Tome of Strahd
You found this hidden in the Wizard's Tower. According to Dr. van Richten, he had been studying this to learn how to best defeat Strahd.
Tome of Strahd
I, Strahd, Lord of Barovia, well aware certain events of my reign have been desperately misunderstood by those who are better at garbling history rather than recording it, hereby set down an accurate record of those events, that the truth may, at last, be known. For I am The Ancient, I am The Land.
I was born in the year 206 CE, through the arranged marriage of my father King Barov von Zarovich; the warlord, and my mother Queen Ravenovia von Zarovich; the diplomat. My parents held no love for each other, something my father repeatedly proved whenever he.... sampled the spoils of war. At the time, I was the only child, so the expectations of my father were high. During the day, I trained with the sword, and at night I was devoted to my studies of military tactics and the secrets of the arcane arts.
My father would claim that a leader must be firm but fair, despite acting rashly from being overcome with emotions such as rage and lust. My mother would preach of the vital and delicate nature of peace but would surrender much to achieve that goal. The flaws in their logic and actions were evident, and it became apparent to me that I had much to improve upon when I took the throne.
Despite my mother’s protest, my father would take me with him on his military campaigns. I got to learn firsthand what war was like; the smell of death would linger in my nose for months after I returned home. The military officers would boast almost as much as my father would after a victorious battle. With drink in hand, they would regale anyone who would listen to them. Whether it was to flex their masculinity for other men or to impress the women they wished to bed, it was always time to revel in the glory of war. Yet, one would never see them walking amongst the common soldiers after a battle. The piles of nameless dead being put in mass graves or burned, the medics tent where the survivors would go to become crippled for the rest of their shortened lives. To hear grown men cry out for a mother that would not come as their leg was sawed off was something I would never forget.
As time progressed, the campaigns would become longer and longer as my father’s warmongering drove his every desire. In the year 228 CE, my mother gave birth to my brother Sergei. My time with my sibling was short. My father wished to celebrate the birth of his new son by going to war once again. It would be nearly three decades before I ever saw him again.
246 CE
The Holy Empire of Valentia. Another corrupt entity that would use the gods to justify their warmongering and aggressive expansionism. These zealots would commit the most heinous of war crimes simply because they believed they were just. It was only a matter of time before their forces would reach my homeland; a war would be unavoidable. It was the same reasoning my father cited when he called his Bannerman. Although that was not the true reason my father rode to war, his insatiable bloodlust consumed his waking hours, which made him act reckless and foolish. Despite my warnings, my father led a company of soldiers to attack a fleeing enemy, only to be ambushed by far superior numbers. The Empire negotiated a three-day truce to allow me to bury and mourn my father. The first twelve hours were dedicated to that, although the remaining time was spent strategizing and planning. On the dawn of the fourth day, my forces simultaneously struck three vital targets of the Empire, turning a fledgling resistance into a war. A winnable war, for I was now in command. No longer would my people suffer from the foolish decisions of my mother. No longer would they be subjected to my father’s twisted desires. Now that I was in command, changes needed to be made, and I needed to select advisors and commanders to assist me in the war effort. I chose Alek Gwilym as the Field Marshal; he was a capable commander that I fought side by side with on numerous occasions under my father’s command. He was the closest person I would consider as a friend, but a prince cannot have friends. As a prince, it was my responsibility to be a leader and I had a duty to maintain the law. Another of my more trusted advisors was Lady Markovia, a High Priestess of the Morning Lord. She was a healer of my father’s officers and the subject of harassment for them. While a capable healer, she was also a well-trained fighter and would deal with the men if they ever took things too far. When I took command, the first officer who groped her lost his hand, and the rest of the officers fell in line quickly. Lady Markovia told me she didn’t need me to protect her, but I informed her that it was to show the officers that things have changed. Their old actions and methods were no longer acceptable now that I was in charge.247 CE
The war with the Empire had taken us to an unnamed valley under the control of a savage barbarian named King Dostron, the Hellborn. This mad tyrant was a creature known as a Tiefling, that held onto the land with his greedy fiendish claws, along with his army of savages. The Empire’s forces were led by one of its knightly orders, the Order of the Silver Dragon, which was led by their new field commander, Vladimir Horngaard. They had a fort in the valley long before my father started this war. The one thing I had not anticipated was the Empire’s forces allied with King Dostron. An order of pious knights and paladins joining forces with a fiendish barbarian was a costly mistake of mine. This surprised union caught us unprepared and left me wounded on the battlefield. If not for the kindness of the Vistani that treated my wounds, I would have perished that day. From that day forward, I had proclaimed that all Vistani would have the right to come and go as they pleased from my lands. It was later that I would learn that the Order of the Silver Dragon was solely responsible for this alliance and did it without approval from the Empire itself. It defied all logic and reason; Alek would claim that they did it due to fear of my armies and superior tactics. I believed that another factor was at play. Although the truth would elude me for years, my mind was focused on winning the war.248 CE
