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* [[739 BC]] [[Lyssa von Zarovich]] conspires with [[Bluetspurean]] [[illithid]]s to create a [[illithid vampire|vampiric version of their race]]. She hopes to use these vampire mind flayers to take over [[Barovia]], but she ultimately fails.<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p. 34">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I]] p.34</ref><ref>[[Thoughts of Darkness]]</ref>
* [[739 BC]] [[Lyssa von Zarovich]] conspires with [[Bluetspurean]] [[illithid]]s to create a [[illithid vampire|vampiric version of their race]]. She hopes to use these vampire mind flayers to take over [[Barovia]], but she ultimately fails.<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p. 34">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I]] p.34</ref><ref>[[Thoughts of Darkness]]</ref>
* [[740 BC]] '''[[The Great Upheaval]]'''.
* [[740 BC]] '''[[The Great Upheaval]]'''.
* [[740 BC]] The Grand Conjunction rearranges much of the celestial bodies, causing the starmaps of [[the Celestines]] to become innacurate. Tiryn Olenka-Blaas dies, but her former pupils carry on her work. A falling star leads [[Astrilax diCorvi]] to a hilly set of [[ruins]] just out of [[Vallaki]]. The Celestines build [[Midway Haven]], the first [[Secret Observatory|Celestine Observatory]] there.<ref name="USS 2002 p. 128">[[Undead Sea Scrolls 2002]] p.128</ref>  
* [[740 BC]]{{netbook-small}} The Grand Conjunction rearranges much of the celestial bodies, causing the starmaps of [[the Celestines]] to become innacurate. Tiryn Olenka-Blaas dies, but her former pupils carry on her work. A falling star leads [[Astrilax diCorvi]] to a hilly set of [[ruins]] just out of [[Vallaki]]. The Celestines build [[Midway Haven]], the first [[Secret Observatory|Celestine Observatory]] there.<ref name="USS 2002 p. 128">[[Undead Sea Scrolls 2002]] p.128</ref>  
* [[740 BC]] [[Strahd]] begins the annexation of [[Gundarak]].<ref name="Gaz I p.19">[[Gaz 1]] p 19</ref>
* [[740 BC]] [[Strahd]] begins the annexation of [[Gundarak]].<ref name="Gaz I p.19">[[Gaz 1]] p 19</ref>
* {{netbook-small}}[[745 BC]] By this year, [[the Celestines]] have star-maps for [[the Core|the entire Core]]. They also discover that they could relate celestial events to earthly events and use the former to predict the latter.<ref name="USS 2002 p. 128">[[Undead Sea Scrolls 2002]] p.128</ref>  
* {{netbook-small}}[[745 BC]] By this year, [[the Celestines]] have star-maps for [[the Core|the entire Core]]. They also discover that they could relate celestial events to earthly events and use the former to predict the latter.<ref name="USS 2002 p. 128">[[Undead Sea Scrolls 2002]] p.128</ref>  
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[[Category:Barovian]]
[[Category:Barovian]]
[[category:Principality]]
[[category:Principality]]
==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==
==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



Revision as of 02:40, 4 April 2017

Barovia
Culture Level Medieval
Ecology Full
Climate & Terrain Temperate forest, hill, mountains
Year Formed 351 BC
Population 27,700
Races (%) Humans 98%, half-Vistani 1%, Other 1%
Languages Balok, Luktar, Vaasi, Sithican, Forfarian, Thaani
Religions Cult of the Morninglord, Ezra, Hala, Erlin
Government Feudal monarchy
Ruler(s) Count Strahd von Zarovich
Darklord(s) Count Strahd von Zarovich
Nationality Barovian
Analog Transylvania
Related Categories
Locations in Barovia
Transportation in Barovia
Inhabitants of Barovia
Former Inhabitants of Barovia
Flora of Barovia
Fauna of Barovia
Native Monsters of Barovia

Things, Creatures & Personnages of Legend

Biology

Flora

Fauna

Native Horrors

Wolves

Lycanthropic

Geography

Barovia map by the MCS. Note: Since this fan-made map predates 3rd Edition Ravenloft, there are some inconsistencies with the more recent maps.

