Items in italics were not witnessed by the party but are important events the party learned about.

A While Ago

Thousands of Years Ago

The first folk worshipped nature, time, and the great wheel. They built great stone structures, the ruins of which can still be found today around the valley.
A secret sect of wizards arrives in the valley, creating a hidden sanctuary high up in the mountains to the south. They are not seen again.

735 Years Ago

The first von Zarovich king is said to have been crowned, beginning the current calendar. Histories, perhaps dubious, indicate von Zarovich house held the valley of Barovia at the time.

A century or so afterward, the von Zarovich line is said to lose control of the valley and forced into exile by invaders.

Four Centuries Ago

The Order of the Silver Dragon builds their headquarters at Argynvostholt in the western valley, named for their leader Argynvost.
The warlord Dorian rules the eastern Ivlis valley of Barovia, from a keep at the Pillarstone of Ravenloft.

347

Strahd von Zarovich conquers the valley, naming it Barovia in honor of his deceased father. He occupies and starts improving the keep to create Castle Ravenloft, named after his mother who died in transit to Barovia to join him.

349

Saint Andral Kir unexpectedly dies. He is found a stone circle in Barovia, his last act crafting an artifact called the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind. He is buried in Vallaki, and the day of his death (10 Moon 25 Day) becomes holiday and his burial site a hallowed place.

350

Sergei von Zarovich, brother of Strahd and heir-ascendant to Andral Kir, steps down from that position, in favor marriage to Tatyana Federovna. Ilhona Markovia is likely his replacement as the head of the church.

Unknown Time Ago

A wounded prince stumbles into the camp of Vistani. They care for his wounds, protect him from his enemies, and deliver him home to his family. In return he promises that they will always be safe in his lands, and shall come and go as they please. (The Vistani strongly suggest this was Strahd von Zarovich.)
The kingdom of the dusk elves is nearly obliterated in a war led by their king, Belisar, the father of Kasimir and Patrina. (Kasimir implies this war was against Strahd.) After their defeat, the remaining members of their species migrate to the valley of Barovia, where Strahd collects and moves these few survivors to a hill outside Vallaki to be both watched and protected by a camp of Vistani. The Vistani leader, Velikov, is kind to the elves, and in gratitude Kasimir and Patrina take his name as their surname on his passing.
The hags of Old Bonegrinder are visted by an undead knight who demands the coven keep something from being found—something buried at the megaliths dedicated to the Morning Lord behind the mill. The hags fulfill their arrangement by corrupting the megaliths through foul deeds and profane magicks.
Someone poisoned the Wizard of Wines barrels at the final harvest festival at the Kartova fiefs, killing nearly everyone at the estate.
"Belview House" is abandoned, and subsequently is purchased under the name of Vasili von Holtz, for use by Strahd for his quiet visits to Vallaki.
Bad blood arises between Urwin Martikov and his family (who live at the Wizard of Wines winery).

Recent(ish) Years

20 Years Ago

The girl who would be named Ireena Kolyana is found as a babe in the woods at the base of the Pillarstone of Ravenloft by Burgomaster Kolyan Indirovich. He briefly cares for the child before finding her a worthwhile adoptive family in Vallaki who wish to have a sister for their young son. (A few years later, Kolyan will find Ireena again at the same spot he first found her, her family apparently killed by wolves in the woods.)

3 Years Ago

Nikolai Wachter Sr. dies from illness. Lady Fiona Wachter grows grim again without the love of her life.

The Last Year

1 Year Ago

The monster hunter Rudolph Van Richten comes to Barovia and sneaks into Castle Ravenloft. He finds the place strangely quiet and undefended, the Count nowhere to be found. Van Richten finds Strahd's personal journal and absconds with it.