I had to alter my tactics after the alliance was formed against me. I sent spies and saboteurs to sow discord and dissent between the pious imperials and the devil-worshiping barbarians. It did not take long before fighting erupted between the two armies, giving my forces an edge despite being outnumbered. The Barbarians were predictable and straightforward; they fought with an overwhelming amount of strength and savagery but would never change their tactics. After baiting King Dostron, he left his fortified castle to meet my soldiers in battle, which led to his demise. If Paladin Horngard were in this position, we would have had to besiege the castle instead which would have taken us a better part of a year that would likely end in our defeat. After losing their ally, the Empire sent negotiators to discuss a peace treaty with me. Eventually, we came to an agreement. I would claim the valley as my own, and my aggression against the Empire would cease. Then the Order of the Silver Dragon surprised me once again; they would refuse to abide by the peace treaty and would continue their hostilities against me. Even after being ordered by the holy emperor himself, the knights vowed to continue to oppose me. A seven-day truce was agreed upon with the Empire. Hostilities would halt until the Empire’s forces left the valley and returned home. Anyone who remained in the valley after that would no longer have the protection of the Empire. Paladin Horngard, his knights, and their lord Argynvost remained in their fort, determined to continue the fight against me.249 CE
We laid siege to the Order’s fort, Argynvostholt. Despite being severely outnumbered, the fort was a fortress and held my forces at bay. The siege lasted over a week before the knights led an all-out attack against my army, including Argynvost, the silver dragon that had been disguising itself as a human noble. The battle was long, but they were outnumbered ten to one, so their defeat was inevitable. Although the war was over, there was still much work to be done, including naming my new home, which I had decided to call Barovia after my father. It was always known that the logistics of establishing a functioning government in Barovia would be a challenge. When word of the raids on our supplier carts and the killings of our Couriers reached us, we were not surprised, as it was anticipated. However, rumors began to circulate, and witnesses claimed that some of the enemy combatants were killed in a previous battle. However unlikely, the rumors still troubled me and I sent some of my best men to investigate. Within a few days, they brought me the corpse of one of the raiders. The body reanimated and attempted to free itself to kill me. Even more peculiar was that the man wore the symbol of the Order of the Silver Dragon. According to Lady Markovia the solider had become a revenant. These undead knights were rounded up, captured, and imprisoned. We had to restrain them, for if they destroyed their bodies, they would simply reform new ones elsewhere. We restricted their movement and actions to keep control over these knights, thus limiting the attacks against my people.250 CE
Once we established communications between the villages, we sent couriers informing them that taxes would resume and would be collected within the year. The burgomasters and the commoners would then meet their new vassal as I planned to visit each village. The people must see my presence, and as their new leader, I must show that I am not a mere conqueror who would rob the spoils of war and ignore the people like my father would. The trip took a fortnight before we returned to the castle. I could detail what the experience for each village was, but it was the same for them all. The exchequer would count the taxes for the year and find it significantly short. When asked, each burgomaster would give the same excuse; "The war has drained them, weak harvests, there’s been a lot of sicknesses." I would look at the common folk in their tattered clothing and gaunt faces, then to the Burgomaster with silk clothing, golden rings, sliver buttons, house servants, etc. To recover the losses to the taxes, we took these displays of grandeur by striping them to their undergarments in front of all they stole from. Most believed that was the extent of their punishment, at most a few lashings, as was common practice whenever a vassal didn’t obtain all their gold and at worse the loss of a hand. But, this was my land, and these are my people, I would not stand for blatant corruption. Tatra was the name of the soldier who was tasked with the job at each of the villages, with strong arms, a good eye, and no objection to the work. It was the same speech after each one. Tatra would hold the severed head of the Burgomaster while I spoke, informing them that I expected honesty in their dealings with each other, but most especially with me. They were given leave to pick the next Burgomaster but were warned to choose an honest one to avoid the same spectacle next year. By the third village, I realized that more executions should be expected going forward during the trip. Alek and Lady Markovia were the only two that knew me well enough to tell that I was furious. Lady Markovia attempted to improve my mood by incorrectly predicting that at least one of the Burgomasters