History of Barovia (book)

The **History of Barovia** was written in Y397 by Harkus Vallakovich, the apprentice of the great Archwizard Khazan. A copy of the book was found by Narid Ashplantt in the library of the Durst House.

The chapters of the book are summarised below.

## Settlements and Points of Interest

### Amber Temple

The Amber Temple is mentioned only briefly in the Archwizard Khazan’s work. He describes the Amber Temple as “a legendary repository of dark magic occasionally sought by scholarly sorts intent on the pursuit power without regard for morality or consequence.” All seekers of this power, to the best of his knowledge, had failed to return from their quest. Khazan writes little else about the Temple beyond acknowledging that he neither knew nor sought to learn its location. “Some things” he wrote, “are better left buried in the sands of time”.

### Argynvostholt

According to the Archwizard Khazan, Argynvostholt was a fortified mansion and home of the silver dragon, Argynvost. The hold was also the base of operations for the Order of the Dragon, a cult dedicated to carrying out the elder dragon’s wishes. He knew of a place called the Amber Temple — a repository of evil power guarded by the forces of good. He wanted to make sure that whatever was trapped inside the Amber Temple wouldn’t be allowed to escape, so he built his mansion, Argynvostholt, close by. The mansion was destroyed by Strahd, who personally led his forces in a climactic battle with the Order of the Dragon, and Argynvost himself. Since the dragon’s death, Argynvostholt has become a haunted ruin, a former bastion of nobility and light turned into a place of desolation and unrest. Some believe that Argynvost isn't at rest himself, and may one day return and bring light back into Argynvostholt, and across Barovia.

### Barovia Village

The village of Barovia is a dismal community shrouded in a near-permanent fog. Its residents live in fear of the dark, the unknown, and, above all, the “Devil Strahd”. Once a prosperous agricultural and trading community, its residents now eek out a meager existence by subsistence farming and re-purposing supplies found within the increasing number of abandoned homes in the village. Most of its residents shun interaction with outsiders, desperate to avoid the wrath of their overlord, Strahd.

### Berez

Berez is a newly established but rapidly growing village, run by the Burgomaster, Lazlo Ulrich. Located in fertile lowlands along the western bank of the Luna River, Berez is quickly gaining a reputation as “the breadbasket of Barovia” exporting agricultural goods throughout the valley and beyond. It is not the merchants that have recently caught the eye of the Lord of the Land, however. In his most recent visits to Berez, Strahd von Zarovich has not been spending his time with Lazlo, but with his daughter, Marina. Marina hasn't taken to the additional attention coming from Strahd, but still he persists.

### Castle Ravenloft

A castle like no other, Ravenloft is an impenetrable fortress in the Barovian valley, built by Archmage Khazan. The castle stands on a large pillar of stone overlooking a vast ravine, and in the distance, the village of Barovia. Beneath the castle is a vast network of catacombs, home to important figures of Barovia's past. The huge castle itself comprises of three stories, containing many hallways, a chapel, a vast library, treasury, an audience hall to name a few. Strahd von Zarovich named the castle 'Ravenloft' after his mother Queen Ravenovia.

Few have dared to assault the castle during Strahd's centuries long hold on Barovia, but the brave knights of Argynvostholt did march on the castle soon after its completion and were soundly defeated.

### Krezk

Perimsham Village, Krezk’s predecessor, was described by the Archwizard Khazan as a small community of hovels built around the Pool of the White Sun. The population of the village was put to the sword following Strahd’s decisive victory at Argynvostholt. After their destruction of Perimsham, Strahd’s followers began settling around the pool the same as the previous residents; drawn by the spring’s miraculous nature. Strahd eventually sanctioned the development and charged the Krezkov family with building a fortified community capable of securing the western approach into Barovia Valley. The new community was named in the honour of its founders.

