Barovia. The name is whispered in taverns across the Sword Coast on cold and rainy nights. A distant and foreboding place, no one knows exactly where it is located. But there are tales of those who have been lost to this enigmatic land.

The stories all begin the same. On a lonely road, travelers encounter a strange caravan. Brightly-painted wagons are circled around a blazing campfire, where colorfully-dressed people are dancing, singing and drinking around the fire. They call themselves Vistani, wanderers and lovers of life who hail from the valley of Barovia. Travelers are welcome at the camp, offered food and drink by the Vistani, and are soon drawn into a tale of their homeland.

The Vistani speak of Strahd von Zarovich, a wounded prince who they kept hidden from enemy soldiers and nursed back to health. Strahd never forgot their kindness, and when he became the master of the lands of Barovia and Castle Ravenloft, he granted the Vistani free passage through his lands.

They also speak of a terrible curse that befell Strahd and the lands of Barovia. In a moment of passion and rage, Strahd forever damned himself and brought forth a terrible darkness into his once beautiful valley. The people of Barovia now live a miserable existence, in fear of the evils that stalk the moonlit nights and sunless days. They hope and pray for someone to save them from a grim fate. 

There are heroes from the Sword Coast who have sought to enter the lands of Barovia to break Strahd's curse. None have returned. The last time they were seen, they were entering a strange mist that seemed to writhe like a living thing. A distant howling was heard before the mists dissipated. 

Where have these heroes gone? What horrors do they face beyond the mists in the shrouded lands of Barovia? Can they finally break the curse of Strahd?

Randy Mosiondz
Loremaster & Lead Content Designer