The Van Holtzes

[Olly]

Can anybody shed some more light on the Van Holtzes? Are they a real family in service to the devil Strahd, or simply, as Azalin says, an alias adopted by the count when he goes a-wooing?

[Tobias Blackburn]

Van Holtz was Strahd's mother's maiden name. He uses the name whenever he is going out amongst the populace and doesn't want people to know that "Stahd stalks the land". Azalin wouldn't have too much difficulty learning that, having spent so much time working with him in Barovia.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

IIRC, Ravenovia von Zarovich's maiden name was Von Roeyen, not Van Holtz.

[Catman Jim]

According to 'I, Strahd', Chapter 7, the name Von Holtz was a combination of "the given name of (Strahd's) great-grandfather with that of his wife's maiden name".

[Tobias Blackburn]

Thanks guys. I knew it was something like that.

I stand corrected.