This page inserted for easier double sided printing.

Ravenloft Reincarnated
The Savage World of Ravenl oft
Advent ure Edition

Rules, Editing, and Additional Text: Jeremy “Blackwingedheaven” Puckett

Additional Editing and Proofreading: Chisa “Heiwako” Puckett

Special Thanks: Nathan Okerlund (Annaes, the Drowning Deep, Victor Mordenheim and Adam), Eleanor
“Isabella” Ferron (Valacán), Matthew L. Martin (Bluetspur and the Illithid God-Brain)

Cover Art: Jeremy Puckett x Midjourney (front), Bruno Balixa (rear)

Interior Art: Bruno Balixa, C. Robert Brown, Luigi Castellani, Storn Cook, Gary Dupuis, Eleanor “Isabella”
Ferron, Earl Geier, Jeshields, David Lewis Johnson, Ian MacLean, Matt Morrow, Carlos NCT, Jeremy
Puckett x Midjourney, Eric Quigley, Miguel Santos, Shaman’s Stockart, E.I. Vidal, Justin “Ryunnosuke” Yap,
Kim Su Yeong
Some of the art in this document is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-
ShareAlike 2.5 or 3.0 License

Acknowledgements

This work includes sections inspired by the work of Ryan Naylor, Matthew L. Martin, Chris Nichols, Joel
Paquin, Eleanor “Isabella” Ferron, David Gibson, Nathan Okerlund, and John W. Mangrum.

Many thanks to the Fraternity of Shadows for their work in keeping Ravenloft alive(ish).
Yours in Shadow, fratus tuus in umbra.

And thanks as always to my lovely wife, Chisa,

without whom none of this would be any fun.

For Savage Worlds Adventure Edition (v 6.0)

Release Version 3
Release date: April 16, 2023

Ravenloft® is a registered trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This book does not represent a
challenge to any Wizards of the Coast-held trademarks. Wizards of the Coast is not officially affiliated with
this book in any way.

This game references the Savage Worlds game system, available from Pinnacle Entertainment Group at
www.peginc.com. Savage Worlds and all associated logos and trademarks are copyrights of Pinnacle
Entertainment Group. Used with permission. Pinnacle makes no representation or warranty as to the quality,
viability, or suitability for purpose of this product.

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2
 Tabl e of Contents

Introduction 5
Chapter 1: Character Creation 17
Chapter 2: Rules of the Night 33
Chapter 3: Gear and Equipment 55
Chapter 4: Magic of the Dread Realms 71
Chapter 5: Secrets of the Dread Realms 81
Chapter 6: Ravenloft Gazetteer 99
Chapter 7: Cabals and Societies 237
Chapter 8: Denizens of Dread 253
Chapter 9: The Doomed and the Damned 301

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4
 Introduction

moment of their ruin and steal upon

Welcome to the Land of heroes in times of doubt.
Mists … To what end do the Dark Powers add
these souls to their tarnished collection?
Beyond mortal senses, beyond reality, To torment them? To purify them?
there lurks a boundless plane. It None can say, for few souls drawn into
permeates your world and fills the void the Realm of Dread ever leave to tell the
between worlds. It is the border between tale. Yet perhaps you will soon learn for
the lands of the living and of the dead. yourself, for tonight, the Mists have come
There, mind and matter become one. for you.
Reason and passion make war upon one Welcome to the Land of Mists—to the
another. Fear and yearning can become crucible of virtue and the spoils of
more tangible than iron. damnation.
Somewhere, lurking deep within those Welcome to Ravenloft.
ethereal mists, a dark and nameless
dimension is ruled by dark and nameless
powers. Some say it is a prison for the Ravenloft Reincarnated:
damned; some say it is a crucible to test
the virtuous. Others simply call it home. Adventure Edition
It is a land of mist and shadow, love and
death, sacrifice and seduction, beauty and Longtime fans of the Ravenloft
horror. It is a land of whispered fears campaign setting may wonder about the
made manifest. point of this document. There are no less
It is the Realm of Dread. than four (and a half!) editions of
Perhaps you have sensed its touch. At Dungeons and Dragons that have
the bidding of the Dark Powers, tendrils Ravenloft-compatible rules (plus
of the ethereal Mists that bind this land Pathfinder), thanks to the work of
reach out to caress the Material Plane. companies like TSR and Wizards of the
They stroke the skin at the back of your Coast as well as passionate fans like the
neck when a creaking floorboard warns Fraternity of Shadows.
that you are not alone in the dark. Their However, many fans of the setting have
invisible fingers crawl down your spine long hoped for a version of the game that
when inhuman shadows rustle at the used a different set of rules entirely,
edges of your vision. feeling that the mechanical rigor of D&D
The Mists do more than merely caress. or the d20 System does a disservice to the
The Dark Powers are drawn to Gothic feel of the Land of Mists.
innocence and villainy, to loathing and In that vein, this set of rules is intended
desire, to obsession, and to despair. They to offer an alternative to that group of
seek out squandered dreams and inner fans. The Savage Worlds Adventure
demons. They savor the decay of the Edition rules offer a great many horror-
spirit. Their Mists snatch up fiends at the oriented settings to sink one’s teeth into,

5
 so it seems like a natural match for the of the listed character types from doing
dark horror/action feel of Ravenloft. so.
At the same time, this document exists Here and there exist nods to different
to offer a slightly different version of the adventures, different versions of the
setting. Where Ravenloft has always world’s history, and even occasionally
openly acknowledged its roots in the intentional contradictions about the
Gothic literature milieu, it has sometimes nature of that history. Ravenloft is many
forgotten about its other inspirations: the things to many people, and it is this
Hammer horror films of the 1970s, the author’s sincere hope that this document
Universal monster movies of the 1930s, can capture as many of them as possible.
the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft and
his contemporaries, and many others. Pride and Prejudice
This work has approached Ravenloft Many of the conceits of classical Gothic
primarily as a setting for Gothic horror, horror are problematic by the standards
but also looks to those other inspirations of the modern day. Racism, classism,
that have crept in over time. sexism, and more are baked into the
cultural oeuvre of the period, ranging in
What Has Come Before ways from the subtle to the overt.
Originally envisioned as a setting for a
single adventure, the world around Castle
Ravenloft has only grown larger and more
complex over time, including a lengthy
metaplot that ran through the original
edition of the setting and a somewhat
more implied metaplot that run through
the Kargatane years.
This vast sprawl of history is one of the
selling points to longtime fans of the
setting, but it can also prove an
impediment to entry for new fans.
Ravenloft Reincarnated exists not just to
serve as a new rules set for the game, but
also to act as a jumping-off point for new
players and old fans alike. This
document posits a version of the setting
in stasis, waiting for the moment that a
group of heroes comes along to kick over
the anthill and send changes rippling
through the setting.
At the same time, nothing here
invalidates any previous version of the
setting. While this book’s elves and
dwarves are refugees from a realm of
shadowy fey, nothing prevents a GM
looking to use the “classic” D&D versions

6
 Take for example the word “gypsy,” a characters. A player character in
common stock character type in Gothic Ravenloft can be of any gender or sexual
literature and a major part of the original orientation, and a character’s sexual
Ravenloft setting. Nowadays, it’s identity and preferences are considered
commonly known that “gypsy” is a to be neutral as far as the universe goes,
derogatory term for people of ethnic so long as they’re consensual.
Roma descent—a racial slur as Citing “historical accuracy” to punish a
unacceptable as any other. player’s choice of their character’s gender
Where possible, Ravenloft or sexuality should be avoided. The point
Reincarnated avoids such problematic of role-playing is to have fun. Anything
usage. It is generally assumed that most that would drive players away from the
lands of the Dread Realms are places hobby should be discouraged, especially
where sexual equality is the norm, or that if in pursuit of something as ephemeral
where sexual inequality exists, player (and usually poorly applied) as “historical
characters are an exception to usual accuracy.”
attitudes. When sexual inequality exists in That being said, Ravenloft is a world of
a significant fashion, it is generally terrible darkness. Players should be
different from the sexual inequality forewarned about the possibility of
existing in the modern real word. situations that might make them
Additionally, due to continuing uncomfortable. Whenever possible,
evolutions in the use of language and the players and GMs should discuss such
understanding that some traditional possibilities and determine what is
gaming terms have become recognized as appropriate at their table ahead of time.
contributing to hurtful stereotypes, the Play responsibly.
newest edition of Ravenloft Reincarnated
eschews the use of the term “race” to
refer to player character species. The
more modern term “ancestry” has been
The Gothic Milie u
adopted to avoid the baggage carried by
older terminology. Come now into a world of Gothic
Racial strife is occasionally an issue in adventure: where innocence battles
the Land of Mists, but it is a strife corruption, where love destroys and
between ethnic groups that have little-to- redeems, where magic cannot overcome
nothing in common with real-world morality, and where divine justice comes
groups. Even where “genre appropriate,” to all.
racial slurs are avoided. Where possible, At its most basic, Gothic horror is
the text makes it clear that any racist about the contest between good and evil.
attitudes are those of specific characters In this contest, though, the armies are not
or the general attitudes of a culture, and equally matched: the forces of evil are
not the beliefs of the author or a “grand vastly more powerful and influential than
the forces of good, and often far greater
truth” of the setting.
Furthermore, while individual NPCs in number.
may have their sexual preference or Although they may be physically
gender identity spoken of—and sex and weaker and seemingly friendless, the
gender are very much at the heart of forces of good have courage, purity, the
Gothic literature!—there is no assumption redemptive power of love, and the force
made about those of the player of divine justice on their side. More than

7
 any other genre, Gothic horror is about
heroism, because the protagonists must
Runni ng a Gothic Horror
struggle to do good in a world that Game
doesn’t necessarily reward that effort.
Heroes in the Gothic milieu work Both players and GMs must put aside a
alone or in small numbers, against almost lot of the preconceptions associated with
insurmountable odds, without financial traditional fantasy roleplaying while
rewards, and often without recognition— playing Ravenloft, particularly any sense
without even a kind word to help them of an adversarial relationship between
along. It is not a battle that can truly be them. Instead, think of the game as
won with fists or swords, and it is a battle collaborating to jointly tell a Gothic
that may cost them everything they have horror tale. For that reason, trust and
in order to fight it—but fight it they must. participation are vital.
Sometimes, they fail or fall into evil, but The players must trust the GM to be
when they win, the victory is so much scrupulously fair (to the spirit of the story,
sweeter, because the road is so much if not to the roll of the dice), especially if
harder to travel. they are going to be set against enemies
Gothic tales are infused with an far more powerful than they are, and to
atmosphere of supernatural dread. They respond to the themes they want to
play upon both the thrill and the fear of explore and the directions they want their
the unknown. They are often highly characters to go in.
symbolic, even dreamlike. Players should feel that the GM is likely
Ancestral curses and mournful ghosts to accept the player adding in extra
manipulate events and erode the details to a scene (traditionally the sole
characters’ sanity. Unnatural deformities province of the GM) in order to develop
such as scars, strange birthmarks, or their characters and improve the story.
hunched backs make others perceive the (Of course, the key word there is improve
afflicted as monsters, whether this is fair the story, not derail it: the GM is still
or not. People are punished for the sins within their rights to say no, but the
of their ancestors, contrasting the original players should still feel they have a reason
dark deed with the pitiable nature of for saying no that will be made apparent
those upon whom the punishment has later, not just a lack a flexibility).
fallen. They are tales of madness and Conversely, the GM must trust the
obsession, evoking subtle horrors and players to engage with the genre: they
deriving terror from foreboding rather need to understand and accept that it is a
than gore. world that offers more kicks than kisses,
The ghosts and ghouls of this genre are, and particularly, that sometimes in horror
above all else, allegorical doppelgangers— stories, the protagonist does stupid things.
reflections of human evil. When The reason this interaction is so
Frankenstein rejected his monster, he important is that Gothic horror thrives on
rejected the terrible consequences of his detailed characters. The player
own profane actions, which returned to characters, the characters they frequently
haunt him in the form of his forlorn interact with, and the villains should all be
creation. complex, three dimensional characters
with desires and failings that aren’t
necessarily consistent or in the best
interest of either themselves or the PCs.

8
It makes the game more engaging, and it any supernatural beings or magic,
makes it easier for the GM to tailor although they live on actively in
adventures to the PCs’ backgrounds. superstition. Most have learnt that if you
On a similar note, although the world don’t go into that house, or that wood, or
may be largely indifferent to or against if you keep your head down when the
the PCs and their allies, not every moon is full and don’t answer the door to
attachment or friendship should be an strangers, you can live a life not drastically
excuse for betrayal or kidnapping. There dissimilar to those in other, happier
needs to be some light in the world— worlds.
Good is always an active force, even if it is In contrast, the player characters
subtle. Otherwise, what are the PCs actively seek trouble. They are people
fighting for? Why would they keep going singled out by fate for great or fell
if failure was inevitable and everyone they purposes. Their lives are lives of struggle
knew and loved would either die or and adversity, enriched with magic and
betray them? experiences that the closed minds of the
Nuanced characterization is part of the common folk can’t even dream of. They
reason why (in the internal logic of the are the heroes and antiheroes of our
world), darklords and heroes both stories.
survive. Some villains are cruel or
tyrannical and hold power through force
of arms. Others, however, are seen as
champions of their people. Many
The Lay o f the Land
certainly don’t see themselves as a villain,
and have positive features, such as honor, On the surface, the Land of the Mists
seems much like any other low-magic
loyalty, patriotism, humor, or love. By
definition, darklords are truly evil, but setting. Spellcasters and nonhumans (or
they may not always appear so, especially at least, creatures that are obviously
to a casual view. nonhuman) are rare, and common folk
The battle between good and evil seldom witness the supernatural,
occurs on two fronts: at a divine, objective understanding it only through folklore
level, where the sides are absolute, and at (although that folklore is frighteningly
the level of the world the characters prevalent). Few know that the natural
inhabit, where it is much more murky laws of their realm have been insidiously
and not always clear where people stand. rewritten.
A character may be evil, but may also be
reliable, even trustworthy, or more Good and Evil
concerned with seeking pleasure than Although some people dismiss the
oppressing innocents. If the PCs are concept of absolute morality as an
interested in fighting werebeasts, a antiquated myth, Good and Evil are vital
darklord with similar interests may even and fundamental forces, locked in eternal
act as patron for them—until near the end struggle. The darkness of the world
of the campaign, at least. allows the light to shine so much brighter.
Finally, remember that player Characters who preserve their
characters are not average inhabitants of innocence are subtly protected from the
Ravenloft. They are the wild cards in the forces of darkness, while those who
deck—the major arcana in the tarot. Most commit evil acts find themselves
people go their entire lives without seeing physically or mentally warped to reflect

9
 their corruption. People who wholly The Semblance of Reason
embrace the lures of evil may eventually Although Ravenloft is an artificial
find themselves trapped in prisons of realm, full of supernatural horrors, it has
their own making. Even then, even the the veneer of normalcy. Like a corpse
blackest soul has the potential for that appears fresh until some disturbance
redemption, should they be willing to sends its hidden corruption spilling into
face the personal failings that led to their view, unnatural forces in the Land of the
downfall. Mists normally remain hidden. Creatures
While Good is undeniably more subtle like vampires or werebeasts move
in its touch than Evil, it is no less disguised among normal humans; magic
powerful in the long run. It demands is contained within isolated towers and
much—patience, compassion, self- the cloisters of universities, and it lacks
sacrifice—and its rewards are often the obvious flair it has in other realms.
obscure, but it is woven into the fabric of Even nonhumans like elves and dwarves
the world. It may cost everything a hero are rarer, and they hide themselves away.
has to do the right thing, but Good is by Scholars in the most advanced domains
no means pointless or unachievable. It in the Land of the Mists often treat magic
may be painful, difficult, and with the as a natural study, using labels like
temptation to compromise your “psychic science” or “fundamental
principles at every turn, but it is worth energies.” Many maintain that the
doing. Don’t surrender this world to the unnatural is simply misunderstood, and
night! with enough study, magic will be shown
to be some combination of natural forces
and psychosomatic influence, tangled in
superstition. Of course, those who can
harness the most powerful forces may
think otherwise, but they keep their
thoughts—and their power—to themselves.

The Domains
The Land of the Mists is composed of
scores of small pocket “nations” like the
cells of a prison. Each of these artificially
constructed countries, called domains, is
the prison of a singular evil entity: its
darklord. A domain may stand alone as
an Island, surrounded on all sides by
Mist, or it may join seamlessly with other
domains in a Cluster to form a
continuous landscape on some sides and
perhaps open to the Mists on others. A
domain may be as small as a single room
or as large an empire. The borders
between domains may be recognized as
political boundaries, or they may be
indicated by purely physical landmarks.

10
A traveler may have no way to tell they Even the ground beneath their feet seems
have crossed into a new den of evil. to fade away. Direction and distance are
However, each domain is, mystically, a meaningless; unless a traveler uses a
separate plane. Magic cannot cross Mistway or “current” in the flow of Mist,
domain borders unless it is powerful or is escorted by a Vistani or powerful
enough to pierce planar boundaries. cleric of the goddess Ezra, they have no
Every aspect of a domain, from its control over where the Mists will deposit
climate to the creatures that call it home, them.
is a subtle reflection of its darklord, Even a tiny pocket of Mist, away from
offering painful reminders of the the Misty Border, can confound a
transgressions that forged the darklord’s traveler or plunge them into another
doom. Many darklords can control the realm, or even another time. Tales tell of
weather, consciously or unconsciously, in folk who wandered lost for days in a
their domains, or have mastery over their small grove of trees, or back alleys that
native animals. Wresting control in these became twisting labyrinths, or houses that
cases is sometimes possible, but much contain more rooms that they physically
harder than when they are controlled by should, or people emerging from the
lesser masters. Almost all can “close” the Mists decades after (or even before) they
borders of their domains at will. entered. These people are said to be
Immensely powerful supernatural forces “Mist-led.” Regardless of how the Mists
manifest to prevent passage. No mortal manifest—as mist, or heat haze, or storm,
magic can overcome the effects of a or the merest ripple in an otherwise calm
closed domain border. sea—when they come, no force can stop
How many domains lie within the them.
Mists, or far the Mists extend (even
whether that question is truly meaningful False Histo ry
or not) is unknown. Although the Land of the Mists appears
most of the time to be a normal realm, it
The Mists is a patchwork construct. New domains
Thick fog blankets the borders of every appear and shift around at the whim of
Island and Cluster. People live out their the Dark Powers. When a new domain
lives in normal-seeming domains that bob appears from the Mists, it is usually fully
like apples in a Misty sea. Pockets of mist formed and populated, and the
drift across melancholy moors. Films of inhabitants of the new domain have
vapor seep between the headstones of a memories of their lives before the Mists
graveyard, concealing hidden dangers. parted and, often, records stretching back
Mist is everywhere in the Realm of several centuries. However, these records
Dread, and some is guided by malign may be vague, incomplete and self-
intellect. contradictory.
Every child in Ravenloft knows about There is much debate in academic
the Mists. They are completely circles as to where these domains come
indistinguishable from normal mists, even from. Did they exist in the Mists all
by magic, until you are within them. along? Are the memories illusory? Were
Travelers who enter the Misty Border they drawn from other worlds? For this
around some domains find themselves reason, the inhabitants of the Land of the
engulfed in a netherworld of blinding fog. Mists (those who choose to think about it

11
 at all, because such reflection is a luxury corruption, darklords share the same
most have neither the time nor the motivations as countless other folk: they
education to consider) differentiate hope for love, crave respect, or even
between the “true” history, the period yearn for mere acceptance. Yet darklords
that can reliably and objectively studied are not poor, misunderstood souls
since the emergence from the Mists, and damned through no fault of their own.
the vague, Mist-led “false history” before Their selfish natures pervert simple
this. This is accepted as simply the way wants into obsessive lusts, and they earn
life is. their domains through horrid crimes.
Darklords are all the more monstrous for
Other Worlds the empathy one might feel for them, not
The Mists can reach into other worlds in spite of it. Even when forced to face
and bring creatures into the Realm of their transgressions, most darklords
Dread. Powerful magic can also do so. remain obstinately blind to their own
However, the Dark Powers hold their failings, lashing out at the world for
treasure close, and getting out is a much perceived wrongs.
more difficult matter. Of course, most A darklord is both the warden and the
natives of the Land of the Mists have no ultimate prisoner of their domain. A
more desire to leave than the inhabitants darklord can trap others in their domain
of any other world would want to leave by closing the borders, but they can never
theirs. Only outlanders—the creatures leave. Some of Ravenloft’s darklords
drawn into Ravenloft by Mist or magic— have spent centuries striving to escape
seek to escape from its foggy tendrils. from their Mist-veiled prisons, to no avail.
The curse that binds them to the land
offers them little rest. Not unlike
Darklords Tantalus in the underworld, they are
Darklords are the seed of evil at the tormented by their greatest desires.
heart of every domain, but few of Should a darklord be destroyed, their
Ravenloft's denizens are aware that they domain ceases to serve a purpose. If
exist. Heroes have no infallible means of another evil creature in the domain has
detecting who or what is the darklord of earned damnation, the Dark Powers may
any given domain. Some darklords appoint it the domain's new darklord. A
control their domains openly, acting as domain in a cluster may be absorbed by
political rulers, while others skulk in the its neighbors, expanding the prisons of
shadows, their very existence a secret. other darklords. If neither of these events
Indeed, the very concept of a “darklord” occurs, the domain dissolves back into
isn't one that the average citizen of the Mists from whence it came.
Ravenloft is aware of.
Most domains are inhabited by a single
darklord, though on rare occasion the The Dark Powers
Dark Powers may grant a single domain The Dark Powers are the ultimate
to a pair or trio of evildoers. These masters of Ravenloft, and its ultimate
darklords are usually linked both by mystery. They have created an entire
blood relation and their crimes. world in their image, but not even the
Mindless, slavering beasts do not most powerful divinations can unveil their
become darklords. Mere evil is not true natures, or even give concrete
enough to earn a domain. Despite their evidence of their presence. Only a

12
handful of people are even aware of the
possibility of their existence; most Principles of Terror
blaming evil on the Mists but not
considering any force behind them. Though the world of Ravenloft can be a
Are they gods? Elemental forces? Are horrifying and savage place, your tabletop
they legion, or coven, or one, or none? shouldn’t be. First and foremost,
Do they act as a unified whole or are they Ravenloft Reincarnated approaches the
fractious? Are they good or evil? They do tabletop roleplaying experience as a
not corrupt souls through malicious shared narrative. While the rules are an
trickery or seduce the righteous into evil, important means of facilitating the
but they do torment those who damn conversation that creates the story, the
themselves, inflaming them to further most basic assumption of Ravenloft
evil. Are they sadists or a force for austere Reincarnated is that the rules serve the
justice? narrative instead of the other way around.
Perhaps most importantly, what is the The story that the group is telling at the
ultimate goal of their grand and awful table—the conversation occurring between
experiment in the Land of the Mists? the players—is the primary driving force
of the game. The rules exist to moderate
and facilitate that conversation, providing
a system of equitable negotiation and
distribution of narrative authority. All of
this is a very long-winded way of saying
the story comes first. Most of the Game
Master advice in this section is geared
around ways to make the story the
centerpiece of the game, with the rules as
a cooperative partner in the process.

The Golden Rule

The most important rule in the game is
that all other rules can be changed in
service to the story or the needs of a
group. This doesn’t mean that rules
should be abandoned entirely or that
anyone can ignore the rules at any time.
It simply means that if a rule is getting in
the way of telling a good story or having
fun, then the rule is wrong.
This also touches on the concept of
“rulings, not rules.” This idea says that
the GM and players work together at the
table to determine what works for them,
rather than relying on some “canonical”
explanation from an author, a work of
errata, or the book itself. Authors are
fallible; editors make mistakes
sometimes.

13
 Even beyond technical issues, • “You can try!”, if it seems believable
sometimes a rule simply doesn’t work as yet statistically improbable;
well at a specific group’s table as it did for • “Yes, but…” or “Yes, and…”, if you
the original writer’s home group. In can think of a good catch.
short: When a group encounters an issue Each of these answers can add
where the rules don’t work, feel free to enjoyment and possibilities to a game.
change the rules so that they do. It’s your Saying “No” rarely does. “No” should
game now. only be used when a player’s request
would detract from the fun of the rest of
The Silver Rule the group in a significant fashion, and
Ravenloft Reincarnated (and Savage only after pursuing the previous four
Worlds in general) functions at its best responses.
when the players and the GM work In short, “No” is the court of last resort,
together to tell a story, rather than a way of closing off options rather than
treating each other as opposition or creating new ones.
adversaries. This style of cooperative
storytelling places the GM into a position The Copper Rule
where they should be thought of less as Another principle common to modern
the author of a story and more as the game design is the notion of “failing
production crew of a movie or television forward.” For purposes of Ravenloft
series. They direct the action, produce Reincarnated, we’re going to call this the
the sets, and act as the audience for the Copper Rule.
players. Essentially, the Copper Rule means
In this context, one of the most that no single failed roll should result in a
important philosophies to adopt when dead end for the players. A failure should
running a game is the Silver Rule always include a method of moving on
(sometimes called the Monarda Law), a from that failure in order to keep the
principle created by noted game writer adventure moving and the players
Dr. Jenna Moran that can be best engaged.
summed up as “Never say no.” In short, “failure” should be as
Where “no” closes doors, “yes” opens interesting as success—if more dangerous
them. Think about the ways that “yes” and complicated. Making failure boring is
can advance the story and empower the a good way to lose the players’ interest.
player characters. This doesn’t mean to
accept everything that a player says
without exception; instead, look for ways The Red Rule
to that “yes” can be interesting and fun. This is the last of the major principles
When a player asks you: “Can I do X?” intended to guide a Ravenloft
where “I” means their character and “X” Reincarnated campaign, and in some
is some course of action, use one of the ways the most important one for a game
four answers below. focusing on horror. While the previous
rules have been about running the game,
• “Yes,” if their course of actions seems
the Red Rule is about interacting with
interesting and harmless.
your players in an ethical and
• “How?”, if you can’t figure out a understanding way. This rule is about the
plausible way to pull it off; comfort and safety of everyone at the
table.

14
 People play role-playing games for matter in question is a sensitive subject
many different reasons, but never to feel for the player; the GM can then skip
harassed or traumatized. The Red Rule ahead if they’re confident that they know
essentially says that a player-controlled why the player would be upset, or take
character can only be seduced or them aside to discuss why they’re
otherwise put into a sexual situation if the uncomfortable.
player is okay with it. Otherwise, any such Players deal with all sorts of upsetting
attempt automatically fails. and unpleasant things in their daily lives.
This rule can also be extended to any They shouldn’t have to deal with those
situation that makes a given player things at the gaming table as well. At its
particularly uncomfortable or touches most basic, the Red Rule is about
upon a personal trauma. The GM exists courtesy and respect. Treat your fellow
to moderate and adjudicate the story players well and they’ll respect you more
being told at a given table, which includes for it. Game safely.
safeguarding the emotional health of the
players. In turn, the players have an Too Long, Didn’t Read
obligation to be courteous and respectful If your eyes glazed over the previous
to one another, as well as to their GM. few pages, here’s a quick and dirty recap:
A method of using the Red Rule
• Change the rules if they don’t work.
proactively at the table includes the use of
X Cards—index cards with an X drawn on • Say yes instead of no.
one side. When a player feels • Fail forward.
uncomfortable, no matter the reason, • Be mindful.
they can hold up the X Card to show the
Game Master. This is a sign that the

15
16
 Chapter 1:
Character Creation

Welcome to the world of Ravenloft, a start with extra attribute or skill points,
dark fantasy world of Gothic adventure Edges, or even money for gear.
filled with ancient powers, dreadful evil,
and brave heroes. For 2 points you can:
Making heroes for the Ravenloft • Raise an attribute one die type
Campaign Setting is as easy as creating • Choose an Edge
characters for any other Savage Worlds
game. Here’s how to start. For 1 point you can:
• Gain another skill point
• Gain additional starting funds equal
Ancestry to twice the starting amount
Humans are the most common
characters, but the world of Ravenloft
also features graceful elves, doughty Traits
dwarves, affable gnomes, and stranger Characters are defined by attributes and
beings still. In a world of monsters and skills, collectively called “Traits,” and
monster hunters, the line between the both work in exactly the same way.
two can sometimes be blurry. At your
Attributes and skills are ranked by die
GM’s discretion, you may be able to play types, from a d4 to a d12, with d6 being
a corrupted version of an existing the average for adult humans. Higher is
character type, or even play a monster better!
seeking acceptance and redemption.

Attri butes
Every character starts with a d4 in each
Hindrances attribute, and has 5 points with which to
Hindrances are flaws, defects, or dark raise them. Raising a d4 to a d6, for
secrets drawn from a character’s example, costs 1 point. You’re free to
backstory. spend these points however you want
You can take up to 4 points of with one exception: no attribute may be
Hindrances. A Major Hindrance is worth raised above a d12.
2 points, and a Minor Hindrance is worth • Agility is your hero’s nimbleness,
1 point. You could thus take two Major quickness, and dexterity.
Hindrances, four Minor Hindrances, or
• Smarts is a measure of how well your
any other combination that adds up to 4
character knows their world and
points.
culture, how well they think on their
Taking Hindrances not only helps you
feet, and their general mental acuity.
define and roleplay your hero, but also
gives you additional points you can use to

17
 • Spirit reflects inner wisdom and Parry is equal to 2 plus half your
willpower. Spirit is very important as character’s Fighting (2 if a character does
it helps your character recover from not have Fighting), plus any bonuses for
being Shaken. shields or certain weapons. This is the
• Strength is raw physical power and Target Number (TN) to hit your hero in
general fitness. Strength is also used hand-to-hand combat.
to generate your character’s damage Toughness is your hero’s damage
in hand-to-hand combat. threshold. Anything over this causes them
• Vigor represents endurance, to be rattled or worse. Toughness is 2
resistance to disease, poison, or plus half your hero’s Vigor, plus Armor
toxins, and how much pain and (use the armor worn on their torso if not
physical damage your hero can shake a called shot).
off. Traits Above d12: When deriving Parry
and Toughness from traits above d12,
add half the fixed modifier, rounded
Skills down. For instance, a Fighting skill of
Skills are learned abilities such as d12+1 grants a Parry of 8 (2+half of d12),
Shooting, Fighting, mystic knowledge, whereas a d12+2 gives a Parry of 9
professional aptitudes, and so on. These (2+half of d12+2).
are very general descriptions which cover
all related aspects. Shooting, for example,
covers all types of guns, bows, and other
ranged weapons. Edges
Core Skills: These are unchanged from Attributes and skills are a character’s
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition— basic statistics, but what really makes
Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, individuals different are their Edges.
Persuasion, and Stealth. Characters get Edges by taking
Buying Skills: After core skills are Hindrances (see above), from ancestry
assigned, you have 12 additional points to abilities (such as humans, who gain an
raise core skills or buy and raise new additional Edge at character creation), or
skills as you see fit. See SWADE 10 for Advances once play begins.
more information about buying skills and The SWADE corebook has a list of
skill maximums. available Edges, in addition to those
presented in this book, the Fantasy
Companion, and the Horror
Derived Statistics Companion.
Your character sheet contains a few
other statistics you need to fill in,
described below.
Pace is how fast your character moves Gear
in a standard combat round. Humans Next you need to purchase equipment.
walk 6” in a round and can move an Some settings may provide your hero
additional 1d6” if they run. Write “6” on with all the gear they need. In others, you
your character sheet beside the word may be assigned a certain amount of
Pace. This is 6” on the table-top—every money with which to purchase your
inch there represents 2 yards in the “real starting gear. A list of some common gear
world.” and weapons can be found below.

18
 In the Ravenloft setting, the standard • What is the character’s worst
starting amount is 500 silver pieces (in nightmare?
whatever denomination is local for your Having these ideas in mind can guide
home domain). you to making a truly memorable
character, but there’s nothing that says
you need to know all of that up front.
Backgr ound Details You can puzzle it out as you go, letting
the character grow as you play and
Finish your character by filling in any
learning more about them, like a
history or background you care to,
character in a novel.
including their domain of origin. Ask
Sometimes it can be fun to know
yourself why your hero is where they are
something about your character ahead of
and what their goals are. Or you can just
time so you can dramatically reveal it to
start playing and fill in these details as
the other players! But don’t get bogged
they become important.
down in backstory—especially backstory
You might also want to talk to the other
that no one but you and the Game
players. Maybe your characters know
Master will ever know.
each other right from the start. Or you
Work with your GM and the rest of
might collectively decide to optimize your
your group to make the game a fun
group a bit and ensure you’ve got a good
experience for everyone!
assortment of skills and abilities. If so,
make sure you’re playing what you want
to play.
Some questions you might ask yourself Ancestries of Ravenloft
when trying to decide your character
include: Ravenloft is a world of many peoples—
• What does the character look like? and humans are just one of them.
Do they have any distinctive features, Humans are the most common people
like scars or tattoos? Where did they in the Land of Mists, outnumbering
get them? nonhumans by such a large factor that
• Does the character have a family? many humans have never even seen a
Any old friends? People that they nonhuman—or even regard them as
care about outside the player legendary. A few nations have significant
characters? nonhuman minorities, but only a few
• What does the character love? What places put humans in a non-dominant
do they hate? Do they have any role. Some scholars wonder why humans
regrets? Is there something that are so prevalent, while others simply see
makes their skin crawl? nonhumans as inferior, an attitude that
• Do they have any secrets? nonhumans naturally find offensive.
• Is the character rational or Elves, dwarves, and gnomes are
passionate? Sophisticated or collectively known as “the fey” or “the
superstitious? Impulsive or habitual? sidhe,” faerie folk who are said to have
Logical or faithful? taken humanity’s side in some ancient,
• What drives the character to forgotten dispute. Their side lost the
adventure? What are their goals and argument and they were banished from
drives? What would they do to the faerie realm to the mortal world,
accomplish them? where they now suffer the curse of

19
 mortality, albeit in a less severe form than have found a way to arrest the process
humans. and avoid descending into evil, trapped
Calibans are humans who suffered between life and death. They have some
exposure to magical corruption in the of the strength and bloodlust of vampires,
womb or early childhood, resulting in but their ability to walk in daylight makes
deformities or physical ailments, as well them feared by their monstrous sires.
as bodies hardy enough to survive the With your GM’s permission, you might
corruption that formed them. Despite be able to play a monster seeking
their savage appearance, calibans are just redemption. You might be suffering from
as capable of good or evil as any other the curse of lycanthropy, doomed to
human. become a horrific monster every month,
Half-elves, or “changelings,” are the or perhaps you have inhuman blood in
offspring of humans and elves. They too your veins, a monstrous heritage that may
are outcasts among both humans and plague you someday. See Chapter 5:
elves, never quite fitting in with either Secrets of the Dread Realms for more
despite their many virtues. A half-elf will information about monstrous characters—
outlive all of their human loved ones but and be sure to check with your GM
will not live long enough to be ever seen before getting your heart set on a
as anything but a child to an elf, giving monstrous character concept!
them a sense of melancholy that pervades
their long lives.
The smallfolk are something of a
mystery to humans. Elves and other fey
deny that the “halflings” are of their kind,
and they do not seem to be a human
tribe. As nomads with little interest in
history, the smallfolk cannot answer any
questions about their origins either. They
seem to be ubiquitous in most places,
though.
The created are not truly an ancestry, as
they have no ancestors—indeed, many
people argue if they should even be
considered alive. Magic and technology
sometimes blend to craft beings who are
semi-intelligent but are made from metal,
wood, or other inanimate materials,
granted a semblance of life through
artifice. These created occasionally
become truly self-aware and flee their
creators to seek their own reason for
existence in the greater world.
Finally, and perhaps rarest among the
known folk of Ravenloft, are the
dhampir—folk who live with the curse of
vampirism burning in their veins.
Through fortune or determination, they

20
 With their great capacity for both good
Hum an and evil, humans can become fast friends
Humans are the majority population in with other folk or subject them to
almost every major nation of the Land of unspeakable prejudice. If anything can be
Mists. They are ambitious, curious, said, humans are the only folk truly
versatile, and adaptable, able to change capable of treating members of another
their environment to suit their needs and species exactly as they would treat their
capable of mastering many skills in their own—for good or for ill.
relatively short lifetimes. Under normal circumstances, humans
Despite their many virtues, humans can live around sixty years or so, but
also be greedy, grasping, and even cruel, especially lucky humans can live up to
happily subjugating one another for profit twice that long. Their skin color ranges
or advancement in a way that other folk from dark brown to the color of snow,
would never dream of doing. Their their hair is usually in shades of black,
versatility breeds fractiousness; it is all too brown, red or blonde, and their eyes are
easy for a human to look at an arbitrary blue, green, brown or some mix of the
boundary and say that anyone past it is three. An average male human stands just
“the other.” short of six feet tall and weighs around
150 pounds, with females being slightly
shorter and lighter.
• Adaptable: Humans start play with
any Novice Edge of their choice. The
character must meet the requirements
of the Edge as usual.

21
 Calibans tend to be slightly taller than
Caliban humans and a good bit heavier thanks to
Calibans are humans exposed to curses their natural muscle. Their lineage is
or foul magic while still in the womb or always plain for others to see if they go
during their early childhood. The birth of about undisguised. All calibans sport the
a caliban in a community is often seen as deformities of their birth, ranging from
a sure sign of the presence of dark magic. unusual, sickly-colored skin to bone
Calibans are physically powerful but protrusions or even worse. Calibans
misshapen humanoids. No two calibans mature a little faster than their human
look alike, but common deformities forebears and age noticeably faster. Most
include twisted back or limbs, calibans live lives that are nasty, brutish,
asymmetrical features, bristly skin, or and short.
tusk-like teeth. Despite their savage
• Low Light Vision: Caliban eyes are
appearance, a caliban’s heart can be as
accustomed to the dark of night.
pure and noble—or as corrupt—as that of
They ignore penalties for Dim and
any human.
Dark Illumination.
• Powerful: Calibans are made of
muscle and bone with hardly an
ounce of fat on their bodies. They
start with a d6 in Strength instead of a
d4. This increases their maximum
Strength to d12+1.
• Menacing: Calibans instinctively
know how to use their appearance to
intimidate others. They gain the
Menacing Edge for free.
• Ugly: A caliban is clearly marked as
different by its inhuman heritage.
Calibans possess the Ugly (Major)
Hindrance. A caliban can still take
the Attractive and Very Attractive
Edges to offset the usual penalties,
however, making them look less
inhuman.
• Unnatural: Because of their tainted
origins, calibans suffer a –2 penalty
on any roll made to interact with
animals, including Riding. Domestic
animals won’t willingly approach a
caliban, and wild animals will tend to
attack calibans in preference to other
targets (though they won’t ignore
obvious threats to fight a caliban).

22
 description that is frequently accurate.
Created Created are capable of emotion, but their
The desire to restore or create life has unfamiliarity with it causes many of them
been a driving goal of magic and science to sublimate or repress it. Others allow
for hundreds of years, if not all time. their passions to control them, seeming
Every doctor seeks the power to turn wilder even than humans, and causing
back the reaper’s hand, and every great worry in those around them. Most
adventurer that has seen a companion fall hold to a middle ground, keeping their
in battle hopes for a way to bring them
emotions at arm’s length while
back across the veil of death. It is this acknowledging their existence.
compelling desire that eventually leads to Created appear as humanoids molded
hubris—to the idea that an intelligent or from a variety of materials—obsidian,
powerful person has more right to dictate iron, stone, wood, silver, and even
life and death than fate or the gods. organic material—though they move with
Over the years, many doctors, wizards, a surprising grace and flexibility. Flexible
and other such intellectual luminaries plates connected by fibrous bundles
have discovered methods of “creating” make up the typical body of a created.
life, ranging from simple golems to
complicated thinking machines. Some of
these creations exceed even their
creators’ expectations and become truly
living beings, aware and sentient in their
own right. Powerful ones are called
“dread golems,” because their intelligence
and loneliness frequently drive them to
evil acts. Less powerful versions, called
simply “the created,” are often discarded
by their makers as incomplete efforts or
mere practice. These created are then left
to their own devices in the world, often
seeking the very meaning of life
themselves.
The created are a manifestation of
others’ fatal pride, soulless creations
designed in imitation or mockery of the
human form. Still, a given created can
eventually find the way to understanding,
and many become keen observers of
human nature. They may never
overcome their built-in limitations, but
the quest to become something more—to
become human—is the driving goal of
many created.
The created tend to be distant and
removed, not quite aware of the nature of
the human beings they were modeled
from. Some describe them as cold, a

23
 Individuals have their own unique
appearance, from puppet-like dolls to
Dhamp ir
lifelike forms almost indistinguishable When a woman heavy with child is
from humans. Though they are attacked by a vampire—not as rare an
genderless in the physical sense, most occurrence in the Land of Mists as one
created with a human-like appearance could hope—that child can become
end up adopting a gender identity; some partially infected with the taint of
are even designed to resemble a vampirism. Some rare adults bitten by
vampires can find ways to hold back the
particular gender from creation, which
can come into conflict with their eventual change as well, generally through alchemy
understanding of their own identity. or sorcery but sometimes through natural
resistance and raw willpower.
• Clueless: The created are unfamiliar
Regardless of their origins, dhampirs
with mortal culture, norms, and
are men and women who have arrested
history, often missing even basic
the progress of the vampiric curse,
understanding of things humans take
becoming something like “half-vampires,”
for granted. They suffer the Clueless
caught between the living and the dead.
Hindrance.
While sunlight hurts their eyes and skin,
• Construct: Created add +2 to recover they can walk abroad in daylight. They
from being Shaken, ignore one level desire blood but do not need it to live.
of Wound modifiers, and are They retain many of the strengths of the
immune to poison and disease. The vampire while possessing few of their
created do not need to eat or drink, weaknesses. As such, vampires tend to
though they do need to rest hate, fear, and envy the “daywalkers.”
occasionally. Constructs do not heal Dhampirs tend to be extremely pale,
naturally. Healing one requires the their teeth pointed and their eyes slightly
Repair skill, which is used like the reflective. One might mistake them for
Healing skill but with no “Golden the undead if not for their breathing and
Hour.” heartbeat. Their closeness to death tends
• Outsider (Major): Created are to leave their outlook morbid and rigidly
mistrusted by the living. When they controlled. A dhampir knows all too well
go about undisguised, they suffer –2 what can happen if they relax their
to Persuasion rolls with folk of all control for even a second, and many are
other ancestries. Most places consider the loved ones of dhampirs who met
the created to be objects rather than their end in a moment of heady
people, according them no rights of bloodlust.
any kind. • Bite: Dhampirs have fangs that cause
• Vow (Major): A created was built with Str+d4 damage.
a particular purpose in mind. This • Low Light Vision: Dhampirs can see
acts as a Major Vow to fulfill the in near-total darkness like the undead
purpose for which they were built. A who share their curse. They ignore
created should also have at least a d6 penalties for Dim and Dark
in a skill appropriate to their purpose Illumination.
(such as Performance for a dancing
• Unnatural: Dhampirs give off an aura
mannequin or Academics for an
of hunger and menace that makes
automatic transcriber).
natural animals uncomfortable. They
suffer a –2 penalty on any roll made

24
 to interact with animals, including
Riding. Domestic animals won’t
Dwa rf
willingly approach a dhampir, and Dwarves are a stout people, built as
wild animals will tend to attack solidly as the mountains they call home.
dhampirs in preference to other Their skin is typically a light tan or dark
targets (though they won’t ignore umber tone. Most dwarves have red hair,
obvious threats to fight a dhampir). with some having blonde or black, and
dwarven eyes are usually brown or dark
• Vampiric Strength: Dhampirs have
green. Dwarves are well known for their
the incredible might of vampires.
skill in warfare, their ability to withstand
They start with a d6 in Strength rather
physical punishment, their knowledge of
than a d4. This increases their
the earth’s secrets, and their capacity for
maximum Strength to d12+1.
drink.
• Weakness (Sunlight): While The dwarven mindset centers on the
dhampirs don’t catch fire in sunlight forge and the family. They respect
like vampires, they do find it dedication in all its forms—to hard work,
extremely uncomfortable. A dhampir to clan or family, or to codes of honor. A
in direct sunlight is Distracted. dwarf holds nothing as precious as their
family and nothing so beautiful as finely
crafted steel and stone. Dwarves have
little time for frivolity. Their music
consists entirely of dirges for their
ancestors or anthems of clan traditions.
Other races often view dwarves as dour
and humorless creatures but retain high
praise for dwarven craftsmanship.
Dwarven males and females are built
roughly the same, standing around four
and a half feet tall and weighing over 200
pounds. Most of a dwarf’s weight is bone
and muscle. Dwarves of both genders
wear their hair long, often braiding it.
Male dwarves take pride in their beards,
growing them long and bushy; dwarf
nobles braid their beards as well.
Though they are of the same folk as
elves and gnomes, dwarves are aloof even
from other fey. It is said that they
suffered the greatest brunt of the curse of
mortality, and that many dwarves blame
the elves for their exile from the faerie
realm. Others say that the dwarves aren’t
imaginative enough to hold a grudge over
something so abstract. Dwarves live a
little longer than a century on average,
with some living up to 150 years.

25
 • Low Light Vision: Dwarven eyes are
accustomed to the dark of the
underearth. They ignore penalties for
Dim and Dark Illumination.
• Reduced Pace: Dwarves have shorter
legs than humans. Decrease Pace by
1 and running die by one die type
(minimum d4).
• Tough: Dwarves are stout and tough.
They start with a d6 in Vigor instead
of a d4. This increases their
maximum Vigor to d12+1.

Elf
According to the stories of their people,
elves were outcast from the faerie folk in
ancient times for some unknown crime.
Some legends say that they took
humanity’s side in a dispute that turned
ugly, while others speak of an uprising
that cast out rulers that had lost the favor
of their subjects. Regardless of the
reasons, elves are a people who are born
feeling the loss of an immortality that was
once their birthright. Elves can feel
themselves dying in a way that humans
cannot.
The knowledge of their imminent
death—by immortal standards, anyway—
makes most elves somewhat hedonistic.
They live for emotion, art, beauty, and
pleasure, and they inevitably seem
irresponsible to other peoples. Their
carefully cultured bon vivant lifestyles
hide a deep well of brooding melancholy,
one that only their closest friends and
loved ones ever get to see.

