Once known as the Zarovich Valley, this far-flung Common League land in the Balinok Mountains was named after the ruling von Zarovich family. Located in the eastern Crowncrests, it was nestled between Mount Baratok to the north and Mount Ghakis to the south. The evergreen forest of the Svalich Woods covered the entire valley, which was cut by the Old Svalich Road that ran from East to West. At the center of the valley, south of the slopes of Mount Baratok, laid the massive Lake Zarovich, which was fed by melting snow from both mountains.
Though seemingly unremarkable, the Balinok Mountains contained an ancient arcane vestige called the Amber Temple, which contained powers that completely transformed its fate in the Wedding That Never Was. Ripped from the Prime Material and into the Deepmists, the land became a demiplane of the Umbral Realms. The valley was renamed to "Barovia", and was protected from other realms by mysterious mists that sapped the life force of those who ventured in or out. The demiplane became only accessible through areas of thick mists that blurred the line between planes, such as in the Sea of Clouds or the Vanishing Grove.
These mists obscured the entirety of the domain, though shifted in the valley at the whim of its creator, the Dark Power Vampyr. It was lorded over by Strahd von Zarovich, referred to by his denizens as the "Devil Strahd", though most inhabitants were not aware of his true nature. By design, the mostly-Human population knew little about their conditions or of the Barovian Calender Timeline, and in his pain, Strahd endeavored to keep the populace tormented and miserable.
The sky of Barovia was permanently overcast with storm clouds, and the atmosphere was moody with rain and darkness. Even during the brightest hours of the day, light was unnaturally muted and dimmed, and did not affect normally sun-sensitive creatures such as Vampires. Almost the entire valley consisted of densely forested rough terrain, with sheer cliffs and outcroppings; few areas were easily traversable, and it was always dangerous to stay off the road. The creatures bearing the Mark of Strahd attacked travelers relentlessly, so its few despairing residents mostly congregated in the settlements of Vallaki, Krezk, and the Village of Barovia.