Weather

Terrain

The terrain is mountainous and forested, winters are cold. A beautiful but hostile domain.

Mountains & Hills

  • The Balinoks divide the Core into east and west. The bridge that rejoins them is Barovia. It is her Old Svalich Road and her Svalich Pass that bring east and west back into contact with each other for a few precious months each year.

Forest

  • The Graenseskov ("Borderwood") grows thickly on the lower slopes of the eastern foothills of the Balinoks in Barovia and well out onto the flatter land of Nova Vaasa beyond them. Its upper reaches are known to Barovians as the Hills of Bleak Vistas and to the Nova Vaasans as the Howling Hills. The northern boundary of the forest lies a little south of the Old Svalich Road where the beech-firs of the Old Svalich Woods resolutely hold their ground. The southern limit extends at least to the border of Hazlani frontier but perhaps continues into Hazlan itself.

Lakes

  • Nameless? lake at adjacent to Immol


Landmarks

Communication

Rivers

  • The Saniset River has its source in summer melt waters from Terestrãu ("Mount Sawtooth") in south-eastern Barovia that feed the lake adjacent to Immol. From Barovia the Saniset rushes down onto the Ensommark ("Lonely Plain") of Hazlan, flows east by southeast to Sly-Var, passes just north of the Skyggeskov ("Shadowwood") as it crosses the border into Nova Vaasa, and flows gently to the sea. The upper reaches of the Saniset are unnavigable, even on a small raft, given its swiftness, rapids, and gravel bars.

Roads

Mistways

Note: The Bleak Road does not lead to or from Barovia, but rather the Misty Border south of Arbora in southern Nova Vaasa. This is treated in the errata. "Charted Mistways sidebar: The Bleak Road should connect “Southern Nova Vaasa — Northern Vorostokov”, and not Barovia!>(Errata)"

Frontiers

The Shadow Rift

Nova Vaasa

  • The Graenseskov ("Borderwood") grows thickly on the lower slopes of the eastern foothills of the Balinoks in Barovia and well out onto the flatter land of Nova Vaasa beyond them. Its upper reaches are known to Barovians as the Hills of Bleak Vistas and to the Nova Vaasans as the Howling Hills. The northern boundary of the forest lies a little south of the Old Svalich Road where the beech-firs of the Old Svalich Woods resolutely hold their ground. The southern limit extends at least to the border of Hazlani frontier but perhaps continues into Hazlan itself.

Hazlan

Forlorn

Kartakass

Sithicus

Invidia

Borca

The Great Upheaval

Barovia was impacted not insignificantly by the Great Upheaval. The land's chokehold over east-west trade was greatly strengthened by the cutting of the Timori Road. The disappearance of Markovia from its northern frontier would have been welcomed if only it had been replaced by something less ominous than the Shadow Rift. The disappearance of Bluetspur from its southern frontier was an indisputable boon. And the relocation of Hazlan from its central eastern and southern eastern frontiers to its southern frontier did little more than change the direction of travel from Immol to Toyalis.

Population Distrubtion

Towns

Villages

  • Berez is a village on the Luna river several miles south of Vallaki.

Authority

Darklord

Temporal Ruler

The current and undisputed ruler of Barovia is Count Strahd von Zarovich XI. The Zaroviches have ruled Barovia in an unbroken line for as long as history recounts, although doing so more than once in the teeth of enemy invasion. The name "Strahd" has been used by the last eleven counts, a want of creativity or perhaps a meglamania, that was previously absent.

Spiritual Ruler

No religion has been sanctioned by the Zarovich line in centuries, indeed religion is discouraged in Barovia. Additionally, the Barovians have long felt abandon by the divine. The Morning Lord is making some progress towards reversing the last situation.

Church and State

It has been centuries since the rule of Barovia's temporal leaders was recognised by a spiritual authority. Likewise, it has been centuries since the rule of Barovia's spiritual leaders was enforced by a temporal authority. A classical theologico-political arrangement ceased to exist in Barovia during the reign of Count Strahd von Zarovich I.

Government

At the local level by boyars in each town or village.

