1. Characters

Anastrasya Karelova

This character is dead.
Countess

Anastrasya Karelova was born into wealth and comfort in Vallaki, and followed predictable patterns of etiquette and duty. The daughter of a noble house under the thumb of the Vallakovich family, she was raised to be obedient and graceful, but beneath her poised exterior, she longed for something greater. She found the average Vallakian dull, and her noble suitors even moreso: instead, the beautiful young woman took to reading any book she could buy.

The town had forbade telling of "the Devil", Strahd von Zarovich, but the fear around his name only piqued her interest. Eventually, Anastrasya was fed up with her noblewoman's life and stole a stagecoach from the Arasek Stockyard, traveling to Castle RavenloftWhen Strahd von Zarovich set his gaze upon her, she did not shrink from it; she welcomed it, and his subsequent offer of marriage. Anastrasya became one of the few he truly favored; despite her "advanced" age of 25, he married her. She became a Countess of Barovia, and he turned her into a Vampire Spawn of exceptional power.

Over decades, Anastrasya grew bored of her Undead life, finding it to be as stifling as her nobility in Vallaki. She drank blood intently, becoming drunk on the lives of Barovians, and her refined poise became sloppy. Rather than demoting her to his catacombs, Strahd instead gave Anastrasya an opportunity: to learn Spellcraft. She began reading his Spellbooks of old and became fascinated by the art of magic, particularly potion-making. She thus became the first Wizard among Stahd's brides, and continually made herself useful to the castle she served.