Curse of Strahd

N2c. TAPROOM

Damp cloaks hang from pegs in the entrance portico. 5"?.0LDI\R
The tavern is packed with tables and chairs, with nar­ 5"?.0LDI\ROVICH
row paths meandering between them. A bar stretches
along one wall, under a balcony that can be reached by a
wooden staircase that hugs the north wall. Another bal­
cony overhangs an entrance to the east. All the windows
are fitted with thick shutters and crossbars. Lanterns
hanging above the bar and resting on the tables bathe
the room in dull orange light and cast shadows upon
the walls, most of which are adorned with wolf heads
mounted on wooden plaques.

The double doors leading into the taproom can be YevGENI l<RUSHKIN
barred shut from within.
Wachter Brothers. Nikolai and Karl Wachter (N male
Mounted on braces and tucked into alcoves behind human nobles) are brothers of noble birth. They are
the bar are three wine barrels, each one three-quarters brash drunkards always looking for trouble, though they
empty. Two of the barrels contain Purple Grapemash are smart enough not to pick fights with well-armed
No. 3 (a cheap wine), and the third contains Red Dragon strangers. Their mother, Fiona Wachter (see area N4),
Crush (a fine wine). A brass spigot is hammered into is an influential figure in town, but her sons never talk
each barrel. about her. They'd rather listen to tales of the characters'
harrowing adventures or hear about how the characters
Danika Martikov usually tends bar while her husband plan to free Vallaki from the burgomaster's madness.
busies himself in the kitchen (areaN2e). Their boys,
Brom and Bray, scamper about and easily get underfoot. Rictavio. The Ione guest of the Blue Water Inn at pres­
ent is a colorfully dressed half-elf bard who goes by the
Between dawn and noon, there are no patrons here, name Rictavio-a false identity adopted by the legend­
and the Martikovs are upstairs in their bedrooms (areas ary vampire hunter Rudolph van Richten (see appendix
N2o and N2p) or in the attic (area N2q). D). He regales tavern patrons with stories so outrageous
as to be hardly believable, yet he asserts they are true
From noon to dusk, the taproom holds 2d4 local pa­ indeed. Rictavio claims to be a carnival ringmaster from
trons (LG male and female commoners). Between dusk a distant land. He's been staying at the inn for a·lmost a
and midnight, 2d8 Vallakians are here. In addition, one month, taking advantage of Urwin Martikov's generosity
or more of the following people might be present during and good nature. When he arrived, he was accompanied
this time. by a monkey named Piccolo. The monkey wasn't wel­
come at the inn, so Rictavio gave it to the local toymaker
WolfHunters. Szoldar Szoldarovich and Yevgeni (see area N7).
Krushkin (N male human scouts) are local hunters who
frequent the Blue Water Inn. They kill wolves and sell Rictavio admits to having no musica! talent but man·
the meat for a living, and their work is dangerous and ages to entertain locals nonetheless with his stories of
bloody. Both men are grim and have haunted looks in faraway places. Twice each day, at dawn and again at
their eyes. dusk, he leaves the inn with a couple of apples and a
cooked wolf steak wrapped in a handkerchief: He claims
These two are dour fellows, but they seldom pass the food is for his portly friend, "the ·destitute toymaker"
up an opportunity to earn coin. If the characters are (area N7) and his pet monkey. In fact, the apples are for
looking for guides or information about the land of his horse Drusilla (area N2f), and the steak is for his
Barovia, Szoldar and Yevgeni can be of service. They captured _saber-toothed tiger (area NS).
aren't afraid to venture beyond Vallaki's walls during the
day, and they know the woods and valley well. They're · During his stay at the inn, Rictavio is quietly gathering
willing to serve as guides for.5 gp per day, or to provide • irtformation on the Keepers of the Feather, trying to
directions to important landmarks in.exchange for free
drinks. They think it's foolish to travel "th;is cursed
realm" at night and won\do �o:-u�lesi, thefr �ayment is
exorbitant (100 gp or mo�e):_ · . : ,·:,·.'-' ·. - :

On rare occasions wheffhe na's'sorriething to say,
Szoldar speaks brusquely, while Yevgeni usually parrots
his friend in not so many words. Szoldar has a notch in
. his bow for every wolf he's killed, while Yevgeni adds a
.new swatch to his wolfskin cloak every time he makes
a kill. Both men have families but spend most of their
time together, either drowning their sorrows or hunting
in the woods. Most of the wolf heads that adorn the tav­
ern walls are the result of their handiwork.

CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN OF VALLAKI -

100

figure out the identities of all the wereravens in town. You hear the squawking of birds and the plaintive whinny
of a horse as you peer inside this stable. The stalls are
He's also trying to learn as much as he can about the clean and well maintained. One of them contains a
gray mare. A small door is set into the east wall, and a
Vistani, particularly the ones living in the camp just wooden ladder gives access to a loft overhead. Perched
on the wooden railing that encloses the loft are dozens
outside town (area N9). Once he concludes that they of ravens.

are in league with Strahd, Rictavio plans to unleash his Any character who has a horse can keep it here for 1
sp per night. The gray mare is a draft horse named
trained saber-toothed tiger upon them, with or without Drusilla, and she likes apples. The horse belongs to
Rictavio (see area N2c).
the support of the wereravens.
The small door in the east wall can be pulled open to
Rictavio wears a hat ofdisguise and a ring ofmind reveal area N2g. The loft is described in area N2h.

shielding to conceal his identity. He carries an iron key N2G. STORAGE
This small room lies under a wooden staircase (area
that unlocks the door to his carnival wagon (area NS). N2i). Hanging from wooden pegs are saddles and bard­
ing to equip two horses. In an unlocked wooden chest
IN2D. WINE STORAGE I are a dozen horseshoes, a wooden mallet, and a mound
This hallway contains three curtained alcoves as well as a of horseshoe nails.
larger area stuffed with wine barrels.
N2H. RAVENS' LOFT
The Martikovs store their wine here. Tucked behind
red curtains are three alcoves, each one containing a Dim light spilling in through a pair of dirt-encrusted
half-emptied wine barrel lying on its side in a wooden windows reveals piles of hay with pitchforks sticking
brace. Twelve empty wine barrels are piled two high out of them. Ravens rule this roost-you can see hun­
near the door to the kitchen (area N2e). All the barrels dreds of them.
have the Wizard of Wines name burned into them.

Nine of the fifteen barrels, including two of the barrels
in the curtained alcoves, have the following label burned
into their sides, under the winery's name: Purple Grape­
mash No. 3. Six of the fifteen barrels, including one of
the barrels in the curtained alcoves, have a different
label: Red Dragon Crush.

The double doors that lead outside can be barred shut
from within.

N2E. KITCHEN Characters who search the loft thoroughly find three 1 ·... .
pitchforks and a locked wooden chest buried under
This room looks like the kitchen of someone who loves a pile of hay (see "Treasure" below), next to a secret
to cook. It has piles of pots, walls lined with utensils door. If the characters tamper with the chest, the ra­
and shelves of ingredients, and all manner of pleasant vens gather into four s�arms of ravens and attack. If
odors. Two lanterns hang above a sturdy pine worktable two swarms are killed, the others flee. Otherwise, they
in the middle of the clutter. A pot of soup bubbles on cease their attacks if the characters leave the chest
the hearth. alone. If the fighting continues for more than 3 rounds,
Urwin Martikov and two other wereravens hear the
Urwin Martikov, who prepares most of the meals, is ruckus and investigate (in human form).
found here throughout the day. He occasionally receives
help from his two boys, but they are easily distracted. A A secret door in the back of the loft can be pushed
cupboard against the east wall holds most of the inn's open to reveal a bedchamber (area N2p) beyond. No
supply of cutlery and dishware, none of it valuable. A ability check is required to spot the secret door, because
door in the west wall leads outside and is usually barred light in the room beyond slips through the door's cracks.
from the inside.
Treasure. Inside the locked chest are 140 ep, 70 pp,
A secret door at the west end of the south wall can be two elixirs ofhealth, three potions ofhealing, and a gray
pushed open to reveal a wooden staircase that leads ·up bag oftricks. The coins are embossed with the profiled
to area N2i. likeness of Strahd von Zarovich.

N21. SECRET STAIRS AND HALL

N2F. STABLE A wooden staircase to the north descends fifteen feet to
a landing. A window dimly illuminates a short, wood-pan­
The sliding wooden doors on the west wall of this room eled hallway that runs west to east.
are held shut by an iron lock and chain. Urwin carries
the key to the lock. The.qoors to.the north and south can,

be barred shut from tht: in.side but are usually unlocked. - • ,i. :�·� � �?(:· ,:-�/��·:;,·��,-�;·�,!-'!4;_·:.-;:�.t:·· :-'• ('�:r.,:. /t � ',,:�'.·..-:.�::Jr·.

