Shopping in Barovia

Vallaki

vallaki-shopping.jpg

  1. Inn/Tavern
  2. Blacksmith/Leatherworker
  3. Apothecary
  4. General Store
  5. Bookshop
  6. Fletcher/Bowyer
  7. Herbalist
  8. Tailor Shop

Blacksmith and Leatherworker

  • Name: "Thimdul's Armaments"
  • Owner: Piersym Rowley
    • Rowley is an old grizzled veteran who's blind in one eye and half blind in the other. However, he knows good steel by touch and smell alone. Rowley used to be a Vallakian guard, but left very young to apprentice a dwarven adventurer named Thimdul, who'd become trapped in Barovia by Strahd's will. Thimdul died of old age many years ago and Rowley carries on his craft.
    • Rowley and his couple of shopkeep assistants are responsible for making all the weapons and armor for the city guard. However, Rowley hates the Burgomaster and happily gives discounts to the PCs if he suspects that they're working against Vargas. If a PC ardently supports Vargas, Rowley sells them a subpar weapon at normal price that will break in combat on a roll of 6 or lower.
    • Rowley is a master weaponsmith, but isn't terribly gifted with armor. He sells only light and medium armor as a result, but can tell players about a legendary armorer he once heard about living in Kresk (Grygori Strum's Grandfather). If the players are looking for bows and crossbows, he can tell the players that Vallaki gets their stock from the Dusk Elves.

Apothecary

  • Name: "The Third Eye Potions and Sundries"
    • This is a tiny shop pushed off to the edge of town. Vallaki's general bigotry drove Anya's wares away from the central shopping district.
  • Owner: Anya Trevali
    • Anya is half Vistani, half Dusk Elf and bares the mixed features of both her parents. As a young woman used to being an outcast, Anya stands tall under societal pressures and has proven her worth with her craft. She buys, sells, and trades unique potion ingredients, including plant and monster parts. However, she resolutely refuses to deal with anyone who shows her blatant disrespect. Anya has a harsh tongue and no room for bullshit. When she sets a price, it's usually pretty fair, if slightly skewed in her favor, and she absolutely does not haggle.
    • This is where players can get potion ingredients, weird material components for spells, and potions themselves. They can also find things like healer's kits here.

General Store

  • Name: "The Dusklight Supply Shop"
  • Owner: Bethel
    • Bethel and her late husband, Herey, hated the Burgomaster's rule. However, they were found out and whisked away the Reformation Center. Bethel was brainwashed pretty quickly and sent back out into the world. Herey wasn't so lucky and is still imprisoned.
    • Bethel was always sweet natured and absentminded. But after the brainwashing, she's become quite simple and mentally broken. She now thinks the concept of Strahd is the most terrifying thing in the world and while she certainly finds the festivals boring, she always volunteers to help with them and does her due diligence for the town. Bethel is easily haggled and will believe almost anything, provided it isn't about the Burgomaster or Strahd. If the players talk too openly about their distaste for the Burgomaster, Bethel is quick to panic and fetch the guards.
    • This place sells a menagerie of standard craftwork gear, including rope, candles, torches, lanterns, crowbars and most standard adventuring equipment. In general, imagine anything that might be used to build houses or patch wagons and your players can find it here.

Bookshop

  • Name: "Yonvich and Sons"
  • Owner: An elder man named Yonvich and his three adult sons, Yonvi, Sven, and Yenva
    • The bookshop doesn't have a huge variety of literature available, as the Burgomaster's library has the bulk of Vallaki's knowledge. These guys serve more as a printing press which they use to copy books for more production, as well as bookbinders. They have a plethora of parchment, calligrapher's tools, empty journals and other such items available for sale.
    • Yonvich and Sons is also solely responsible for printing the posters for the Burgomaster's weekly festivals. Stacks of fliers from various events can be found around their shop.
    • These men are pretty straight shooters. They care more about the books they make than turning a prophet and sell their wares at average prices.

Fletcher/Bowyer

  • Name: "Celegal's Hovel"
    • This isn't an official shop, but rather Celegal's home where he does his work. It's located outside Vallaki's walls, around the Vallaki Vistani camp.
  • Owner: Celegal
    • Celegal is a Dusk Elf woodworker who makes ranged weapons, specifically bows, crossbows, and their ammunition. He trades his wares with Vallaki in exchange for goods for the other Dusk Elves.
    • Unlike the other stoic and off-putting Dusk Elves, Celegal is timid and shy. He likes being helpful and puts his all into his work, making each bow a true work of art. Celegal is actually one of the youngest Dusk Elves, and was only thirteen when all the female elves were slaughtered.