### Standing Stones

By the time Khazan began his studies on them, the exact purpose of Barovia's numerous standing stones was already mysterious. These stone monoliths were typically formed into circles of four and inscribed with primitive runes and iconography. Their exact meaning and history was a topic of widespread speculation among Barovians. Some warned of their destructive power while others saw them as beacons of good fortune and fertility. Khazan suggested that most speculation was entirely unfounded and that, in all likelihood, the stones were a part of a religion dedicated to some form of impotent primitive gods.

The Archwizard did comment that stones appeared to be considered sacred by the "wild folk" of Barovia.

### Vallaki

The sleepy mountain burg of Vallaki straddles the Old Svalich Road in a densely forested valley near the south shore of Lake Zarovich. Regular access to trade via Barovia’s primary roadway, fertile land to the east, and fishing in the nearby lake, led to years of growth for the community. Eventually, Vallaki developed into the largest population center in the Barovia Valley. As is the case in much of this cursed land, however, Vallaki is not the thriving community it once was. The town’s main appeal these days comes from a perceived sense of security. The community is protected by a regularly maintained and manned wooden palisade as well as its own dedicated guard force. The measures are generally sufficient to keep the terrors of the wilderness at bay. In an effort to shield its residents, Vallaki has become increasingly insular and remains a community very much shaped by fear.

Businesses and Points of Interest :

* Blue Water Inn
* Burgomaster’s Mansion
* Church of Saint Andral
* Mourning Gate
* Town Square and Gallows
* Wachterhaus

### Wizards of the Wine

After Barovia’s descent in darkness, the Wizard of Wines Winery remained in production. Crops across the of the valley became sickly, their produce bereft of flavor. The grapes of the Wizard of Wines, however, remained succulent and its wine - delicious. The winery eventually changed hands from the Krezkovs to the Martikovs and the latter began distributing the product for free to the taverns of Barovia as a service to the valley’s oppressed residents. They offset their costs by selling private reserves to the valley’s more affluent residents. As commerce across the valley diminished over time, the Wizard of Wines’ product became one of the last remaining indulgences left to most Barovians.

The Archwizard Khazan called the wines produced by the winery “the finest vintage he had ever tasted” claiming they exceeded the flavor of famed wines imported from exotic locales. The winery offered only three varieties: the readily available Purple Grapemash #2, the full-bodied and delicious Red Dragon Crush, and the exquisite Champagne de la Stomp. The Wizard of Wines was operated by the Krezkovs, a noble family of repute recently charged by Strahd von Zarovich with leading reconstruction efforts in Krezk. While he admitted he could not prove it, the Archwizard speculated that magic must have some role in the creation of something so refined.

Khazan mentioned the winery was located in the fertile fields south of Krezk.

### Yester Hill

The Archwizard Khazan described Yester Hill as “a four hundred foot rise of particular spiritual importance to Barovia’s pre-invasion peoples.” The hill itself, he argued, was far less interesting than the vigour and primitive druidic magics of the “rabble” that attempted to defend it against Strahd’s forces. These native Barovians worshipped a twisted tree of evil omen atop the hill. Following the defeat of its defenders, the tree was burnt to the ground and the bodies of the slain burnt in a great pyre. When asked why the native forces had abandoned their insurgency tactics to engage in a clearly doomed pitched battle, a captured native, Kavan, replied simply: “Wintersplinter”.

## Families and Organisations

### Ba'al Verzi

The Ba'al Verzi is a brotherhood of assassins, which reaches far back into the history of Barovia. Unnaturally swift and magically stealthy, the Ba'al Verzi have been known infiltrate any organisation and dispatch any target, their signature weapon being a curved dagger with a hilt wrapped in black, red and gold, which can penetrate any armour as if it was silk.

During the reign of King Barov, the Ba'al Verzi had a large part to play in the War of the Silver Knives; a series of revenge-driven assassinations between the Dilisnya, Katsky and Petrovna families. Count Barov von Zarovich ordered an end to it. Peace was restored, but the distraction and the losses helped pave the way for the Terg Invasion in Y320.