6 Moons Ago

A peasant rebellion from the Village of Barovia, inspired by stories of van Richten's exploits and lead by three zealous young men (Doru, Emeric, and Grygori) marches on Castle Ravenloft to kill the supposedly hibernating "Devil". None return. (It is later revealed the three leaders did in fact return, each in a horrific way.)
This is the last time anyone reports seeing the monster hunter Rudolph Van Richten in Barovia.
After being matched to Viktor Vallakovich for nearly a moon and spending time at the Baron's mansion slowly being driven insane by Viktor as he tests his magic, Stella Wachter is returned one day to her mother by Izek Strazni, catatonic and thinking of herself as a cat. There is no explanation. Lady Wachter locks her mad daughter away.

4 Moons Ago

Doru returns to Father Donavich one night, now a vampire. His father cannot bring himself to destroy his son, so he locks Doru in the undercroft of the church. Eventually his son's wails for food drive Donavich insane, and he begins killing villagers weekly to feed his son—at first only "bad" people, then strangers, then anyone he can entrap.
After feeling herself watched by hungry eyes, Ireena has the first strange incident of sleepwalking, waking up at her window of the Burgomaster's manor, dreaming she is speaking with someone outside.

3 Moons Ago

Eramus (the __ulous) arrives in town, purporting to be a carnival master. In truth, it is Rudolph van Richten, disguised and hiding in plain sight.

7 Weeks Ago

Father Lucian tells Yeska about the bones of St Andral in the crypt below the church that keep the place hallowed and safe. Father Lucian believes no one else knows this information. Yeska tells Milivoj not long after.

6 Weeks Ago

The first victims of "the Chills", an epidemic that grips the Village of Barovia and animates those that it kills, die from the disease. (Later calculations suggest the creature that had been Grrygori Polensky was placed in the village well around this time.)

5 Weeks Ago

Possessed by the demon from the locket, Felix sets fire to his parents and their home. Without any other guardians, he is taken to the Vallaki orphanage, where he begins to carve runes into the other children's bedposts to cause "dark dreams" and siphon their energy.

3 Weeks Ago

Andrej, Krystopher, and Stefan—three roommates of Felix and some of the first to be targeted by the demon's runes—run away from the Vallaki orphanage. They had been told by their old friend Jirko, who aged out of the orphanage, that there was a better place for them to the northwest.

Kolyan Indirovich, Burgomaster of the Village of Barovia, dies from the strain of the nightly attacks on his manor. After his death, the attacks stop.

Current Days - Act I

15 Days Ago

In Maxburg, the party is each given different yet interlocking reasons to join a caravan: Lirne to accept an invitation (delivered by Arrigal on behalf of Strahd); Cobb to find Kellen Preferiti, on retainer by Kevlin his faither; and Lux to investigate the disappearnace of the same boy, intended for her hospital, the latest in a string of other missing patients.
A brawl occurs in the Three Beggars instigated by a band of brigands lead by a thug later revealed to be Franz Groza, who is humiiliated in defeat by the party.

2 Weeks Ago

The party's caravan is attacked by wolves under the control of Franz Groza, who sics the animals on the travelers as revenge for the slights at the Three Beggars. Vistani at the camp are also killed, including the captain Stanimir, who lets out a curse at Groza before he dies.
The party flees into the woods and arrives at the gates of Barovia while experiencing a series of formative events including visions, strange spirtis, and near-death experiences.

13 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 16th Day - New Moon

The party enters Barovia, and spies a skeletal rider for the first time. (Later they will learn this is likely Dalvan Olensky, loyal servant of Burgomaster Kolyanovich, who promised he would place warnings at the Gates of Barovia to turn away visitors. He died with his service incomplete and arose as an undead, ever trying to complete his impossible task.)
The party comes across a hunter's cabin with horrific animated animal trophies that appear to have killed the resident. The building bears a Vistani Tralak that means "Cursed", suggesting they had marked the place and may even have been responsible for the horrors therein.
After strange experiences along the Old Svalich Road, the party arrives in the Village of Barovia and meets Mad Mary, Nana Foame, and Ismark Kolyanovich. The latter brings them home as guests, introduces them to his sister Ireena, and explains their plight.
Father Donavich kills Barrister Hans Ulbrek as his next victim for Doru, but Ulbek's dog Lancelot drives the priest off before he can bring the body back to the church. With no food for his son, the father begins ringing the church bell to blot out Doru's famished screams.

