Barovia is a claustrophobic realm of jagged peaks and suffocating mists. Isolated from the outside world, its inhabitants live in a state of perpetual dread. The sun rarely pierces the thick canopy of the Svalich Woods, leaving the land in a cold, grey gloom. While magic is present, it often takes a macabre or unsettling form. Life here is hard, centered around isolated villages that cling to the slopes of the Balinok Mountains.