Barovian

The Barovians inhabit the towns and villages of the lands of Barovia. Many of them are soulless, mere projections of the ego of Strahd von Zarovich. Around one-in-ten contain a soul and are a breath of life and personality in the dark grey lands.
Accents are slavic.

Village of Barovia

House of Belasco

Dragomir and Ruxandra Belasco live in the village of Barovia. Though they have tried for many years they have been unable to bear a child. They adopted Alek two years ago after Dragomir found him abandoned by the roadside.
Party Interactions: C2S1 - Dragomir saw party walking into town and after they asked questions about Barovia he invited them to his home and told them all he he knew about Strahd and Barovia (as per Barovian Lore), and informed them of Ismark and Ireena. Was convinced by Torinn (using perfume of bewitching and prestidigitation to make Taowhiri glow) that Taowhiri is a God sent to rid this land of evil. Dragomir promised to support the party however he could in their quest, although he would have to be subtle as he needed to keep his family safe.
C2S2 - Took the party to the Blood of the Vine tavern for wine. Sat uncomfortable with Tao and Torinn as they spoke to Ismark. After Taowhiri glowed like a God and Ismark ushered them out of the tarvern and back to the Burgomaster's mansion, Dragomir left the party to return home and make sure his family remained safe, warning Senlin and Carric that Strahd has spies everywhere and that they should try to be subtle.

Dragomir Belasco

Dragomir is an inhabitant of Barovia and works as a woodcutter for the village. His soul is welcoming and finds wonder and amusement in many subjects and observations. He is married to Ruxandra and Alek is his adopted son.
After the party left Barovia with Ismark and Ireena, the spy which saw Carric speaking to Dragomir informed Strahd of the alliance. As punishment, Strahd came to Dragomir's house, feasted on his blood, and took Alek away to the Castle Ravenloft dungeons as a prisoner.
Defining features: Speaks brightly and with flourishes and compliments. Thickset jaw. Large nose. Bright, sparkling eyes. Bright red shirt. Brown, curly neck-length hair.
Since Strahd fed on Dragomir and took Alek away, the sparkle in his eyes has died, his hair has become lank and unkempt, and two purple puncture marks lie prominently on the jugular vein in his neck.

Ruxandra Belasco

A Barovian shell without a soul. She works as a washerwoman for the town.
Since Strahd took Alek and fed on her husband, she has locked herself in her bedroom in fear and leaves only at noon to grab food from the pantry.

Alek Belasco

Alek is eight years old and has an innocent soul. Alek was found abandoned in a ditch by the side of the road by Dragomir when he was out chopping wood for the village two years ago. Dragomir brought the boy home and raised him as his own.
Alek is currently locked in the dungeons of Castle Ravenloft as a punishment to Dragomir for aiding the party.
Defining features: Straight black hair. Pale face. Refers to Dragomir as "Papa".

Donavich

Donavich is the priest for the village of Barovia. He killed himself following the death of his son, Doru, at the hands of the party. Donavich had had Doru locked in the cellar for a year following Doru's attack on Castle Ravenloft, where Doru was transformed by Strahd into a vampire. Donavich's undead corpse now swings from the bell tower, unable to remove the noose wound so tightly around his neck it cuts flesh.
Death: The evening after the party left the village with Ismark and Ireena, Donavich attached a length of rope to the bell in the tower and looped it over a roof strut. He locked the front door of the church and set fire to a number of the smashed benches and piles of debris in the church before climbing back up the ladder up to the bell tower. There, he slipped the noose at the end of the rope around his neck and, sensing the crack of the ladder behind as it was caught by flames, jumped from the tower, snapping his neck as the bell violently tolled behind him.
Defining features: Greasy stringy hair. Bulbous red nose. Fat belly. Soiled dirty clothes. Bags under eyes as if has not slept for a year.
Party Interactions: C2S2 - Greeted the party as they arrived to bury the burgomaster. Hid in the crypt as Strahd arrived. Witnessed the March of the Dead, which was normal for him after as a native of Barovia.
C2S3 - Party promised they would fix his son so he showed them to the basement. When they tried to leave he begged them to stay, grabbing Taowhiri in the process. When Doru started attacking and the party started killing him in return, Donavich entered a frenzy of despair and leapt on Torinn to stop them, dragging him off the stairwell and falling to the floor. The party eventually left him crying on the floor of the cellar, covering Doru's dead body with a cloth. Taowhiri and Senlin stood over Donavich and apologised before climbing out of the cellar, leaving him crying alone with the covered body of his dead son.

Town of Vallaki

Gateskeepers

The east gate is manned by Darren on the wall and Yosha and Andrek.

Darren Oronovich

Defining features: Chestnut, straight hair gently hangs over a chiseled, tense face. Hooded amber eyes, set narrowly within their sockets, watch hungrily over the woods they've have been seperated from for so long. Fallen debris left a mark stretching from the left side of the forehead, first running towards thin lips and ending on his left cheek - an intriguing memory of lost love.
Speaks gruffly and is irritable by a lack of respect towards him, although he lacks the authority to do anything about it.

Yosha Krezkova

Defining features: Dark-red, perfectly groomed hair tight in a ponytail reveals a bony, charming face. Lidded blue eyes, set deep within their sockets, watch wearily over the families they've kept safe for so long. A tattoo resembling a rose is displayed on the side of her right eye leaves a satisfying memory of lost comrades. There's something odd about her, perhaps it's her decency or perhaps it's simply a feeling of coldness. But nonetheless, people tend to share local gossip with her, while wanting to fight along her side in battle.
Speaks clearly and directly. Suffers no fools and does not take lightly to being lied to - Yosha would prefer an uncomfortable truth to a sincere lie.

Andrek Diavolov

Defining features: Gray, greasy hair gently hangs over a thin, friendly face set above a strong fighter's frame. Piercing brown eyes, set sunken within their sockets, watch eagerly over the wildlife they've fought for for so long. A birthmark reaching from the top of the right cheek, running towards the tip of the nose and ending on his chin leaves a stinging burden of lands long forgotten.
His soulless personality speaks dourly and without strong emotion.

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, Victoria, 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

Other names

Male children often take the name of their father as a surname, using the -ovich suffix, and female children take the name of their mother, using the -ova suffix.

Culture

Funerary and Memorial customs

Bury the dead. Barovians understand that souls are reborn, where they exist, and that families may come across an old relation in a new body in time.

Related Organizations

• Keepers of the Feather