26
 The elven inclination toward art of all
sorts makes them welcome guests in
Gnome
more civilized lands, but their disinterest Spindly, short humanoids with tanned
in hard work makes them unwelcome skin and wizened faces, gnomes are
pests in lands where survival is a daily welcome in many lands as architects,
struggle. An elf would rather sleep in the engineers, alchemists, technicians, and
boughs of a tree than build a house, inventors. Gnomes possess intense
would rather eat fruit from a tree than intellectual curiosity. They are fascinated
by intricate details, be they riddles or the
grow crops, and would rather exchange
short-term services for food and shelter fine cogs of a pocket watch. Nothing
than have a steady profession. Some elves pleases a gnome quite so much as solving
hold that humans don’t live long enough a difficult puzzle—building a pattern out
to matter and become cruel toward of chaos. This leads some gnomes to
mortals, while others think that the overanalyze their situations, seeking
fragility of human life is an echo of all answers to riddles that do not actually
they have lost themselves, making it even exist or even becoming mildly obsessive-
more precious. compulsive.
Elves stand around six feet tall on Many gnomes also possess a wickedly
average, but are thinner than humans. morbid sense of humor. They often pass
Most elves are either somewhat tan or the time telling macabre tales laced with
very pale, and their hair is normally irony, and they frequently enjoy playing
blonde or black; red-haired elves are practical jokes, particularly on anyone
extremely rare, though stranger hues, they consider too dour or self-important.
such as silver and blue, occur sometimes Gnomish practical jokes are usually
as well. Elven eyes are vibrant and remarkably elaborate but are virtually
strangely colored by human standards, never intended to cause the recipient any
including shades of emerald, azure, and true harm.
violet. Their most visible features are Though gnomes’ skills and their small,
their tall, pointed ears and their almond- unthreatening size make them more
shaped eyes. Elves have lifespans welcome than other fey, they prefer
commonly twice as long as humans, and communities of their own kind. Most
some have been known to live as long as gnomes live in small, isolated woodland
three to five centuries. villages, places where wild animals
abound but hunting them is a very bad
• Agile: Elves are graceful and agile.
idea. Many will go out into the land of
They start with a d6 in Agility instead
mortals for months or years at a time to
of a d4. This increases their
satisfy their curiosity or hone their skills,
maximum Agility to d12+1.
only to pack up and go home without a
• Frail: Elves are slender and fragile word.
beings. Subtract 1 from Toughness. Gnomes stand slightly taller than three
• Low Light Vision: The character’s and a half feet and weigh only around 50
eyes amplify light like a cat, allowing pounds; they are smaller even than
them to see in the dark. They ignore human children. Their ruddy cheeks and
penalties for Dim and Dark upturned noses give them a mien of
Illumination. cheerfulness even at the worst of times.
Gnomes have hair and eyes in subdued,
faded earth tones, but most of them see

27
 their hair turn grey long before middle • Reduced Pace: Decrease Pace by 1
age. Gnomes have lifespans similar to and running die by one die type
those of dwarves. (minimum d4).
• Fey Magic: Gnomes are an inherently • Size –1: Gnomes average just shy of
magical race, drawing their power four feet tall, reducing their size (and
from their distant fey ancestry. therefore Toughness) by 1.
Gnomes have the Arcane • Smart: Gnomes are clever and
Background (Gifted) Edge for free, intellectual. They start with a d6
but they can only choose from the Smarts instead of a d4. This increases
following list of powers—beast friend, their maximum Smarts to d12+1.
confusion, detect/conceal arcana,
illusion, and light/darkness.
• Low Light Vision: Like most of the
fey-descended folk, gnomes ignore Half-Elf
penalties for Dim and Dark Humans are frequently fascinated by
Illumination. the beauty and longevity of elves. In turn,
• Quirk: Gnomes have unusual elves are often filled with wonder at
personalities that border on the humans’ vibrancy and fast-paced lives.
obsessive or the neurotic. They have These interests sometimes turn into
the Quirk Hindrance. trysts, which occasionally result in half-
breed children. Half-elves are a solid mix
of their two parents. They gain the elves’
grace but none of their fragility, and their
human parent’s versatility and curiosity
while tempering their impulsivity.
Despite their many virtues, half-elves
are cursed to fit in with neither side of
their lineage. A childhood among elves
can be extraordinarily lonely for a fast-
growing, curious child, and one among
humans can be even sadder. Half-elves
will outlive most of their human loved
ones, but they will rarely live long enough
to be considered anything other than a
precocious child to elves. Half-elves are
people of two worlds—one foot in both,
but truly belonging to neither of them.
Half-elves are slightly taller and lighter
than the human average, but somewhat
heavier than elves. Their hair and eye
colors tend to fall more within human
ranges than elven ones. Their ears are
tipped with slight points, making their
heritage obvious to anyone who takes the
time to look. They can live well over a
century, but their elven heritage gives

28
 Sma llfolk
Smallfolk are tiny humanoids, easily
mistaken at first glance for human
children. Sometimes called “halflings” by
humans (who they call “tallfolk”), they
possess a childlike sense of wonder and
curiosity about the world around them, as
well as a capable opportunistic streak,
frequently expressing itself as wanderlust.
Individuals and clans do their best to find
room for themselves wherever they can,
and are lucky enough to avoid the
animosity that other nonhumans face.
With their small size and lack of
supernatural powers, smallfolk present
humans with little to fear.
Humans respect smallfolk courage and
general good cheer—sometimes to a fault.
Smallfolk are often treated with well-
intentioned condescension, with humans
believing that all smallfolk are as innocent
and harmless as the children they
them the vitality and health of someone resemble. Most smallfolk are nomadic,
half their age. wandering in clans from one place to
another. Unlike the constantly drifting
• Heritage: Some half-elves retain the
wandering folk, however, smallfolk tend
grace of their elven parent. Others
to take root in an area for a few years,
gain the adaptability of their human
experiencing all it has to offer before
ancestry. A half-elf may either start
moving on. Any human settlement of
with a free Edge of their choice (as a
sufficient size may boast a smallfolk
human), or a d6 in Agility instead of a
community, with larger cities possessing a
d4 (as an elf). Either way, their
“halfling ghetto” or “smalltown.”
maximum Agility is d12+1. A half-elf
Where humans are ambitious and
counts as both a human and an elf for
grasping, smallfolk prefer the simple
any effect where it would matter.
things. They have a strong core of
• Low Light Vision: The character’s responsibility, unlike elves and gnomes,
eyes amplify light like a cat, allowing but they are content to find comfortable
them to see in the dark. They ignore positions and simply stay there until their
penalties for Dim and Dark clan is ready to move on. Quiet
Illumination. competence, responsibility, and lack of
• Outsider (Minor): Half-elves have a ambition see many smallfolk into
difficult time fitting in with either of positions as domestic servants, middle
their parents’ people. Even those managers, and assistants to craftspeople.
from loving homes never quite fit in. Smallfolk hair and eye color is usually
Half-elves have the Outsider (Minor) dark brown or almost black, and they
Hindrance with respect to both prefer simple, comfortable garb without
humans and elves.

29
 ostentation. They stand about three feet • Spirited: Smallfolk are willful and
tall and usually weigh between 30 and 40 courageous. They start with a d6
pounds. Their skin tends to be ruddy, Spirit instead of a d4. This increases
though not tanned or wizened like their maximum Spirit to d12+1.
gnomes. Smallfolk men often have long
sideburns, but beards are rare and
mustaches almost unseen. Smallfolk
females usually wear their long hair tied Othe r Anc estries
up in elaborate buns and topknots. They Ravenloft is a land of many peoples,
have life spans similar to humans. and these are just a few of them. A given
• Luck: Smallfolk have the Luck Edge, GM might allow other character types in
allowing them to draw one additional their particular game at player request,
Benny per game session. even working them into the fabric of an
existing (or new) domain.
• Reduced Pace: Decrease Pace by 1
Check with your GM if you want to
and running die by one die type
play something other than one of the
(minimum d4).
races listed here. It never hurts to ask!
• Size –1: Smallfolk average only about
three and a half feet tall. Their small
size subtracts 1 from their Toughness.

30
31
32
 Chapter 2:
Rules of the Night

and sanity. NPC villains have access to

Setting Rules the Arcane Background (Black Magic)
Edge. See Chapter 5: Secrets of the
Ravenloft is known as the “Domain of Dread Realms for more information.
Dread” for good reason. It is a place of All characters with Arcane Background
beauty and horror side-by side, a place (Magic or Miracles) can use Prepared
where innocence shines through Powers and Ritual Magic (Fantasy
brightly—and can be brought low by the Companion 111-112). Other types of
foulest of darkness. The setting rules for casters do not have access to these
Ravenloft emphasize these themes, abilities.
making it a place where heroism can be
hard at the best of times, but where
victory is all the sweeter for overcoming Conviction
the challenges. Facing the horrors of the Mist requires
more than just courage—it requires
conviction, a deep-seated belief in one’s
Armor Interf eren ce own righteousness. Heroes who stand
Arcane energies interact poorly with against the dark can reach down into the
body-covering metal and similar depths of their own soul for the strength
protective garb. Characters with the needed to vanquish evil. Ravenloft
Arcane Background (Magic) Edge Reincarnated uses the Conviction Setting
subtract 4 from Spellcasting rolls when Rule (SWADE 136).
wearing any armor heavier than cloth, or When a group defeats a major evil—a
when carrying a shield. Characters with darklord, a servant of the Dark Powers,
Arcane Background (Psionics or Gifted) or the master of a sinkhole of evil rated 3
suffer this penalty to Psionics or Focus or higher—this should be grounds for the
rolls when wearing armor heavier than whole party to receive a point of
leather or carrying more than a light Conviction.
shield, and characters with Arcane
Background (Miracles) suffer the same
penalty to Faith rolls when wearing Diffic ult Healing
armor heavier than chain or carrying Wounds tend to linger in the Domains
more than a medium shield. of Dread, causing problems down the
Characters can offset these penalties line. Healers take their patient’s Wound
with the War Caster Edge. levels as a penalty to their skill roll
(whether mundane or magical healing).
Ars Arcanum This means that a character trying to heal
Practitioners of dark magic seem to be themselves suffers double the penalty.
able to draw on the power of the Mists Additionally, a healer has only one
directly to augment their magic, making it chance to heal a particular Wound. A
more powerful at the cost of their souls

33
 healer can attempt to heal any new Home Ground Advantage
Wounds as they occur, but further Darklords are dangerous foes at the
attempts don’t affect any Wounds they best of times. Confronting one in their
already failed to improve or any that are own lair is downright suicidal—but it may
over an hour old. Other characters can be the only way to put them down
attempt to heal those Wounds, but only permanently. The most powerful and
one chance per character. notorious darklords have lairs whose very
names strike terror into the hearts of
Domains of Dread mortals: Castle Ravenloft, Misericordia,
Each domain of Ravenloft is its own Degravo, Castle Avernus, Citadel
little world, suffused with the evil and Cavitius, and so on.
malevolence of its darklord. Every A darklord in their own lair—which
domain has its own peculiar quirks and must be a sinkhole of evil rated 3 or
laws that change the way reality itself higher—gains the Unstoppable monstrous
works. Most domains have a setting rule ability. In this context, a “lair” should be
or two of their own—which aren’t the darklord’s permanent home and no
generally revealed to the heroes until they larger than a castle, fortress, or manor. A
become relevant. darklord noted as having no permanent
Additionally, no force of mortal origin— lair or home does not gain this benefit.
magic, technology, or divine miracles
wielded by a mortal—can penetrate the Insular
borders of a domain if they are closed. The various domains of the Land of
Most forms of magic cannot penetrate Mists are largely isolated from one
even open domain borders due to the another. Even when they are part of the
metaphysical properties of the world. (So, same Cluster, the people of one domain
a person could walk across an open tend to regard their neighbors with
domain border with no problem, but a suspicion and ignorance.
wizard couldn’t teleport across to save In game terms, this means that
their life.) Common Knowledge checks take a
penalty based on whether or not a
Down time character is seeking information about his
Ravenloft Reincarnated uses the homeland or another domain. This
Downtime rules (Fantasy Companion 77- penalty ranges from –1 (different domain
78) for characters to pursue their in the same Cluster) to –4 (isolated Island
personal interests off-screen. Costs and of Terror).
values are changed from gold pieces to
silver pieces, as with any other cost Multiple Languages
conversion from the Fantasy Companion. Many languages are spoken across the
Land of Mists. Every character has the
Dynam ic Backlash equivalent of the Linguist Edge for free,
Arcane powers are unreliable at best— starting play knowing a number of
and dangerous at worst. Ravenloft languages equal to half their Smarts die
Reincarnated uses the Dynamic Backlash (including their native language).
Setting Rule (SWADE 138). Characters can learn additional
languages by taking the Languages skill or
the Linguist Edge normally. A character

34
who actually takes the Linguist Edge Players can trade cards at any time.
knows a number of languages equal to This must be a trade, however—you can’t
their Smarts (instead of half their Smarts). just give your cards away.
As noted in the Adventure Deck rules,
Power of the Tarot any card that lets you draw an extra card
The wandering folk of Ravenloft use also lets you play an extra card at no cost.
the cards of the Tarot deck (sometimes Any unused cards are discarded at the
called the tarokka) to foretell the future. end of the game session.
This is reflected by heroes having access
to the Adventure Deck. Realm of Terror
Shuffle the deck at the beginning of Ravenloft is a realm whose very nature
each game session and deal out one to is inextricably tied to fear and horror.
each player character for each of his The oppressive weight of terror can drive
Ranks. (A Seasoned hero gets two cards, even strong men mad.
for example, while a Legendary character Some places are more terrifying than
gets five.) others. Any place designated a “sinkhole
Each player keeps all of their cards but of evil” applies its rating as a penalty to
may play only one each game session. At Fear checks, from –1 to –5! This penalty
any time after playing a card, a player can is cumulative with the penalty some
spend a Benny to play another one. The monsters inflict for being particularly
player can do this as often as they have scary, and it adds to a character’s rolls on
cards and Bennies. the Fear Effects Table.
Most sinkholes of evil have a locus of
their power. This might be a location, a
person, a legend, or a monster. Defeating
this locus (whether through combat or
the careful spreading of tales of hope) can
reduce the Sinkhole’s rating by 1. If the
Sinkhole was rated 3 or higher, or if it is
reduced to 0, then this should be cause
for the group to receive Conviction (see
above).
The Dark Powers are constantly
watching for those who would fall to the
lure of darkness. Characters who engage
in evil or vile deeds can draw their
attention, becoming ever more corrupt
over time. Those who listen to the
whispers of evil can gain great power—at
the risk of being lost forever to the light.
See Corruption in Chapter 5: Secrets of
the Dread Realms for more information.
As a world built upon Gothic Horror
tropes and ideals, the Realm of Terror
uses the Environmental Phenomena and

35
 Signs and Portents Setting Rules (Horror the scene, or otherwise acting like a stock
Companion 41-42 and 46). Gothic antagonist.
Finally, Ravenloft Reincarnated uses Only Wild Card foes can use
the Expanded Fear Effects Setting Rule Villainous Conviction, and only those
(Horror Companion 43-44), including who might be considered the “boss” of an
the rules for sanity loss and recovery. adventure (or at least the right-hand
person of that boss).
Rules Updates A darklord gains one point of
Ravenloft Reincarnated uses the most Villainous Conviction at the start of a
current version of the Stunned, Bound, combat scene with the player characters,
and Entangled conditions, as listed in in addition to any points currently in the
SWADE v6.0, the Fantasy Companion, bank.
and the Horror Companion. The setting The Villainous Conviction bank
also uses the Desperate Attack maneuver, depletes by one point at the end of every
and the Limited Actions rule. Any power session, and it is emptied completely
or effect that uses a Cone Template can when a darklord is defeated or slain.
instead use the Stream Template.
Wards and Binds
Unarmored Hero One of the few advantages possessed by
Most places in the Realm of Terror are mortals in the Realm of Terror is that
advanced enough that firearms are many supernatural antagonists are
beginning to take the place of archers on vulnerable to incredibly mundane
the field of battle, mitigating the substances. This setting uses the Wards
usefulness of armor. Many domains have and Binds Setting Rule (Horror
been relatively at peace for decades or Companion 48-49).
even centuries, making armor
unappealing as an investment. Ravenloft
Reincarnated uses the Unarmored Hero
Setting Rule (SWADE 141).

Villa inous Conviction

Darklords and other major villains are
far more dangerous in the Domains of
Dread. Fate itself seems to conspire to
aid them at the worst possible times. In
addition to having a bank of Bennies for
use by NPCs, the GM has a bank of
Villainous Conviction.
Whenever a player character rolls a
Critical Failure, add 1 to the Villainous
Conviction bank. A villain can also add a
point of Villainous Conviction by leaving
a PC in a deathtrap rather than finishing
them off, explaining their villainous plan
in a dramatic monologue before fleeing

36
 large number of spoken and written
Skills in Ravenloft languages possible for characters to know.
Ravenloft uses the Multiple Languages
The skill list in Ravenloft is somewhat setting rule (SWADE 140). This means
different than in the core Savage Worlds that every character starts play with the
rules, due to things like electronics and Linguist Edge for free, allowing them to
computers not existing in the setting. speak a number of languages equal to
Removed Skills: The Driving, half their Smarts die (including their
Electronics, Gambling, Hacking, and native tongue).
Piloting skills are not available in a The following is a list of the common
Ravenloft Reincarnated campaign. languages of the major clusters of
Wagons and similar animal-drawn Ravenloft. Many more exist in the Islands
conveyances are controlled with the beyond, but characters do not necessarily
Riding skill. Gambling and other games know any of those tongues to begin with.
of skill and chance are covered by the
Common Knowledge skill.
Languages
Balok: This language is commonly
New Skill: Trade (Smarts) spoken in the Balinok Mountains
You have the skills needed for the day- Cluster. It is the language of the Barovian
to-day tasks of some relatively mundane ethnic group, which has spread
profession, such as farming, mining, or throughout the region. Balok has a harsh,
running a small business. Trade allows clipped sound that makes its speakers
you to raise funds (as the Performance sound rude or annoyed to most
skill) during Downtime. Finally, having foreigners.
the Trade skill can substitute for Darkonese: This is the national
Common Knowledge when it comes to language of Darkon, the language of the
the specifics of things related to your bureaucracy and government. It has no
trade. particular ethnic group associated with it,
Haggling: Trade is the skill used to and all Darkonians are expected to learn
haggle over prices when buying or selling this language regardless of any ethnic
valuables. If the GM is using the optional language bias. Indeed, most immigrants
Wealth system, a character can use Trade to Darkon give up their forebears’
in place of their Wealth score, if it would languages within a generation or two.
be better. Darkonese sounds fluid and fast to
outsiders but has an amazing level of
precision; a sentence in Darkonese
Languages of Ravenloft always means exactly what it says, making
it an excellent language for legalism and
The world of Ravenloft is a rich cultural magic, and a terrible language for poetry.
tapestry, full of numerous peoples, Faerie: The language brought by elves,
cultures, and nations. One of the dwarves, and gnomes to the mortal world
significant facets of the setting is that, when they were exiled ages ago, few now
unlike many fantasy worlds that attempt speak this language exclusively. Many of
to homogenize culture through the the fair folk only learn their “native”
introduction of a “common tongue” language as adults, due to local cultural
spoken by all peoples, Ravenloft has a bias and necessity. Faerie has a ringing,

37
 trilling sound to it, full of soft consonants fluent in many others. They rarely teach
and long vowels; as a tonal language, the it to outsiders, considering their distrust
tone of a word indicates its meaning as of those outside their own clans.
much as the pronunciation. Faerie is Vaasi: The language of the Vaasan
difficult to find precise meaning in, but ethnic group. Spoken across the Far
excels at poetic expression, song, and Steppes, as well as in eastern Darkon and
metaphor. Elves, dwarves, and gnomes parts of the Forest of Beasts, Vaasi is
each have their own dialect, each of nearly as ubiquitous as Mordentish. Vaasi
which differs from the original tongue is known for its harmonious vowel
significantly. sounds and sudden, sharp consonants.
Falkovnian: The national language of Minor Languages: Several other
Falkovnia, many other nations associate languages are spoken throughout the
this guttural, hard-edged language with Core, including Thaani (the language of a
conquest and war due to the frequent minor ethnic refugee group in Barovia),
conflicts with that country. The Rokuma (the language of the gold-
Falkovnian tendency to run words skinned sailors that sometimes come
together to gain more precise meaning from the far western oceans), Forfarian
makes the language useful for fields like (the nearly-extinct language of the Forlorn
engineering and science. Land), and Tepestani (the native language
Luktar: The other major language of Tepest, gradually being replaced by
spoken in Barovia, Luktar is also spoken Vaasi).
in Invidia. It is the native language of the There are also a number of “secret
Gundarakite ethnic group, whose languages” that are only spoken by
population was dispersed into those two members of certain societies or
countries after their government’s professions, such as Druidic (the lost
collapse. Luktar sounds enough like language of Forfarian druids), Draconic
Balok that a lot of outsiders can’t tell the (the so-called “language of dragons,” used
difference, but Luktar and Balok by mages to encode their arcane secrets),
speakers find the two languages mutually and Handtalk (a language used by the
unintelligible (and mutually grating). To deaf to communicate without speech, but
listeners with a good ear, Luktar has a also used by thieves to communicate
sing-song cadence and a slightly buzzing during heists).
pronunciation.
Mordentish: This is the language of the
Mordentish ethnic group, spoken in
Borca, Dementlieu, Mordent, and
Richemulot, the countries of the so-called
“Civilized Crescent.” While technically
two dialects (High Mordentish and Low
Mordentish), both are mutually
intelligible and primarily used as a
marker of social status. Mordentish is
known for its slightly slurred
pronunciations and clipped syllables.
Patterna: The mysterious wandering
folk sometimes known as the Vistani
speak this language, though they are also

38
 • Talisman: All miracle-users are
Edges and Hindrances assumed to have the Major version of
this Hindrance, but other characters
Some Edges and Hindrances have been can take it as well. See Chapter 4:
altered or removed in Ravenloft, as noted Magic of the Dread Realms for more
below. Additionally, many new Edges information.
and Hindrances are available for this
campaign setting.
Altere d and Prohibited Hindrances
from the Horror Companion
Altere d and Prohibited Hindrances • Amorous: Players and GMs should
have a frank discussion about the
from the Corebook implications of this Hindrance before
• Bloodthirsty: This Hindrance is permitting it to be taken.
inappropriate for heroic characters to
• Bullet Magnet: Despite the name, this
start with, but they still might gain it
Hindrance applies to arrows and
through corruption or madness.
thrown knives just as much as gunfire.
• Greedy (Major): Anyone who would
• Bully (Major): People who take such
kill for mere coin is likely to wind up
joy in making others’ lives miserable
a monster in the Land of Mists—and
aren’t destined to remain player
sooner rather than later.
characters for long in the Land of
• Vengeful (Major): Being willing to kill Mists. As a Major or Minor
over a slight is the mark of a villain, Hindrance, Bully acts as meeting the
not a hero. special requirement for the Menacing
Edge.
Altere d and Prohibited Hindrances • Corruption: Characters cannot take
from the Fantasy Companion this Hindrance in Ravenloft
• Amorous: Players and GMs should Reincarnated—because in a very real
have a frank discussion about the sense, everyone has it. See the Realm
implications of this Hindrance before of Terror Setting Rule.
permitting it to be taken. • Material Components: All magic-
• Armor Interference: This Hindrance users are assumed to have this
is a Setting Rule in Ravenloft Hindrance, and it is inappropriate for
Reincarnated. other arcane backgrounds. See
Chapter 4: Magic of the Dread
• Corruption: Characters cannot take
Realms for more information.
this Hindrance in Ravenloft
Reincarnated—because in a very real • Talisman: All miracle-users are
sense, everyone has it. See the Realm assumed to have the Major version of
of Terror Setting Rule. this Hindrance, but other characters
can take it as well. See Chapter 4:
• Material Components: All magic-
Magic of the Dread Realms for more
users are assumed to have this
information.
Hindrance, and it is inappropriate for
other arcane backgrounds. See • Victim: See the Trouble Magnet
Chapter 4: Magic of the Dread Hindrance for a different take on this
Realms for more information. trope.

39
 New Hindrances
Iron Allergy (Minor Hindrance)
You have fey heritage—not necessarily
Ailin g (Minor/Major Hindra nce) enough to possess their magic, but
Medicine is still rudimentary in many definitely enough to suffer from their
parts of the Land of Mists, and many greatest weakness: iron. Any weapon
chronic illnesses can cause life-long made of iron or steel inflicts +2 damage
suffering. Your character suffers from a against you.
chronic and at least so far incurable Additionally, if you suffer a wound
disease of some sort. The Minor version from such a weapon, any Healing rolls
of the Hindrance means you subtract 1 made on you in the “Golden Hour”
from any roll made to resist Fatigue from suffer a –2 penalty (including arcane skill
any source. Subtract 2 if it’s a Major rolls for the healing power).
Hindrance.
A Critical Failure on such a roll means
things are getting worse. If your hero has Lycanthropy (Major Hindra nce)
the Minor version, they get worse and You were bitten by a werewolf or other
their Hindrance becomes Major. If they lycanthrope capable of transmitting its
already have the Major version, the dread disease. You are infected—cursed—
Reaper comes calling. with a painful monthly transformation as
The good news is you gain an well as frequent, barely controllable rages.
immediate point of Conviction. The bad Three nights of the month (most likely
news is you choose when and how your the nights of the full moon or the new
hero dies during that session. They might moon), you transform into a rage-filled
go out in a blaze of glory or surrounded beast. If left to your own devices, you
by friends on a peaceful mountaintop. would rampage across the countryside,
When your character finally passes, the killing at whim. You can be locked up or
other player characters gain a point of chained, but this isn’t a certain method of
Conviction, drawing strength from the keeping you contained. During these
brave death of their stalwart companion. nights, replace your character sheet with
You can also buy off your Hindrance the werewolf (or other lycanthrope type)
by spending an Advance (two for the monster statistics (page 278).
Major version of the Hindrance). You The rest of the time, you still suffer
should work with the GM to figure out a from terrible rages. You have the Berserk
narrative reason for the improvement— Edge; when you go into a rage, you fight
treatment at a sanatorium, a miracle cure, with melee attacks preferentially and
a transfusion from a unique donor, or seem to partially transform into a
some other story-based explanation for monstrous hybrid. Anyone who has not
the character’s miraculous improvement. seen this transformation before must
make a Fear check.
Blig hted (Major Hindra nce)
A dark fate has hung over you for a Mania (Minor/Major)
long time—possibly since the moment The character has a serious mental
you were born. For each player character illness, such as a lack of empathy, bipolar
with the Blighted Hindrance, the GM tendencies, or psychopathic compulsions.
starts every session with one additional This incurs a –1 Persuasion penalty to
Benny! those who know of it, as well as

40
occasionally compelling the character to On the plus side, your soul is not as
unusual or self-destructive behavior. mired in the corruption and darkness of
A Minor Mania occurs infrequently or the world as a native, so you gain a +2
isn’t life threatening. A Major one is a bonus on Dark Powers checks.
full-time obsession with serious
consequences if caught or discovered. Trouble Magnet (Minor/Major
Hindra nce)
Marked (Minor Hindra nce) Things just don’t go smoothly for you.
You have been branded with an Anytime the GM must choose a “random
unusual mark or feature that is difficult to character” for a detrimental effect, it’s
hide. This mark can represent a prior or you.
current allegiance, a brand inflicted by a As a Major Hindrance, things are even
foe, or a destiny you cannot escape. worse. Whenever a group you are part of
Regardless of its origins, it can cause you draws a card for an encounter while
difficulty when seen by those who know traveling, the GM draws an extra card
of its meaning. Those who see it as an and picks the worse one.
evil omen start one Reaction level worse
to you and your allies, while those who
see it as salvation will hound you
incessantly with requests for aid.

Mist-Led (Minor Hindrance)

The sight of the Mists fills your heart
with dread, for you know how easy it is to
get lost within their foggy grasp. You
suffer a –2 penalty on Survival rolls to
navigate the Mists, as does any navigator
you travel with. You also suffer a –2
penalty on Survival rolls to follow tracks,
even when not in the Mists.

Outlander (Major Hindrance)

This is not your world. You remember
a world with blue skies, bright oceans,
and sunny days—not this Mist-shrouded
hellhole. Somehow, you have become
drawn to the Realm of Terror from
another world. You know virtually
nothing about the cultures, history, or
metaphysics of the Land of Mists. You’re
lucky to have even picked up one of the
local languages.
You suffer a –2 penalty on Common
Knowledge rolls related to the Land of
Mists, as well as a –2 penalty on Fear
tests. You speak your native language
and one local domain language only.

41
 Edges Altere d and Prohibited Edges from
the Horror Companion
Altere d and Prohibited Edges from • Arcane Backgrounds: None of the
new Arcane Background Edges are
the Corebook
permitted in Ravenloft Reincarnated,
• Ace: Powered vehicles are rare to
nor are any of their associated Edges
nonexistent in the Land of Mists. unless those Edges are listed in this
• Double Tap: Firearms with this level chapter.
of sophistication do not exist in the • Veteran of the Dark World: This
Land of Mists Edge’s Requirement is changed from
• Rock and Roll!: Automatic firearms Smarts d8+ to Spirit d8+.
do not exist in the Land of Mists.

Altere d and Prohibited Edges from Background Edges

the Fantasy Companion
• Arcane Backgrounds: None of the Arca ne Background
new Arcane Background Edges are All of the corebook Arcane
permitted in Ravenloft Reincarnated, Backgrounds (Gifted, Magic, Miracles,
nor are any of their associated Edges Psionics, and Weird Science) are
unless those Edges are listed in this available in Ravenloft Reincarnated.
chapter. The Wizard Edge is Many domains have particular attitudes
included and works as normal in this toward people with supernatural powers—
setting. particularly, the people of most domains
• Battle Magic: Large-scale battlefield fear magic-users and psychics, and some
magic is not appropriate for use in the domains permit open use of miracles
Land of Mists. only by those of the “correct” faith.
See Chapter 4: Magic of the Dread
• Blood Magic: Heroic characters such
Realms for more information about the
as the PCs cannot take this vile Edge,
way the various Arcane Backgrounds
but some practitioners of black magic
work in the Land of Mists.
will have it.
• Familiar: The Requirements for this
Edge are “Novice, Arcane Cat Eyes
Requirements: Human, Novice
Background (Magic).”
Some people, particularly from the
• Rapid Change: Characters suffering regions where great hunting cats are
from the scourge of lycanthropy common, are born with disturbing bile-
cannot embrace its power and remain yellow eyes. These folk are said to have
human in the Land of Mists. cat spirits in their ancestry, and they are
both feared and respected.
This character gains the Low Light
Vision special ability, allowing them to
ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
lighting. Additionally, he may
communicate with all feline animals as
though they shared a common language,

42
and gains +2 on Persuasion rolls with Rebor n
such animals. Requirements: Created, Novice
Some created are made of wood, or
Ghost Sight stone, or metal—but some are stitched-
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+ together corpses given “life” through
After a traumatic experience (possibly arcane science. These “reborn” are
one that occurred when the character was horrifying in appearance but have certain
so young that they don’t even remember benefits over those crafted from less-
it), this character gained the ability to see animate materials.
and speak with ghosts. A Reborn created can heal naturally,
Even when a ghost is in its normal and gains the Slow Regeneration ability
invisible state, this character can see them (allowing them to make a natural healing
as well as they can see the living. This can roll each day) as long as they have access
cause trouble, especially when dealing to basic sewing supplies, a healer’s kit, or
with ghosts that don’t realize they’re dead the like, as well as meat to consume so
or with ghosts who want to use the they can replenish lost mass. The meat
character to communicate with the living can be fresh or foul, human or animal,
or carry out tasks for them. but they need at least a pound per
Because of your character’s long Wound suffered.
exposure to ghosts, they gain a +2 bonus A skilled surgeon can also repair a
on Fear checks caused by ghosts. Even Reborn’s injuries, though they are limited
when they fail a Fear check from a by their understanding of the bizarre arts
ghostly source, they roll a d12 on the needed to craft such constructs. The
Fear Effects Table rather than a d20. created character with this Edge can be
repaired just as other created, even
Ironforged outside of the “Golden Hour,” but the
Requirements: Created, Novice, Strength character making the roll uses the lower
d6+, Vigor d6+ of their Healing or Repair skills.
Some created were built as servants or As a downside to these benefits, the
companions—but you were built for war. character suffers the Ugly (Major)
You are Size 1 (giving you +1 Toughness) Hindrance but gains no points for it. The
and gain +4 Armor from the incredibly character can still take Attractive and
durable materials of your creation. Due Very Attractive to offset this penalty,
to your heavier construction, your Pace is representing that special care was taken
reduced by 1 and your running die is with their assembly.
reduced by one die type (minimum d4). Special: This Edge can only be taken at
You cannot wear armor, and even character creation. You cannot also take
mundane clothing must be custom- the Ironforged Edge.
tailored for you at double the normal
price. Shadowbor n
Special: This Edge can only be taken at Requirements: Novice, Low-Light Vision
character creation. You cannot also take special ability
the Reborn Edge. You have the blood of the Shadow Fey
or a similar eldritch ancestry running
through your veins. Your Low-Light
Vision ignores all Illumination penalties,

43
 even those from Pitch Darkness and Oversized We apon Ma ster
magically created darkness. Requirements: Veteran, Strength d10+,
Athletics d8+, Fighting d8+
The character may use two-handed
Combat Edges melee weapons with one hand. They
must still meet the minimum Strength
Arrow Cloud requirement to use the weapon. When
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, wielding a two-handed weapon with both
Shooting d8+ hands, the character’s attacks gain +1
With proper training, a skilled archer Armor Piercing.
can fill the air with a veritable cloud of
arrows. You can use the Suppressive Fire Painkiller
action with bows; this action uses five Requirements: Novice
arrows, all of which are drawn as a free Your training emphasizes ways to not
action as part of the attack. just fight through the pain, but to let pain
be your ally in battle. When inflicting
Dart Cloud melee damage, you add your Wound
Requirements: Seasoned, Agility d8+, levels to the roll. (So, if you had three
Athletics d8+ Wounds, for example, you would add +3
You can throw a large number of small to your melee damage rolls.)
weapons in one quick motion, filling the
air with deadly steel. A character with this Quick Draw
Edge can use the Suppressive Fire action Requirements: Novice, Agility d8+
with small thrown weapons, such as darts Whether you are a traditional duelist or
or throwing knives. This attack uses three one of the new “gunfighters” that have
“shots,” all of which are drawn as a free sprung up in some domains, you focus
action as part of the attack. on speed—especially at the start of a fight.
You draw two cards when spending a
Mi ghty Hurl Benny for an additional Action Card at
Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d8+, the beginning of a round. You may
Vigor d6+, Athletics d8+ choose your final Action Card from
Your hero is able to throw weapons among any of your available choices,
much further than normal. You can use including additional draws from Level
thrown weapons at Extreme Range. Headed, Quick, and the like.
When you do so, you suffer only a –6 You also add +2 to Athletics rolls made
penalty (rather than the usual –8). to interrupt actions and to resist being
Additionally, when you use a thrown interrupted yourself.
weapon on a target at Short Range,
increase the weapon’s damage die by one Rapid Reload
size (so a thrown dagger would deal Requirements: Novice, Shooting d6+
Str+d6, for example). The weapon’s The warrior reduces the Reload value
damage die is still limited by your of a ranged weapon by 1. (This stacks
Strength as usual. with the Musketeer Edge for black
powder weapons.) Weapons with Reload
1 may be reloaded as a free action with
this Edge.

44
 A character with this Edge may use demons that would seek to tempt and
Rapid Fire with a weapon if its Reload devour humans.
value has been reduced to a free action. You immediately learn the banish and
light/darkness powers, ignoring Rank
Wolf Pack requirements, if you did not previously
Requirements: Novice, Strength d6+, know them. (If you already knew these
Athletics d6+, Fighting d6+ powers, select two others from your
While firearms are beginning to take normal list instead.) You reduce the base
their place on the battlefield, the most Power Point cost of both powers by 1.
common formation for large groups of Additionally, you ignore the visibility
soldiers is still massed troops in close penalty from your own casting of
formations. You add your Gang Up darkness. The darkness you create has
bonus to damage rolls as well as to the Trapping of being impenetrable fog.
Fighting rolls.
Destroy Undead
Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane
Power Edges Background (Miracles), Faith d6+
The undead are abominations to the
followers of most decent faiths, and those
Arca ne Focus of more corrupt cults regard uncontrolled
Requirements: Novice, Arcane
undead as enemies to be wiped out.
Background (Magic), Occult d6+,
As a limited action, this character can
Spellcasting d8+
spend Power Points to channel positive
Sorcerers often craft physical
energy in a Large Blast Template
implements to aid them in channeling
centered on themselves. Every undead
their mystical powers. These traditionally
creature in the template takes 2d6
take the form of a wand, staff, crystal ball,
damage at the cost of 1 Power Point, or
ritual dagger, or the like. If you have the
3d6 damage for 2 Power Points.
arcane focus in hand, you get one free
reroll when you fail a Spellcasting roll.
The hand you hold your focus in counts Druid
as being “free” for purposes of casting Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane
spells. Background (Miracles), Faith d6+,
Should your focus be lost or destroyed, Survival d6+, must know the shape
you can replace it by spending a week or change power
so in dedicated work (i.e., a Downtime You are an initiate in a secretive
action) and spending 50 gp per your religion that worships the forces of
character Rank in raw materials. nature. You gain a +2 bonus on Faith
rolls made to affect plants or animals
(including shape changers using the form
Chosen of Ezra of animals) with your powers.
Requirements: Novice, Arcane
Additionally, you can speak and cast
Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+, Faith
powers (at a –2 penalty) while in a form
d6+, Occult d6+
that wouldn’t usually allow it.
The priests of the goddess Ezra are
Finally, you gain the skill Language
frequently trained in mystical ways to
(Druidic) d6 for free.
repulse and destroy unholy beasts from
the Mists, lost spirits and wayward

45
 Herald of the Dawn Additionally, the Iron Lord gains +2 to
Requirements: Novice, Arcane resist Fear and Intimidation, whether
Background (Miracles), Spirit d8+, Faith mundane or magical, and subtracts 2
d6+, Performance d6+, must know the from rolls on the Fear Effects Table.
light/darkness power
The priests of the Morninglord are Kinetic
some of the staunchest foes of evil in the Requirements: Novice, Spirit d8+,
Land of Mists, and their elite are the Arcane Background (Psionics), Psionics
Heralds of the Dawn, wandering d8+, must know a damage-inflicting
messengers and musicians who are also power
noted vampire hunters. You are a kinetic, a person with the
When a Herald of the Dawn casts the ability to supercharge the physical
light power (but not darkness), they damage inflicted by their psychic abilities.
reduce the final cost of the power by 1 When you cast a power that deals
Power Point (minimum 0), and the base damage (such as bolt, burst, or blast), that
Duration of the power is 1 hour. power deals +2 damage.
Additionally, any damage-dealing
powers with the Light Trapping cast by Merciful Blessing
the character inflict +4 damage against Requirements: Novice, Arcane
vampires and similar enemies with Background (Miracles), Faith d8+
vulnerability to sunlight. Many faiths have a tradition of healing
The Herald also gains the following and compassion that makes them
new Power Modifier option for light: welcome across the Dread Realms. As an
• Sunlight (+3): The illumination from action, the character can spend 1 Power
this power counts as natural sunlight Point and target another character within
for the duration of the power. Reduce a Range equal to their Spirit,
the base Duration of the power to 5 automatically removing one of the
rounds. following status conditions: Distracted,
Shaken, or Vulnerable.
Iron Lord
Requirements: Arcane Background Necro mancer
(Miracles), Spirit d8+, Faith d6+, Requirements: Novice, Arcane
Intimidation d6+, must know the fear Background (Magic), Spirit d8+, Occult
power d6+, Spellcasting d8+
Priests of the Lawgiver are tyrants who Necromancers are steeped in the lore
rule through fear and steely discipline. and rituals of death. They are particularly
They master their own terror so that they adept at raising the dead and forcing
can more effectively lord that emotion them to serve their foul requests. While
over others. A character with this Edge most heroes should avoid such vile
gains +2 on Intimidation checks and sorcery, few can deny its efficiency.
Faith rolls to cast the fear power. Wild You immediately learn the fear and
Cards who fail to resist this character’s zombie powers, ignoring Rank
casting of fear add +2 to their Fear Effects requirements, if you did not previously
Table result (or +4 if the power was cast know those powers. (If you already knew
with a raise!). these powers, select two others from your
normal list instead.)

46
 Additionally, undead creatures you known spells. You may cast that spell
create with the zombie power gain the normally until the next time you rest to
Resilient monstrous special ability. regain Power Points.
If your spellbook is lost or destroyed,
Scan you lose the benefits of this Edge until
Requirements: Novice, Arcane you replace it. Replacing a spellbook
Background (Psionics), Psionics d6+, takes one week of dedicated work (i.e., a
must know the mind reading power Downtime action) and raw materials
The psychic opens their mind to the worth roughly 50 gp per your character
surface thoughts of all those in Range, Rank.
whether they can see them or not. This
can be a handy tool if trying to identify a Tower of Will
hidden enemy, detecting the location of a Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane
bound or hapless victim, detecting the Background (Psionics), Smarts d8+,
leader of a mob, or even quickly Psionics d8+
navigating the best route through a crowd. The psychic has trained their mind to
Instead of reading a single mind with resist mental intrusions. They add +4 to
mind reading, the investigator can scan all any roll made to oppose, resist, or
minds in twice the Range (and can recover from mental intrusions such as
double the distance again with the generic mind reading, mind wipe, puppet, or
Range Power Modifier). similar monstrous abilities.
The caster senses only surface thoughts This stacks with all other bonuses and
when using the power, and with a raise penalties to resist such effects.
tells the caster which thought is associated
with each subject. Wholeness of Body
If a darklord or other entity of Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane
immense evil is within Range when the Background (Gifted), Fighting d6+, Focus
psychic uses this ability, they must make d6+
an immediate Fear check against the Some mystic martial artists can channel
horrifying revelation that comes from their spiritual power to ward off harm.
touching such a corrupt mind! You may spend 2 Power Points to make
a Soak roll instead of spending a Benny.
Spellbook This does not count as spending a
Requirements: Seasoned, Arcane Benny.
Background (Magic), Occult d6+,
Spellcasting d6+ Witch of Hala
Sorcerers from formal schools often Requirements: Novice, Arcane
record their lore in personalized tomes of Background (Magic), Spirit d6+, Healing
eldritch knowledge. These spellbooks d6+, Spellcasting d8+
make their user far more versatile, as they Straddling the line between priests and
allow a sorcerer to draw upon the mages, the witches of Hala are servants of
accumulated wisdom of their tradition the mysterious goddess of magic and
when casting a spell. healing. In lands where they are accepted,
If you have access to your spellbook, they wear the serpent ring or ouroboros
you may spend a Benny to add any spell medallion of their faith; in less friendly
from the Magic powers list to your list of

47
 domains, they help from the shadows, Chapter 3: Gear and Equipment for
healing the sick and aiding the lost. more information on alchemical items.)
You immediately learn the The character can also craft potions,
detect/conceal arcana and healing elixirs, and similar consumable arcane
powers, ignoring Rank requirements, if devices using the normal Downtime
you did not previously know those rules, even without an Arcane
powers. (If you already knew these Background.
powers, select two others from your
normal list instead.) Cavalry
You count as having the Arcane Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+,
Background (Miracles) Edge and a Faith Riding d6+
skill equal to your Spellcasting skill for You almost seem as though you were
the purpose of Edge Requirements. You born in the saddle. You ignore up to 2
can select miracles from the Nature points of penalties on Riding rolls, and
Domain as though they were magic-user you may spend Bennies to Soak for your
spells. mount, using Riding instead of Vigor.
Each success and raise negates a Wound.
War Caster
Requirements: Seasoned, Strength d6+, Gamb ler
Vigor d6+, Arcane Background, Soldier, Requirements: Seasoned, Common
Fighting d6+, arcane skill d6+ Knowledge d6+, Notice d6+
While most casters have great difficulty You have a knack for odds, wagers, and
channeling their powers while wearing when to call a bluff. You can use
armor, you are equal parts soldier and Common Knowledge to raise funds (as
sorcerer. You ignore the Armor per the Performance skill), and you gain a
Interference Setting Rule. Additionally, +2 bonus on the roll when doing so. This
you are treated as having a free hand for bonus also applies whenever you use the
casting as long as at least one of your Common Knowledge skill to play a game
hands is used to hold a melee weapon. of skill or chance, such as cards or dice.
Special: If your GM is using the
optional Wealth rules, when you make a
Professional Edges Wealth check to make a purchase, you
may choose to gamble before making the
Alchemist roll. If you do so, roll 1d4-2 and apply
Requirements: Novice, Occult d6+, the resulting total to your Wealth check.
Science d6+ If your Wealth check fails and your
Science is not an exact science in the Wealth die shows a 1 (or if you roll a
Land of Mists. Alchemists are semi- Critical Failure), reduce your Wealth die
mystical scientists who study the physical by one step until the next time you would
laws of the world and utilize them to receive a Reward, at which time your
produce wondrous but not technically Wealth die returns to normal without
magical effects. gaining the Reward. While your Wealth
A character with this Edge can use die is reduced from this effect, you
Downtime actions to create alchemical cannot gamble on further Wealth checks.
items, firearm ammunition, poisons, and
similar devices and substances. (See

48
Musketeer Weird Edges
Requirements: Novice, Agility d6+,
Fighting d6+, Shooting d8+
Firearms are a relatively new addition Destiny’ s Child
Requirements: Novice
to the world of combat, but some
You are favored by the higher powers
characters have already mastered the art
of the universe—a true Major Arcana in
of the quick reload.
the tarot deck of fate. Each game session,
A character with this Edge reduces the
you may draw and play an additional
Reload rating of a black powder weapon
Adventure Card.
by 1. (This stacks with the Rapid Reload
Edge, to a minimum of Reload 1.)
Additionally, the character suffers no Fortune Teller
Shooting penalties when using a firearm Requirements: Seasoned, Spirit d6+,
with a fixed bayonet, and no Fighting Occult d6+
penalties when using a firearm as an Some folk in the Land of Mists can
improvised melee weapon. divine the future through seemingly
mundane means, such as with tarot cards
or casting bones. In times of crisis, such
fortune tellers can alter the skein of fate
to interfere with their foes.
Once a foe (or group of foes on the
same Action Card) has chosen their
Action Card (after accounting for all
Edges, Hindrances, and special abilities),
the character can spend a Benny to force
that foe to discard their Action Card and
draw again. If the new Action Card is a
Joker, the character gets their Benny
back.

49
 A character with this Edge cannot use it An Archmage’s powers cannot be
to force a foe to redraw a Joker. disrupted by being Stunned or
Wounded. Additionally, when the
Gutsy character is Bound, they may still cast
Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+ spells at a –4 penalty to the Spellcasting
A hero with this Edge has learned to roll.
steel themselves against the horrors that
stalk the night. They gain a free reroll Champ ion of Dread
when making Fear checks, and they Requirements: Legendary, Spirit d10+,
reduce the Fear penalty from sinkholes of Gutsy
evil by their Rank (so 1 at Novice, 2 at Terror is for lesser people. What some
Seasoned, and so on), to a minimum of call Hell, you call home. You ignore
0. penalties from Sinkholes of Evil and
creature abilities when making Fear
Venom Drinker checks.
Requirements: Novice, Vigor d8+ Additionally, when you fail a Fear
You have been exposed to trace check, you may move your result on the
amounts of poison regularly for much of Fear Effects Table up or down one
your life, making you highly resistant to category. You never suffer permanent
poisons and venoms. You gain a +4 phobias or insanity from a roll on the
bonus on Vigor rolls to resist the effects Fear Effects Table; any such penalties
of poison. disappear after a night’s rest, though you
Additionally, if you fail a Vigor roll suffer a level of Fatigue the next day due
against Lethal poison, you may spend a to spiritual malaise.
Benny to become Incapacitated instead.
If you survive the subsequent Crushing Blow
Incapacitation roll, you fall into a death- Requirements: Legendary, Strength d10+,
like coma for 1d6 days; only a Healing Fighting d10+
check during this time can determine if Your blows are strong enough to crush
you are alive or dead. When you wake bone and shred sinew. When you make
up, you do not have any additional an attack with a two-handed weapon, you
Wounds, but you are Exhausted; this gain AP 2 (which stacks with any AP
condition recovers with rest normally. from the weapon itself). Additionally, you
inflict +1d10 damage on a raise with two-
handed close combat attacks instead of
Legendary Edges the usual +1d6

Archm age Hand of Doom

Requirements: Legendary, Smarts d10+, Requirements: Legendary, Trademark
Spirit d8+, Arcane Background (Magic), Weapon, Athletics, Fighting, or Shooting
Concentration, New Power, Occult d10+, d10+
Spellcasting d12+ Some weapons take on the legendary
Only the most powerful wizards can status of their wielders, becoming
hope to aspire to the lofty heights of the powerful relics in their own right. This
archmage, the undisputed masters of the character’s legend has become so
arcane.

50
powerful that their favored weapon shares Lord of Death
their indomitable soul. Requirements: Legendary, Smarts d8+,
Choose a weapon to which the player Spirit d10+, Arcane Background (Magic),
has applied the Trademark Weapon Necromancer, Occult d8+, Spellcasting
Edge. That weapon becomes a relic, d10+, must know the zombie power
infused with magic and incredible power. The most powerful necromancers are
The weapon’s base damage gains an extra veritable lords of the dead, masters of a
die (so a sword normally dealing Str+d8 kingdom of graves. Any zombie raised by
would instead deal Str+2d8, while a pistol this character improves its Strength and
inflicting 2d6+1 would increase to Fighting by one die type, as well as
3d6+1). gaining the Very Resilient monstrous
This Edge applies to the weapon, not to special ability.
the character. If the relic is lost or stolen, Additionally, when you make a zombie
the benefits go with the weapon. permanent with the appropriate Power
At the GM’s discretion, a relic weapon Modifier, it “locks” only 1 Power Point
may gain an additional unique power, per zombie instead of the full cost you
such as returning to the wielder’s hand paid to create them.
when dropped or glowing white in the Special: When you take this Edge, you
presence of vampires. automatically fail a Dark Powers check if
your corruption rating is 3 or lower.
Lightbringer
Requirements: Legendary, Spirit d10+,
Vigor d8+
The rarest of heroes in service to the
forces of good may experience a sort of
ascension, becoming a veritable living
angel.
Lightbringers no longer age and are
restored to the physical peak of their
youth. They are immune to poison and
disease, and they no longer need to eat,
drink, or breathe.
A Lightbringer can only die from
intentional harm, not from accident,
happenstance, or environmental
conditions, though those hazards can
incapacitate the character for long
durations if he remains in such
circumstances. Should they be “killed” in
such a fashion, they appear dead until
their wounds heal.
Even physical harm has difficulty
keeping a Lightbringer down, as the
character gains Slow Regeneration,
allowing them to make a natural healing
roll once per day.

51
 Mindbender When fighting a larger force in a Mass
Requirements: Legendary, Spirit d10+, Battle, the opposing force halves their
Arcane Background (Psionics), Force Bonus (round down). You are
Persuasion d8+, Psionics d10+, must always considered to have at least a +1
know the puppet power Tactical Advantage modifier due to your
You are a master of the human mind— superior tactics. Additionally, you reduce
controlling it, dominating it, twisting it. any Morale penalties by 2 points if you
When you use the puppet power, its base have to make a Morale check.
Duration is 1 hour, and you may apply
the Mind Rider power modifier at no Unbreakable
additional cost. Requirements: Legendary, Spirit d8+,
Vigor d10+, Harder to Kill, Improved
Tactical Genius Nerves of Steel
Requirements: Legendary, Smarts d8+, You just won’t stop fighting, no matter
Battle d10+, Fighting d8+ the odds. You gain a free reroll on Soak
You are a commander without equal in rolls. Additionally, you ignore all Wound
the world. An army under your penalties.
command can turn the tide against far
larger forces with ease and crush smaller
armies without breaking a sweat.

