Barovians
After his armies occupied the valley of Barovia and slew its inhabitants, Strahd repopulated the area with human subjects drawn from his other conquered lands. As a result, Barovians have a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds- though that ethnic melting pot has since simmered into a recognizable dead skinned and eyed group of unnerving people. Barovians are deeply invested in their homes and their traditions. They are wary of strange peoples and customs. The way Barovians deal with strangers can be unsettling to those newcomers. Barovians have a tendency to stare openly, in silence, thereby expressing their disapproval of anything that isn't familiar to them. Barovians aren't talkative with strangers, to the extent of being pointedly rude, most Barovians have violent tempers that boil up through their customary silence when they are provoked. They also have a social cohesiveness (thrust upon them by their weird circumstances) that can make them act together against outsiders if a Barovian is mistreated. Barovians were a happy people once, but their history and current conditions aren't pleasent. If one manages to win the trust of a Barovian one has a friend for life and a stalwart ally.
Barovian children aren't happy-children. They are raised in a culture of fear and told time and again not to wander too far from their homes or enter the woods. They experience little hope or joy, and they are taught to fear the devil Strahd above all.
Barovian adults eke out modest livings. With no new wealth pouring into the valley, they trade in old coins that bear the profile of their dark lord, Strahd, as he looked when he was alive. They hide their precious baubles in their houses and dress plainly outdoors, so as not to attract the attention of Strahd or his spies. Barovians live within a closed ecosystem. Every Barovian adult is expected to learn a trade or serve a function.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Alana, Clavdia, Danya, Dezdrelda,
Diavola, Dorina, Drasha, Drilvia, Elisabeta, Fatima, Grilsha,
Isabella, Ivana, Jarzinka, Kala, Katerina, Kereza, Korina,
Lavinia, Magda, Marta, Mathilda, Minodora, Mirabel,
Miruna, Nimira, Nyanka, Olivenka, Ruxandra, Serina, Tereska,
Valentina, Vasha, V ictoria, Wensencia, Zondra
Masculine names
Alek, Andrej, Anton, Balthazar, Bogan, Boris,
Dargos, Darzin, Dragomir, Emeric, Falkon, Frederich,
Franz, Gargosh, Gorek, Grygori, Hans, Harkus, Ivan, jirko,
Kobal, Korga, Krystofor, Lazio, Livius, Marek, Miroslav,
Nikolaj, Nimir, Oleg, Radovan, Radu, Seraz, Sergei, Stefan,
Tural, Valentin, Vasily, Vladislav, Waltar, Yesper, Zsolt
Family names
Alastroi, Antonovich/Antonova, Barthos,
Belasco, Cantemir, Dargovich/Dargova, Diavolov,
Diminski, Dilisnya, Drazkoi, Garvinski, Grejenko, Groza,
Grygorovich/Grygorova, lvanovich/lvanova, Janek, Karushkin,
Konstantinovich/Konstantinova, Krezkov /Krezkova,
Krykski, Lansten, Lazarescu, Lukresh, Lipsiege, Martikov/
Martikova, Mironovich/Mironovna, Moldovar, Nikolovich/
Nikolova, Nimirovich/Nimirova, Oronovich/Oronova,
Petrovich/Petrovna, Polensky, Radovich/Radova, Rilsky,
Stefanovich/Stefanova, Strazni, Swilovich/Swilova, Taltos,
Targolov/Targolova, Tyminski, Ulbrek, Ulrich, Vadu, Voltanescu,
Zalenski, Zalken
Culture
Common Dress code
Barovians live within a closed ecosystem, and as such, all of their clothing is hand stitched. Fabrics tend to be rough, dark and practical for cold air and damp mist. Much of Barovian fashion consists of high necks, fur linings and head wrappings. Bright colours and rare and seen as ostentatious and innapropriate. Barovians instead tend to prefer deep, dark purples, blues and reds.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Day of Sorrow
Birth & Baptismal Rites
The moment a Barovian child is born is one of tense anticipation, all breaths are held, even that of the belabored mother, as they listen.
Common Taboos
Barovians have deep rooted religious beliefs and superstitions that they pass down from generation to generation like heirlooms.
Redheads:
Barovians consider red hair to be incredibly unlucky, and so do their best to keep away from those cursed with it. It is said that those born with read hair bring misfortune to everyone around them. Some will go as far as to shun and turn their nose up at such people, as the colour makes people feel very on edge.
Ravens:
A terrible fate befalls you if you ever harm a raven. What specific terrible fate that is changes depending on who you ask, ranging from birds pecking out your eyes, to the devil descending and bringing death to everyone you love.
The Soulless:
There are superstitions shared among midwives and older Barovians that if a child is born silently, it has been born without a soul. Some Barovians believe that there are a finite amount of souls to be divied among the living, and so some of them exist as shambling husks, unable to feel true sorrow or joy. Though there is little way to prove this fact.
Vistani:
Barovians and Vistani hold such a rift between the two that they are not even considered Barovians, despite it being their ansestral homeland. Barovians believe that Vistani are evil spies who work for The Devil, and as such are not to be trusted.
Common Myths and Legends
The Morning Lord and Mother Night
Barovians believe that two divine forces watch over the Barovian people, one in the day and one in the night. As the sun no longer shines in Barovia, it is a widely held belief that they are being punished for the sins of their ansestors, and so the Morninglord and Mothern Night have forsaken their people.
The Morninglord is said to have disappeared in his sorrow, never to return his light to the land, while the Mother Night is said to have been the one to bring Strahd to their land to punish them for their sins. Some claim to still feel the Mother Nights presence, but prayers go unanswered.
Although he answers no prayers, many still worsip the Morninglord, prostrating themselves in penance before his alters, begging for his mercy in hopes that their devotion may sway him to turn his gaze back to his people if only for one day.
Historical figures
Saint Markovia
Aurica Saint Markovia was a Barovian priestess of the Morning Lord who joined at the age of 18 and was said to be untouchable by evil. This fame brought by her evangelism and good deeds won her the ire of Count Strahd von Zarovich. She met her doom inside Castle Ravenloft trying to take a stand against the Devil following an attack of vampire spawn upon her church but she ended up being destroyed along with most of her followers. Her remaining followers sequestered themselves in their church, slowly closing themselves off from the outside world until they too fell to corruption, and eventual obscurity. The church that is know known as The Abbey of Saint Markovia stood empty for decades until someone would take up the torch again.
It's said that upon her death, Saint Markovia's goodness seeped into her bones and for a moment was a singular bright light that touched even the furthest reaches of barovia.
Ideals
Relationship Ideals
With fewer than three thousand people living in the entire valley, finding "the one" isn't easy, so Barovians have learned to settle for what they can get. Marriages in Barovia are generally made out of practical convienience or a fear of solitude.
Major organizations
The Keepers of the Raven
The Order of the Silver Dragon
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