The only known member of the Ba'al Verzi was a man named Leo Dilisnya, a Lord and a high ranking member in Strahd Von Zarovich's army at the time of reconquering the valley of Barovia. Leo was faithful to Strahd, and helped bring great success to his Commander's campaign, until the night of Sergei and Tatyana's wedding. Leo assassinated Sergei that night, but was unsuccessful in completing the job on Strahd himself. In the struggle with the Lord of Ravenloft, Leo Dilisnya managed to escape the castle, and has been on the run from Strahd ever since.

### Krezkovs

Over the last 100 years, the Krezkovs have firmly placed themselves as the richest of Barovia's noble families, due to the ever-increasing demand of wine in the region. The Wachter and Ulrich families buy the beautiful Red Dragon Crush in by the wagon load, and the common folk from the Village of Barovia drink their way through a wagon of Purple Grapemash every week.

After Lord Strahd charged the Krezkovs with rebuilding Krezk, the Wizards of the Wine winery was given to the Martikovs to the Krezkovs dismay. The honour from having a new village named after them, along with the trust instilled in them to defend the valley from the west, increased their reputation within Barovia massively. However, without a substantial source of income from the winery, and having purchase wine from the Martikovs for the first time, their financial stability begins to waver. In order to reduce the financial risk, Frederick Krezkov established a self-sufficiency policy in Krezk. The villagers grew their own crops, kept their own animals and made their own clothing. The only import after Frederick was the wine.

The crest of the Krezkovs is a sun atop a large fortress.

### Martikovs

One of Vallaki’s prominent families; the Martikovs own and operate the Blue Water Inn. The Inn’s position as one of the town’s primary gathering places and sole wine distributor has given its owners social capital beyond their station. In addition to the Blue Water Inn, the Martikovs also own and operate the Wizard of Wines Winery; distributing wine throughout the valley of Barovia.

The Martikovs provide the wine throughout the valley for free, a decision which the previous distributors, the Krezkovs, find infuriating; they have gone from being the only family in Barovia drinking for free, to the only family in Krezk to have to pay for it.

The Martikovs use their links across the valley from the charity that they give to the less fortunate to gather information about the noble families of Barovia, in order to further advance their social status. It is also believed that the Martikovs use this information gathered to seed distrust between the other noble families, creating friction that would not go unnoticed by the Lord of the Land.

The crest of the Martikovs is a raven flying across vineyards.

### Order of the Dragon

During the war between Strahd and his foes, the Order of the Silver Dragon drove away malefactors searching for the Amber Temple. It also sheltered Strahd’s enemies and proved more than a match for Strahd’s battle-weary soldiers. Most notably in the year 347 when the Order lured Strahd's army into a trap around Argynvostholt, which in their haste of conquering the valley Strahd's men fell into. Strahd was severely injured, but managed to escape with the help of the Vistani, who took him in and nursed him back to health. But the early victories of the Order didn’t win the war. Even with Argynvost on their side, the knights were ultimately overwhelmed when Strahd’s reinforcements swept into the valley. Those forces slew the last of the knights and battled the dragon inside Argynvostholt. After the dragon was slain, Strahd had its corpse hacked to pieces, stripped to the bone, and transported to Castle Ravenloft as a trophy. The death of Argynvost enraged the spirit of Vladimir Horngaard, the greatest of the dragon’s knights. Horngaard returned as a revenant and swore to avenge the destruction of the order. His zeal was so great that it also brought back the spirits of several other knights, who rose as revenants under Vladimir’s command.

### The Vistani

The Vistani are a vibrant, energetic folk as renown for their music, fortunetelling abilities, and lust for life as they are infamous for their curses, swindling, and general debauchery. They are silversmiths, coppersmiths, haberdashers, cooks, weavers, musicians, entertainers, storytellers, toolmakers, and horse traders. They also earn money by telling fortunes and selling information. They spend whatever they earn to support a lavish lifestyle, display their wealth openly as a sign of prosperity, and share their good fortune with family and friends. Despite their wanderlust, Vistani all end up returning to Barovia at some point, if for no other reason than to pay homage to Madam Eva, a legendary seer within Vistani culture.

