D&D 5E Barovia and Borca: What is the world they originated from like? And what could it be like now?

[Steampunkette]

True, Greyhawk and Birthright contained their fair share of warfare, as did Dragonlance (depending on the era). I was only thinking of the 5e settings currently supported when I made that comment, to be honest. Barovia being in Cerelia would be very interesting, though I agree, it's not likely. Considering when I6 was released, Greyhawk would be more logical, though likewise not likely.

All this theorizing does have me wondering - what happens to the former areas of places plucked into Ravenloft?

There's just a copy in Ravenloft.

Take Kalidnay, for example. When the High Priestess of Kalid-Ma attempted to force his draconic ascension she killed half the populace of the city. Kalid-Ma fell into a comatose slumber and the city was whisked away to Ravenloft.

But the real city was still there on Athas. Depopulated. And without care swiftly fell into ruination, bandit inhabitation, and monster-infestation.

 

[Davies]

All this theorizing does have me wondering - what happens to the former areas of places plucked into Ravenloft?

Dragon #349's "Beyond Sasserine" mentioned what had happened to the Misroi plantation after it became the seed of Souragne.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Interesting stuff! It would imply that while The Dark Powers are capable of taking people, they are not capable of taking land.

Dragon #349's "Beyond Sasserine" mentioned what had happened to the Misroi plantation after it became the seed of Souragne.

 

[ChaosOS]

There's just a copy in Ravenloft.

Take Kalidnay, for example. When the High Priestess of Kalid-Ma attempted to force his draconic ascension she killed half the populace of the city. Kalid-Ma fell into a comatose slumber and the city was whisked away to Ravenloft.

But the real city was still there on Athas. Depopulated. And without care swiftly fell into ruination, bandit inhabitation, and monster-infestation.

for the record I still really like the 4e version that just puts it in the Gray - I like using Kalidnay for Dark Sun stories, not as part of a Ravenloft game.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Interesting stuff! It would imply that while The Dark Powers are capable of taking people, they are not capable of taking land.

I'm pretty sure they do... Barovia and Borca are pretty clearly meant to be from other another world initially, not just their population (in fact in Barovia's case, it seems there's relatively few actual people with souls compared to the landmass).

There are other cases mentioned that may have been conjured by the Dark Powers and not plucked from worlds... Van Richten's Guide mentions how Dr. Viktra Mordenheim appeared in Lamordia, it is not actually her homeland... there are a couple other domains like this.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Yeah, I suspect that there's no real rhyme or reason, no hard rules. Especially when you consider how Ravenloft spans multiple editions, creators, and companies. But it's fun to speculate.

I'm pretty sure they do... Barovia and Borca are pretty clearly meant to be from other another world initially, not just their population (in fact in Barovia's case, it seems there's relatively few actual people with souls compared to the landmass).

There are other cases mentioned that may have been conjured by the Dark Powers and not plucked from worlds... Van Richten's Guide mentions how Dr. Viktra Mordenheim appeared in Lamordia, it is not actually her homeland... there are a couple other domains like this.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The metaplot of Ravenloft is a very interesting thread but I am afraid we could see new retcons in the future because designers of future multimedia projects could aks it.

The original Barovia from the material plane could be an interesting spin-off, with a little touch of planar intrusion by the world ruled by the vampyres (Vladimir Ludzig's home). Other potential spin-of could be a special sphere of Spelljammer plagued with undeads by fault of a undead apocalypse.

 

[TwiceBorn2]

The original Barovia from the material plane could be an interesting spin-off, with a little touch of planar intrusion by the world ruled by the vampyres (Vladimir Ludzig's home). Other potential spin-of could be a special sphere of Spelljammer plagued with undeads by fault of a undead apocalypse.

Please no.