52
53
54
 Chapter 3:
Gea r and Equipment

The cultures in Ravenloft vary in their Civilized Crescent within the last century
level of technological development and or so. Even ammunition is scarce for
cultural advancement, and these advances such weapons in many regions.
are often inconsistent when compared to
other worlds. A given domain might well Armor
have steam engines but not gunpowder, Armor is a contentious issue in many
or advanced metallurgy and chemistry lands of Ravenloft. While it still has its
with no understanding of physics. Iron place on the battlefield, most nations
and steel weapons are common in most abhor it in civilized circumstances. Unless
places, though a few rare domains are the armor is particularly subtle, it tends to
stuck in something like the Bronze Age. draw derision and disdain from the
Money is also a complicated affair in “better” sort of people.
the Land of Mists. Most domains are Consider that any character wearing
advanced enough to use money for armor suffers a penalty on Persuasion
transactions rather than barter, but the rolls equal to half his Armor bonus
denominations and types vary from (round down) when dealing with high-
nation to nation. class individuals. People from the lower
For the sake of simplicity, all prices are classes are generally used to someone
listed in silver pieces, the common coin wearing armor being able to do as they
of most lands. Individual domain like, so this penalty doesn’t usually apply
descriptions will discuss the ways their to them.
monetary system varies, including coinage
of other precious metals (such as copper,
gold, or platinum), the shapes and Special Materials
appearances of those coins, and their Among monster hunters, it is well
relative value to one another. known that some beasts are highly
Because of the variation in resistant to mundane steel or iron
technological level and coinage from weapons. Silver, gold, or more exotic
place to place (including some regions materials still might be required to put
that only use the barter system rather down a supernatural creature. While few
than actual minted money), the prices smiths openly offer to forge bullets or
listed in this section can vary wildly. coat swords in silver, the right price can
Some equipment might not even be pay for any number of eccentric requests.
available at any price without going Generally speaking, if a smith with the
through the black market or foreign required expertise can be found to make
traders. a weapon out of an unusual or valuable
Firearms are particularly rare in many material it multiplies the base price of the
domains, having only begun development weapon, depending on the exact item in
in the alchemy laboratories of the question. Silver weapons usually run five

55
 times the weapon’s base price, while a harmed by a given material, local
weapon made from gold might cost ten merchants’ and craftsmen’s unwillingness
times as much. Weapons made from soft to traffic in such goods would certainly
metals like silver and gold subtract 1 from justify a –4 penalty.
their AP value (if any).
Cold iron is another common request Encum brance and Significant
for monster hunters. The difficulty
involved in working it makes it cost twice Item s
as much as normal. Since cold iron has Rather than listing exact weights for
not been heated in a forge before equipment, Ravenloft Reincarnated offers
working it, it contains no carbon and is an optional system for tracking loads and
thus very brittle. encumbrance. Every character has a gear
Weapons made from special materials carrying limit equal to their Strength die;
tend to be less durable and more so, a character with Strength d6 would
vulnerable to destruction than weapons have a gear limit of 6, for example. This
made from reliable steel, bronze, or represents the number of “significant
worked iron. As such, a weapon made items” a character can have on their
from special materials is broken on a person at one time.
Critical Failure unless it is also enchanted Most useful items count as one
in some fashion. significant item—weapons, light to
medium armor, and so on. Particularly
light or concealable items count as ½ of
Wealth an item (allowing the character to hold
In most domains, the Land of Mists is two of them in a single “slot”), while
just beginning to develop concepts like extremely light or minor valuables count
credit, speculation, and the like. Still, an as ¼ of an item and very heavy objects
action-horror setting isn’t exactly a perfect count as 2 significant items.
place for characters who obsess over It is generally assumed that every
looting downed foes or have to keep character has a rucksack, belt pouches, or
track of every silver piece of expenses— some other method of organizing their
especially in a world where every nation gear. If a character is somehow stripped
has its own coinage and accepted rates of of all their carrying gear, their gear limit is
trade. halved.
With that in mind, Ravenloft Coins: Every character starts with a coin
Reincarnated encourages the use of the purse or similar container. This purse
optional Wealth system (SWADE 145). can hold 100 coins of any denomination
Each domain will suggest its level of as a single gear item. Loose coins
technological development, trading crammed into backpacks and the like
partners, and general wealth, which the have a similar encumbrance—100 coins is
GM can use as a guideline to help 1 weight.
determine what goods and services will be Edges: Some Edges, such as Brawny
available in a given locale. and Soldier, allow a character to treat
Finding a weapon made of special their Strength as though it were higher for
materials (see above) or having one made purposes of Encumbrance. This works as
causes a Wealth roll to suffer at least a –2 normal for this optional system. A
penalty, and up to –4 for some items. In character with Strength d8 and Brawny,
general, if a domain’s darklord would be for example, would treat their Strength as

56
d10 for encumbrance purposes, allowing weird scientist, per the Arcane
them to carry ten significant items. Background), these items can also be
found in the possession of enemies or
Magic Item s and Treasure monsters, and in ancient tombs, having
As mentioned above, action-horror lost none of their potency with the
settings tend to downplay the importance passing of years. For campaigns that
of gear, and Gothic settings in particular utilize “random treasure,” these minor
tend to depict their heroes as either magic items are good choices as they
upper class (or at least upper-middle offer both additional capability and
class) individuals with little need for strategic choices to players.
employment or wandering vagabonds More powerful permanent items
perpetually on the edge of hunger and should never be given out as random
desperation. treasure. These objects offer too much
Despite these two extremes, there is utility and strength to be found on a
one area in which the importance of gear whim—not to mention that any enemy
can become apparent: magic items. The aware of what he possesses will certainly
original Ravenloft setting was a Dungeons use his “treasure” against the heroes. A
& Dragons world, with the attendant permanent magic item might give a +1 or
assumptions about +1 swords and the +2 bonus to its primary use (so to
like. The later incarnations of the world Fighting and damage rolls for a sword,
have downplayed this treasure Shooting and damage for bows, Stealth
dependency, but the Land of Mists for a cloak of shadows, and so on). Such
remans a magical world at heart—albeit items might also grant some minor
dark and chaotic magic nestled within a bonus, such as a flaming sword dealing
rotten black heart. fire damage and having a chance to set
Magic treasure can generally be divided enemies aflame.
into three categories: temporary items Relics can be the focus of an entire
(the traditional fantasy potions, scrolls, adventure, either in the hands of a
wands, and the like), permanent magic dreadful foe or as a quest for the heroes
items (enchanted swords and armor, to acquire or destroy them. Some relics
cloaks of invisibility, and so on), and are essentially indestructible, forcing the
relics (artifacts of immense power, usually heroes to search for a means of sealing
touched by the Dark Powers). them away forever. Regardless of the
While player characters and NPCs can reasons, a relic should always take center
craft temporary magic items through the stage in a story in which it appears.
use of the Artificer Edge (or by being a

57
 Commo n Gear
Item Cost (sp) Wt Notes
Alchemy kit 500 2 —
Backpack 50 — Adds +1 to a character’s Encumbrance
Bedroll 25 1 —
Blanket 10 ½ —
Candle 1 — One hour of light (2” radius), 20 candles have a weight of 1
Chain (10 feet) 10 1 Hardness 8
Climbing kit 100 — —
Clothing, common 20 1 No weight if worn
Clothing, formal 200 1 No weight if worn
Clothing, winter 200 1 No weight if worn
Disguise kit 200 1 —
Healing kit 10 1 Three uses
Firestarting kit 5 ¼ —
Fishing kit 50 1 —
Gaming set 50 ½ —
Gun belt 20 ¼ Includes holster and ammo belt
Lantern 25 ½ Four hours of light (4” radius), uses oil
Lockpick kit 200 1 —
Lock, normal 25 ¼ —
Lock, fine 50 ¼ —
Manacles 25 ½ Hardness 12
Mess kit 20 ½ —
Musical instrument 100 1 —
Oil (1 pint) 2 ¼ —
Quiver 10 — —
Pocket watch 100 ¼ —
Spectacles 100 — —
Surgery kit 100 1 Five uses, +1 to Healing skill rolls (refill cost 25)
Survival kit 200 1 —
Tool kit 200 1 —
Torch 5 — One hour of light (4” radius), 10 torches have a weight of 1
Trail rations (five days) 10 1 —
Writing set 50 1 —

Animal s and Vehicles Food and Lodging

Item Cost (sp) Notes Item Cost (sp)
Barding, leather 150 Weight 1 Meal, common 1
Barding, chain 500 Weight 2 Meal, fine 5
Barding, plate 1,500 Weight 4 Inn, common room 1/night
Carriage 500 — Inn, shared room 10/night
Cart 50 — Inn, private room 25/night
Dog, Trained 300 —
Horse, Draft 250 —
Horse, Riding 500 —
Horse, War 750 —
Mule 100 —
Rowboat 50 —
Saddle 50 —
Saddlebags 25 Allows the animal to carry its
Strength in significant items
Wagon 100 —

58
59
 Gear Descriptions Clothing, Common: This is the sort of
Alchemy Kit: This padded wooden box clothing an average person would wear in
contains the glassware, heating elements, a given region. It typically includes a
and mixing tools necessary to make tunic, trousers or a skirt, soft leather
alchemical items and poisons. shoes, hosiery, and a cap of some sort.
Backpack: This is the standard method Clothing, Fine: This is a well-made
adventurers use to carry around their outfit of quality cotton, fine wool, or silk,
worldly possessions. A sturdy leather dyed in the currently fashionable colors
backpack is water-resistant, as well as of the region. It’s not something to wear
having several pockets and hooks for into a dungeon, but high-class people
holding additional gear. While all won’t take an adventurer seriously unless
adventurers have some way to carry their they’re wearing something at least this
possessions, a good backpack improves nice. Actually blending into high society
carrying capacity by distributing weight also requires 500 or more silver pieces in
evenly. jewelry, various accessories, and probably
Barding: Armor for horses. Leather some servants.
barding grants +2 Armor, chain grants +3, Clothing, Winter: Heavy furs, layered
and plate grants +4. Barding covers a cloaks, and down-lined jackets are
horse’s body and head, but their legs are necessary survival tools for truly frigid
still exposed. climes. Wearing such clothing grants a
Candles: Wax or tallow candles are a free reroll on Vigor rolls to avoid cold-
cheap way to produce light. They shed based environmental hazards. It also
normal light in a 2” radius for one hour. counts as cloth armor (+1 Armor).
Carriage: This enclosed vehicle is Disguise Kit: This small case contains
designed for comfort on journeys. It makeup, applicators, hair dye, and even
requires at least four horses to pull it, and some wigs for a quick change. Using a
it can carry six passengers plus the driver disguise kit grants a free reroll on
quite comfortably. It can also pack twice Performance checks made to disguise a
the encumbrance rating of its animal type character. The character making the roll
onto the roof as luggage. ignores up to 2 points of penalties.
Cart: This small, two-wheeled vehicle Firestarting Kit: This small wooden box
can be pulled by a single mule or draft contains flint and steel, tinder, and other
horse. Two people can ride in it bits and bobs needed to quickly start a
(uncomfortably), or it can be used to fire. A character using this kit can light a
carry gear and supplies. A cart triples an lantern, torch, or candle as an action, or
animal’s encumbrance rating. start a campfire in less than a minute,
Chain: A length of chain can be very with no check required.
useful to bind people or secure objects. A Fishing Kit: This study carrying case
length of chain is Hardness 8. contains fishing line, hooks, weights, and
Climbing Kit: This bundle contains 50 a collapsible pole. A character with access
feet of lightweight rope, a grappling hook, to a body of water such as a river or lake
pitons, and other miscellaneous climbing gains a +1 bonus on Survival rolls to
equipment. A character who uses this kit gather food.
gains a free reroll on Athletics (climbing) Gaming Set: This is a complete set of
rolls and ignores up to 2 points of pieces and accessories needed to play a
penalties. game or related set of games, such as a
board game, card game, or dice game.

60
Common games across the Land of Mists food—though the lack of spices means it
include faro (a card game played with a won’t be gourmet fare.
tarokka deck), chess (a board game with Mule: The humble mule is the
pieces representing nobles and warriors), preferred mount for poor farmers, and it
and backgammon (a board game using can pull a cart quite easily. Expect some
dice and checkers), and chuck-a-luck (a attitude problems, though.
dice game of chance). Musical Instrument: A well-made
Healing Kit: This leather bag holds musical instrument can be quite pricy.
clean bandages, pouches of herbal Common instruments across the Land of
remedies, needles and thread, and other Mists include woodwinds like the flute
basic first aid items. Without a healing and recorder, stringed instruments such
kit, a character suffers a –2 penalty on as the harp, lyre, and violin, and drums of
Healing rolls to perform first aid and all sorts.
prevent bleeding out. Oil: A single flask of lantern oil can
Horses: A riding horse is a significant keep the lights on for several hours.
investment in most regions, since they Some alchemical devices also use this
require higher-quality food and can’t refined oil as fuel.
perform heavy labor. Draft horses are Quiver: A quiver allows a character to
suitable for pulling wagons and carts; they carry up to 20 arrows or bolts as a single
are too slow to make good riding animals, item of encumbrance.
and their broad backs are uncomfortable Saddle: A character without a saddle
for riders. War horses are well-trained for suffers a –2 penalty on Riding rolls to
combat, as well as being swift and steady, control their mount.
but their pedigree and training makes Saddlebags: Like a backpack for a
them expensive. horse or mule. Using these heavy leather
Lantern: A lantern sheds light in a 4” bags allows a mount to use its
radius for 4 hours, using one flask of oil. encumbrance rating for carrying
Lockpick Kit: No thief should be additional gear.
without this set of picks, tension bars, and Survival Kit: This bulky bundle
similar small tools. Without proper includes a one-person tent, a sleeping
lockpicks, Thievery rolls to pick locks bag, a blanket, a fire-starter, a small tarp
and disarm traps suffer a –2 penalty. for water collection, the elements of a
Locks: A lock is needed to secure a small animal trap, and other useful items.
chest, chain, or pair of manacles. Normal A character lacking this basic gear risks
locks are Hardness 8; fine locks are exposure when traveling in the
Hardness 9 and inflict a –2 penalty on wilderness. This item includes a
Thievery rolls to open them. firestarter kit at no additional cost or
Manacles: These heavy metal handcuffs encumbrance.
are useful for securing a prisoner. They Tool Kit: This heavy collection of
need a lock to function properly. A pair hammers, screwdrivers, saws, and other
of manacles are Hardness 12. necessary tools allows a character to
Mess Kit: This tightly-packed box make repairs to gear as well as building
includes a plate and bowl, eating utensils, simple objects. A character lacking a tool
a fire-starter, and a small iron kettle. The kit suffers a –2 penalty on Repair rolls,
kit contains everything an adventurer and may be simply unable to perform
needs to turn raw supplies into finished more complex repairs.

61
 Torch: A wooden dowel tipped in instead be used to carry goods and
pitch, torches are a low-tech method of supplies up to eight times the
producing light. A torch sheds smoky, encumbrance rating of the type of animal
uneven light in a 4” radius for one hour. pulling it.
Wagon: This large wooden vehicle Writing Set: This small wooden box
needs at least two draft horses or mules to contains quills, ink stones, fine sand to
pull it. Six people can ride in it (two on dry ink, and a small supply of parchment
the buckboard, four in the bed), but it’s for writing.
not a very smooth ride. A wagon can

62
Armor
Type Locations Armor Min Str. Wt. Cost (sp)
—Cloth—
Jacket torso, arms +1 d4 1 20
Robes torso, arms, legs +1 d4 2 40
Leggings legs +1 d4 1 20
Cap head +1 d4 1 5
—Leather—
Jacket torso, arms +2 d6 1 50
Leggings legs +2 d6 1 20
Cap head +2 d6 1 10
—Chain—
Shirt torso, arms +3 d8 1 300
Leggings legs +3 d8 1 150
Hood head +3 d8 1 50
—Plate—
Corselet torso +4 d10 2 500
Vambraces arms +4 d10 1 250
Greaves legs +4 d10 1 250
Helm head +4 d10 1 100

Shields
Shields Parry Cover Min Str. Wt. Cost (sp)
Small +1 — d6 1 50
Medium +2 –2 d8 1 100
Large +2 –4 d10 2 200

Armor and Shield Descriptions (hood). This armor can also represent
Cloth Armor: This armor is largely splint armor, ring mail, or other light
made of padded cloth or very light metal armor with a cloth backing.
leather. Padded robes or a gambeson Plate Armor: This is the heaviest sort of
would fit this kind of armor, as would armor generally available, made from
exceptionally heavy winter clothing. overlapping plates of steel or bronze.
Leather Armor: This armor is made Shields: Shields add to a character’s
from tough leather or thick hides, often Parry, as well as granting a Cover penalty
treated or boiled to give it greater to ranged attacks made against the
strength. This can include studded wielder as long as they are aware of the
leather armor as well as a heavy leather attack. Small shields include bucklers and
duster or the like. targes; medium shields are typically
Chain Armor: The most common sort round shields or heater shields; and large
of this armor is chainmail—a hauberk shields are representations of kite shields
(shirt), chausses (leggings), and mail coif and tower shields.

63
 Melee Weapons
Type Damage Min Str. Wt Cost (sp) Notes
—Axes—
Axe, hand Str+d6 d6 ½ 20 Throwing
Axe, battle Str+d8 d8 1 60 AP 1
Axe, great Str+d10 d10 2 80 AP 2, Parry –1, two hands
—Blades—
Bayonet Str+d6 d6 ½ 15 See below
Dagger Str+d4 d4 ¼ 5 Throwing
Sword, dueling Str+d4 d4 1 50 +1 Parry
Sword, great Str+d10 d10 2 50 AP 1, two hands
Sword, long Str+d8 d8 1 30 —
Sword, short Str+d6 d6 ½ 10 —
—Blunt Weapons—
Brass knuckles Str+d4 d4 ½ 20 Wielder is still considered unarmed defender
Club, light Str+d4 d4 ½ 10 —
Club, heavy Str+d6 d6 1 20 —
Maul Str+d10 d10 2 40 AP 1, two hands, +2 damage vs. Hardness
Staff Str+d4 d4 1 10 Parry +1, two hands
Warhammer Str+d8 d8 1 30 AP 1, two hands
—Chain Weapons—
Flail Str+d6 d6 1 20 Ignores shield bonuses, Parry –1
Whip Str+d4 d4 ½ 10 Ignores shield bonuses, Parry –1, Reach 2
Special: With a raise on the attack roll, the victim is Entangled rather than taking an extra d6 damage.
—Polearms—
Halberd Str+d8 d8 2 25 Reach 1, two hands
Lance Str+d8 d8 2 30 AP 2, Reach 2, mounted only
Pike Str+d8 d8 2 40 Parry –1, Reach 2, two hands
Spear Str+d6 d6 1 10 Parry +1 if used two-handed, Reach 1, Throwing

Ranged Weapons
Type Range Dama AP ROF Min Str. Wt Cost (sp) Notes
ge
Axe, hand 3/6/12 Str+d6 — 1 d6 ½ 10 Throwing
Bow, hunting 12/24/48 2d6 — 1 d6 1 15 —
Bow, long 15/30/60 2d6 1 1 d8 2 30 —
Chakram 4/8/16 Str+d4 — 1 d4 ½ 60 Parry +1, Throwing
Crossbow, light 10/20/40 2d6 2 1 d6 1 25 Reload 1
Crossbow, heavy 15/30/60 2d8 2 1 d6 2 50 Reload 2
Dagger 3/6/12 Str+d4 — 1 d4 ¼ 20 Throwing
Sling 4/8/16 Str+d4 — 1 d4 ½ 10 Throwing
Spear 3/6/12 Str+d6 — 1 d6 1 10 Throwing

Firearms
Type Range Damage AP ROF Min Str. Wt Cost (sp) Notes
Blunderbuss 10/20/40 1-3d6 — 1 d6 2 300 Reload 3, two hands
Pistol, flintlock 5/10/20 2d6+1 1 1 d4 1 150 Reload 3
Pistol, revolver 10/20/40 2d6+1 1 1 d4 1 500 Reload 1, shots 6
Musket, flintlock 10/20/40 2d8 1 1 d6 2 300 Reload 3, two hands
Musket, rifled 15/30/60 2d8 2 1 d6 2 500 Reload 3, two hands

Ammu nition
Type Cost (sp) Wt
Arrows (10) 5 1
Bullets (10) 10 ½
Crossbow bolts (10) 5 1
Sling stones (10) 1 ¼

64
Weapon Descriptions Chain Weapons: These flexible
A melee weapon with the throwing weapons can render an opponent’s shield
quality can also be used as a thrown useless, but they are quite difficult to
weapon; its statistics as a ranged weapon wield effectively and are less defensive
are listed in the appropriate table. than rigid weapons.
Throwing attacks use the Athletics skill. Musket: These two-handed firearms
Axes: From the simple hatchet to the come in flintlock and rifled variations.
monstrously large labrys, axes have been The rifling makes a musket more
a preferred weapon of woodsmen and accurate over longer ranges, but makes it
“barbarians” since time immemorial. significantly more expensive to produce.
They are useful as tools when not being Pistol: This one-handed firearm
used to hack apart people. Axes can also includes true flintlock and matchlock
represent military picks in combat. weapons, as well as cap-and-ball weapons.
Bayonet: This hiltless dagger comes A revolver holds 6 shots, each of which
with a clamp to affix it onto the end of a takes 1 action to reload.
musket, turning the firearm into a spear. Polearms: The vast array of polearms
While affixed, a bayonet is a two-handed has been largely compressed into the
melee weapon dealing Str+d6 and halberd, which here can also represent
granting +1 Parry. The attached firearm such weapons as the glaive, guisarme,
suffers –1 to Shooting rolls due to the voulge, and bardiche.
additional weight.
Blades: Dueling swords include rapiers,
jian swords, and similar weapons created
primarily for one-on-one fights of honor.
Short swords represent such weapons as
the gladius, cavalry sabers, and the
cutlass. Long swords cover arming
swords, scimitars, falchions and similar
full-sized military swords. Great swords
include the bastard sword, broadsword,
claymore, flamberge, and any two-handed
sword of significant size.
Blunderbuss: This primitive ancestor of
the shotgun fires a spread of metal “shot,”
dealing more damage at close range. The
blunderbuss adds +2 to the user’s
Shooting rolls, and it inflicts 3d6 damage
at Short Range, 2d6 damage at Medium
Range, and 1d6 damage at Long Range.
Innocent Bystanders are hit on a roll of 1
or 2 with a failed Shooting roll.
Blunt Weapons: Light clubs can also
include cudgels and short staves, while
heavy clubs include maces, morning stars,
and war clubs.

65
 Alchemical Items Alchemical Items
Item Cost
Neither wholly magical nor wholly (sp)
mundane, many places in the Land of Acid vial 50
Mists accept alchemy as mortal science Alchemist fire 50
where they would reject sorcery as Aqueous solvent 250
blasphemous or dangerous. A few places Antidote 100
fear alchemy just as much as they do Binding paste 50
magic, but some have embraced the “new Black powder bomb 50
science” as a means of academic and Courage elixir 20
spiritual enlightenment. Flash bomb 25
Unless otherwise noted, an alchemical Glow rod 50
item has a weight of ¼. Healing salve 10
Alchemical Weapons: Some alchemy Incandescent dust 50
items can be used as thrown weapons. Infernal wind 250
Such items have a Range of 3/6/12 and Inflammable oil 10
use Athletics (throwing) for the attack Itching dust 10
roll. A failed attack causes the item to Poison, disabling(FC) 100
deviate as a grenade (SWADE 97). Poison, knockout 250
Poison, lethal 500
Poison, mild 100
Poison, paralyzing 250
Revivifying draught 200
Sleeping powder 200
Smoke bomb 25
Soothing powder 25
Sulfur match (20) 10
Touchstone 50
Unquenchable flame 100

Alchemical Item Descriptions

Acid Vial: This weak acid inflicts 2d4
points of damage. Unless the acid is
somehow washed off, the target takes
another 2d4 points of damage at the start
of their next turn. The acid can corrode
tiny metal or wooden objects in about
fifteen minutes.
Alchemist Fire: This fragile jar of liquid
explodes when its contents come into
contact with air. Thrown as a grenade, it
ignites on impact and inflicts 2d4 damage
as a Heavy Weapon. The target risks
catching fire (SWADE 127). Creatures

66
within a Small Blast Template of the Courage Elixir: A powerful analgesic,
primary target takes 2d4 damage, but do this vial grants the drinker the Brave Edge
not risk catching fire. for one hour. Additionally, they ignore 1
Antidote: Consuming this foul-tasting point of Wound penalties for this
liquid gives the drinker an immediate duration.
new Vigor roll to overcome the effects of Flash Bomb: When thrown and struck
an ongoing poison. An antidote can be against a hard surface, this pellet explodes
“tuned” to a specific type of poison when with a blinding flash of light and a
created; this makes the Vigor roll succeed thunderous noise. Anyone within a
automatically, but means that the antidote Medium Blast Template must make a
has no effect on other types of poison at Vigor roll or be Distracted and
all. Vulnerable.
Aqueous Solvent: This small vial of Glowrod: This gold-tipped iron rod
extremely powerful acid has too little produces bright light when the tip is
volume to be effective as a weapon, but struck against a hard surface. It sheds
when carefully applied it can melt its way bright light out to a range of 5” (30 feet),
through up to a fist-sized mass of metal or and dim light for an additional 5” (30
wood in under a minute. feet). The light lasts for one hour and
Binding Paste: A vial containing two produces no heat or smoke.
different compounds is mixed together Healing Salve: This thick salve takes a
and applied to two different objects which full minute to apply. If it is applied within
are pressed together by the user. The an hour of being wounded, the target
paste hardens in one round, forming a gains an immediate natural healing roll. A
rock-hard bond between the objects that character that has more than one healing
lasts for an hour before crumbling away. salve applied in a day receives no effect
The paste does not set if the objects are from additional applications.
moving or flexing when it is applied. Incandescent Dust: A powder which
Black Powder Bomb: This small metal must be thrown into a flame of at least
sphere is filled with a powerful explosive torch-size. It burns with blinding
and turns into a cloud of shrapnel when brilliance for 1d6 rounds, illuminating
that explosive detonates. The bomb’s everything within 50 feet. Unwary
fuse must be lit as an action; if the bomb creatures within a Large Burst Template
is not thrown by the end of the round, it centered on the fire source must attempt
explodes in the wielder’s hand. A black a Vigor roll or become Distracted and
powder bomb deals 2d6 damage as a Vulnerable.
Heavy Weapon in a Medium Blast Infernal Wind: This jar of oil can be
Template and may be Evaded. These thrown as a grenade with a Small Blast
heavy bombs have a weight of ½ rather Template. If there is an open flame
than ¼. within this area, the oil ignites into a
Blinding Dust: When thrown into a choking cloud of black smoke. All
target’s face (a Called Shot at –2), the creatures within a Large Blast Template
target is blinded. At the beginning of each centered on the impact are Distracted
turn, the target can make a Vigor roll to and Vulnerable, and the cloud reduces
overcome the effect. If they spend an Illumination in that area to Dark. The
action washing their eyes out, they gain a smoke persists for 1d6 rounds, or until
+2 bonus on the next Vigor roll to the end of the following round in high
overcome it. winds.

67
 Inflammable Oil: A vial can be applied Poison: The poisons listed here are all
to cover an object no bigger than a large ingested. Double the listed cost for
wooden door. It hardens within minutes contact or injury poisons, and triple it for
into a clear varnish-like layer that will inhaled poisons. (See Poison, SWADE
immediately ignite if struck vigorously. 128-129 for details on how poisons
Flammable objects will be lit on fire; non- work.)
flammable ones will burn for one round. Revivifying Draught: Someone drinking
Itching Dust: This powder can be this potion can fight, march, or otherwise
applied to clothing or armor ahead of exert themselves freely for the next
time, or be thrown onto a foe within 10 twenty-four hours without need for rest.
feet with a successful Athletics (throwing) Indeed, they physically cannot sleep
attack. The victim suffers excruciatingly during this time. The character does not
distracting itching for 1 minute, leaving suffer Fatigue from lack of sleep, and
them Distracted until they spend an they ignore 2 points of Fatigue penalties
entire round washing off the powder. from any other source. Taking a second

68
draught of this type within the space of a with no check, rather than having to build
week requires a Vigor roll; on a failure, a fire from scratch. A box of 20 sulfur
the character is immediately matches counts as a single item.
Incapacitated and Bleeding Out from a Touchstone: Not so much a stone as a
massive heart attack. prepared alchemical kit. When applied
Sleeping Powders: When consumed, to a substance, it can detect poisons and
this tasteless chemical provokes identify true or false precious metals or
immediate and intense sleepiness in the gemstones. The user gains a +4 on
subject. The target must attempt a Vigor Science rolls to identify the substance
roll or fall asleep after 1d10 rounds. examined.
Smoke Bomb: This vial bursts into a Unquenchable Flame: This fist-sized
huge cloud of thick smoke when thrown. mass is covered with a protective film of
The smoke turns the area in a Medium non-reactive substance. If the film is
Burst Template into Dark Illumination. scratched, such as by impact, the mass
The cloud dissipates at the end of the will immediately ignite, beginning to burn
round following the one it’s used in, or with a ferocious heat and toxic fumes.
the end of the current round in high Anyone touching it while it burns suffers
winds. 2d6 damage (Heavy Weapon) and
Soothing Powder: One of a variety of catches fire. The smoke makes anyone
narcotic drugs. When consumed, the within a Small Burst Template Distracted
subject falls into a helpless but very happy and Vulnerable. The mass can burn
stupor for 1d6 hours. A creature that is almost anything, including stone, water,
threatened may defend itself, but is and metal, and will generally burn a
considered Distracted and Vulnerable for three-foot-deep hole under it by the time
the duration. it consumes itself. The mass burns for
Sulfur Match: These small wooden 1d6+4 rounds. Unquenchable flame has
sticks alight with flame when struck a weight of ½ rather than ¼.
against a hard surface. They allow a
character to start a fire as a single action

69
70
 Chapter 4:
Magic of the Dread Rea lms

Magic is a reality in the misty lands of (Range: Self only) for no Power Point
Ravenloft, though it tends toward the reduction.
subtle and mysterious rather than the
loud and obvious. While most people Magic
believe in magic to one degree or The power referred to as “magic” (as in
another, most of them have never seen it the Arcane Background) is more
in action, leaving it in the realm of legend commonly known as “sorcery”—the
and rumor—something to be feared and utilization of chaotic arcane energies to
avoided whenever possible. work the caster’s will upon the physical
Some domains take this a step further, world. Whether called sorcerers, wizards,
regarding all magic as unholy or evil, witches, or warlocks, their power stems
persecuting its practitioners with steel and from a similar place of knowledge,
flame. A few domains have begun to discipline, and willpower.
formalize magic study instead, regarding In most domains, the traditional
it as just another science to be mastered. method of learning sorcery is from
The truth is that magic is a chaotic master to apprentice; a particularly gifted
force, difficult to learn and more difficult master might keep more than one
to master. Even those who spend their apprentice at a time if likely candidates
lives studying magic can find it turning on can be found, but this is rare. This system
them suddenly—to their doom, in some passes on learning from an older, more
cases. Powerful mages can kill with a experienced spellcaster to a younger one,
gesture or heal with a touch, but a single a child or teenager who will be steeped in
syllable spoken wrong can leave their the craft as he grows.
nerves burning and their flesh crawling in A few domains have begun to create
pain. schools of academic magic, places where
Some laymen speak of “arcane” and like-minded arcanists can gather to
“divine” magic, but scholars of the debate the points of their craft and refine
mystical know that there is only one force it for future generations. A few places also
that all spellcasters tap into for their have enough magical practitioners for the
powers. While some approach that force formation of covens, hermitages, or other
with discipline and learning, others do so non-scholarly gatherings of spellcasters.
with humility, supplication, or raw These societies often have rules of their
intuition. There are as many ways to use own that are as restricting as any found in
magic as there are people to use it, the halls of academia.
though some broad traditions apply. Trappings: Magic Trappings tend to
In the power lists below, powers focus on elemental forces (such as fire,
marked with an asterisk (*) are new in lightning, cold, and so on), or on the raw
this book, while powers marked with a and chaotic power of sorcery itself as
dagger (†) must take the Limitation

71
 manifested through pure force, arcane Temples don’t like to admit that a
entities, and the like. priest who forsakes their faith often keeps
Requirements: Magic-users have more their powers, instead warning of all
intense requirements to cast than most manner of dire consequences for those
other arcanists. They cannot be Bound, that abuse their “god given” gifts. Wizards
and they must be able to speak clearly; a sneer that mystical clerics are just another
silenced or gagged mage cannot cast kind of sorcerer, and a delusional kind at
spells. that; their bitterness might be justified,
Additionally, a magic-user must have given how many faiths of the Land of
access to material components in order to Mists regard “witches” as unholy.
effectively use their powers. These are Trappings: The powers of a miracle-
small, mundane items that are consumed user always seem otherworldly in some
in the casting of a spell, such as a pinch of fashion, whether divine or profane. They
bat guano to summon fire or a sliver of typically involve directly invoking the
amber to conjure lightning. Such items user’s chosen divinity, or one of that
are assumed to be at hand—usually in a divinity’s servants—for example, Ezrans
pocket, bag, or convenient pouch. If the will sometimes invoke miracles in the
caster is ever stripped of their possessions names of their martyrs and saints rather
and can’t get the materials they need, they than Ezra herself. Casting a miracle also
reduce all arcane skill rolls by 4 until usually involves brandishing a symbol of
they’re restored (5 gp × the caster’s Rank the faith—an Ezran’s sword-and-shield
at a shop or a day’s worth of gathering or amulet, the serpent ring of Hala, the iron
foraging in an appropriate environment chain of the Lawgiver, and so on.
with a Survival roll per Rank). A caster
also runs out of material components if
they roll a Critical Failure and may
replenish as above.
Available Powers: A magic-user is an
incredibly versatile caster. They have
access to all powers except for the
following—blessing, empathy, healing,
mind reading, mystic intervention,
resurrection, and sanctuary.

Miracles
Paradoxically, the group that produces
the most magic-users is also the group
that condemns other traditions of magic
most often: so-called “clerics.” While
most priests of any given religion cannot
use magic, the special techniques that
allow the clergy to open their minds to
the “still, small voice” of their god
produces a fairly large number that can
perform at least basic “miracles.”

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 Requirements: Miracle-workers need a Weird Science
symbol of their faith to cast their powers; So-called “weird science” is a method
without such a focus item, they suffer a of using machines and enlightened
–2 penalty on Faith rolls and are Stunned chemistry to harness and guide magic in
if the casting roll is a Critical Failure. ways that the human body and mind
They also cannot use their powers while cannot. This ability is related to—but also
Bound, and they must be able to speak separate from—the pseudo-science known
clearly to utter their prayers; a silenced or as alchemy.
muted miracle-worker cannot cast at all. Arcane inventors craft bizarre machines
Available Powers: A miracle-user’s to channel the mystic forces of the
powers are based on their deity’s Domain universe, producing wonders and
(FC 114-115). Some of the typical horrors. While this still stems from the
Domains for the faiths of the Land of same font of power that wizards draw
Mists include Mists (Ezra), Nature (Hala), upon, the methodology is even more
Sun (the Dawnbringer), and War (the scientific and rigid than the most
Lawgiver). scholarly sorcerer.
These methods make weird scientists
The Mists Domain very limited in their understanding in
Ezra is the goddess of the Mists. some ways, but their machines offer
Supposedly a mortal woman who many benefits. Primarily, it is far less
ascended to godhood, she is worshiped likely that a misspoken word or mistaken
in several lands. Each sect of her faith gesture will end with the inventor catching
focuses on a different aspect of the on fire.
goddess, sometimes worshiping her as a Unsurprisingly, the general approach
healer (the Life Domain), a judge of and attitude of those who pursue this art
humanity (the Justice Domain) or a has caused them to be labeled “mad
goddess of mysteries and enigmas (the scientists” by the general populace. While
Knowledge Domain). Those who focus many of them do indeed have mental
on her aspect as goddess of the Mists and illnesses—generally obsessive tendencies
guardian of humanity sometimes take the and the like—it is the unpleasant behavior
Mists Domain. of a small number of practitioners that
Powers: arcane protection, banish, gives the profession as a whole a bad
barrier, blessing(FC), blind, boost/lower name.
Trait, confusion, consecrate ground(HC), Trappings: Weird Science powers are
deflection, detect/conceal arcana, dispel, always external to the caster in some
divination, healing, illusion, intangibility, fashion. They can be “steampunk”
invisibility, light/darkness, mystic gadgets, alchemical concoctions,
intervention(FC), object reading, protection, Victorian-era pseudo-science, or arcane
relief, resurrection, sanctuary(FC), scrying(FC), engineering, but they tend to have a more
slumber, smite, stun, summon ally, scientific bent than pure magic.
teleport. Obviously, a Weird Scientist cannot use
their powers without the device that the
power works through, and they often give
these inventions grandiose or descriptive
names.

73
 Requirements: A weird scientist must they can cast even while Bound (though
have their associated gadget at hand to they still suffer the usual penalties for
cast (SWADE 148) and cannot utilize being Distracted).
their inventions while Bound. They do In exchange, most of a psychic’s powers
not otherwise need to speak or gesture to are very limited in scope. Any power
use their powers. marked with a dagger (†) has the
Available Powers: Any except blessing, Limitation (Range: Self only) for no
consecrate ground, curse, mystic Power Point cost reduction.
intervention, resurrection, summon Additionally, all psychics tend to be
animal, summon demon, summon “off” in a way that others find hard to
monster, summon undead, and wish. define. They must take a Minor
Hindrance reflecting this difference, such
Psionics as Delusion, Mania(RR), Outsider, or
Perhaps the greatest arcane mystery of Quirk, for no additional character
Ravenloft is psychic power. While magic- creation points.
users generally claim that psychics are just Available Powers: Barrier, beast friend,
a sort of inward-looking wizard, they blast, blind, bolt, boost/lower Trait†,
seem to actually draw on a different kind burst, clairvoyance, confusion, damage
of power than traditional spellcasters. field†, darksight†, deflection†,
The “psionic” energy used by psychics detect/conceal arcana†, disguise†, dispel,
comes from within, a reflection of their divination, elemental manipulation,
inner strength, rather than from the empathy, entangle, environmental
unformed chaos of magic. protection†, farsight†, fear, fly†, havoc,
Many psychics speak of a realm they healing, illusion, intangibility†, invisibility†,
call “the Nightmare Lands,” a shared mind link, mind reading, mind wipe,
dream-world where horrifying beings with object reading, protection†, puppet, relief,
immense mental powers constantly slumber, smite†, sound/silence, speak
search for other beings with similar language†, stun, telekinesis, teleport†, wall
abilities. Those psychics who go looking walker†, warrior’s gift†.
for the truth about the Nightmare Lands
often disappear, never to be seen again. The Gifted
Trappings: Psychic abilities tend to be The rarest mystical abilities in the
subtler than magic or miracles at casting, Dread Realms are the powers developed
with the caster making only the slightest by certain ascetics, blessed madmen, and
gestures or murmuring mantras to focus magical mutants. Collectively known as
their mind. Their results can be just as “the gifted,” these individuals are not so
loud as any spell, though. Some powers much a magical tradition as they are an
manifest with a faint glow or gentle umbrella term used to describe the
buzzing noise, while others cause a manifestation of unique and unexplained
kaleidoscope of visible force and psionic powers.
echoes. The most common of the gifted—
Requirements: A psychic is far freer though still exceedingly rare—come from
with the casting of their powers than most monastic traditions that emphasize the
other casters. They do not need to speak individual’s spiritual connection with the
or gesture to manifest their abilities (as universe as a whole. Such mystic monks
per the Silent Caster Edge, FC 37), and can defy the laws of nature, allowing them
to deflect arrows with their bare hands,

74
punch through steel doors, leap to the Available Powers: Any except blessing,
tops of houses, heal their own wounds consecrate ground, resurrection, or
through concentration, and other unusual zombie. Any beneficial power must have
capabilities that require no arcane words the Limitation (Range: Self only) for no
or gestures—only their focus and Power Point cost reduction. Additionally,
willpower. any generic Power Modifiers or
Trappings: There are no standard or Limitations must be chosen and added to
universal Trappings for the Gifted. Some known powers at the time of their
of their powers strongly resemble those selection, altering the Power Point cost
of magic-users or psychics, while others accordingly. After selection, only a
are stranger than even sorcery. power’s specific listed Power Modifiers
Requirements: The Gifted do not need may be applied to the casting.
to speak or gesture to use their powers.
They can cast even while Bound (though
they still suffer the usual penalties for
being Distracted). Because of this, their
powers tend to be quite limited in scope.

75
 Banish: A creature banished by this
The Limits o f Power power is cast out into the Mists, rather
than sent back to its home plane.
Ravenloft is a world where mystical Beast Friend: A Darklord with the
powers are dangerous and often chaotic ability to control animals automatically
in nature. Psychics have uncontrollable overcomes a use of this power when
flashes of precognition, mages sometimes using their own abilities, but they are
crackle with eldritch sparks even when aware of the power’s use and may choose
not using their spells, and even priests to permit the caster to believe that their
occasionally fall into fits of glossolalia or spell worked.
religious awe. Blessing (FC): Casting this power in a
Because of this, most forms of sinkhole of evil reduces its rating by 1 for
supernatural power are feared and hated the duration of the power. Any creature
in many places throughout the Land of bound to the Sinkhole is aware of the
Mists. Magic in particular is a favored casting and may wind up coming to
bogeyman for superstitious peasants interrupt it before the caster can
looking for rhyme or reason from their complete it.
misfortunes. A few nations regard people Consecrate Ground (HC): Casting this
with unusual powers as gifted or simply power with the Sanctify Modifier in a
different, but those with prejudice and sinkhole of evil reduces its rating by 1 for
hatred toward such individuals are far the duration of the power. Any creature
more common. bound to the Sinkhole is aware of the
Given the closeness of the Land of casting and may wind up coming to
Mists to the powers of death and interrupt it before the caster can
darkness, certain powers are modified in complete it.
the Ravenloft Reincarnated setting. Curse (FC/HC): Casting this power is
Domain Borders: No power created by always grounds for a Dark Powers check.
a mortal can cross a domain border, Detect/Conceal Arcana: The
whether open or closed. The edges of a Alignment Sense Modifier is not
domain are effectively the edge of the available.
world as far as magic is concerned. Entangle: This power is affected by the
Similarly, no power can divine things general rules updates from the Fantasy
within the Misty Border or across the Companion and Horror Companion.
Mists between clusters and islands. A Exorcism (HC): This power’s effects
localized formation of the Mists can also are covered by the use of the banish
cloud the readings of divination magic, power.
making it more difficult to use such Fear: The penalties inflicted by a
powers or giving vague answers (GM’s sinkhole of evil to resist Fear Checks also
discretion). apply to resisting this power. Tapping
into the power of terror is often grounds
Notes on Specific Powers for a Dark Powers check, at the GM’s
Powers noted (FC) are from the discretion.
Fantasy Companion, while those noted Fury of the Petro Loa (HC): This
(HC) are from the Horror Companion. power is not available in the Ravenloft
Aspect of the Rada Loa (HC): This Reincarnated setting.
power is not available in the Ravenloft
Reincarnated setting.

76
 Illusionary Horrors (HC): Casting this Nightmares (HC): Casting this
despicable power is grounds for a Dark despicable power is grounds for a Dark
Powers check. Powers check.
Mind Reading: Undead creatures have Planar Binding (FC): Calling an
greater control over their own minds than extraplanar entity to the Realm of Terror
do the living. If an intelligent undead traps them permanently, so they tend to
creature gains a raise on its Smarts roll to be quite hostile to the caster of this
resist mind reading (or a similar power), it power.
is not only aware of the mental intrusion Plane Shift (FC): This power is not
but can feed the caster whatever available in the Ravenloft Reincarnated
information it desires, allowing the caster setting.
to believe their power was successful. Resurrection: When the resurrection
Mind Control: Stealing another power attempts to draw back the curtain
person’s bodily autonomy is a morally iffy of death, something other than the
proposition at the best of times. If the person can come back in their stead. A
caster uses their control to force the Critical Failure on the casting roll causes
victim to do something loathsome the body to rise again—but as some sort
enough that it would incur a Dark Powers of undead monstrosity, demon-possessed
check, the caster suffers the check corpse, or the like. A failure on the
instead, with an additional –1 penalty. casting roll prevents that person from
Using mind manipulation powers for ever being brought back from the dead.
selfish reasons almost always invokes a Summon Ally: The allies summoned
Dark Powers check. by this power are constructs of magic, not
actual entities.

77
 Summon Animal (FC): Only animals
native to the current domain may be
New Powe r Mo difiers
summoned with this power.
Summon Demon (HC): Calling an Puppe t
extraplanar entity to the Realm of Terror • Mind Rider (+1): The caster can see
traps them permanently, so they tend to and hear through the senses of any
be quite hostile to the caster of this target under the effects of puppet, as
power. well as communicating with them
Summon Monster (FC): Only creatures telepathically at any distance as long
native to the current domain may be as the power is maintained.
summoned with this power. Any
intelligent creature summoned by this Smite
power remains present after the Duration • Farslayer (+1): Ammunition only.
ends and may act as it will from that point Attacks made with the enchanted
on. ammunition double each Range
Summon Undead (FC): Any intelligent increment of the weapon (so Range
creature summoned by this power 12/24/48 would become Range
remains present after the Duration ends 24/48/96, for example).
and may act as it will from that point on. • Seeker (+1): Ammunition only.
Suppress Transformation (HC): Attacks made with the enchanted
Denying the power of lycanthropy is not ammunition ignore up to 2 points of
so easily achieved in the Land of Mists. penalties from Scale, Cover, the
This power is not available in Ravenloft deflection power, or Edges like
Reincarnated. Dodge.
Zombie: It cannot be denied that using
supernatural abilities draws the attention Teleport
of the “Dark Powers” more often than • Decoy (+1): As the recipient teleports
merely mundane evil, but few powers are away, an illusionary clone is left
inherently wicked or unholy. The major behind. It mimics what the recipient
exception is the zombie power—those was doing and disappears at the end
who truck with the undead are always of the caster’s next turn. Like illusion,
corrupt in some fashion, and using that anyone who interacts with the clone
power always risks the attention of the or doubts it is real must succeed at a
Dark Powers. Smarts roll to no longer be subject to
the illusion.

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79
80
 Chapter 5:
Secrets of the Dread Realms

The secrets contained within this led” phenomenon or the gradual

chapter are for the Game Master only, so revelation of the Nocturnal Sea, but
anyone wishing to preserve the horror unusual events can also trigger sudden
and mystery of the world of Ravenloft and startling changes, such as those that
should turn back now. Some things occurred in the Scourge of Arak or the
cannot be unlearned once they are Grand Conjunction.
learned, so proceed with caution. Lacking outside references, Ravenloft’s
folk see nothing unusual about the Misty
Border or other eerie features of their
little world. In many ways, the Land of
The Way s of the World Mists behaves just like the true worlds of
the Material Plane: the sun and moon
Ravenloft’s inhabitants often call their turn in regular cycles, just as the years
world the “Land of Mists,” and for good cycle through expected seasons. The
reason: Ravenloft has an unknown size domains of a given cluster all typically
and shape. Although Ravenloft’s breadth share the same sky and general climate.
cannot be measured, it forms a relatively
small world—what some might call
intimate, others claustrophobic. As new Domains of Dread
domains appear or old ones fade into the A domain is the basic unit of
Mists, the Realm of Dread expands and metaphysical geography in the world of
contracts, like the chest of a sleeping Ravenloft. Unbeknownst to most of the
beast. world’s inhabitants, each domain is a
No one truly knows how many domains mystical prison cell for a single being (or
lie within the Mists; theoretically, the total a small group of related beings, in rare
is limitless. More than one hundred cases). This being is the domain’s
domains have been recorded by darklord, a monstrous and tragic figure
geographers and explorers, but the who damned themselves through their
number of existing domains frequently selfish and cruel actions. Unable to turn
fluctuates. A domain may be as small as a from the path of corruption and evil, the
forlorn house or as large as a country with darklord instead descended into depths
tens of thousands of inhabitants. Some of depravity open to only a few, coming
domains have vanished entirely—often out as something more—and less—than
amid rumors of their destruction—only to human.
emerge from the Mists unscathed years Domains are the prisons of the
later. darklords, but they are also their
The Mists can also reshape the playgrounds. A darklord possesses
geography within domains. This may incredible powers within their own land
occur slowly and subtly, as with the “Mist- but is physically unable to leave its
boundaries. Additionally, the domain

81
 seems almost intentionally designed to subconscious minds of creatures on the
taunt, mock, and thwart the darklord, material plane. Dark deeds leave their
offering them their greatest desires but stain on the very land, and the cruelest of
leaving those desires perpetually out of beings—the darklords—can create them
reach. simply by their very presence.
A domain might or might not share All resonance is imbued with one or
political borders. It might be a recognized more focal emotions. A secluded grove
nation with a political system, or it could used for a lovers’ tryst may retain echoes
be a desolate wasteland known to its of their desire; a torture chamber may
neighbors only by reputation. It could be retain the fear and hatred its victims felt
a sizable portion of an existing country, or for their captors. When acts of evil spawn
little more than a crumbling house and its resonance, such as a torture chamber or
attendant grounds. The darklord might the lair of a serial killer, the imbued evil
openly rule the nation, be the power causes the area to become spiritually
behind the throne, or be the unclean. In these “sinkholes of evil,” the
metaphysical master of the domain while spiritual malevolence quietly weakens
possessing no outward fame at all. There resolve and bolsters evil, making it easier
are few absolutes when it comes to a to give into fear and terror while
domain’s nature. strengthening creatures that feed on it.
Domains generally come in two broad Some corrupt beings without the ego to
forms: clusters and islands. A cluster is a forge domains of their own instead
group of thematically similar domains generate sinkholes of evil, isolated
that share physical borders and political pockets of darkness that serve as “mini-
or cultural entanglements. The Core domains” in which their will distorts
from previous editions of the setting is reality. A sinkhole of evil must be a place
the largest known cluster, a whole of true darkness; a mere bandit’s lair does
continent of major and minor nations, all not possess enough evil resonance to
held together through mutual history, count, but the home of a serial murderer
trade, and acknowledgement. who tortured their victims veritably seeps
An island is an isolated domain, either with their psychic screams.
physically an island in one of the great A sinkhole of evil’s rating acts as a
seas beyond the Core or a metaphysical penalty to Fear checks made in the area,
island caught in the Mists, separated from and it adds to the result of rolls on the
everything else. Such truly isolated Fright Table. Additionally, supernaturally
domains sometimes have reliable paths evil beings gain a bonus on rolls made to
that lead to other domains, known as resist their specific weaknesses while
Mistways, while others can only be found within the area of a sinkhole. For
by happenstance and misfortune. example, a vampire exposed to a holy
symbol would gain the sinkhole’s rating
on their Spirit roll to avoid being
repulsed, while a werewolf who was
Sinkho les of Evil wounded with silver would gain it on a
bonus to Soak rolls (if they made a roll to
Ravenloft is a land shaped by passion Soak).
and fear. Emotions linger, forming Sinkholes of evil are rated 0 (normal
ethereal resonance. If these emotions are location) through 5 (phantasmagoria).
powerful enough, they can seep into the

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Sinkhole Rating 0 (Normal )
This is a normal place, the default for
an area that has seen no particular
atrocities or terrors. The natives are
friendly, the sky is blue, and you can walk
the streets at night. Even Level 0 areas
can be dangerous, but they aren’t
malevolent like regions of genuine
ethereal corruption.
As an unfortunate side effect of all this
peace, though, most people in such areas
(which comprise most of the world)
either don’t believe that monsters exist or
don’t believe that they could come here.

