• Queen-like presence

  • comforting but commanding like a stern mother
  • She never raises her voice and always speaks calmly and unhurriedly
  • She listens ardently, and makes people feel important
  • very charismatic and plays into it
  • The ends always justify the means
  • Think religious Cersie Lannister from GoT
• Family:

  • Her late husband, Nikolai, was her world; she was married at 16
    • he was only a banker's apprentice, but she loved that he listened to her
    • Her parents made him take the Wachter name
  • She loves all three of her kids, and actually treats them well unlike many other families in Barovia
    • Stella's fall really pains her; she blames and hates herself for not seeing the true cause until it was too late
      • She holds a personal grudge against the Burgomaster's house
  • Her beliefs come first over family

• Disillusioned to the Vallakoviches' Rule
  • Grew up under Boris Vallakovich's harsh rule, then saw Vargas Vallakovich come to power to be just as bad
    • They did their evil deeds and abused their power in the name of protection against Strahd, but he was a distant non-threat in her eyes
• Made a pact with Strahd
  • At 15, her parents let her make a trip to Barovia Village for political connections, but she took a detour to Ravenloft to see what the big deal was
    • Strahd, ever the gentleman, entertained her visit
    • He saw her potential, and offered a place among his consorts
    • She declined, saying she could be a better resource with information from Vallaki
    • Strahd agreed to the alliance, and gifted her the imp Majesto
• The Prophesy
  • on her way back to Vallaki, she stopped to meet Madam Eva and got the following fortune:
    • First, there would be the coming of an outsider to Vallaki, foreign to this land. The coming of this outsider would mark the beginning of a new age in Vallaki.
    • The coming of the outsider would also bring a great ruin. A purge on the town like none other.
    • But when the ruin was done, the blood of the outsider would shed sunlight on Vallaki yet again.
• Her Cult
  • She believes she is a prophet and preaches her prophesy to her followers
  • The cult follows her because she preaches of salvation from this awful world (just like any other IRL religion)
  • She sincerely believes the coming of the outsider will purge the wicked from Vallaki and the sun will shine on them afterwards
  • She does NOT consider it a cult

• Once she meets the players, she'll be convinced they are the ones mentioned in the prophecy
• To supplant The Baron as Burgomaster

Barovian Lore
Vallaki Lore

• sons: Nikolai Wachter, Karl Wachter
• spy: Ernst Larnak
• servants: Dhavit, Madalena, Amalthia, Haliq