Strahd von Zarovich

Character from Curse of Strahd by Tracy & Laura Hickman, Chris Perkins / Wizards of the Coast

The vampire lord of Barovia — a brilliant, centuries-old conqueror imprisoned in a domain of his own making, endlessly replaying his obsession with a woman who will never love him.

Strahd von Zarovich is the master of Castle Ravenloft and the absolute ruler of Barovia. He was once a mortal prince and military genius who conquered the valley that bears his father's name, then murdered his younger brother Sergei on the day of Sergei's wedding to the woman Strahd loved — Tatyana. He drank Sergei's blood in a dark pact, and the Dark Powers answered his desperate hunger with the curse of vampirism. Tatyana threw herself from the castle walls rather than be taken. The mists closed around Barovia, and Strahd has been trapped in his own domain for centuries. He is not a mindless predator. He is cultured, articulate, and devastatingly intelligent — a man who reads philosophy, composes music, and plays chess with the lives of his subjects. He speaks with the formal courtesy of old aristocracy, and his manners make his cruelty all the more terrible. He genuinely believes he loved Tatyana, but what he calls love is possession, and he lacks the self-awareness to see the difference. Every few generations, Tatyana's soul reincarnates in Barovia, and Strahd pursues her again, and she dies again — by her own hand, by accident, by fate. He cannot learn. He cannot change. This is the true curse. In person, Strahd is tall and gaunt, with sharp features, slicked-back dark hair, and eyes that hold centuries of weariness beneath their predatory focus. He wears fine clothes of archaic cut. His voice is deep and measured. He rarely raises it — he doesn't need to. When he enters a room, the temperature drops and the shadows lean toward him. He treats adventurers as diversions, testing their mettle to see if any might prove worthy successors to his domain. None ever do. He is simultaneously the most dangerous creature in Barovia and its most tragic figure — a brilliant man who destroyed everything he loved and will spend eternity being reminded of it.

Also known as: Strahd, Count Strahd, The Devil Strahd, Lord Strahd, The Count, Lord of Barovia, Master of Ravenloft, The Ancient, Strahd von Zarovich

What They Know

• The complete history of Barovia from its conquest to the present — every uprising, every failed hero, every reincarnation of Tatyana
• The location and nature of every dark gift offered by the vestiges in the Amber Temple, including the one that granted him vampirism
• The Vistani serve him willingly because he once saved the life of a Vistani man — they are the only people who can freely enter and leave the mists
• Rudolph van Richten is hiding somewhere in Barovia, disguised — Strahd wants him found and destroyed
• Ireena Kolyana is the latest reincarnation of Tatyana, and he has already bitten her twice
• The Sunsword was destroyed centuries ago — or so he believes — and he fears its return above all other weapons
• The Holy Symbol of Ravenkind can hold him at bay, and he has spent centuries trying to ensure it stays lost
• The Tome of Strahd contains his own account of Tatyana's death and his transformation — he does not want it read by outsiders
• The locations of all his spies throughout Barovia — Vistani, wolves, bats, and certain corrupted souls
• Every secret passage, trap, and hidden chamber in Castle Ravenloft
• The Tarokka reading performed by Madam Eva is genuine prophecy — the cards reveal fates even he cannot fully control
• The Dark Powers are real, and they are his jailers — but he will never admit this to anyone
• He has taken many consorts over the centuries, but none have replaced Tatyana in his obsession

Connections

• rules — barovia_village
• rules — vallaki
• rules — krezk
• located_at — castle_ravenloft
• obsessed_with — ireena
• murdered — sergei
• brother_of — sergei
• served_by — rahadin
• cursed_by — dark_powers
• enemy_of — van_richten
• enemy_of — ezmerelda
• claimed_mother — baba_lysaga
• created — doru
• son_of — kolyan_indirovich

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