Sinkhole Rating 1 (Eerie)

In such places, some folks believe
monsters exist even if they haven’t seen
any. The sky is still blue, but if you have
to go out at night, bring a friend along—
just in case.
Most large cities have buildings,
neighborhoods, or entire districts that are
at this rating, just due to the influx of
terror brought on by urban life.

Sinkhole Rating 2 (Tainted)

No one goes near the creepy old house
on top of the hill. The land looks about
the same, but the shadows are just a little
bit longer. It’s not really safe to go out
alone at night, but it’s not a death
sentence, either. When people
disappear—and they do—it’s usually not
anyone important or prominent.
This is as bad as most places get,
barring the intervention of a truly horrific
event. Most people who live in the area’s
influence not only believe in monsters,
they take precautions—mostly ineffective—
against them.

Sinkhole Rating 3 (Forsaken)

Things are starting to get truly weird,
even by the standards of the Land of
Mists. There are occasional

83
 disappearances, and probably more than
a few weird creatures live close by The Mists of Ravenloft
(though folks don’t really talk about it out
of fear). Don’t go out at night without a Ravenloft is a world unlike many that
weapon or a friend. players may be familiar with. Rather than
Level 3 sinkholes are only produced by being a single contiguous world, where
chilling events of terror and despair, such land and sea give way to other lands and
as a gruesome torture or the lair of a other seas, the Realm of Terror is
mortal fiend, like a serial killer. People actually many small self-contained regions
don’t live in places like this unless they physically and metaphysically separated
have no other choice. from one another by the Mists. No one is
exactly sure what the Mists are, but they
are not common fog. They ebb and flow
Sinkhole Rating 4 (Abhorrent)
There are mysterious disappearances as independent of the wind and weather,
a regular occurrence, and when the and they often seem vaguely alive—even
bodies are found, it’s piece by piece. The aware.
land itself starts to change: the shadows The Mists surround and contain every
on the cliffs start to look like leering Cluster and Island, frequently flowing
faces, or cornrows always seem to rustle into those regions at unpredictable times.
as if something’s hiding within. The winds The Mists seem to bolster the powers of
might whisper your name. Going out fear and terror, draining men of their
alone at night is an act of fools or the courage and giving new strength to the
suicidal—and even the daytime is unsafe. evils that plague mankind. They lead
Even well-armed folk fear the dark. travelers astray, turning even familiar
Genuine abominations create sinkholes landmarks into strange vistas. Worse,
this terrible, such as the lair of an ancient they seem to bend space (and time?) in
vampire or the site of a mass murder. unusual ways, making it possible for a trip
that should take days to take only hours,
or for a simple jaunt to the next town to
Sinkhole Rating 5 (Phantasmagoria) end up with the traveler lost in a new
This is as bad as it gets: a full-blown land.
nightmare landscape. Monsters run Those that must travel outside their
rampant, rocks look like skulls, and not homeland prefer to stick to the Mistways,
only do the winds whisper your name, paths through the Mists that are known to
they do so in your dead friends’ voices. be at least somewhat reliable. While
Anyone out at night is most likely some Mistways conform to known roads
doomed. Those abroad by daylight and rivers, others defy the laws of
probably aren’t much safer. distance utterly. A random fog-filled cave
Some phantasmagoria are subtler—but on a mountainside could admit a traveler
just as deadly—and even these are likely in one land, only to spit them out again
to have horrible legends surrounding on a completely different mountain a
them. Only the most horrific and deadly world away. The Mistways have only their
locales have this dubious honor, and they own internal logic, which usually stymies
are names that echo with dread—names attempts to understand it. Wanderers and
like Castle Ravenloft or the House on wayfarers therefore must be people of
Gryphon Hill. stern will or else be utterly mad.

84
 The difficulty involved in traveling the Domain Borders
Mistways tends to keep trade and politics The Mists are often present at the
local. Nations trade with neighbors they borders of domains, gradually fuzzing the
share a physical border with, and only the edges of reality until a traveler realizes
most ambitious promote cross-Cluster that they have walked off the map
trade. Some Mistways are reliable enough entirely. A person who leaves a domain
that such trade has gradually become with no clear idea of where they are going
more common, but even this trade tends just walks out into impenetrable fog,
to be limited in scope. A silversmith from wandering until fortune fetches them up
Borca might export their wares to in another land. Even if the traveler
Barovia in exchange for wool or brandy, decides to turn around and walk straight
and the Barovians in turn might trade that back to where they came from, they find
silver to Nova Vaasans who come to their themselves lost; they might have walked
country with horses and gold, but the for a minute or a day, but just going back
Borcans and Nova Vaasans would never the other way helps them not at all.
interact directly. Anything further away A traveler who walks a known Mistway
than one’s home country is distant; or has a strong idea of where they are
anything outside one’s home Cluster is going can be wandering the Mists for
distinctly exotic or foreign. hours, days, or weeks before they reach
their destination. The first indication they
Mist Influe nce have that they are leaving the Mists is a
The influence of the Mists is a major slight lessening of their thickness,
setting issue in Ravenloft. When the followed by a sudden dissipation. In the
Mists roll in, terror reigns. Mechanically, wake of that dissipation—like a strong
the influence of the Mists increases a wind with no movement of air—they find
region’s sinkhole of evil rating by +1. themselves somewhere else. They might
This means that even normal places be on the very edge of the domain they
become frightening under the influence entered, or they might be many miles
of the Mists, while already-fearsome into it. No one ever sees such travelers
places become downright terrifying. arriving; they simply seem to wander into
Generally, this bonus cannot increase an an observer’s field of view from around a
area’s sinkhole rating to more than 4; a corner, or behind a rock, or to arrive in a
Phantasmagoria only exists when the bank of fog.
region has become so drenched in evil A darklord’s powers often allow them
that it cannot be redeemed—except to “close” the borders of their domain,
possibly by cleansing fire. drawing forth the Mists to make it
The Mists are also thicker and more impossible to enter or leave. Such
cloying than natural fog. Being caught in closings are generally temporary; even if
the Mists imposes a –2 penalty on Notice the darklord were willing to close their
rolls, Survival rolls made to track, and borders permanently, few have the
ranged attack rolls. This penalty stacks willpower necessary to keep their domain
with the penalty for Dim or Dark lighting borders closed for more than a few hours
but imposes no further penalty in Pitch or a few days.
Black conditions. Such closings are generally thought to
be the natural tide of the Mists, surging
suddenly to make travel impossible, while

85
 others are obviously unnatural domains that are not able to be reached
phenomena. Darklords who seek by land routes. The Sea of Sorrows is a
obscurity avoid using this power unless unique Cluster in that its physical borders
absolutely necessary. Those that hold touch on the physical borders of other
power openly sometimes admit that the Clusters; a sailor can leave the Civilized
phenomenon is under their control—one Crescent by ship, sail across the Sea of
more power they possess by the “divine Sorrows, and arrive at the shores of the
right of kings,” or some other such Verdurous Lands with only the thick
nonsense. ocean fog to indicate that they have
crossed domain borders.
Mist Navigation
Traveling the Mists is a dangerous Navigation Modifiers
proposition, even for experienced Modifier Circumstance
+4 Traveler is using a reliable Mistway
travelers. Only the brave or the foolhardy
+2 Traveler is using an unreliable
attempt it on a regular basis. The Mists Mistway
seem to have a vague consciousness of +0 Domains are connected by the Sea
their own, one that seeks to test, taunt, or of Sorrows
terrify travelers, leading them astray if –2 Domains share a Mistway but
their minds wander or their nerve breaks. traveler not using it
–4 Domains do not share a Mistway
Mechanically, navigating the Mists –6 Traveler is acting on description
requires a Survival roll. A successful roll only
lets the traveler and their group reach
their destination in more or less the
Travel Time s
amount of time they were expecting, Distance Time
while a raise gets them there in half that Traveling a reliable Mistway 1d6 days
time. A failure uses up the default Traveling an unreliable Mistway 2d6 days
amount of travel time, followed by a new Traveling on the Sea of Sorrows 3d6 days
roll. A critical failure puts them Traveling the Mists without a 4d6 days
someplace they didn’t expect to go—and Mistway
probably someplace dangerous.
The character leading the group
through the Mists must have a clear idea
of where they want to go. They must have
either been to the destination before, be
traveling on a Mistway that is known to go
to that destination, or have an extremely
accurate description of the destination
from someone who has been there
before. If it turns out that a description is
inaccurate or an outright lie, a successful
roll leads to someplace similar while a
failed roll counts as a critical failure.
The Sea of Sorrows presents a unique
opportunity for travelers. While it
represents a dangerous medium of
transportation, it can reach many

86
 them, but won’t start a fight unless
Encounters in Ravenloft threatened.
• 6-10: Uncooperative. The
Traveling is dangerous in Ravenloft. encountered NPCs are indifferent to
For every day of traveling within a the PCs unless approached with
domain, draw a card from an action deck; special hostility or goodwill.
if the card is a Face card (Jack, King,
• Jack-King: Neutral. The encountered
Queen, or Ace), an encounter occurs; if a
NPCs will give good advice, trade
Joker is drawn, a major encounter occurs.
fairly, or otherwise have a pleasant
Shuffle the deck and draw a new card to
encounter with the PCs without any
determine the encounter—or draw two
special coercion. They expect fair
cards for a major encounter and combine
payment for any aid.
their effects.
• Ace: Cooperative. The encountered
NPCs are generally sympathetic,
Clubs: Obstacle helping in the player characters’
The heroes encounter an obstacle of current endeavor for a small fee,
some kind and must figure out how to favor, or kindness.
circumvent it. Some examples include a
flooded river, a collapsed bridge, a large
tree across the road, and so on. If the Diamonds: Treasure
The heroes stumble across something
obstacle cannot be overcome, it wastes
of value—probably guarded or trapped,
the day’s travel, effectively setting the
but valuable nonetheless. Some examples
group back a day.
include a wrecked merchant’s wagon with
• 2-5: Minor Obstacle. The heroes
valuables still on it, a small treasure cache
receive +2 on any roll made to
in a cave or hollowed-out tree, or a minor
overcome the obstacle.
magic item in the clutches of a very
• 6-10: Moderate Obstacle. Any roll unfortunate skeleton.
needed to overcome the obstacle is
• 2-5: Minor Fortune. The heroes find
made without bonus or penalty.
the equivalent of 2d6 silver coins with
• Jack-King: Major Obstacle. Any roll very little to no trouble attached to it.
needed to overcome the obstacle (Examples: A lost coin purse with no
suffers a –2 penalty. name on it. A spilled box of
• Ace: Dramatic Obstacle. Overcoming supplies.)
the obstacle is a Dramatic Task. • 6-10: Moderate Fortune. The heroes
find the equivalent of 2d6 × 2 silver
Hearts: Stra ngers coins with a small difficulty or hazard
The group comes across one or more attached. (Examples: A wrecked
nonplayer characters such as merchants, merchant’s cart with a couple of
hunters, a guide, or even other bandits still picking it over. A stashed
adventurers. The draw determines their treasure chest with a trap.)
starting reaction level, which can be • Jack-King: Major Fortune. The
modified through Persuasion checks as heroes find the equivalent of 4d6 × 2
usual. silver coins with a serious difficulty or
• 2-5: Unfriendly. The encountered hazard attached. (Examples: A
NPCs may mislead the PCs, steal wrecked wagon laden with supplies,
from them, or simply bad-mouth swarming with wolves. A hidden

87
 cache of treasure in the same cave as then adds a like number every new
a sleeping bear.) round for 1d6 rounds afterwards; or
• Ace: Mixed Fortune. The heroes find they face an equal number of
a minor magic item or a treasure powerful Wild Cards, with supporting
cache worth 4d6 × 10 silver coins—but Extras. Either way, running is
real trouble is right behind. probably a better strategy than
(Examples: A silver sword belonging fighting.
to a noteworthy monster hunter,
which draws the wrong kind of Red Joker: Champion of Ravenloft
attention. An enchanted brooch that The heroes encounter a legendary
makes the wielder resistant to spells, champion of the setting, a true paragon of
which was stolen from an angry light in a world of darkness. This hero
wizard.) might be on their way to an adventure of
their own and in need of stalwart
Spades: Enemies companions, or perhaps they just have
Monsters, enemies, or hostile beasts useful information to share with the
bar the way. Unlike a Hostile NPC player characters.
encounter, an encounter of this sort See Chapter 9: The Doomed and the
generally offers no chance for Damned for a few possible people the
negotiation. Perhaps the opponents are heroes can meet.
bandits or thieves out to rob the heroes
of coin and life, or perhaps they are Black Joker: The Damned
simply unwilling to listen to anything their The heroes run into or are drawn into
opponents have to say. the machinations of a darklord. They
• 2-5: Minor Threat. The enemies might have been on their way to
arrayed against the heroes are hardly somewhere else, but their path is now set
adversaries worth the name. They on a collision course with one of
face one weak Wild Card or as many Ravenloft’s damned and doomed. An
Extras as there are PCs. encounter with a darklord should turn
• 6-10: Moderate Threat. The heroes into an adventure all its own—and one the
face a suitable challenge. They face heroes are unlikely to forget.
one or two Wild Cards and up to Each domain’s description includes
twice as many Extras as PCs. information about its darklord, and some
• Jack-King: Major Threat. The heroes of them have fuller entries in Chapter 9:
will be tested this day, facing a deadly The Doomed and the Damned.
assault that will push them to their
limits. Their opposition includes one
or two powerful Wild Cards and
three to five times as many Extras as
PCs, or they stand against as many
Wild Cards as PCs.
• Ace: Overwhelming Odds. The
heroes are in a serious situation this
time—and they might not get out alive.
The opposition starts with two to
three times as many Extras as PCs,

88
 not behave like demons; they do not
The Dark Powe rs corrupt souls through malicious trickery.
In this sense, the Dark Powers are a force
The Dark Powers are the ultimate of austere justice, reserving their cruelty
masters of the Realm of Dread, and its for the cruel.
ultimate mystery. They have created an Other sages, however, claim that the
entire world in their own image, but not torment the Dark Powers inflict on
even the most powerful divinatory magic darklords merely drives those villains into
can unveil their true nature. Few of an agonized frenzy, inflaming their
Ravenloft’s denizens are even aware that corruption. Perhaps the Dark Powers
the Dark Powers exist, blaming sinister seek to raise an army of darkness to one
events on the Mists or their gods. Occult night unleash on the Material Plane. In
scholars who try to pry open the Dark this context, the Dark Powers are a
Powers’ secrets typically end up pursuing sadistic engine of suffering. And what of
the phantoms of their own minds. the innocents caught in the Dark Powers’
What are the Dark Powers? Are they clutches? What of the villagers who fall
true entities or something more akin to prey to the horrors of the night, or the
an elemental force? Mystics have heroes who must do battle with the forces
proposed that they may be a banished of evil? Do the Dark Powers delight in
pantheon of gods, or strange and ancient watching the destruction of innocence, or
foes of the gods, or even some dark do they flaunt these pure souls in the
aspect of the divine subconscious. Some faces of the darklords as reminders of the
philosophers have even claimed that the path not taken?
Dark Powers do not exist, that they are Are the Dark Powers good or evil? Are
actually a sentient manifestation of they gods or monsters? What is the
human sin. None of these theories is ultimate goal of their grand and awful
anything more than idle speculation, experiment? The truth may transcend
however. mortal comprehension.
Are the Dark Powers many or few?
This book refers to them in the plural,
but this is a mere convenience. If the
Dark Powers include multiple entities, Dark Powers Check s
then do they act as a unified whole, or are
they fractious? Does the same force both Evil comes in many forms, but it is
punish and empower evil, or are the never so dangerous as when it is
Dark Powers locked in an internal convenient. Evil can seduce in ways that
struggle between light and darkness? Good would never try. Good demands
This in turn leads to the greatest much—patience, compassion, self-
mystery surrounding the Dark Powers: sacrifice—and its rewards are often
are they good or evil? Some sages point obscure. Evil seems to ask nothing but
to the outlander darklords. The Dark gladly offers anything someone could
Powers have forever imprisoned these desire: power, riches, even love. But the
foul villains in realms of eternal perdition. gifts of Evil are poisoned fruits, tainted by
The Dark Powers never actively seduce the very acts undertaken to claim them.
the righteous into evil; they merely react Each gift accepted, each moral shortcut
to those who have already succumbed to taken, leads further from the light and
inner wickedness. The Dark Powers do

89
 one step closer to Evil’s ultimate reward: Acts of pure self-defense never draw
self-destruction. the attention of the Dark Powers, though
Unseen by mortals, the Dark Powers sit they can naturally cause guilt on the part
in judgment of all that occurs within their of the character. That is, if a character is
realm and silently watch countless other fighting for their life against a vicious
worlds as well. Whenever a mortal murderer and kills them in the heat of
performs an evil act in Ravenloft, there is battle, the Dark Powers pay no attention.
a chance that the Dark Powers will On the other hand, being put into a
respond, both rewarding and punishing position where a character must kill a
the transgressor in a single stroke; this is non-combatant to save their own life is
resolved through a Dark Powers check. If murder and betrayal—not self-defense.
a character continues down the path of Acts of supernatural evil or religious
corruption, the Dark Powers may defilement can also call the attention of
eventually grant the transgressor their the Dark Powers. Desecrating the shrines
own domain. of the gods, tomb robbing, sacrificing
Mortals may never know what the Dark human life, or calling the dead from their
Powers hope to achieve with their dark slumber with magic would all be worthy
gifts. Perhaps the Dark Powers act as of a Dark Powers check.
caring but overly harsh parents, cursing Some deeds are so monstrous that they
transgressors to frighten them back onto cannot help but attract the attention of
the path of righteousness, or perhaps the the Dark Powers. Anyone who commits
Dark Powers seek to inflame mortals’ one of these Acts of Ultimate Darkness
sins, alternately taunting and teasing the automatically fails their Dark Powers
morally weak into bottomless spirals of check, gaining a level of Corruption, and
doom. must immediately make a Spirit roll at –2
A Dark Powers check is a Spirit roll, to avoid gaining a second level of
modified by the character’s current level Corruption. The murder of a pregnant
of Corruption (see below). Depending on woman might be a brutal act worthy of a
the severity of the act, the GM can –2 to a Dark Powers check, but when
impose a –1 or –2 penalty on the roll, performed against one’s own mistress to
though this should only be for the most keep her from revealing her condition to
grievous of crimes (such as killing a child one’s wife, it becomes something much
or the torture of a helpless foe). worse.
The GM might well still call for a Dark Dark Powers checks are intended to
Powers check in a situation that grants a enhance the game, to divert the attention
+1 or +2 bonus on the roll due to the of a hoary host of potent unknowns to
necessity of the action, the character’s the actions of the PCs. Use them wisely
culture condoning or encouraging it, or and where they serve the game. If
the character simply never being taught overused, Dark Powers checks can slow
right from wrong in this situation. the game to a crawl and result in more
Bonuses on a Dark Powers check comedy than horror. They should only
should be far rarer than penalties on it; be called for in moments of extreme
an action severe enough to draw the drama, at the GM’s discretion. They
attention of the very forces of evil can serve as a reminder of the dangers and
hardly ever be shrugged off by simply temptations that await a character who
saying “I didn’t know any better.” gives in to the allure of evil, not a

90
bludgeon to force them to believe or act a
certain way.
Indeed, if a player announces that he
The Path of Corru ption
intends to commit an act that would be
worthy of a Dark Powers check, the GM The path from innocence to the final
should tell them so and give the player a damnation of a darklord is distressingly
chance to change their mind. Damnation short and all too easy to traverse. Each
is so much sweeter when the warning stage is listed with a sampling of dread
gifts the Dark Powers can bestow. Each
signs were all there but were ignored
anyway, after all. stage also bestows a curse, each of
increasing severity. If the GM carefully
considers how these powers and curses
The Effe cts of Failure will interact, they can transform what may
If a character fails a Dark Powers appear to be a collection of random
check, the Dark Powers respond with modifiers into an evocative descent into
gifts of darkness—and the character darkness.
moves one step toward corruption. At
each stage, the corrupted character
receives an occult boon and an
accompanying curse. The gifts and curses
bestowed by the Dark Powers are
inexorably tied: a rogue who gains low-
light vision might also suffer from light
sensitivity, becoming Distracted in bright
daylight; a monk who receives a bonus to
her natural armor might grow a thick,
scaly hide, making her Ugly. Curses
arising from failed Dark Powers checks
should manifest at least as often as the
accompanying gift comes into play.
The Dark Powers tailor all of their gifts
and curses to the victim. As a rule, the
Dark Powers’ gifts tend to make it easier
for a corrupted character to repeat her
transgressions but harder to conceal her
crimes.
In the initial stages of corruption, when
redemption is still at hand, both the gifts
and the curses bestowed by the Dark
Powers tend to be minor and easily
concealed. In later stages, however, the
trap starts to close. The curses gain
strength, forcing the corrupted character
to rely more heavily on her dark gifts—
abilities that often require more Dark
Powers checks to use.

91
 A character facing Corruption gains conceal any physical deformities created
certain boons and banes from their at this stage with little effort—gloves, tinted
exposure to the distilled essence of glasses, and so on.
darkness. This can come in many forms, • Suggested Rewards: Add twice the
proportionate to the level of the character’s Corruption rank as a
character’s damnation. Generally bonus on resisting a specific
speaking, each new rank of Corruption environmental hazard (such as heat,
grants the character a new power as well cold, hunger, or thirst). Add the
as a new penalty. Some rewards and character’s Corruption rank as a
curses become more pronounced as the bonus on a specific kind of Trait roll
Corruption increases, while others are (such as Strength, Vigor, Fighting,
one-off benefits or drawbacks, and some Persuasion, and so on). Gain a free
might replace a previous reward or curse. d6 in a specific skill. Gain a specific
power and 5 Power Points with which
Corru ption to use it (using Spirit as the activation
Corruption is typically gained when a roll, with a bonus equal to the
character fails a Dark Powers check. For character’s Corruption rank). Gain a
the most part, it acts as a gauge for minor monstrous ability worth 1
determining a hero’s slide into villainy, racial build point (such as low-light
how close to the abyss a character vision, a bite that deals Str+d4
dances—and whether or not he finally damage, or burrowing).
slips and falls in. • Suggested Curses: Apply twice the
A character gains corruption for Dark character’s Corruption rank as a
Powers checks and should not gain more penalty to resist a specific
than 1 level of Corruption per session environmental hazard (such as heat,
unless committing an Act of Ultimate cold, or hunger and thirst). Apply the
Darkness. Each level of Corruption character’s Corruption rank as a
grants a character powers, mystical penalty to Persuasion rolls. Gain a
abilities that tempt them further into new Minor Hindrance. Choose a
damnation. See below for more specific skill the character has at d6+;
information about corruption powers. that skill suffers Critical Failure with a
Unfortunately, the more corrupt a roll of 1 on the skill die (regardless of
character becomes, the more difficult it the Wild Die).
becomes for them to cling to social
norms or ethical considerations. For each Corruption Rank 2: The Enticement
level of Corruption, the character suffers Once the corrupted character
a –1 penalty to all Spirit-based Trait rolls demonstrates a willingness to return to
except for those related to Fear and her evil ways, the Dark Powers grant her
Intimidation (whether resisting such or greater assistance in her evil endeavors.
inflicting it). They temper this, however, with a
frustrating curse.
Corruption Rank 1: The Caress • Suggested Rewards: Apply the
The Dark Powers reward a character’s character’s Corruption rank as a
first touch of evil with a minor boon. The bonus to Parry or Toughness. Gain
character also gains an embarrassing Armor equal to twice the character’s
curse. A corrupted character can usually Corruption rank. Gain a free Edge

92
 equal to the character’s Corruption Corruption Rank 3: The Invi tation
rank or lower (so, Corruption rank 2 The corrupted character has continued
is Seasoned, Corruption rank 3 is in her evil ways, and any hope of
Veteran, and so on). Gain 5 bonus redemption is quickly fading. The Dark
Power Points. Gain a bonus equal to Powers now offer a powerful boon but
half the character’s Corruption rank also bestow a troublesome curse. A
on all skill rolls linked to a specific character that proceeds this far down the
attribute. Gain a monstrous ability path of corruption has difficulty turning
worth 2 racial points (such as back.
immunity to poison and disease, • Suggested Rewards: Gain an
improved Reach, or a venomous additional Benny at the start of each
bite). session (in addition to Luck or Great
• Suggested Curses: Apply half the Luck). Gain a specific power,
character’s Corruption rank as a ignoring Rank requirements, and 10
penalty to Parry or Toughness. Gain Power Points with which to use it
a new Major Hindrance. Suffer a (using Spirit as the activation roll, with
penalty equal to half the character’s a bonus equal to the character’s
Corruption rank on all skill rolls Corruption rank). Gain 10 bonus
linked to a specific attribute. Gain a Power Points. Gain a major
minor monstrous vulnerability or monstrous ability (such as flight,
weakness (such as +2 damage from hardy, immunity to a specific kind of
silver or cold iron weapons, or being damage, or slow regeneration).
repulsed by holy symbols).

93
 • Suggested Curses: Gain a major Corruption Rank 5: The Creatu re
weakness or vulnerability (such as +4 By now, the corrupted character’s evil
damage from silver weapons or has reshaped her into a creature of the
bursting into flame in sunlight). One night. For characters who proceed this far
Attribute drops to d4 and can never down the path of corruption, redemption
be improved. Gain a special often comes only in death.
monstrous dietary need (such as The Dark Powers now bestow even
drinking a pint of blood or eating a greater gifts but strike the character with a
fistful of gold coins each day). Suffer a potentially lethal curse. The Dark
penalty on natural healing rolls equal Powers’ curse never destroys the
to the character’s Corruption rank corrupted character, though they may
(which can be offset by some specific wish it had. A player character that falls
means, such as drinking blood, eating this far from the light may be removed
human flesh, or burying oneself in from the player’s control, becoming a
the earth). villainous NPC. Curses at this stage are
always unique and terrible things, and the
Corruption Rank 4: The Embrace rewards granted in return rarely worth the
The corrupted character’s evil deeds damnation involved.
mark her as a true villain. The Dark The character ceases to be truly mortal
Powers respond with a major gift, but the any longer and transforms into a corrupt
accompanying dangerous curse can create creature of some sort, such as a vampire,
serious mental or physical changes. The werewolf, construct, or other monster.
corrupted character can no longer live the More likely, the character becomes a
normal life they started with. If the unique being that is distantly related to
corrupted character is a PC, the player more standard monsters (such as a
may occasionally lose control of their psychic vampire who drinks spinal fluid
character’s actions (as in the case of instead of blood, or a flesh construct
afflicted lycanthropy, for example). constantly seeking victims to replace its
• Suggested Rewards: Gain a potent own decaying body parts).
monstrous ability (such as construct,
ethereal, invulnerability, fast Ultimate Corruption: The Darklord
regeneration, or undead). Gain With their final act of evil, the
limited immortality (the character corrupted character proves themselves
cannot die from accident or hazards beyond redemption and seals their fate.
unless one of their specific The Dark Powers grant the corrupted
weaknesses, only from intentional character their own domain—a prison,
violence). molded in their own image, from which
• Suggested Curses: Gain a weakness or they will never escape.
vulnerability to otherwise mundane Most new darklords rule over small
objects (such as being repulsed by a Islands of Terror rather than a major
specific material or herb). Gain a domain. Hand-in-hand with the new
compulsive behavior that is almost domain comes the darklord’s curse: the
impossible to avoid (Smarts roll at – object of their most desperate desire is
4), such as stopping to count spilled placed within their sight but forever just
seeds, defacing art, or sparing victims beyond their grasp. Darklords have
of a certain type. widely differing abilities and weaknesses;

94
indeed, the Dark Powers seem to reward Rewards and curses from Corruption are
captivating personalities with greater decreased, and any transformations begin
power. to recede.
It is not enough to simply advance Characters can possibly work their way
through the levels of Corruption to back to being clean, but they can never
become a darklord. Generally, only a reclaim true innocence. Acts of Ultimate
character who reaches Corruption Rank Darkness cannot be redeemed.
3 or higher, then commits an Act of It may even be possible for a darklord
Ultimate Darkness can descend to the to redeem their blackened soul—but in all
awful depths of depravity necessary to be the known history of Ravenloft, not one
granted a personal hell by the Dark ever has.
Powers.
Player characters who become
darklords automatically become NPCs
run by the GM. May the gods have mercy Black Mag ic
on their souls.
Those who embrace the dark arts gain
incredible power at the price of their
Red emption eternal damnation. Sorcerers who fully
The road to damnation is swift but not accept the evil side of magic into their
certain. It is possible for a character to souls often come to regret the bargain,
recoil from their evil deeds and, with time albeit far too late to do anything about it.
and toil, return to the light. If a character NPCs and villains can take a special
is truly penitent, the Dark Powers may Arcane Background Edge to represent
subtly guide the corrupted character’s fate that they are calling on the blackest sorts
to test her repentance. of sorcery. Unless otherwise noted in an
To escape the effects of a Dark Powers NPC’s description, Arcane Background
check, the corrupted character must (Black Magic) works just like Arcane
encounter an event echoing the one that Background (Magic), including qualifying
resulted in their failed Dark Powers for other Edges and so on, except that
check. This time around, the corrupted casters of black magic do not require
character must choose the righteous path. material components to use their powers.
For example, if a character failed a Dark How many Power Points the wicked
Powers check for killing a group of caster has is up to the GM—villains don’t
helpless captives, they must do all they progress like player characters, so their
can to protect the lives of a group of Rank doesn’t matter. Spellcasting doesn’t
helpless captives they encounter later on. invoke Dark Powers checks for
It is no mean feat to scrub corruption practitioners of Black Magic, since
out of the soul, however. Each time the they’re already damned. If it matters,
character meets the requirements for their Corruption Rank is considered to
atonement, they can attempt a new Spirit be at least 2, and probably higher.
roll with a penalty equal to their When working their blasphemous
Corruption rank. If the character powers in places of great corruption, they
succeeds at this check, the Dark Powers gain special benefits. If the local
loosen their grip on the character’s soul environment is a sinkhole of evil rated 3
and their Corruption rank is decreased or 4, the caster gains a free reroll on any
by 1 (or by 2 with a raise on the roll). failed Spellcasting roll. In a sinkhole of

95
 evil rated 5, they instead get a free reroll
on all Spellcasting rolls and are Mo nstrous Heroes
considered to have the Channeler Edge if
they don’t normally have it. Even the darkest of souls can yearn for
the light. In the Domains of Dread, it has
occasionally been known for true
Trappings monsters to turn away from the path of
The powers of a black magic user are corruption and seek to champion the
obviously tainted in some way. Their forces of good. From the elven vampire
words of power echo menacingly, the air Jander Sunstar to the heroic Martikov
turns cold when they cast, their eyes light family of wereravens, not all creatures of
with hellish fire, or black motes drift from the night are beings of evil.
their fingertips. Where a normal wizard The Horror Companion offers rules
might call forth fire to smite their foes, a for monstrous heroes. If the GM permits
black magician can rain down sickly such beings as player characters, they
green flames that corrupt as they should start four Advances behind the
consume. rest of the party—so either at Novice
A wielder of black magic can Rank if the mortals of the party are
sometimes enact rituals that allow them Seasoned, or four Advances “in debt” for
to conceal their corruption for short a Novice party. At the GM’s discretion, a
periods of time. This usually involves character can take the Veteran of the
blood sacrifice, offering up an innocent to Dark World Edge (HC 8) and start as a
act as a sort of lightning rod for their fell Novice monstrous hero rather than
powers. This is up to the GM’s taking the normal four Advances to
discretion, but such exchanges tend to Seasoned granted by that Edge. The
burn out the sacrificial lamb fairly character still draws a card for a random
quickly. (This could even be an drawback as normal.
adventure hook: Why is a decent person All monstrous heroes are considered to
suddenly growing sick and weak, and who have the Outsider (Major) Hindrance in
is causing it?) addition to their other Hindrances,
should their monstrous nature be
revealed. Monstrous heroes still select an
ancestry as normal, which should flavor
the nature of the creature involved. (An
elven vampire is significantly different
from a human one, for example.)

Monstrous Corruption
Monstrous heroes are already on the
path to damnation without any additional
help from the Dark Powers. They are
considered to have Rank 3 Corruption
and cannot gain more ranks of corruption
without somehow exceeding the inherent
evil of their own nature. (Though it has
happened, as one might tell from the
number of darklords who gained their

96
status after becoming vampires or them to pass through even a closed
lycanthropes.) domain border as if it weren’t there.
If two entities with reality wrinkles
Rea lity Wrinkles confront one another, their reality
Angels and demons hold a special wrinkles mutually fail when they overlap.
status in the Land of Mists. As true
outsiders, they carry a piece of heaven or New Edge
hell with them wherever they go, making Conceal Horror (Monstrous Edge)
them less susceptible to the powers of Requirements: Novice, Spirit d6+
darklords. The envelope of altered reality Being a monster in the Land of Mists
such beings possess is known as a reality might seem like a good deal—right up
wrinkle. It forms a rough circle around until the torches, pitchforks, and monster
the entity with a radius equal to twice hunters looking to make a name for
their Spirit die in tabletop inches (so an themselves show up. If you’re a monster
angel with Spirit d8 has a reality wrinkle trying to walk the path of righteousness, it
radius of 16”, for example). can be a real problem when the people
Any creature within the entity’s reality you want to help inevitably try to kill you
wrinkle is treated as being in a different before you start talking.
domain for purposes of scrying, A monster with this Edge has an
teleportation, and other magic, but unlike alternate humanoid form they can change
a domain border, this pseudo-border can into or out of as a limited action. This
be breached by magic cast by a character form resembles their true form, but with
of higher Rank than the entity. (All their obviously supernatural traits muted
darklords are considered to be or hidden. Wings vanish, horns
Legendary Rank for this purpose.) disappear, bright red skin turns to a more
More useful in some ways is the fact natural tone, and so on. Revealing their
that a reality wrinkle treats a true domain true form suddenly to people who didn’t
border as an extension of itself, know they were a monster is usually
permitting the entity and anyone close to grounds for a Fear check.

97
98
 Chapter 6:
Ravenl oft Gazetteer

constellations may be different between

The Land of Mists Clusters.
Beyond these extremely broad
Ravenloft is sometimes known as the generalities, though, no particular
“Land of the Mists,” a name that hints at commonalities may be expected from
the mysteries that lurk beyond the one Cluster to the next—or even from
ubiquitous fog that permeates most lands. one domain to its neighbors. Different
Geographers and explorers have tried to languages, customs, dress, races, history,
map their world unsuccessfully for calendars, technology, and expectations
centuries, largely unaware that their world are the order of the day when traveling
is a place that cannot be properly the Mists.
mapped. The lands of Ravenloft are
chaotic, in slow but constant motion,
their very borders ebbing and flowing
with the tide of the Mists. The Shape of Things
Each domain is like a small world unto
itself, with its own rules, mystical features, The Land of Mists is vast and
and hazards. Some configurations of mysterious. No one can properly claim to
domains are more long-lasting and stable have explored all of its mysteries, and few
than others, but even these can change have traveled further than a few dozen
over time. miles from the place of their birth. Those
Domains that share physical who choose to wander far find their
boundaries and mutual history are known world stranger than might be guessed, a
as Clusters, and they often share long- place of incredible beauty and terrible
term connections with other Clusters danger.
through semi-permanent connections While the people of the world call their
called Mistways. Lone domains, isolated homes “nations,” “states,” “countries,”
by the Mists, are known as Islands, and “duchies,” or the like, a few know the
these lonely locations are often both hard truth—that each land is a prison cell for a
to find and hard to escape. Some Islands being whose sins are both terrible and
have Mistways, while others are literal pitiable. For those in the know, “domain”
islands as well, connected to other lands is the preferred nomenclature to refer to
by the vast and wild Sea of Sorrows. such prisons and “darklord” as the title
A few features tend to be constant for their land-bound prisoners.
across the world of Ravenloft. Most A domain is, in some ways, like a small
places have the same sun and moon with world of its own, a microcosm with its
the same day and night cycle. Most own physical and magical laws. The land,
domains have stars of some sort above the people, and the history are dark
them at night, though the exact mirrors of the lord and his past, its
features a constant reminder of the many

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 sins that gained them a throne of Islands in the Mist
damnation. Most darklords have the With the setup of the Realm of Terror
ability to “seal” their domain through an presented in Ravenloft Reincarnated, an
act of will, closing the borders to make astute reader should realize right away
entry or escape impossible. Few can keep that nothing prevents an individual GM
this up for more than a few hours or days from breaking up the existing Clusters
at a time, since it is a draining, even even further, leaving behind only Islands,
painful experience. Some cannot close totally isolated from one another by the
their domains at all, either from a weak Mists.
will or from ignorance of their own There’s nothing wrong with this
nature. approach. Indeed, classical “weekend in
Some domains group together into like hell” adventures almost work better with
regions, creating Clusters. These regions this premise. An extended Ravenloft
might be considered small continents in Reincarnated campaign, however, will
the Mist. They often have long- likely involve some amount of traveling.
established connections to other Should you wish every excursion from
domains, sometimes through shared the characters’ home domain to be
history and sometimes through fraught with peril, then an “islands only”
happenstance. Such permanent and semi- campaign model works just fine.
permanent routes are known as Mistways, The default Clusters model exists to
and they serve as vital paths for travelers give GMs and players a more limited
looking to explore the world. scope while still offering options and
A domain with no significant creating a context in which a domain’s
connections to other lands can find itself struggles and identity can play off its
isolated in the Mists, an Island of terror. neighbors. The classical Core model can
Some are literal islands, bodies of land also work for games with a broader, more
surrounded by water, while most are epic scope.
simply patches of solid ground It’s your Demiplane of Dread! Mix and
somewhere in the ever-shifting Mists, match as you feel you need in order to
their borders gradually washed away by make it work!
fog. A few Islands have Mistways
connecting them to other Islands or to
Clusters, but most are perpetually Where ’s the Core?
disconnected, all alone in the night. Longtime fans of the Ravenloft setting
The Ravenloft Reincarnated campaign will notice immediately that this version
setting makes no assumptions about of the world eschews the classical setting’s
which domain or domains a given campaign model, which used a central
campaign wishes to use. Each Cluster or continent known as “the Core,” in favor
Island is written as a self-contained world of only using Clusters and Islands.
of fear, albeit with suggested connections This was done for several reasons. First
to other regions. A Game Master can feel of all, the existence of the Core is a legacy
free to use any or all of the domains of the original game’s attempts to push
listed in this section—or none of them, together every conceivable horror story,
creating their own Land of Mists from Gothic literature reference, and scary
whole cloth. idea into a single place, often with
ridiculous or nonsensical results.
Breaking up the Core into thematically-

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similar regions helps maintain each area’s
narrative consistency. Clus ters
Second, having a vast continent (even if
the authors frequently disagreed about The Clusters described in this
the Core’s exact size) diminishes the document are far from the only ones
sense of isolation necessary for a classic known to exist in the Land of Mists.
Gothic horror story. Making travel and Some travelers have documented over a
trade between regions more regular could dozen major Clusters, each with two or
often lead to questions about the more domains making up a cancerous
distances involved, which frequently growth of evil.
produces yet more nonsensical answers. These Clusters have been chosen for
Avoiding the question entirely gives their archetypical fantasy and Gothic
Game Masters more freedom to dictate literature resonances, as well as for their
exactly how big and populous each region existing connections to one another.
is. These connections can be ignored if a
Finally, this “mix and match” method Game Master wishes, allowing them to
allows each campaign to focus in on the focus on one Cluster exclusively; others
regions it really cares about without could be added, tightening the chains that
players getting bogged down in a huge bind them together.
world that they may never get to see all Within this document are described:
of. A Game Master can more easily say • The Balinok Mountains, a land of
“This game is set in the Civilized high, treacherous mountains, ethnic
Crescent” or “The focus will be on the violence, and blood vendettas,
Balinok Mountains and the Forest of intended to evoke the real-world
Beasts” while not being concerned with lands of Eastern Europe and the
the history, threats, and personalities of literary and film traditions of Dracula,
other areas. Carmilla, and Nosferatu. This is
Naturally, if a given campaign wants to perhaps the most classical and
use previous versions of the setting’s famous section of the setting, as it
layout, nothing stops a Game Master houses the infamous Castle Ravenloft
from using “classic Ravenloft” as their itself.
inspiration. While several of the domains • The Civilized Crescent, a region
listed in this setting book have been entering an age of enlightenment and
changed from their original versions— philosophy, but which is nevertheless
often to update the ideas presented to soaked in blood and thriving off the
make them less stereotypical or oppression of the common folk.
offensive—all of the rules materials works These lands are meant to resonate
fine, no matter which version of the with real-world England, France,
setting you prefer. Germany, and Spain during the Age
of Enlightenment, as well as the
horrors of the French Revolution and
literature such as Les Miserables,
Oliver Twist, and Frankenstein.
• The Far Steppes, a vast and
enormous region of prairies, rolling
plains, and verdant grasslands where
religious fervor stands side by side

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 with corruption of body, mind, and
soul. This region is meant to evoke Isla nds
Russia in the era of Boyar, Mongolia
in the Khanate, and the “weird west” Islands exist as isolated domains within
of early Americana. the Mists, places that are physically and
• The Forest of Beasts, an uncivilized spiritually separate from other places and
region covered in dense, almost which can be very difficult to escape from
impenetrable forest, where the threats even without the borders being sealed.
come from beasts—and from men An Island is typically small and poorly
who are beasts in disguise. Classic populated, though a few break these
werewolf tales are the focus of the general rules. No one can even claim to
region, as well as the origins of such know how many Islands exist—possibly
stories, including Grimm’s Fairy hundreds.
Tales and the Universal monster film An Island presents a unique scenario
The Wolf Man (as well as its many for a Game Master. As a culturally and
imitators). physically isolated location, it offers a
chance to tell a story that might be
• The Nocturnal Sea, a vast and
appropriate for the genre but not
dangerous ocean filled with islands.
appropriate for any particular established
This Cluster’s primary domain, the
domain or Cluster. These locations can
Sea of Sorrows, touches on dozens of
present a “weekend in hell” scenario,
other domains due to its unique
where a Mist-lost group of travelers
properties, making it a major means
stumble onto an unknown domain and
of travel in the Land of Mists. The
must contend with the local terrors while
Nocturnal Sea is meant to be used for
trying to recover their bearings.
nautical tales of horror, such as the
The Islands presented in this document
Pirates of the Caribbean films or the
are a combination of classic Ravenloft
novels On Stranger Tides and Into
domains and new ones designed to make
the Drowning Deep.
Game Masters think about the nature of
• The Shining Bay, where progress and
horror and the possibilities presented by
industrialization have begun to
isolated “pockets of terror.” They
destroy the natural world and the
include:
spirit of men alike. This region is
• Annaes, a crumbling city of mysteries
meant to remind players of Victorian
and wonders inhabited by the
England during the industrial period,
descendants of a once-great culture.
and it is especially resonant with the
This domain is an explicitly post-
novels of Charles Dickens and Upton
apocalyptic region, albeit one set
Sinclair’s The Jungle.
earlier than most science-fiction tales
of that sort, with nods to a larger
universe beyond the bounds of the
Land of Mists.
• Bluetspur, a wasteland of darkness
and lightning where inhuman
creatures think their thoughts of
darkness. This domain is intended to
be a tribute to the cosmic horror

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 stories of authors such as Arthur • Falkovnia, a parasitic domain of
Machen and H.P. Lovecraft. perpetual military buildup. This land
• The Carnival, a wandering domain highlights the horrors of war and
comprised of a big-top show and its serves as a perpetual threat to other
attendant freaks. Besides being a Clusters, due to its “floating” nature,
reference to carnival-based horror— which allows it to come into
such as Carnivale and American alignment with virtually any other
Horror Story: Freakshow—this Island domain.
exists to show Game Masters that • Kalidnay, a burning desert where the
things are not always what they seem strong survive and the weak perish.
in Ravenloft. While most domains are intended to
• Darkon, a vast nation of high fantasy evoke the Gothic atmosphere of 15th
and low politics. Darkon is a realm of to 19th century Europe, Kalidnay
wizards, warriors, and untrustworthy intentionally eschews that aesthetic
memories where horror is leavened for a Bronze age sword-and-sorcery
with a hefty dose of “traditional feel more in line with the weird tales
fantasy.” of Robert E. Howard and Fritz
Leiber.

