Author Topic: A couple of questions about Barovians.  (Read 8395 times)

WilhelmVonZieg

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A couple of questions about Barovians.
« on: June 17, 2009, 03:40:04 PM »
Do Barovians, generally speaking, worship any gods at all, or are all of the *normal* Barovians atheists?  Or do they believe in the gods but simply do not care?

To what extent is healing magic tolerated, and how would they differentiate it from an arcane buff of some sort?  For instance, if a character is casting an unknown spell on himself, what would the response be?

Kaspar

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2009, 04:05:26 PM »
Information on Barovians,

http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=6563.0

http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=2020.0

Information on the various religions found in Barovia, and in general
,

http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=827.0

http://www.nwnravenloft.com/forum/index.php?topic=14424.0

Those four links should have the information you'll need.  :D

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Bluebomber4evr

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2009, 04:00:42 PM »
Do Barovians, generally speaking, worship any gods at all, or are all of the *normal* Barovians atheists?  Or do they believe in the gods but simply do not care?
They don't worship any gods at all. They are at best deistic (believing gods exist or once did, but not worshipping them), and at worst atheistic (believing that the gods do not exist and never did).

Quote
To what extent is healing magic tolerated, and how would they differentiate it from an arcane buff of some sort?  For instance, if a character is casting an unknown spell on himself, what would the response be?
Healing magic is welcomed fully. It can be differentiated from an arcane buff because arcane buffs don't heal the person being buffed.

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Taty

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2009, 04:13:15 PM »
Here's a couple things I've wondered about. When they marry what type of service do they have ? Do they go to city hall or is it less formal ?
Funerals ? Same thing. Do they even bother with them ?
Divorce ? Do they do this ?
Citizenship ? Has an outlander even been made a citizen ? ( I know there was a time when Militia or Garda were offered this for x amount of service. Not aware of any ever achieving it.

Blacky Rose

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2009, 06:12:35 PM »
Here's a couple things I've wondered about. When they marry what type of service do they have ? Do they go to city hall or is it less formal ?
Funerals ? Same thing. Do they even bother with them ?
Divorce ? Do they do this ?
Citizenship ? Has an outlander even been made a citizen ? ( I know there was a time when Militia or Garda were offered this for x amount of service. Not aware of any ever achieving it.

By the Gazetteer,

Marriages:
Barovians marry young, boys often by the age of sixteen, girls sometime as early as thirteen, arranged marriages are not commonly observed, but the social and economical benefits of a marriage lead many parents to pressure their offspring to marry their sweethearts prematurely. Among peasantry I would deem marriage would take place in a farm, or perhaps a village square, richer families in towns and cities would have enough material resources to spend them on more elaborate weddings.

Funerals:
Quite important I deem, for example, ethnic Barovian women wear black for five years following the death of even their most remote relation, thus they seldom wear any other color. Funeral service itself would be most likely quite informal due the atheistic nature of Barovians though.

Divorce:
Divorce and remarriage of widows is forbidden by Barovian custom.

Citizenship:
No examples I can recall, however I suppose an outlander could be made honorary citizen by a burgomeister for service of the city/count/barovian army.

That's all I can remember for now.
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Kung Fu Orc

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2009, 10:11:02 PM »
You would think in a country like Barovia cremation would be common too...

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2009, 12:02:38 AM »
Barovian weddings tend to be low-key and brief, so as not to draw too much attention to the blushing young bride-to-be...

from the Gazetteer:
Quote
...Barovian families once advertised the availability of their daughters by hanging a wreath of wildflowers on their front door, but the practice has been long since abandoned--such girls had a tendency to vanish in the night.

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Corvus

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2009, 04:07:41 PM »
The lack of religiosity amongst Barovians has to be the biggest negative aspect in my eyes. Its weird to picture a society like that without the belief in a god, gods, ancestral spirits, what ever. Not that we can just change it but Its the one things I never liked about Barovia.
I guess it could be that religion is faught by Strahd in varius means, but he could easily adopt a state religion that his role would fit. Lawgiver, Eternal Order etc. or pervert a religion.  :P
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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2009, 04:11:45 PM »
Even in the story of Dracula, the people of Romania were DEEPLY christian and held on to the belief that praying to God would be their salvation.

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #9 on: June 24, 2009, 06:41:34 PM »
The lack of religiosity amongst Barovians has to be the biggest negative aspect in my eyes. Its weird to picture a society like that without the belief in a god, gods, ancestral spirits, what ever. Not that we can just change it but Its the one things I never liked about Barovia.
I guess it could be that religion is faught by Strahd in varius means, but he could easily adopt a state religion that his role would fit. Lawgiver, Eternal Order etc. or pervert a religion.  :P
They used to have relgion, but it died out after centuries of isolation in the Mists. Barovians feel that the gods have either abandoned them or that they never existed in the first place. Strahd had nothing to do with it, though I'm sure he would have welcomed it (less pesky clerics to turn his minions!). Note that even though they aren't religious, they still believe in an afterlife, as well as things like demons, etc. Their deism/atheism isn't born out of an ultra-rational scientific society, but out of a highly superstitious culture that grew increasingly despondant over centuries of supernatural evil surrounding them.

Even in the story of Dracula, the people of Romania were DEEPLY christian and held on to the belief that praying to God would be their salvation.
Yes, but Barovia isn't Romania. :P

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #10 on: June 24, 2009, 06:55:51 PM »
I have a burning question:  Does anyone in Barovia know the true story of Martyn Pelkar, Jandar Sunstar, and the truth of the origin/initiation of the ML's?

