Strahd & the Vampires
Strahd von Zarovich is a legendary and renowned vampire lord from Ravenloft. Strahd is considered a strategic villain who, once a nobleman and war hero, made a dark pact out of love and jealousy, murdered his brother, and became a vampire himself. Since then, he has been bound to the cursed domain of Barovia, where he rules over a mist-shrouded land as an almost immortal tyrant.
He is heavily inspired by Dracula and his myth, particularly the version from Bram Stoker’s famous novel from 1897. The parallels between the two figures are numerous, making Strahd very much an homage to Dracula’s legend.
Both dwell as aristocratic vampires in a castle, are obsessed with their love for a woman, and in both cases, the land suffers under their rule. Many visual parallels can also be observed.
The portrayal of vampires in D&D is primarily based on European folklore, particularly stories from Eastern Europe, such as Slavic and Balkan narratives. In the multiverse, vampires are undead beings that feed on the blood of the living, can only move at night, and are sensitive to sunlight, flowing water, and holy symbols. They possess supernatural powers such as enchantments, can shapeshift, and have immense physical strength.
In real folklore, vampires appear in Slavic and Balkan tales – often as revenants that haunt and drain their relatives. These figures were less charming than modern depictions and primarily showed one thing: resurrected, bloated, bloodied corpses. Only later did vampires, especially due to literary works like Bram Stoker’s Dracula, become elegant, seductive beings.