would be honorable. Alek, however, was the one who found and recruited Tatra for the beheadings. After we returned, I was visited by my old nursemaid Baba Lysaga, who my mother had banished when I was just a child. She had come to Barovia to find me and pledge her loyalty to me. Evidently, Barovia was the home to three arch fey who ruled the land, and Baba Lysaga found a way to make their power mine, to have a connection with the land on a scale never seen before. The ritual needed to gain this power was extreme and barbaric, but I knew that the Empire was simply licking their wounds. Now that they fought against me, they knew my capabilities. At some point, I would have to face the full might of the Holy Empire of Valentia, and I would need every advantage I could get. I accepted and joined Baba Lysaga to enact these rituals. I had become the land, and the land had become me.251 CE
During my father’s lifetime, he went to war with the dusk elves, as they sought to live in my father’s lands but refused to pledge fealty to him. That is when Rahadin came into our service, he was openly critical of the prince and claimed that he was weak. For this, Rahadin was exiled. He then joined my father’s service helping his armies conquer the dusk elves and became an “honored member” of the Von Zarovich family. Since my father’s death, Rahadin has served me with unwavering loyalty and has done things I would have never asked from anyone. My father had taken the surviving dusk elves as slaves and brought them with him to Barovia, where they were to work on a monument to his honor. After the war with the Empire ended, I offered the dusk elves their freedom and land to settle in if they pledged fealty to me, which they quickly agreed to. One of the dusk elves, Patrina, attempted to court me. While she was beautiful, it was clear that she only wanted the power of my position. As I wrote before, the marriage of my parents was arranged, and there was no love between them. While I entertained the idea for a time, I did not relish the thought of someone trying to exploit me for their personal gain. I did not wish to continue the old ways of political marriages, and now that I was the lord of these lands, no one could command me otherwise. When it became clear to Patrina that I had no intention of marriage, she attempted to bribe me with information about a secret library in Barovia. However, after a short conversation with Rahadin, she revealed the location of a temple that was built by wizards before the founding of the Empire of Valentia. I remember being intrigued by the idea; a new era was started after the formation of the Empire, and most documentation of the previous age was destroyed as it “went against the gods.” The secrets of a forgotten era appealed to me, and I believed that I would be able to expand my knowledge of the arcane since wizards built it. I had Rahadin accompany Patrina and I in search of this Amber Temple. Traveling through the freezing mountains was a difficult task; we may have been dressed for the weather, but the cold would reach my bones, making the furs we wore feel nonexistent. When we found the temple entrance, I was astonished to discover that a Lich still occupied it. Despite what I have read about Liches, this one was overly friendly, albeit a tad forgetful as he had even forgotten his name somehow. He showed me the library of the temple, and my breath was taken away. So many forgotten tomes of various topics and yet somehow also containing books of recent history, including details of the Empire of Valentia. I asked the Lich where all those books came from, but he had no memory of its origin, only that it took him a year to even remember the layout of the temple. I had taken the habit of calling the Lich as my friend since any other name didn’t, by his words “suit him.” I spent a month there sending Rahadin for food and supplies every four days so that I could browse this endless library. It took my friend a week before he began to recognize me, and it wasn’t until the end of the month before he remembered my name. Halfway through that month, I realized that the phrase “my friend” was no longer just a simple title, but instead held actual weight. This Lich was not held by any oath or law, and his only desire was to look after the temple and its library. I was not his liege lord, the lands to reach the temple were too dangerous for soldiers to march through or guard, and I was free to visit the library any time I wished. There was no political reasons nor obstacles to my own standards that would stop me from treating this Lich as a genuine friend and not a subordinate or political rival.252 CE
King Dostron’s castle, while impressive, was not suitable for a real lord. After the war, construction began to refurbish the castle. The money and effort it took was significant, but compared to the condition it was in, I felt that it was worth it. Close to completion, a messenger arrived from my homeland. Without the threat of my father’s armies, my mother's diplomacy significantly weakened their position at court, and the snakes in the guise of nobles took advantage of that. My homeland still held onto the old ways and would not accept my rule, so instead of wasting resources on a home that did not want me, I sent an escort to bring my mother and brother to Barovia. The trip was long, and my mother grew sick during the journey. They were a week’s ride away before she passed away. The funeral was two days after their arrival; it was conducted by Lady Markovia and was aided by my brother Sergei who had been training to become a man of the cloth. To honor her, I decided to name the castle after her; Ravenloft It was a surreal experience, meeting my brother after all these years. He was just a babe at my mother’s chest when my father took me to war. While I could see my father and mother in him, there were times I doubted he was my blood. His carefree attitude and ignorance of the darkness that men can hold in their hearts would astound me. Then, I was reminded by Alek that he did not grow up under my father as I had. It was difficult to hammer into his head that his charity would just entice those who would wish to exploit our family. He never understood why he and our mother had to flee our home in the first place, and it drove me mad. However, he was my blood, and it was my duty as a lord and as a brother to help guide him, although my lessons would not be as cruel as my fathers were for me.253 CE