Herbalist

  • Name: "Jeny's Shack"
    • Jeny lives in a tiny hovel with dirt floors and vines climbing through the wooden walls. This isn't an official store, but instead can only be found if someone else tells you about her.
  • Owner: Jeny Greenteeth
    • This is an optional use of the witch found in the AL modules and other Ravenloft lore. Jeny might be really evil in your campaign, but I made her more like a tricky grandmother figure in mine. In my game, she's actually an archfey stripped of her power when Strahd came to the valley. She's the swamp fane, as found in this Fanes of Barovia post, and she's waiting to be reinstated.
    • Jeny is an old woman with an eye for mischief. She knows just about every plant in Barovia and is a master potion maker. She takes no nonsense from anyone and loves playing pranks on people with her potion making. For instance, she sells a love potion meant to "help men in areas of physical conquest." However, if Jeny senses her buyer is adulterous (or is just an overall pompous butt to her), she sells him a "faulty" version of the potion which makes his entire manhood grow long, course hair for a month.

Tailor Shop

  • Name: "The Beast's Rose"
  • Owner: Gili and his wife Lottie
    • Gili is a monster of a man. Though human, he stands nearly seven feet tall and has a hefty bulk to him. He's also got one of those resting caveman faces that makes him look pretty darn scary. However, Gili is a lover, not a fighter, and is a major pacifist. He likes pretty things and delights in making beautiful clothing.
    • Lottie, in contrast, is short, petite, and heartbreakingly beautiful. She's kind and shy and her intrinsic grace inspires her husband's finest work. These two are one of the sweetest and most sincere couples you'll find in Barovia.

Krezk

Krezk is already a small, communal town that's very self sufficient. They almost never get visitors and instead of buying and selling, have more of a barter system, which leaves little need for traditional commerce. So, their shops are less stores and more like houses of trade

krezk-shopping.jpg

Inn

Joke's on you, there is no Inn. Remember, Kresk doesn't like outsiders and keeps their gates firmly closed. Why would they need an Inn? Instead, visitors often stay the night in a local's spare bedroom.

Tailor Shop

  • Name: The Swyft House
    • Because Kresk works mostly off a barter system, this is less of a shop and more the owner's home where they also work.
  • Owner: Mr. Taylor Swyft and his wife, Steph
    • Taylor the tailor is a short man full of excitable energy. He's primarily responsible for making and mending clothing for the town, but loves to fashion beautiful and unique wares in his spare time. Such things always come at a cost of course. Taylor has an eye for fine clothing and will pay quite a bit for the unicorn rug found at the Vallaki Vistani camp. "Is... is that... a real Vanderkov?" Taylor's prices are always a bit high unless the players earn his favor.

Blacksmith

  • Name: The Strum House
    • Because Kresk works mostly off a barter system, this is less of a shop and more the owner's home where they also work.
  • Owner: Grygori Strum
    • Grygori is a mediocre blacksmith at best and makes mostly nails and horseshoes. However, his grandfather was quite the gifted smith before he died, leaving a few sets of extraordinarily made heavy armor behind (1 set of plate armor, 1 set of chain mail armor, and 1 set of half plate armor). Grygori is only capable of mending broken armor and doesn't make anything new, but he's pompous enough to overinflate his capabilities. He'd be willing to part with his grandfather's armors for a hefty price.

Thrift Shop

  • Name: "Lady Kate's Wonder Emporium"
  • Owner: Old Woman Katerina
    • Old Woman Katerina is a super quirky old gal with a heavy cockney accent. She's a hard core hoarder and rates things on how interesting they are rather than worth. Her shop has an assortment of random items and trinkets, a few of which may be magical (at your discretion).
    • Katerina only trades. She will not accept money because she finds coins boring. If you want to buy an item from her shop, you must leave something interesting behind. Sometimes the trades favor the players. Sometimes they favor Katerina. She doesn't care, though, because it's fun.

Thrift Shop Items

What things the party notices in the shop. Descriptions below for when they inspect further:

  • Old tarnished mirror
  • Weathered music box
  • Deck of cards
  • Silver locket
  • Rusted lantern
  • Jar full of liquid and a couple solid objects
  • Dice made from bone
  • Taxidermied raven
  • Moth-eaten cloak
  • Crude wooden mask in the form of a wolf's face
  • A flask that seems to be leaking
  • A mummified hand
  • A flashing orb
  • A whole collection of what you immediately recognize as Blinsky toys

Mysterious Items

  • Mirror of Half-Truths: An old, tarnished mirror that shows reflections slightly distorted. When a player asks it a question, the reflection offers a cryptic answer that’s part truth and part lie.
  • Weathered Music Box: A small, delicate music box that plays a hauntingly beautiful tune. When opened, those within 10 feet feel a wave of nostalgia or longing for home. Occasionally, the song changes to a different melody for no apparent reason.
  • Vistani Tarot Deck: A set of worn, incomplete tarot cards, much like Madam Eva’s deck, but with a few unique cards. These may provide cryptic visions or act as a magical focus when consulting for guidance.