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 • Rokushima Taiyou, a land of inclusion in the setting, as well as what
poisoned seas and exotic islands, real-world or literary influences the
where siblings war over their father’s domain is meant to evoke. This section
shattered empire and strange terrors discusses a domain in an out-of-character
lurk behind rice paper walls. This fashion, directly addressing the reasons
domain is meant to evoke the kaidan for the domain’s inclusion.
style of Japanese horror stories and The next section is the domain’s
the “foreign” view of Asia during the Themes, a set of three guiding principles
Gothic literature period. for adventures and stories set in the
• The Shadow Rift, a mystical fairyland domain. These three “rules” are
where magic is commonplace but philosophical guidelines for deciding
mortals are exotic and rare. This whether a given idea is appropriate for
gloomy twilight world is inhabited by inclusion in the domain, though they
elfin beings of myth and legend, and should not become straightjackets for
it pays homage to sources such as creativity.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Finally comes a brief biography of the
Peter Pan, and The Wizard of Oz, all domain’s darklord, the damned soul at
retold in horrific fashion. the heart of the domain who is both its
master and its prisoner. This section
notes the salient points of the darklord’s
personal curse, as well as whether they
Domain Descriptions are capable of closing their domain
borders or not.
A domain’s description, whether part of
a Cluster or a solo Island, consists of Clusters
several parts. A Cluster gets an additional set of
At the beginning of each domain’s information at the beginning of its
writeup is a segment discussing the description, detailing the general cultural
overall geographical, political, and ethnic level and broad geography of the region.
makeup of the domain. This mini- Any notable local religions or
gazetteer gives a broad overview of what organizations are mentioned, as well as
life is like for the domain’s people. connections to other domains and the
This is followed by a section about the languages spoken in the area.
domain’s Tropes, the narrative and
metaphorical reasons for the domain’s

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105
 The Balinok Mountains
The Balinok Mountains Cluster is the a surprisingly busy crossroads, though few
oldest region of Ravenloft, a place of merchants enjoy staying in the area very
ancient history and primeval terrors. long. The attitude of the natives, the poor
Some scholars believe that Barovia might climate, and the general air of oppressive
well have been the very first domain to be fear makes the Balinoks a place that no
drawn into the Realm of Terror, and its one lingers in if they can help it.
ruler—Count Strahd von Zarovich—to be The two dominant human ethnic
the first of the damned souls to be known groups in the region are the Barovians
as darklords. and the Gundarakites. Both groups tend
As might be gathered from the name, toward thick, stocky builds with broad
this Cluster is a place of harsh, forbidding shoulders and wide hips. Skin tones
mountains, stony crags, and deep, dark range from pale olive-tan to light brown.
crevasses. The domains are rural and Dark hair and eyes are typical, the former
insular, held in the grip of despots and ranging from light chestnut to nearly jet-
tyrants who care nothing for the suffering black, the latter from pale hazel to deep
of their people. brown. Men grow their hair to a medium
The nation of Barovia straddles the length, generally to just above the
central peaks of the mountain chain, shoulder. Women wear their hair long,
which runs like a craggy spine from north with younger women frequently braiding
to south. The hills to either side of the their locks. Most men wear thick,
mountain range are rugged and breed drooping mustaches, though beards are
equally rugged people. The passes only common among younger men.
through the mountains are choked with Barovians and Gundarakites also dress
snow and ice six months of the year, in a similar manner. Men wear loose
forcing most communities to be as self- white shirts, embroidered sheepskin
sufficient as possible. The people of the vests, and dark breeches. Women wear
Balinoks are as forbidding and insular as blouses and long skirts and cover their
their homeland. heads with kerchiefs. Barovian women
The narrow valleys that cut the slopes favor black, grey, and dark brown colors
of the Balinoks widen to the east and and wear the kerchief only when married.
west. Crystalline mountain streams Gundarakite women dress in muted,
transform into broad, mighty rivers that natural colors, favoring yellows, greens,
wind their way through the thickly and blues, and wear the kerchief only
forested dales. The Gundar, Luna, and when unmarried.
Nharov Rivers travel west from the Despite their physical similarities,
mountains, while the Ivlis and Saniset Barovian-Gundarakite animosity runs
Rivers course east. The highest peaks of deep. The frequent internal strife in
the Balinoks, Mount Baratok and Mount Gundarak forces many refugees into
Ghakis, lie within Barovia. neighboring nations, where they are often
The eastern Balinok Mountains hold not wanted. Barovians particularly regard
many major Mistways, while the rivers of Gundarakites as “uninvited guests,” even
the western mountains wend their way though many ethnically Gundarakite
into other clusters. This makes the region villages have been loyal Barovian subjects

106
for generations. Harassment and violence considered to start in Borca, cross
against Gundarakites are on the rise in Barovia, and end in Nova Vaasa.
recent years, and as local militias tighten The country of Invidia, in the south,
control of Gundarakite movements and has several waterways that are river
activities, the Gundarakites have begun to connections to the Forest of Beasts. Most
respond with sporadic resistance. of them connect with Verbrek, though a
The much-smaller Thaani ethnicity— few end in Valachan or Arkandale. Some
refugees who arrived in Barovia say that there are northern Mistways that
generations ago from a fallen domain— reach Darkon, but if they exist they are
fare better. Their numbers are small and poorly known.
they make few waves. Even their language
is gradually being lost as they intermarry The Morninglord
with the natives and adopt more of their The Cult of the Morninglord was born
culture. Invidians are descendants of both three centuries ago, when the faith’s
Barovians and Gundarakites—as well as founder, Martyn Pelkar, claimed that as a
many other ethnicities—and seem to care young boy, a being called “the
little for the ethnic strife that has begun to Morninglord” appeared to him in
seep into their neighboring country. physical form and protected him from
the roving menaces of the Barovian night.
Languages Based on this singular encounter, the
The major language spoken in the Morninglord is usually depicted as a
region is Balok, the language of the luminous, sylvan humanoid. Although he
Barovian majority. Both Barovians and is formed of soft golden light, his face is
Invidians speak Balok as their primary smeared with blood. The cult teaches that
language, making it easier for them to this strange detail may be a sign that even
communicate with one another than with the greatest good may hold some evil
Gundarakites, who speak Luktar. The stain, and even the most depraved evil
few Thaani in the area speak their own may yet contain a spark of good.
language, but it has gradually been lost as The Morninglord is the god of the rosy
fewer and fewer Thaani bother learning dawn that marks the end of every night.
it. A tiny number of Barovians also speak The deity asks little of his followers, save
Forfarian, the language of the lost people that they treat each other with kindness
of the Forlorn Land, but that number and retain hope in their hearts. Their
grows fewer with every passing year. religious rites include singing, both singly
and in choirs.
Conne ctions This humble faith holds great appeal
The Balinok Mountains Cluster has a for those who have little more than hope
surprising number of Mistways leading to and kindness to offer, and the cult is
other lands, despite the relative isolation rapidly spreading among the
its interior villages suffer from. The downtrodden Gundarakites of Barovia.
eastern stretches of the domain have Its simple teachings conceal a message of
several major Mistways that lead to the intense hope—that no matter how bleak
Far Steppes, and the western portions of the future may seem, no matter how dark
the Cluster bleed into the Civilized the night, the dawn will come.
Crescent. Indeed, one of the major trade The cult has a relaxed hierarchy that
roads of the region, the Silver Road, is honors those clergy who have founded

107
 temples or committed great deeds of even sometimes setting out unwanted
sacrifice or bravery. Clergy martyred infants in the wilderness.
while serving the cult or its ideals are Barovians consider worship of the
often canonized by local temples. There Wild Hunt to be savage and horrific, and
is no centralized orthodoxy or authority Count Strahd long ago outlawed the
within the cult, and each temple is religion in his land. Duke Gundar and his
autonomous. Rites, hymns, and other followers are fervent worshippers of the
elements that prove popular at one Wild Hunt, inasmuch as they can be said
temple are quickly shared with others in to be devout about anything other than
the region. Clergy are charged with pillaging and slaughter. Many
protecting others from the minions of evil Gundarakites in Invidia and Barovia are
and bestowing hope through their words refugees from Wild Hunt cultists, though
and deeds. the stain of that faith follows them from
The cult may hide more than its their homeland.
optimistic message as well. One of the
cult’s founders secretly hunted the
undead by night. It is possible that even
to this day, the cult’s priests are trained in Barovia
the methods of hunting vampires.
The symbol of the Cult of the Straddling the loftiest reaches of the
Morninglrd is a simple rose-tinted disc of Balinok Mountains, Barovia is a harsh,
gold. A more elaborate symbol is a circle, rural domain held in the grip of tyranny
with a half-arc below it and four quarter- and superstition. Its landscape is
arcs above it, representing the sun, the dominated by the Balinoks, in particular
earth, and the sun’s rays. by the twin snow-capped peaks of Mount
Baratok and Mount Ghakis. The
mountains run like a craggy spine down
The Wild Hunt the center of the realm, spreading east
Many of the clans and tribes of and west to include the rugged hills on
Gundarak venerate a pantheon of either side of the range. The Balinoks
woodland spirits known as the Wild within Barovia are particularly
Hunt. This grouping of vicious, predatory treacherous, characterized by jagged
demigods is said to wander the hills and outcroppings and sheer cliffs.
forests of the region, hunting humans for Most buildings in Barovia are
sport and sometimes stealing away constructed of brick and dense timber
children for unknown purposes. The that is plastered and painted deep russet
most powerful of these beings is known or light dun. Many homes and shops are
as the Erlking, said to be a tall, powerful adorned with rows of mineral-flecked
man with the head of a stag. stones set into the plaster. The thatched
Gundarakites do not seek aid or help rooftops are steep and set with tiny,
from the Erlking and his followers. Their leaden rose windows in the gables.
worship is instead intended to placate and In the spring, window boxes overflow
appease the cruel spirits. Worship with vivid flowers, and harvest time brings
includes leaving a portion of one’s prey pumpkin lanterns, intended to keep the
behind after hunting, making offerings of minions of evil at bay. Although Barovia’s
blood and wine at forest shrines, and winters are long and brutal, the
remainder of the year is mild,

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109
 characterized by gentle precipitation and the GM can apply a werewolf, a vampire,
sun-dappled days. One of the realm’s a curse, a demon, and so on.
most remarkable features is the perpetual
fog that surrounds Barovia Village, the Themes
town that lives in the shadow of the
• Isolation: Each adventure is a closed
ruler’s castle.
circle that locks when the heroes
Barovia is ruled by Count Strahd von
arrive. They cannot leave, and help
Zarovich, the most recent despot in an
will not come in time. Barovia is a
ancient line of feudal tyrants going back
very claustrophobic setting, each
centuries. “The devil Strahd,” as he is
village isolated by a hostile
called locally, is a cruel but distant ruler,
environment even though the
rarely taking an interest in the daily
distances involved are rather small.
business of his realm. The darkest
Beyond the physical distance,
rumors suggest Strahd is a necromancer
emotional and social isolation are
who has made himself immortal, which is
themes; when your village turns their
why no one ever seems to see the von
back on you, for whatever reason,
Zarovich heirs before they are ready to
you might as well be on the moon.
take the throne. None suspect the even
darker truth. • In the Blood: The human culture of
Strahd leaves governance to the noble Barovia emphasizes family and kin,
landowners and appointed mayors, who which has a reflection in the horror of
are free to rule as they see fit. These petty the setting. People are punished for
but coveted positions of authority are the faults of their ancestors, and the
traditionally hereditary, but turnover is sins of the father pass onto the sons.
high due to replacement by the count— People judge one another for their
for incompetence, weakness, or sedition— family connections, and for their
or suspicious deaths. ethnic heritage.
• External Threat: The theme of some
domains in “man’s inhumanity to
Tropes man,” but Barovia is different. In
Barovia is the quintessential Gothic Barovia, the horror comes from
horror setting—the sleepy, isolated Balkan monsters. Indeed, given that some
village menaced by monsters and curses. forms of monstrousness can pass
Its literary origins can be found in Bram from parent to child, a monster might
Stoker, Mary Shelley, and Frederick not be a bad person—but it’s still a
Marryat, though the specific imagery of monster and has to be put down. A
the land is most associated with the monster can be tragic, but it is
Universal horror films of the 1930s and ultimately something that has to be
the Hammer horror films of the 1950s destroyed so that decent people can
through 1970s. live safely.
The purpose of Barovia is therefore to
provide the campaign with an
inexhaustible supply of small, isolated Notable Locations
villages, ready for menacing. In some Barovia Village is the cultural heart of
ways, Barovia is an archetypal setting, a the domain. Neither the largest nor
Balkan-themed blank slate onto which wealthiest of Barovia’s towns, it is notable
nonetheless for being in the very shadow
of the infamous Castle Ravenloft, home

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of Strahd von Zarovich and his court. road in the name of the von Zarovich
Strahd has little interaction with the family, but they are long abandoned.
people of the village, but they feel his The Tser Falls are the highest waterfall
presence constantly. They are far more in the domain, their crystal clear waters
familiar with his personal servants, the eventually pooling into a broad pond that
dark elf Rahadin and the human serves as the only known permanent
nobleman Vasili von Holtz. encampment of the wandering folk. This
Lake Zarovich lies between the two camp houses between twenty and a
highest peaks of the domain, fed by ice- hundred of the wandering folk year-
cold streams from Mount Baratok. The round, though its only constant inhabitant
black, still waters of the lake provide is the Vistani seeress named Madame
fishing livelihoods for the towns of Eva. Some say she is an ally of Count
Vallaki, Aracos, and Antonbucher, but Strahd, while others whisper that she
they avoid the deepest parts of the lake works against him in secret, aiding
like the plague. A perpetual cloud of mist adventurers with visions of the future and
hangs over the center of the lake, and hints to find the means of the vampire’s
local rumor says that those who enter it downfall.
are lost—for days, for years, or even
forever. The Darklord
The Old Bonegrinder is a windmill Count Strahd von Zarovich is the
once owned by the Durst family but now darklord of Barovia, an ancient vampire.
used as a lair by the hag Morgantha and Once a virtuous warrior, Strahd’s years
her dread coven. The hags trade their on the battlefield changed him into a
addictive dream pastries for the unwanted jaded, bitter old man. When his younger
children of local families. The hags brother was engaged to be married,
devour the flesh of the unlucky children, Strahd fell in love with his brother’s
while grinding their bones and souls into fiancée and made a pact with Death to
powder, which they use to make the regain his youth and vitality so that he
pastries. The stone circle outside the mill might pursue her. The pact’s price was
has been corrupted into a place of dark the life of Strahd’s brother—a price
magic by the hags, who use it to power Strahd gladly paid. She rejected him and
their rituals, but it could become a place fell to her death while fleeing; in a
of powerful good once more—if the hags maniacal rage, Strahd stalked through the
could be defeated. castle, killing everyone he found.
The Old Svalich Road provides the As the years passed, Strahd found that
only significant thoroughfare through the he did not age and did not die, but he
Balinok Mountains, connecting the hungered for the blood of the living and
northern reaches of Barovia to the was burned by the touch of clean
southernmost parts of Gundarak. It is sunlight. He has indeed retained his
said that the northernmost end of the youth, still seeming to be a young man in
road provides a stable Mistway to the his late 20s. Strahd has long, dark hair
Civilized Crescent, while the southern and piercing eyes; he typically dresses in
end of the road connects to the Far the fashion of a Barovian nobleman,
Steppes. The midpoint of the road passes though his ideas of what is fashionable
through the Gates of Barovia, a massive are generally decades out of date.
portcullis guarded by ancient statues; the
Gates once housed soldiers guarding the

111
 In the centuries since his death, Strahd hounded to extinction or exile centuries
has concealed his undead state from his ago. Now, the only known inhabitants of
subjects by pretending to be a succession the blasted hills and heaths are ghosts,
of heirs and staying out of the public eye goblins, and the occasional mad
for years at a time. Recent trouble with wanderer, doomed to die before too
Gundarak has pushed Strahd (currently long.
pretending to be the twelfth of his name) Unknown to most outsiders, a
back into regular action. desperate resistance movement dwells in
For all of his evil, Strahd genuinely the woods and caverns of the Forlorn
cares about Barovia’s well-being— Land, descendants of the Forfarian
inasmuch as he cares about any of his druids who stand against the doom that
possessions—though his centuries of befell their people so long ago. These
existence have left him with a relaxed druids are locked in a perpetual guerilla
view of the value of individual human war against the goblin hordes that haunt
lives. Strahd can fall into melancholy the hills of the domain, working to
moods that leave him brooding for uncover the secrets of the goblins’ dread
months or years at a time, but he master and recover the lost treasures of
generally finds ways to distract himself their people. The druids believe that the
with matters of state. He purges artifacts of the Forfarian people hold the
corruption and incompetence from his key to defeating their enemy, who was
government ruthlessly, but otherwise once a nobleman of their ruling lineage
takes a hands-off attitude toward and a ward of the druids themselves.
rulership. The land is speckled with ruined
Strahd is an ancient vampire, a villages, fallen keeps, hidden druidic
powerful warrior, and a skilled mage. He redoubts, forgotten dungeons, and
has had time enough to master many arts monster-filled caverns—all perfect
and skills, but none of them bring him locations for thrilling adventures… or
peace. Strahd’s curse is to be forever possibly perfect tombs for unwitting
haunted by Tatyana, the woman he loved adventurers lured by the prospect of
and whom he inadvertently killed. He is treasure.
convinced that her soul is trapped in
Barovia, and that she is reborn over and Tropes
over again. Each new life is a chance for The Forlorn Land is something of an
Strahd to finally win her love and bring anomaly within the Balinok Mountains.
her into the embrace of undeath—a While most of the domains evoke the
chance he inevitably fails at due to feeling of Eastern Europe and the
outside intervention or his own moral Balkans, Forlorn is instead more like the
failings. rocky hills of the Scottish highlands. Its
inclusion in the cluster is primarily a
matter of historical connection—the
The Forlorn Land Forfarian ethnic group that calls Barovia
home have their origins in Forlorn—but
No civilized folk call the Forlorn Land also a nod to the idea that different
home. It was once the homeland of the regions with similar environments wind
Forfarian people, a culture of warrior- up producing similar cultures. The
poets and peaceful druids, but they were honor-bound warrior-poets of Forfar are

112
not that different from the ancestral Themes
peoples of either Barovia or Gundarak,
• A Haunted Land: The Forlorn Land
save for their propensity to wear kilts.
is a place of ruins and lost legacies.
The last link is more of a wink-and-nod
Everything within hints at a once-great
in-joke: if Barovia is Castlevania (a game
era that has been worn down by
about a vampire lord and the adventurer
disaster and the passage of time.
who fights him) and Gundarak is
Every location should include nods to
Castlevania II (a less-successful sequel),
the past—the skeletons of the dead,
then Forlorn is Ghosts ‘n Goblins (a
broken relics of another age, scrawled
similar game from a similar era released
writings in ancient languages, and the
by a different studio). The domain is
like. Even the monsters that dwell
more intended for “traditional” fantasy
here pay homage to the region’s
adventures—dungeon crawls and ruin
legacy; goblins wear tattered tartans
exploration—with a few twists and horror
and carry rusted claymores, while
themes.
ghosts sing lullabies in tongues
forgotten by modern folk.

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 • Ghosts and Goblins: The most simultaneously in the present and
common foes in the Forlorn Land multiple periods in its own past.
are the ubiquitous goblins that dwell The hamlet of Forfarmax technically
in every ruined village, seemingly lies within the borders of Barovia, but its
spawned by the soil itself rather than inhabitants are all ethnic Forfarians and
having any culture or civilization of refugees from the terror that destroyed
their own. The goblins live only to their people and way of life. The hamlet
torment and kill those luckless has grown up around the semi-ruined
enough to fall into their hands, but fortifications of Castle Forfarmax, and it
their fear of the sun can offer respite is currently led by the elder Ceridwen
and safety to those who can fend ApNir, secretly a druid and defender of
them off or avoid them long enough the lore of the lost Barony of Forfar.
for dawn to come. Virtually every The Lake of Red Tears is a quiet loch
ruin is also home to one or more in the northern reaches of the Forlorn
ghosts, who range from sad phantoms Land, notably primarily for its murky
weeping their stories at any who will rust-red waters and the legends of a
listen to murderous poltergeists taking monstrous lake serpent dwelling within
out their rage on the living. them. The stories are true enough,
• The Past Lives On: While the though so few have survived an encounter
phenomenon is most pronounced at with “Aggie” that the creature’s actual
Castle Tristenoira, all of Forlorn is a appearance and nature are a matter of
place where time becomes thin. The debate.
past comes to haunt the present, not The hidden druid enclave known as
just in the form of ghosts and ruins, Sanctuary remains hidden from the eyes
but by literally transporting travelers of the dread lord of Forlorn and his
into bygone eras. An empty village goblins. The secrecy of its inhabitants
can suddenly turn back into the borders on paranoia, but it has served
bustling town it was centuries ago, them well in the century since they
allowing heroes to learn about the established the enclave in a series of deep
mysteries and secrets of the land caves beneath the rocky hills of the
firsthand. When the tides of the past domain. This secrecy may well be coming
recede, however, those who were to an end with the increased activity of
swept up in the can sometimes find the druids of the Rowan Faction.
themselves facing a new threat that
came silently upon them while they The Darklord
were lost in reverie. The noble lord Rivalin ApTosh loved
his wife, Fiona ApBlanc, so much that he
Notable Locations would not abandon her even in death.
Castle Tristenoira squats like a beast at When Rivalin was transformed into a
the heart of the Forlorn Land, a ruined vampire after a battle, he returned home
fortress haunted by goblins and the to his pregnant wife and begged her
unquiet spirits of the dead. Rumors mercy and understanding. Fiona loved
abound regarding the castle and its her husband as well and could not bear
monstrous lord, but the most persistent to turn him away. She permitted him to
story claims that the castle somehow feed on her blood so that he would not
moves through time, existing harm innocents, but the taint of undeath

114
marked their child Tristen at birth, convinced the nearby locals to laud him
making him into a dhampir. as a nobleman. Through the next several
When the townsfolk discovered the centuries, Tristen would wed, sire
truth about Rivalin and Fiona, they killed children, and bring strife to his neighbors.
and beheaded him, then hanged her His machinations led to the deaths of his
from a tree in the nearby druid grove. family, the slaughter of his people, and
Fiona had just enough time to give the eventual destruction of the entirety of
Tristen to a druid named Rual, begging his homeland. The dark magics he
the woman to protect the child. Rual discovered allowed him to seize control
could not convince the townsfolk to of the goblins that haunted the rocky hills
spare Fiona, but she was able to hide of the region, and to transform any
Tristen away from their fury. captives into more of their ilk. Eventually,
As Tristen grew older, the vampiric the few harried survivors of Tristen’s
taint in his blood grew stronger, and Rual raids would flee the domain entirely,
began searching for a way to purify the dubbing it “the Forlorn Land,” and
boy and free him from his bloodlust. leaving him the ruler of naught but ruins
When she found him stalking animals in and goblins.
the sacred forest and drinking their Tristen now lives alone in his
blood, she knew she was out of time. crumbling castle, a dhampir by day and a
Tristen found the old woman preparing ghost by night. He wanders the time-
a ritual and drew the worst possible shifting halls of Castle Tristenoira, raging
conclusion: that she was going to kill him at his failures and longing for what might
to protect the forest. He chose to survive have been. During periods of lucidity, he
at any cost and attacked her before the commands the goblins of the domain to
ritual could be completed, drinking her hunt for the surviving druids and deforest
blood. Unfortunately, in preparation for the land. He believes that destroying the
the ritual, Rual had imbibed a large druids and their trees will lead to the end
quantity of holy water to purify herself, of Rual’s curse upon him, allowing him to
turning her blood into a deadly poison finally be free of his divided existence.
for Tristen. As both of them lay there
dying, Rual cursed Tristen to never again
leave the sacred grove.
The next morning, Tristen awoke in Gundarak
the grove, convinced that the previous
night had been nothing more than a Gundarak lies southwest of Barovia,
terrible nightmare. When he tried to between that land and Invidia. Like both
leave, however, he found that going more of its neighbors, Gundarak is richly
than a hundred feet from the heartwood forested, as well as being less
tree at the center of the grove filled him mountainous than Barovia. Still, the
with blinding pain and left him unable to majority of the terrain is steep foothills,
do more than pitifully crawl back toward making the topography a wrinkled maze
it. Worse still, when night fell, he died of cliffs, crags, and sharp drops. The
again in burning agony—rising as a ghost southeastern corner of Gundarak is
to haunt the grove until he was reborn home to the most spectacular gorge in the
once more with the coming of dawn. region, with walls that drop nearly a
Over the years, through theft and thousand feet in some places.
murder, Tristen built himself a castle and

115
 The nation is less organized and Bandits are everywhere, and many of
advanced than its northern neighbor, them call themselves government
largely due to the anarchic and chaotic officials.
state in which the country finds itself.
While ostensibly ruled by a hereditary Tropes
duke, the current ruler is a weak-willed If Barovia is the sleepy Balkan village of
and self-indulgent man with a penchant Gothic film and literature, then
for violence and terror. Many of his Gundarak is the Balkans as they have
vassals have fallen into tacit rebellion, existed since before World War I—a
though none of them have the forces place of near-constant strife and struggle,
necessary to overthrow their tyrant—and where peace can turn to bloody battle in
most of them hate each other enough that the blink of an eye. Most people have
they fight one another as often as they long since forgotten why the fighting is
fight their common enemy. happening, if there was ever a reason at
Gundarakites struggle daily to survive in all. Now, the fighting is its own reason
their own land. They never know when a and purpose, and it’s unlikely that it will
“tax collector” will show up to steal their stop until no one has strength left to raise
hard-earned grain, lumber, or goods, or a weapon.
to demand that their taxes be paid in
slaves taken from among their sons and
daughters. Since the central government Themes
has collapsed, a single village caught • Internal Strife: The people of
between warring factions might have to Gundarak are their own worst
pay their “taxes” several times in a year— enemies. Villages that share blood
or several times in a month. ties, marriages, and old friendships
Many villages have become havens for can swiftly turn into bloody enemies if
one or more rebel forces, though this is a they wind up on opposite sides of an
dangerous game. Duke Gundar is a lax arbitrary line drawn by others.
but vicious man; when he hears rumors Brother fights brother, with no end in
of peasants aiding his enemies, he is sight. The ultimate cause of this strife
liable to raze the entire village rather than is pride—a stubborn pride that makes
take the time to determine the truth or people prefer bloodshed to admitting
falsity of the rumors. Despite the risk, they were wrong.
many villages prefer to have their own • Desperation: The domain breeds
protectors, regardless of those protectors’ desperate people. Villages are
virtue—and some simply hate Gundar and perpetually on the edge of starvation
his thugs so much that they willingly risk due to burdensome taxes; militias are
death to spite him. perpetually underfunded and poorly
Peasant homes tend to be rough-hewn armed; the nobles that command
affairs made of pitch-sealed logs and armies are harried on all sides.
roofed in thatch. The majority of Gundarak is a pressure cooker that
buildings in every village have been frequently explodes. The general air
rebuilt several times, and the people no of desperation means that people
longer have the resources or the spirit to often make bad decisions based on
build anything better. Streets are muddy perceived need. This can include a
and riddled with potholes, and roads village deciding to waylay foreigners
between villages are poorly maintained. for their valuables, a commander

116
 making an ill-conceived attack based acting against their own selfish interests,
on unfounded fears, or a platoon meaning that the rebels rarely do more
deserting their unit before an than talk and plan.
“inevitable loss” to become bandits. Zeidenburg, on the other hand, is
• Factionalism: The center cannot known for being a hotbed of sedition.
hold, and anarchy is loosed upon the Whenever a new rebellion breaks out, it
world. Every attempt to consolidate always seems to start here. The only thing
power inevitably goes wrong in some that has stayed Gundar’s hand from
fashion, leaving the power base simply leveling the city and stringing up
splintered and chaotic. Large bandit its entire population is the rich farmland
gangs split into smaller bandit gangs; of the area, which makes Zeidenburg the
successful armies find their domain’s breadbasket. The local
commanders falling out and turning rebellious streak is exacerbated by the
upon one another. Betrayal leads to presence of a secret Wild Hunt cult that
schisms, even when people seem to recruits extensively from the townsfolk.
be reaching for the same goal. The
factions change constantly, if usually The Darklord
openly; subtle political machinations Nharov Gundar is the darklord of
are beyond most of the warring Gundarak, and its ostensible ruler.
nobles. Always a vicious man, Duke Gundar
reveled in slaughter and bloodshed as
Notable Locations signs of bravery and glory. He was a
Castle Hunadora is an old but strong young man, ready to inherit his father’s
fortification, obviously created for lands and titles, when a terrible beast
defense over beauty. As Duke Gundar’s began hunting down the noblemen of his
stronghold, the castle has often been home. Gundar, intent to prove his
besieged by rebels but its mighty walls worthiness, led a group of his finest,
have never been breached. Outside the bloodiest warriors to the creature’s lair.
castle walls lie an apple orchard that Instead, Gundar’s men found themselves
grows only black apples. The duke’s prey for the beast, and in the end only
tendency to hang defeated rebels (and his Gundar was left.
own failed generals) from the trees of the The beast did not kill Gundar, instead
orchard makes the locals shun its fruit, revealing itself to him. The beast was a
even in times of famine. woman, Graendel, who had been savaged
Teufeldorf is the largest town in and left for dead by the king’s troops.
Gundarak, as well as the home of When she called out for vengeance, the
numerous secret rebel groups and Wild Hunt answered and transformed
underground criminal syndicates. her into a half-dead monster, a blood-
Membership in both organizations is drinker and eater of the dead.
common, since rebels are always looking She blamed Gundar for her suffering,
for black market weapons and smugglers and she felt that simple death was not
are rarely fond of the duke’s heavy- enough for him. She drained him, then
handed rule. Gundar himself is well raised him again as her servant. He would
aware of both the rebels and the spend generations as her minion, abused
criminals and ignores them; people and mistreated as he had once abused
focused on turning a profit rarely wind up and mistreated others. When Graendel

117
 was finally slain by a mighty hero, Gundar
fled. He had learned no humility from Invidia
his captivity, only growing in bloodlust
and hate, and the first village he found Invidia is a wild, sparsely populated
became a week-long meal. realm with vast stretches of dark,
In time, Gundar began to gather men forbidding forests, rounded hills, and
like himself to his banner once more, broad, slow rivers. This land, at the far
seeking to become the noble leader he southwestern corner of the region, is in
had always been destined to become. He the low foothills of the Balinoks, well
seized a wilderness region and called it below the dangerous heights of Barovia.
Gundarak; unfortunately, Gundar proved Where Barovia’s citizenry is isolated by
a better conqueror than ruler, and his geography, Invidia’s people are isolated
land has been a chaotic battlefield almost by preference. Many border villages are
since the beginning. Virtually every one filled with Gundarakite rebels plotting
of his original lieutenants turned against their nation’s overthrow, quite a few river
him at their first chance, and his villages are home to smugglers and
replacements have been less and less pirates, and even the larger towns seem
competent—and more and more unfriendly and suspicious.
bloodthirsty—with each new purge. Invidia’s buildings are tall, with steeply
Duke Nharov Gundar is a bloody beast gabled roofs tiled in black wooden
with pretensions of being a man. His shingles. Although plastered and painted
once-fine furs are matted with blood from a creamy dun color, most Invidian
previous battles, and his shaggy black hair structures have crumbling facades that
and beard are rarely groomed more than expose the red brick underneath.
dunking his head in a horse trough. He Interiors are wooden, the staircases and
wants to rule but doesn’t know how to do rafters darkly stained and intricately
anything but slaughter, and he is weak- carved with grapevine designs. Baroque
willed and indecisive about matters of towers, topped with charcoal-grey cupolas
state. He frequently changes his mind, and grim statuary, loom above the
then kills his servants in fits of pique grandest buildings. Invidia’s climate is
when they fail to know what he wants temperate, although the realm boasts
next. Gundar feels trapped by his long, pleasant summers.
position, but he doesn’t dare step down; The country is currently in the throes
his pride won’t let him. of a power struggle between the former
Gundar is a vampire, though he queen, Gabrielle Aderre, and her son,
maintains many of the trappings of a Malocchio. Most of the country is held by
living man. He has even sired children, Duke Malocchio, an ambitious young
many of whom have become his servants man who seeks to unify Invidia and bring
and others who are among his worst it into the present. Queen Gabrielle is
enemies. His lieutenants and minions supported by a loose network of rebels
suspect that their master is inhuman, but and guerillas who want to return her to
most of them are evil enough that they the throne and bring back the days of
consider that an advantage against their loose, decentralized government.
enemies. Invidians are infamous for their
passionate personalities; however, it is not
a compliment to say that someone has an
“Invidian heart.” Invidians are hot-

118
tempered and tempestuous, frequently hand with families; it is difficult to
allowing their passions to get the better of care for someone without also
them. Marital infidelity is common, as are resenting them in some way, and
the grudges and spilt blood that inevitably Invidian passions inevitably turn such
follow. Bitterness is nursed for years over resentment bloody.
small (or even imagined) slights, and it is • Passion: Sudden bursts of passionate
not unknown for violence to erupt even emotion are common in Invidia. A
within families when tempers flare. man can decide to cheat on his wife
Despite its insularity, Invidia is a nation of twenty years after a pretty girl winks
with a fair bit of wealth from river trade. at him, and his wife can kill him in a
Many Mistways connect the rivers of moment of terrible anger after finding
Invidia to those of other lands, out. Bad decisions made in the heat
particularly the Forest of Beasts and the of the moment are a frequent
Civilized Crescent, and trade in lumber occurrence; attempts to conceal those
and pelts keeps the markets of the region bad decisions inevitably lead to worse
bustling. A great many Invidians live on decisions, or to an even more
the rivers of their homeland as much as dramatic revelation of the truth.
they live on shore, and quite a few villages • Vengeance: Invidians run hot and
are built on stilts above the water. cold. Passionate mistakes are
frequent, but so are cold-blooded
Tropes vendettas. The smallest slight can
Invidia is a land of hot-blooded lovers cause years of bad blood and
and cold-blooded seekers of vengeance. retribution, and every act of
The people are gossips and backbiters; a vengeance begets another act of
person’s public face has little vengeance in return. Trust, once
resemblance to the one they wear in broken, can never be fully repaired;
private, but the truth comes out in betrayals lead to resentment, which in
moments of intense passion. turn lead to attempts to “even the
In some ways, Invidia is intended to score.” An eye for an eye leaves the
play to the tropes of urban and rural whole world blind.
drama as much as to those of horror; the
horror in Invidia is the horror in finding Notable Locations
out that your husband is sleeping with Castle Loupet was the stronghold of
your sister, only to kill them both in a Baron Bakholis, the former tyrant of
moment of passion. The horror of Invidia, until he was slain by Gabrielle
realizing that your loved ones are not who Aderre. She made the castle her home
you think they are plays into the personal for a number of years until she was
themes of Invidia. usurped by her son, Malocchio, who now
uses the castle as the staging point for the
Themes conquest of his mother’s realm. The
• Family: Passion and betrayal seem castle is an ugly building, constructed
intensely heightened when it comes to solely for defense, with deep dungeons
matters of family. Virtually every beneath it where it is rumored that
family in Invidia is a hotbed of secrets Malocchio performs horrifying torments
waiting to come out and damage on the political prisoners he takes.
someone. Love and hate go hand in

119
 Curriculo is a burgeoning trade town The Darklord
that does business with everyone from Gabrielle Aderre is a dark-eyed woman
Barovian merchants to Gundarakite apparently in her early twenties, her
rebels. It is also the home of Gabrielle’s youthful appearance marred only by a
court-in-exile, including Matton, her streak of grey in her black hair. She
wolfwere lover, and her infant daughter, dresses like one of the wandering folk, in
Lucita. Gabrielle wonders if Matton is the the colorful style of her mother, and
father of her child, or if it is Ardonk typically goes barefoot. Though she
Szerieza, the leader of the Gundarakite began styling herself “Queen Gabrielle”
rebels who she seduced to her side. Each after killing Invidia’s previous tyrant, King
man believes himself to be Lucita’s Bakholis, she rarely made proclamations,
father, and the revelation of the truth never collected taxes, and seemingly had
could destroy Gabrielle’s family as well as little interest in ruling.
her plans to retake her throne.
Gabrielle’s mother was a slave in a
Karina is the largest town in Invidia, the
distant land, escaping while pregnant. She
capital from which Malocchio’s new
would never tell Gabrielle about her
government rules. It is a town in
father, saying only that his evil would lurk
perpetual decay, sustained by trade with
within Gabrielle for her entire life. The
its neighbors but constantly straining
older woman raised Gabrielle to believe
beneath the heavy taxes of the Dukkar.
she was evil too, and that she should
The town feels empty from Malocchio’s
never marry or have children for fear of
frequent purges and arrests of
passing her evil onto them. In time, her
“dissidents,” but the natives who remain
mother’s abuse became too much for
prefer his chaotic rule to the possibility of
Gabrielle to bear; she betrayed her
being lorded over by Gundarakite
mother and left her to die. Her mother’s
foreigners.
death did not satisfy Gabrielle, and she
Valetta is a small but thriving
wandered from place to place, turning
community of loggers that harbors a dark
loved ones against one another with her
secret. Several years ago, the loggers of
magic.
Valetta were in competition with the
In time, she came to the notice of
nearby town of Beltis—and they were
Bakholis, the tyrant of Invidia, and was
losing. The mayor of Valetta put together
taken before him as a captive. She turned
a group of blackhearted cutthroats who
the tables on her captor and killed him,
went to Beltis in the dead of night and
driving out or turning most of his servants
murdered everyone there, throwing their
to her side. She began calling herself
bodies into the river and burning down
“queen” as an amusement, albeit one that
their town. The mayor and his
quickly faded, and satisfied herself with
murderous cronies still rule Valetta, and
petty games of cruelty among her
they eliminate anyone who might piece
subjects. Her favorite game was to seduce
together the truth. Beltis is a haunted
a married man or woman, reveal the
ruin, filled with vengeful spirits who seek
betrayal at a dramatic moment, and watch
to destroy those that killed them, but
as a family tore itself apart.
unable to leave the site of their deaths.
Gabrielle was eventually seduced
herself, by a mysterious gentleman caller
who left her after a single night of

120
passion. The child from that union, She fled from her home and took control
Malocchio, possessed unnatural powers of a group of Gundarakite rebels who she
of his own, leading Gabrielle to believe now uses to strike back against her own
that he was a child of prophecy. When son. It’s not that she wants the throne,
the boy turned thirteen, he used his particularly—she just wants revenge for
powers to seize control of the throne having her own tricks used against her,
from his mother, turning her servants and for her son’s ingratitude.
against her and nearly driving her mad.

121
 The Civilized Crescent
The Civilized Crescent is a region of dwarves are welcomed in most places,
rolling hills, fertile dales, and peaceful though rarely with completely open arms.
coastlines that can be properly described Five of the six nations that make up the
as idyllic in appearance. The terrors here region have a unique mutual defense
are subtler than those of other lands, but treaty due to the frequent emergence of
no less deadly. The monsters disguise Falkovnia from the Mists. The Treaty of
themselves, the magic hides in the Four Towers (named for the four great
shadows, and the threats often come with families who signed it) allows all five
a hand of peace extended in false nations of the compact to donate money,
friendship. material, and volunteers for a militia of
The southernmost area of the region is mutual defense against Falkovnian
composed of the twin nations of aggression. To stay in fighting trim, these
Dorvinia, to the east, and Borca, to the volunteers are often used to hunt bandits
west. Their rulers are cousins and both or monsters, and the influx of resources
nations are traditionally allied, though has pushed weapon technology forward
rumor says that recent years have seen by leaps and bounds. Firearms are
tensions rising between them. growing in commonality in this region,
The curve of the land arcs northwest and the militia is beginning to seriously
from Borca into Richemulot, then consider fielding cannons, though the
directly north into Dementlieu and strategy for their use isn’t yet mature.
Mordent. While Borca and Dorvinia are Rationality and technology are being
hilly and even a little mountainous in embraced, and magic is looked upon as a
places, the other nations are comprised serious scholarly pursuit, rather than a
of low, rolling hills, broad forested plains, mystical tradition. Philosophy, politics,
and—in Dementlieu and Mordent’s case— and trade are highly developed in the
miles and miles of coastline. Civilized Crescent, but the divide
North of Mordent, the coastline turns between the rich and the poor has
bleak and deadly, becoming wretched created a new kind of pressure. The
cliffs and freezing seas. The highlands wealthiest nations of the region are also
above Mordent give way to Lamordia, a those with the greatest disparity between
mountainous domain that holds itself the rich citizens and the poor; well-off
aloof from the other nations even as it individuals can live like kings of other
considers itself the most civilized among lands, while the common folk starve and
them. languish without decent opportunities for
All six nations share Mordentish as a work in overcrowded cities. Wealth and
common language, though many civilization have not brought wisdom—
Dorvinians and Borcans also speak Balok and the pressure continues to build.
due to their long association with
Mistways that lead into the Balinok Languages
Mountains. Their cultures are quite The vast majority of people in the
different, but there is little in the way of Civilized Crescent speak Mordentish,
racial or ethnic strife in the Civilized which in turn has two mutually intelligible
Crescent. Even nonhumans like elves and

122
dialects. High Mordentish has a more huge following and acceptance in that
refined sound and is usually spoken by time nonetheless. At its founding, the
the wealthy and aristocratic, who can young Yakov claimed that a divine entity
afford the tutoring necessary to affect the called Ezra, Our Guardian in the Mists,
proper pronunciation and accent. Low had given him a message to spread to all
Mordentish is spoken by more people the world.
and has a more relaxed pronunciation According to most traditions in the
that gives it an almost slurred sound. church, Ezra was a virtuous mortal
Some of the traders, merchants, and woman who, despairing of the evils of the
nobles of Borca and Dorvinia also speak world, forever surrendered her mortality
Balok due to the area’s long association to the Mists to become an eternal
with the Balinok Mountains Cluster. guardian of mankind. The fractious sects
Indeed, many say that the low mountains of the Church of Ezra have been debating
of eastern Dorvinia and southern Borca the true nature and teachings of their
are just a continuation of the Balinoks, ascended patron for decades. Since its
separated by the Mists. founding, the Ezran faith has spawned
three additional sanctioned sects, as well
Conne ctions as dozens of unsupported heresies, minor
Both Borca and Dorvinia have reliable sects, and regional variants.
Mistways leading to the Balinok The original sect, called the Home
Mountains Cluster. The most reliable Faith, is centered in Borca. Its primary
and notable of them is Borca’s Silver tenets revolve around duty, obedience,
Road, which leads from eastern Borca to and following the ordered hierarchy of
southern Barovia, merging with the Old the church. The Home Faith appoints
Svalich Road that crosses the country, Ezra’s faithful clerics, called anchorites, to
and eventually continuing on past eastern the task of protecting and healing Her
Barovia into the Far Steppes domain of faithful, keeping them safe from the
Nova Vaasa. forces of evil. Wandering clerics and
The entirety of Dementlieu and missionaries are known as wardens, and
Mordent’s western border is the coastline going on mission for a few years is a
of the Sea of Sorrows, and many distant common way for priests to gain swift
islands have been discovered by sailors promotion upon returning to their home
from those two nations. Reliable water- church.
based Mistways include the Wake of the Several other denominations of the
Loa, which leads to the coast of faith have grown in popularity in other
Souragne; the Way of Venomous Tears, nations, outside the sanctity and influence
which takes ships into the waters of of the Home Faith. In order to preserve
Rokushima Taiyou; and the much-feared unity among the local churches, the
Leviathan’s Clutches, a Mistway that can leaders of each sect have agreed to form
lead ships to the Verdurous Lands—but an ecclesiastic council on matters of the
whose currents cannot bring them back. faith, with the most prominent sect
leaders acting as chiefs on that council.
The leader of the Home Faith acts as
The Church of Ezra “first among equals” in matters of the
Founded less than a hundred years ago faith, but rarely uses his authority to
by Yakov Dilisnya in the land of Borca, overrule other sects.
the Church of Ezra has managed to gain a

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 Because of the politicking involved in their door. The church does not actively
sectarian matters and the wealth that seek new followers, however, and
flows into the church from the nowhere is the Church of Hala the
aristocracy, many feel that the Church of dominant religion. Witches of Hala are
Ezra has become too worldly. Such critics very common in the Civilized Crescent,
are simply looked upon by the faithful as where they suffer few of the persecutions
more lost souls in need of preaching. and prejudices that they face in other
The symbol of the Church is a silver lands. Commoners often curse the “sly
long sword, blade down, superimposed witches” with one breath even as they ask
on an alabaster kite shield and adorned for their help with the next; Hala’s
with a sprig of belladonna or wolfsbane. faithful are used to this kind of treatment
While both the sword and the shield are and often struggle to reconcile their faith
part of the symbol, anchorites generally with their anger.
refer to their holy symbols as “shields” While Hala’s chosen call themselves
and often use sword-and-shield “witches,” there are other, darker magic-
metaphors as part of their religious users who also fall under this sobriquet.
doctrine. Anchorites are encouraged to Hala’s priests call such evil casters
learn the miracles of the Church, which “warlocks” (or oath-breakers) and hold
are seen as a divine gift from Ezra herself; that magic in its purest form is a divine
most who do so focus on spells of gift for all people, one that is perverted
protection and healing. Clerics of Ezra and corrupted in the same way that many
are also encouraged to learn fencing or divine gifts are. Warlocks are among the
other martial disciplines in order to most common enemies of the faith, and
protect the faithful in time of need. few things will rouse a peaceful witch to
sudden wrath more quickly than news of
The Witches of Hala a warlock’s appearance.
According to Hala’s holy text, Tales of Halans often work serpent motifs into
the Ages, nine gods created the world their clothing or jewelry to recognize one
from the roiling mists of Chaos. The gods another, and they have an entire system
then withdrew, intending to allow mortals of secret hand-signs and code phrases to
to fill their world with acts of both good help with identification. When they can
and evil. However, the mortals lacked wear it openly, the symbol of their
wisdom, and the world was soon filled goddess is a ring of thirteen serpents,
with pain and anguish. Just one of the each devouring the tail of the one before
Nine Gods, the goddess Hala, returned it. They call this sign “ouroboros,”
to the world to ease its suffering. She symbolizing the eternal cycle of nature.
gathered together thirteen men and
thirteen women, and she taught them the
secrets of magic. Those that practice the Borca
mystical and religious rites of Hala are
sometimes called witches. Borca is a beauteous domain scarred by
The Cult of Hala is a mysterious and betrayal and ruthlessness. The domain
highly secretive faith. Her witches operate lies along the northwestern edge of low
a number of hospices scattered mountains, in the rolling dales that stretch
throughout the world, where they offer out beyond the icy crags of Mount Gries.
rest and healing to anyone who comes to Borca is a green, fertile land blanketed

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with wildflowers throughout the spring Nobles, on the other hand, dress in
and summer. Ancient, verdant forests baroque Dementlieuese fashions, though
cover much of the domain, overgrown they shy from bright colors, preferring a
with tangled brambles and twining ivy. black and white scheme accentuated with
Borca has a temperate climate, leaning silver jewelry. Commoners and nobles
toward severe winters and cool, pleasant alike don more colorful clothing
summers. exclusively for festivals.
The trees and shrubs are heavy with As a people, Borcans have a sullen air
nuts and fruits, and the ground is about them, an attitude that has
blanketed by spongy little toadstools. permeated all aspects of daily life. This is
Most of these morsels, however, ooze largely due to the crushing taxation most
with sweet-smelling toxins, a notorious people endure, combined with the cruel,
feature or Borcan foodstuffs usually arbitrary rule of Borca’s ruler, Ivana
betrayed by a telltale purplish tinge. The Boritsi, the so-called Black Widow. This
domain is also known for its geothermal oppression has worn down what was once
activity; hot springs (called Hellspouts) a lusty, life-loving attitude among
bubble up from the ground in many Borcans, leaving a defeated people who
areas, spewing steam and sulfurous fumes go about their business with a resigned
into the air. fatalism. A weary, pained look clings to
Homes and shops in Borca are broad, their features; they shuffle through their
massive buildings of plastered and tasks as if afflicted with a numbing
whitewashed brick. The gabled rooftops poison. Their only respite is the grace of
are shingled in thin, charcoal-grey wood the goddess Ezra, whose largest and most
and topped with slim, knobby spires. influential sect of priests goes forth from
Wooden trim of dark green or blue, the Great Cathedral of Levkarest.
carved with stylized vines and Although the realm is ostensibly
mushrooms, graces the doors and governed under a feudal system, Ivana
windows. Small, white marble statues of Boritsi is the only true landowner, with all
the goddess Ezra stand serenely at the citizens in direct vassalage to her. Borca’s
entrances of many homes. The smooth prominent aristocracy is a mere plaything
stone streets are narrow, shaded by the for Ivana; nobles enjoy their status only as
overhanging upper floors of buildings. long as it pleases the Black Widow. Ivana
Borcans have average, athletic statures. grants and revokes noble titles erratically,
They seem to age quickly, and have skin creating a perpetual flux in the makeup of
tones ranging from fair to creamy tan. the Borcan nobility.
Hair and eye colors range wildly, but All matters of Borcan law are contracts
dark brown is common for both. Men of between individuals, and the basic unit of
all classes keep their hair at a medium governance is contract law. These laws
length, allowing it to grow wild and are enforced by tax assessors—little more
roguish. Women grow their hair quite than Ivana’s personal thugs—and
long, adorning it with thin ribbons and landlords, who are responsible for both
wooden or tortoiseshell combs. collecting taxes and arbitrating
Clothing is utilitarian among disagreements. Needless to say,
commoners, with men dressing in loose corruption isn’t just rampant but is
shirts and trousers and women in blouses actually expected; there is no law in
and medium-length skirts. Dull earth Borca save that which can be bought with
tones are the norm in such humble garb. coin.

