Old Barovia
Under raging storm clouds, a lone figure stands silhouetted against the ancient walls of Castle Ravenloft. The vampire Count Strahd von Zarovich stares down a sheer cliff at the village below. A cold, bitter wind spins dead leaves about him, billowing his cape in the darkness.
Lightning splits the clouds overhead, casting stark white light across him. Strahd turns to the sky, revealing the angular muscles of his face and hands. He has a look of power—and of madness. His once handsome face is contorted by a tragedy darker than the night itself.
Rumbling thunder pounds the castle spires. The wind's howling increases as Strahd turns his gaze back to the village. Far below, yet not beyond his ken, a party of adventurers has just entered his domain. Strahd's face forms a twisted smile as his dark plan unfolds. He knew they were coming, and he knows why they have come—all according to his plan. He, the master of Ravenloft, will attend to them.
Another lightning flash rips through the darkness, its thunder echoing through the castle's towers. But Strahd is gone. Only the howling of the wind—or perhaps a lone wolf—fills the midnight air. The master of Ravenloft is having guests for dinner. And you are invited.
Not to be confused with the Shadowed Vale, which was once known as Barovia, Old Barovia is a country within the Domains of Dread. It was once ruled by the vampire known as Count Strahd von Zarovich, before he was slain.
Geography
Rolling thunderclouds cast a grey pall over the land of Barovia. A deathly stillness hung over the dark woods, which were patrolled constantly by Strahd's wolves and other servitors.
The evergreen trees of the Svalich Woods climbed the sides of the mountains that enclosed the valley. The largest of these peaks was Mount Baratok, with its snow-covered cap and rugged slopes. Baratok's slightly smaller twin, Mount Ghakis, was mostly bald with tufts of trees here and there. Between those two mountains stood Lake Zarovich, which was fed by streams of ice-cold water pouring down the face of Mount Baratok. On the south side of the lake rested the town of Vallaki, enclosed by a palisade. West of the two mountains, atop a hill, stood the Abbey of Saint Markovia, around which the Barovians built a walled village named Krezk. Between Vallaki and Krezk lay the ruins of Argynvostholt, the fallen bastion of a knightly order called the Order of the Silver Dragon, wiped out by Strahd and his army. East of the mountains lay the village of Barovia, shrouded in mist and bereft of walls and defenses. The dark silhouette of Castle Ravenloft looked down on this village from its perch atop a 1,000-foot-high column of rock known as the Pillarstone of Ravenloft.
Sunlight in Barovia
By the will of the Dark Powers, the sun never fully shone in the lands of Barovia. Even during the day, the sky was dimmed by fog or storm clouds, or the light was strangely muted. Barovian daylight was bright light, yet it wasn't considered sunlight for the purpose of effects and vulnerabilities, such as a vampire's, tied to sunlight. Nevertheless, Strahd and his vampire spawn tended to stay indoors most of the day and ventured out at night, and they were subject to sunlight created by magic.Alterations to Magic
The land of Barovia resided in its own demiplane, isolated from all other planes, including the Material Plane. No spell—not even Wish—allowed one to escape from Strahd's domain. Astral projection, teleport, plane shift, and similar spells cast for the purpose of leaving Barovia simply failed, as did effects that banish a creature to another plane of existence. These restrictions applied to magic items and artifacts that had properties that transported or banish creatures to other planes. Magic that allowed transit to the Border Ethereal, such as the etherealness spell and the Etherealness feature of incorporeal undead, was the exception to this rule. A creature that entered the Border Ethereal from Strahd's domain would be pulled back into Barovia upon leaving that plane. For the purpose of spells whose effects changed across or are blocked by planar boundaries (such as Sending), Strahd's domain was considered its own plane. Magic that summoned creatures or objects from other planes functioned normally in Barovia, as did magic that involved an extradimensional space. Any spells cast within such an extradimensional space (such as that created by Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion) were subject to the same restrictions as magic cast in Barovia. While in Barovia, characters who received spells from deities or otherworldly patrons continued to do so. In addition, spells that allowed contact with beings from other planes function normally—with one proviso: Strahd could sense when someone in his domain was casting such a spell and could choose to make himself the spell's recipient so that he became the one who was contacted.History
In the years shortly following the Barovian High Council Disbanded, at some point the devil Strahd made a deal with Narrian to keep Barovia in the Domains of Dread to pursue his original love, Tatyana.
Demographics
Barovia had a predominantly human population but it did contain other races, such as dusk elves. After the death of Strahd von Zarovich, there was a mass exodus from Barovia. Many of its inhabitants have now left to Terra Caelum to find better lives.Maps
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Old Barovia
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