12 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 17th Day - New Moon

The party uncovers the existence of Doru, though he escapes. They also expose Donavich as a murderer and arrest him. Even in his guilt he, like Ismark, says that Ireena must be taken far away—Ismark suggests Vallaki, the priest says the Abbey outside Krezk.
Felix's demon (via Felix) carves possession runes under Milivoj's bed ("die so I live") and places the open locket beneath his mattress. Milivoj begins to weaken day by day.

11 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 18th Day

The Wolf's Head Jamboree is held in Vallaki.
The funeral for Kolyan Indirovich is held, during which Strahd appears with his brides and Rahadin. He introduces himself to the party with a curious statement to each of them before pitting them against the famished Doru, whom they destroy. He appoints Ismark to be burgomaster of the village and demands he execute Father Donavich for murder. Finally he woos Ireena, calling her "Tatyana", and says he will return in one night to claim her.

10 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 19th Day

The party descends into the last open well in the Village of Barovia, destroying the strange Chills-delivering zombie experiment that is all that is left of Grygori Polensky, ending the epidemic.
The party furtively sets out to take Ireena west, spending the first night among the Vistani at the Tser Pool Encampment, where they are told many stoeries and have their fortuntes read by Madame Eva.

9 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 20th Day

The party encounters a woman calling herself Katerina Taltos who is headed east to the Village of Barovia. She is inadvertently told Ireena's name and where they are headed (but later she professes she did not pass this information along to anyone).
Rahadin is encountered with the black carriage at the fork to Castle Ravenloft, and says the Western Gate is shut. These suggest Strahd is aware of the party's travel bur Rahadin feigns that it is for Ireena's safety due to a dangerous monster that is loose.
At the Vallaki orphanage the bully Cedric spies Felix doing strange things and attempts to blackmail him. Felix (under possession of the demon) lures Cedric to the abandoned turret and throws him from the window, killing him.

Current Days - Act II

8 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 21st Day

Katerina Taltos rides back to the Western Gate to meet a delivery from the west by a Vallaki guard, whom she kills. Living cargo shakes the purple vardo until she drops a small item inside, and she then drives the wagon through the Western Gate to the east.
The party stops at Old Bonegrinder, uncovers the hags and their business, and kills Boala and Otrava. They save two children at the mill (Freek and Brigit or "Breezie"), and a third during their confrontation with a returning Nana Foame (Lucia). Nana Foame vanishes.
Vasili von Holtz's caravan is beset by wolves, the same pack that had been stalking the party. Nothing but Vasili can be saved from the caravan, but the party is able to defeat the wolves and keep the children safe, in party due to Vasili's last-minute use of magic.
Inside Vallaki under aliases the party meets Baron Vargas Vallakovich after an outburst by Willemina Rikelova trying to find her son Udo whom the Baron took away. The party and Father Lucian intervene on her behalf, and in so doing the party earns an invitation to the Baron's for dinner. He also orders that they are not to leave town.
The party leaves Ireena at St Andral's Church with Father Lucian for safekeeping. Father Lucian recognizes Ireena from her youth in Vallaki, but thought she had died in a wolf attack.

