Vallaki

Vallaki is a town in Barovia, found towards the center of the valley. The largest city in Barovia, it is home to between 750 and 1000 residents, though many of that number have perished in the recent political turmoil.

Recent History
Vallaki was, until recently, under the tight control of Baron Vargas Vallakovich. His catchphrase of "All will be well!" was enforced with an iron fist. The people of Vallaki were required to maintain good cheer, or face several days in the stocks or worse.

When the party arrived, Vallaki suffered from a wine shortage, an orphan problem, werewolf raids, and political tensions.

NPCs
A variety of people live in Vallaki. The city overall is currently aligned with your party.

Allies

 * Urwin and Danica Martikov: Owners of the Blue Water Inn, and members of the Order of the Feather, Danica and Urwin have helped out, offering a place to stay, and, should the party convince them that they have a good plan to defeat Strahd, their assistance in the future. Urwin is the current interim Burgomaster of Vallaki.
 * Jeny Greenteeth: She runs a small, eclectic magic shop north of Vallaki, on the shore of Lake Zarovich.
 * Lydia Vallakovich: Now a widow, Lydia owes you her life for helping her escape the mob after her husband's death. She spent some time at Old Bonegrinder, until the growth of some strange black trees forced her out. When she briefly had what she believes to be a vision of her son, appearing in a flash of purple light, she set out to return to Vallaki in search of him. She was rescued from a pack of wolves by Ezmerelda, who escorted her the rest of the way to the city.
 * Marilena Fidatov: The current head of the Fidatov family, Marilena is a noblewoman who lives about 4 hours outside of Vallaki. Her estate was, until recently, under a powerful curse that your party successfully ended.
 * The Wachter Kids: Stella, Nikolai II, and Karl Wachter are firmly aligned with your party, though they do not know that you are responsible for their mother's death. They were unaware of their mother's cult activities, as she would drug them each night before hosting her "book club".

Neutral/Unknown Alignment

 * Vasili Von Holtz: He bears a striking resemblance to Sergei, but he keeps lying about things and leaving out important parts of his story. He owns a small cart that he travels around with, selling meat that he's hunted, magic items he's found, and trinkets he's made.
 * Blinsky: Owner of Blinsky's toys—Is no fun, is no Blinsky's! Blinsky was a primary suspect in Arabelle's murder for a time, until he led the party to Van Richten and the truth came out, that Bluto had kidnapped Arabelle, thinking that Van Richten wanted her dead.
 * Vlad: Owner of Vlad's Wonder Emporium (formerly Arasek Stockyard)

Enemies

 * Fiona Wachter (Deceased): The matriarch of the Wachter family, Fiona sought to overthrow the burgomaster of Vallaki. Years ago, she received a prophecy from Madam Eva, that told her that "the blood of the outsiders" would return the sun to Barovia. Fiona thus began a cult, centered around returning the sun to Barovia, and a promise of true hope, rather than Vargas's terrifying regime. She convinced your party to help her kill Izek and overthrow Vargas, only to drug and betray the party after the festival.
 * Vargas Vallakovich (Deceased): The former burgomaster of Barovia, Vargas was a deranged, power-mad man, who believed that feigning happiness could keep Strahd away. He contacted the party on their arrival in Vallaki, and at a dinner, suggested that if you spied on Lady Wachter for him, you could earn his forgiveness for setting fire to Henrik's coffin shop and causing an "incident of unhappiness" in the town. You agreed, only to later turn on him, killing him at teh festival as he prepared to hang Henrik, Milivoj, and the maid who let you in the night you killed Izek. Gaurqoask then reanimated his corpse and led him around as a "pet" until his body was destroyed by Viktor's trapped door.
 * Izek Strazni (Deceased): Izek was the former constable of Vallaki. He and his flaming, demonic arm were the burgomaster's enforcers. He had also been collecting dolls of Ireena, and of the party, and claimed to have dreamed about them. It turned out, that he was very likely Ireena's biological brother, as Ireena was adopted by Kolyan Indirovich when she was very young.
 * Henrik (Deceased): Henrik was responsible for the initial disappearance of St. Andral's bones. He was blackmailed and threatened by Lyudmila into stealing them for her. Later, Lyudmila returned, killed him, and turned him into a vampire thrall. She helped him kill father Lucian, who had started a bloody theocracy in the Morninglord's name. She then established a "Strahd-ocracy" with Henrik as "burgomaster". After receiving the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind from Danika Martikov, Eorlin cornered Henrik in the Burgomaster's mansion and killed him with a beam of sunlight.

Key Locations

 * The Blue Water Inn: The Blue Water Inn is home to Vallakian Martikovs. It was once protected by the magical influence of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. Now, it is just a normal building, as the party has obtained this vital artifact. The building has several guest bedrooms, one of which was used by Rictavio/Van Richten.
 * The Church of St. Andral: The Church of St. Andral is Vallaki's chapel of the Morninglord, Barovians' name for Lathander. The Bones of St. Andral establish the building as hallowed ground.
 * The Legend of St. Andral: St. Andral was neither a priest nor a holy warrior. He lived during Strahd's early reign, during the period of upheaval in which Strahd's royal guard turned on him. Strahd followed, but could not enter the home without permission. He pushed at Andral with his will, but miraculously Andral resisted his evil charm. Andral declared that so long as he remained in his home, the people would be safe from the evils of Strahd. Both Andral and the guards ended up living out the rest of their lives in Andral's house, never once leaving. They grew their own food and lived as a small community until their deaths some twenty years later. The home was then refurbished into the Church of St. Andral.
 * The Orphanage: Run by Ms. Belasco, the orphanage used to be home to 16 children of Vallaki. Cared for by Ms. Belasco and Milivoj the gravedigger/groundskeeper, the children grew up relatively well-cared for, except for that one short situation with the demon. Unfortunately, Ms. Belasco was a member of the Wachter's Sun-Cult. She was killed by the party when Fiona attempted to sacrifice them. With Ms. Belasco gone and Milivoj once again missing, the children had no one to care for them. They recently went missing.
 * The Burgomaster's Mansion: Home to the Vallakovich's, the Burgomaster's mansion is a ruined, wrecked place. Up in the attic, evidence can be found of a teleportation circle.
 * Wachterhaus: In the center of Vallaki, a mansion even larger than the Vallakovich home oversees the town. Formerly Lady Fiona Wachter's home, the mansion still has the rotting corpse of her husband, Nikolai, up on the second floor and the remains of a cult ritual center in the cellar.
 * Shops: Jeny's Hut, Blinsky's Toys, Vlad's Emporium/Arasek Stockyard, Coffin Center, and Bruna's Pear Ale