Barovia
Encyclopedia
Barovia is the oldest domain in Ravenloft
.
It was formed from a part of the ancestral lands of Strahd von Zarovich
at the time when he murdered his brother Sergei to win the hand of the beautiful Tatyana in the year 351 of the Barovian Calendar.
Barovia is loosely based on real-world Transylvania
. The country is mostly mountainous (the Balinok range) and covered in dense woods. The climate is cold with frigid winters.
Strahd von Zarovich
, a vampire
and necromancer
, remains the darklord of Barovia, inhabiting the Castle Ravenloft, close to the original village of Barovia (otherwise unnamed), the de facto political centre of the land. Other large settlements include Zeidenberg, Immol, Teueldorf, Vallaki and Krezk.
The population is 98% human, with native Barovians and the lower-class emigres from Gundarak, the Gundarakites. The Vistani
, though a one percent minority, are influential due to their compact with Strahd.
The most popular language, Balok, shows patterns of Slavic influence.
Barovia was the setting of the 1994 PC game Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
by SSI
.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft includes instructions for placing it in north eastern Faerûn
.
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
.
It was formed from a part of the ancestral lands of Strahd von Zarovich
Strahd von Zarovich
Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module I6: Ravenloft. Later, this character and his world would be explored in followup modules, novels, and a campaign setting called...
at the time when he murdered his brother Sergei to win the hand of the beautiful Tatyana in the year 351 of the Barovian Calendar.
Barovia is loosely based on real-world Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
. The country is mostly mountainous (the Balinok range) and covered in dense woods. The climate is cold with frigid winters.
Strahd von Zarovich
Strahd von Zarovich
Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular Advanced Dungeons and Dragons adventure module I6: Ravenloft. Later, this character and his world would be explored in followup modules, novels, and a campaign setting called...
, a vampire
Vampire (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the vampire is an undead creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features...
and necromancer
Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.-Creative origins:...
, remains the darklord of Barovia, inhabiting the Castle Ravenloft, close to the original village of Barovia (otherwise unnamed), the de facto political centre of the land. Other large settlements include Zeidenberg, Immol, Teueldorf, Vallaki and Krezk.
The population is 98% human, with native Barovians and the lower-class emigres from Gundarak, the Gundarakites. The Vistani
Vistani
The Vistani are the Gypsies as popularly imagined, represented in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Since their introduction in the original Ravenloft module as fortune-tellers, they became a unifying element in the Ravenloft and Victorian Age Red Death campaign settings, which...
, though a one percent minority, are influential due to their compact with Strahd.
The most popular language, Balok, shows patterns of Slavic influence.
Barovia was the setting of the 1994 PC game Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is a 1994 fantasy role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment for Strategic Simulations, Inc. for DOS.-Plot:...
by SSI
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
.
Expedition to Castle Ravenloft includes instructions for placing it in north eastern Faerûn
Faerûn
Faerûn is a fictional subcontinent, the primary setting of the Dungeons & Dragons world of Forgotten Realms. It is described at a relatively high level in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting from Wizards of the Coast, and various locales and aspects are described in more detail by separate...
.