Wachter Family

The **Wachters** are an influential and historic family in Barovia. They reside in the Wachterhaus in Vallaki. They were traditionally loyal servants of Count Strahd von Zarovich.

Baron Vargis Vallakovich held a strong hatred for Lady Fiona Wachter and her family as a result of her refusal to attend his compulsory festivals and her mysterious nightly "book club" meetings. He stated that Lady Wachter thought the town is not fortified or happy enough. Strahd stated at dinner that he planned to depose the Baron and place Lady Wachter in control of Vallaki.

## History

### History of Barovia

The Wachter family is an old noble family that have long loyally served Count Strahd von Zarovich; Victor Wachter was nobly born in Y310. He was an experienced soldier, who married Oleka Dilisnya, sister of Reinhold and Gertrude Dilisnya. Lord Victor attended the doomed wedding of Sergei von Zarovich in Y351, where Leo Dilisnya orchestrated a massacre intended to wipe out the von Zarovichs.

Victor managed to survive, but his brother and sister in law Reinhold and Gertrude, along with his wife Oleka, were among the many who died in Castle Ravenloft that day. Commended for his continued loyalty towards the von Zarovichs, Strahd made Lord Victor a Boyar of the vicinity of the Krezk pass. Victor spent the remainder of his life looking for Leo Dilisnya, and without finding him, died in Y372, outlived only by his daughter Lovina. Lady Lovina became Boyar, and took up the search for Leo, believing that her family's blood is on his hands. As of the writing of this book, the task has yet been unsuccessful.

### Recent history

When the party of Hallgrimm Mikkenson, Sigismund "the Bold", Narid Ashplantt, and Ireena Kolyana first arrived at the Blue Water Inn in Vallaki Sigismund took offence at a comment made by one of the Wachter twins about him not being able to beat the lead guard Izek Strazni in a fight, and challenged him to a duel in the stables. Hallgrimm intervened to put them to sleep to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Later, Baron Vallakovich asked the party to keep an eye on Lady Fiona. He noted that she refuses to attend his festivals, but that he could not take action against her due to political reasons, as she has a lot of followers.

At the end of the Festival of the Blazing Sun as the main event Baron Vallakovich called Lady Fiona a "consort of Strahd" and attempted to burn her, Karl, and Nikolai alive in front of a packed audience. This macabre spectacle was interrupted by Hallgrimm, Sigismund, Narid, and Vassili van Holtz; all but Vassili later fleeing town with the Wachters and Ernst.

At the Southern Vistani camp Lady Wachter encountered Eklyre Temere for the first time and was fascinated by his tiefling nature. Eklyre notices an invisible impish devil on her shoulder, which was startled at being seen and transformed into a raven to fly away. Once it was out of earshot she described how this devil, Majesto, whispers to her, influencing her, boring into her soul, and forcing her to recite devlish passages of ancient texts at nightly "book clubs" in the Wachterhaus cellar. She suspects these readings gain him power.

Majesto was killed at Castle Ravenloft by Hallgrimm, and her spy Ernst was killed by Eklyre in Vallaki.

## Members

### Lord Victor Wachter

Husband of Oleka Dilisnya, father of Lovina.

Lived Y310-372. Loyal servant of Strahd.

### Nikolai Wachter Sr

Deceased husband of Fiona, father of Nikolai Jr, Karl, and Vistella.

According to Unwin Martikov Nikolai Sr died of natural causes a couple of years ago. His corpse appears to lay in the family home with copper coins over his eyes.

### Lady Fiona Wachter

Wife of Nikolai Sr, mother of Nikolai Jr, Karl, and Vistella.

A noblewoman and a warlock with several followers, Lady Fiona had a reputation as the head of an influential family in Barovia. Strahd described her as an intelligent woman. According to Ernst she showed an interest in the party and extended an open invitation to dinner.

She held mysterious nightly "book club" meetings, which she claimed to Eklyre she was forced to do by Majesto to give him strength. Majesto was killed by Hallgrimm after disguising himself as a raven and spying on the party during the battle with Volenta at Castle Ravenloft. As Majesto is her familiar it was subsequently re-summoned and then killed again by Eklyre. Lady Wachter tried to claim she was under the influence of a malevolent devil called Majesto, which whispered into her ear and bored into her soul.

She was killed at the windmill by Hallgrimm, Narid, Eklyre, and Khazan.

### Nikolai Wachter Jr

Son of Nikolai Sr and Fiona, brother of Karl and Vistella.

He is around 20 years old and has a moustache.

### Karl Wachter

Son of Nikolai Sr and Fiona, brother of Nikolai Jr and Vistella.

He is around 20 years old and has shaved off his moustache, after initially having only shaved half of it off.

### Vistella Wachter

Daughter of Nikolai Sr and Fiona, sister of Nikolai Jr and Karl.

Lady Wachter stated that Vistella was corrupted by Victor Vallakovich and turned into a beast, behaving like a feline. She is locked in her room at the Wachterhaus.

## Relationships

### Baron Vargis Vallakovich

According to the Baron the Wachters oppose him, and they spread this opposition through Lady Wachter's "book club", and by avoiding attendance of the Baron's compulsory festivals. Baron Vargis Vallakovich has a strong contempt for Lady Wachter. The feeling is mutual, as Lady Wachter feels the Baron is delusional and jealous of her family's noble heritage.

Lady Wachter also stated that Baron Vallakovich wanted to force a marriage between his son Victor and her daugher Vistella in order to add noble blood to his family, and potentially to inherit her wealth should anything happen to her and her boys.

### Ernst

A spy that was employed by the Wachters. He was killed by Eklyre Temere.

### Vassili van Holtz

See Strahd von Zarovich.

"Vassili" had been staying at the Wachterhaus days prior to the Festival of the Blazing Sun. He assisted the party in preventing the Wachters' burning.

## Wachterhaus

The family reside in the Wachterhaus in Vallaki.

The house is filled with cats, and in the main bedroom lays a man that appears to be Lady Fiona's late husband Nikolai, with copper pieces over his eyes. His body did not appear to be decomposed so he may not have been dead for long or his body is being preserved somehow. Pictures inside the house show a father, mother, two sons, and a baby daughter.

The cellar contained ritual markings on the ground, skeletons, and coffins disguised as cribs. The party dispatched of the skeletons and Eklyre burnt the coffins.