Vallaki

Baron Vargas Vallakovich rules with a heavy hand and a wild smile. His belief that happiness wards off Strahd’s influence has driven him to madness. He is paranoid, egotistical, and delusional, and surrounds himself with fawning sycophants and brutal enforcers.

• His wife, Lydia, supports his delusions with nervous enthusiasm.
• His son, Victor, is a recluse and aspiring mage who dabbles in dangerous experiments in secret.
• The town guard and his personal enforcer, Izek Strazni, maintain order through fear and violence.

• The town is surrounded by high wooden palisade walls, patrolled by guards and topped with sharpened stakes.
• Gates are watched night and day, with entry tightly controlled.
• Buildings are a mix of timber-framed houses, fading mansions, and darkened shops. Even the most colorful paint cannot mask the mildew and rot.

Beneath the surface of forced festivals and painted smiles, Vallaki teems with unrest:

• Resistance groups quietly oppose the baron, some hoping for help from outsiders, others waiting for the right moment to strike.
• The Church of St. Andral no longer protects the town as it once did, its consecrated bones stolen or desecrated.
• The Martikovs at the inn are connected to the secretive Keepers of the Feather, a group resisting Strahd through espionage and quiet resistance.
• Izek Strazni, the baron’s monstrous henchman, is obsessed with a mysterious girl—one who may be a key to the town’s fate.

Notable locations include:

• Baron’s Mansion: A lavish but decaying estate where Baron Vallakovich hosts his festivals and issues decrees.
• St. Andral’s Church: Once a true bastion of hope, the church's protection has waned after its sacred relics were stolen.
• Blue Water Inn: The town’s only true sanctuary, run by the Martikov family, secretly wereravens loyal to the resistance against Strahd.
• Arasek Stockyard: A dusty lot near the gate that stores wagons and goods; here, the coffin maker's shop hides dark secrets.

Vallaki stands out from other Barovian settlements for its bizarre insistence on joy and constant celebration. Brightly painted posters and banners decorate the streets, and the townsfolk are required to participate in weekly festivals—each one stranger than the last.

• Events include the Wolf’s Head Jamboree, the Festival of the Blazing Sun, and others declared at random.
• Participation is mandatory, and those who fail to smile or celebrate are publicly punished or imprisoned.
• The baron’s motto, “All will be well!,” is repeated endlessly, often in a strained tone and with nervous glances.

This forced merriment is not protective magic or faith—it is the baron’s personal crusade against fear, which he believes invites evil. But in truth, fear and repression rule Vallaki from behind the smiling masks.