The Wachter family, once an influential noble line in Barovia, owns and occupies a mansion in Vallaki. The house's reigning governess, Fiona Wachter, is a loyal servant of Strahd. She seeks to…

This house seems disgusted with itself. A slouching roof hangs heavy over furrowed gables, and moss-covered walls sag and bulge under the weight of the vegetation. As you study the house's sullen countenance, you hear the edifice actually groan. Only then do you realize the extent to which the house hates what it has become.

The Wachter family, once an influential noble line in Barovia, owns and occupies a mansion in Vallaki. The house's reigning governess, Fiona Wachter, is a loyal servant of Strahd. She seeks to supplant Baron Vallakovich as the town burgomaster.

ROLE PLAYING
Use the following information to roleplay Lady Wachter, her family, and her associates.

Lady of the House. Lady Fiona Wachter (LE female human priest with AC 10 and no armor) makes no secret of her family's long-standing loyalty to the von Zarovich line. She believes that Strahd von Zarovich is no tyrant but, at worst, a negligent landlord. She would happily serve Strahd as burgomaster of Vallaki, but she knows that Baron Vargas Vallakovich won't give up his
birthright without a fight. Fiona conspired to wed her young daughter, Stella, to the baron's son Victor, as part of a plot to gain a foot hold in the baron's mansion, but Stella found Victor to
be demented, and he showed no interest in Stella what soever. In fact, he spoke such unkind words to Stella that she went mad, and Fiona had to lock her daughter away (see area N4n).

Lady Wachter's latest scheme to gain control of Vallaki is far more diabolical. She has started a cult based on devil worship and has written a manifesto that she reads to her "book club," which is made up of the most fanatical group members. Inspired by her words, these zealots have created smaller cults of their own. Once her cult has enough members, Fiona plans to take the town by force. To reward her most Loyal followers, she has her pet imp stand invisibly in the center of a pentagram, then performs a false ritual that calls upon "princes of darkness" to lavish their appreciation upon the cultists. The imp then sprinkles a few coins on to the floor, which Lady Wachter allows the cultists to keep.

Another secret of Fiona's is that she sleeps with the corpse of her dead husband, Nikolai, who died of sickness nearly three years ago and whom Fiona cherished. Lady Wachter casts gentle repose spells on the corpse to keep it from deteriorating.

If the characters come to Wachterhaus looking for help to overthrow the burgomaster, Lady Wachter is all ears and suggests they start by killing the baron's evil henchman, Izek Strazni. She's happy to take care of the rest. If they come looking for a way to defeat Strahd, Lady Wachter turns them away, stating in no uncertain terms that she is not, nor ever will be, Strahd's enemy.

Fiona's Sons. Fiona sees a lot of her husband in her sons, Nikolai and Karl (N male human nobles), who have grown into young men with a fondness for wine and trouble. They aren't home during the day, because they don't like attending to their mother or listening to her tiresome prattle. The characters might encounter them at the Blue Water Inn (area N2) or wandering about town. The brothers are home most nights, passed out in their beds after hours of heavy drinking.

Nikolai and Karl have none of their mother's ambition or mean temper. They are aware of her cult, but they don't know that she sleeps with their dead father. This would be unwelcome news and probably turn them against their mother. They want only to spend their mother's money and make the most of their miserable situation, trapped as they are within the walls of Vallaki under the control of Strahd and his puppet, the baron.

Fiona's Spy. Fiona employs a money-grubbing spy named Ernst Larnak (LE male human) to keep her in formed about everything that happens in town. Ernst knows Lady Wachter's secrets, and he would blackmail her in a heartbeat if their relationship went sour.

N4A. FRONT DOOR AND VESTIBULE

The front door is locked and reinforced with bronze bands. All of the servants carry a key, as do Lady Wachter and Ernst Larnak. The door can be forced open with a successful DC 20 Strength check. If the characters knock on the front door, a servant opens a small window cut into the door at eye height and asks their business. Suspicious-looking strangers aren't invited inside, in case they're vampires.

lThe front door opens into a narrow vestibule. Three lstained-glass doors in wooden frames lead from it. Two closets flank the front door. Tl)e western closet contains Lady Wachter's outdoor clothes; the eastetn one contains coats and boots that belong to her chHdr.en.-.