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 Tropes • Church and State: Despite the
Borca is very much intended to remind corruption at all levels of government
players of Italy during the Renaissance, and the decadence common to the
albeit with a slightly more advanced level nobility, the Church of Ezra is
of technology. Rich patrons hire artists popular among both aristocrats and
and philosophers while playing ruthless commoners. Nobles give huge sums
games of politics that often end in death. to the building of churches and the
The common folk struggle under a creation of religious art, while
burden of taxation that is both random commoners hope for justice in the
and crushing, and justice can only be had next world that they cannot receive in
through vigilantism. this one. People tend to hold to
The Boritsi family is supposed to be religious beliefs even when their
reminiscent of the Borgias, including actions would indicate godlessness.
their connections to the church, their
patronage of the arts, and their thorough Notable Locations
corruption and venality. Levkarest is the capital of Borca, a
massive trading center where everything
Themes can be found if the price is right. The
• Governmental Corruption: Borca is a sheer number of music halls, art galleries,
land where the law is almost openly and opera houses allow the city to
for sale. Different tax assessors offer compete with Port-a-Lucine for the title
competing rates for ships coming in of culture capital of the Civilized
to harbor, landlords can charge Crescent. The city is also home to the
whatever they want as long as they estates of Ivana Boritsi and her brother
keep their taxes flowing in, and Sulo, who is the city’s governor and
common folk have almost no voice in Ivana’s closest advisor, as well as the first
their own governance. Almost anyone monument of the Church of Ezra, the
can be bribed, but few people are Great Cathedral.
willing to say so in such crude Rising from the noble’s district of
language. “Convenience fees,” “local Levkarest, Misericordia is the home
taxes,” and “overhead costs” are estate of Ivana Boritsi, a testament to her
common code phrases when asking wealth and refinement. The massive
for bribes. mansion at the heart of the estate is
surrounded by miles of gardens,
• Beauty Without, Decay Within: The
greenhouses, and follies, while the
people of the upper classes are
vaulted and marble-floored corridors play
predominantly good-looking—and
host to untold numbers of secret passages
predominantly morally bankrupt. No
and hidden chambers. Supposedly,
one cares how many commoners die
Ivana’s private quarters and personal
in sweatshops as long as trade
laboratories can only be accessed by
continues. Their tasteful clothes, fine
winding one’s way through a labyrinth of
jewelry, and erudite manners conceal
such hidden passages.
all manner of depravity and
Sturben is a scarred town whose
decadence. In a more literal sense,
inhabitants have the mentality of a
most monsters in Borca look just like
fortress under siege. Caught unprepared
people—until the time comes to feed.
years ago by the appearance of the

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parasite-domain Falkovnia, the town was very touch is poison. The alchemical
the home of the atrocity now called the process she used to manufacture the
Widow’s Massacre. The town is one of poison with which she killed her mother
the few walled settlements in the domain, also made her forever young and turned
and huge swaths of the land bear the all of her bodily fluids—blood, sweat, and
marks of Falkovnian siege weapons. The tears alike—into horrific venom. Ivana
region is also well known for its many sometimes makes connections with
curative (and caustic) hot springs. One of handsome young men or women and
these springs is built under the marble beds them in the hope that they will
dragon statue known as Wyrmsbreath prove immune to her curse; so far, none
which squats at the center of the town; have. In her worst moods, Ivana delights
condemned prisoners are sometimes in destroying the relationships of others
hung in a cage before the statue’s mouth, and humors those that court her just for
where they are scalded to death by the the chance to poison them later.
stream of superheated water that sprays Ivana was childhood friends with Ivan
forth every three hours. Dilisnya, the ruler of Dorvinia and her
cousin. As the two have aged, Ivan has
The Darklord become jealous of Ivana’s eternal youth, a
Ivana Boritsi is a dark-haired, blue-eyed gift that is not within her power to give
beauty who seems to be no more than him. This bitterness has become outright
eighteen, despite verifiably being more rivalry, which has only been exacerbated
than sixty years old. Alchemy (and, some by the knowledge that they can roam free
whisper, dark magic) have kept her young in one another’s domains.
and beautiful through the decades even as Ivana bears physical marks of her curse;
she has grown crueler and more ruthless. her lips and fingernails are a pale blue, as
She is the sole true landowner in Borca, in someone suffering from cyanosis. She
and all members of the aristocracy hold typically covers this flaw with makeup,
their positions at her sufferance. but all of her lovers have seen it—usually
Ivana’s mother Camille was the former just before their deaths. Ivana has
ruler of Borca, as well as its former managed to distill her own poisonous
darklord. Camille was a bitter, jealous blood into an alchemical elixir that grants
woman who poisoned many of her own longevity and youth to those that drink it,
relatives and all of her husbands. When while also draining them of passion and
Ivana was a teenager, she fell in love with feeling, but this elixir is useless to her
a poet named Pieter; Camille was furious cousin Ivan, whose own alchemical
that her daughter had found true love mastery makes him immune to such
when it had eluded her for so long. She toxins.
seduced Pieter while disguised as Ivana,
then revealed the poet’s “betrayal,” and
convinced Ivana to murder the boy for Dementlieu
his indiscretions. A year later, Ivana
murdered Camille and took her place as The coastal domain of Dementlieu is a
ruler and darklord. bastion of modernity, a land of secrets
Known as the “Black Widow” for her and hidden loyalties. The domain lies on
habit of seducing people, bedding them, a broad, green floodplain dappled with
then killing them, the truth is that Ivana’s lush woodlands and heaths. The realm’s

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 western shore along the Sea of Sorrows is The Dementlieuese tend toward slim
blessed with numerous natural ports. but athletic builds and strong features
Although the terrain is flat, Dementlieu’s with high cheekbones. Skin tones range
soil is sandy, and crop yields tend to be from very pale to olive-tan, while eye
low, with stunted plants and small fruits. color ranges from pale blue to green to
Scattered, sun-dappled forests cover the dark brown. Hair is usually dark blond to
regions that agriculture has not claimed. light brown in color, with the occasional
The coastline is edged with rolling sand auburn. Beards and mustaches are
dune beaches. Dementlieu’s climate is common among men but always kept
blessedly mild, characterized by frequent neatly trimmed and styled. Women never
precipitation and moderate temperatures. cut their hair short; noblewomen pin up
Severe winters and sweltering summers their locks very meticulously, while poor
are not unheard of, however. women braid their hair.
The buildings in the domain are tall Clothing is important to the
and narrow, densely packed edifices of Dementlieuese, especially among the
dull brown stone that loom over the nobility. Commoner men wear dark
narrow, twisting village streets. Windows woolen trousers and light cotton shirts
and doorways are trimmed with and don cloth caps whether inside or
whitewashed wood, and the shallow, outdoors. Gentlemen prefer breeches
gabled roofs are shingled in rich, dark and silk shirts with tailed coats, as well as
brown wood. Towers are crowned with tall black hats. Wigs are considered
elegant stone ornaments and statues of proper for men in public life. Commoner
legendary artists and civic leaders. and noble women alike wear long, dark
dresses with high-button boots and always
wear hats when outdoors. Women of the
lower classes wear simple bonnets, but
the hat of a noblewoman is large and
elaborate.
The Dementlieuese consider
themselves to be a highly civilized people.
They appreciate beauty and learning in
all its forms, and their society is
structured according to rigid etiquette.
Adherence to decorum is vital, and those
who overstep the delicate balance
between deference and bravado find
themselves scorned. The Dementlieuese
believe that their advanced society has
earned them a place of respect among the
civilized realms of the world, and they say
so openly. Not all outsiders are grateful
for Dementlieu’s contributions, and
many folk consider the Dementlieuese to
be shiftless fops who produce nothing of
value.

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Tropes about something if you’re rude, loud,
Dementlieu is intended to be a stylistic or just annoying. Lack of respect is a
representation of enlightenment-era reason for murder in this domain.
France. In some ways, the domain is a • Dangerous Liaisons: Due to the
showcase for what France might have emphasis on propriety, romance and
looked like if the French Revolution secrecy go hand in hand. Lovers meet
hadn’t immediately descended into in secret, affairs are conducted out of
bloodshed and madness. On the surface, the public eye, and even married
Dementlieu is a land of peace, prosperity, couples can rarely show one another
propriety, and great wealth; beneath that affection except behind closed doors.
veneer is a realm just as corrupt and At the same time, pushing the bounds
awful as any monarchy, hypocritically of propriety is not just expected but
held up as “superior” to prior forms of encouraged. Men and women wear
life. daring fashions, risking exposure for
From a game perspective, Dementlieu the chance to be noticed. Secret
is a realm of courtly politics, socialization, lovers exchange lurid notes through
and genteel backstabbing. It is intended intermediaries, with the chance that
to be a place where swords are drawn those notes could be intercepted.
only occasionally, with the deadliest Furtive glances and quick touches are
adventures being those that involve exchanged in crowded ballrooms. In
words. Of course, there’s plenty of room short, people take risks with their
for swashbuckling antics a la The Three propriety despite its importance.
Musketeers as well.
Notable Locations
Themes Chateaufaux is not as large or as
• Age of Reason: The people of famous as Dementlieu’s capital, Port-a-
Dementlieu consider themselves Lucine, but it is home to the nation’s
eminently reasonable and finest academies and factories. The city is
enlightened—which can make them a hotbed of scholarly inquiry, often
utterly insufferable. They don’t accept accepting visiting scientists from
superstitious explanations for things, Lamordia, as well as being the source of
rarely believe in monsters unless one Dementlieu’s supply of firearms.
is breathing down their necks, and The Isle d’Orleon sits west of Pernault
reject both magic and faith. The only Bay and guards the entrance to Port-a-
religion to have a strong foothold in Lucine’s calm waters. The island was
the domain is a mystery-cult version once home to a noble order of knights,
of the Church of Ezra, and magic is but they are all long dead. Their fortress,
seen as just another field in science— the cheerfully named Death Rock, is now
and one that is poorly respected at used as a prison for the political enemies
that. of the Council of Brilliance.
Dementlieu is famous for its dozens of
• Courtly and Genteel: People care a
small lakes, including such fancifully
great deal about propriety and
named bodies of water as Lac Flétan, Lac
manners in Dementlieu. You can get
des Brumes, Lac des Pendus, Lac Fleau,
away with almost anything as long as
and many others besides. Almost every
you’re polite about it. Conversely, it
lake has a local legend, from the ghosts of
doesn’t matter how right you are

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 drowned lovers to a native aquatic intellect to get his own way. By the age of
monster, which the natives generally thirteen, he had manipulated his own
dismiss as baseless superstition. These father into relocating the family and going
small lakes are popular destinations for into politics, with Dominic as the
picnics, boating, and swimming among mastermind. Dominic’s uncanny
the nobility and commoners alike. charisma gradually transformed into a
Port-a-Lucine is the capital of genuine mesmeric ability to control
Dementlieu, and it is well known for minds, albeit subtly. Dominic has the
being a hotbed of both fashion and power to implant hypnotic suggestions in
intrigue. It has numerous museums, people through conversation,
opera houses, art galleries, and theaters, manipulating them to his own ends. With
and even a grand library that is open to enough time and care, he can turn people
the public. The capital is home to into veritable puppets for his will; he
numerous boarding schools, and youths prefers subtle actions to overt ones, since
from wealthy families across the Civilized enough open maneuvering could leave
Crescent are educated here before him exposed to scrutiny.
returning to their homelands. It is less Dominic’s great weakness is women.
well known that the city is also home to a His powers do not work on any woman
massive organized crime ring run by a he is genuinely attracted to. Indeed, the
secretive mastermind called “the Brain.” more Dominic lusts after a woman, the
more repulsive she finds him. Several of
The Darklord his attempted affairs have ended in
Dementlieu is ruled by a council of murder, and his marriage is a loveless
ministers, currently headed by the Lord- sham entered into for political reasons.
Governor Marcel Guignol. No one
would suspect Guignol’s advisor Dominic
d’Honaire of being an evil mastermind, Dorvinia
let alone the darklord of Dementlieu.
Dominic has held a position of respect Dorvinia is a small, mountainous land
on the ruling council for many years, northeast of Borca. The mountains of
though he is considered both a moderate Dorvinia are said to be the last spur of
politician and the weakest member of the the Balinoks, having crossed the Mists,
body. In truth, d’Honaire is a brilliant but they are far less impressive than their
strategist and cunning manipulator whose Barovian cousins. The only significant
machinations have made Dementlieu mountain in the region is Mount Gries, a
powerful and his enemies weak. ragged peak that lies near the center of
Dominic d’Honaire is a slightly portly the country, surrounded by thick
middle-aged man with thinning red hair evergreen forests.
and a neatly trimmed red beard. His In many ways, Dorvinia is Borca’s
most remarkable features are his pleasant smaller, less cultured cousin. The
smile and stunning blue eyes. He has an landscape is much the same, but the
unassuming and humble air until crossed; towns are smaller and poorer, the
he withholds anger in public, preferring wilderness is less tamed, and the
to settle his grudges behind closed doors. government is more openly corrupt and
As a child, Dominic was precocious incompetent. While Ivana Boritsi
and intelligent, always trying to use his accepts—even encourages—corruption

130
and graft, she does not tolerate state to continue, but relegated to
incompetence. Dorvinia, on the other permanent second-class status. Dorvinia
hand, is almost ludicrously corrupt and is a small, corrupt nation with wealth far
venal, with open bribery occurring at out of proportion to its power, creating a
every level of government. Almost decadent elite at the expense of an
nothing happens without coin changing overtaxed majority.
hands, and the people have a sullen and Ivan Dilisnya is the land’s Nero or
resigned air about them. Caligula, an absolute tyrant who engages
The major benefit that Dorvinia in mad pleasures while ignoring matters
possesses is its rich silver mines, which of state. His greatest enjoyment comes
provide wealth to the elite of the nation from childish, puerile games and
and allows the otherwise resource-poor torments, and this is reflected in those he
country to import the things it needs. The chooses to elevate to high station.
Dorvinian uplands are riddled with active
and played out mines, and much of the Themes
peasantry is engaged in either mining or
• Blatant Corruption: Like Borca,
supporting the mining industry. Much of
Dorvinia is a land where money
Dorvinia’s silver is traded for food, which
purchases justice; unlike Borca, the
grows poorly in the toxic soil of the
corruption here is open, obvious, and
uplands, unlike the many native
heavy-handed. Government officials
poisonous herbs and fungi.
will refuse to do their jobs until
Dorvinia has a long, friendly history
“properly motivated,” and even
with Borca, and the two nations share a
people who pay their taxes sometimes
ruling family; Ivana Boritsi’s mother
find themselves being strong-armed
Camille was a Dilisnya before marriage.
for more.
In the last few decades, however, tensions
have grown between the two countries. • Petty Pride: Ivan Dilisnya is the
Ivan Dilisnya has apparently grown tired “lesser cousin” to Ivana Boritsi,
of being the “junior partner” in the something that rankles at him almost
Borcan-Dorvinian alliance, and has constantly. His nation is full of people
begun inciting trouble in various ways. who perceive slights to their station,
Some even say that “Mad Ivan” has skill, or importance at the drop of a
begun seeding Borca with saboteurs and hat and enact petty schemes of
spies to remind Ivana why she needs him. vengeance to show up those who
The Church of Ezra remains popular in would dare look down on them. Even
Dorvinia, but not to the degree that it is the commoners have overweening
in Borca. Many Dorvinians are pride when it comes to certain
disinterested in religion, seeming almost matters. Vengeance is rarely bloody
numbed to any comfort that faith can or direct; a slighted nobleman might
provide. “lose” a traveler’s tax receipts, or a
vain merchant may find his pack
animals dead after a stable boy he
Tropes insulted “accidentally” left the gates
If Borca is supposed to be indicative of open.
Italy in the Renaissance, Dorvinia is its • Toxic Decadence: Dorvinians have
Adriatic cousins like Slovenia and vast appetites for decadence and sin—
Croatia—necessary for the wealth of the and such distractions are very often

131
 lethal for those drawn into them. of Ivan Dilisnya, but the local theaters are
Being elevated to high position is very much beholden the the darklord’s
poisonous to the mind and spirit; mercurial sense of taste.
aristocrats are inevitably people of Mount Gries squats in the northeastern
low moral character and gradually corner of Dorvinia, and its slopes
find their grasp on reason slipping frequently run with the blood of miners
away. Madness is common among the competing for the richest claims. It is also
upper class, though whether this is a dangerous place in its own right, as it is
cause or effect regarding home to the Night Swarm, a vast cloud of
governmental corruption is anyone’s vampire bats capable of exsanguinating a
guess. man in minutes if caught out in the open
at night.
Notable Locations
Degravo, the estate of Ivan Dilisnya, sits The Darklord
on the edge of Dorvinia, overlooking a Ivan Dilisnya is a thin man with curly
seemingly bottomless chasm filled with gray hair, streaked with the blond of his
swirling, dark mists. The darklord has a youth. He is an extremely animated
balcony stretching out over the abyss, person, to the point of histrionics. People
where he will often stand for hours on might call him a fop—but never to his
end, staring into the void; he claims it face. Ivan spends his life prancing and
helps him think. Degravo is a squat and posing as though on a stage in front of an
ugly mansion, a marvel of self-indulgent audience, and his tastes run to the garish
splendor catering to Ivan’s tasteless and melodramatic. He seems as unlikely
preferences. Central to the manor is a candidate for darklord as he does for
Ivan’s “Laughing House,” a dining ruler of a nation, but he is both. Only
chamber where he hosts opulent dinner when he believes himself insulted or
parties that serve everything from divine slighted does his true nature come out,
delicacies to rotting offal. Guests are leading to rages that often end in many
encouraged to partake in both with equal deaths by poisoning.
pleasure, as Ivan takes great offense if his Ivan and his cousin Ivana share a
offerings are declined. birthday and were fast friends growing up.
The capital of Dorvinia, Lechberg, is The only person closer to Ivan was his
built on top of a high stone tor, requiring older sister, Kristina. Ivan was always
anyone who visits the city to navigate erratic, committing his first murder by the
almost 800 feet of winding stairs, age of ten, but he could do no wrong in
switchbacks, and lifts. The town was once Kristina’s eyes. His unnatural feelings of
home to a monastery of the sun-god possessiveness toward his sister would
Andral, but the monks were driven out have tragic consequences when she finally
generations ago, leaving the building as a married and bore a child. Ivan murdered
weather-worn militia fortress sometimes the whole family before fleeing into the
called the Golden Palace. Lechberg is a Mists, where he “discovered” the
hub of mining, smelting, and minting, province of Dorvinia and claimed
making it a place that sustains itself by rulership over it.
literally making money. The town is also Always a mercurial personality, Ivan
home to a thriving community of the cares nothing for matters of state or good
performing arts, thanks to the patronage rulership. He cares only for amusing

132
himself; his favorite pastimes include Though Ivan and Ivana—nicknamed
elevating commoners randomly to “the Dark Twins” by their subjects—were
nobility, playing childish pranks on his both friends and allies for many years,
court, playing lethal pranks on his court, Ivan found his heart growing bitter
putting on plays where people really get toward his cousin as he grew old but she
killed, and generally tormenting the did not. Her attempt to give him the elixir
people around him in petty, cruel ways. that made her servants young ended
His “tax collectors” are little more than badly, and Ivan now believes that Ivana is
mercenary thugs who take what they must intentionally withholding the secret of
to meet quota, and any aristocrat who immortality from him.
survives more than a few years in his Ivan’s skill as an alchemist and
court almost inevitably winds up as poisoner has left him immune to virtually
corrupt and venal as Ivan himself. every toxin and venom in existence, but
they have also robbed him of his favorite
joys. Ivan was once a gourmand, reveling
in food and drink, as well as a
connoisseur of fine music and beautiful
art. The chemical treatments he has
endured have robbed him of his senses
of taste and smell, leaving even the finest
food as nothing but ashes in his mouth,
and have dulled his hearing and sight
such that only the loudest music or most
garish colors can even hope to touch his
emotions.

Lamor dia
Lamordia is a bleak coastal realm in the
northwestern corner of the Cluster, a
land ravaged by the elements. The
interior is a region of towering forests
where the black trees grow massive and
dense. The woods are forlorn and eerily
still, but travelers often have the
impression that they are being watched
from the shadows. Each spring,
woodsmen inevitably find thawed corpses
deep in the wilderness, their forms
mangled beyond recognition. The terrain
is rugged in the north, especially along
the rocky upland region known as the
Sleeping Beast.
Lamordian villages are tidy and
attractive, whether awash in summer

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 wildflowers or slumbering peacefully noblemen carry accessories such as canes
beneath winter snow. Two or three and pocket watches.
stories tall, the neat rows of homes and Each of Lamordia’s settlements has a
shops look down over narrow streets of mayor, appointed by a council of wealthy
grey, smooth cobblestone. Buildings are aristocrats, who are in turn elected by all
constructed with thick timber frames and male Lamordian landowners in the
brick, then plastered or painted white and village. The mayor’s main responsbility is
cream. Roofs are steep and gabled, with to encourage trade and economic ties
thick thatch to keep out the cold. with other settlements and domains.
The winters in Lamordia are While Lamordia’s villages are neat and
extraordinarily harsh. Blizzards blanket orderly, few laws are enforced even at the
the land with unending snow and batter local level; the Lamordians manage to get
the inhabitants with bitter, howling winds. through daily life with a minimum of
For much of the year, sleighs and conflict and crime. Some outsiders are
snowshoes are the preferred modes of known to say that Lamordians are too
transportation. The summer is no less passionless to commit crimes.
difficult on travelers, as thick, sucking
mud collects in low areas. Tropes
Lamordians are lean, square- Lamordia is a land of mad science and
shouldered folk, tall in stature and wiry in progress turned to the service of hubris.
physique. Their skin is exceptionally fair It is intended to evoke Mary Shelley’s
but tinted ruddy from the numbing wind Frankenstein in that its people have
that seems to blow across the domain forgotten faith and compassion in favor of
constantly. Eye color is almost always a cold, hard reason. As such, the sort of
shade of green or blue. Their straight or medical and scientific horrors envisioned
wavy hair is light blond to dark brown, by Shelley have their place in Lamordia.
though fairer hair is slightly more Science and technology have become
common. Men cut their hair to a twisted and perverse—not intentionally
medium length, usually to just above the cruel, but so utterly callous that no
neck, and keep it styled back. Women difference from cruelty can be discerned.
grow their hair long and either pin it up Just as Frankenstein combined a
or weave it into braids. Mustaches and classical Gothic aesthetic with the new
beards are never seen on men, but genre of “science fiction,” Lamordia
muttonchop sideburns are quite popular. draws its imagery from the science of
Clothing is very well made in yester-year. The medicine and
Lamordia, but modest and somber. Men “advances” of Lamordia are not the
wear collared shirts, vests, and trousers, antiseptic, clean science of the modern
with wealthier men adding a waistcoat day, but a gritty, visceral science that
and scarf. Nobles often wear pointed sometimes means literally getting to the
black caps as well. Women prefer meat and guts of the matter.
modest woolen dresses with high collars
and frequently wear tight, white bonnets.
Color is almost unheard of in Lamordian Themes
garb; black, white, and shades of grey are • Loneliness and Alienation: Lamordia
the only hues to be seen. Jewelry is never is remote, cold, and lonely—and its
worn, even among the nobility, though people are a reflection of its nature. It
is a large country with a small

134
 population that is snowed in for half of surly, insular fisherfolk. Unknown to
the year. Given so much time to outsiders, the people of Baytown are
themselves, people brood, dwell, and monsters as well, a clan of seawolves (a
fall into depression. People obsess type of aquatic lycanthrope) in league
over minor matters, turning them into with Adam, who keep an eye on the
reasons for rumination. Turned island while he is away.
inward, people grow distant from Ludendorf is the capital of Lamordia, a
others; unable to escape their small but prosperous city of numerous
situation, they feel trapped and fixate medical schools, technical universities,
on others’ faults. They rage against an and prestigious workshops. The town is
uncaring universe—and being notable for its lighthouse and for several
Lamordian, they decide to do clocktowers built across the city,
something about it. including a large one built into the town
• Man’s Dominance Over Nature: hall. Recent piracy in the surrounding
Lamordians believe that there exists seas has prompted the largely exposed
no problem that cannot be solved city to begin building a bulwark on the
with the proper amount of effort and nearby cliffs, including a plan to fortify it
know-how. They refuse to accept the with cannons.
constraints of their environment—or The Monastery of the Quickening
of morality or common sense. While Thunderbolt is a squat building sitting in
they have a very optimistic and can- an almost inaccessible part of the
do attitude, this quickly turns into Sleeping Beast Mountains. The monks
obsession and a complete rarely leave their home, which is just fine
unwillingness to admit when they are for the few Lamordians aware of the
overmatched. place, as they regard spiritual pursuits to
• The Nature of Humanity: Some be foolish at best. None are aware of the
Lamordian scientists have created monastery’s secret—that all of the monks
automatons, metal men who serve are created beings, corpses stitched
without complaint or fatigue. Others together and given life by Adam’s pursuit
have found ways to replace fragile of knowledge. Calling themselves the
flesh with stronger steel. When man Seekers of the Spark, the monks seek to
and machine blur at the edges in the create their own god from pieces of other
face of science, who can say what faiths, as they were created from pieces of
“humanity” even means? The nature other living people.
of humanity itself is always in Though locals refer to Schloss
question, especially in the minds of Mordenheim as a castle, it is really more
Lamordians themselves, who are of a sprawling manor, its original frame
philosophical by nature. almost obscured by new construction,
outbuildings, and haphazard additions.
The manor is home to Dr. Victor
Notable Locations Mordenheim, a hunchbacked servant of
The Isle of Agony is the single most bad manners named Horg, and the
dangerous place in Lamordia. Home to occasional impressionable young scientist
Adam, known in local legend as the foolish enough to become the doctor’s
Patchwork Man, the only people latest assistant. The manor is always
seemingly mad enough to try and live on home to numerous failed experiments
it are the folk of Baytown, a community and weird science guardians, but it is at its

135
 most nightmarish on the nights Mordenheim’s wife had been terribly
Mordenheim tries awakening another mutilated, and Adam had fled into the
one of his “creations.” wilderness ahead of his maker’s wrath.
Mordenheim continues to live in his
The Darklord isolated castle, performing experiments
The most brilliant scientist in a nation into the nature of life. His science keeps
of brilliant scientists, Dr. Victor his wife’s shredded husk barely alive; in
Mordenheim is centuries ahead of his her few lucid moments, she begs for
colleagues. He is familiar with theories death. Adam survives in the harsh
that no one else might develop for wilderness of the domain, preying on
generations to come, but he is little animals and occasionally attempting his
respected in his own land due to his own faulty experiments to create life, in
reclusiveness and arrogance. To the the hope of transcending his creator.
extent that his countrymen think of him Neither realizes that they are doomed
at all, they regard him as a strange hermit to failure; Mordenheim is an empty shell
who keeps to himself except to send out without his soul, barely more than an
for supplies or to publish journal articles automaton himself, while Adam has the
that, while possibly brilliant, are so dense creative impulse and drive to create but
and complicated as to be lacks the intellect and refinement to do
incomprehensible to all but himself. so. Working together, they could easily
Mordenheim was convinced that life create a new life or perform even greater
was a purely biological process, and that wonders, but their mutual hatred ensures
nothing like a “soul” existed. To prove it will never come to pass.
his hypothesis, he used all of his
significant skill to create an artificial
human, whom he dubbed Adam. The
gods or the Dark Powers played a terrible
trick on Mordenheim, however; to give
true life to Adam, rather than the mere
semblance of life, Mordenheim’s soul
poured out of him during the process
and into Adam. The creature that awoke
on Mordenheim’s table was a curious,
inquisitive being, much like Mordenheim
himself had been.
For a time, Adam lived peacefully with
Mordenheim, his wife, and their adopted
daughter. The doctor, always cold and
distant, became more withdrawn with his
failed attempts to replicate his success
with Adam, making the creature grow
resentful and frustrated. Neither will
speak of when everything changed, but by
the end of that dreadful night,
Mordenheim’s daughter had fallen from
a cliff and disappeared into the sea,

136
 faded blue, green, or grey. Hair color
Mor dent varies widely, with flaxen blond and
medium brown being most common.
Mordent is a bleak domain on the Men cut their hair very short or grow it
western coast, a land of fishing hamlets past their shoulders, often keeping it in a
and desolate, haunted moors. Tracks of neat braid or ponytail. Women grow
dense forest still cover much of the their hair exceptionally long, though
countryside, alternating with low, foggy those with curlier locks trim it to halfway
plains and rolling heaths. Stiff winds down their backs.
whistle across the eastern moors; some Clothing is woolen and durable, and
travelers have reported hearing chilling kept fastidiously neat and clean whenever
howls carried on the breezes. At night, possible. Men wear loose shirts with
curling fog seeps out of the moors and breeches and high socks; wealthier men
into the domain’s decrepit graveyards. also don waistcoats over their elegant,
Majestic ruined manors, crumbling and lacy shirts. Women wear long dresses,
choked with dark ivy, loom out of the close fitting on top and flaring below the
fog. Mordent is a grey, damp land, its waist. The Mordentish seem to prefer
temperatures moderated by the sea; somber colors, either black and greys or
extreme summers and winters are dark hues of blue, green, yellow, and red.
uncommon. Ornamentation is shunned, though
Mordent’s shore along the Sea of patterns such as checks or plaids are
Sorrows is rocky and battered by cold sometimes seen. Jewelry is rarely worn, as
winds, the rugged chalk cliffs rising up a it is regarded as gaudy even among the
hundred feet or more. Salt spray nobility.
perpetually hangs in the air, and The Mordentish are simple, practical
belligerent seagulls gather to snatch the people who value common sense and
bait of fishermen. Mordent’s seaside established traditions. They do things at
communities, huddled in the bitter ocean their own pace and are prideful of their
winds, are stoic cloisters of shanties and ways. They are also superstitious folk
venerable taverns. The whitewashed who believe whole-heartedly in the
buildings are constructed with thick supernatural, particularly the restless
wooden frames, soft brick, and plaster. dead. They are not paralyzed by fear,
Wooden plank roofs grace the humble however. The Mordentish have learned
structures, grey and warped by the sea air. to respect and avoid haunted places lest
Every window and door is equipped with the resident spirits seek out the curious in
sturdy storm shutters. Narrow tin their homes. This strategy seems to work
chimneys puff white smoke into the sky, for them, at least most of the time.
and weather vanes twist frantically in the The Mordentish are polite and friendly
shifting winds. Twisting wooden staircases toward strangers but always remain
descend the steeper cliffs, providing somewhat reserved. They guard their
access to the humble vessels moored own secrets closely and have a knack for
along the docks below. getting others to talk candidly without
The Mordentish are lean, hearty revealing much of anything themselves.
people hardened by generations of sailing
and fishing. Their skin tends to be fair
and ruddy, though duskier tones are not
unknown. Mordentish eyes are usually a

137
 Tropes Ocean metaphors are common, as
Mordent is the land of “sleepy little are allusions to ships.
hamlets” from virtually every British • The Haunted Air: Ghosts are
horror movie from the 1950s through the common in Mordent. Really
1970s, as well as from early American common. More than that, the people
gothic stories. It is a place intended to are haunted by the past, by their
reflect the ghost stories of William Hope memories, by their lost opportunities.
Hodgson, Sheridan Le Fanu, Edith Mordentish people who open up to
Wharton, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others seem unaccountably lonely
Henry James. There is also a healthy and sad, as though the past won’t
dose of The Haunting of Hill House and leave them alone. Even when people
similar stories by Shirley Jackson. Old think their secrets are dead and
families with old secrets and old shames buried, those secrets eventually come
are the order of the day, and the dead do back to terrorize them.
not rest easy. • Stoic: The Mordentish are a people
Mordent is, on the surface, a place who do not show strong emotion
where very little happens and all the easily. They are expected to have “a
people are polite, stuffy, and vaguely stiff upper lip” even in the face of
superstitious. Below that, it’s more of the unspeakable tragedy, and showing
same—but sadder, scarier, and lonelier. emotion in public is a serious faux
The Mordentish seem somewhat aware pas. The Mordentish also draw strict
that death is not the end, and it leaves lines between public and private life;
them with a sense of melancholy and the public house (or in modern
coldness when they stop to think about it terms, the pub) is a place which is
too long. Mordent is a place where every technically public but considered
old house has a ghost—or several ghosts— private, so raucous singing, laughing,
and the shadows of the past come back to and dancing are common in such
haunt the living, figuratively and literally. places. This also means that
foreigners who laugh too easily, speak
too loud, or make a show of their
Themes emotions are likely to be given the
• The Fog and the Sea: More than cold shoulder.
almost any other domain in
Ravenloft, Mordent is a place that
belongs to the Mists. Fog and mist are Notable Locations
so common that a day without them Idlethorp used to serve as a minor
is more notable than the other way trading post until its noble family, the
around. Getting lost on the moors Punchinels, died out. Ugly rumors
due to fog is a common occurrence, surround the end of the Punchinel line,
and the coastline is so rocky and including that the last lord of the manor
prone to fog that lighthouses are a was far too fascinated by unsavory uses of
common construction in the domain. Lamordia’s “new science.”
As well, much of Mordent’s lifeblood Mordentshire is the capital of the
revolves around the sea. Many people domain and its largest town. Home to the
are sailors, either professionally or for Weathermay and Foxgrove noble
pleasure, and most of the domain’s families, few other aristocrats call the
food and trade come from the sea. bustling trade town home. The coastal

138
town is almost always wracked by frigid Mordent, due to his ability to draw them
winds or thick shrouds of bone-chilling into his home and trap them there. The
fog. The Weathermays rule from their only ghosts he cannot command are
noble estate, Heather House. those of his wife and daughter, who
The town of Steadwall was a significant emerge to torment him nightly. As time
crossing-point for the Arden River until has passed, Godefroy has found himself
the town dried up a generation ago. The able to wander the domain at will, though
last inhabitant of the town is Smythe the he is still drawn back to Gryphon Manor
Ferryman, who rarely travels further than every morning at dawn and trapped there
the end of his dock. He tells travelers until nightfall.
who buy his services about the supposed In some ways, Gryphon Manor itself is
treasures remaining in the abandoned as much the darklord of the domain as
Halloway manor, but rarely mentions Godefroy is. The house is a
how many people have vanished looking phantasmagoria, an utter sinkhole of evil,
for them. with a seeming vague consciousness of its
own. Godefroy commands the house, but
The Darklord it also uses him to add to its ever-growing
Lord Jules Weathermay is the collection of damned souls.
hereditary ruler of Mordent, the last
nobleman of full blood in the domain.
People have already begun to speak
about abolishing the aristocracy when he
dies—something Lord Jules finds himself
increasingly comfortable with as death
looms. Few realize that a change in
government would matter little to
Mordent’s true ruler—Wilfred Godefroy,
the ghostly master of the House on
Gryphon Hill.
In life, Godefroy was a cruel and
tyrannical man. He terrorized his
servants, his wife, and his daughter alike.
A fit of rage led him to murder his wife;
when his daughter tried to intervene, he
beat her to death as well. He avoided
justice for their deaths by concealing it as
an accident, but suspicions surrounded
him. He was haunted by the rumors—and
by the ghosts of his murdered wife and
daughter. Their torments drove him to
commit suicide a year later, but death was
not the end for Godefroy. Instead, he
found himself trapped within his house as
a restless spirit.
As a ghost, Godefroy can command the
loyalty of virtually every other spirit in

139
 nobility. For festivals and other special
Richemulo t occasions, men of all classes don elegant
waistcoats, while women wear flowing
In the bustling cities of Richemulot, dresses that leave little to the imagination.
secrets are traded like so much gold, and The Richemuloise put little stock in the
unseen foes slink about on clandestine superficial. They believe that a person’s
missions. Richemulot is a land of pristine significance is determined by what they
forests and gentle river valleys. The know—their skills and knowledge, and
forests are sun-dappled places full of how they apply those assets. This attitude
massive trees and fragrant shrubs and has created what seems to be a
herbs. The landscape is largely remarkably unstratified society. Despite
undeveloped, broken only by isolated the size of the domain’s cities, no grubby
cottages and farms, because most of the beggars or other destitute poor are seen
domain’s population is concentrated in its on the streets. Neither are there
cities. While travelers may not encounter aristocrats clad in opulent finery and
a single soul in rural Richemulot, the attended by entourages of servants.
cities are bustling with people—at least, Indeed, almost all Richemuloise seem to
the settled portions of the cities. There be moderately comfortable.
are entire neighborhoods and districts
that are almost completely uninhabited,
abandoned and left to rot even as the Tropes
inhabited districts swell to bursting. Richemulot is modeled to be very
The Richemuloise tend to be wiry folk, much like urbanized England or France—
short in stature but athletic. Their skin specifically London or Paris—in the
tone is fair, ranging from milky pale to Napoleonic era. The cities of Richemulot
light tan. Blue eyes are quite common, are intended to mimic the setting of Les
but shades of green and grey are also Miserables without quite as much
seen. Richemuloise hair is sleek and obvious or abject poverty. The emptiness
straight, with colors ranging from honey and strangeness conveyed by the film
blond to dark brown. Black hair is only The City of Lost Children is a good
seen among the noble families. Long hair reference for the overall feel of the
is traditional for both genders, with men domain.
preferring to keep theirs in a single The major feeling of Richemulot is the
ponytail or braid. Excessive facial hair is alternation of urban crowding and total
considered barbaric for men, but thin, isolation. Richemulot is a place where
well-groomed mustaches are widespread. humans gather into rat-like warrens rather
Most Richemuloise dress comfortably than face fearful loneliness in the near-
and neatly, regardless of social status. empty stretches of the urban landscape.
Men and women alike wear loose shirts,
which men keep open in front during Themes
warmer months. Men wear baggy • Packed Like Rats: Where people live
trousers, women knee-length skirts. High, at all, they live crowded lives, cheek
hard-soled boots are considered standard to jowl with the restless masses of
footwear for city folk. Daily clothing is humanity. Richemulot’s cities are
rarely patterned or decorated, and colors largely empty, and the vacant
tend to be drab whites, greys, and beiges. neighborhoods have such a fearsome
Jewelry is rarely worn, even among the reputation that people choose to live

140
 in increasingly crowded apartment reputation for hiding those whose crimes
blocks rather than risk isolation. This are best forgotten, and rumors fly of the
makes illnesses and gossip easier to forest playing home to mystic cults,
pass, and plagues that consume an bandit gangs, and worse besides.
entire building of people are not Mortigny is a small city most famous for
particularly uncommon. As might be its glassworks, with its “blue melancholy”
guessed, actual rats are also very glassware being particularly prized among
common in Richemulot—and some of the wealthy elite of the Civilized Crescent.
them are as intelligent as any human. The city is bright and vibrant, teeming
• Rise and Fall: They say that all glory with eager life despite the occasional
must fade, and Richemulot is the outbreaks of plague that strike. The city is
proof. Things tend to be cyclical in also home to the Lock and Key Society, a
Richemulot; a family grows powerful, private militia whose members wear
rises to glory, is brought low by their hideous masks to hide their identities,
enemies, fades into obscurity, and and whose constant efforts to catch
schemes to return to the light. criminals and protect the locals have
Individuals can see their fortunes made them very popular.
reverse several times across the Pont-a-Museau is the capital of
course of their lives, from pauper to Richemulot, built both along and atop the
aristocrat and back again. The ground Musarde River. The city is criss-crossed
beneath one’s feet seems unsteady at by dozens of bridges, and its extensive
the best of times, and no one can rest canal system is home to vast warrens of
on their laurels. At times, the “rat both rats and smugglers. Locals regard
race” of daily life in Richemulot can their city as the birthplace of culture in
seem like living in a maze. the cluster, since it is home to some of
• Secrets are Currency: Richemulot is a the oldest academies, theaters, and
place where knowledge is literally universities in the region. It is also home
power. People gain and lose status to the extended Renier family, who dwell
based on the secrets they know, the in their fortified manor, Chateau
secrets that are known about them, Delanuit, at the heart of the city.
and the whispers that trade those Ste. Ronges is the smallest of
secrets. Even common folk gossip Richemulot’s three major cities, but what
constantly, and everyone is in it lacks in size, it makes up for in
everyone else’s business. Being viciousness. A significant portion of the
politely nosy is a way of life in city’s population is involved in one
Richemulot, with eyes at keyholes criminal scheme or another, though most
and ears on dividing walls. keep their involvement with the
underworld quiet if possible. Apart from
its criminal element, Ste. Ronges is also
Notable Locations famed for the quality of its steel, and for
The House of the Sages is a high the swords produced by the city’s many
plateau in eastern Richemulot, upon smithies.
which sits a thick forest that shares the
plateau’s name. The landscape here is
rugged, dotted with isolated farms and The Darklord
cottages as well as the crumbling ruins of The extended Renier family has always
castles and monasteries. The region has a maintained prominence in Richemulot’s

141
 politics, weathering the cyclical nature of Jacqueline has networks of informants
things better than most by virtue of having all across Richemulot, and even in the
enough branches of the family to simply surrounding domains. She prides herself
sacrifice one to the needs of the day as in always being one step ahead of those
necessary. The most ruthless member of who would dare challenge her, and much
the family is Jacqueline Renier, a young of her time is taken up in schemes to
woman who recently seized the reins of retain the power she seized from her
the family from her much-hated grandfather through his murder. She
grandfather Claude after his untimely doesn’t hesitate to use any dirty trick or
demise. underhanded tactic, gladly sacrificing her
Jacqueline Renier is the darklord of pawns and even members of her
Richemulot, having inherited the position extended family if it will allow her to gain
by virtue of murdering Claude, the an advantage.
previous darklord. She is cunning and Despite her inhuman nature and the
cruel, delighting in inflicting emotional depths of her evil, Jacqueline is widely
and physical pain on others. She is a liked by the people of Richemulot. The
master of blackmail and manipulation, taxes imposed by the Reniers are light,
and she is particularly fond of terrorizing they make few demands on the populace,
other power players into submission. On and even the lowest commoner has a
top of her intelligence, beauty, and decent standard of living thanks to the
ruthlessness, Jacqueline holds another abundance of cheap or free housing
secret: like much of her extended family, across the domain’s cities. Threats to
she is a wererat—a natural shapeshifter Jacqueline or her family would likely be
with human and rat forms. met by an angry mob—which is exactly
why Jacqueline so carefully cultivates her
benevolent public image.
Jacqueline’s major weakness is that she
fears loneliness and desperately desires to
be loved for who she is, rather than
simply being obeyed. Because of these
qualities, she has never taken action
against her primary rival for control of the
family, her twin sister, Louise. Jacqueline
is constantly seeking romantic love as
well, but her ambition ensures that
virtually any meaningful emotional bond
she creates will only dissolve into
animosity. Worse than that, Jacqueline is
cursed to transform into her loathesome
hybrid form in the embrace of a lover,
which not only risks the exposure of her
family’s secrets but also reminds her of
her own inhuman nature.

142
143
 The Far Steppes
The vastness of the plains, the thunder one’s temporal masters—as the highest
of hooves, and the loneliness of the virtue, and disobedience as the worst sin.
horizon—all of these are the basic While all three domains of the Cluster
character of the Far Steppes. While there follow the Iron Faith, all three do so in
are a few places with hills or even low, different fashion; disagreements between
stony mountains, the overall terrain of the the faithful are as virulent and angry as
region is very flat. Some natives speak of those between adherents and outsiders.
“the big sky,” and travelers from other
lands occasionally speak of the dizziness Languages
and vertigo that come from being able to The primary language of the Cluster is
see from one horizon to the other Vaasi, the common tongue of Nova
without obstruction. Vaasa. While Nova Vaasa itself has
The largest portion of the Cluster is the several other languages spoken by its
domain of Nova Vaasa, a land of vast and many ethnic groups, virtually every
rolling plains, tall grasslands, and corrupt, Vaasan also speaks Vaasi.
decaying cities. Nova Vaasa stretches The Hazlani accent is considered exotic
hundreds of miles, seemingly without by other speakers of the language, though
end, creating a roughly oval-shaped blob they are typically referring to a Mulani
comprising the southern two-thirds of the accent; the Mulan and Rasheman ethnic
cluster. The rocky, arid domain of groups of Hazlan speak quite different
Hazlan lies to the northwest, a land of versions of the language, though they are
venal wizards and dangerous remnants of mutually intelligible. Particularly,
their magical experiments. The Rashemani are taught a simplified version
remainder of the Cluster is the high of the language that makes them sound
plateau of G’Henna, an isolated and cold rough and uncultured to outsiders,
desert where the populace slaves away helping the Mulani keep them in a
their lives for a vicious and unforgiving subservient position by claiming that they
priesthood. are naturally less intelligent than their
The region’s overall climate is arid and “betters.”
cool. Rainfall is uncommon, and few The Vaasi spoken in G’Henna can be
trees grow in the Far Steppes, making very difficult to understand for other
wood a valuable commodity. Most homes speakers of the language. The relative
and buildings are made from stone or isolation of the domain contributes to a
from fired bricks. The vast distances divergent dialect. Vaasans sometimes
between locations make the horse an complain that G’Hennans sound like
invaluable beast of burden in the region, they moan everything they say—when
and Vaasans are particularly known for they’re not mumbling.
their cultural obsession with
horsemanship.
The Far Steppes is a place where Conne ctions
religion is extremely important, especially The southwestern portion of Nova
the Iron Faith of the Lawgiver. This harsh Vaasa has a major reliable Mistway
religion teaches obedience—to god and to connecting it to the Forest of Beasts in

144
the nation of Valachan. The two its priests, including whippings, beatings,
countries speak the same language, and and—in extreme cases—death.
the Iron Faith frequently sends As might be guessed, such a convoluted
missionaries to aid the ruler of Valachan and byzantine church structure has
in his efforts to suppress the native spawned dozens of heresies and
religion of the region. The eastern border unofficial sects. Some of these heresies
of Nova Vaasa opens onto the Sea of are considered minor enough that
Sorrows, though the people of the region “correction” is offered before
call it the Nocturnal Sea. Well-known punishment, while others are considered
sailing routes from Nova Vaasa connect so dangerous that any who promulgate
to the Verdurous Lands and Rokushima them must be killed immediately. An
Taiyou, though few Vaasans are sailors. entire branch of the church, the Iron
The northern passes of G’Henna are Inquisition, exists to root out heresies and
said to connect to the Frozen Reaches, keep them from corrupting the minds of
though passage between the two regions the faithful. Inquisitors have broad
is treacherous at the best of times. Some latitude and discretion in their missions,
unreliable Mistways also connect Hazlan and everyone fears drawing the eye of
to the Amber Wastes, and cultural one of the Lawgiver’s hunters.
connections between the two are not While utter obedience and cooperation
uncommon. between religious and temporal authority
are major precepts of the faith, the
The Iron Faith practical application of these ideas is
The Lawgiver is the central figure of rarely so straightforward. Nova Vaasa is
religious life in the Far Steppes, a harsh so corrupt at every level of the
and unforgiving god who teaches that government that the clergy almost has to
utter obedience and subservience to be corrupt just to keep up. Hazlan is a
one’s betters are the highest virtues. This land of sorcery, something that the
core tenet puts a premium on obedience Lawgiver supposedly frowns on as a
to temporal authority. Its doctrine and perversion of the natural order; in order
practice demand that those of lower to maintain their religious purity, the
station obey those of higher station, since church has offered a special exemption to
one’s position in life is divinely mandated the wizard-king, which he in turn rubber-
by the Lawgiver himself. The Iron Faith stamps to virtually every sorcerer in the
is a highly conservative institution, and land. In G’Henna, obedience to the
there is a strong link between the church priesthood is used as a means of starving
and government. the populace while the elite grow fat from
The Lawgiver’s priests hold that their their sacrifice.
god has hundreds of names and titles, but
that to speak his true name would strike a
mortal dead. This in turn leads to a G’Henna
myriad number of cults and sects that
worship the Lawgiver under his other The forested foothills of northern Nova
names, as well as a complicated church Vaasa gradually give way to rocky cliffs
hierarchy where status is extremely and steep, jagged inclines. After miles of
important. Defying the Lawgiver’s tenets such broken, dangerous terrain, the land
often warrants physical correction from flattens again—much higher up. G’Henna

145
 is a cold, arid, rocky plateau far above the Virtually all aspects of life in G’Henna
level of the rest of the Far Steppes. So revolve around the worship of the
high up that the air itself is thin, little Lawgiver, whom the locals pray to under
except scrub survives in the rocky the name Zhakata the Devourer. The
badlands. A few rivers cross the domain, Devourer is not loved, however—he is
mostly flowing down from the perpetually appeased in the hope that he will
frozen northern mountains; in spring, the eventually show favor to the people and
rivers flood their banks and threaten the take on his aspect as the Provider. The
area surrounding them, but the rest of the precepts of the local faith hold that taking
year they are little more than murky more than is absolutely needed to live
streams. shows false pride before the Lawgiver,
Horses fare poorly in the thin air of since all men are equal before him;
G’Henna, so the most common beast of sacrifice and self-denial are considered
burden is a shaggy-furred bovine known prized virtues to G’Hennans. Starvation is
as a yak. They can eat the scrubby grasses particularly considered an honorable
and thorny brush that grows across the death, as it is absolute proof of one’s
domain, need little water, and give milk devotion to god. A family is given great
that is nutritious, if bitter-tasting. Few favor if one of their own chooses to starve
other animals can withstand the wasteland themselves to death, though such favor is
conditions of G’Henna—at least, few fleeting.
other natural animals. The western Buildings in G’Henna are small,
portions of the domain are thick with typically made from mud bricks or
monsters spawned from Hazlan and then adobe; beyond the cities, many people
abandoned in the mountains after their live in tents of ragged hide, living
masters tired of them. nomadically to avoid monsters, outcasts,
The flat and dry terrain gives rise to or just the priesthood. Permanent homes
terrible dust storms, capable of stripping tend to have several generations
a man’s flesh from his bones without crammed together into a one- or two-
proper cover, and razor-sharp hail or room dwelling. The walls of such homes
dusty snow are more common forms of are covered in religious murals and
precipitation than rain. The few shelves holding objects of the faith.
landmarks in the domain are sharp, Among the most valuable such objects
rocky outcroppings that often serve as are guesting cups, a drinking vessel made
lairs for dangerous monsters, and the from the skull of a family member who
frequent desert shrines to the Lawgiver, willingly starved for their faith, which is
in his guise as Zhakata the Destroyer. offered to visitors to drink from as a sign
G’Hennans are pale and thin, and their of friendship.
sparse black hair is often stringy and The priests of the Lawgiver are
brittle from malnourishment. Adult men healthier than their fellows, though even
often wear beards, twisting the hair into a they avoid being openly overweight
single strand with wax, and married despite their easier access to food. A
women cover their hair with a cloth in priest who flaunts his largesse may find
public. While brethren of the church themselves falling out of favor with the
wear garish red and orange robes, church elders—and such priests rarely last
accented with black, most people wear very long in the ruthless environment of
drab, dun-colored rags. G’Henna. The worst fate that can befall
an outcast priest or blasphemous

146
commoner is to have their soul stripped overcrowded to the point that beggars
away in a special ceremony, removing block the streets. Being cast out of the
their essential humanity and reducing group is akin to losing one’s
them to a bestial shadow of their former humanity—and can be literally so in
self. Such mongrels are then cast out into some cases.
the wasteland and chased from their • The Hypocrisy of the Mighty: Priests
homes under pain of death. of the Lawgiver preach self-denial and
All food produced in the domain is starvation in the streets but feast
considered to be the property of the behind closed doors, enjoying the
church, and it is illegal to privately buy or fruits of others’ labors. Holiness
sell food. Church officials take gathered serves as a mask for corruption in
food to the temples, where it is sacrificed positions of authority, from the
to the Lawgiver; anything left over after religious government all the way
the sacrifices is then doled back out to down to the heads of households. A
the people in meager quantities. family might try to gain favor by
Truthfully, most of the food is kept by pushing an already weak member to
the priests, who sacrifice only a small sacrifice for Zhakata, secretly happy
portion in the public ceremonies. to have more for everyone else while
a loved one starves to death in the
Tropes corner.
G’Henna is a land of religious zeal gone • Sacrifice is Holy: To a G’Henna,
horribly wrong, a place where belief and nothing shows devotion more than
sacrifice have become so horrifically sacrifice and self-denial. This land is a
intertwined that human life is no longer place where faith and loss have been
considered to have value compared to conflated to the point that starving
hollow shows of faith. The priesthood is oneself to death is seen as a noble act
hopelessly corrupt, their faith a means of rather than utter madness. All other
control rather than actual devotion. virtues have been sacrificed as well, to
People starve themselves for a god whom the point that only denial and willing
few of their rulers truly believe in. loss are considered holy; charity, love,
The visual aesthetics of the land are mercy, and compassion have all fallen
meant to evoke Nepal or Tibet, along by the wayside in favor of the harsh
with the worst excesses of ascetic rhetoric of austerity and asceticism.
Buddhism from centuries past. Prayer
wheels, saffron robes, and strings of Notable Locations
beads are common additions to religious Dervich is one of only two significant
iconography locally. population centers in G’Henna. The
fertile valley could be used to grow food
Themes for the hungry domain, but it is instead
• Circle of Darkness: Suffering under exclusively used to grow the grapes from
the heavy hand of a corrupt which is brewed the local potent red
priesthood is terrible, but being wine. The vineyard owners are highly
outcast is worse. It is better to be part regarded by the priesthood, who make
of a group—even a bad one—than to extensive use of wine in ceremonies, and
be alone. Families huddle together in most of the region’s taxes are taken in
small homes, while cities become wine rather than coin or labor.

