View source for Village of Barovia

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<seo title="Barovia - Village of Barovia" metak="ravenloft,barovia,neverwinter nights,nwn,game,rpg,persistent world,pw,d&d,dungeons & dragons" metad="Nestled within the defences - and shadow - of Castle Ravenloft, the Village of Barovia is a small and old community. TOUD: a NWN-EE PW." />{{townbox
|seat=Municipality of Barovia
|picture=barovia-village-arms.png
|culture_lvl=Medieval
|terrain=Temperate forest
|year_formed=-100 BC<ref>'''False History'''.</ref>
|population=535<ref name="gaz1_38">page 38, ''Ravenloft Gazeteer, Volume 1'', Arthaus (John W. Mangrum, Stuart Turner, Peter Woodworth, and Andrew Wyatt), September 2002</ref>
|races=Humans 97%, half-Vistani 2%, other 1%<ref name="gaz1_38"></ref>
|languages=[[Balok]], [[Common]]
|religions=[[Church of Ezra]], [[Cult of the Morninglord]]
|government=Feudal Monarchy
|ascendant_title=Lord Boyar of the Tser Pools
|descendant_title=Burgomaster's Deputy, presently vacant
|title=Burgomaster of Barovia
|inheritance=Male-Preference Primogeniure, lead by house Indirovich
|ruler=Burgomaster [[Kolyan Indirovich]]<ref name="dung207_63">page 63, ''Dungeon #207: "Fair Barovia"'', TSR, Inc (Claudio Pozas), 2012</ref>
}}{{canon}}Nestled in the Barovian valley, the namesake heart of Barovia, the '''Village of Barovia''' "enjoys" the distinction of being imprisoned within [[Strahd's Choking Fog]]. The village of Barovia's origins are lost to time, but most believe that some sort of community existed here well before the building of Castle Ravenloft, serving as a waypoint for those crossing the Svalich Pass. The community grew with the construction of the castle, swelling with workers to its current number.<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>

== Background ==
Since the construction of the castle, the Village of Barovia has often been held hostage by the choking mists that form part of Castle Ravenloft's supernatural defences, inhabitants and travellers alike only able to escape by means of the protective elixir the vistani sell for a steep price.<ref name="dung207_63"></ref> This has lead to a deep resentment of the vistani among the local population, and the Zarovan encampment is therefore kept on the other side of the valley, on the banks of [[Tser Pool]].<ref name="hos_22">page 22, ''House of Strahd'', TSR, Inc. (Bruce Nesmith, Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman), 1993</ref>  Only a small gathering remains "castle side".

The village hosts two inns: the [[Blood o' the Vine Inn]]<ref name="hos_1920">pages 19-20, ''House of Strahd'', TSR, Inc. (Bruce Nesmith, Tracy Hickman, Laura Hickman), 1993</ref><ref name="istrahd_68">page 68, ''I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin'', TSR, Inc. (P. N. Elrod), 1998</ref><ref name="cryptic_2628">pages 26-28, ''Forbidden Lore: Cryptic Allegiances'', TSR, Inc (Bruce Nesmith, William W. Connors), 1992</ref> and the [[Wolf's Den]]<ref name="votm_3337">pages 33-37, ''Vampire of the Mists'', TSR, Inc. (Christie Golden), 1991</ref><ref name="dungeon207_65>page 65, ''Dungeon #207: "Fair Barovia"'', TSR, Inc (Claudio Pozas), 2012</ref>. The former is the secret headquarters of the [[Keepers of the Black Feather]].<ref name="cryptic_2628"></ref>

{{toud-canon}}
The village has seen some fair upheval recently: the former burgomistress, joyless widow [[Vanda Atanasius]]<ref name="gaz1_38"></ref> has been deposed in circumstances known only to the count, and the local house Indirovich was the beneficiary of the title; patriarch of the family Kolyan was quick to install his son Ismark as deputy burgomaster to further cement his position within the village.  He is considerable decently-regarded, but it's mostly a case of "he's not Vanda" - whether that will remain the case as his rule comes more into its own remains to be seen.

Moreover, [[Bray Martikova]], former proprietor of the [[Blood of the Vine]] tavern<ref name="gaz1_38"></ref>, has passed on the tavern to their daughter, [[Adelle Martikova]], seeking to pursue a position of power as a sargeant in the village's garda.

== History ==
{{canon}}
The village of Barovia has been called the bleakest settlement in Barovia. It marks the road over the [[Ivlis River]] and towards the rest of Barovia.<ref name="gaz1_37">page 37, ''Ravenloft Gazeteer, Volume 1'', Arthaus (John W. Mangrum, Stuart Turner, Peter Woodworth, and Andrew Wyatt), September 2002</ref>  It traces back far further than the castle, and is said to have once been a much larger settlement that had been in decline - until it swelled with construction workers for the creation of Castle Ravenloft.<ref name="dungeon207_65"></ref>

== Places to Go ==
{{canon}}
* [[Blood o' the Vine Inn]]<ref name="hos_1920"></ref><ref name="istrahd_68"></ref><ref name="cryptic_2628"></ref><ref name="gaz1_38"></ref>
* [[Wolf's Den]]<ref name="votm_3337"></ref><ref name="dungeon207_65"></ref>
* [[Bildrath's Merchantile]]<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>

== Law and Order ==
{{canon}}
* [[Kolyan Indirovich]], Burgomaster<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>
* [[Ismark Indirovich]], Deputy Burgomaster<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>
* [[Bray Martikova]], Garda Sargeant<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>
* [[Parpol Cantemir]], Garda<ref name="dung207_63></ref>

== People to See==
{{canon}}
* [[Daria Fidatov]]<ref name="dung207_63"></ref>, proprietess of the Wolves' Den
* [[Bildrath Cantemir]], proprietor of Bildrath's Merchantile

{{ref}}