N4C. KITCHEN

ANO MAJESTO
The house cook (see area N4h) rushes about this spotless kitchen most of the day, preparing meals or cleaning up after himself. A washbasin stands in the northeast corner. A slender door in the west wall leads to a small pantry.

N4D. STORAGE ROOM
This room holds crates of old clothing, as well as three barrels of drinking water, two empty wine barrels, and one full wine barrel. The wine barrels are emblazoned with the winery name, the Wizard of Wines, and the wine's name, Red Dragon Crush.

N4F. SERVANTS' CLOSET (SECRET DOOR)
Servants' coats and aprons hang from hooks in this room, and boots are neatly lined up against the wall. Anyone who searches the closet and makes a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception). check ffnds a secref door in the south wall. The door can be.pulled op�n to reveal a stone staircase (area N4g) that leads to the cellar. Iron torch sconces cling to the wall of a stone staircase that cuts its way through the heart of the old house. The stairs connect the servants' closet (area N4f) with the cellar (area N4s). Lady Wachter uses this staircase
to reach her secret cult lair (area N4t).

They include a cook named Dhavit, two maids named Madalena and Amalthia, and a valet named Haliq. The servants know Lady Wachter's secrets, but they would sooner die than betray her.

N4I. PARLOR
Lady Wachter greets her guests here, under the watchful eyes of her dead husband. Here three elegant couches surround an oval table made of black glass. All are set in front of a blazing hearth, above which hangs the portrait of a smirking nobleman sporting a broken nose and a tangle of hair graying at the temples. Several smaller portraits hang on the north wall.

The portrait above the mantel depicts Lord Nikolai Wachter, Fiona's late husband (of whom his sons are the spitting image). The other portraits depict Lady Wachter, her sons, her daughter, and various deceased family members. The parlor shares the fireplace with the den (area N4k). Ernst Larnak lurks in the den and eavesdrops on any conversation that Lady Wachter has with the characters, so that he can advise her after they depart.

N4J. DINING ROOM
An ornate dining table stretches the length of this room, a crystal chandelier hanging above it imperiously. The silverware is tarnished, the dishes chipped, yet all are still quite elegant. Eight chairs, their backs adorned with sculpted elk horns, surround the table. Arched windows made of a latticework of iron and glass look out onto the small, fog-swept estate.

If the characters aim to oppose the burgomaster, Lady Wachter offers them a warm meal in the dining room as a token of her support and allegiance.

N4K. DEN (NPC: ERNST THE SPY, TREASURE)
Wood paneling, embroidered rugs, colorful furnishings, and a blazing fire make this chamber stifling. Mounted above the mantel is an elk's head. Across from the hearth, tall, slender windows look out over dead gardens.
Ernst Larnak, Lady Wachter's spy, lounges here when he's not out spying on her behalf.

N4L. UPSTAIRS HALL (NPC: STELLA)
A hallway with a window at each end wraps around the staircase railing. Framed portraits and mirrors festoon the walls, surrounding you with judging looks and dark reflections. You hear something scratching at one of the many doors.

The scratching noise comes from the door to area N4n, which is locked. If the characters call out, a plaintive female voice meows like a cat and says, "Can little kitty come out to play? Little kitty is sad and lonely and promises to be good this time, really she does." A closet at the south end of the hallway holds blankets and linens.

N4M. BROTHERS'ROOMS
This bedroom contains nothing out of the ordinary: a neatly made bed, a table with an oil lamp on it, a hand some wooden chest, a slender wardrobe, and a window box with drapes.
These two rooms belong to Lady Wachter's sons, Niko lai and Karl. There's a 25 percent chance that one of the maids (see area N4h) is here, tidying up.

*N4N. STELLA'S ROOM (NPC: STELLA)

The door to this room is locked from both sides, and only Lady Wachter has a key. This room is musty and dark. An iron-framed bed fitted with leather straps stands near a wall. The place has no other furnishings.

Scurrying away from you on all fours is a young woman in a soiled nightgown. She leaps onto the bed and hisses like a cat. "Little kitty doesn't know you!" she shouts. "Little kitty doesn't like the smell of you!"

