Category:Von Zarovich Family

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The von Zarovich family comprises the founding family of the kingdom of Barovia on the Prime Material Plane and also the noble dynasty from which the infamous Count Strahd von Zarovich, the darklord of Barovia and indeed the first known darklord in all of existence, receives his noble bloodline from. A family tree of the von Zarovich bloodline was included in the Realm of Terror boxed set, the first printed version of the Ravenloft campaign setting and often referred to as the "Black Box" by fans. According to the family tree, all known von Zarovich descendants living in this day are descended from Sturm von Zarovich and Giselle von Zarovich, whom escaped the fate of their relatives[1] for not having attended the Wedding of Sergei von Zarovich, a day damned not only by family enemy Lord Leo Dilisnya but also by the villainous treachery of Strahd von Zarovich. (This is not to say that there were not other von Zarovich descendants, but they were introduced in later products)[2]

The extant von Zarovich bloodline in the domain of Barovia bears a karmic taint wrought by the actions of Strahd[3]. He murdered his brother Sergei von Zarovich as part of a deal with dark powers for renewed vitality and the chance to win the unrequited love of Tatyana Federovna, Sergei's bride.Horrified, Tatyana jumped from the parapets of Castle Ravenloft, but her body vanished, never to be found. It was for Strahd's betrayal that Barovia formed as the first domain in the Demiplane of Dread and Strahd became the first darklord. Though the entire family is cursed, the way the curse manifests can vary from individual to individual. (Possible manifestations are listed in the family traits given in Legacy of the Blood: Great Families of the Core[4], a late 3rd Edition product that covers many of the notable and historic bloodlines within the Land of Mists.)

History

According to the in-character description of "S" in Ravenloft Gazetteer I, year one of the Barovian Calendar starts with the founding of Barovia by the von Zaroviches on an outlander world of unknown name. As the ruling family, the von Zaroviches were involved in a number of events over the next three hundred fifty years. In 168 BC, the von Zaroviches gave their favor to the establishment of the Church of Andral. In 230 BC, the Neureni Horde invaded Barovia, gaing ground up to Vallaki. However, they were thwarted and eventually driven back by General-Princess Nicoleta von Zarovich.[5]

The events that would lead to disaster for the von Zaroviches occurred in the 4th century BC. In 314 BC, the Assassination of Lady Izabela Dilisnya led to the so-called War of Silver Knives, much less a war than a series of cloak-and-dagger murders as part of a blood feud between Dilisnya Family, Katsky Family, and the Petrovna Family.[5] Barov von Zarovich (b. 277 BC) forced an end to the conflict and pacified the belligerent families with offers of land. Though an on-its-face peace was achieved, it was a strained peace. The internal divisions left by the aftermath helped pave the way for the Terg invasion in 320 BC. Several decades of bloody warfare ensued. Barov and his wife Ravenia von Roeyen were slain by the Tergs in 346 BC.[6]


Chronology

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 1.33 1.34 1.35 1.36 1.37 1.38 1.39 1.40 1.41 1.42 1.43 1.44 1.45 1.46 1.47 1.48 1.49 1.50 1.51 1.52 Realm of Terror p.127
  2. Roots of Evil p. , Fair Barovia p. , Curse of Strahd p.
  3. Legacy of the Blood: Great Families of the Core p. 121-122
  4. Legacy of the Blood, p. 122-123
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Gazetteer I, p. 15 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "Gazetteer I p. 15" defined multiple times with different content
  6. Gazetteer I, p. 15-16
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Domains of Dread p.16
  8. 8.0 8.1 Ravenloft Third Edition p.12
  9. 9.0 9.1 Ravenloft Player's Handbook p.14 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "RPHB p.14" defined multiple times with different content
  10. Gazetteer I p.15
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Gaz 1, p 17.
  12. Gazetteer I p.142
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 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
  14. Gaz 1, pp 10, 16.
  15. Van Richten's Guide to Vampires p.6-9
  16. Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium I p.10-13
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I p.34
  18. Legacy of the Blood p.151
  19. Thoughts of Darkness
  20. Children of the Night: Vampires p.21-26