The valley of Barovia is a place of nightmares in Dungeons & Dragons, and its also the prison for the demonic vampire monster Strahd von Zarovich. Barvoia exists in the Shadowfell, shrouded in mists and holding many great evils besides Strahd himself. However, some of the most terrifying beings a party can encounter while attempting to escape from Barovia aren't werewolves, vampire spawn, or the looming darkness of each night. Some of the most wicked things in Barovia are what make the campaign itself such a dark and twisted tale.
There are many ways a D&D party can fall into Barovia. Whether by accident, or by being lured in via the Vistani who can come and go between the lost valley and the Material Plane, once they are inside they are stuck. Upon arrival, players will quickly realize the towns of Barovia are as creepy and unsettling as the stands of misted trees. As the party travels from place to place, the atmosphere becomes steadily more bleak. People live in fear, those in power abuse it for personal gain, and crimes are often overlooked as everyone struggles to survive.
It is when a party enters the bizarre D&D town of Vallaki things take a surprisingly dark turn. Vallaki is ruled by Burgomaster Baron Vargas Vallakovich, who has attempted to create an atmosphere of false security under his rule. Baron Vargas punishes anyone who disobeys his "All will be well" slogan, publicly locking them up. He believes Strahd can be defeated by displays of happiness and forces the town to continuously throw festivals meant to boost overall morale. However, these festivals create a fake, fractured environment that is steadily chipping away at the sanity of the townspeople.
D&D's Curse of Strahd Shows The Dark Side Of Human Nature
Lady Fiona Wachter is a noblewoman of Vallaki, and deeply hates Baron Vargas. She aims to unseat him as Burgomaster and take his place, and she is willing to do so at any cost. Fiona is loyal to Strahd, but doesn't think highly of him. In order to overthrow Vargas, Fiona starts a cult of devil worship, attempting to slowly gain the loyalty of the townspeople through religious manipulation. It is also discovered that she sleeps with the corpse of her dead husband, and has been doing so for three years. While D&D's Strahd is obviously evil and willing to manipulate, torment, and abuse those who defy him, it is the hidden evil in regular people like Fiona that creates a horrifying setting for the campaign.
When traveling through Barovia, players believe they are battling a monster to free innocent people, but throughout the course of the campaign it is revealed the evil is all around them. The people of each town have been corrupted and given way to dark and horrible temptations. There is no true safety in Barovia because the people are just as likely to kill the party as Strahd himself. Dungeons & Dragons has many darker campaigns for horror fans, but the time spent in Barovia could be one of the most horrific tales currently available for 5th Edition.