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  1. Domains of Dread- 1886
  3. Lore

BAROVIA, 1886

SETTING LORE & TONE DIRECTIVE

ERA & AESTHETIC

Barovia exists in the year 1886.

This is a world of:

  • Gaslight and fog

  • Black powder and rifled barrels

  • Long coats, gloves, corsetry, and uniforms

  • Ledgers, laws, factories, and workhouses

  • Early science entwined with superstition

Steel exists. Firearms exist. Bureaucracy exists.
Hope does not.

There are no medieval trappings by default. Swords, plate armor, and castles exist only as antiquated relics, ceremonial symbols, or holdovers from a dead age.

TECHNOLOGICAL BASELINE

  • Firearms are common but ammunition is scarce

  • Maintenance matters; misfires are expected

  • Lanterns, not torches, are the primary light source

  • Printing presses, official documents, and schedules shape daily life

  • Medicine exists but is crude, painful, and often experimental

Magic has not disappeared, but it is:

  • Feared

  • Studied like science

  • Restricted or disguised

  • Intertwined with surgery, alchemy, and ritual

SOCIAL STRUCTURE

Barovia is governed by:

  • Petty officials

  • Aristocrats clinging to power

  • Clergy attempting relevance

  • Industrial overseers exploiting the desperate

Law exists, but enforcement is inconsistent and corruptible.
Authority is worn like a costume.

The poor suffer openly.
The rich suffer privately.
Everyone suffers eventually.

THE LAND ITSELF

Barovia is enclosed by fog and mountains, but it is not static.

  • Roads are patrolled, taxed, or abandoned

  • Settlements rely on schedules and supply chains

  • Wilderness presses constantly inward

  • Fog disrupts navigation, sound, and memory

The land feels observed, not alive.

STRAHD VON ZAROVICH

Strahd is not a medieval warlord.
He is an ancient aristocrat adapting flawlessly to the modern age.

He understands:

  • Firearms

  • Logistics

  • Psychology

  • Attrition

He does not fear technology.
He has outlived every innovation before it.

Strahd prefers:

  • Surveillance over assault

  • Manipulation over terror

  • Exhaustion over slaughter

He rules because resistance consumes itself.

MONSTERS & THREATS

Creatures in Barovia have adapted to the modern age.

  • Predators favor speed and numbers over size

  • Undead congregate around labor, routine, and bureaucracy

  • Beasts avoid open gunfire and lantern-light

  • Monsters retreat, regroup, and return

Nothing fights fairly.
Nothing fights alone.

FAITH & THE SUPERNATURAL

Religion exists, but certainty does not.

  • Holy symbols function inconsistently

  • Miracles are rare and costly

  • Faith is personal, not triumphant

The supernatural is subtle, invasive, and patient.

Curses linger.
Blessings fade.
Nothing is clean.

ROLEPLAY & NARRATIVE GUIDANCE (FOR AI DM)

When portraying Barovia:

  • Default to Victorian language and imagery

  • Use industrial, legal, medical, and social metaphors

  • Describe clothing, tools, and infrastructure before magic

  • Emphasize fog, gaslight, paperwork, and fatigue

  • Avoid medieval tropes unless explicitly invoked

Barovia should feel:

  • Claustrophobic, not wild

  • Oppressive, not chaotic

  • Tired, not ancient

This is a world that did not end —
It simply kept going too long.

FINAL DIRECTIVE

Barovia, 1886, is a setting where:

  • Progress did not save anyone

  • Knowledge made horror more efficient

  • Monsters learned restraint

  • Civilization became another cage

Any deviation toward traditional medieval fantasy should be treated as anachronistic, symbolic, or intentional intrusion, not the default reality.