Curse of Strahd - Can Borovia be situated in Forgotten Realms?

[Bruce Vistani]

I've been reading Curse of Strahd with the intention to run it in a few weeks. Overall I like what WotC have done with this module, but I'm not that keen on the whole "Borovia is a demi-plane" thing. Why can't it just be set in a remote and impenetrable valley somewhere within an established game world? Couldn't it just be that powerful magicks have trapped the sealed denizens of Borovia and all who enter it within the valley? What issues does that raise? I'd ideally like to set it within Faerun but most of my knowledge of Faerun's geography is based around the Sword Coast and the Inland Sea. Can anyone who knows Forgotten Realms well suggest a place that would be well-suited to hiding Borovia? Someplace mountainous and forested but ideally with an Eastern European vibe.I'm looking at Rawlinswood and the Giantspire Mountains as a candidate. Would these work?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

When you are using "powerful magic has sealed this place off from the outside world" line of explanation, literally anything will work - so no reason the area you are looking at as a candidate isn't suitable, and no reason the idea of it being a hidden valley somewhere in Faerun or otherwise on Toril doesn't work just as well as the idea of it being a valley trapped elsewhere between/outside other dimensions.

 

[Bruce Vistani]

Thanks for taking the time to respond Aaron. The thing is that I don't want Borovia to be situated in an uncharactistic location. I want it to fit within its surroundings. For example it wouldn't seem appropriate in the tropical jungles of Chult or in the cosmopolitan areas around Waterdeep or Turmish.

What I'm asking is: is there a region of Faerun that resembles the imaginary Transylvania of Bram Stoker?

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

In that case, I'd personally stick the valley somewhere in the Western Heartlands because that's where I remember there being a people in the game world inspired by real-world Roma culture, and that is typically what sort of folk come to mind when thinking of Ravenloft (and the "gypsy fortune teller" role) - so just a bit east of Baldur's gate in the Sunset Mountains (for the name, especially) or thereabouts.

Note: I am not particularly well-knowledged of the Realms, as I adhere strongly to Ed Greenwood's mention made long ago that from the point of what he put in that box, the setting is now mine just as much his and as a result I've barely got what info lay in the "grey box" let alone all the numerous other details that have come and gone in the intervening years.

 

[pukunui]

If you want to set it in Faerûn somewhere, I would suggest the lands to the northeast of the Sea of Fallen Stars and the Moonsea. Places like Damara and Vaasa already have that Eastern European feel to them, so Barovia would fit in nicely there.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I would keep in the Demiplane. This way the mists can show up anywhere and draw people in. You don't have to put it in an area you are unfamiliar with.

This way people from all over can end up in Barovia and from different planes. If you put in an area of the realms then only people from that area can end up in Barovia. Which ruins a lot of things about.

Plus Barovia is not a Demiplane itself it was by powerful magics put into one.

 

[ccs]

I've been reading Curse of Strahd with the intention to run it in a few weeks. Overall I like what WotC have done with this module, but I'm not that keen on the whole "Borovia is a demi-plane" thing. Why can't it just be set in a remote and impenetrable valley somewhere within an established game world? Couldn't it just be that powerful magicks have trapped the sealed denizens of Borovia and all who enter it within the valley? What issues does that raise? I'd ideally like to set it within Faerun but most of my knowledge of Faerun's geography is based around the Sword Coast and the Inland Sea. Can anyone who knows Forgotten Realms well suggest a place that would be well-suited to hiding Borovia? Someplace mountainous and forested but ideally with an Eastern European vibe.I'm looking at Rawlinswood and the Giantspire Mountains as a candidate. Would these work?

Does that area have mountains & mountain valleys? If so, that'll work.
See, long long ago, the original AD&D module (I6) - Ravenloft - was setting neutral. There was no such thing as the demi-plane of dread. The adventure was supposed to be slotted into whatever your setting as you desired. There's no reason this approach won't work here 30+ years later.

 

[Bruce Vistani]

I just find the whole demi-plane thing weak and distracting. I think it was introduced as a blunt solution for the fact that Ravenloft world seems more Georgian/Victorian hinterland or Late-Renaissance era than medieval.

 

[Bruce Vistani]

Thanks for your suggestions Aaron and pukunai. I was looking at the Damara / Vaasa area as well but I couldn't find a whole lot about them. The Forest of Sharp Teeth aka Werewoods sounds promising too, and is still geographically close to the Sword Coast so would require less dmsplaining.

Hmmm....

 

[pukunui]

... and is still geographically close to the Sword Coast so would require less dmsplaining.

What do you mean by this? Are you planning on running a different adventure set on the Sword Coast as a prelude to Curse of Strahd? If not, it shouldn't really matter where you set it.

Probably the best resource for the area along the eastern shores of the Moonsea and Sea of Fallen Stars would be the 3e supplement Unapproachable East. I see you are considering the Rawlinswood. That is in the same general area. Even somewhere around Rashemen would probably work.

And if you're concerned about going from the Sword Coast to the east, you could have the mists act as a sort of portal, not to another plane, but just to another part of Faerûn.