1 Week Ago

Tenth Moon 22nd Day

In the early dark hours of the night, a weakened Milivoj takes the body of Cedric to St Andral's cemetary. He buries the boy, then rips up the floorboards to St Andral's crypt and steals the bones, replacing the boards with new ones. (Nearly directly overheard, Ireena has strange dreams of a barrier breaking and something trying to reach her.) Milivoj [*something something bones something*] and then collapses at the orphanage, rapidly starting to succumb to the demon's dark ritual.
The party retrieves Vasili's cargo and buries the dead. A most notable items are the "von Holtz ancestral armor" (a cover story), unidentifiable arecane spell scrolls, and a disintegrating copy of "Van Richten's Guide to Vampires". When confronted about his cover story, Vasili explains he is Van Richten's estranged protege, come to Barovia to find his mentor.
Nana Foame, disguised as Ireena, steals into Vallaki and convinces the Martikovs and the three children she is there to take them away.
As she abducts the children home to Old Bonegrinder, Nana spies Bluto, dejected after being cut off at the Blue Water Inn. She tricks him into believing he'll get fish—and thus funds for wine—if he sacrifices the vistana girl Arabelle (who had previously stymied Nana Foame's business visits to Vallaki).
Nana conducts a ritual to turn the two girls Brigit and Lucia into new hag daughters to complete her coven. As this normally takes years, she uses the power of the corrupted megaliths to accelerate the process. She swallows the girls and prepares to give unholy birth to them.
The party, minus Ireena who strangely chooses to stay behind at the church, leave Vallai guided by the blue-winged raven, and take a short-cut across the Svalich Woods to Old Bonegrinder. They pass through a haunted battlefield where the ghostly echoes of two armies clash while a phantom flying monster strafes overhead.
As the party arrives at the megatliths, Nana Foame greviously wounds Freek to start the ritual, but she is killed and dissected, before the ritual to transform the girls is complete.
The party finds a sword hilt among the purified megaliths, magically hidden away and buried through the hags' machinations that also corrupted the ancient site dedicated to the Morninglord among four old gods.
Strahd visits the party in mist form during the night.

6 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 23rd Day - Waxing Half Moon

An undead knight ambuses the party at Old Bonegrinder, seeming to pursue the sword hilt and saying the party committed a grave siin unearthing it. She wears armor of one of the armies at the haunted battlefield, bearing a silver dragon. The party, after defeating her in brutal fight, burns her body and Old Bonegrinder.
Arabelle is kidnapped by Bluto, who baits her with a Vistani doll she wanted from Blinsky Toys, which he stole.
The party prepares for dueling parties, leaving the three children in the care of Vasili at the Blue Water Inn.
Baron Vallakovich holds a tea and dinner for Cobb and Ireena, where he asks them to find out information about Lady Wachter, requires them to be guests at the Festival of the Blazing Sun, and dithers about betrothing Ireena to Viktor. Izek stares uncomfortably at Ireena.
Lady Wachter hosts early supper for Lux and Lirne, where she woos them to sideline Izek so the Baron can be removed, and suggests she is not as opposed to Strahd as the Baron. She hestitntly also introduces them to her "mad" daughter.
Anastrasya Karelova, one of the bridges of Strahd, is spotted in Vallaki.
The party discovers Pyoor Twohundredsummers in the attic of the Blue Water Inn.

5 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 24th Day

Felix's demon is vaniquised and sent back into the locket. MIlivoj is freed from the effects of the demon's ritual but remains unconscious, murmuring fragments of his motive and actions regarding St Andral's bones.
Blinsky's longtime patron for his Ireena dolls visits him in the morning, demanding adjustments to her outfit to mirror the dress "Janet" wore to the Burgomaster's the night before. Later that day, Cobb steals the doll from Blinsky Toys.
Bluto throws Arabelle into Lake Zarovich in hopes of appeasing the "fish people" and catching something. The party saves the Vistani girl just in time. She then curses Bluto, who sinks under the water.
Franz Groza attempts to ambush the party, revealing not only that he is in Barovia, but that he is a werewolf.
The party visits the Vistani camp at Vallaki to return Arrabelle and learns that Arrigal, her uncle, was the man who delivered Strahd's invitation to Lirne. Arrabelle provides a Tarokka reading to Lirne on this subject.
The party visits Wachterhaus and makes several alarming discoveries!
The party visits the Taltos house and learns that the Taltos sisters (and perhaps other women?) are all a woman named Jacqueline.
The party goes to the Baron's mansion and informs Vargas of (most of) Fiona Wachter's sins. The Baron sends Izek to Wachterhaus to arrest everyone there: Stella Wachter is sent to the orphanage, one book club member is killed, three (including Willemina) and the four Wachter servants are put in the stocks. The boys are hidden, while Fiona Wachter and Ernst are not found.
The party splits and uncovers VIktor practicing magic in the attic, and rescues a tortured Udo Lukovich.
At dusk, Strahd visits the Tser Pool Encampment and demands to know what Madame Eva foretold the party. She denies him. In response he closes the borders of Barovia and confines Eva's tasque to the camp.