The young woman is Stella Wachter (CG female human commoner), Lady Wachter's insane daughter. A greater restoration spell rids her of the madness that makes her think she's a cat. If she is cured of her madness, she blames her mother for treating her horribly and using her as a pawn to seize control of the town. Stella knows none of her mother's secrets, apart from her
mother's desire to overthrow the burgomaster. Stella has nothing kind to sa about the burgomaster or his, son, Victor, whose very name makes her cringe. With her wits restored, Stella feels she has no one in Vallaki she can count on. She latches onto any character who is kind to her. If the party takes her to St. Andral's church (area Nl), Father Lucian offers to look after her, and she agrees to stay with him.

N4O. MASTER BEDROOM (TRAP, CORPSE, FORTUNES OF RAVENLOFT)

The door to this room is locked. Lady Wachter and her servants carry keys. A ghastly sight awaits those who peer into the room:
Across from the door, a fire sputters and struggles for life in the hearth, above which hangs a framed family portrait: a noble father and mother, their two young sons, and a baby daughter in the father's arms. The sons are smiling in a way that suggests mischief. The parents look like uncrowned royalty.

Wood paneling covers the walls of the room. A closet and a framed mirror flank a curtained window to the south. To the north, a wide, canopied bed lies pinned between matching end tables with oil lamps. Stretched out on one side of the bed is a man dressed in black, his eyes each covered with a copper piece. He bears a striking resemblance to the father in the painting.

Lady Wachter's husband, Nikolai, lies in his bed, impeccably dressed, quite deceased, and under the effect of the gentle repose spell. Nothing of value is on him.

The closet contains shelves of fancy footwear and many fine garments, including a black ceremonial robe with a hood (similar to the ones worn by the cult fanatics in area N4t). On a high shelf rests a locked iron chest. Lady Wachter hides the key to the chest on a tiny hook in the fireplace, under the mantel. A character who takes a minute to search the fireplace finds the key with a successful Notice check. Use of the key disables a poison needle trap hidden in the lock. A creature that triggers the trap and fails the saving throw against the needle's poison falls unconscious for 1 hour instead of being poisoned for 1 hour.

The iron chest is lined with thin sheets of lead and contains the bones of Leo Dilisnya, an enemy of the Wachter family. Leo was one of the soldiers who betrayed and murdered Strahd on the day of Sergei and Tatyana's wedding. He escaped from Castle Raven loft, only to be hunted down and killed by the vampire Strahd. The Wachters keep his bones under lock and
key so that Leo can't be raised frorrt the dead.

N4P. LIBRARY (A CAT WITH A KEY)

The double doors to this room are locked, Lady Wachter and her servants carry the key.

This room is crawling with cats. Bookshelves hug the walls, but most of the shelves are bare. Other furnishings include a desk, a chair, a table, and a wine cabinet. The room has an irregular shape, and none of its angles seem quite right, as though the shifting of the house has set the whole place on edge.

Eight cats have the run of the library. These family pets have vicious dispositions, attacking anyone who tries to pick them up. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 10 or higher notice that one cat has a small key hanging from its collar. The key opens the locked chest in area N4q. There is a 25 percent chance that one of the maids is here, dusting the bookshelves.

The cabinet holds a fine collection of wineglasses. The desk contains blank pieces of parchment, quill pens, jars of ink, wax candles, and a wax seal. Most of the Wachter family's book collection was sold off years ago to cover debts, and the books that remain aren't particularly valuable. Use the Random Books table (see chapter 4, area K37) to determine the subject
matter of a particular book. A section of the bookshelf that stretches along the southernmost wall is actually a secret door on hidden hinges. The bookshelf can be pulled outward, revealing
an open doorway that leads to the Storage Room.

N4Q. STORAGE ROOM (TRAP, TREASURE)

Behind the hinged panel in the bookcase lies a dusty, ten-foot-square room with a curtained window and shelves lining three walls. On the bottom shelf rests an iron chest. The other shelves are bare.

