It remained the only Domain of Dread for nearly two centuries, until other realms started joining it. The pact inadvertently caused the death of Tatyana and ended up turning Strahd into a vampire and imprisoning him within the realm. The pact involved the murder of his brother Sergei von Zarovich so that Strahd could take Sergei's wife Tatyana, with whom he had fallen madly in love.

It was later transported to the Shadowfell by the Dark Powers, as a consequence of a pact struck with Strahd to grant him eternal life. Originally part of a world in the Material Plane, sometime before the 11 th century DR, Barovia was conquered by then- human general Strahd and his army. The mists were controlled by Strahd, who could choose to open or close the boundaries of his domain at will. The valley was completely surrounded by deadly mists that sapped the life force and could rapidly kill anyone who ventured inside.

However, Strahd was a feared tyrant who took whatever he wanted and whom no one dared disobey. His ruling style was mostly through proxy, as he made few public appearances and all the duties of tax collection were carried out by the villages' burgomasters. Most inhabitants were not aware that Strahd was a vampire. Government īarovia was ruled by Strahd, who was known by the population as 'the devil Strahd'.

It was bordered to the south by the domain of Hazlan. At the center of the valley, south of the slopes of Mount Baratok, stood a large lake known as Lake Zarovich, which was fed by melting snow from the mountain. The evergreen forest of the Svalich Woods covered the entire valley, which was trespassed by the Old Svalich Road that ran from East to West. Both mountains were part of a larger mountain range known as the Balinok Mountains. The valley was located between Mount Baratok to the north and Mount Ghakis to the south. The sky was populated with ravens, hawks and songbirds, as well as nocturnal bats and owls. Land animals such as deer, rabbits, rats, wolves, and black bears were common in the woods. The forests of Barovia teemed with wildlife. At higher elevations the predominant trees were evergreens, such as fir, pine, and spruce. Much of the lower hilled forests throughout Barovia were made up of hardwood trees, such as beech, cherry, hazelnut, and oak. In many locations, the mists partially or completely obscured vision. Even during the brightest hours of the day, light was unnaturally muted and dimmed, and did not affect normally sensitive creatures such as vampires. The sky of Barovia was permanently overcast with storm clouds. Few areas were easily traversable, and it was always dangerous to stay off the road. Almost the entire valley consisted of densely forested rough terrain, with sheer cliffs and outcroppings.

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