4 Days ago

Tenth Moon 25th Day - Festival of the Blazing Sun / Feast of Saint Andral

Lux steals three items from Victori's room: his journal, a teleportation circle scroll, and a large book with normal, shorthand, and arcane writing in it.
The Festival of the Blazing Sun becomes a coup against the Baron as Lady Wacther's book club uses Willemina and Udo to create a disruption, then has cult members disguised in dead guards' outfits storm the risers. Izek is nearly killed, Lady Wachter and most of her guard-cultists are killed, but the Baron is saved. Erazmus's tiger Rameses is also accidentally freed by the Wachter boys in Arasek Stockyard. Vikot accidentally distintegrates himself and his mother trying to escape. And several house fires are being contained.
Vampires are found guarding the bones of St Andral in the coffinmaker's shop! They flee into the night causing chaos across the town and murdering numerous Vallakians. At the Church of St Andral, Sttrahd's bride Anastrasya springs her trap for the people and the party. Vasili arrives and is revealed to be Strahd, and EraZmus reveals himself to be Rudolph van Richten. The party reconsecreates the church, saves Ireena, destroys Anastrasya, and removes Strahd.. but at the cost of of many lives, including Cobb—struck down by Strahd himself.

3 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 26th Day

Ireena departs in the early morning and is kidnapped by Izek, who takes her to the mountains to the north.
The party follows by way of the Kartova fiefs, spends the night in the manor haunted trapped in a night of poisoning horror.

2 Days Ago

Tenth Moon 27th Day

Once broken of that and in possession of the secret map to the mines, the party finds it haunted by strange undead under the thrall of the dark "Dweller Below". A pack of winter wolves also dwells in an ice cave laced with a diamond vein.
Eventually Izek and Ireena are caught, at the same time the "Ice Queen of Baratok" descends. Ireena is saved and Izek frozen by the undead girl, but Muriel Vinshaw is lost as well.

Yesterday

Tenth Moon 28th Day

The party returns to Vallaki, brings together all requirements for Pyoor's magic, and participate in a ritual wherein the ravenkin dies and brings Cobb back to life. (Pyoor's body is strangely fused into Cobb's chest.)
Bluto returns in a waterlogged undead state to the Blue Water Inn, consumed by the curse placed on him by Arabelle to never have enough to drink. He is brought down and buried, but not before he destroys the last of the wine in the inn.
Claudia Belasco updates the party on comings and goings, including that the baron's mansion was burned down, people report strange noises in alleys and being stalked from the shadows.
The Wachter brothers bring Stella back to Wachterhaus, and the party reaches a detente with them once Lux restores Stella's mind.
Ernst Larnak is discoveed dead and dessicated outside Wachterhaus, the only witness is the Baron (who survived his home's arson and lives at the Blue Water Inn) who saw a strange creature he he has trouble describing attackijng Ernst.
As the party explores the Belview House, Strahd greets them. His offers for positions of authority in Vallaki are declined. He seems intrigued by an idea Cobb mentions, but remains cryptic as to why.

Today

Eleventh Moon 1st Day - Full Moon

The party heads west, briefly visiting the Vistani camp and narrowly avoiding an altercation with Rameses though they are spotted after speaking with Kasimir.
On the road they encounter the Skeletal Rider (whom they destroy), and living scarecrows that are stuffed with dead ravens. The signpost is placed back up to show Vallaki (northeast), Lake Baratok (northwest), Tsoleka Pass and Krezk (southwest), and Berez (southeast). The scarecrows came from the southeast.
Arriving at the tower on the lake they find a purple vardo parked outside, and a hidden cryptic note from Van Richten, suspicious of the wagon. Cobb sets off the tower's defenses but the party gets inside and to the top floor, finding signs of recent habitation - though nothing remains except a head in a box. At that time however, the wolf pack let by Franz Groza and another man arrive at the tower.