Berez

Berez was once a village of little import in central Barovia, located on the shores of the rushing Luna River at the foot of Mount Ghakis. Populated by swamp-folk who worshipped the Ladies Three, it was located across the Luna River from the Swamp Fane, a ring of menhirs dedicated to The Weaver. During the von Zarovich conquests, the swamp became populated by citizens from the Village of Barovia, driving out the local Druids who refused to adapt to traditional village life.

In the year 400, the town was governed by the Burgomaster Zann Ulrich, a miser who stockpiled resources for himself and sold off familial magical texts to the nobleman Vasili von Holtz. Vasili, secretly the Count Strahd von Zarovich in disguise, began to woo Zann's adopted daughter Marina Ulrich after finding that she was a reincarnation of his beloved Tatyana Federovna.

Once made aware of this, Zann staked Marina through the heart before she could fully transform into Strahd's thrall. He then confronted Strahd; overcome by disgust and horror, he attempted to kill the Vampire lord and rid Barovia of its tyrant. Strahd was incensed at the the loss of Marina and easily defeated the burgomaster, but kept him alive. In rage, he summoned a great flood from the river that destroyed Berez entirely, and he spent years torturing Zann before turning him into a Vampire Spawn.

The flooding not only destroyed the town, but also killed many of the followers of the Weaver. The Lady cursed Strahd for his hubris, and for this transgression, he hunted her. She attempted to avoid his wrath, but after a few years, the vampire lord eventually the Weaver in the Ethereal Border plane and skewered her. Her true fane remained in the same physical location, but was Desecrated, and completely obscured in the border plane. Strahd subsumed the Weaver's power over Barovia's waters, and the few remaining swamp-folk who remembered her did not know of her hidden altar.

After the flooding of Berez, it became a marshland, and the once-rushing Luna River trickled to a lazy flow through the bog. The cursed village was abandoned, and the road that lead to the village became a trail of spongy earth, tall reeds, and stagnant water. Localized Swarms of Locusts and Flies populated the swamps, which became occupied by swamp-folk covens. All members of these covens served under Baba Lysaga and her small army of Scarecrows, but did not follow direct orders; instead, they were allowed to loosely exist, but were occasionally subject to the terror of the witch's foul moods.