Vallaki

Ambient Audio

Vallaki Town audio daytime by Sword Coast audio

Arasek Stockyard

Rictavio the Bard’s carnival wagon rests here. Inside is his saber-toothed tiger, which is trained to attack Vistani on sight. The stockyard is run by Gunther and Yelena Arasek. They also run the general store there, selling inexpensive gear at 5x the price. There’s a secret compartment in the wagon containing items that are clues to Rictavio’s true identity.

Blinsky's Toys

Gadof Blinsky is a perfect, wonderful cinnamon roll, and one of the very few bright spots that your party will encounter in Barovia (which is ironic, considering his own macabre sense of fun). Your PCs will adore him, especially if you put a good bit of effort into his excellent accent. Don’t forget to include the Ireena Kolyana dolls, which make for an excellently Twilight Zone-ish bit of foreshadowing to Izek’s obsession. 10/10; would purchase toys from again. (reddit)

The Coffin Maker’s Shop

Henrik van der Voort runs this shop. A man named Vasili von Holtz promised Henrik “good business” if he keeps boxes of vampire spawn in his shop. Now…what equates to “good business” for a coffin maker? Henrik will likely conceal that he knew the consequences of this promise, and ask for aid in evading the wrath of the spawn upstairs (as he knows he can’t overpower the PCs, and knows the game is up). (reddit)

The vampire spawn here are outright death for your party. This encounter can be a tricky balance of giving them enough information to keep them alive, but not so much that everything is made obvious. My advice: Carefully review exactly what Henrik knows, and then present it in a way that makes him appear the most sympathetic: (reddit)

He almost certainly does not know that the vampires plan to attack during St. Andral’s Feast, but he might know that they’ve recently become more active. Henrik knows that the vampire spawn have some machination involving the Bones of St. Andral (as he’s the one that paid Millivoj to steal them), but he’s clueless otherwise. No matter what, he sticks to his story that he is a helpless victim, forced to commit an evil act by Strahd’s creatures. (reddit)

Blinsky Toys. Owned by the delightfully fun Gadof Blinsky, the “wizard of tiny wonders.” He builds creepy toys befitting the tone of Barovia. He also has possession of Rictavio’s monkey, Piccolo. He is forced to create dolls in the likeness of Ireena Kolyana for the brutal and cruel Izek Strazni.

The Town Square of Vallaki. This place is decorated for a celebration, in fact the Baron’s weekly festivals. Guards are removing the fliers of last week’s festival, and putting up fliers for this week’s festival. There are stocks with villagers imprisoned in them, wearing crudely made, plaster donkey heads to ridicule them.

[[St. Andral’s Church. A church for worshippers of the Morninglord, and watched over by Father Lucian Petrovich, Lady Baroness Lydia Petrovna’s older brother. He has with him Milivoj, a troubled young man, and an orphaned altar boy Yeska. Lucian is concerned about the recent disappearance of the bones of St. Andral, which once lay hidden beneath the church’s altar, and consecrated the grounds. Many Vallakians rely on this place for comfort and hope against the hopelessness of Barovia. The exciting “St. Andral’s Feast” event takes place here.

[[Blue Water Inn. Vallaki’s inn and tavern owned and operated by the Martikov family: Urwin, Danika, and their mischievous sons Brom and Bray. More of the Martikovs are found at the Wizard of Wines Winery further in the Barovia valley. They are all secretly wereravens of the Keepers of the Feather order, which fights against the darkness of Strahd, and can ally with the adventurers. They are concerned with the status of the Winery and their family there. Rictavio rents a room here, and Vallaki’s two wolf hunters – Szoldar Szoldarovich and Yevgeni Krushkin – can be found in the taproom often. Also frequenters of the inn’s bar are the Wachter brothers Nikolai and Karl.

img_0261 The Martikovs [[Burgomaster’s Mansion. This is where the mad Baron Vargas Vallakovich lives with his family: Baroness Lydia Petrovna, and the Baronet Victor Vallakovich. It is also where the brutal Izek Strazni lives. There’s a lot going on here as well. Missing servants, preparations for this week’s festival, Izek’s doll collection, an imprisoned Vallaki commoner, a bridal gown that will become useful later in the campaign, a magic mirror, and the Baronet’s attempts to escape Barovia via teleportation circle. Victor could also be an (unlikely) ally to the party. And all that doesn’t even include the insane Baron and his two mastiffs.