147
 The House of Bones is a rundown more like flat lines than protrusions. His
temple with a gateway made of human bloodshot eyes are normally slitted, and
skulls. Though mostly collapsed, it still his thin lips press together in a bloodless
radiates an undeniable aura of evil. This scowl. His priestly garb of red and orange
defiled temple was the site of an silk robes is topped with a stiff, hooded
incursion of a true fiend into the cowl that shows his position as high priest
domain—a demon of incredible power. of the Lawgiver. His prayer beads are
The creature nearly broke free before made of polished human teeth and
being defeated by a troupe of bones.
adventurers. Rumor says that the As a child, Yagno was often thought to
adventurers themselves were slain soon be deranged by his family due to his
afterwards by the demon’s summoner— religious zeal and extreme devotion to the
none other than Yagno Petrovna himself. Lawgiver. His fanatical attempts to gain
Jackal’s Run is a rumored valley the direct attention of his god included
somewhere in the mountains outside animal sacrifices and self-mutilation.
Dervich, the home of the infamous When he tried to sacrifice his sister’s
bandit known only as the Jackal. She and newborn child, his family could suffer his
her followers perform raids against the madness no longer and drove him into
Lawgiver’s soldiers and clergy. She would the wilderness.
be far more popular with the oppressed In time, Yagno made his way to the
populace for her resistance to priestly uncharted plateau of G’Henna and
rule were it not for her thefts of food and gained control of the priesthood there,
outspoken militant atheism. pushing the people into a culture of
Zhukar, sometimes called the City of perpetual sacrifice and denial. Yagno is
Hunger, is the capital of G’Henna and constantly plagued by doubts about his
home to the priesthood of the Lawgiver faith, creating a cycle where he makes
in his aspect as Zhakata the Devourer. ever-grander gestures and inflicts ever-
The city is covered in abstract harsher sacrifices on those around him to
iconography and statues of beasts, and it affirm his own beliefs. In effect, his entire
is wholly under the control of the nation is an ongoing act of sacrifice to
priesthood. The local black market must serve as “proof” of Yagno’s devotion to
be very wary lest it run afoul of Yagno’s the Lawgiver.
inquisitors. Unlike most criminal Yagno has learned a great deal of magic
endeavors, the primary good trafficked in over the years, though he styles his
Zhukar is food. The ziggurat at the center powers as “miracles” from god. The
of the city is the home of Zhakata’s Lawgiver’s ban against sorcery just gives
priesthood, and where the high priest Yagno one more reason to doubt his own
personally leads rituals—including the faith, even as he uses his powers publicly
Ritual of Flaying, where a criminal’s very to prove his holiness. One of his greatest
humanity is stripped away, leaving them powers is a ritual that allows him to strip
little more than a man-shaped beast. the humanity away from a victim, leaving
behind a broken animal-like creature with
The Darklord little will or intellect.
Yagno Petrovna is the religious and
political leader of G’Henna, a thin man
with a long, narrow face, his features

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 braids. Most men have thin, short beards;
Hazl an they cut their facial hair rarely, but cut it
short whenever possible. Most
Hazlan is a land of low, stony Rashemani have extensive scars and
mountains and rock-strewn plains. marks from their hard labor. The most
Forests are few and far between in the common clothing are simple tunics and
cool, arid terrain, and scrublands are trousers, topped with a caftan.
common. The whole land has a sense of The Mulani are the elite of Hazlan, an
vague desolation, with yellowed grasses ethnic group comprising perhaps five to
and thorny bushes broken only ten percent of the population. Mulani are
occasionally by shallow, muddy rivers and tall and thin, preferring to keep their dark
broad, brackish ponds. Despite the hair cut very short or shaved entirely.
apparent lack of greenery, the economy Mulani have olive skin and brown, green,
of the domain is primarily agrarian. or hazel eyes. Their caste tattoos tend to
Extensive waterworks and irrigation be elaborate and extensive, with their
systems allow the peasantry to farm grain, deeds and accomplishments adding to
cotton, and sugar, though most crops are them over their entire lives. The highest-
vulnerable to blights and droughts. ranked Mulani tattoo their bare heads to
Society in Hazlan is rigid, with a strict show their greatness to all who can see
caste division between the two major them. Mulani tend to dress in elaborately
ethnic groups of the domain, the draped and brightly colored silks; though
Rashemani and the Mulani. Social status red can be used for decoration, only
and role in life are determined at birth; at wizards of the Red Academy are
the age of thirteen, people of all social permitted to dress in the color
statuses are given tattoos to show their exclusively.
assigned place in the world, as well as Mulani are exhaustively educated, with
their family history, lineage, and personal the best among them being sent to the
traits as viewed by their priest and Red Academy to learn sorcery. In turn,
tattooist. Societal expectations become the Mulani work to keep the Rashemani
more rigid and defined as one grows uneducated and ignorant; it is considered
older or ascends in rank, and people are dangerous to even let a Rashemani
constrained and bound by a system they become literate, so a system of simple
inevitably come to despise but cannot glyphs is used in public to allow them to
escape. fulfill their daily tasks. Though all
The people are starkly divided by Hazlani are expected to be adherents of
ethnicity. The Rashemani are the vast the Lawgiver, the Rashemani tend to be
majority of the populace, perhaps as more publicly vocal about their faith,
much as ninety to ninety-five percent of while the Mulani are expected to be more
the total population. They are a tough devout for social reasons.
and sturdy folk but tend to be short due Hazlani architecture leans toward the
to childhood disease and poor nutrition; simple but colorful. A flat building made
a well-fed Rashemani can easily grow to of fired bricks might be brightly painted
more than six feet tall, but most stand less to draw away from its simplicity. The elite
than five and a half feet. Rashemani have Mulani tend to include tall spires and
skin of deep bronze and brown or black narrow towers in the construction of their
hair and eyes. Men and women alike homes, often topped with rounded or
rarely cut their hair, plaiting it in long onion-shaped domes.

149
 Tropes which leads to unintentional
Hazlan is a land of chaos beneath a thin awfulness.
veneer of order. The modern landscape • Social Theory: The hard questions of
hides old secrets that can warp the body race, class, and social expectation are
and mind of those who stumble upon at the heart of Hazlan. Racism and
them. The overbearing pressure of a rigid classism are common social ills in the
society is continually at odds with the domain, and a constant
imperfections of human nature; people demonstration of the ways in which
are warped by social expectations, twisted social privilege breeds cruelty and
by the demands of a culture that wants contempt. At the same time, social
too much. expectation is shown as being just as
The purpose of Hazlan as a setting is to toxic for those at the top of the
explore the monstrous—high-magic structure in moral terms.
horror that isn’t high-fantasy horror. Its
inspirations include the “weird tales” of Notable Locations
Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber, with The Tables are a series of squat,
a dash of H.P. Lovecraft and Gene domed fortresses that lurk at the heart of
Wolfe. The magical underpinnings of every city in Hazlan. These buildings
Hazlan serve to further the idea that it is a serve as Hazlik’s bases of operations
chaotic place, a land where the very laws when he must visit one of his governors,
of nature are reduced to mere suggestions so they are filled with everything the
by the whim of self-absorbed and corrupt wizard needs to continue his research
sorcerers. while away from Veneficus. Each fortress
also has extensive dungeons beneath it,
Themes holding prisoners who are kept until the
• Eldritch Horror: While Hazlan wizard comes to either pardon them
seems to be normal on the surface, it (which is rare) or turn them into subjects
is a place where chaos and horror are for his cruelest experiments.
just waiting to burst forth. Old, alien Toyalis is the capital of Hazlan and the
ruins dot the landscape, while the center of Mulani society in the domain.
wizards of the Red Academy The city’s many noble families constantly
constantly breed new horrors out of jockey for position and privilege, with the
arrogance and pride. The unknown most powerful among them vying for the
and the unknowable are frequent coveted position of governor. The city is
elements of stories set in Hazlan. also home to the Iron Citadel Fane, the
center of Lawgiver worship in Hazlan.
• Numinous Monstrosity: Hazlan is a
Though only tolerated by Hazlik himself,
land of monsters and dire magic, a
the Church of the Lawgiver acts as an
place where horror comes from the
important faction in the city’s political
spiritual and physical twisting of the
struggles, and its influence can make or
natural order. It is an ideal place for
break the ambitions of a noble family. It
body horror, in which the forms of
is currently in the middle of a struggle of
things have become corrupted and
its own, however, as the Fane’s spiritual
horrible. Even without the intention
leader fights off a series of ecumenical
of its users, magic is a force of chaos
challenges from a coalition of high priests
and corruption, the widespread use of
led by his own second in command.

150
 Veneficus is Hazlik’s private estate, The Darklord
about a day’s journey outside of Toyalis. The wizard-king Hazlik is lord of
The grounds are covered in vast gardens Hazlan as well as the master of the Red
filled with exotic (and often deadly) plants Academy. Despite his position of
that are all useful as arcane components. absolute authority, he has seemingly little
The estate is a blur of activity around the interest in governing, meaning that the
clock, as the Red Wizard rarely sleeps, law is a patchwork affair in much of the
with messengers and apprentices coming land. Hazlik leaves most of the daily
and going almost constantly. Veneficus is business of his country in the hands of
opulent and well-appointed, but few appointed advisors and governors, whom
other than Hazlik himself and his most he can replace at whim.
favored apprentices ever get the chance Physically, Hazlik is a tall, bald man of
to enjoy the estate’s comforts. The inner coarse middle age. He wears a goatee but
sanctums do not admit visitors, and the no mustache and dresses in long red
grounds are guarded by magical servants, robes that expose his hairless, tattooed
conjured entities, chimerical beasts, and chest. People often notice his strange
mystical traps of a dizzying variety. eyes: the left is brown and the right is
blue. His phlegmy voice is often tight with
unconcealed impatience. His most
striking feature, however, are the ornate
tattoos that cover his head—arcane
symbols that declare him to be vulgar,
weak, and lowly to anyone who can
understand the complex Hazlani tattoo
language. Anyone who brings up his
tattoos in conversation is likely to meet an
unpleasant end.
Hazlik was once a powerful wizard-
nobleman in a land ruled by mages. His
rise to power earned him many enemies.
One of them laid a cunning trap for
Hazlik, catching him in a tryst with her
assistant and having Hazlik accused of
rape. The court turned on Hazlik,
tattooed him as a criminal, and burned
his estate to the ground. He retreated to a
bolthole and spent years devoting himself
to research and planning vengeance. In
time, he happened upon his rival and her
lover; he tortured them to death
gruesomely before abandoning their
bodies and fleeing.
During his escape, he was swallowed up
by the Mists and found himself in a new
land, one that was subtly different from
his homeland. Hazlik was king here, but

151
 just as bound as before by the northern tundra. There are also other
expectations and demands of others. His geographical features, though these tend
efforts to return to his homeland to finish to cling to the edges of the domain. The
exacting his vengeance on those who northernmost reaches of Nova Vaasa
humiliated and exiled him have all met begin to swing upland into rocky hills that
with failure, leaving him bitter and angry. eventually become the Hazlani
He takes out his frustration on his many mountains or the high, difficult-to-reach
apprentices, twisting them into warped plateau of G’Henna. In the south, past
mirror images of himself and leaving the grasslands and vast fields of
them with the same perverse anger at the wildflowers, lie twisting, painted canyons
world. and cracked earth that gives way to true
In Hazlik’s nightmare, he is powerless desert.
and cowers before the magical might of Though those who live in the domain
those who tormented him. Hazlik know the lay of the land and the
frequently imbibes powerful alchemical differences between the various regions, a
concoctions of his own devising to avoid hapless visitor can hardly be blamed for
sleep for as long as possible, since these seeing only a continuous rolling plain.
dreams remind him of his failures. The There are scattered lakes, rivers, and
longer he stays awake, the more his trees in the domain, but the closest thing
dreams bleed into reality, turning his to a true forest clings to the northern
world chaotic and hallucinatory. He must mountains, making dense woods very
eventually collapse into restless, haunted uncommon. The few landmarks on the
sleep despite his best efforts to avoid it. plains are the scattered remnants of Old
Vaasa: worn stone statues of feminine
figures, carvings of great cats or elaborate
horses, cairns and burial mounds covered
Nova Vaas a by thick grasses, and piles of rough stones
with unknown purpose.
Nova Vaasa is the domain most folk Nova Vaasa’s wilderness is home to
think of when people speak of the Far reindeer, moose, wolves, and plains cats,
Steppes—and with good reason, given that but the most frequent symbol of the
the country takes up more than two-thirds domain are its horses, which roll across
of the region. Hundreds of miles of open the landscape in thundering herds many
plains are the major feature of Nova hundreds strong. Nova Vaasans are
Vaasa, a land where a man can ride hard immensely proud of their horses, gelding
for days on end without seeing a single any that are exported from the country in
other human being. The scattered towns order to maintain their monopoly on the
and villages are separated by vast best bloodlines. Plains cats are a major
distances, and the few cities are sprawling, source of fear on the steppes; these large,
overcrowded cesspools that can make dun-colored cats have foot-long fangs and
someone begin to long for the empty attack with a sound eerily similar to a
steppes in no time. human scream.
While much of the domain can be The architecture of the domain varies
described as “plains” in the broadest between that of the plains, the cities, and
sense, these range from the sprawling the nobility. Rural towns are generally
central steppes to the verdant southern constructed from whatever materials are
grasslands to the barren and cold on hand, be it round huts of stone,

152
square hovels of hewn earth, or simple hair, and eyes ranging from black to
wood lattices covered in fabric. Cities emerald green, with narrow, angular
tend to have buildings with slanted roofs faces. A common feature of Vaasan
and tall spires but are more frequently culture is food-gifting; when people have
built from brick, stacked several stories extra food, they tend to give it to their
high and crowded together in urban neighbors instead of trying to sell it, on
squalor. It is only when one sees the the unspoken agreement that their
homes of the nobility that the disparity neighbors will do the same for them in
becomes shockingly clear; the wealthy of times of need.
Nova Vaasa live in palaces built from The law in Nova Vaasa is as
polished marble, frequently decorated complicated as its ethnicity and history.
with gold plate, and surrounded by high- According to the doctrine of the
walled estates. Lawgiver, the law is an infallible tool of
The people of Nova Vaasa are made god, enforced by his appointed clergy and
up of several different ethnic groups those with the divine right to rule. In
which most foreigners are unable to tell practice, “the law” is barely a concept in
apart. Vaasans themselves consider these Nova Vaasa, as the local legal history is a
divisions very important for cultural and morass of conflicting power grabs
historical reasons, however. Generally, between the noble families, the ruling
the more northern groups tend to have elite, the wealthy, and the clergy,
straight dark hair, dark eyes, rounded complicated by the ability of local power
features, and pale skin, turned ruddy brokers to simply ignore the law and rule
from exposure to the cold winds. Central on precedent or personal power at whim.
plains groups are fair skinned and fair Punishments for broken laws (or just
eyed, with square features and narrow offending the wrong person) are severe,
chins. The southern plains groups tend to ranging from flogging to hard labor
have olive or brown skin, brown or black camps and branding; the wealthy can

153
 often avoid punishment through barely threat is the sheer scope and
concealed bribery. loneliness of the plains.
• Medical Horror: Magic has long been
Tropes suppressed in Nova Vaasa, so the
Nova Vaasa is about two parts Boyar local pursuit of alchemy, chemistry,
Russia to one part Mongolia and one part and surgery are among the most
Old West. The same sort of stories are advanced in the known world. Most
told using the plains in all three cultures: procedures are innocent and even
lone villages with corrupt masters who are helpful, but dark whispers rumor
saved from danger by wanderers, more terrifying possibilities. Rumors
preferably riding horses, who then leave abound of surgeries that can steal
after saving the people from danger. organs from healthy victims to give
These stories are conflated with horror them to dying nobles, potions and
tropes in Nova Vaasa, with a heaping draughts that can distill virtue or
dose of “grim prairie tales” and Weird beauty, and distillations made from
West influence, albeit with fewer six- human brains that can grant
shooters. memories or skills. This can cross
over into body horror easily enough,
but most of it has a specifically
Themes medical or alchemical focus.
• Corruption: Everything in Nova
Vaasa is rotten to the core. The
government is virtually Notable Locations
indistinguishable from the criminal Arbora is the southernmost city of
underworld. Church officials are Nova Vaasa, and its only port. The city is
bought and paid for by the highest isolated from the rest of the domain by
bidder. The nobility lives in opulence hundreds of miles of largely empty plains
while their serfs starve on their and the encroaching Mists, but it
doorsteps. On a physical level, the possesses a shallow bay that opens into
populace is branded, tattooed, the Sea of Sorrows (which locals call the
scarred, and mutilated by the system Nocturnal Sea) and a coastline that
they serve. The “infallible” doctrine extends north to the distant city of
of the Lawgiver splits into a hundred Egertus. The city’s geographic distance
isolated heresies out on the steppes. and general isolation makes the
The center cannot hold. population more independent than most
Vaasans, though the city’s duke continues
• Endless Plains: Nothing can prevent
to pay his taxes to the prince… for now.
someone from saddling up and riding
Darkhaaven is a fearsome urban
out of town if he wishes—but those
legend, a series of underground
who do will quickly find that they can
chambers connected to the sewers used
ride for days on end without a single
by Malken and his criminal syndicate for
sign of human life. Villages and towns
smuggling, lairs, and vile
are isolated not by obstacles but by
experimentation. Few people know that
simple distance. The steppes are vast
there is not a single Darkhaaven but
and wide, but not empty of danger.
many—one under each major city of
Bandits, beasts, and eerie locations
Nova Vaasa, each of them connected by
threaten the lone traveler. More than
shadowy portals allowing for
anything else, though, the greatest

154
instantaneous transportation across long reputation as a criminal mastermind and
distances. a dangerous man. It is apparent to
Kantora is the capital of Nova Vaasa, a anyone who speaks with him that he
cramped and crowded metropolis that is could simply have them killed if he
starkly divided between the well- wished. He rarely acts impulsively,
maintained, brightly lit wealthy parts of though; his strategies for solving
the city and the crime-riddled poorer problems are inevitably inspired, if
sections. The smell of horses permeates ruthless.
every inch of the city, most notably Malken was born deformed and ugly,
around the Great Corral, the domain’s abandoned by his parents on the streets
largest horse trading center. Kantora is to die and only grudgingly taken in by a
also home to the Prince’s Palace, the local orphanage. His early years were
home of Prince Othmar when he is marked by abuse and neglect, since the
present in the city—which is rare. Iron Faith teaches that physical deformity
The Three Sisters are the largest lakes is a sign of spiritual degeneracy. He fell in
in Nova Vaasa, named after the legendary with a gang of juvenile delinquents who
daughters of the first man and woman. accepted him for his cunning rather than
The lakes—named Lake Jensine, Lake rejecting him for his appearance.
Nielsine, and Lake Vibeke—are famed Unfortunately, while alone he decided to
for their rich fishing, but they are also rob a young nobleman; he was no match
infamous for the huge number of plains for the healthier, stronger man and was
cat attacks that occur along their shores. defeated effortlessly.

The Darklord
The criminal mastermind Malken is the
darklord of Nova Vaasa. Possessed of a
hunched build and twisted spine with
thick limbs and heavy hands, no one who
meets Malken could doubt that he is
anything but a caliban. Malken’s long
fingernails are filed to form makeshift
claws, his unruly gray hair and eyebrows
make him look older than he is, and his
facial features are exaggerated and
uneven. His quick mind and vast
education often catch people off-guard—
as does his uncanny ability to move in
near-perfect silence when he wishes. His
body is covered with tattoos showing his
criminal exploits and allegiances.
While Malken is unpleasant to deal
with personally due to his slang-filled
dialogue and brusque attitude, he can be
quite eloquent and charming if he
decides that someone is worth his time.
Most of the time, he acts up his

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 Rather than send him to labor or have within, he chose to murder his friend and
him flogged, either of which would surely steal his shape.
kill the malnourished boy, the nobleman While Malken loved his new position
took pity on Malken and brought him and authority, he soon realized he had
into his home, there to serve his sentence been naïve. The government was
under the man’s personal watch. The hopelessly corrupt, and no one man
nobleman, Dmitri Stanov, soon could hope to change it without help.
discovered Malken’s quick mind and Stumbling onto Dmitri’s personal
ordered him nursed to health and journals, he discovered how much his
educated. Malken took to medicine and friend had truly cared for him and broke
alchemy like a fish to water, and in only a down in grief. When he awoke, it was
few short years he had taken his place as night; he had no recollection of where the
Dmitri’s personal physician. day had gone and was horrified when he
Despite his changed fortunes, Malken was told that Dmitri had just been
was bitter and angry over the accident of looking for him. Terrified and confused,
his birth and the way he was treated for it Malken stole what he could and fled.
by people outside the Stanov household. Malken has realized that he now shares
Because of the Lawgiver’s edicts, it was his body with Dmitri Stanov. They
illegal for him to attempt to alter his change control of their shared form
appearance or correct his deformities; without warning or any ability to influence
this didn’t stop him from accumulating it. Dmitri apparently does not realize
forbidden lore to research the matter what has happened to him and still seems
anyway. to care for his old friend, even though
In time, Malken stumbled on an Malken has become an infamous crime
alchemical formula that could allow a lord.
man to permanently assume another’s Though he can assume Stanov's
form—by killing someone and distilling appearance at will, he retains his old form
their body as part of the formula. He when engaging in criminal activities to
resisted its use for a long time until he avoid tarnishing Stanov's reputation
heard about the capture and execution of should he be seen or caught.
the gang he had run with as a child. Malken protects Stanov and his family
Wondering why they had not been from the consequences of his enterprises
shown the mercy he had, his resentment mainly because he has put so much time
against all figures of authority grew, and effort into stealing Stanov’s life that
including his patron. Finally, justifying he refuses to let anyone else touch what
that he could change the system from he sees as his. Malken has betrayed
everything he once believed in out of the
hope of someday gaining Dmitri’s power
and influence, becoming part of the
corrupt system he once despised.

156
157
 The Forest of Beasts
The Forest of Beasts is a vast The Forest of Beasts is a wild, untamed
timberland filled more with animals than place, full of superstition and fear. Magic
with people. The humans that dwell in is frequently reviled by the people of the
the Forest eke out hardscrabble lives of region’s small villages; some think that
subsistence. Civilization is a story here— any magic-user is an animal spirit
only the wilderness is reality. Humans are disguised as a human. While the people
the hunted in the Forest of Beasts, not of the Forest possess animistic traditions
the hunters, and many of the creatures of their own, there is little room for
that dwell in these lands are able to blur religious fervor in their desperate lives.
the line between beast and man to better Praying to the ancestors or the spirits is
deceive their prey. common, and some larger villages might
The westernmost portion of the Cluster even have a shaman or priest, but few are
is the large domain of Verbrek, a coastal prosperous enough to be able to devote
forest that runs north-south and is well significant time to worship.
known for its enormous trees and
frequent rains. Verbrek is a rocky land Languages
full of sharp cliffs, steep gullies, and heavy The domains of the Forest of Beasts
undergrowth with many fast-flowing speak Vaasi, though Low Mordentish is
creeks, streams, and rivers. becoming common among the traders of
The other three domains of the region Arkandale as they form more
touch on Verbrek’s eastern border; the connections with the Civilized Crescent.
northernmost is the somewhat civilized Regional accents make communication
domain of Kartakass, a land known for its among the domains occasionally difficult,
musical traditions, lumber industry, and but rarely disastrous. Many villages have
potent liquors. South of Kartakass is unique accents or vocabulary due to long
Arkandale, a region of independent periods of isolation.
towns and river traders. The Kartakass has its own unique language,
southernmost domain is Valachan, a land Old Kartakan, which is spoken only by
where wolves are displaced by large cats local scholars and musicians. Most
as the top predator. people in the domain never bother
While all of the region’s domains have learning it, instead using Vaasi as their
a temperate and warm climate, the common tongue. Minstrels and historians
southern half of the Cluster is keep the language alive for reasons of
subtropical. The Forest is humid, prone nostalgia and scholarship, but little else.
to heavy rain and muggy weather;
Arkandale and Valachan have almost
murderous heat, with humidity so strong Conne ctions
that it can make simply breathing feel like The rivers of Arkandale flow east into
drowning on a hot day. Mosquitos and the Civilized Cluster; Arkandale’s trading
the diseases they carry are common clans ferry a significant amount of
throughout the Forest of Beasts, and Kartakan hardwoods into the shops of
breathing ailments are a frequent killer. Richemulot. The rivers can be very hard
to navigate, however, since they pass

158
through the Mists; this means that only to fool the spirits or gain their favor.
experienced navigators attempt such Shamans of the Spirit Pact are rarely
passage. Quite a few of the rivers of practitioners of magic, but a great many
northern Verbrek connect with the of them are wise in the ways of animals
Balinok Mountains, particularly to and herb lore.
Invidia, but these rivers are even more The most feared and reviled followers
dangerous to navigate than those of of the spirits are the blasphemous Cult of
Arkandale. the Wolf God. These vile turncoats see
Western Verbrek has a long shore that wolves as superior to humans, and
flows into the Sea of Sorrows, but few themselves as “hunters of men.” Many of
settlements exist on its rocky, storm- them are cannibals or worse, hoping to
wracked shores. Most ships that try to gain the strength of the wolf by hunting
find portage in the waters off Verbrek and eating other humans. Some have
generally wind up shattering themselves found ways to become wolves themselves,
on the cliffs and shoals. Eastern Valachan or hideous hybrids of wolf and man.
gradually bleeds into the Far Steppes, and Every villager fears their howling and
a reliable Mistway known as Horse dreads to see their sign, the black claw,
Lord’s Pass connects the two. scrawled on a tree, for it means they
intend to hunt—and soon.
The Spirit Pact Many of the Spirit Pact faiths have been
Many of the villages of the Forest of pushed to the fringes or wiped out in
Beasts share similar legends about the Valachan, where pride and greed work to
nature of the world. These animistic destroy the traditional culture of the
faiths are collectively called “the Spirit region. The only major remaining cult in
Pact” by outsiders, though each is unique the area is that of Yutow, a sun god who
and different in its own ways. was once regarded as a bloody-handed
The common beliefs shared by spirit but now serves as a banner of
members of the Spirit Pact are that the rebellion.
world sprang from the Mists, and that the
faceless spirits of the Mists took shape in
order to explore their new world. Most of Arkandale
the myths say that the first of these spirits
was the Wolf God, sometimes called Of all the lands of the Forest of Beasts,
“Grandfather Wolf”; some legends claim Arkandale is the closest to civilization. Its
that the other spirits came into existence villages are more prosperous than those
as the Wolf God hunted them, each of other lands, walled and palisaded
becoming something different in an structures that protect their people from
attempt to stay ahead of the First Wolf’s the creatures of the forest. Dalemen
fangs. engage in extensive agriculture as well as
Those who follow the Spirit Pact see hunting and fishing; they produce more
the world as a constant struggle between than enough to allow them to trade the
humanity and the spirits of the surplus to other communities, particularly
wilderness. Some try to placate the spirits the furriers and trappers of northeastern
with offerings; others attempt to ward Verbrek.
them off with ritual actions; a few emulate Arkandale is a land of rolling hills,
them, becoming more like beasts in order covered in vast forests and cut through

159
 with wide, shallow rivers. The traders of The prosperity of Arkandale is not
Arkandale use broad-bottomed rafts and without its cost. Arkandale is a land
barges to ply the waters, slow-moving where the wealth of the few is bought by
craft that leave them vulnerable to raiders the sweat and blood of the many. Slavery
and pirates using canoes or obstructions. is common in the domain, especially the
The forests of Arkandale are not as thick horrors of chattel slavery, where human
or impenetrable as those of the other beings are considered property without
lands of the region, but they are still rights of their own. Wealthy landowners
avoided whenever possible by the natives. and merchant clans keep extensive
Buildings in Arkandale are constructed numbers of slaves, working them to death
from local timber or wood imported to preserve their own meager advantages
from Kartakass by river. The homes of over their neighbors. While many slaves
most folk are tall, gabled houses, built were taken from Verbrek in raids (or by
wide but shallow to help keep the “traders” who turned on their clients for
interiors cool. Whitewashing is common, profit), the vast majority were born into
especially for the homes of the wealthy, slavery, the descendants of slaves who
and roofs are normally covered in have known nothing but lives of labor
shingles of slate or tile. Stone buildings and hardship.
are uncommon in the domain due to a The people of Arkandale are fair-
lack of quarries, so fire is a serious skinned and attractive, with young women
concern in most towns. of Arkandale having an almost legendary
beauty. Most Dalemen dress in simple
work clothes to minimize the oppressive
heat, but the recent affluence of the
trading clans has inspired them to begin
importing fashions from the Civilized
Crescent. The most affluent clans have
begun speaking Mordentish in imitation
of their trading partners, who would be
utterly horrified to realize the degree to
which slavery is an accepted institution in
the nation.
Dalemen have a reputation for genteel
hospitality and deliberate courtesy, but
this veneer lies atop a core of suspicion
and insularity. Even the wealthiest
Daleman is only a generation away from
hardscrabble poverty, which generates an
undercurrent of tension that often breaks
out into feuds or brawls. Dalemen work
hard to be courteous because they take
offense at the smallest of slights, leading
to dangerous retribution. They can be
intensely ruthless about protecting their
privilege and position; even a poor
freeman has pride, since he is better than
a slave.

160
 The slaves of Arkandale are a here as a counterpoint to the vast
miserable lot, kept in ignorance and wilderness, treating man as the real
poverty and treated as little more than animal. Humans metaphorically prey on
animals. A master can beat a slave to each other in Arkandale, turning
death with no consequences other than civilization into a sham—a thin veneer on
having to replace a lost slave, and slaves top of a “dog eat dog” world. Arkandale
have no rights to privacy, property, or is the “proof” to the Cult of the Wolf
basic dignity. Slaves are superficially little God’s claims that humans are worse than
different from free folk; their darker skin animals; wolves don’t keep slaves, after
is only from more frequent outdoor work all.
and not any particular ethnic difference.
Most are the descendants of tribesmen Themes
taken from Verbrek—from tribes that are
• The Beast Within: Arkandale is a
also the ancestors of the trading clans. A
seemingly civilized land, but that
few are former freemen who fell deeply
civilization hides all manner of sins.
enough into debt that their freedom was
The veneer of civilization is mere
forfeit, and some were stolen from
makeup, a layer of paint atop a canvas
neighboring lands as children.
of savagery. Men and women dance
Slavery is vital to Arkandale’s economy,
to fine music while wearing fine
and the sole reason that the nation stands
clothes, only to go back to their fine
above its fellows in wealth. Arkandale’s
homes and whip their slaves to death.
extensive plantations produce grain,
Children are disciplined with
vegetables, and fabrics that are then
beatings, and adults settle their
traded to other lands. Because slaves
disputes with fists instead of words.
outnumber freemen in Arkandale, the
Courtesy exists to hold the animal at
masters are constantly worried about
arm’s length, but apparent calmness
revolts or uprisings, treating the slightest
can give way to frenzy in a heartbeat.
rebellious behaviors with intense cruelty.
• Horrors of Slavery: Slavery is
practiced in some other lands of
Tropes Ravenloft, but nowhere else is it as
Arkandale is intended to be a extensive or as horrible. Slaves in
representation of the American South Arkandale have no rights to speak
before the Civil War, or early Canada of—nor do they have hope. People
before the American Revolution. It is a speak of slavery as a “necessary evil”
land of farming, fur trapping, and trade, in order to preserve the wealth of the
where the wealth of a few is carried on elite, effectively saying that human
the backs of many. The land is only a lives have a monetary value. The idea
step removed from its poor origins, with that human life can possess a price tag
even the wealthiest citizens being little cheapens life while avoiding
more than trumped-up nouveau riche responsibility for permitting slavery to
pretenders. Their manners and courtesy exist.
disguise a rapacious attitude that sees • One Step from Savagery: Arkandale
nothing wrong with turning people into doesn’t feel like a tamed land. Just
objects. the opposite—it feels like a wilderness
While Arkandale may seem like a poor where civilization is barely scraping
fit for the Forest of Beasts, it mainly exists by. The towns are perpetually half-

161
 finished, while the villages are only The Darklord
superficially different from those in Riverboat captain and merchant
neighboring domains. Wild animals Nathan Timothy is the darklord of
remain a constant threat, even on the Arkandale. He is a werewolf who
plantations, and nature is as much an betrayed his own kin to enjoy the
enemy as anywhere else in the region. comforts of civilization. Nathan was once
Even the wealthy elite are only a the leader of a pack of werewolves, but
generation removed from tribal he grew envious of the creature comforts
villagers themselves, despite their he saw possessed by humanity—cooked
pretensions to the contrary. food, liquor, soft beds, and the like
tempted him until he turned from his
Notable Locations people’s traditional ways to live like a
Cheapside is less a town and more a human.
monument to human misery. Named for Nathan’s ruthless nature served him
the slave market it grew up around, well. He quickly became the master of a
Cheapside is a place where the bestial trading group, using his powers to keep
instincts of the people of Arkandale are his traders safe from the beasts of the
on full, naked display. The town has bars, forest. Seeing all humans as little more
brothels, fighting pits, and other base than prey anyway, he introduced the
entertainments, but nothing in the way of concept of chattel slavery to the region;
art, culture, or public services. The one rather than hunting humans and eating
church in town is maintained by an aging them, he would hunt humans and cast
pastor who spends most of his time them in chains as his servants.
drunk, raging in public against the evils of Spending so much time on the rivers to
slavery, or both. ensure his wealth and hunt for new slaves
The Musarde River is the primary left Nathan with ironically little time to
artery of trade and travel in the land of enjoy the fruits of his labors. Still, he
Arkandale. This broad, slow-moving river comforted himself with the idea that all
is known for its muddy waters, many the work he did would pay off in time,
branches, and frequent shallows. The leaving him a wealthy, comfortable man.
“Muddy Musarde” can be a nightmare to Instead, Nathan found himself rapidly
navigate for amateur boatmen, who are outpaced by the humans he had
prone to running aground on mudbanks. supported, leaving him a minor riverboat
Those who are stranded in this fashion trader constantly behind his competitors.
find themselves easy pickings for river His own plantation was less productive
pirates—or less natural predators. than his neighbors, and he was constantly
Rosewater is the public face of undercut by his former friends and allies.
Arkandale, a clean and orderly town In time, Nathan found himself bereft of
along the banks of the Musarde River. It resources, little more than a poverty-
is filled with parks, theaters, and fine stricken human himself, with only a
restaurants, a rapidly growing genteel city scrubby plot of land and a weather-beaten
of culture and fashion. The town keeps riverboat to his name. Other werewolves
the source of its wealth at arm’s length--- spurned him as a traitor to his own kind,
the plantations and orchards outside the avoiding his “territory” not out of respect
town that are worked by legions of ill-fed but out of disdain. Nathan married and
slaves. had children, but all of his blood would

162
eventually turn against him in one way or storytelling. Natural surroundings are
another. Even his purely human relations frequently incorporated directly into the
want nothing to do with him because of domain’s architecture. Living trees may
his temper and poor business acumen. be employed as natural pillars, or a
Nathan Timothy is an old wretch now, structure may open up directly into a
white-haired and bearded. He lives on his cavern of glittering crystal. Even the
riverboat most of the time, constantly humblest settlements feature public
looking for opportunities that might allow amphitheaters for annual singing contests.
him to reach the station he believes he As the northernmost region of the
deserves. He sees others succeeding in Forest of Beasts, Kartakass has the
his place and feels nothing but envy for coolest climate. Its winters can be harsh
their success—but his primary means of at times, though snow is uncommon.
vengeance has been taken from him, Summers tend to be milder than those of
since he cannot command the local neighboring regions, but they can still
beasts any longer. They have lost respect become very humid.
for him and will not obey him. Nathan is Kartakans are a lean, graceful breed of
a creature of two worlds, truly belonging folk blessed with long limbs and angular,
to neither and gaining no pleasure from handsome features. Their skin is very fair
either one. and creamy, sometimes dotted with a few
scattered freckles. Kartakan hair is wavy
and normally a flaxen blond, but very
rarely a child with raven tresses is born.
Kartakass Men keep their hair long and wild, often
growing it past their shoulders. Women
Kartakass is a land of music where allow their hair to grow all the way to
joyful song echoes through the black their waists and likewise shun styling it.
forests, tinged ever so slightly by the tone Neatly trimmed goatees and long, full
of fear. It is a domain of dense mustaches are typical among men.
woodlands blanketing a region of rocky Kartakan clothing is comfortable but
upland terrain. The forests are wild and dashing. Men and women alike wear
treacherous here, from the thorny blousy shirts and trousers, the latter
undergrowth to the fierce wolves that tucked into high black boots. Women
stalk the wooded ridges. The wilderness frequently wear short vests over their
is far from lonely, however, as the sweet blouses, while men prefer full coats.
baritone voices of lumberjacks at work Wide-brimmed hats are popular with
float over the hills. The domain is riddled men, particularly among woodsmen and
with spectacular natural caverns, endlessly travelers. Clothing colors are vibrant, with
branching labyrinths of limestone that brilliant reds, yellows, and blues being the
wind deep into the cold earth. most popular hues. Delicate embroidery
Buildings in Kartakass are massive log is frequently used to decorate Kartakan
lodges with broad facades and towering garb. Jewelry is used sparingly; the
thatch roofs. Rows of narrow windows, sparkle of a single earring or ring is
bold wooden carvings, and delicate floral considered most attractive.
patterns grace the fronts of homes and Kartakans are a warm, gregarious lot
shops. Most structures feature enormous noted for their love of music and talent
central fireplaces ringed by a raised dais with song. There are melodies for every
for musical performances and occasion and daily activity, and a

163
 Kartakan village at work or play is a in Kartakass tend to be very much like
veritable festival of music. These folk also fairy tales, minus the faeries themselves;
have a fondness for poetry and stories like “Little Red Riding Hood,”
storytelling. Tall tales are a Kartakan “The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids,”
tradition meant to teach lessons and play “The Town Musicians of Bremen,” and
on the gullibility of listeners. Wandering “Snow White and Rose Red” are specific
bards are also a local institution, and the influences.
arrival of a famous bard stirs a Kartakan
community to celebration and passion. A Themes
popular, bitter local brew called
• The Land of Fairy Tales: Kartakass is
meekulbrau sweetens voices and loosens
a land out of fairy tales, a place of
inhibitions.
mystique and wonder. These aren’t
Kartakans are content and thankful for
nice fairy tales, though. These are the
the simple pleasures of life. They respect
tales where Little Red Hood and her
tradition, wisdom, and musical skill above
grandmother are messily devoured,
all else. They fear little but the vicious
where Sleeping Beauty’s town sleeps
wolves that stalk the domain, creatures
forever, and where the talking
that have been known to enter homes at
animals are usually villains. Still,
night and drag slumbering victims from
everything has a mythical quality to it.
their beds. Kartakans have a shared
Kartakass is a land of giant owls and
culture, but each settlement in the
wolves the size of carriages, a land
domain is autonomous. No central
where birds talk and trees listen, a
authority dictates or enforces law
land where a wolf can spin three
throughout Kartakass. It is common for a
times widdershins and become a
community to choose its leader through
man.
an annual contest, typically one that
incorporates musical competition as well • Music in the Air: Kartakass is a very
as knowledge of local history and law. musical land, a place where the
people break into song at the drop of
a hat and where they would rather
Tropes sing about their feelings than talk
Kartakass is the dark forest of Grimm’s about them. Almost everyone has
faerie tales, a place where wolves entice some musical talent, and being
red-cloaked waifs into the forest but no unable to sing or play an instrument
woodsman shows up to save them at the is considered a social faux pas on par
end of the story. Because of the musical with inability to dress oneself in other
nature of the land (and its lord), lands.
Kartakass could almost be played as a • The Wolf at the Door: Despite the
dark version of a Disney musical, full of air of life and laughter in Kartakass,
life and laughter—until the third act, when everyone knows that terrible things
everyone dies. live just beyond the firelight, and the
In appearance, Kartakass is intended to only way to be safe is to shut out the
resemble the Black Forest of Germany danger. People divide the world into
during the period in which Grimm’s tales “inside” and “outside,” a series of
were being collected. It is a place of vast decreasing circles that eventually
wilderness, where every village is leaves everyone totally alone. A
independent out of necessity. Adventures village doesn’t care about the affairs

164
 beyond its borders; a family doesn’t The Crystal Club is Skald’s most
help their neighbors when times are exclusive and prestigious musical venue.
tough for everyone; a person keeps Constructed in an underground cave, the
their problems to themselves and interior of the club is like standing within
hopes others do the same. People are a vast geode. The crystals resonate when
generally friendly without being performers take the stage, creating a
particularly helpful or cooperative, unique and moving experience for those
and they can sometimes be lucky enough to be present for such a
shockingly cruel. show. The club is managed by Rurik
Deeptimbre, a boisterous man who keeps
Notable Locations the meekulberry wine flowing and deftly
The Arkalias Hills are one of the most dodges questions about the club’s
desolate places in the otherwise lush ownership.
Forest of Beasts. The region is said to Harmonia is the smaller of the two
have been the home of a dire major settlements in Kartakass, widely
necromancer who drained the very life considered the nation’s cultural center.
from the hills, using a series of hidden Harmonia’s biggest source of pride is its
catacombs beneath the hills are her lair. city amphitheater, carved directly from
Even today, the “Dead Hills” are littered the rock of the cliffs surrounding the city
with bone wards, staked skeletons, and and with acoustics unmatched anywhere
mummified corpses strung up in in the Land of Mists. Next to the
terrifying poses. amphitheater is the Harmonic Hall,
widely considered one of the finest
musical academies anywhere, and the
Temple of Divine Song, the only known
temple of the local faith called the
Ancestral Choir.
Skald is the larger of Kartakass’ two
major settlements, less culturally
important than Harmonia but greater in
both wealth and population. The town is
surrounded by a stone curtain wall in
terrible repair, a legacy of the town’s
ancient past. The town is the personal
domain of Meistersinger Harkon Lukas,
a man seemingly incapable of losing the
yearly singing competitions that
determine the town’s leadership.