I get conflicting stories from various people.  Some say "yes" the story is known somewhere in Barovia and some say "no, no one knows". 

I find it hard to believe no one in the ML's knows the real story or it isn't written down somewhere.  Every church has it's secrets. 

Heck, even Sasha Petrovich worked hand in hand with a vampire for the greater good.  Anyone know that story or has that been  forgotten too? 
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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2009, 07:07:09 PM »
I have a burning question:  Does anyone in Barovia know the true story of Martyn Pelkar, Jandar Sunstar, and the truth of the origin/initiation of the ML's?

I get conflicting stories from various people.  Some say "yes" the story is known somewhere in Barovia and some say "no, no one knows". 

I find it hard to believe no one in the ML's knows the real story or it isn't written down somewhere.  Every church has it's secrets. 

Heck, even Sasha Petrovich worked hand in hand with a vampire for the greater good.  Anyone know that story or has that been  forgotten too? 
Nobody really knows those stories. The religion isn't that organized--it's not a "church." At best, it's something along the lines of the ancient Greco-Roman "mystery cults" (such as the ones surrounding Dionysus) mixed with the very early days of Christianity (before it had an orthodoxy).

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darkravenkin

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2009, 07:18:45 PM »
Here's something Ive always wondered. In I Strahd his brother was to be a priest. Even after Strahd changed one of the priestess, the high ranking one was releaced from his family. In another part of the book he encounter another priest from his brothers and the priestess fath. What fath and god was that?


Then also when strahd traks down the man who betrayed him he was in a holy monastary? Was that the monastary of the threads?

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #13 on: June 24, 2009, 07:21:37 PM »
Here's something Ive always wondered. In I Strahd his brother was to be a priest. Even after Strahd changed one of the priestess, the high ranking one was releaced from his family. In another part of the book he encounter another priest from his brothers and the priestess fath. What fath and god was that?
the sun god Andral.


Quote
Then also when strahd traks down the man who betrayed him he was in a holy monastary? Was that the monastary of the threads?
yup!

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darkravenkin

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #14 on: June 24, 2009, 07:27:23 PM »
Ive been wondering that for years. It does make sence now with the holy symbol of ravenkin. I wonder why the fath died off complety on it. Or more maybe people accepted the morninglord as a progression from Andral.

They are two diffent things. But when Strahd took barovia they really didnt follow a god to begin with. They really wouldnt know any better.

And also the only reason i can think why the people didnt burn down the churches and kill the priests later was that Strahd releaced his soldiers and they married into the barovian people. The ex soldiers would of been more tolerant and that might of at least had a part in it.

Ok now I think Im just rambling.

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eyeofpestilence

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2009, 09:02:43 PM »
Sergei was Strahds brother and was the next leader of the Andral's faith. With Strahd killing Sergei and the holy symbol disappearing the faith went into...hiding.

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darkravenkin

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2009, 09:26:56 PM »
The faith went into hiding? Hmmm didn't know that.

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #17 on: June 25, 2009, 03:24:53 PM »
Andral was the state religion at the time Barovia became a domain, but the religion slowly died out by the time Martyn Pelkar came to Barovia. The Cult of the Morninglord didn't really become very large until after Barovia annexed Gundarak, as its message was particularly appealing to the Gundarakites.

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DM Macabre

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2009, 03:36:19 PM »
Sergei was Strahds brother and was the next leader of the Andral's faith. With Strahd killing Sergei and the holy symbol disappearing the faith went into...hiding.
That's not common lore though.

Anything about Andral the normal Barovian would not know.

The more educated Barovians might know
Spoiler: show

that there was this massacre in Castle Ravenloft hundreds of years ago and that the Dilsinya-family (mainly the traitor Leo Dilisnya) hired assassins that killed all the wedding-guests in the castle. Strahd I could fend them off and hunt down the traitors. Since then the Dilisnyas are hated in Barovia. And Strahd I is still beloved and honored. Mainly nevertheless for defeating the invading Tergs. The Zarovichss that followed Strahd I are not beloved in that way. They ruled with an iron hand and tyrany. And the castle since that tragedy is believed to be a cursed place.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2009, 03:45:11 PM by DM Macabre »

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2009, 03:41:42 PM »
I didn't get this tough:
Weddings and funerals... Are they completely unreligious ceremonies?

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2009, 03:58:08 PM »
I didn't get this tough:
Weddings and funerals... Are they completely unreligious ceremonies?
More or less. Like I said, they do believe in an afterlife, and they believe in the supernatural, they just don't worship any gods. I imagine weddings, if they are held, would be entirely secular. Though like I said earlier, Barovian weddings are rare and very low-key.

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #21 on: June 25, 2009, 09:03:17 PM »
Wait so are they all athiest?

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2009, 01:18:17 AM »
Wait so are they all athiest?

I would say more agnostic.

"Gods? I don't know if they're there or not, but they sure ain't doing nothing to help us out. So whatever. Who cares about gods? I have a family to feed and protect."

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peluscious

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #23 on: June 26, 2009, 01:32:33 AM »
I see.
So, how are their funeral rites? Is there any information on that?
Marriages are easy to imagine. Funeral is always something more esoteric.

And i never really got how to deal with death in a world where raising the dead is easy. Maybe expensive, but if you could pay 1000 dolars to revive a relative, wouldn't you?

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Re: A couple of questions about Barovians.
« Reply #24 on: June 26, 2009, 07:09:10 AM »
Barovian peasantry can't afford that.