The day before our first session, he sent us the following. This is what our characters "know" about the new land we are traveling to. This will be all you know as well.

Anything in blue text font will be the "gamelit" portion of this book. Nat 20s, nat 1s, maybe some funny out of context dialogue between our groups. 

Common knowledge known to all throughout the world from songs and histories about the realm of Zovora.

This story begins centuries ago in 883 D.R., with the passing of a King in the northern realm of Zovora. His son, the young Jerryn Tyrov, though newly crowned, was quickly found to be loved and admired by his people. By instilling order and harmony to Zovora, he soon became known throughout the land as King Jerryn the Just. Though the only son of his late father, King Jerryn had four younger sisters, the Tyrov Princesses.

In an attempt to strengthen his bond with those under his rule, Jerryn married his sisters to the sons of Nobles in his kingdom. This move would further unite the realm under his command. Peace and prosperity reigned. These short years would later become known as The Last Dawn.

885 D.R. -  In a dreadful and unpredictable turn of events, the young King Jerryn Tyrov was poisoned and killed on the eve of his 22nd year. With the murderer of their beloved King never discovered, paranoia and unrest overcame the people, plunging Zovora into turmoil. Unfortunately for Zovora, Jerryn was thrust into power at such a young age, and as such had no heir to pick up the crown.

What once united the realm now torn apart. Each of the Nobles whose son had married a Tyrov princess into their house believed it was their son's right to the throne. They began to accuse one another of assassinating the king in an attempt to ascend their own house into royal status.

Unwilling to agree on who would wear the crown, they began to claim individual rule over their own territories. The kingdom was divided. The grand city of Duhrva, from which all previous kings had ruled, now left its throne abandoned.

Seeing this as an opportunity, a former member of the king's council, Lord Barov von Zarovich, claimed the throne of Duhrva as his own. He viewed the Nobles actions as unfit for leadership, and set out to reunite the land and bring the entire kingdom back under the rule of one true king. To do this, he tasked his son Strahd in leading an army to begin conquering Zovora, reclaiming its lost territories in the name of his father. This time period would be known as The Forging of the Five Crowns.

Stolen story; please report.

Strahd proved himself in the more remote regions but was unable to overcome the armies of the neighboring kings. Desperate for more power, Strahd settled into his conquered city of Borovia and began his descent into the black magics.

In 887 D.R., through unknown sorcery, Strahd opened a gateway between the planes of existence, and made a pact with the Dark Powers of the Shadowfell. Through this pact, Strahd was granted a nightmare army of fiendish creatures, but of course, it came at a great cost. An insatiable feeling came over him, a thirst for power, a thirst for death, and a thirst for blood. For Strahd von Zarovich had become the very first Vampire.

His mind twisted with darkness and was corrupted by evil as he sent forth his minions to attack the surrounding settlements in a test of their strength… it was a massacre.

Strahd remained in Barovia and continued to mettle in the black magics, building his army and readying his assault on Zovora. The four Noble Kings, realizing the monster they were up against, met in secret where they conspired together to end the monstrous von Zarovich threat.

They sent their armies together to attack Duhrva, and with Strahd and his army still up north in Barovia, they made quick work of his father's men. Once the Noble Kings sacked the city, fearing the darkness lay within the blood, they slaughtered the von Zarovich family. Strahd was fueled with rage at the loss and brought the entirety of his nightmare army down to Duhrva, where they met the Noble Kings soldiers in battle.

What came next would change the lands of Zovora forever. The creatures tore through the Noble Kings armies with an unrelenting bloodlust. Strahd himself leading the carnage. This day would be remembered in history as The Devils Nightfall.

With the Noble Kings armies defeated, Strahd aimed to continue forth conquering the rest of Zovora. But before he could begin his reign of terror, he was summoned back to Barovia by the Dark Powers. For the Powers wanted Strahd to open another kind of gateway - one that would merge our world with the Shadowfell forever.

Strahd, fearing the Dark Powers would seize the realm for themselves, chose to defy them, believing it was his destiny to rule over Zovora. Breaking his pact, Barovia, along with the entire valley in which it rested upon, was swept into the Shadowfell, dragging Strahd along with it. He was never seen or heard from again.

The Noble Kings, with their armies in ruins, returned to their thrones and continued to rule over their individual territories. They would continue feuding and conspiring against one another for years to come, each still yearning to be the one true king. Their Kingdoms and all of Zovora would never truly recover from The Devils Nightfall. For even though the Devil Strahd had vanished, the vampiric plague he brought into the world had already begun to spread across the realm.

So far to the North, the majority of Zovora’s land spends most of its year in darkness. The perfect breeding ground for creatures of the night.