A Record of Recent Religious Leadership

captured in the First Moon of the Year 351 by the Polyglot–chronicler of modern languages, politics, and current events–assistant to the great Polymath Artimus

Herein recounts the leaders and lines of succession of the church, documented as part of the sanctioning to move its seat to Castle Ravenloft. While numerous leaders predated these five luminaries, this latest set has had the most immediate impact on the present state of spirituality.

I. Tasha Petrovna

Healer of Kings, Light unto the West, Servant, Companion.

A venerated figure, Petrovna was ascribed almost mystical powers of healing and divination. She is said to have tended to King Barov’s father (historically considered of ill health and weak temperament) when “on throne in exile”. Many of her words are central tenets of the church to this day. She is strongly associated with symbols of the sun, specifically the dawning sun, even though her teachings would often speak of a hope in the west. These early writings would also be used as justification for Barov’s (and then Strahd’s) west rn campaigns, under the auspices of a “holy crusade to the homeland and salvation in the west”. Petrovna has a tomb in Castle Ravenloft though she passed away long before its construction. My assumption is that our great Polymath Artimus, in counsel with Lord Strahd, decided to dedicate an empty crypt to her memory given his auspicious status.

II. Ciril Romulich

Prefect and High Priest of the Most Holy Order.

Beloved of King Barov and especially of Queen Ravenovia von Roeyen. The queen, predisposed to look for counsel, became quite dependent on the Prefect. Upon his death, Ravenovia is said to have become despondent, seeking to communicate with him from beyond the veil of death. She brought strange mystics and blasphemous heretics to court in this endeavor–which is how Baba Lysaga came into employ by the von Zarovich house. After the witch’s subsequent banishment, Ravenovia was again unmoored until the birth of her last son Sergei, who even as a child quickly became the companion the queen always required while her husband was on campaign (and then, when he was dead). When Ravenovia was called to Barovia by her eldest son Strahd in the reclaimed “homeland”, she commanded that Romulich’s body be disinterred and travel with her and Sergei. Ravenovia fell ill and expired on her journey. Ciril, like his dead queen, arrived at Castle Ravenloft and was placed in its crypts.

III. St Andral Kir

Holy Creator, Martyr for His Vision, and Patron of Vallaki.

Ravenovia did not seem to offer Romulich’s successor the option of being her counselor, nor would it likely have suited Kir’s temperament anyway. The holy man was attuned to spiritual practices more than the temporal. He strictly devoted himself to pious duties, at times delegating much of the management of the priesthood to others. Kir traveled to Barovia, but quickly found the place unsettling–due to the recent brutal wars, yes, but also something he said was “on the horizon”. To the shock of many, Kir passed suddenly in the year 349. His peaceful body was found at one of the ancient stone circles of Barovia, which he seemed to conspicuously choose as his place to depart this life, versus being attended in court. In his final moments he crafted a potent holy symbol, now considered a relic for which he martyred himself. Alongside his handiwork he left this testament: “My last act is to bring forth the gods’ gift to a troubled land. Guard it well. The house of ravens shall descend, and this is their ward. It is light and strength to hold back the shadow lurking over Barovia.” His remains, per his instructions, were not interred in the crypts of Castle Ravenloft, a place to which he was entitled but also a place not to his liking. He was buried instead in a small crypt in the town of Vallaki, where he had frequently sermoned among the people and quietly served the needy. The anniversary of both his death, and creation of the Holy Symbol of Ravenkind–25th Day of the Tenth Moon [Penciled Scrawl: Festival of the Blazing Sun??]–is quickly becoming a feast day in the town, notable for the hanging of sun symbols that replicated Andral’s great creation (reproduced below). There is already talk of how hallowed his burial site has become, on par with the spring in the Balinok foothills to the west where Ilhona Markovia’s abbey is located.

IV. Sergei von Zarovich

Prior-Abdication.

The youngest son of the royal house, at the unexpected death of Andral Kir, was destined to take the role as the head of the church. This followed the traditional practices in the homeland for noble families with multiple sons, but it also conveniently served Lord Strahd, Sergei’s brother, by consolidating power into the von Zarovich house. Sergei was preparing for the role in a sanctioned “interregnum” period until his abrupt renunciation of his responsibilities just this last moon (Twelfth Moon, 350). His vacating the line of leaders before his ordination technically means he never officially fulfilled the role. But he will retain a role in religious leadership, one still permitted to those in matrimony.

V. Ilhona Markovia

Heir to the Seat. Divine for All Time.

It is assumed that Markovia, as the next highest ranking member of the clergy–and counselor to the von Zarovich family and Lord Strahd in particular–will be the official heir to Andral as High Priestess of the Church. Markovia is well respected for her dual nature: she is both a pragmatic advisor to leadership, but also deeply touched by the plight of the common Barovian. In a similar duality she splits her time between Castle Ravenloft, and the Abbey to the west, her sanctuary to serve the sick and suffering. She will officiate the wedding of Sergei to Tatyana Federovna as a sign of no ill will between church and state given his abdication. The ceremony also serves as the informal start of her role as head of the church, which will subsequently become official in an ordination ceremony at a later date.