Village of Barovia

The Village of Barovia is the saddest place in the land, its residents so terrified of Strahd Von Zarovich that they rarely venture from their homes. The village lies in the shadow of Castle Ravenloft, buried under fog but still unable to hide from the vampire’s sight.

Industry & Trade

Dream Pastries

This event occurs as the characters make their way through the village.
You hear the sound of small, wooden wheels rolling across damp cobbles. You trace the lonely sound to a hunched figure bundled in rags, pushing a rickety wooden cart through the fog. Morgantha, a night hag in the guise of an old woman, has come to the village from Old Bonegrinder to sell her dream pastries for 1 gp apiece (see chapter 6 for a description of the pastries). She goes from house to house, knocking on doors. Most of the time, no one answers. When someone does, Morgantha tries to peddle her wares, offering customers an escape from the misery and despair of everyday Barovian life. If the characters shadow her for a while, she collects payment from one household in the form of a seven-year-old boy named Lucian Jarov (LG male human noncombatant). Lucian’s parents plead with Morgantha not to take their boy, but she snatches the crying child from their grasp, stuffs him in a sack, straps him down to her peddler’s cart, and casually makes her way back to Old Bonegrinder.



Morgantha recognizes that the characters are strangers and does her best to avoid them. If the characters demand the release of the child, she grudgingly complies, knowing that she can always come back for the boy later. She fights only in self-defense and offers the following information in exchange for her life:
Strahd has mastery over the land and the weather, and his spies include the Vistani.

There’s a Vistani camp to the west, on the shores of Tser Pool (chapter 2, area G), and another on the outskirts of Town of Vallaki (chapter 5, area N9).

Strahd has undead enemies in Barovia, namely the fallen knights of the Order of the Silver Dragon. These revenants can be found in a ruined mansion west of Town of Vallaki (see chapter 7, “Argynvostholt”).

Strahd’s most carefully guarded secret is a temple of forbidden lore hidden in the mountains (see chapter 13, “The Amber Temple”). The temple can be reached by following the long and winding - Tsolenka Pass (see chapter 9).

Type

Village

Related Ethnicities

• Barovians
• Vistani

Included Locations

• Blood of the Vine Tavern
• Burgomaster’s Mansion
• Cemetery
• Father Donavich's Church
• Mad Mary’s Townhouse
• The Death House
• The Gates of Barovia

Owner/Ruler

Ismark ''The Lesser'' Kolyanovich