The ancient host of the Mother Night

Currently Marina is pretending to be Baba Lysaga

Description:

Character History:

Lysaga had been one of the Vistani people. In her greed for power and control, Lysaga allowed herself to be corrupted by the Dark Powers. She encouraged blood sacrifice amongst her followers and experimented with lycanthropy to create many were-creatures. Some of this live in the valleys of Barovia to this day.

Ezmerelda d'Avenir says that Baba Lysaga was likely the oldest being in Barovia.

As a demihuman being, Lysaga carried on an affair with the King of Barovia, Barov von Zarovich, and gave birth to a child, Eva. Eva herself is imbued with preternaturally long life, appearing to be a middle-aged human woman despite centuries of life. Eva herself has a daughter, Ezmerelda, and a granddaughter, Arabelle. In addition to passing her blood down through childbirth, Lysaga fed drops of her blood to the infant Strahd von Zarovich 1, planting a dark seed within him. Lysaga also considered Strahd to be her son, although it is not clear that those feelings are reciprocated.

"A leader of men, a leader of worlds. Sitting astride a dark horse. Blood on your blade, blood on your lips, blood on your hands.  A great man, a strong man. But you will not forget your Baba Lysaga, no?  That silly bint may have grown you in her belly, but you will remember who really gave you life."

When Tatyana Ivanova, the object of Strahd's affections, fell ill, Strahd sought out Lysaga for help. Lysaga offered to pass Mother Night on to Tatyana Ivanova, granting her the immortality that Lysaga herself had enjoyed. However, Strahd rejected the offer, traveling instead to the Amber Temple to make a bargain of his own with another of the dark powers, Vampyr.

When her daughter Eva was mortally wounded while resisting Strahd and his undead horde, Baba Lysaga gave up the Mother Night's power to save her, killing herself in the process. Eva was horrified at her resurrection and her mother's death. Her husband dead, she saw no reason to live except for her daughter and her people. She left the village of Barovia and headed back to her people.

Character Traits:

Knowledge:

DM Notes:

Baba Lysaga is an ancient and powerful mage living in the ruins of Berez in Barovia. Once a human woman, Lysaga long ago made a pact with Mother Night, allowing the dark power to inhabit her body. Over time, Lysaga and Mother Night have become so entwined that they consider themselves to be one person.

The exact age and origins of Baba Lysaga are unclear, but Ezmerelda d'Avenir says that Lysaga is likely the oldest living being in Barovia. Lysaga herself has said that, long ago, she called out for aid and Mother Night answered.

At some point prior to the birth of Strahd von Zarovich, Lysaga came into the employ of King Barov von Zarovich and Queen Ravenovia van Roeyen in Castle Ravenloft. Lysaga was Strahd's nursemaid, and fed him drops of her own blood, planting a dark seed of magic within him.

"A leader of men, a leader of worlds. Sitting astride a dark horse. Blood on your blade, blood on your lips, blood on your hands.  A great man, a strong man. But you will not forget your Baba Lysaga, no?  That silly bint may have grown you in her belly, but you will remember who really gave you life."

During this time, Lysaga also carried on an affair with King Barov and became pregnant with a daughter, Eva. Upon learning of the pregnancy, Queen Ravenovia sent Lysaga away. Lysaga never forgave Ravenovia, and may have had something to do with the wasting sickness that killed the queen years later.

Although she left Ravenloft, Lysaga continued to watch over Strahd from afar. When Strahd came to her looking for a way to save Tatyana Ivanova from her illness, Lysaga offered to pass the spirit of Mother Night over to Tatyana, granting her effective immortality. However, Strahd refused Lysaga's offer, venturing instead to the Amber Temple in search of a different solution.

After Strahd destroyed Berez following the murder of Yelena Ulrich, Lysaga took up residence in the ruined city. After stealing a powerful magic artifact from the Wizard of Wines Winery, she was able to create a creeping hut for herself that could travel through Berez's marshes.

Lysaga also maintained communications with the hags of Old Bonegrinder by means of an enchanted mirror. After Morgantha's defeat, this mirror came into the hands of Lilluth Chaemae, Fate, Stellaluna, and Solaris, who used the mirror to communicate with Lysaga under the guise of Escher Belasco. Seeking more information about Strahd, they then sought the aid of Lysaga's granddaughter, Ezmerelda, and met with Lysaga in Berez. While Lysaga believed the ruse that they were servants of Strahd, she nevertheless voiced an intention to report to Strahd on the presence of Ireena Kolyana with the party.

The party was able to defeat Lysaga and her hut, although Ezmerelda cautioned that Lysaga's death would not be permanent. Trapped in a cage within Lysaga's hut, the party found Muriel Martikov), a Wereraven who had been thought dead.