The Trial of Henrik Van Der Voort

In the aftermath of The Feast of St. Andral  incident, tension and unease hung in the air as the citizens of Vallaki gathered for a show trial orchestrated by the Burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich. The accused, Henrik Van Der Voort, the coffin maker, stood accused of releasing the vampire spawn upon the town. The trial aimed to quell rumors of Strahd's presence and restore a sense of order and control. As the trial reached its climax, with the crowd eagerly awaiting the verdict, an unexpected interruption shattered the proceedings. Strahd von Zarovich himself appeared, seemingly out of thin air, demanding to testify on behalf of Van Der Voort. The Town Square fell into stunned silence as the lord of Barovia stepped forward, his dark presence suffocating the crowds.
With an air of authority and confidence, Strahd began his testimony. He revealed that he had indeed instructed Henrik to keep a number of coffins on his premises, acting under his own orders as the leader of Barovia. Strahd's testimony challenged the notion of Van Der Voort's guilt, raising questions about the laws that could have been broken when acting upon the will of the land's ruler.
The Burgomaster, Baron Vargas Vallakovich, found himself humiliated and backed into a corner. Unable to refute Strahd's testimony and faced with the reality of his own powerlessness, he was forced to declare Henrik Van Der Voort innocent. It was a bitter pill to swallow, as the Baron's authority and judgment were openly challenged in front of his subjects.
Seizing the moment, Strahd, with calculated malice, turned his attention back to Henrik Van Der Voort. With a chilling pronouncement, he accused the coffin maker of a different kind of guilt—failing him. In a display of supernatural power, Strahd snapped his fingers, and the ground beneath Henrik erupted, a pillar of earth impaling him through the chest. In an instant, Van Der Voort's life was extinguished, his body lifeless and suspended in mid-air.
The crowd stood in shocked silence, their fear and awe palpable as Strahd calmly walked forward, leaving the lifeless body behind. As he stepped into the midst of his Vallakian subjects, his presence commanded both reverence and terror. The true power and control that Strahd held over Vallaki and its inhabitants became chillingly evident, leaving an indelible mark on the town's collective consciousness.