The Vistani live in roving bands of several to several dozen individuals headed by either a single venerable individual or a council of elders. Each band follows a rough code of conduct respected within Vistani society but otherwise does what and goes where it pleases, treating each other as if in one large family. An extraordinary deed of loyalty towards any member of the Vistani is reason for the elders to grant the outsider, or “Giorgio” the title “Giorgoto”, an honorary Vistani. Frequently, looked upon with suspicion by local, less transient peoples; the fear and angst the Vistani generates acts as both an advantage and disadvantage. On the one hand, the Vistani are never welcome anywhere outside of Barovia long and easily overstay their welcome. On the other hand, fear of Vistani curses and retribution generally protect the bands from direct violence.

Strahd and the Vistani share a mutual respect of one another. The Vistani showed Strahd kindness and saved his life when they certainly didn't have to, impressing Strahd. Strahd made a vow that all Vistani would henceforth be welcome in his land, so long as they did not openly antagonize him. Vistani families and clans are closely knit. They resolve disagreements through contests that end with reconciliatory singing, dancing, and storytelling. The Vistani are quick to act when their lives or traditions are threatened and are merciless when they believe they must be. Vistani who knowingly bring harm or misfortune to others of their kind are banished, and brandished “Mortu” — the worst punishment a Vistani can imagine, even worse than death.

### Wachters

The Wachter family is an old noble family that have long loyally served Count Strahd von Zarovich; Victor Wachter was nobly born in the year 310. He was an experienced soldier, who married Oleka Dilisnya, sister of Reinhold and Gertrude Dilisnya. Lord Victor attended the doomed wedding of Sergei von Zarovich in the year 351, where Leo orchestrated a massacre intended to wipe out the von Zarovichs.

Victor managed to survive, but his brother and sister in law Reinhold and Gertrude, along with his wife Oleka, were among the many who died in Castle Ravenloft that day. Commended for his continued loyalty towards the von Zarovichs, Strahd made Lord Victor a Boyar of the vicinity of the Kresk pass. Victor spent the remainder of his life looking for Leo Dilisnya, and without finding him, died in the year 372, outlived only by his daughter Lovina. Lady Lovina became Boyar, and took up the search for Leo, believing that her family's blood is on his hands. As of the writing of this book, the task has yet been unsuccessful.

## People of Interest

### Archwizard Khazan

The extraordinary Archwizard Khazan, the greatest spellcaster Barovia has ever seen, was hired by Strahd as the architect of Castle Ravenloft. After successful construction of the castle, Khazan went to live on a small island on Lake Baratok, where he constructed his own tower, and moulded the terrain around him to produce a causeway of earth connecting his island to the mainland.

Later, he visited Castle Ravenloft to challenge Strahd, in an attempt to wrestle away his lordship of the domain, but was convinced to serve as Strahd's chief advisor for many years. After the death of Sergei, Khazan was ordered by Strahd to destroy his sword; a platinum hilt and guard, with a thin crystal blade as strong as diamond. Archwizard Khazan managed to disassemble and destroy the blade, but the hilt was stolen.

Archwizard Khazan, a wise sage at this point, returned to his tower, where he most generously took on an apprentice, sharing his vast knowledge and experience, and graciously allowed him to produce a series of books from his musings. The apprentice learned some basic spellcasting from the Archwizard, but not coming close to the earth-bending powers that his mentor possessed, particularly when wielding his spellbook and staff, before Khazan left a final time.

### Argynvost

The dragon, who called himself Argyn­vost, had come to the valley years earlier in the guise of a nobleman named Lord Argynvost. The dragon didn’t lair in the valley solely because of its idyllic beauty.

Like many silver dragons, Argynvost was extraordinarily wealthy, and he was comfortable living among humans while disguised as one of them. He used his resources to attract other champions of good, and valorous knights flocked to the valley to join Lord Argynvost’s prestigious Order of the Silver Dragon. Only those who were initiated into the order were told of Lord Argynvost’s true nature.

Arygnvost had his knights help him build the great mansion, Argynvostholt, as bastion of nobility and light, and a place to coordinate a stand against Strahd, with the help of his field commander Vladimir Horngaard.

