in the mansion's library and used it to teach himself magic. He has been busy constructing a teleportation circle in the hope of escaping Barovia and leaving his parents to their doom.
N3c. DINING ROOM
Characters can hear the chatter of female voices as they approach this room. The first time they peer inside, read:
A chandelier of wrought iron fitted with wax candles hangs above a polished wooden dining table. Around the table are seated eight women of various ages in comfortable, high-backed chairs. They wear faded clothes, drink tea, and devour cake while a ninth woman, well dressed and very pleased with herself, circles the table and talks excitedly about decorations for the impending festival.
The women seated at the table are eight Vallakian peasants (LG female commoners) invited to spend time with the baroness, Lydia Petrovna, who is bribing them with tea and cake. Lydia has assigned these women the task of stitching children's costumes and weaving together a wicker sun for the Festival of the Blazing Sun. Lydia assumes that the characters are here at the invitation of her husband, the burgomaster. She calls for the maid to take them to the den (area N3e) and then to inform Baron Vallakovich (see area N21) that his guests have arrived. A serving table stands in one corner of the dining hall.
N3n. PREPARATION ROOM
White sheets cover two plain wooden tables in the center of this room. Neatly arranged atop one table is a complete set of polished silverware. The other table is covered
with wicker baskets containing turnips and beets. The beets and turnips are for the Festival of the Blazing Sun (see the "Special Events" section at the end of this chapter).
Treasure. The silverware set ;s worth 150 gp.
N3G. KITCHEN
A cook wearing a white apron over a black smock busies himself in this warm, well-appointed kitchen. A staircase in one corner climbs to the upper floor. The staircase leads to the upstairs gallery (area N3i). A door in the west wall leads to a garden outside. The door is usually locked, and both the cook and the burgomaster carry keys to unlock it.
N3J. IZEK'S BEDROOM
The door to this room is locked. Izek Strazni carries the only key.
The following description assumes the characters have met Ireena Kolyana (see chapter 3, area E4). If the characters haven't met her, don't read the last sentence.
Dolls. This room is full of pretty little dolls with powder white skin and auburn hair, some of them dressed beautifully, others plainly. Some of the dolls fill a long bookshelf, and others are arranged in neat rows on wallmounted shelves. Still others are piled atop a bed and a heavy wooden chest. What's most odd is that all of the dolls, apart from their clothing, look the same. They all look like lreena Kolyana.
The burgomaster's monstrous henchman, Izek Strazni (see appendix D), sleeps here at night. During the day, he is in town taking care of his master's business. Izek's
chest is unlocked and contains a heap of wrinkled clothes, under which is a nonmagical shortsword. A thorough search of the room reveals a few empty wine bottles under the bed. The label on each bears the winery's name, the Wizard of Wines, and wine's name,
Purple Grapemash No. 3.
lzek's Doll Collection.
Each doll has a small tag stitched into its clothing that reads "Is No Fun, Is No Blinsky!" Izek had the local toymaker, Gadof Blinsky (area N7), craft the dolls in Ireena's likeness.
N3L. LIBRARY
Floor-to-ceiling shelves line every wall of this windowless room, and the number of books contained here is nothing short of astounding. A brass oil lamp sits atop a large desk in the center of the room. The chair behind the desk is comfortably padded and has the symbol of a roaring bear stitched into its back cushion. If the burgomaster has not been drawn elsewhere, he is here. Add:
Standing behind the chair, holding an open book, is a bear of a man. His breastplate, rapier, silk tunic, and greasy beard glisten in the lamplight. Resting on small rugs to his left and right are a pair of black mastiffs. Baron Vargas Vallakovich never goes anywhere without his two mastiffs. A paranoid man, he wears his breastplate and rapier even while relaxing in his library. Two of his servants, the butler and his wife's lady-in-waiting, have vanished without a trace in the past week, so he has good cause to be worried.
The baron believes that everyone else is beneath him, and those who question his word or challenge his authority must be humbled. He won't pick a fight with wellarmed
strangers, however. If he can't make the characters yield to his authority, he swallows his pride until he can circle around with Izek Strazni and assemble his guards to run them out of town.
The baron's desk contains three drawers stuffed with blank sheets of parchment, jars of ink, and writing quills. It also holds thick books of tax records dating back to the times of the baron's father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. The baron wears a signet ring and carries three keys:
one that unlocks the outside door in area N3g, and two keys for the door and the manacles in area N3m.
Treasure.
