Barovia

View of the town of Barovia, with Castle Ravenloft in the background.

Barovia in Southern Congeria.

Ireena Kolyana

Vistani

Werewolves

Mad Mages/Druids

Ghouls

Specters

Reincarnated Souls

**Barovia** is a lordship nestled in the Barovian Valley within the Balinok Mountains of Southern Congeria. Outside of Congerian influence, the villages of Barovia, Vallaki, and Krezk all answer to the valley's powerful and tyrannical vampire overlord Strahd von Zarovich. Shrouded in mystery, the realm acts as a prison for its darklord, the valley's inhabitants, and any unfortunate adventurers who became engulfed by Barovia's suffocating mists.

## Geography

Rolling thunderclouds and heavy fog cast a gray pall over the land of Barovia, shrouding the valley in secrecy. However, many believe that the fog prohibits outsiders from entering Barovia, unless personally invited by Strahd himself. The fog is also believed to recycle the souls of Barovia's fallen within the valley, resulting in many Barovians becoming reincarnations of previous lives.

The sun never fully shines in the lands of Barovia. Even during the day, the sky is dimmed by fog or storm clouds, or the light is strangely muted. Barovian daylight is bright light, yet it isn’t considered sunlight for the purpose of effects and vulnerabilities, such as a vampire’s, tied to sunlight.

The evergreen trees of the Svalich Woods climb the sides of the mountains that enclose the valley. The largest of these peaks is Mount Baratok, with its snow-covered cap and rugged slopes. Baratok’s slightly smaller twin, Mount Ghakis, is mostly bald with tufts of trees here and there. Between these two mountains stands Lake Zarovich, which is fed by streams of ice-cold water pouring down the face of Mount Baratok. Beside this lake rests the ruins of the village of Berez. On the south side of the lake rests the town of Vallaki, enclosed by a palisade. West of the two mountains, atop a hill, stands the Abbey of Saint Markovia, around which the Barovians built a walled village named Krezk. Between Vallaki and Krezk lie the ruins of Argynvostholt, the fallen bastion of a knightly order called the Order of the Silver Dragon. East of the mountains lies the village of Barovia, shrouded in mist and bereft of walls and defenses. The dark silhouette of Castle Ravenloft looks down on this village from its perch atop a 1,000-foot-high column of rock known as the "Pillarstone of Ravenloft."

Much of the lower hilled forests throughout Barovia are made up of hardwood trees, such as beech, cherry, hazelnut, and oak. At higher elevations, the predominant trees are evergreens, such as fir, pine, and spruce.

Despite its ghastly nature, the forests of Barovia teem with wildlife. Land animals such as deer, rabbits, rats, wolves, and black bears are common sights in the woods. The sky is populated with ravens, hawks and songbirds, as well as nocturnal bats and owls.

Barovia's citizens are mainly townsfolk whose lives have been in a constant cycle of reincarnation since Strahd assumed his role as dark lord. There is also a significant population of Vistani throughout Barovia (except Vallaki because of their restrictive laws).

## Government

The entire lordship/valley of Barovia is ruled by Strahd von Zarovich, known to the local populations as "the devil" or "the ancient one." However, his ruling style is mainly through proxy as few people have seen Strahd with their own eyes, let alone carry out the necessary duties of tax collection and settling land disputes.

The villages of Barovia, Vallaki, and Krezk are managed by a burgomaster, a hereditary title that acts as essentially the town's mayor. Burgomasters manage the everyday duties and responsibilities of town administration. However, all three burgomasters answer to Strahd for he is a feared tyrant who took whatever he wanted and whom no one dared disobey.

* Burgomaster of Barovia: *Vacant (previously Kolyan Indirovich)*
* Burgomaster of Vallaki: Vargas Vallakovich
* Burgomaster of Krezk: Dmitri Krezkov