[[Wachterhaus. The evil Lady Fiona Wachter lives here with her 3 children. The two brothers who like to spend time at the Blue Water Inn’s taproom (who could possibly become allies to the adventurers) Nikolai and Karl, her insane daughter Stella (who thinks she’s a cat), her spy and confidante Ernst Larnak, and her invisible pet imp, Majesto. Oh yeah, and the body of her late husband, which lies preserved in her bed. Further, Wachterhaus plays host to a cult, known as Lady Wachter’s “book club,” made up of Vallakians who believe that the worship of devils will bring about peace and happiness.

Vistani Camp Near Vallaki. Located some distance outside of Vallaki, a lot is happening here as well. The Vistani leaders, brothers Arrigal and Luvash, are torturing a boy who was supposed to be watching Luvash’s daughter, Arabelle (she’s up at the lake north of Vallaki, about to be drowned by a desperate, misguided man). Further, the Vistani are out of wine, and want the adventurers to bring them more. Finally, a group of dusk elves reside in this camp, the last of their kind, thanks to Strahd. One of them is a potential ally to the adventurers, but he has an agenda of his own.

In addition to all these locations and NPCs, there are FOUR special events that take place in Vallaki: Festival of the Blazing Sun; Tyger, Tyger; Lady Wachter’s Wish; and St. Andral’s Feast. That is a LOT to handle, especially considering that adventurers are only in Vallaki to escort Ireena there to safety, and are now – probably – set on a collision course with Strahd. Though I will say this: Chris Perkins did a great job of interweaving all of these characters together, and really giving Vallaki a sense of history – of things that’ve happened here before the adventurers arrived. It’s pretty cool to behold.

Here’s what I feel like are the most important parts of Vallaki. The Martikov Family and the Keepers of the Feather. Wine is a big plot point that keeps cropping up, and it’s especially important when you’re ready to get to Kresk. This means the party is eventually going to hit the Wizard of Wines Winery, which means the group should meet the Martikovs and start to become familiar with the ravens of Barovia.

The Baron of Vallaki and his festivals. He’s crazy, and it is very unlikely the party will get through Vallaki without meeting him. This means there’s a good possibility they’ll be forced to attend the Festival of the Blazing Sun, and that they’ll run into Izek at some point.

Rictavio. He is a big part of Strahd’s story, and has quite a fantastic – if tragic – story of his own, as Rudolph van Richten – legendary vampire hunter. Plus, his Vistani protégé Ezmerelda de Avenir is in Barovia as well, and I think she’s a great possible ally for the adventurers.

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Vallaki Overview

Here’s the deal with Vallaki: It is huge. It not only contains a massive number of plot hooks, but is also the central location in Barovia, meaning that, once they reach level 3 or 4, it’s pretty likely that your PCs will spend a hefty amount of time here through levels 6 or 7. (reddit)

By that time, they’re liable to be sick of the politics and gloom, so make sure to throw them plenty of opportunities for day trips (e.g., Argynvostholt, Wizard of Wines, etc.) to keep them from feeling like they’re trapped. Of the three populated villages in Barovia, though, Vallaki is easily the most well-fleshed out, which means that you almost have to focus on it to make the plight of the Barovian people feel real. It’s a fine balance to walk, but there’s so much here that it’s definitely a fun one.

(reddit)

Vallaki Town Gates

Once/If the Baron is overthrown, there will likely be a changing of the guard. Make sure they respond to the PCs appropriately, depending on which faction has seized power and how they feel about the PCs. Sneaking over Vallaki’s palisade wall can make for a great skill challenge - in my game, after seizing Ireena from the Church, Izek barred the PCs from re-entry, which led to a fantastic James Bond-style infiltration mission involving invisibility, a wolf corpse (to pad the spiked tips of the palisade), and an unhelpful Animated Dead zombie named Steve. (reddit)

Vallaki Lore

I’d recommend placing Rictavio on the side of the road as the PCs enter Vallaki. Mention briefly the puppet show run by the brightly-dressed man; it makes for an excellent contrast with the drab Barovians watching from the muddy cobblestones. (reddit)

If any PCs inquire about the Amber Temple or similarly exotic locations, have a resident point them toward the Dusk Elf encampment on the outside of town - Kasimir makes for an excellent guide, especially if one of your Tarokka treasures is located within the Temple. (reddit)

St. Andral’s Church

See my post on running the Bones & Feast of St. Andral.

