Page 297 - D&D Bestiary

A brilliant thinker and capable warrior in life, Strahd von
Zarovich fought in countless battles for his people. When war A vampire chooses a grand yet defensible location for its
and killing finally stripped him of his youth and strength, he
settled in the remote valley of Barovia and built a castle on lair, such as a castle, fortified manor, or walled abbey. It
a towering pinnacle, from which he could survey his lands. hides its coffin in an underground crypt or vault guarded
His brother Sergei came to live with him in Castle Raven loft, by vampire spawn or other loyal creatures of the night.
becoming Strahd's adviser and constant companion.
In his brother, Strahd saw everything he had lost. Sergei REGIONAL EFFECTS
was handsome and young, while Strahd had become old and The region surrounding a vampire's lair is warped by
scarred. Resentment colored their relationship, eventually the creature's unnatural presence, creating any of the
turning into hatred. Strahd's beloved, Tatyana, spurned him following effects:
for Sergei, whom she pledged to marry.
There's a noticeable increase in the populations of
In a desperate attempt to win Tatyana's heart, Strahd
forged a pact with dark powers that made him immortal. bats, rats, and wolves in the region.
At the wedding of Sergei and Tatyana, he confronted his Plants within 500 feet of the lair wither, and their
brother and killed him. Tatyana fled and flung herself from stems and branches become twisted and thorny.
Ravenloft's walls. Strahd's guards, seeing him for a monster, Shadows cast within 500 feet of the lair seem abnor-
shot him with arrows. But he did not die. He became a mally gaunt and sometimes move as though alive.
vampire-the first vampire, according to many sages. A creeping fog clings to the ground within 500 feet
In the centuries since his transformation, Strahd's lust for of the vampire's lair. The fog occasionally takes eerie
life and youth have only grown. He broods in his dark castle, forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents.
cursing the living for stealing away what he lost, and never
admitting his hand in the tragedy he created. If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end
after 2d6 days.