The key to the chest can be found in the library (area N4p). Use of the key disables a poison needle trap hidden in the lock.
Treasure. The iron chest contains several items:
• A silk bag containing 180 ep, each coin bearing Strahd's stern visage in profile
A leather bag containing 110 gp
A wooden pipe that has been passed down through many generations of Wachter Patriarchs
Five scrolls-notarized deeds:for parcels.·of land given to the Wachter family by Count Strahd von Zarovich nearly four centuries ago.
A supple leather case containing an unbound manuscript titled The Devil We Know - a poetic manifesto written by Lady Fiona Wachter attesting that the worship of devils can bring happiness, success, freedom, health, and longevity.
A blasphemous treatise bound in black leather titled The Grimoire of the Four Quarters, written by the infamous diabolist Devostas, who was drawn and quartered for his fell practices yet did not die (this is a forgery; the actual grimoire would drive a reader mad)
A very old letter to Lady Lovina Wachter (an ancestor) from one Lord Vasili von Holtz, thanking Lovina for her hospitality, loyalty, and friendship over the years

Characters who have the Tome of Strahd (see appendix C) realize that the handwriting in Lady Lovina's letter is identical to Strahd's handwriting, suggesting that Strahd and Lord Vasili are one and the same.

N4R. CELLAR ENTRANCE

This large root cellar has a dirt floor. Two ascending
flights of stone steps enclosed by wooden railings stand across from one another. Tracks in the earth lead from one staircase to the other, and other trails. go from both staircases to the center of the bare west wall. Four neatly made cots are set in a row against the south wall.
N4S. CELLAR (ENCOUNTER: SKELETONS)

Buried under the earthen floor are eight human skeletons-the animated remains of dead Vallakians that were stolen from the church cemetery (area Nl) and animated by Lady Wachter. They rise up and attack intruders who cross the floor. The skeletons don't attack anyone who utters the phrase "Let the dead remain at rest" before setting foot on the floor. Only Lady Wachter, her sons, her servants, and her loyal cult fanatics know the pass phrase.

The cots are here for cultists to spend the night. The footprints in the dirt give away the location of a secret door in the center of the western wall. Consequently, no ability check is required to locate it. The door is soundproof and pivots open on a central axis.

N4T. CULT HEADQUARTERS (ENCOUNTER: CULT FANATICS, IMP)
Flickering candles in iron holders fill this room with light and shadows. This room has a ten-foot-high ceiling and a large black pentagram inscribed on the stone floor. At each point of the pentagram rests a wooden chair. Seated in four of the five chairs are men and women in black robes with hoods: a young man who has the face of an angel; a balding hulk of a man; a squat, middle-aged woman; and a taller, younger woman with an unsettling glare. They rise to confront you.

The four people are town residents (LE male and female human cult fanatics) whom Lady Wachter has seduced with promises of power, wealth, and long life. They are members of her "book club," eagerly waiting for Lady Wachter to join them, read passages from her manifesto (see area N4q), and maybe conjure up a few coins. Resting on the fifth chair, quietly eavesdropping on the cult ists, is the lady's invisible imp, Majesto.

The cultists are gathered here in secret and attack the characters to protect their identities. They are evil Vallakians of no great importance who are tired of living in fear and poverty. Use the "Barovian Names" sidebar in chapter 2 to generate names for them, if needed.

The imp doesn't get involved in the fighting unless Lady Wachter is drawn into the conflict, in which case it fights to protect its mistress.
The pentagram is a nonmagical decoration, though Lady Wachter would have her cultists believe otherwise.

N5. ARASEK STOCKYARD
This large stockyard has several locked sheds along its periphery and lies adjacent to a roomy warehouse.

A wooden sign above the front gate reads "Arasek Stockyard."
Parked at the south end of the stockyard is a sturdy carnival wagon, its colorful paint peeling off. Faded lettering on its sides spells out the words "Rictavio's Carnival of Wonders." A heavy padlock secures the back door.
The stockyard is a general store and a facility where storage sheds can be rented. It is owned by a middle aged married couple, Gunther and Yelena Arasek (LG male and female commoners).

Inhabitants:

Lord Nikolai Wachter (deceased)

Lady Fiona Wachter

Nikolai Wachter and Karl Wachter (only return at night to pass out)

Stella Wachter (crazy, thinks she is a cat)
 
Dhavit (cook)

Madalena (maid)

Amalthia (maid)

Haliq (valet)

Ernst Larnak (spy)

Boris (cultist)

Alek (cultist)

Isabella (cultist)

Victoria (cultist)

Majesto (Imp)