Law

Law-Enforcement

Information Gathering

The Vistani

Military Footing

Fighting the Gundarakite Resistance following the successful annexation of half the former land of Gundarak.

Possible army of skeletons and zombies hidden and at the ready.

Language & Culture

Balok

Mouning

Barovian females wear black for five years after the death of even their most distant relatives, lending a universal drabness to their dress.

Fashion

Barovian females wear black for five years after the death of even their most distant relatives, lending a universal drabness to their dress.

Inns & Taverns

Immol

Village of Barovia

Vallaki

The Nova Vaasan Frontier

Chronology


This page incorporates content from the inactive Mordent Cartographic Society. Used with their express permission.

References

  1. Gazetteer I, p. 15.
  2. Gaz 1, p 16.
  3. Gaz 1, p 16.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 Domains of Dread p.16
  5. 5.0 5.1 Ravenloft Third Edition p.12
  6. 6.0 6.1 Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.14 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "RPHB p.14" defined multiple times with different content
  7. Gazetteer I p.15
  8. 8.0 8.1 Gazetteer IV p.15
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 Gaz 1, p 17.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Ravenloft Third Edition p.17
  11. 11.0 11.1 Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.19
  12. 12.0 12.1 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.118 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p. 118" defined multiple times with different content
  13. Gazetteer I p.142
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 I, Strahd p.73-85 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "I, Strahd" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "I, Strahd" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "I, Strahd" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "I, Strahd" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "I, Strahd" defined multiple times with different content
  15. Vampire of the Mists p.247
  16. Gaz 1, pp 10, 16.
  17. Alanik Ray's library archive
  18. Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.13
  19. 19.0 19.1 Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II p. 113, "died at the age of 27 some 75 years" after Barovia became a domain
  20. Van Richten's Guide to Vampires p.6-9
  21. Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium I p.10-13
  22. Gaz 1, p 18.
  23. Ravenloft Third Edition p.13
  24. Ravenloft Third Edition p.17
  25. Vampire of the Mists
  26. 26.0 26.1 VotM
  27. VotM pg. 284: “died four years ago.” RLMC I&II pp. 89-90: tells us how it happened.
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.34
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 Gazetteer I p.18
  30. House of Strahd
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 Gazetteer II p.135
  32. King of the Dead
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 King of the Dead
  34. I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin - p71, pp109-117, pp167-171
  35. Gazetteer I p.63
  36. Gazetteer I p.73-74
  37. 37.0 37.1 Gazetteer I p.18
  38. I10: Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill
  39. Gazetteer II p.9
  40. I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin
  41. Domains of Dread p.16, 64
  42. 42.0 42.1 Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 p.127
  43. Undead Sea Scrolls 2003 p. 110-111
  44. Gazetteer I p.35
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 Gazetteer I p.144
  46. 46.0 46.1 Domains of Dread p.17
  47. Book of Souls (Netbook-small) p. 70
  48. Undead Sea Scrolls 2003 p.121
  49. Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.28
  50. 50.0 50.1 Gaz 1, p 19 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Gaz I p.19" defined multiple times with different content
  51. Traumatized Spirits, Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 p.143
  52. Undead Sea Scrolls 2003 p.122
  53. Thoughts of Darkness
  54. 54.0 54.1 Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 p.128
  55. Children of the Night: Vampires p.21-26
  56. Ravenloft Gazetteer I, p35.
  57. Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.26
  58. Gazetteer I p.38
  59. Book of Souls (Netbook) p. 90; source says that hatred of the boyars had been growing in the men for the past 15 years. The year of the Gundarakite Annexation was 740 BC.

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Domains of Dread
Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I
I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp7,10-12,18,40
Ravenloft Third Edition - pp4,12-13,15,17,110,112-114
Domains of Dread - pp59-61
House of Strahd - pp14,18
The Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - pp7-10
Vampire of the Mists - throughout
Realm of Terror - pp63-65
Ravenloft I6 - pp6-7
Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I pp9-40
I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin - p38,pp42-43

Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp8-9
Domains of Dread - pp42-43
The Ravenloft Campaign Setting - poster map
Realm of Terror - poster map
Servants of Darkness - poster map
Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I - p12