Information
Characters ask Alustriel about Barovia and learn the following:
Domain of Dread. Barovia is the name of a village as well as the name of the Domain of Dread that encompasses that village. A Domain of Dread is a demiplane hidden in the Plane of Shadow. Every Domain of Dread is separated from the rest of the multiverse by the mysterious Mists.
The Mists. The Mists are unfathomable and unpredictable. Once an individual has been taken by the Mists, there is little chance of escape. The only entities with influence over the Mists are the unknowable Dark Powers, which control the Domains of Dread, and the Darklords, who each rule a domain created to torment them.
Strahd the Vampire. As Barovia’s Darklord, the vampire Strahd von Zarovich wields immense power and usually has the final say over who comes and goes in his domain.