### Baba Lysaga

Two women gave life to Strahd von Zarovich. The first was Queen Ravenovia van Roeyen, Strahd's biological mother. The second was the queen's midwife, a devout follower of Mother Night named Baba Lysaga. Although it was the former who raised Strahd and enabled him to follow in his father's footsteps, it was the latter who sensed a potential for greatness and darkness in Strahd surpassing that of any other mortal. Lysaga believed then, as she believes now, that she is Strahd's true mother.

When Strahd was still a baby in his crib, Baba Lysaga cast protective spells on him and crept into his nursery on stormy nights to sing magical rhymes to him. She also placed the "spark of magic" in him, ensuring that he would become a spellcaster.

Baba Lysaga's unhealthy attachment to the baby Strahd did not go unnoticed. After she received several disturbing reports, Queen Ravenovia was forced to banish the midwife from the kingdom.

### Kasimir

Kasimir's allegiance with the Vistani after Strahd decimated the dusk elves granted him the title of an honourary Vistani, “Giorgoto”. So much so that he adopted the name of the Vistana who welcomed him into his clan, a man named Velikov.

Patrina Velikovna and her people were living among the Vistani when they heard of Tatyana's death and Strahd's curse. The ageless Patrina returned to Ravenloft in the hope of winning Strahd's love. This time, it was clear that Patrina craved Strahd's power and that Strahd would never love her. To prevent Strahd from claiming his sister as his wife, Kasimir orchestrated the stoning of Patrina, with the help of the other dusk elves.

Strahd secured Patrina's corpse and entombed it in the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft, sending Rahadin to punish the dusk elves for this crime. Rahadin slew the entire female population of the dusk elves there and then, so that the males could no longer breed. He also sliced off the ears of Patrina's brother, Kasimir.

Kasimir, with the help of his great Vistani allies, inflicted a curse upon Rahadin, such that all of the screams of the female dusk elves that he slaughtered would forever haunt and isolate him.

### Horngaard

Vladimir Horngaard, Argynvost's field commander, found himself fighting Strahd's armies time and again as they swept across the land. When it became clear that Strahd couldn't be stopped, the knights of The Order led hundreds of refugees to Argynvost's valley. Strahd tracked the retreating knights to their sanctuary and overwhelmed them with a vast force. Horngaard couldn't hold back the evil tide and was killed, only after the heartbreak of witnessing Strahd himself slay Vladimir's beloved, his fellow knight Sir Godfrey Gwilym. Rather than cower in his lair, Argynvost emerged and battled Strahd's armies to the bitter end.

Unwilling to accept his failure, Vladimir returned as a revenant. So great was his hatred of Strahd and his thirst for vengeance that those feelings fueled the spirits of many of his fellow knights, including Godfrey, to come back as revenants as well. Vladimir continued to wage the hopeless war, even as Strahd tightened his grip on the valley.

The vengeful revenants killed many of Strahd’s soldiers, and whenever the undead knights were cut down, their spirits found new corpses to inhabit. Though the knights were grossly outnumbered, they waged war for months and slew hundreds of foes.

When Strahd died and became a vampire, Vladimir’s knights should have gone to their everlasting rest, but their spirits couldn’t leave Strahd’s domain. They marched to Castle Ravenloft and were confronted by the Vistani seer Madam Eva, who told them Strahd had died, only to become a prisoner in his own land, tormented by the death of his beloved Tatyana and the murder of his brother Sergei.

After receiving that news, Vladimir ceased his advance and led his knights back to Argynvostholt. He realized that Strahd had already died and been damned to a hell of his own creation. With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, Vladimir set his knights to killing Strahd’s agents and anyone else who might help to ease Strahd’s torment. Consumed by hatred, the knights have lost their honour and nobility. Their redemption hinges on whether Vladimir can set aside that hatred. The undead knight can be found brooding in the ruins of Argynvostholt.

