The burgomaster’s house is the largest private building in Old Barovia by half — a stone-and-timber townhouse three stories tall, with a parlor big enough for a coffin and a study small enough that Kolyan’s unsent letters still cover the desk. He was the last burgomaster who was elected rather than appointed by Strahd; that has not been an option in fifty years, but Kolyan’s legitimacy survived his uselessness. His daughter Ireena has been the actual head of household for years. His son Ismark is a good man who has never been asked to be more than that. Both of them will be, after this week.

The house is large by village standards. The front door has fresh Church seals on it — Father Donavich’s work, placed against Strahd, not against thieves. Inside, a coffin rests on trestles in the parlor. Kolyan Indirovich lies in it, hands folded. His daughter Ireena is at the window; his son Ismark is at the fire.

Sensory

• Funeral herbs — rosemary, myrrh
• Old ash in a cold hearth
• Every window shuttered, every door bolted