STRAHD VON ZAROVICH

Alduin · 2014-10-31 12:56:07

good morning/noon/evening, everyone

today, my friends

we will be talking about

STRAHD VON ZAROVICH

Obā-san · 2014-10-31 13:01:20

ravenloft

Alduin · 2014-10-31 13:23:06

OK, so just who is Strahd von Zarovich?

Strahd von Zarovich was a warlord of noble birth who ruled over the region of Barovia. He fought in many wars and was rewarded with fame, glory and the respect of all his comrades and family members - but not, as he would later find out, with eternal youth.

Strahd kept many of his family members in the region of Barovia. All of them respected, acknowledged and admired his strength and bravery, especially Strahd's younger brother Sergei von Zarovich. Strahd had a pretty good life.

One day, when Sergei was out to town, he met a woman named Tatyana. He fell in love with her, and she him. And life was good in Barovia.

Until Strahd set his eyes on her.

When he saw Tatyana, he fell as deeply in love with her as his brother did, but she did not return his feelings. She saw Strahd as more of a fatherly figure, innocently calling him things like "elder" and "old one". Though these names were meant in respect, they made Strahd realize that he was on the decline. He was no longer the young, strong warrior that he was before. The warrior that his brother was now.

In desperation, he turned to foul magics to give him life and youth in the hopes of winning Tatyana's heart. Finally, afraid of his encroaching death, he summoned it and made a pact with it. A pact of blood.

He killed Sergei and drank his blood, granting him the powers of a vampire. It was this act of murder which made the Dark Powers of Ravenloft, mysterious to all, drag him within their mists.

Not realizing what he had done and still heady from his victory, he rushed to his love Tatyana. When she saw him, she fled from his sight, in fear of what he had become. He pursued her, but rather than be with him, she flung herself from the tower and into the mists of Ravenloft.

Ever since that day, the Dark Powers have cursed him with an unusual fate. Time and again, he is faced with the reincarnation of Tatyana, always seeking her out - but the Dark Powers never let him have her, and he is denied her love again and again. But still he rages on, futilely beating against the powers that rule his fate, the power of the vampire and the necromancer in his hands...

Obā-san · 2014-10-31 13:24:51

naney said:
ravenloft

Odradek · 2014-10-31 13:27:14

I LOVE Dark Sun!

Alduin · 2014-10-31 13:37:23

OK, so what makes Strahd totally cool?

The great thing about Strahd is that he was the first really complex villain D&D had. He didn't have the raw power of, say, Tiamat (although a level 15 Wizard is nothing to scoff at),but he made up with it by being a three-dimensional character with his own internal emotional logic. The driving forces behind many of his heinous deeds - a lost love and a fear of decline - are things we all fear (men in particular, for reasons I'll discuss later) to some extent or another.

Nevertheless, Tracy Hickman manages to avoid the pitfall so many other writers have fallen into and never pretends that his reasons are justifications. Strahd's deeds, although they make sense, are never shown to be excusable. He is sympathetic and perhaps even pitiable, but never in the right. Strahd's evils are his own, and Hickman never lets us forget that he's responsible for the wicked things that he does.

I think what makes Strahd a very powerful figure, though, is what he represents about masculine power. Strahd, like Dracula before him, is a corruption of a patriarchal figure. He is brave in battle, charming, and charismatic, but also domineering, ruthless and bloodthirsty. His story of decline strikes a chord with men in particular. Men fear the loss of their virility and strength, and if they don't find a way to accept it or cope with it properly, they lash out on others. Men hate it when younger, stronger men usurp their position and "take away" the women they love. Strahd is as much a corruption of the ideal masculine figure as the vampire is a corruption of man.

Oh, and before you even ask, Strahd predates the Dracula film made by Francis Ford Coppola. I made the same mistake too.

Alduin · 2014-10-31 13:39:38

One-Armed MIKE said:
I LOVE Dark Sun!

Never really got into that. I'll check it out some other time - still halfway through the Eberron sourcebook.

Corvina · 2015-01-10 18:45:00

Latecomer, but:

I really, really do love Ravenloft, and Strahd as
a villain. I recently ran a Pathfinderized I6, but made the mistake of
choosing an OP version of Strahd from late 2e to convert. Much fun was
had

Corvina · 2015-01-17 18:49:28

Imagine Ravenloft combined with Vampire: the Masquerade

Corvina · 2015-01-17 18:59:37

Strahd would either be Ventrue or Old Clan Tzimisce

Alduin · 2015-01-18 03:25:45

Strahd is totally a Ventrue. It'd be a Hunter/Vampire game with him as the Prince.

Corvina · 2015-01-18 04:48:43

Thing is, Strahd is very much patterned after Dracula, who in VtM canon is Old Clan Tzimisce for good reason. Otherwise I'd say Ventrue too.

Alduin · 2015-01-18 04:49:09

Ooooh, I thought we were talking about VtR.

Corvina · 2015-01-18 04:54:18

I like VtR mechanics, but I like VtM fluff.

Alduin · 2015-02-06 17:10:36

Hey, let's not let the OTHER domains off the hook.

My favorite's the one that has the cleric whose god is fake.

Corvina · 2015-02-06 17:15:54

Pft.

Corvina · 2015-02-20 08:12:00

http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7500

The discussion of Strahd's personality is interesting

Yarrun XIX · 2015-04-07 07:08:37

Corvina · 2015-04-07 07:18:16

Sorry, Strahd would beat all of them.

Yarrun XIX · 2015-04-07 08:33:20

Nope. Pfiffany gets +30 to intimidate against Evil creatures.

STRAHD VON ZAROVICH

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