### Pidlwick

Duchess Dorfinya Dilisnya was nobly born in Barovia in year 289. She married Pidlwick and bore him four children, including Leo Dilisnya in the year 320. There were at least nine grandchildren, among them Lovina Wachter. Pidlwick and Dorfinyas' visits to the castle were frequent, as Pidlwick took on the role of the delightful court jester. The little man was like a ray of sunshine in Castle Ravenloft, and though he failed to amuse Strahd, he delighted Tatyana and Sergei with his jokes and gambols. As a result, Strahd didn't object whenever Pidlwick and the duchess came to visit. Pidlwick developed an intense hatred for the Von Zarovichs that he passed on to his son Leo.

Eager to please and desiring to return the courtesy, the duchess commissioned the legendary toymaker Fritz von Weerg to build a clockwork effigy of Pidlwick as a gift for Strahd's family. Von Weerg was no ordinary toymaker, and he put a little of himself into all his creations, which is to say his works had a touch of their creator's madness. Even though Pidlwick himself had spent months training it, the effigy couldn't speak, and its movements were more awkward than amusing.  Although the duchess's heart was in the right place, the effigy didn't have Pidlwick's abilities, and it failed to entertain anyone.

A particularly harsh winter in 351 trapped the duchess, Pidlwick and the effigy in Castle Ravenloft for several months, which the duchess tragically succumbed to. After the death of the duchess, Tatyana requested that Pidlwick stayed at the castle. However, knowing that he would have no purpose as long as his master remained at Castle Ravenloft, the effigy pushed Pidlwick down a long flight of stairs, killing him. In the days that followed, Pidlwick II tried its best to fill its namesakes shoes, but the effigy's mere presence was upsetting to Tatyana, and it was never called on to perform. Eventually, it was shut away in a small closet adjacent to one of the guest bedrooms.

On rare occasions when someone stayed in the guest bedroom where Pidlwick II was kept, Pidlwick II would sneak out of the closet in the middle of the night, smother the guest with a pillow, and then retreat back into the closet. The castle staff never considered that the effigy might be responsible, instead assuming that the guests had died in their sleep. But Strahd was not fooled. He came to realize fairly quickly that the clockwork effigy had begun to display a murderous nature. Rather than have Pidlwick II destroyed, Strahd kept the fool around to dispose of irksome guests from time to time.

### Rahadin

Rahadin was a fairly high ranking member of the the dusk elves, who once spread across the entire Barovian valley. Long before Strahd Von Zarovich was born, Rahadin was exiled for refusing to bow down to Prince Pilliro, a dusk elf whom Rahadin considered weak and corrupt.

When the dusk elves declined to pay fealty to King Barov, Rahadin helped Barov conquer them. The Elf kingdom's royal line was obliterated, the dusk elves were hunted like rabbits. So pleased was King Barov with Rahadin that the king made the dusk elf an honorary member of his family. Since that dark day, the few dusk elves that did survive were either subjugated or forced to live amongst the Vistani.

After King Barov died, Rahadin continued to fight as one of Strahd's generals, helping Strahd fight long bloody wars against his father's enemies.

Strahd, with help from Rahadin, scoured his conquered lands for wizards and artisans, brought them to the valley of Barovia, and commanded them to raise a castle to rival the magnificent fortresses of his ancestral homeland; Rahadin himself recruiting the Archwizard Khazan to design Castle Ravenloft.

When a dusk elf named Patrina Velikovna came knocking on Strahd's door, Rahadin could see that she intrigued Strahd, but Rahadin was suspicious of her motives. Patrina tried to seduce Strahd with the prospect of immortality - something Strahd desired above all. She told him of a vault of forbidden lore called the Amber Temple, where the secret of gaining immortality was hidden.

While Strahd was off searching for the Amber Temple, Rahadin was appointed Chaimberlain and handled all of his master's affairs, but began searching for a woman who could tear Strahd away from Patrina Velikovna, and the prospect of immortality. With Strahd eyeing Tatyana, Rahadin had the pleasure of informing Patrina that her presence at the castle was no longer desired.

