Act 1, Scene 7: Vallaki: Police State 101

Though several members of their group were still exhausted the next day, slowing their pace significantly, our heroes pressed on, eager to reach Vallaki and find whatever comforts the town had to offer. For some, that's baths. For others, brothels. Everybody's got their coping mechanisms, okay?

Not long after they started travelling, they heard the sounds of approaching hoofbeats. For lack of any reasonable alternatives, they continued trudging on, deciding to deal with any company once they knew what kind of company was coming for them. Much to their surprise and relief, the familiar sight of a Vistani wagon came into view, with Atanasie and Rudolph at the helm.

Greetings were exchanged and some of our heroes, admittedly, wanted to know why the hell they couldn't have hitched a ride the whole way there. Atanasie said he hadn't realized they'd be heading this way as of the day before, and pointed out the wagon was not large enough to bear such a large party, but offered a lift for those members who looked closer to death than the others. So Ireena and Ayduin hopped in, and friendly chatter was had.

For the first time, our heroes began to get a clear sense of the position of the Vistani within Barovia, when Atanasie confessed that they were not going to Vallaki itself, and that it would be best for the party if they weren't seen with the Vistani by Vallaki's guards. When asked why, Atanasie said that Vistani were not welcome within Vallaki, and that given Vallaki's security procedures, it would be best if our heroes pretended to be as disgusted by the Vistani as the people of Vallaki are.

Ri-An asked Manda if she'd heard Lech say anything about them, and Manda promised to find out what she could. Sylvain asked for spices for the party to season their food with, and received a bag with a little bit of every spice in the wagon mixed together, courtesy of Rudolph's complete lack of understanding of how spices work. And, not long after, the group came upon their latest crisis: a noble in distress, scrambling away from a pair of wolves, his rapier forgotten at his side.

While some of our heroes rushed forward to save him, Sylvain dropped to the back of the group, finding himself suddenly overcome with fear, this being one crisis too many for him. Thankfully, his help wasn't needed, as after a couple of shots from his fellow adventurers, the wolves fled into the woods, well aware that the odds were now firmly against them.

The noble stumbled to his feet, picking up his rapier and dusting off his clothes before introducing himself as Vasili von Holtz, a resident of Vallaki. When asked what he'd been doing out in the woods, he confessed ruefully to a bet made with some wolf hunters about how long he could survive outside the town's walls — a bet that he wasn't *technically* sure he'd lost just yet.

When he realized where our heroes were headed, he delighted in the opportunity to escort them, and to introduce them to the wonders of his town, insisting that their dinner and drinks were on him tonight. Though somewhat suspicious of this newcomer, the party had little choice but to go along with him to the gates of Vallaki, while their Vistani friends peeled off from the road, headed to their camp southwest of the city.

Upon reaching the gates of Vallaki, the group found themselves faced with a walled city, surrounded by towering wooden pillars sharpened into spikes. They were greeted by a pair of female guards with pikes, who demanded their names and business in Vallaki. While Vasili tried to smooth talk their way in, vouching for the group, the others began to get a clearer sense of the sort of town Vallaki was. The group was strongly advised not to speak, see, or hear evil while within Vallaki's walls, and were admitted into the inner gates for processing.

There, they found their appearances, professions, names, and belongings meticulously catalogued, with all of them insisting that yes, their weapons *did* have to be on their persons in order for them to fulfil their business in Vallaki, thank you so much for asking. Sylvain put his Charisma bonus to good use by sassing the police state guards. One of the guards was openly grossed out by Bodaway's scarred face. The other was extremely tired re: how to catalogue a metal dog who can be used as but is not inherently a weapon.

Finally, the group was let through, one thick tome of Vallakian law in their possession, and they made their way to the Blue Water Inn, where the promise of food, beds, and baths awaited. On the way, Osrin and Bodaway were both startled to notice a wagon bearing the logo of Corvus Nightfeather's Circus of Wonders on its side.

They got to the Blue Water Inn, where they were welcomed by the friendly face of Urwin Martikov, one of the inn's owners, who immediately set them up with drinks and food — though Sylvain abstained when offered the option of wolf steak. Seated around a table with their new best friend Vasili, they settled in for an evening of relative safety, and tried to discuss next steps whenever Vasili wasn't at the table.