Curious Trinkets

  • Silver Locket with Faded Portrait: This silver locket holds a tiny, faded portrait of a young woman. If opened, a faint whisper of "Come back to me..." can be heard, but only by the person who opened it.
  • Rusted Lantern with Blue Flame: A lantern whose flame is an unnatural blue color. The flame never extinguishes, but it only lights up when the wielder is afraid.
  • Grimoire of Forgotten Pages: An ancient, tattered spellbook. Its pages seem to have been torn out or scribbled over, but occasionally new, unfamiliar spells appear for a short time before vanishing again.

Unsettling Items

  • Jar of Preserved Eyes: A jar filled with what appear to be preserved humanoid eyes floating in brine. Occasionally, one of the eyes will blink or seem to follow someone in the room.
  • Phantom Dice: A set of bone dice that feel unnaturally cold to the touch. When rolled, the players hear faint voices whispering the results before they are revealed.
  • Taxidermied Raven: A stuffed raven perched on a wooden base. Once a day, the raven can deliver a cryptic one-word message in a raspy voice.

Potentially Useful Items

  • Cloak of Hidden Paths: A moth-eaten cloak that, once per day, allows the wearer to teleport up to 30 feet to a location they’ve seen before within the last 24 hours.
  • Wooden Mask of the Wolf: A crude wooden mask in the shape of a wolf’s face. When worn, the wearer gains the ability to understand wolves and dire wolves for one hour.
  • Ever-Dripping Flask: A flask that constantly drips water. The liquid never runs out, and though it’s just water, it can be used for any basic survival need.

Other Peculiarities

  • Mummified Hand: A severed hand, mummified and perfectly preserved. It’s rumored to once have belonged to a thief, and the shopkeeper claims it can lead its owner to hidden treasure—if it’s placed on the ground and left alone at midnight.
  • Glass Orb with Storm Inside: A small glass orb filled with miniature lightning storms. When held during a storm, the orb glows, and the person holding it gains a +1 to their next Survival check for navigating bad weather.

Blinksy Toys

  • Wailing Doll
    This porcelain doll wears a tattered dress and has lifeless eyes. When wound up, it lets out a soft, eerie wail, like a child lost in the fog. It stops abruptly after 10 seconds, leaving a tense silence.
  • The Strahd Action Figure
    A small figure resembling Strahd von Zarovich, complete with a removable cape and tiny fangs. When its head is tilted back, it says, “Welcome to my castle…” The voice is distorted and unsettling, almost as if the toy carries a bit of Strahd’s presence with it.
  • Wolf-Stuffed Animal with Snapping Jaws
    A cute, yet creepy stuffed wolf. Its mouth is sewn shut, but when pressed, the stitches break, revealing sharp, mechanical jaws that snap open and closed. It makes a growling noise as it snaps.
  • Jack-in-the-Coffin
    A dark twist on the classic jack-in-the-box. This small black coffin opens when wound, releasing a skeleton with a jester’s hat and red-painted cheeks. Instead of cheerful music, the box plays a somber tune until the skeleton springs out with a sharp "Ha-ha!"
  • Bat Kite
    A black kite shaped like a giant bat. On windy nights, if it’s flown, it howls like a wolf, unsettling those around it. Despite the simple design, its eerie presence makes it stand out.
  • Headless Horseman Toy
    A small horse and rider figure, where the rider has no head. If shaken or tapped, a rubbery head pops out of a hidden compartment in the saddle, only to fall back into the body when left still. The head always seems to land in a different place.
  • Spinning Zombie Top
    A wooden top carved to look like a zombie crawling out of the ground. When spun, it makes a faint, raspy groaning sound as if it's dragging itself along.
  • Mourning Bride Doll
    A ragged doll dressed in a bride's gown, with a veil obscuring her face. If the veil is lifted, her stitched face reveals a sad expression. When you pull her string, she whispers, “He never came for me…”
  • Clockwork Raven
    A mechanical raven that hops around when wound up. It occasionally says in a mechanical voice, “Nevermore…Nevermore…” This Blinsky toy is particularly popular for lovers of macabre decor.
  • Haunted Music Box
    A small music box shaped like a tombstone. When opened, it plays an eerie lullaby. If closed while the music is playing, the tune continues, even though the box is shut.