Strahd von Zarovich is the archetypal vampire Dark Lord of Barovia, the Mist domain from which the realms of terror descend. He does not appear in person in the cycle; the archive uses him as the model for the Dark Lord Caladan of Valakhan of the Mist.
| Type | Character |
| Spanish entry | Strahd |
Name
After Ardis Vala resumed following the Hiatus, he is named “Strahd”, also “Strad” and “Estrada”. The “religion of Baret” mentioned then may refer obliquely to Barovia and Strahd.
Parallels with Caladan
- Both are vampire Dark Lords of their domains.
- Strahd’s throne in Castle Ravenloft; Caladan’s ruby throne in the Castle of the Prism.
- Strahd’s tragic love for Tatyana; Caladan’s youthful partner Lali, now Bellaca.
- Strahd curses his domain with mist; Caladan curses Valakhan with the white fever.
- Strahd’s betraying brother Sergei and Faustian pact; Caladan’s line inherited from Master Malakita, who vampirized him.
The Seekers call the red ruby throne of the Palace of the Prism a Strahd echo. Pope Alexander VI, the domain’s ecclesiastical regent, sits on it, coexisting ambiguously with Caladan.
Second echo
Vladimir von Korsakov (“Conde Corsaco”), from the Dispute of the Sigil Contracts, is a second echo, separate from Caladan. He holds a perpetual property in Sigil, Sea Hill, through a pact with Arian.