Also known to you under the aliases Rictavio, an elderly near-blind scholar who you lost in the Darkest House, and don Ricardo, a flamboyant carnie who you spoke to in Vallaki.

Doctor van Richten is an old man and a scholar, who tends to speak slowly and thoughtfully. In his youth, he was a famous adventurer and monster hunter; he’s authored dozens of books including several you recognize across planes and domains.

Of the monsters of Barovia, the doctor has published no tome. However, in the Abbey library you found a compiled set of notes on monsters to which van Richten wrote the forward: The Monster Hunter’s Guide. In that text, he did not profess to have traveled in Barovia. However, a keen study in the library also revealed Comfort Not the Unseen, a few notes on monsters of Barovian folklore. In RvR’s handwriting that suggests his more intimate knowledge of conversation on the ground with Barovians.