The Vallakovich book collection contains old, leather-bound tomes on virtually every subject. Use the Random Books table (see chapter 4, area K37) to determine the subject matter of a particular book.
N3M. LOCKED CLOSET
The door to this room is locked: The baron carries the key. Chained to the back wall of this otherwise empty closet is a badly beaten man wearing nothing but a loincloth. The iron shackles have cut into his wrists, causing blood to trickle down his hands. The man is a Vallakian shoemaker named Udo Lukovich (LN male human commoner). He was arrested during the Wolf's Head Jamboree for carrying a sigm that suggested that ValJakians. shotJ.ld feed the baron to the wolves. Baron vatlakokhIi is the key to l;Tdo's manacles. The manacles break if they take 10 damage more-from a single weapon attack.
If the characters release Udo, his first desire is to return to his home. Later, he plans to tell Father Lucian (see area Nl) of his ill treatment in the burgomaster's estate. If the baron discovers that Udo has escaped or been set free, he sends Izek to find the shoemaker and bring him back for further questioning. Under great duress, Udo provides the names or descriptions of those who liberated him, turning the burgomaster against the characters.
N3P. BRIDAL GOWN AND SPIRIT MIRROR
This room smells of powder and fine perfume. A vanity with a mirror stands against one wall next to a faceless wooden mannequin wearing a white bridal gown. Mounted on another wall is a full-length mirror with a gilded frame. A door in one corner leads to a garderobe. The baroness used to while away long hours in this room, fondling her perfume collection and searching for solace in her own reflection. Since her lady-in-waiting went missing several days ago, the baroness has spent almost no time here.
Bridal Gown.
The white gown stored here belongs to the baroness. It reminds the her of ha'ppief times.'
Magic Mirror.
A.detectmaJC st>elfre:vels .that' the gilded mirror on the wall.adiales,gri :au·ra'bf c6rtjration . magic. None of the :ma11i,s'.ritttitpecu.pa"rtts are' .;
aware of this fact; becaus'·thei rrifrrdr's magic hasn't •. been used. in generatibO:s. Casti1bi.n 'fdeptify sp-el(ori . 'themirror reveals tht an assassin's ghot{s magically. bB1,1nd to it. The spell also reveals .the forgqttn rhyme needed to summon the ghost.
The entity in the mirror is the spirit of a nameless assassin who once belonged to a secret society called the Ba'al Verzi. If a creature speaks the rhyme while
standing within 5 feet of the mirror and staring at its own reflection, the assassin's ghost appears nearby. The form that the spirit takes depends on the alignment of
the one who summoned it:
Non-evil Summoner. If the summoner isn't evil, the spirit assumes solid form, appearing as a darkly handsome thirty-year-old man with bloodshot eyes. He has the statistics of an assassin but doesn't speak, and he disappears into the ether if reduced to O hit points. The assassin's summoner can command him to kill one living creature within Strahd's domain that the summoner mentions by name. The assassin automatically knows the distance and direction to the named target. The assassin attacks any other creature that tries to prevent him from completing his assignment.
Once he completes his task, the assassin disappears. If commanded to attack a creature that is either dead or undead, or if he isn't given an appropriate name within 1 round of being summoned, the assassin disappears.
Evil Summoner. If the summoner is evil, the ghost manifests as a pair of floating, bloodshot eyes and strong, spectral hands. The hands try to wrap themselves around the summoner's neck. The spectral eyes and hands have the statistics of a ghost, but without the Etherealness and Possession actions. The ghost attacks its summoner until one or the other drops to 0 hit points, at which point it disappears. Once the power of the mirror is used, the mirror becomes dormant until the next dawn. The mirror has AC 10, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Destroying it lays the assassin's spirit to rest, causing the manifestation to disappear if it is present.
The mirror corrupts those who use it to do evil. Summoning the assassin isn't evil, but using him to commit murder is. Each time a creature uses the mirror for this
purpose, there is a cumulative 25 percent chance that the creature's alignment shifts to neutral evil. If a character touches the mirror and speaks Strahd's name, there is a 50 percent chance that Strahd takes notice and appears on the mirror's surface. In this form, the vampire can't be harmed. He tries to charm.one humanoid
he can see within 30 feet of the mirror. Whether the target resists the effect·or·not;.Strahd's smiling visge invites the chara:ctei-s to:dine at Ca!?tllRavenloft,
then fades away.A creatur chartned'by Strhdfeels compelled to accept the vampire's invitation.
Summon forth your shade;
Night's dark vengeance, heed my call
And wield your murderous blade.