Barovia

The idyllic valley nestled in the Balinok Mountains was a slice of heaven to those who knew of its existence before Strahd's arrival. The serenity of the place was forever shattered when Strahd led a bloody crusade against the enemies of his family that ended here with the slaughter of hundreds. Struck by the scenic beauty of his most recent conquest Strahd made the valley his home and named it Barovia after the late King Barov, his father. The land now called Barovia is no longer part of the world that Strahd once tried to conquer. It now exists within a demiplane formed by Strahd's conciousness and surrounded by a deadly fog. No creature can leave without Strahd's permission, and those that try become lost in the mist.

Geography

Rolling thunderclouds cast a gray pall over the land of Barovia. The evergreen trees of the Svallich 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 reugged slopes. Baratok's slightly smaller twin, Mount Ghakis, is mostly bald with tufts of trees here and there. Between these mountains stands Lake Zarovich, which is fed by sreams of ice-cold water pouring down the face of Mount Baratok. On the south side of the lake rests the town of Vallaki, enclosed by a pallisade. West of the two mountains, atop a hill, stands the Abbey of Saint Markovia, around which the Barovians have build 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 silhoutte of Castle Ravenloft looks down on this village from its perch arop a 1,000-foot-high colum of ock know as the Pillarstone of Ravenloft.

Light in Barovia

By the will of some strange power, 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.

Type

Valley

Owner/Ruler

Strahd