Sergei continued his training of the faith under Lady Markovia, and I continued to teach the lessons of lordship and nobility to him. He would rarely take my lessons seriously as he would have to revoke his noble status to become a priest. I would always remind him that he would still carry the Von Zarovich name as such; his actions would affect our families legacy. He did make an effort, but after decades of being shielded by our mother, it made teaching him a chore. At the time, I never resented him for it, he was my brother, and I had nothing but love for him. Although for me to look upon him would fill me with dread at times. Sergei was handsome and young, and while it was foolish, there were times I hated him for it. My youth was spent warring with my father, forever tainted with horrors of war and the visuals of the darkness that hid in the hearts of most. I was getting old, while Sergei still had his whole life ahead of him. He returned to the castle one-day with a level of exuberance I had never seen in him before. He had met a woman, a peasant from one of the villages, and he was willing to give up his plan to become a priest for her. At the time I chastised him, as she was surely using him to gain a position of power, to which Sergei would simply retort that I had yet to meet her. Eventually, I humored him and decided to throw a dinner party, inviting her to join us. However, when she arrived, this Tatyana, My was breath was taken. She was a rare beauty, who was called “perfection,” “joy,” and “treasure.” I understood everything my brother spoke of from the moment of her arrival. In the beginning, I attempted to win Tatyana’s affection, to win her as my own, but she mistook my attempts as mere politeness. She would refer to me as “old one” and “elder,” as was standard when speaking with respect for those older than you. However, it just reminded me of my own age and how every day, I was drifting closer to death. After a time, I saw the futility of it and decided to interfere no longer. Tatyana and Sergei were in love, and who was I to interfere with it? As time progressed, I had to confront a simple logic I was avoiding. Every potential spouse that presented before me, each and every one of them was vying for my power. If I were to be unable to find a suitable bride, then Sergei would inherit everything. The decades of accomplishments I had obtained, the blood and sweat I expended to establish my power, would be all for naught. Watching him squander his wealth reminded me of our mother and how our original home was lost because of her weakness. To think that everything I worked for and sacrificed would just be handed to Sergei on a silver platter was something I could not accept. His idealism and ignorance would bring ruin to everything and destroy our family. I had to turn to the secrets of the Arcane and Amber Temple was my best bet.Early to Mid 254 CE
I started spending weeks at a time at Amber Temple pouring through the limitless tomes searching for some kind of answer. I reckoned that I could find some spell to cause Tatyana to forget her love for Sergei and instead fall for me. The school of enchantment was tricky and could be challenging to work with. I found spells to alter one’s mood, to dominate their mind, and to make one more agreeable to suggestions. But, all were only temporary effects and none of them affecting things like love. It came to a point where I did not find the same joy I used to experience when I spent time with my Lich friend. One week, Rahadin visited to inform me that Sergei and Tatyana had gotten engaged, and a date was set for the wedding. I had a tangible date to complete my work by, and I poured myself into the work even further. I started to lose sleep. I grew thin from forgetting to eat and felt myself begin to go mad. There was one night, in particular, I was starting to feel hopeless, and my friend had retired to his room. Despite not needing to sleep, he informed me that if he meditated, it would help him maintain some of what he studied throughout the day. I was alone for three hours before I started to pass out from the exhaustion. When I heard the voice, I thought that my sanity finally broke, yet it assured me that it was not a figment of my imagination. It was not until later before I learned the creature’s name, but this Vampyr offered a solution to my problem. Vampyr promised that I would age no more, and I would hold the one I loved in my arms. To gain such gifts, I had to pay a price of blood. The idea that all of my problems being solved so simply sounded too good to be true. I demanded proof, but it merely laughed at me and asked what other options did I have. On the night of Sergie’s wedding is when Vampyr instructed me to complete my task, where I had to slay both my brothers: Alek, my brother in arms, and Sergei, my brother by blood. I had killed them both by slitting their throats with a dagger and drinking their blood as was instructed to me by Vampyr. I hid Alek’s body in the wardrobe of my study and left Sergie’s to be found in one of the halls. “Assassins,” I cried out, “assassins have killed my brother.” As my guards began to search for the assassin, I went to comfort Tatyana, who was grieving in the gardens. By this point, I felt the power granted to me by Vampyr and a few words of comfort from me, she was soon in my arms, her lips to mine. