Rictavio

Status: Alive — presumably still at Blue Water Inn, Vallaki; confirmed to be Van Richten (Session 15, via Esmeralda); unaware that both wagons are destroyed, his tiger is dead, and his field associate has been living in the ruins of his second base for two years

Known Information

A solo patron at the Blue Water Inn who sits apart from the other regulars and watches the room. Mutton chops. No mustache. Booming voice with laughter built into it. Outgoing with the innkeepers in the easy way of a man who has been a regular long enough that he doesn't have to try.

Danica addresses him by name, treats him as a known quantity, and does not ask follow-up questions about him. He is not staying at the inn every night; when he isn't there, he visits his "portly friend" — confirmed as Blinsky the toymaker. He kept a wagon at the Vallaki Stockyards.

His wagon bore the lettering Rictavio's Carnival of Wonders on the side panels.

What the Wagon Contained

• A saber-toothed tiger in a cage (Stanley) — trained with treats and Vistani-dressed dolls as targets
• A locked ornate chest containing an extensive vampire-hunting kit, 75gp, six gemstones, a prayer book, holy symbols, silvered weapons, and a lead-lined locked box containing the Sun Sword — the hilt of Sergei von Zarovich's blade
• A Vistani-dressed doll (destroyed by Stanley before full investigation was possible)

The Lake Baratok Wagon (Session 14)

A second wagon belonging to Rictavio (or the same person) was found parked outside The Stone Tower (Lake Baratok): barrel-topped, freshly painted purple with gold trim wheels, brass lanterns, red curtains, padlocked rear door marked "Keep Out," and a hidden trapdoor on the underside. No horses. The wagon's interior contained a golden lyre, a live chicken and five eggs in a silver ewer, a large map of Barovia with locations written on it, a wooden trunk with claw marks, a wardrobe, copper cookware, manacles, a shovel, and a charred page from a journal.

Brother Moro found the journal page and read it. The author describes himself as a decades-long vampire hunter, driven to the profession by the death of his son Erasmus (turned by a vampire; staked by his own father), and burdened by a Vistani curse: live among monsters and see everyone you love die beneath their claws. He does not name himself in the entry.

Brother Moro then rolled a natural one on the trap disarm. The wagon exploded. Everything except the journal page was destroyed — including a detailed map of Barovia, two spell scrolls (mirror image and remove curse), weapons, a gold holy symbol of the Morning Lord, antitoxin, perfume, a spyglass, a stake, and a tinderbox.

The charred journal page is now in Brother Moro's possession.

Session 15 — Identity Confirmed

Esmeralda arrived at the tower in Session 15 and confirmed that her mentor's name is Van Richten — and that he goes by Rictavio. She has not seen him in two years. She was unaware he had acquired a tiger. The party informed her that Van Richten's tiger (Stanley) had been killed by the tower's blue dragon. She was also informed that both wagons have been destroyed. She drank the party's last healing potion and began discussing logistics.

The party has now independently confirmed: Rictavio = Van Richten.

Session 19 — Full Reveal and Party Integration

Van Richten was waiting at his tower. He was not surprised, exactly, but he was alone and making dinner, and the arrival of five adventurers and a saber-toothed tiger required some recalibration.

He introduced himself as Rudolph van Richten. The party expressed no surprise. Merich attempted to explain the Sun Sword's current location using a story involving camel-riding halflings; he rolled a 1; Esmeralda called him full of shit. Switching to persuasion, he recovered adequately. Van Richten and Esmeralda confirmed the sword was in good hands and the matter was not formally relitigated.

Van Richten confirmed his history: son Erasmus kidnapped by Vistani, sold to the vampire Baron Metus, turned to vampire spawn, staked by his own father. His life's mission is Strahd's destruction. His supplies and wagon are gone; he had retreated to the tower to regroup. He accepted the party's description of events and agreed to travel with them.

He discussed the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind in depth — its origin with the paladin Lugdana, who received it from a giant raven (possibly an angel), and used it to hunt and destroy vampire nests until her death; its subsequent safekeeping by the high priests of Ravenkind; and its eventual disappearance. He expressed serious interest in the party's belief that they knew its location.

Confirmed he had no specific knowledge of the Order of the Silver Dragon's current situation but agreed more allies would be welcome.

Disguise: Van Richten uses a hat that transforms his appearance into a younger man's face. In disguise he goes by Joey V (a name the party invented; he accepted it in the way a man accepts something he has no power to change). He speaks differently in disguise. He has a hat. He made cold cuts jokes. He requested they not use his real name while the hat was on.

Van Richten is now traveling with the party. He is acting as an NPC companion with a level 10 spellcaster stat block and Hunter's something (possibly Ranger multiclass). Brother Moro is managing his character sheet; the DM confirmed his initiative separately.

He cast Cure Wounds (level 1) on Celeste during the bat fight at Argenvostholt, healing her back to full from 11 damage down.

Threads

• He does not know Stanley was killed by the tower's blue dragon — he was told his tiger may not be his Stanley; this was technically deflected
• Both wagons are destroyed; he has retreated to the tower; he is traveling with the party now with reduced gear
• He has knowledge of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind but has not identified its precise location
• He has extensive vampire-hunting knowledge; his primary motivation is Strahd's destruction
• Blinsky is his "portly friend"; what does Blinsky know about him?
• His dynamic with Esmeralda: she sought revenge on him when young, learned what drove him, and now works with him; they are partners who have been separated two years

First Seen

Session 9 — Blue Water Inn taproom