Don't forget to make Father Lucian a super-likable NPC, by the way - while the book doesn't mention it explicitly, you can't go wrong by giving him some small-scale healing spells. The more hospitable he is to your PCs, the more it will hurt when you inevitably murder the fuck out of him. (reddit)

Blue Water Inn

I’ll point you over to /u/paintraina’s excellent post for notes on this.

Burgomaster’s Mansion

If the Baron learns that Ireena is in town, I personally enjoy the idea of him inviting the party over for tea. This makes for a nice counterbalance to Lady Wachter’s own dinner invitation, and offers an opportunity for the PCs to meet Victor briefly (as Vargas may want to look into setting him up with Ireena). This also does a great job of humanizing the Baroness (who will likely privately suggest to any women of the group that they take Ireena to Krezk instead, fearing the consequences of drawing Strahd’s attention to Father Lucian, her brother), and increases the probability of the PCs antagonizing the Baron, with humorous consequences. It’s also a great opportunity for Izek to encounter Ireena, if he hasn’t already, or for the Baron to ask the PCs to pick up a shipment from the Wizard of Wines, in exchange for a “place of honor” at the Festival. (reddit)

I highly recommend using /u/guildsbounty’s take on Victor Vallakovich, found here. They do a better job of presenting the idea than me, but the TL;DR is: (1) Victor is a powerful mage; (2) Victor has already killed two innocents in the name of research; (3) Victor’s company actively drove Stella mad; and (4) It’s rare that “cruel words” alone can drive a person’s mind to insanity. (reddit)

Wachterhaus

When running a political game, I find it helpful to keep track of how NPC schemes would unfold in the absence of the PCs. With that said, I highly recommend using /u/Vindicer's discussion of Lady Wachter’s plots and plans, found here. (reddit)

Lady Wachter herself is a bit of an odd character to run. The module seems to gently prod you toward her cult’s headquarters, but never really provides a reason to view the cult unfavorably. Speaking from personal experience (involving one extremely necessary retcon), I’d recommend against making these cultists actively antagonistic. Don’t make them bullies of the townsfolk, a la Phandelver’s Redbrand Ruffians. Don’t make them generic Death House “death sacrifice fanatics,” either. Instead, if you must bring them to the forefront, keep them (and Lady Wachter) the “book club” that they are. (reddit)

This is a great opportunity for an uncanny valley/strange bedfellows plot point, as it’s quite possible that these cultists eventually wind up fighting Izek and the Baron’s forces in an effort to defend Ireena (or at least seize power in Vallaki for themselves). Your players will also be driven crazy by the sheer weirdness of socializing and/or allying with people who worship Strahd and other devils, which I absolutely consider a perk. (reddit)

Coffin Maker’s Shop

Town Square

If you wind up running some kind of coup or revolution, I highly recommend placing it here. I ran my own PCs through a session-long combat involving Izek, the town guard, masked cultists, concealed spellcasters, and a wrathful thunderstorm during the Festival of the Blazing Sun, and they had a blast. This big, open area lends itself well to hosting a number of props, important NPCs, and interesting combat options. If your PCs wind up participating in such a rebellion, that’s an excellent opportunity for a milestone, too (given how much of a thorn Izek has likely been in their side). (reddit)

Tyger, Tyger

If you’re also the kind of DM who likes to run skill challenges, a la 4th Edition, this is a great opportunity for it. PCs have the chance to use Stealth, Animal Handling, Nature, Athletics, Perception, Investigation, and any number of social checks to track that saber-tooth down, evade detection by the Baron’s forces, and help Rictavio lead the beast back to its wagon. It’s also a great opportunity to loop Rictavio into the story if he isn’t already the party’s ally, which is never a bad thing. Don’t forget that this is also an opportunity to have Rictavio point the PCs toward Van Richten’s Tower, which is a fun little area that is otherwise a ways off the beaten path. (reddit)

Lady Wachter’s Wish

To be honest, I’m not really a fan of the whole “Arrigal rides to Castle Ravenloft to inform Strahd” part of this event. Us CoS DMs tend to assume that Strahd is already able to locate Ireena easily enough (given his access to the Scrying spell), so it’s honestly rather pointless. I’d prefer to have some Vistani hunt or ambush the PCs on the road outside of town, culminating in them stealing some sort of valuable item from the PCs. Perhaps that item even makes its way into the hands of Lady Wachter, complicating the situation. Whatever you choose, just make sure to be careful before setting up Arrigal himself against the PCs - a CR 8 enemy ain’t nothing to sneeze at. (reddit)