Page 111 - Curse of Strahd_Neat

Treasure. Victor's spellbook contains all the spells ears and suggests they start by killing the baron's evil
Victor has prepared (see the mage stat block in the henchman, Izek Strazni. She's happy to take care of the
Monster Manual) as well as the following spells: acid rest. If they come looking for a way to defeat Strahd,
splash, animate dead, blight, cloudkill, darkvision, Lady Wachter turns them away, stating in no uncertain
glyph of warding, levitate, mending, remove curse, and terms that she is not, nor ever will be, Strahd's enemy.
thunderwave. Lady Wachter has a different list of prepared spells
from that of the priest in the Monster Manual:
N4. WACHTERHAUS Cantrips (at will): light, mending, thaumaturgy
1st level (4 slots): command, purify food and drink, sanctuary
2nd level (3 slots): augury, gentle repose, hold person
This house seems disgusted with itself. A slouching roof 3rd level (2 slots): animate dead, create food and water
hangs heavy over furrowed gables, and moss-covered Fiona's Sons. Fiona sees a lot of her husband in her
walls sag and bulge under the weight of the vegetation. sons, Nikolai and Karl (N male human nobles), who
As you study the house's sullen countenance, you hear have grown into young men with a fondness for wine
the edifice actually groan. Only then do you realize the and trouble. They aren't home during the day, because
extent to which the house hates what it has become. 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
The Wachter family, once an influential noble line in about town. The brothers are home most nights, passed
Barovia, owns and occupies a mansion in Vallaki. The out in their beds after hours of heavy drinking.
house's reigning governess, Fiona Wachter, is a loyal Nikolai and Karl have none of their mother's ambition
servant of Strahd. She seeks to supplant Baron Valla­ or mean temper. They are aware of her cult, but they
kovich as the town burgomaster. don't know that she sleeps with their dead father. This
would be unwelcome news and probably turn them
ROLE PLAYING against their mother. They want only to spend their
Use the following information to roleplay Lady Wachter, mother's money and make the most of their miserable
her family, and her associates. situation, trapped as they are within the walls ofVallaki
Lady of the House. Lady Fiona Wachter (LE female under the control of Strahd and his puppet, the baron.
human priest with AC 10 and no armor) makes no Fiona's Spy. Fiona employs a money-grubbing spy
secret of her family's long-standing loyalty to the von named Ernst Larnak (LE male human) to keep her in­
Zarovich line. She believes that Strahd von Zarovich is formed about everything that happens in town. Ernst
no tyrant but, at worst, a negligent landlord. She would knows Lady Wachter's secrets, and he would blackmail
happily serve Strahd as burgomaster of Vallaki, but she her in a heartbeat if their relationship went sour.
knows that Baron Vargas Vallakovich won't give up his
birthright without a fight. N4A. FRONT DOOR AND VESTIBULE
Fiona conspired to wed her young daughter, Stella, to The front door is locked and reinforced with bronze
the baron's son, Victor, as part of a plot to gain a foot­ bands. All of the servants carry a key, as do Lady Wach­
hold in the baron's mansion, but Stella found Victor to ter and Ernst Larnak. The door can be forced open with
be demented, and he showed no interest in Stella what­ a successful DC 20 Strength check.
soever. In fact, he spoke such unkind words to Stella If the characters knock on the front door, a servant
that she went mad, and Fiona had to lock her daughter opens a small window cut into the door at eye height
away (see area N4n). and asks their business. Suspicious-looking strangers
Lady Wachter's latest scheme to gain control ofVallaki aren't invited inside, in case they're vampires.
is far more diabolical. She has started a cult based on l
devil worship and has written a manifesto that she reads
to her "book club," which is made up of the most fanat­ The front door opens into a narrow vestibule. Three
ical group members. Inspired by her words, these zeal­ l stained-glass doors in wooden frames lead from it.
ots have created smaller cults of their own. Once her
cult has enough members, Fi . ona plans to take the town Two closets flank the front door. Tl)e western closet con­
by force. To reward her most Loya� followers, she)1as tains Lady Wachter's outdoor clothes; the eastetn one
her pet imp stand invisibly·in the center of a pehtagram, contains coats and boot� that belongto her chHdr.en.-.
then performs a fats� rituafthatc�ils upo�:"prince.s of
,
darkness" to lavish their appredat1on i.tpon the cultists.' N4B. STAIRCASE
The imp then sprinkles· o·�to tfie ) ioot a few electrum
coins, which Lady Wachter allow� the cultists to keep.
Another secret of Fiona's is that she sleeps with the A wooden staircase leads up to a balcony. At the foot of
- corpse of her dead husband, Nikolai, who died of sick­ the stairs is a landing with three stained-glass doors in
.ness nearly three years ago and whom Fiona cherished. wooden frames .
. Lady Wachter casts gentle repose spells on the corpse to
keep it from deteriorating.
If the characters come to Wachterhaus looking foi: The �taircase climbs 15 feet to the upstairs hall
·
help to overthrow the burgomaster, Lady Wachter is all (area N21) .. · ::·
.
.
CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN OF VALLAKI ---
110 J ) . . .
,-.,.
·" ; �-·· ..=
\ f'

·-- - - -- - · ·-·------ °'-. ·7 .. ----