Isaac (Baron's Man)

dead

Isaac (Baron's Man)

Status: Dead — killed by the party near the Black Gate on the Old Svalich Road; body consumed by Sophie the direwolf

Known Information

Henchman of Baron Vallakovich, the Burgomaster of Vallaki. Large, bald, angry-looking. Was eating alone at the Blue Water Inn when the party identified him.

His right arm — or rather, where his right arm should be — is fiendish: elongated fingers, long black nails, barbed spines down the flesh, flame patterns along the skin. He can snap his fingers and produce actual flames. He considers it impressive. He is correct.

The arm's origin: as a child, a dire wolf attacked him, his father, and his uncle on a fishing trip on Lake Zarovich. The wolf took his arm. His uncle died fighting it. His father carried him back to town and then died shortly after — Isaac describes this vaguely as his parents being unable to cope. He was subsequently taken in by Baron Vallakovich as a child and has been loyal ever since. The Barovian children mocked him for having one arm. He was a big boy, so he disposed of them. This led to the Burgomaster.

The fiendish arm appeared one morning after a night of heavy drinking. No arm when he went to sleep. Remarkable arm when he woke up. No memory of the night. He did not ask many questions. Why ask when the arm works.

He commissions Blinsky to make dolls of a woman who appears in his dreams. He has had these dreams for years. He cannot draw her precisely but describes her as beautiful and important to him — not romantic longing exactly; more like a missing piece. Brother Moro sketched Ireena Kolyana from memory. Isaac knocked his chair over.

He demanded to know where Ireena was. The party declined to tell him. A Persuasion of 27 redirected him toward the village of Barovia — which is technically where Ireena was last known to be. He got on his horse immediately and left town.

Doru, a vampire spawn, is in the basement of the church there. Doru has been starved for some time. Father Donavich will not open the door.

Relationships

Notes on the Arm

The DM confirmed that the demon arm was a genuine part of Isaac — not a construct or attachment. It cannot be easily explained in the lore and isn't explained in the source material. Its capabilities: snap fingers to produce 3D6 fire damage (cantrip-level ranged spell attack), +8 to Intimidation, plus the implied ability to create fire at will. The arm died with him. The party briefly discussed attaching it to someone. Nobody took the arm. Sophie ate it along with the rest of him. She burped a small flame afterward. This may or may not be permanent.

Postmortem: Celeste noted that Isaac might have been the one person capable of protecting Ireena. This was observed after the body was eaten.

Notable Moments