Hey, how's it going? I have a quick question regarding CoS. Last session one of my players asked me something I wasn't 100% certain how to answer. They just met Ismark and he told them about their plan to head to Vallaki to keep Irena safe, so one of them asked the somewhat obvious question "Well, if Vallaki is safe from Strahd, why isn't anyone else travelling there?" Now of course, I as the DM know it's because most of the Barovians are just soulless homunculi, created by the dark powers to keep Strahd entertainment in his prison. Stilly that's something that isn't revealed until two towns over, so I kinda drew a blank for a convincing reason and just had to play it off somehow. Question is though, since I am planning to run the game in the future again for a different group, what would be a convincing argument as to why nobody else is trying to leave for Vallaki, without revealing the twist prematurely? As always, thank you for reading.
You could draw some parallels between Vallakian's welcome of "refugees" "migrants" "immigrants" and "current" attitudes towards those groups of people by some in the places countries peoples flee to?
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Good point actually. And the Kolyanovich are nobility who have an preexisting connection to the baron, so they have an in. Yeah, that should work out. Thx for the idea.
Use this as an opportunity to amplify the danger and sense of horror of Barovia. Why doesn't everyone flee for the safety of Vallaki if it a safehaven? your player asks.
Ismark: Well, that's just it. We try, often! But, the devil in the castle holds much disdain for that town - as the Baron and Baroness there regularly denounce him and reject him as their leader. It is no secret the Count harbors a terrible resentment for the Vallokovich family...
This gives some character foreshadowing for what lies ahead.
Ismark: What's more is that the road to Vallaki is fraught with perils. Wolves seem to stalk the road frequently one mile out of the Vallaki gates. It's as if they've made that last stretch of road their hunting grounds - chasing down and tearing apart any of us who get to near. In fact, last I heard, the entire Morwick family (made up name) left for Vallaki two weeks ago and were to send word back to us by carrier raven once they arrived. Vallaki is not more than 3 days from the Village of Barovia - we should have heard something by now!
You get the idea. The point being that CoS is meant to inspire a sense of dread from the very beginning of the campaign and all the way through to the conclusion. It is no secret to the DM's running the module that Strahd is keenly aware of everything that happens in his domain. He knows full well the blasphemy of the Vallokvich family. So, it stands to reason that he would influence the wolves to hunt outside of its gates and send vampire spawn to decimate anyone foolish enough to try and find their "salvation" there.
Hey, how's it going? I have a quick question regarding CoS. Last session one of my players asked me something I wasn't 100% certain how to answer. They just met Ismark and he told them about their plan to head to Vallaki to keep Irena safe, so one of them asked the somewhat obvious question "Well, if Vallaki is safe from Strahd, why isn't anyone else travelling there?"
"See all these empty houses? There's a reason for that".
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Hey, how's it going? I have a quick question regarding CoS. Last session one of my players asked me something I wasn't 100% certain how to answer. They just met Ismark and he told them about their plan to head to Vallaki to keep Irena safe, so one of them asked the somewhat obvious question "Well, if Vallaki is safe from Strahd, why isn't anyone else travelling there?" Now of course, I as the DM know it's because most of the Barovians are just soulless homunculi, created by the dark powers to keep Strahd entertainment in his prison. Stilly that's something that isn't revealed until two towns over, so I kinda drew a blank for a convincing reason and just had to play it off somehow. Question is though, since I am planning to run the game in the future again for a different group, what would be a convincing argument as to why nobody else is trying to leave for Vallaki, without revealing the twist prematurely? As always, thank you for reading.
Serfdom? -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serfdom
You could draw some parallels between Vallakian's welcome of "refugees" "migrants" "immigrants" and "current" attitudes towards those groups of people by some in the places countries peoples flee to?
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Good point actually. And the Kolyanovich are nobility who have an preexisting connection to the baron, so they have an in. Yeah, that should work out. Thx for the idea.
Use this as an opportunity to amplify the danger and sense of horror of Barovia. Why doesn't everyone flee for the safety of Vallaki if it a safehaven? your player asks.
Ismark: Well, that's just it. We try, often! But, the devil in the castle holds much disdain for that town - as the Baron and Baroness there regularly denounce him and reject him as their leader. It is no secret the Count harbors a terrible resentment for the Vallokovich family...
This gives some character foreshadowing for what lies ahead.
Ismark: What's more is that the road to Vallaki is fraught with perils. Wolves seem to stalk the road frequently one mile out of the Vallaki gates. It's as if they've made that last stretch of road their hunting grounds - chasing down and tearing apart any of us who get to near. In fact, last I heard, the entire Morwick family (made up name) left for Vallaki two weeks ago and were to send word back to us by carrier raven once they arrived. Vallaki is not more than 3 days from the Village of Barovia - we should have heard something by now!
You get the idea. The point being that CoS is meant to inspire a sense of dread from the very beginning of the campaign and all the way through to the conclusion. It is no secret to the DM's running the module that Strahd is keenly aware of everything that happens in his domain. He knows full well the blasphemy of the Vallokvich family. So, it stands to reason that he would influence the wolves to hunt outside of its gates and send vampire spawn to decimate anyone foolish enough to try and find their "salvation" there.
"See all these empty houses? There's a reason for that".