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity but also merely just a moment in time. Tatra interrupted with cries of betrayal, and what power held Tatyana to me was somehow broken. She fled from me. She would not let me explain. I pursued her. Finally, in despair, she flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft, and I watched everything I ever wanted, fall from my grasp forever. It was a thousand feet through the mists. No trace of her was ever found. Not even I know her final fate. Arrows pierced Tatra and I, the betrayal he spoke of. While the arrows killed Tatra, I was now something else, something more. The men who filled me with arrows wore the colors of the Dilisnya family. Their family took much of my former homeland from my mother and came to Barovia to take from me. The soldiers mocked and ridiculed me, but I could not hear them. The laughter of Vampyr in my head was all I could hear. It had indeed filled all of its promises, I would never age another day, and I had already held Tatyana in my arms. Now I was to spend my immortal life without her. I was filled with anguish from the thought of it, but as the Dilisnya guards carried me to their master, I was consumed by another emotion; rage, anger, hatred, fury. Leo Dilisnya and his men had attacked my home and killed my people in order to claim what was mine. I had no time for grieving. This would not stand. I was still weakened from the arrows that filled my back from before and inexperienced from my new undead nature. But, I felt a beast within me get unleashed as I slaughtered Dilisnya guards. Some of my own guards witnessed this savagery and turned on me as well, but after learning that I could not be killed, they fled from me as well. During the chaos, Leo Dilisnya escaped as well as some of my own guards. I wished to hunt them down at the time, but I had to see to the safety of the wedding guests who had been taken hostage by the Dilisnya guards. It was my duty as their lord.Mid to Late 254 CE
Vampyr taunted me, informing me that while I was trapped, as a wall of mist surrounded Barovia. We had somehow transported to another plane of existence, and Vampyr had given me the power to allow anyone of my choosing to leave the mists. To do so, they would have to ask for my permission to leave to remind me further that I was trapped. This suited me fine, there was still Leo and my traitorous guards to hunt down. I tracked Leo quickly and had him turned into the same undead creature I was. To make him suffer, I imprisoned him in a tomb so that he may spend years if not a decade starving to death. Some of the guards sought refuge in the town of Vallaki, in the home of a man named Andral. Since I was now bound by strange rules such as needing an invitation to enter a home, I attempted to use some of my new powers to charm this Andral, but he was unaffected by them. My attention was soon diverted as I had received word that Lady Markovia had returned to the Abbey in Krezk and was gathering an army of the faithful to kill me. Using my arcane abilities, I reanimated several dead bodies with the use of necromancy and turned others into spawns to assault the Abbey but was met with failure. I had never truly understood the power of the divine over the dead before that day. Believing she sensed weakness, Lady Markovia went on the offense and led her army of faithful to my castle. While I was still the more accomplished warrior, her divine magics held a power over me like I would have never imagined. Despite tearing into her neck, she summoned the power of sunlight and burnt me to ash. I awoke three days later and had learned from Rahadin that I had died, and my body was destroyed. Once again, Vampyr taunted me. I would not escape the eternal torment by merely dying. I had decided to bury Lady Markovia in the catacombs of Castle Ravenloft. Despite her betrayal, she had been a faithful ally and advisor to me throughout the years, although Rahadin had to move her body as even touching her would burn my flesh. Her power with the divines was great indeed. Her fellow priests that fled, however, would not receive the same treatment.255 CE
The holy power of the Abbey prevented me or any other undead from entering the grounds. I had to rely on other methods. I was not proud of what I did, but traitors and rebels would not be tolerated. Using the arcane magics to drive the priests to madness did what was needed. During this, I was visited by the elf Patrina once again, and once again, she attempted to court me to increase her own power. I had tolerated it in the past, but I was no longer in the mood to deal with such foolishness, so I had sent her home. Within the week, I received word that Patrina was stoned to death by her fellow Dusk elves. They had killed her for attempting to become my wife, and while I did reject her, that was my decision, not theirs. It became clear to me that they had not learned their lesson after being conquered by my father and had spat on the generosity I offered them. Since I was occupied with the Abbey in Krezk at the time, I sent Rahadin to act on my behalf. To prevent further acts of rebellion, Rahadin led a force of undead to slaughtered all of the female elves. He killed Patrina’s father and mutilated her brother as they organized the stoning in the first place.542 CE
A wizard had come to Barovia, far more accomplished than I ever thought was possible. We had made a pact to (dm’s note: This is the last entry, the next 12 pages have been ripped out.)Persons of Interest
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