Picking up on their (extremely subtle) hints, Vasili tossed enough money on the table to cover their latest round of drinks and excused himself. On his way out, he couldn't help but be tempted by a passing remark from Osrin, and he suggested perhaps before he went, they ought to have a little duel outside, so he could find out whether or not she really *could* lift that big weapon she carried around.

Agreeing despite herself, Osrin followed Vasili out to the space in front of the inn, as he proudly announced that daring feats were about to be performed. Several of the patrons followed to see the show, as did Brom and Bray, the innkeepers' young sons, who did an abysmal job of hiding behind some adults to catch the forbidden fun.

Our heroes found themselves somewhat surprised, given the circumstances under which they'd found him and his general demeanour, to discover Vasili von Holtz appeared to know how to wield his rapier after all. Indeed, it was quite clear to everyone watching that he could have won the duel, but held back, letting Osrin take the winning blow instead. Osrin was not at all impressed with this turn of events, though she still used her healing hands to seal up some of the wounds she seemed to have inflicted.

Heading back inside, the group discussed their plans, now free of any too-close prying ears. Ireena declared the party's duty fulfilled, as she was now safely within the sanctuary of the Blue Water Inn in the safe haven of Vallaki, etc. etc., and deposited the bag of gold her brother had given her onto the table. Most of the party accepted, save Sylvain; Bodaway accepted Sylvain's share on his behalf, to keep the gold warm for him. Ireena noted that they were no longer under any obligation to saddle themselves with her; they suggested that perhaps they all ought to stick together for the moment; Ireena refrained from crying in relief. So the party drank some more, eventually making their way up to their rooms, passing out, relieved for the safety of walls around them.

Of course, they weren't safe from their own minds or the things that can enter those minds — Bodaway suffered another night of ghoulish nightmares, while Ri-An and Ayduin dreamt for the second time. Ri-An got a crash course in magical medical theory, and Ayduin got all fucked up by a bereaved nymph.

Sometime after midnight, a knock came at their doors, and a half-elf with patchy facial hair informed our heroes that they needed to talk. Osrin found herself distracted by intermittent little squeaks, the exact nature and source of which she couldn't quite identify. The half-elf introduced himself as Rictavio, the bard whose name is for sure not Ricardo, who they'd heard tell of from the proprietors, having the distinction of being the only other known outsider to Barovia within Vallaki's walls.

Rictavio informed the group that they were all in grave danger, that Vallaki was not a safe place to be, and that they should move on as quickly as possible. When asked for more information, he confessed to being not just a bard but a spy, sent here by an organization whose name he couldn't disclose on an anonymous tip sent out into the wider world from Vallaki. Though he'd received the tip several months ago, he'd only succeeded in entering Barovia in the last couple of weeks, and couldn't say how he'd managed the thing. Furthermore, it seemed that the tip had been sent from Vallaki at least five years ago, from what he could discern.

He warned our heroes that Vallaki was a political powderkeg ready to explode at the slightest provocation. The ever-smiling burgomaster and his mandatory festivals were pitted against his political rival, the Lady Wachter, who Rictavio didn't believe was any less dangerous than the man she'd pitted herself against. When the group protested that they'd just gotten to Vallaki escaping threats outside the town, and were in no shape to press on, Rictavio told them something they'd already begun to suspect: there was no reason why Strahd would not be able to enter Vallaki, so far as he'd been able to tell. The closest thing to a safe haven the town might be able to offer was St. Andral's Church, which he'd heard was hallowed ground, though he hadn't confirmed it himself.

When asked why he'd reveal himself and this information to the group, Rictavio offered two motivations: first, that he knew that as outsiders they'd have no idea what they were walking into, and second, that he was doing everything he could to preserve the peace in Vallaki, and he feared what their arrival might do to that tentative balance. He warned them not to get involved in anyone's political plays, and said if they had to remain in the town beyond the next morning, to keep their heads down and try not to get involved.

Finally, he bid them all good night, and our heroes, still exhausted from the trials of the last several days, fell back into uneasy rest.

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