After Strahd became a vampire and Tatyana died, Rahadin continued to do his master's bidding. Eager to put Tatyana out of his mind, Strahd lured more women to the castle, taking several of them as brides before draining their lives and turning them into vampire spawn. Rahadin would see to it that these women were lavished with jewels and fine clothes, and made comfortable during their stay in Ravenloft.

### Sergei

Sergei von Zarovich was the second son of King Barov von Zarovich and Queen Ravenovia, born 11 years after his elder brother Strahd von Zarovich. Sergei studied as a priest of the Morninglord from a young age, and travelled to Barovia a few years after Castle Ravenloft was constructed to become ordained.

Strahd was excited to have his brother with him in Castle Ravenloft, and afforded Sergei every opportunity to complete his studying. Sergei was an excellent swordsman in his own right, and aided Strahd with the training of the guards when time allowed it, but did not take up any military duties at Castle Ravenloft.

Unfortunately for Strahd, Sergei fell in love with a woman named Tatyana, and they were married within a year, and Sergei abandoned his post as a priest. Sergei was assassinated by the Ba'al Verzi, the magical blade left at the scene of the murder. Sergei's remains now lie in a crypt in the catacombs beneath Castle Ravenloft.

### Strahd von Zarovich

Archwizard Khazan warned that it would be unwise to write a section about Lord Strahd in this book, however, not identifying Lord Strahd as a person of interest would be just as impudent.

## Religion

### The Fanes of Barovia

Long before the people of Barovia worshipped the Morninglord, they believed in the Weave. The Threads of Fate are the theoretical strings that make up the Weave, representing the fabric of the world and the passage of time. Whilst most of this religion has been lost to time, the Vistani still believe in the Threads, and the Fanes who attend to them.

The Seeker of the Forest Fane represents the coming of the future. She "seeks" because, according to the old tales, she can see the future.

The Weaver of the Swamp Fane represents the remembrance of the past. She is magical librarian that remembers everything; the keeper of the Weave.

The Huntress of the Mountain Fane represents the dark underside of the weave; she manages the natural cycle of life and death.

### The Morninglord

The Morninglord is one of two deities believed to watch over the land of Barovia, the other being Mother Night.

The Morninglord is said to be the god of Dawn, Renewal, Life, Day, Healing, Spring, and many other concepts associated with the sun and positive energy; the most notable place of worship of the Morninglord being the Abbey of St Markovia. It appears that most Barovians nominally worship the Morninglord, and that his counterpart Mother Night is more of a folk bugaboo than a functional part of a pantheon. However, the Morninglord himself doesn’t appear truly present in Barovia, either. Compared with the interactive and undeniable pantheons of the Forgotten Realms, as the Vistani and other travellers tell, the Morninglord seems to be more of an abstraction, and could be argued not to exist at all except for a sparse few clerics who seem to be awarded divine magic by their benefactor.

It is not lost on the Outlanders that the name Morninglord is sometimes synonymous with the Realms god Lathander. It is true that the professed portfolios of these Gods overlap in many places, however Barovia’s Morninglord has a more expansive responsibility. Additionally, personality traits attributed to the two figures are very different, with the Morninglord being characterized as grim and resolute even in his hopefulness, while Lathander is often portrayed as childlike, enthusiastic, vain, and given to excessive indulgences.

### The Mother Night

Mother Night is a deity of Barovian religion, and the nocturnal counterpart to the Morninglord. Her presence is said to have manifested the most during the night between dusk and dawn, but most Barovians believe her to be a fictitious creation of the followers of the Morninglord, to frighten Barovians into worshipping the light. Others think that, like the Morninglord, she has forsaken them.

The devout citizens of Barovia believe Strahd to have been chosen by Mother Night as a champion to punish the Barovian people for the sins of their familial progenitors. Thus, Mother Night is mostly venerated today by unnatural monsters and other creatures of the night.

Baba Lysaga has been a faithful devotee to the Mother Night, even before the birth of Strahd. The Children of the Mother Night also worship the Mother Night in a den, west of Lake Baratok.