· · ;·. Guests. aren) told about "the inn!,s se�reFh;c!,llv.vay..Ricta­

?�·� �-'��.-·:·.: . ': vio"kric,�s·o(1fs exi�tente.be6iusi·.iie_p,asna{rifthe·· ·
- ••.• · .. . ' ,L • ·� ,: .-:· ;

. \:-

- ';�:..
CHAPTER 5 I THE.TOWN OF VALLAKl

Martikov boys opening and closing the secret door clos­ The door to this room can be locked from the inside,
est to his room (area N2n). and each guest receives a key. Urwin and Danika carry
spare keys. The footlockers are empty and are for the
At each end of this area is a secret door, each of which use of guests.
is easy to spot from inside the hallway (no ability check
required). The northern secret door, at the bottom of N2N. PRIVATE GUEST ROOM
the staircase, can be pulled open to reveal the kitchen Rictavio has a key to this room, which is locked at all
(area N2e) beyond. The eastern secret door can be times. Urwin and Danika carry spare keys. The door's
pulled open to reveal a balcony (area N2j) that overlooks Jock can be picked, but discretion is called for because
the taproom. the door is in plain view of the taproom below.

N2J. GREAT BALCONY This small guest room contains a bed heaped with wolf
furs, a footlocker, a tall wardrobe, and a writing desk with
A wooden balcony stretches the full length of the tap­ matching chair. An oil lamp rests atop the desk near a
room, enclosed by a wooden railing carved with raven journal bound in a red leather jacket.
motifs. The taproom's many lanterns illuminate the raf­
ters and cast ominous shadows on the peaked ceiling. Rictavio sleeps here between midnight and dawn. At
dawn, he leaves to check on his horse (area N2f) and his
The balcony floor is 15 feet above the taproom floor. wagon (area NS), returning to the inn around noon. Be­
A secret door at the south end of the western wall can tween noon and dusk, there's a 40 percent chance he is
here; otherwise, he's in the taproom (area N2c). At dusk,
be pushed open to reveal a wood-paneled hallway (area he leaves the inn to tend to his horse and his wagon
N2i) beyond. again, then returns to his room to retire for the night.

N2K. GUEST BALCONY Rictavio is too clever to leave anything valuable or
incriminating in his room. The footlocker and the
This twenty-foot-long balcony provides a clear view of the wardrobe contain nothing but common clothes and
bar and has a wooden railing carved with raven motifs. travel wear.
The taproom's many lanterns illuminate the rafters and
cast ominous shadows on the peaked ceiling. Rictavio'sjournal. The journal on the desk is a bit of
artifice that Rictavio created to perpetuate the illusion
The balcony floor is 15 feet above the taproom floor. that he is an entertainer in search of new acts for his
traveling carnival. His writing makes frequent mention
N2L. GUEST ROOMS of conversations with Drusilla (which the journal fails
These two rooms have identical furnishings. to mention is the name of Rictavio's horse) and recounts
many long and tedious journeys by wagon. Rictavio has
Two cozy beds with matching footlockers rest in the far also written about various "oddities" he has seen in his
corners of this fifteen-foot-square room. Wolf furs are travels, including the following:
heaped atop each bed. Between the beds, a lamp sits on
a table under a shuttered window. Two tall black ward­ , A "werehare" child (a boy who transforms into a rabbit
robes stand against the wall by the door. on nights of the full moon)

The door to this room can be locked from the inside, , A half-ore woman named Gorabacha who could chew
and each guest gets a key. Urwin and Danika carry through iron chains
spare keys. The footlockers and wardrobes are empty
and are for the use of guests.. , A giant, man-eating plant that had the most remark­
able singing voice
N2M. GUEST ROOM
, A pair of conjoined goblins
�-·�.. , A small man with no legs named Filmore Stunk, who

Four plain beds with straw mattresses line the north wall could drink whole casks of wine without getting drunk·
of this well-lit room. Each bed comes with a matching
footlocker to store clothing and other belongings. A N2o. Boys' BEDROOM
table and four chairs occupy the corner across from the
door. An oil lamp resting on the table casts a bright yel­ A large, painted toy box rests between two small, cozy
low flame. beds. Murals of ravens in flight are painted on the walls
above the wood paneling.

- ,. -· '

Brom and Bray Martikova don't spend much time in

this room. The toy box c6ntains:a pil!! of neglected toys,

many of them etched with the slogan· "Is No Fun, Is No

Blin$ky!" The t<;>ys include the following:

, A miniature puppet theater with appropriately sized
m�rionetfe�_o,f a king, a queen, a prince, a princess, an

CHAPTER 5 I THE TOWN OF VALLAKI
J02