A prohibited folio, circulated among hunters, clergy, and doomed scholars
Strahd von Zarovich does not wage war.
He hunts.
In the modern age — where powder and rifled barrels fell giants — the Lord of Barovia reshaped his servants. His creatures are no longer symbols of brute terror, but of inevitability.
They strike unseen.
They come in numbers.
They retreat before retaliation.
Those who survive encounters with Strahd’s minions report the same conclusion:
“He fights as if he has already read our after-action reports.”
Designation: Pack Direwolves of the Svalich
Threat Profile: High (through coordination)
Victorian Adaptation:
Smaller than traditional direwolves (mastiff-sized)
Lean, fast, low silhouettes
Black, ash, or fog-grey coats
Reflective eyes adapted to lantern-light
Behavioral Changes:
Operate in packs of 8–20
Harass from multiple angles
Feint retreats to draw pursuit
Target lantern bearers and rearguard first
Lore Note:
A single bullet kills a wolf.
Eight wolves kill a man before he reloads.
Designation: Sanguine Chiroptera
Threat Profile: Moderate → Lethal in numbers
Victorian Adaptation:
Smaller, faster, numerous
Roost in chimneys, belfries, clock towers
Wings whisper rather than flap
Behavioral Changes:
Disrupt sightlines
Extinguish lanterns
Force misfires and panic
Lore Note:
Hunters swear Strahd uses bats not to kill — but to erase certainty.
Designation: Ravenloft Spawn
Threat Profile: Extreme
Victorian Adaptation:
Dress as clerks, servants, soldiers, courtiers
No feral behavior
Speak softly, move precisely
Behavioral Changes:
Operate socially before violently
Gather intelligence
Isolate targets psychologically before feeding
Lore Note:
These are not monsters that burst through doors.
They are monsters who already have keys.
Designation: Civic Dead
Threat Profile: Moderate (attritional)
Appearance:
Tattered uniforms, work aprons, clerical coats
Chains, ledgers, tools still bound to them
Behavioral Changes:
Attracted to schedules, bells, whistles
Gather in places of labor or bureaucracy
Lore Note:
Barovia’s dead rise where people were reduced to numbers.
Designation: Umbral Observers
Threat Profile: Variable
Victorian Adaptation:
Appear as elongated shadows
Seen reflected in polished brass or glass
Often mistaken for gaslight distortions
Behavioral Changes:
Observe, not attack
Signal Strahd via supernatural means
Trigger ambushes later
Lore Note:
If your shadow moves first, leave immediately.
Designation: Barovian Occultists
Threat Profile: High
Victorian Adaptation:
Appear as midwives, alchemists, healers
Use surgical tools alongside ritual components
Blend folk magic with early science
Behavioral Changes:
Curse ammunition
Sabotage machinery
Spread slow, invisible afflictions
Lore Note:
They do not hex the man.
They hex the mechanism he trusts.
Designation: Svalich Vermin Swarms
Threat Profile: Low individually / High collectively
Victorian Adaptation:
Rats, crows, dogs, insects
Always present near Strahd’s interests
Behavioral Changes:
Carry disease
Trigger distractions
Consume evidence
Lore Note:
Barovia watches itself through a thousand small eyes.
Designation: Ravenloft Mounts
Threat Profile: High (mobility)
Appearance:
Emaciated horses
Red-rimmed eyes
Breath fogs unnaturally
Behavioral Changes:
Do not panic under gunfire
Can run through fog and darkness unerringly
Lore Note:
Strahd’s cavalry never needs roads.