The Darklord
The wandering bard Harkon Lukas
might be the last person any Kartakan
would expect to be a werewolf, let alone
the darklord of the domain. A popular
singer and performer across much of
Kartakass, but especially around the city

165
 of Harmonia, Lukas is well known for his wide-brimmed hat with a feather tucked
charisma, musical abilities, and courage. in it. Lukas can also assume female form,
The truth is far more horrific; Lukas was as well as a hybrid man-wolf shape and
born a wolf, from a race of “wolfweres”— the form of a giant, ravenous wolf.
natural shapeshifters who act as predators
of humanity.
Harkon Lukas was always unusual for
one of his race. He craved human contact Valach an
for its own sake rather than just for the
purpose of feeding (though he still ate Sometimes known as “Valacán” to its
people he didn’t find interesting), which natives, this domain lies in the southeast
made him a freak among his own kind, corner of the Forest of Beasts, a low-lying
who saw humans only as useful for food. region of thick, verdant jungles and hot,
The more time he spent with humans, humid weather. The rough hills and low
the more like them he became in drive mountains between Kartakass and
and ambition, until he was spending Valachan serve as a barrier to travel,
more time as a man than as a wolf. When except along certain passes, and the
his own kind finally cast him out, he runoff from those mountains create
turned on them and became a hunter of several deep, wide rivers that cut through
wolves, preying on his own people and the region. Where much of the rest of
driving them forth from his territory. the Forest of Beasts is a temperate
Lukas eventually wandered into the rainforest, the jungles of Valachan are
Mists, where he found a new land waiting subtropical or even tropical in places.
for him, one in which he was respected as Color and vibrancy abound in the
both man and wolf. To the wolves, he is jungles of the domain, from the rainbow-
“Grandfather,” the oldest and most hued birds that live in the trees to the
powerful of their kind. To the humans, shimmering flowers growing everywhere
he is Harkon Lukas, the most respected to the brightly painted statues that
musician and performer of the land. decorate the domain’s cities. Strange and
However, to his chagrin and frustration, bizarre creatures unheard of in the rest of
neither group sees him as a leader or the Cluster are found in Valachan, from
master—merely as a respected elder. tiny and colorful birds no bigger than a
Lukas will never be the great pack leader man’s finger to rodents larger than a goat.
or king he desires to be, and his territory The northern part of the domain
will never be influential or civilized. He is contains the bulk of Valacáni civilization,
condemned to being lord of a rural the center of Don Uriel Carrascon’s
domain full of independent people and efforts to modernize and industrialize his
wolves who will only obey him in the land. Adobe buildings line brick-paved
short term. streets, the simple buildings decorated
Harkon Lukas is a skilled shapechanger with colored tiles, domes, and carved
whose preferred form is that of a tall, pillars. The capital of the domain has all
muscular human male with wavy black the comforts of any modern city in more
hair that falls below his shoulders, a well- civilized regions, and the city architects
trimmed beard, and a mustache that are quick to keep up with any new
comes to fine points. He dresses every advancements they catch wind of. As
inch the swashbuckling hero, with white cities move further away from the capital,
shirt, blue trousers, golden coat, and they become more rural, often depending

166
on pack-laden beasts of burden over tends to be utilitarian rather than
wagons for moving people and produce. fashionable.
The domain’s flora and fauna are its The southern regions of the domain
greatest source of wealth, even beyond are intractable wilderness, a jungle that is
the silver mines scattered throughout the thick, lush, and almost impenetrable.
land. Food is heavily exported to both Rain pours constantly, and when it is not
Kartakass and Nova Vaasa (along the raining, the heat causes the ground to
stable Mistway that leads east out of the steam. Even in broad daylight, the canopy
domain). Many of the native plants are blocks out most of the light while
known for odd properties or medicinal trapping heat; the humidity and
uses, while many unique fruits, greenhouse effect can make jungle heat
vegetables, and grains commonly grown lethal to unprepared travelers. The jungle
here are culinary delights in other lands. is notoriously hostile to those that try to
Valachan’s people are an athletic folk, exploit it, between humidity rusting
slightly short, varying between slender machines, animals attacking workers, and
and sharp-featured to very round-faced. jungle fevers plaguing settlers and work
The humans of Valachan tend toward crews. Despite this hostility—and
dark skin, ranging from tan though a sometimes because of it—rebels are
deep bronze or a burnished brown. Eye known to live within the jungle, avoiding
color is uniformly dark, almost always the government and launching guerilla
black or deep brown; some children are raids.
born with yellow eyes and are thought to
be touched by the spirits. Facial hair is Tropes
nearly unheard of among men, but long Valachan is a pastiche of Mexico and
hair is common in both genders, though Central America, a land where
it is usually pulled or tied back while “modernization” is a code word for
working. Many older Valacáni have destroying traditional ways of life and
decorative scars, tattoos, and piercings, exploiting natural resources. The
which are growing out of fashion with the government is corrupt and vicious,
younger, more modern generation. attempting to tame the wilderness with no
Valachan is a society which is rapidly true understanding of it. Traditional
stratifying itself due to the influx of wealth beliefs and values are swept away in the
and modernity to the north. City Valacáni face of “modern life,” with a few elites
are better educated, while those living benefiting at the cost of the vast majority,
near the cities benefit from their who remain poor and marginalized.
affluence; those living in rural farming
communities or near the southern jungle
are often illiterate and uneducated, Themes
clinging to the ways of the past despite the • Man’s Cruelty, Nature’s Brutality:
government’s efforts. Wealthier Valacáni The law in Valachan is harsh and
tend toward black or white clothing, merciless. The laws themselves are
offset by colored sashes and embroidery, strict, and the punishments are cruel.
made of imported cotton or silk. Poor Still, the law of man is concerned with
Valacáni wear traditional clothes of dyed fairness—with right and wrong. The
wool, while the poorest wear rough jungle offers no such consideration;
undyed wool clothing; such clothing its only law is “survive or die.” Is it
better to live freely in a land without

167
 morality, or is it better to accept a problems with his lofty plans. The city is
harsh rule with recourse for wrongs? built on marshy wetlands that the natives
• The Price of Control: The used as part of their seasonal crop
industrialization of Valachan is fueled rotations, but which makes the new city
by the blood and sweat of its people. prone to flooding and vast clouds of
The modernization of the land comes mosquitoes and other biting insects.
from the ruin of its old culture. The Tianquiztli is a place where the new
ruler’s demands are unreasonable, and the old mix side by side in Valachan.
and those who attempt to fulfill them The trading town still uses traditional
find themselves committing more and construction in its buildings but utilizes
more desperate acts to do so. Those the new materials brought to the region
who rise to the top often find by Carrascon. The colors and patterns of
themselves caught in a spiraling grasp the local clothing evoke the old ways,
of impossible standards. An even when they are made of modern
ambitious soul can do well in linen and cotton. Though the town
Valachan, but the price of power may demonstrates how possible it is for a true
be too high. fusion of cultures to exist in Valachan,
• Taming the Untamable: Valachan is a Don Uriel is known to despise it as a
wild place, and its lord’s efforts have holdout for backwards tribal nonsense.
only forced the wilderness back— The town is a frequent target for his
never conquered it. The jungle of purges and reprisals—and so it is also a
Valachan is more than just a passive hotbed for underground resistance and
obstacle. It is a living, seething entity sedition.
filled with dangerous beasts, lost Toxcatl is a hidden temple deep in the
cities, and old spirits. Likewise, the forests of Valachan, one of the last
old culture still lurks just beneath the bastions of the old faith from before Don
civilized surface, twisting into new Uriel’s conquest. The stepped pyramid is
forms and threatening to boil up. home to a priesthood that practices
Every city is constantly on the verge bloody human sacrifices, typically chosen
of being devoured by the wilderness, from the “traitors” who serve in Don
every “tame” animal is one missed Uriel’s guard. The priesthood is said to
meal from becoming savage, and guard a massive obsidian disk called the
every citizen still believes in the old Smoking Mirror, an artifact that whispers
gods deep inside. No matter what one to them in the sinister voice of their
does to shape the land of Valachan, it bloodthirsty god.
is always waiting to claw its way back
into its old shape. The Darklord
The being calling himself Don Uriel
Notable Locations Carrascon has had many names over the
Carrascon is the capital of Valachan, a years. He is a tall, sleek, handsome man
modern city built on the bones of the appearing to be in his mid-thirties. He
region’s majestic past. As Don Uriel has dark brown skin, meticulously
builds outward, he meticulously and groomed black hair, and hypnotic yellow
rigorously plans each new district of “his” eyes. When he sits still, he exudes an
city, often flying into rages when his aura of restlessness; when he moves, it is
architects inform him of practical with silent grace. While he is pleasant

168
and complacent in demeanor, almost gained in his journeys, Carrascon broke
smug at times, he can become the back of the native resistance,
confrontational and aggressive when he outlawed the old religion, and imposed
feels his authority is being challenged. his own harsh and unforgiving standards
Few who know him well would be on the land. Now, Carrascon rules
surprised by the idea that their ruler is uneasily over a land fraught with
not human at all, though they might be rebellions, convinced that he could make
surprised by his exact origins. The a perfect society if only people would quit
darklord of Valachan started life as a acting against their own best interests.
panther, a wild jungle cat called Karakul Carrascon is a miserable creature,
by his owner, a powerful wizard. Karakul unable to understand that his issues stem
was the subject of much experimentation; from his own self-hatred. His civilized
his master was curious about the nature veneer cracks under pressure, filling him
of humanity and used his powers to with self-recrimination and causing him to
transform Karakul into a man, then lash out at those closest to him. He
taught him about language, human pushes his self-loathing onto others,
behavior, and other concepts. In time, convinced that they despise him for the
the wizard tired of the experiment and weaknesses he perceives in himself. He
began to use Karakul as an assassin strives to “civilize” his land by force when
instead. he cannot even civilize himself.
The more time Karakul spent as a
human, the more he found himself
moved by human concepts. In time, he
fell in love with a servant woman; when
Karakul’s master forced him to kill his
love out of an imagined slight, the
wizard’s hold over Karakul finally broke.
Karakul went berserk and killed his
master before fleeing, knowing what
would happen to him if he were found by
the authorities. Karakul stole treasure
from his master’s home and traveled the
world, learning many contradictory
lessons about what it meant to be human.
He created an idealized image of
humanity, becoming ever more neurotic
in his attempts to blend in. Eventually, he
decided that he could make a better
society than all the flawed, imperfect
people he had met in his travels and
entered the Mists to find a new land on
which he could imprint his own image.
When he arrived in Valachan, Karakul
restyled himself Don Uriel Carrascon
and began seizing power in the domain
away from the tribal natives. Using
imported weapons and the wealth he had

169
 If Carrascon has a virtue, it is that he hunted. Snapping twigs and rustling
does have a sense of justice. His rule is leaves are enough to send travelers into
harsh, and his demands are harsher, but panicked flight, like frightened deer.
he is a man who can be fair, even to a There are no wide, well-traveled roads in
fault. He despises slavery because of his Verbrek, only a few rugged and poorly
own history and offers haven to escaped maintained trails.
slaves from other lands. Even this bit of The scattered villages and lone
decency is tainted by his willingness to farmsteads that dot the domain are
press freed folk into service as soldiers, wholly without comfort in the
workers, and farmers—albeit with a surrounding gloom of the wilderness.
decent wage and human rights, even if The squat buildings are constructed of
they cannot leave their new professions. massive, rough-cut logs and thatched,
Every year on the anniversary of his gabled roofs with chimneys of smooth
conquest, those he has killed return to river stones. Muddy trenches five or
haunt him, harrying him through the land more feet deep surround the domain’s
until he can run no more. The ghosts humble livestock pens, an often futile
then bear him to the heart of the jungle, strategy to keep the wolves at bay.
speaking of how honored they were to Verbrekers are a sturdy breed, short in
serve him, and sacrifice him in a grisly stature but muscular. Their skin ranges
parody of the old religion’s traditions. from very fair and freckled to light tan in
The next day, he awakens again in his color, though it is typically weathered and
true form—that of a powerful black toughened with callouses. A Verbreker’s
panther—and must painfully regain his eyes are usually blue or green, and hair
human shape, relearn how to speak, and color runs from honey blond to medium
trek through the massive rainforest to brown, but auburn is not uncommon.
find his way home. Both men and women keep their straight
hair long and unstyled, with men
preferring to maintain a length just above
the shoulder. Men often grow mustaches
Verbrek and beards, always together.
Verbreker clothing is simplistic, loose
Verbrek is not a nation at all, but rather fitting, and functional. Men wear trousers
the name given by outsiders to a large and tunics, while women dress in blouses
swath of land in the western part of the and long skirts slit up the thigh. Many
region with no central government or Verbrekers, male and female alike, wear
civilization to speak of. Verbrek is hooded cloaks when outdoors. Shades of
shrouded in a patchwork of towering green and neutral colors such as white,
forests, misty hollows, and overgrown beige, and brown predominate local garb.
wetlands. Here the wilderness is primeval Folk from all walks of life carry a hatchet
and untamed, the dense and thorny or knife at all times if possible.
vegetation making travel an arduous Verbrekers are at home in the
experience. Travelers must learn to be wilderness, though their relationship with
wary of Verbrek’s wolves—hulking, silver- the natural world could best be described
furred beasts that stalk their prey with as an uneasy truce. Verbrekers have a
human cunning. Those who brave the healthy respect for nature, but that
domain’s trackless wilds are constantly respect is tempered with a fear of nature’s
harried by a terrifying sensation of being savagery. They stoically strive to carve out

170
a life along the banks of Verbrek’s many that the game was rigged against them the
rivers, recognizing all the while that in the entire time. In many ways, Verbrek is the
battle between humanity and nature, archetypical domain of werewolves and
nature is likely to emerge the victor. In beast spirits, a place where humans are
the meantime, they endure by learning the minority and what few bastions of
the ways of their wilderness, thereby civilization exist do so at the sufferance of
avoiding a senseless and early death. the wolves.
They value basic survival skills and are Virtually any werewolf movie would be
easily angered by urban folk who risk a good inspiration for Verbrek, but
everyone’s lives through their especially The Howling with its society of
recklessness or ignorance. werewolves who live mostly separate from
The Verbrekers are not the true humans, going among them only to hunt,
masters of their domain, a fact that they and The Brotherhood of the Wolf,
acknowledge with grim fatalism. Verbrek which depicts a non-supernatural enemy
belongs to the wolves—both the four- that could easily be reskinned as a coven
legged ones and the ones that can of real werewolves.
pretend to be men. Virtually every
Verbreker believes in werewolves, the Themes
shapechanging beasts who have kinship
• The Forest Primeval: Everything in
with both wolves and humans. Some
Verbrek has a feeling of being both
even think they have their own society,
ancient and dangerous. The trees are
but no human has ever learned about that
enormous, the wolves can be the size
society and returned to tell the tale.
of horses, and ruins abound. The
Verbrek is regarded as something of a
wilderness is deep and dark, full of
treacherous, backwater realm. Tales of
dangers. More than that, the
rampaging wolf packs discourage
wilderness is almost aware; it resists
outsiders from venturing into the domain
attempts to civilize it with a will of its
with any frequency. The only regular
own. New fields are overgrown in
visitors are river merchants, who ply the
days, attempts to clear-cut trees draw
domain’s waterways in search of the furs,
the ire of monsters, and trying to
timber, foodstuffs, and other
build a road just results in the loss of
commodities that the Verbrekers
workers as they’re picked off one by
produce. In turn, they bring scarce
one.
crafted items, particularly iron tools, on
which the Verbrekers depend. In recent • Man versus the Wilderness: In some
years, Verbrekers have been forced to domains, monsters or other people
treat with such merchants warily; many of are the worst threat. In Verbrek, the
them have turned out to be slavers from horror comes from nature and its
Arkandale. callous indifference to the lives of
men. That callous indifference can
turn into true malice when dealing
Tropes with intelligent representations of
Verbrek is the trackless wilderness, the nature, like the werewolves. The
savage forest that tests humanity against worst things in Verbrek come from
nature. In Verbrek, however, nature the wild; this can be bad weather,
usually wins—and it is only at the end that natural predators, supernatural beasts,
those who contested with nature realize

171
 or so on, but the real dangers are all The Circle is a massive henge of stones
wilderness dangers. that serves as the center of worship for
• Rules of Nature: An old saying goes, the Cult of the Wolf God. The domain’s
“Whether you are the lion or the werewolves gather here almost nightly to
gazelle, when the sun comes up you perform rituals of devotion, including
better start running.” Verbrek is the sacred hunts and the ingestion of
domain where it’s hunt or be hunted, powerful hallucinogens. Alfred Timothy
kill or be killed. Shades of grey and is the high priest of the Wolf God, and
moral nuance are for civilized places. he can usually be found at the Circle,
Stories set in Verbrek should be presiding over these rituals.
about survival, plain and simple, Fylfot is a typical Verbreker village, its
whether that means outrunning, people surviving through limited
outfighting, outthinking, or outlasting. agriculture, gathering fruits and nuts, and
intermittent hunting. Most villages in the
domain have a palisade, but the one in
Notable Locations
Fylfot is larger and more imposing than
Alyssum is a small village of a few
most, strengthened in places with gates,
dozen families, most of whom are
traps, and primitive siege defenses. The
engaged in hunting and trapping. The
town has a distinct feel of being under
town is built along a spur of the Musarde
siege, and its people stand constantly
River, and traders from outside the
ready to repel attacks from wolves and
domain frequently dock here to pick up
werewolves alike.
the local high-quality furs and restock
their supplies. The town is also inhabited
entirely by werewolves, who use it to spy The Darklord
on outsiders and determine which of Once there was a man named Nathan
their visitors could easily go missing Timothy. He was a werewolf, a
without drawing notice. lycanthrope capable of changing between
human and wolf—a predator among men.

172
He had chosen to live as a man instead of wolves. He gathered other shapechangers
a beast, trying to beat humans at their to his cause and began preaching a fiery
own game. Instead, he found that the dogma in which humans existed only to
treachery of men was as boundless as the serve as prey, and in which werewolves
cruelty of wolves, and he failed time and and their changing kin were a superior
time again to achieve the wealth and species. He gathered also began using
greatness he felt was his due. He took out human quislings—promised the “gift” of
his frustrations on his own family, among lycanthropy for their treachery—to
them his eldest son, Alfred, who grew to infiltrate villages and promulgate the Cult
resent and hate his father. of the Wolf God.
After Alfred had his first change, he Today, Alfred Timothy is the leader of
rejected his father’s “weak” humanity and a mighty tribe of werewolves, but he is
chose to live as a beast, picking off unsatisfied. He cannot seem to wipe out
travelers and livestock to satiate his the last bastions of humankind in his
hunger whenever he wished. One such domain, no matter how hard he tries, and
escapade found him tricked and trapped his people are a fractious, vicious lot
by farmers, who thought him merely a more interested in hunting and fighting
human criminal when they found him among themselves than in unifying their
naked and bloody in their barn. He was power. Worse, he has found that he can
enslaved and shipped to a plantation, no longer control his change completely;
where he was worked nearly to death whenever he loses control of his temper
before he managed to escape into the or his lust, which normally makes
wilderness. werewolves change into their hybrid
Wandering half-dead in the wilds, combat form, he instead is trapped in his
Alfred had a vision of a huge wolf who weak human form. He keeps this secret
nursed him back to health but vanished from even his closest packmates, since it
before he could find out why. Alfred would inevitably lead to being challenged
decided that he had been chosen by the for leadership by his own precepts.
Wolf God to become the voice of the

173
 The Nocturnal Sea

Ravenloft's ocean has many names in them. Additionally, many of the coastal
many cultures. The Vaasans call the lands that touch upon the Sea of Sorrows
waters beyond their coast “the Midnight have limited trade with the islands of the
Ocean” for its grey and bleak weather, Nocturnal Sea, who in turn act as
the poetic Dementlieuese call theirs “the middlemen for trade with other such
Sea of Sorrows,” and the bronze-skinned lands. Some reliable (and semi-reliable)
warriors of distant Rokushima dub the ocean currents act as Mistways between
sea surrounding their islands “the Poison the Nocturnal Sea and other Clusters,
Mirror.” Regardless of the name, they are and Mist compasses are almost a
all the same ocean—the Nocturnal Sea. necessity to navigate on an ocean where
There is a vast and frigid expanse of the stars are never seen.
ocean that stretches out into the Mists, The weather of the Nocturnal Sea
touching upon many shores and luring ranges from nearly arctic around islands
sailors to their doom. The winds of the like Todstein, to cool but temperate in
great ocean are unpredictable, gusting up the waters of Liffe and Blaustein, to warm
or dying suddenly, and storms can come around Ghastria, to downright tropical on
from nowhere to make sea and sky distant Markovia. Rain is common in
become one. When the air is calm, thick most places, and storms are rare but
fog banks cover the water’s surface and sudden. Wind is a constant across most
near-black clouds speed across the sky, of the sea—except when it dies suddenly
heedless of the stillness of the wind. and without warning, leaving a ship
Daylight is weak and sickly on the sea, becalmed for days on end with no
while the night is as black and oppressive apparent reason.
as a tomb. Because of the fluid nature of the
Scholars generally refer to the ocean as Cluster, new Islands are discovered and
the Sea of Sorrows, but the Cluster as a then lost frequently. Those described
whole—consisting of the sea and dozens here are the ones with the longest-
of islands—is called the Nocturnal Sea. standing stable trade routes and access to
The Nocturnal Sea is an unusual Cluster, one another. Generally speaking, an
as one of its domains actually intrudes island’s domain borders extend to about
into many other Clusters, permitting a mile or so out from its shores, though
travel between them by ship. The many this can be lesser or greater depending on
islands of the Nocturnal Sea are the nature of the darklord in question.
considered a true part of the Cluster by
virtue of being utterly surrounded by the Languages
waters of the Sea of Sorrows, rather than Many dozens of languages are spoken
merely sharing a coastline with it. across the Nocturnal Sea, though each
The islands of the Sea have very little in island generally only has a single
common with one another other than a dominant languages. Some islands claim
shared ocean, but this is enough for an ancestral links to other Clusters, making
extensive network of ship-based trade and the languages of those Clusters common
communication to have built up between there, while others speak their own local
language that seems unrelated to anything

174
spoken elsewhere. Each island’s entry Thick fog covers the waters of the Sea
discusses the languages spoken by the of Sorrows when the air is calm.
local populace, but in general each new Experienced sailors try to keep their
land is an opportunity for linguists to ships from going too quickly, as obstacles
show their art and all others to risk and other vessels can appear out of
frustration and danger. nowhere in the haze. The thick clouds
and constant fog make daylight dim and
Conne ctions sickly on the sea; the nights are
Because of the unusual nature of the impenetrably black and starless. A vessel
Sea of Sorrows, the Nocturnal Sea has relies almost solely on its Mist compass to
connections to dozens of domains. navigate the sea, since few landmarks can
Virtually any domain with an ocean be seen reliably in the dense fog. Of
coastline is connected to the Nocturnal course, coastal sailors can often simply
Sea—and a few Mistways lead directly follow the coastline of their domain by
from the sea into landlocked areas from using a compass and line of sight, but
which a ship has no chance of returning. deep-water ships have no such luxury.
Some of the most consistent The Sea of Sorrows has no natives—
connections are ocean currents that unless one is prepared to count the
connect the Civilized Crescent with sailors who spend most of their lives on
Ghastria, the Far Steppes with Graben the waves, the rumored beasts that dwell
Island, and the Shining Bay with beneath them, or the restless spirits
Blaustein and Markovia. Persistent trapped on the ocean for all eternity.
rumors speak of a deadly ocean current Reports of monsters and ghost ships are
that drops wayward ships in the middle of common on the Sea of Sorrows, and only
an endless desert, called the Jackal’s the most experienced captains know
Ruse, thought to lead to somewhere in a which are merely stories and which must
distant cluster called the Amber Wastes. be feared as truth.
Dozens—maybe hundreds—of small
islands speckle the Sea of Sorrows. Any
such inhabited islands are inevitable
The Sea of Sorrows domains of their own, as well as a few
islands whose only inhabitant is the
A grey and frigid ocean stretches out damned soul whose crimes have claimed
into the Mists, touching upon the them a desolate and isolated prison
shorelines of countless lands. This ocean, surrounded by the endless waves.
the Sea of Sorrows, is both boon and
bane to those that must sail its waters. Tropes
The sea provides bountiful fishing and The Sea of Sorrows serves a dual
trade routes, but leaves a domain open to function in the Ravenloft setting. First and
the ravages of piracy, ocean monsters, foremost, it acts as a convenient method
and dire weather. While storms are not of allowing travel between distant
especially common on the sea, the high domains, so long as they have a
winds that can blow up unexpectedly are shoreline. This allows GMs to have a
a major challenge to even skilled sailors, convenient method of connecting
and some truly massive storms—known as different parts of the setting if he wishes
hurricanes—can sweep across the horizon to do so—or to prevent such travel by
with little warning.

175
 simple means of having no ships going to Themes
the location the characters wish to travel
• Endless Horizons: No one knows
toward.
how vast the Sea of Sorrows might be.
The second, and more important
A man could sail for ten lifetimes and
reason, is to have a region of the setting
never see all of its wonders or
for telling nautical stories. The Age of
horrors. New lands lie waiting to be
Sail and the opening of the New World
discovered for those willing to risk all
are major relatively recent events at the
on the high seas. The power of
time of the first Gothic literature
wonder and terror are amplified by
movement, and many tales of the time
new discoveries—and of course, there
speak of haunted ships, ghostly specters
are fortunes to be had for the bold
on the waves, and distant islands full of
and the lucky.
evil history. The Sea of Sorrows offers
Game Masters a chance to tell stories like • High Seas Terror: No trip on the Sea
those from the Pirates of the Caribbean of Sorrows is uneventful. Even a
movies or the classic horror film The “boring” ocean voyage is one fraught
Fog, weird tales of naval terror. with worries and concerns. Whether
inclement weather, unexpectedly low
supplies, pirate raids, monster attacks,
a weird discovery, or a shipboard
accident or crime, the heroes should
never set sail without something
making the voyage interesting or
terrifying. The Sea of Sorrows isn’t
just a means to travel between
places—it’s a place all its own.
• Water, Water Everywhere: Being on
the Sea of Sorrows is a uniquely
isolating experience. A ship is
effectively an island all its own, since
there is no way to be certain how long
any given voyage will take. A captain
is king at sea, and his crew is often
subject to his strange demands or
cruel whims—but a crew pushed too
far can turn to mutiny. Supplies can
run low, especially water; the irony of
dying of thirst when surrounded by an
ocean has not been lost on
generations of sailors.

Notable Locations
The Sea of Sorrows is speckled by
dozens—maybe hundreds—of small, rocky
islands, reefs, and atolls. Any of these
could be home to a monstrous
inhabitant, a shipwrecked survivor, or a

176
mysterious structure. Otherwise, the sea most desperate and hardened sailors,
itself is an almost featureless expanse of whom he punished mercilessly for the
waves—save for the dreadful appearance slightest offenses.
of the Relentless or one of the sea’s many In his final voyage, the ship struggled
other ghost ships. for more than two months to find the
passage van Riese sought. Food and water
The Darklord ran low, many crewmen were killed by
Pieter van Riese was the captain of the the cold or by van Riese’s foul temper,
brigantine Relentless in life and remains and the Relentless avoided a mutiny only
her captain in death—as well as the master because the sailors were more terrified of
of the Sea of Sorrows. Even in death, he their captain than they were of dying.
is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a The sea began to whip up into a bloody
strong jaw, a close-cropped beard of iron gale, and the crew begged van Riese to
grey, and deep-set eyes that smolder like take the ship back to port. He refused
coals. He dresses in a dark, high-collaged and swore that he would sail the ocean as
bridge coat and a battered sealskin cap. long as it took to achieve his dreams—and
The only indication that he is anything that he would give any number of lives to
but a normal sailor is his vague see that dream become reality.
translucence and that of his crew of The storm swept the deck clean of life,
sailors, though they are more obviously including van Riese himself when the
dead men. mast broke and impaled him through the
Pieter van Riese was born to sail, raised chest. The next morning he awoke again,
in a port town and becoming a stowaway free of his body and sailing upon a vast,
as soon as he was old enough to think of misty sea. Pieter van Riese’s obsession
it. He worked his way up from a cabin had anchored him to the mortal world as
boy to the master of his own vessel, a ghost, leaving him with all eternity to
gaining a reputation for fairness, seek a goal that can never be completed.
boldness, and ruthlessness in equal Captain van Riese can control the
measure. The sea was his great joy, his Relentless by thought, but it sails better
only love. He traded and whaled to make with a crew. He is constantly sailing the
ends meet, but his true happiness came seas, looking for vessels with competent
from the making of maps and the sailors to press into his service. Once his
exploration of new lands. He was crew is full, he returns to exploring the
constantly searching for better sea routes. ocean, only to be frustrated anew by his
As van Riese grew older, his desire to inability to make accurate maps or
explore the whole of the world became charts—as though the islands and coasts
an obsession, and his inability to find the he discovers are moving. He takes his
northern sea route he knew existed frustrations out on his ghostly crew, in
turned from frustration to fury. He was turn making it necessary to replace them
certain that finding the passage would again. The Relentless is seen as a terrible
grant him the fame he desired—and omen for this very reason.
equally certain that his failure to do so
was because of the weakness and
foolishness of his crew. He became
harder and harder to work with,
eventually drawing a crew of only the

177
 outsiders on a regular basis. The people
Blaust ein of Blaustein are noted for their intense
loyalty to the lord of the island; indeed,
Lying in the “middle latitudes” of the even without the laws making disloyal
Sea of Sorrows, Blaustein is a rocky but speech punishable by death, most would
temperate island standing out of the water be shockingly devoted to him. The
like a threatening shark tooth. The central portion of the island is set aside
imposing black castle at the highest point for the lord’s castle and the manors of his
of the island presents a menacing image nobility, a title he grants to those who
to sailors as they approach the shores, reach middle or late age and distinguish
and its position atop the cliffs above the themselves in their professions. The
island’s largest port means that visitors nobles of Blaustein are a strange mix of
never truly escape its shadow. Blaustein is traditional landed aristocracy, highly
only a few miles across, home to a single successful pirates, and extremely skilled
port town and a few scattered villages. craftsmen.
The most notorious habits of the A dozen languages are spoken in the
natives are their tendency to seize ships port of Blaustein, but the one spoken
that do not fly their lord’s flag, though commonly among their own by the
this sign of loyalty must usually be natives is a heavily accented form of
accompanied by a sizable “docking fee” Mordentish. Slang terms from other
for ships that choose to take harbor on languages have crept in over the years, as
the island, and their occasional habit of have curses and idioms that make the
kidnapping beautiful women from ships local dialect difficult to understand for
that dock in their harbor. Experienced outsiders. Locals use this as yet one more
ship captains quickly learn to fly a way to weed out “civilians” from their
Blaustein flag as they approach the island, own kind.
and to not bring female passengers with
them when passing near—or to hide them
and risk the wrath of the island’s lord Tropes
should they be found out. Still, these are Blaustein is the home of the infamous
acceptable risks to many captains, Bluebeard of myth and legend, mixed
especially those of pirate vessels, as with a classical pirate port like Tortuga. It
Blaustein cares nothing for what other is intended to be a rough-and-tumble port
loyalties a ship might have. island where only the wickedest
Blaustein is notorious among sailors as scoundrels go regularly, but where a
a pirate port and hub for black market group of enterprising heroes might well
trade. Many things that are illegal in other be forced to go in order to achieve a goal.
lands are readily available at the markets It is largely intended that a group’s
of Blaustein, and the island’s sole town adventures on Blaustein will center
has far more inns, taverns, and brothels around navigating the pirate politics of
than a city many times its size. The island the port and dealing with the darklord’s
is also famous for blue diamonds, a kind grim marriages, possibly saving some
of fine cerulean gem unknown in any poor soul from death at his hands.
other place in the Land of Mists. In a narrative sense, the story of
The sole port town is filled with Bluebeard is also the story of the way in
travelers and traders, as well as the natives which spouses have unrealistic
whose work brings them into contact with expectations and demands of the object

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of their love, and the way in which they freedom, loyalty, and mutual self-
turn the people they love into objects. interest quickly lest they be relegated
The original tale can be taken as a to the category of livestock.
metaphor for spouse abuse and the ways • The Truth Will Out: Secrets just
that men of the time objectified women, can’t seem to be kept in Blaustein—
as well as a metaphor for the way that not from the lord of the island, and
secrets inevitably come out in a long-term not from other people. A cheating
relationship. spouse will always get caught, a lying
merchant will always be found out,
Themes and a traitor will always have his
• Loyalty Among Thieves: The people treason revealed. Even small secrets
of Blaustein are pirates, thieves, tend to be revealed, particularly in
murderers, and vagabonds, but they damaging and ugly ways.
have a common loyalty to the island’s
lord. This common purpose makes Notable Locations
them seem of a single mind and The village of Blaustein (sharing the
makes them shockingly friendly name of its island) would be
toward one another. When a pirate is unremarkable anywhere in the world
at sea, he might be a savage without were it not for the fact that the villagers
pity or mercy, but on Blaustein he is here seem happy. They’re utterly devoted
everyone’s friend. Two men who to their lord, believing him completely
tried to kill one another in a furious incapable of bringing them any form of
ship battle only a day before will intentional harm. They are aware of his
embrace as brothers in port. This series of wives, but they believe that their
seems hypocritical to outsiders, but deaths are simply a string of terrible luck,
the people of Blaustein understand it or perhaps a curse on their benevolent
all too well. lord.
• Pirates are Free: While the sailors Castle Bluebeard sits atop a hill above
who dock at Blaustein and the people Blaustein Village, crouching above the
who live on the island are scum of the town like a squat, ugly gargoyle. The
worst sort, their lives are free in a way castle is a rectangular building with four
that few other people can claim. octagonal towers at its corners, but it lacks
People on Blaustein drink, carouse, a defensive wall. A massive pit just inside
take drugs, engage in licentious the main gates serves as the castle’s
behavior, curse fiercely, and live to primary defense; the pit is covered most
the fullest. Every day is an exercise in of the time, but left uncovered when
squeezing the most out of life— Morrell suspects an attack on his home.
because you never know when the sea The castle is mostly empty at night, with
might claim it. Conversely, the people its servants and soldiers returning to the
of Blaustein think of anyone who village after their daily work is done. A
doesn’t share their values as nothing series of locked rooms fill the top floor of
more than cattle to be butchered the castle—each the former resident of
when they feel like it. Non-pirates one of Bluebeard’s now-deceased wives.
deserve no consideration at all, and
outsiders had best demonstrate that
they appreciate the values of

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 The Darklord keys to the estate and forbidding her
Raoul Morrell is a man of average from entering a single room.
height with a bulbous, barrel-shaped Almost immediately, his wife was struck
body. Every part of him appears inflated, with curiosity and opened the forbidden
as if there is too much extra meat under room. When Morrell returned, he was
his skin, and he makes matters worse by infuriated and stabbed her through the
dressing his plump body in suits that are heart. As she died, his wife cursed him
slightly too small for him, despite their with all her hate, for she had truly loved
outlandish and overdone finery. He him and had only acted from curiosity.
wears a large but neatly trimmed black She said that if obedience was all he
beard, with oily blue shade in direct light; prized, then obedience was all he would
this earns him the nickname “Bluebeard” ever have. Soon after, he found himself
from the people of Blaustein. transported to a strange island full of
Lord Morrell is in fact a caliban, born ruffians and cutthroats who would obey
to a wealthy family who shielded him his every whim. He found the ability to
from the worst fate that might befall such look into other people’s thoughts—he
a deformed child. He was a clever and would never again be fooled by a pretty
quick-witted boy who longed for female face hiding secrets.
companionship. He frequently Yet along with this power came a
corresponded with women of his own dreadful burden. No woman native to his
station who became enamored of the land is appealing to him; indeed, any
lovely letters he wrote—only to break off native woman he approaches with lust in
the relationship when they met him in his heart seems to turn into a hideous
person. After his father died and he corpse in his eyes, resembling one of the
inherited his family estate, he finally many women he has killed over the
found a woman willing to marry him. years. Only foreign women—those
Unfortunately, he soon discovered that immune to his aura of obedience—hold
his wife had wed him only for his wealth any attraction for him. Every so often, he
and was unfaithful. When confronted finds a woman who awakens his black
with evidence of her betrayal, he cut her heart to the semblance of love, and he
throat and left her to rot in a sealed enacts the same test he used on his true
room, then claimed publicly that she had love. Each one has failed this test,
run away with her lover. whether through infidelity, curiosity,
He married again, several times, but disloyalty, or another number of other
each time he discovered that his wife was reasons; no woman can achieve
unfaithful and each time he killed his new Bluebeard’s impossibly high standards.
wife and locked her body away. Finally, Bluebeard cannot close the borders of
he found a woman he thought to be his domain, but his curse gives him a
perfect—beautiful, sophisticated, gentle, unique ability to temporarily leave his
and seemingly careless of his ill-born island’s shores. After he marries, when he
looks. Still, having been betrayed so issues his impossible test of loyalty, he
many times, Morrell could not accept her feels his heart lighten for a few days,
apparent perfection at face value; he during which he can sail freely on the Sea
devised a test where he would leave the of Sorrows. He typically uses this time to
castle “on business,” giving his wife the lead pirate raids and visit distant shores,
knowing that he could abandon his
domain and simply be free—except that

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he cannot simply leave without knowing sunless lands under the sea for time
whether or not his new wife is loyal. He immemorial, though some of their
inevitably returns, to the sorrow of his legends say that they were ordinary
bride. humans once, before cruel gods sunk
their homelands beneath the ocean; they
hold that their ancestors were spared only
by the grace of the God Below, who
The Drowning Deep changed them in order to save them from
death.
The surface of the ocean belongs to Despite the sheer difficulty in reaching
humanity to a certain extent. The endless the undersea realm and the dangers
waves are dangerous and threatening, but presented by its natives, air-breathers
ships make their way between ports with sometimes brave the journey anyway to
little trouble every day. The ingenuity of seek sunken treasure, rare deep-water
mankind has not mastered the ocean or pearls, or lost ships. They often find
tamed it, but it has made the sea a place more than they bargained for in such
where many earn their livelihood. expeditions. If they are lucky, they are
Fishermen, traders, and pirates go about eaten immediately; if they are unlucky,
their business, always vaguely aware of they are taken back to Xalot, there to be
the dangers of the waves but never truly changed into loyal servants of the God
understanding the horrors that lurk in the Below.
deeps—and never knowing how swiftly Still, there are pockets of resistance to
those horrors can consume the ignorant. the zealots of Xalot. Some descendants of
Far beneath the ocean, deep enough those changed by the God Below regard
that no human could survive the descent their transformation as a curse rather
unaided, another world exists. This than a blessing, the greedy grasping of a
region of the sea, the so-called Drowning being whose sins forced the other gods to
Deep, is a place few mortal eyes have destroy his kingdom in ancient times.
ever laid eyes upon and where even fewer Their numbers are few, so they generally
have survived to speak of it. Down where avoid contact with the God Below’s
the light from the sun cannot reach, minions, though they might well take it
another realm lies—a realm of crushing upon themselves to free captives if the
pressure, near-freezing cold, and utter odds were in their favor.
darkness. Life exists in the Drowning
Deep, albeit not human life, and even a
sort of civilization, though a cold and Tropes
cruel one. The Drowning Deep is an explicit
Somewhere far beneath the waves, reference to the legends of Atlantis,
more than two thousand leagues crossed with the cosmic horror of H.P.
underwater, lies the drowned city of Lovecraft, particularly his sunken city of
Xalot (sometimes called “Shay-Lot”), R’lyeh. The God Below is intended to be
inhabited by thousands of piscine a Cthulhu-style dark god, replete with
perversions of the human form. Many sanity-destroying appearance and fish-
related races of aquatic nature dwell men servitors. The Drowning Deep also
within the Drowning Deep, all of them exists to offer the opportunity for
bound by a common faith and ruler—the undersea adventures, a classic staple of
God Below. They have lived in the the fantasy genre as well as early science-

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 fiction, such as Jules Verne’s Twenty Themes
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
• The Abyss: The Drowning Deep is
The major difficulty facing any
aptly named—mere survival is difficult
adventure underwater is the sheer
here for air-breathing characters. The
difficulty of surviving in the environment.
pressure, the dark, the cold, and the
Magic offers one possible solution to this
lack of air are all pressing matters for
problem, either from ordinary
adventurers in the Drowning Deep,
spellcasting or from the application of
and they should present severe
unique, short-term magic items. Perhaps
logistical problems during any
there is a rare form of seaweed that lets
potential excursion into the domain.
people breathe underwater for a few
Any journey into the Drowning Deep
hours at a time, or perhaps a magical
should highlight the alien nature of
transformation can allow the heroes to
the domain, as well as its utterly
breathe water—but not air—while it lasts.
hostile and uncaring environment.
Engineering can also offer solutions in
the form of submersibles; if a submarine • Drowned Glory: The fallen glories of
seems too advanced for the general tone the past litter the bottom of the sea
of the setting, keep in mind that the first floor. The piscine aberrations of the
successful submersible in the real world Drowning Deep mine them for goods
was built in 1620, and primitive diving and relics, but even they know little
bells may have been used as early as the about the wonders that surround
12th Century. them. The histories of their former
lands are all gone, rotted away by the

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 sea water and replaced by hollow to withstand, but it is home to any
praises to the God Below. Even as his number of bizarre aberrations who find
priests exhort his virtues, they know the hostile environment quite pleasant.
in their hearts that the glory he Drowned Xalot is the home of
promises will never be theirs again— Virundus, the God Below, and the center
they have fallen too far from of his domain. The sunken city is home
humanity. to most of the aquatic humanoids who
• Hierarchy of Hubris: Everything is dwell in the Drowning Deep, clustering
stratified in the Drowning Deep. The near their god to better carry out his will.
piscine aberrations serving the God Four great rifts open in the seabed across
Below labor under a strict and the city, and the less-humanoid servitors
unforgiving caste system. The sea of Virundus remain within those “deeper
itself is divided into layers of pressure, depths” as they are disturbing even to
depth, and light, and many creatures other piscines.
can only survive naturally at one of
them. At the same time, the journey The Darklord
of Virundus from man to god—or The sole master of the Drowning Deep
something god-like, at least—teaches is Virundus, the so-called God Below.
that those that overreach can The son of the emperor and empress of a
sometimes transcend their own mighty empire, his line was supposedly
limitations, even if the end result isn’t descended from a sea-god whose divine
what they would expect. The blessings passed from parent to child. His
Drowning Deep is a place where birth was accompanied by signs and
vainglory and pride push the portents, and he seemed destined to rule
inhabitants to overcome their own over a prosperous and happy country.
situation, and which lures surface- Some feared that the prophecies of his
dwellers into its embrace in order to birth could be interpreted to mean that
show their mastery of nature itself. he would bring ruin to his own people as
well as to his enemies, but they kept their
Notable Locations fears to themselves.
The Kaindelphi Waste is a graveyard Virundus grew into a strong, handsome,
for dolphins, whales, and other cetaceans. intelligent, and charismatic ruler. After
This broken seabed is riddled by caves his father’s death, he began a campaign of
and fissures. Whales and dolphins gather conquest against the empire’s enemies
here in vast numbers at least once per and turning its allies into mere subjects.
season, singing their strange songs and Raised in privilege and entrusted with a
paying homage to their ancient dead. The divine legacy, Virundus could never be
seafloor is covered in whalebones and satisfied with what he gained; he was
crawling with scavengers who feed on the convinced that he was destined to
corpses that litter the region. become a god on earth and to rule over
Skotos, the so-called Helldeep, extends all the world. He began to demand
south of the city of Xalot. This region is human sacrifices in his name, polluting
home to hundreds of hot sea vents, lava the temples of his people’s divinities with
flows, and mineral deposits. The water in false worship of himself. He consulted
this area is too hot (and frequently with the wise men of a hundred
poisonous) for most aquatic humanoids kingdoms to find the means to achieve

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 ascension to divinity, but none could help
him. Ghastria
Finally, he had a vision that showed
him the way to eternal life and godhood. Ghastria is a mid-sized island, smaller
To fulfill his vision, he slaughtered tens of than Liffe and Graben but significantly
thousands of helpless prisoners and larger than Blaustein or Todstein. The
slaves as sacrifices to his glory. As the last shoreline of the island is mainly rocky
of the sacrifices fell, earthquakes struck beaches and low cliffs, making it a simple
his empire, laying it low, and tsunamis matter for smaller vessels to come ashore.
swept across the whole of the land. By Larger vessels must still dock at the
the night’s end, the thousand islands of island’s only major port because of depth
his nation had been swallowed by the sea. concerns, but the shoreline and nearby
Yet Virundus found that the vision had ocean is completely free of hazards such
spoken some truth—his power was indeed as reefs and rocks. Swimmers and very
godlike, making him immortal and giving small craft must be wary of the swift-
him the magic needed to twist his moving currents around the island that
surviving citizens into forms that could can create powerful riptides; several
survive the deeps that had claimed his people lose their lives every year by
land. swimming in the warm waters around
Though he was once human, Virundus Ghastria, only to be pulled under in a
is now a hundred-foot-long nightmare of heartbeat by a sudden change in the tide.
flesh, bloated to immense size by the The warm waters around Ghastria and
power flowing through his form. His the shallow ocean surrounding the island
hideous shape is covered in tentacles, make for rich and fertile fishing waters.
scales, mouths, eyes, and other features This is fortunate due to a quirk of the
of aquatic life forms—and stranger things island’s nature: because of some sort of
still. Thousands of symbiotic creatures chemical in the soil, any food grown on
grow on his bulk, and he is so large that Ghastria—including meat animals that eat
he cannot fully straighten himself within native plants—is utterly tasteless. Such
the confines of his temple-prison. He bland food remains nutritious, but a lack
demands the worship of his people, of flavor can quickly kill any enthusiasm
believing that godhood is truly his destiny for a meal. Because of this, most
and that other beings exist primarily as Ghastrians have large amounts of fish and
tools for his use in achieving that end. seaweed in their diets, and foreign food
Virundus cannot close his domain’s and spices are a major import.
borders, as the distinction between the Ghastria’s warm currents keep the
depths and the shallows is too vague for weather pleasant and mild year-round,
him to separate them through sheer will. though the cool summer breezes belie
On the other hand, he has many the sun’s power. Ghastria is one of the
hundreds of servants and incredible few places on the Sea of Sorrows that
magical power that he can use to his isn’t constantly overcast, so people used
advantage. Given the difficulties that non- to heavy cloud cover can become
aquatic beings have in even surviving the sunburned quite easily on clear days. The
Drowning Deep, the God Below can be a warm currents also bring frequent rain in
formidable foe for any group of explorers the mornings and evenings, and winter
even without the inherent power to seal sees heavy, wet snowfall. These
his domain. conditions also create ideal growing

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seasons, making Ghastria’s crops common among Ghastrians, who
bountiful, if flavorless. consider the pursuit of art or music a
The island itself is hilly, with many noble endeavor; Ghastria has produced a
slopes and small valleys. There are few disproportionate number of famous
remaining stands of forest on Ghastria, poets, painters, sculptors, and musicians
with only a sparsely wooded patch on the over the years.
northern tip of the island and a slightly
denser stand on the western coast. Tropes
Ghastrian homes are therefore made of Ghastria is the “sleepy little artists’
stone, since the small amount of wood on getaway” from horror literature, turned
the island is needed for boats. Older up to eleven. Everyone in Ghastria has an
homes were crudely constructed out of artistic hobby, and most of them are
loose stones mortared with mud, but pretty mediocre at it. Stories like Alan
modern buildings tend toward brick. Wake and many of the novels of Stephen
Some modern buildings have a wooden King (particularly Duma Key and
second story constructed on top of a Misery) meditate on the nature of art
stone or brick lower level. All buildings and the relationship an artist has with his
on Ghastria are bland-looking, since the medium. Ghastria is a place for stories
salty sea air strips away paint and plaster such as this—a place where art and the
almost as rapidly as it can be applied; artist can become horrifically intertwined.
natives instead decorate the interiors of
their homes with bright colors.
Ghastrians themselves tend to be pale- Themes
skinned naturally, but they are often • Art Eats Itself: A common theme in
tanned and worn from the sun and wind. art is the idea of an artist being
Dark hair is most common, but fair hair metaphorically consumed by his own
is not considered unusual; eye color is work, whether because his obsession
extremely varied. They dress in sturdy eats all his time or because he
clothes of wool and linen, dyed simple becomes so entrapped by the
colors, though the upper class dress in endeavor that he cannot escape the
imitation of whatever foreign fashion demands of his audience. This can
strikes their fancy on a given year—usually also be related to the idea that young
a fashion long since out of date in the artists steal the spotlight from their
land being mimicked. Despite their elders, even as their elders try to use
distance from “civilized” lands, the younger generation for inspiration
Ghastrians speak a surprisingly modern or support. This theme of devouring
dialect of Mordentish. is common in Ghastria. Art is an act
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of of cannibalism; artists who become
Ghastrian culture is the local focus on serious about their work rather than
leisure time. Ghastrians are enamored of just treating it as a hobby tend to
their personal hobbies to the point that become ruthless and follow a “dog eat
the schedule their working hours around dog” philosophy that occasionally
their free time, instead of the other way becomes quite literal.
around. Merchants and vendors seldom • For the Art: Everyone in Ghastria is
keep regular hours, and fishermen keep an artist of some kind—everyone. A
themselves beholden only to the needs of butcher might carve scrimshaw on his
the tides. Being “taken by the muse” is off time, most of the local fishermen

185
 are also musicians, and almost and dancing halls of enormous
everyone has a room of their house proportions. The manor has numerous
that they use as a studio or study. magnificent bedrooms and a kitchen with
People talk about art and artistic a rotating gallery of the region’s finest
endeavors a lot, as well as making chefs. Only a select few are invited to see
frequent poetic or musical allusions. the marquis’ crown jewel, however—his
Someone professing to not have an famous art gallery.
artistic hobby will be met with the Norshore is a fishing village, so named
same horror and disbelief as an for being on the north shore of the
atheist in a religious community. island. The shallow waters off the
• Tastelessness: Just because the northern end of the island create an
Ghastrians love art doesn’t mean almost ideal location for net and cage
they’re good at it. Even people who fishing, and the town provides most of
are technically adept with their the island’s food. Norshore is particularly
medium often choose dissonant or well known for its enormous blue lobsters
tasteless subjects for the work. There and massive crabs. The town is also
are plenty of excellent painters who noteworthy for the disappearances that
focus their efforts on pictures of occur during the dark of the moon,
animals playing card games, for supposedly caused by strange aquatic
example, and lots of truly terrible humanoids who emerge to drag away the
ones who nonetheless struggle to unsuspecting.
capture the perfect landscape. The
food in Ghastria reflects its people’s The Darklord
preferences in art—bland but plenty of The Marquis Stezen d’Polarno has
it. Anyone who has genuine talent ruled Ghastria since its founding, though
and taste in Ghastria is an exception, most modern folk believe their ruler to
and such talent runs toward the be the grandson of their original leader.
macabre—as does the source of The “first” marquis was deposed through
anything palatable… violence due to his unpleasant habits and
appetites, and the “heirs” since then have
Notable Locations been more publicly restrained. In private,
East Riding is a lovely coastal village d’Polarno remains a debauched hedonist,
whose people seem to have lost any joy in though only under certain circumstances.
life. Their homes are poorly repaired, Originally, the d’Polarno name was
and the locals are less interested in form associated with kindness and charity. This
than function, unlike most of their public veneer of decency was a ruse;
neighbors. The village shipyard has a d’Polarno was a shrewd, ruthless
reputation for quick if somewhat shoddy politician who sought a throne of his own.
work, but they are the only local folk His king recognized the man’s treachery
capable of building and repairing the but was unwilling to kill him without
island’s fishing boats. breaking his reputation first. The king
The House on the Coast is a marvel of had his court wizard trap d’Polarno’s soul
engineering and architecture. Easily the in a mystical painting, rendering him a
finest building in Ghastria, the home of soulless and uncaring husk. The king had
Marquis Stezen d’Polarno is painted in miscalculated, however; now lacking a
bright, vivid colors and features feasting soul, d’Polarno also lacked any shred of

186
conscience that had been holding him His depredations drew the attention of
back. He murdered the king and his his own people, who sought champions
entire court at a feast and set himself up to free themselves from their tyrant. The
as the new ruler. marquis was nearly killed in the ensuing
Rulership brought d’Polarno no joy, battle, but he discovered that his life
though. Lacking a soul, he also lacked the could not be extinguished so long as his
capacity to feel love, happiness, or even painting was untouched. Since then,
hate. By chance, he discovered that assuming the identity of his own son and
killing another human being in front of grandson, d’Polarno has learned to be
the painting that held his soul would free more subtle in his killings, preying
it from the painting for a short time. Each primarily on foreigners and people who
year, at the turning of the seasons, the would not be missed.
magic in the painting becomes weak Though he has ruled for over a century
enough that human sacrifice can give in his various guises, d’Polarno is
d’Polarno back his soul for a few hours concerned to discover that he is not
or days. During this time, he debauches ageless. While his soul is trapped in the
himself utterly, seizing the lust and joy painting, his body does not age; however,
and sorrow that had eluded him the rest when his soul returns to him, he ages
of the year. slightly faster than normal. In the century
of his rule, he estimates that he has aged
perhaps a decade. Now his concerns have
turned from simply enjoying what time he
can to finding ways to extend his life—
something that he will need outsiders for.

Graben Island
One of the largest inhabited islands in
the Sea of Sorrows, Graben is a chilly,
rocky land with little to offer outsiders
save a port from storms. Erratic winds
pose a challenge for sailors near the
oddly-shaped shores of Graben, which
resembles nothing so much as a massive
clawed hand when viewed from above.
Narrow fjords and boggy bays lurk
between the island’s “fingers,” and the
“claws” point the way to dozens of
smaller islands that surround the
mainland. Shattered ships and mired
vessels surround the approach to Graben,
but the insular natives habitually refuse to
put up a lighthouse or any other aid to
navigation.

187
 Graben’s summers are cooler than Physically, Grabenites are extremely
spring in many lands, and winter snowfall tall; they are lanky and long-boned, fairly
can become so thick that most buildings muscular but gangly. Foreigners
have exits on the roof or second floor to occasionally remark that their heads seem
allow people to get out of their homes in slightly too large for their bodies. Despite
midwinter. The seas around the main this, Grabenite women have a reputation
island are choked with ice floes for more for incredibly beauty. Poor nutrition and
than a third of the year, and icebergs are lack of sunlight contribute to many
shockingly common in the region year- Grabenites developing rickets later in life
round. Even in Graben’s short warm and losing their teeth earlier than most
season, roads can become impassable by people. Almost all Grabenites are
virtue of runoff turning them into mud; extremely pale with waxy complexions;
indeed, natives prefer to travel in winter their hair is wavy and platinum blonde,
because skis and snowshoes make it with eyes of faded blue. They have
easier. almost no variation in these general
The harsh terrain of the island slopes factors, making their appearance quite
gently downward from the jagged homogeneous and outsiders very easy to
ridgeline of the western bluffs to the recognize.
marshes and beaches in the south and Most Grabenite clothing is from local
east. Only a small fraction of the island’s wool and imported cotton, worn in layers
land is arable. Settlements tend to huddle to keep out the pervasive chill common
in river-carved nooks along the shoreline, to the island. Grabenite clothing is seen
making the people highly dependent on as somewhat archaic by outsiders, with an
the sea’s bounty. Except for a handful of old-fashioned and conservative style that
hunters and lumberjacks, most includes apron-dresses for women and
Grabenites live within earshot of the padded shin-length breeches topped by
ocean’s crashing waves for their entire wide-cuffed tunics for men. A few
lives. The inland regions of the island are people—particularly local sailors—have
swamps, marshes, bogs, rocky cliffs, and a begun to adopt the nautical-style sealskin
few dense stands of hardy cold-weather overcoats or woolen greatcoats worn by
trees. foreign seamen, but they have not
The people of Graben have been become widely popular.
shaped by their harsh terrain, making Life on Graben Island is harsh, testing
them insular, unfriendly, and very its people constantly with its poor
conservative. They dislike the attention weather, bleak landscape, and
that their largest settlement has been treacherous waves. While they are spared
receiving in recent years as an oceanic the oppressive hands of feudal
port and tend to regard most outsiders as taskmasters the land itself conspires to
criminals and ruffians with baffling or make mere subsistence a backbreaking
offensive foreign customs. The fact that and arduous process as difficult as the life
their language, called Grabenite, is of any serf. Grabenites seldom fall into
spoken nowhere else in the known world abject poverty despite these
makes their stubborn refusal to adopt circumstances; though they are rude and
foreign customs or alliances even more hostile to outsiders, Grabenites are tight-
frustrating to those that would seek to use knit, generous, and hospitable to their
their island as a convenient stopping- own people. The closest thing the island
point. has to nobility is the reclusive Graben

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family, who were the first settlers in personal horror that comes from being in
modern history, and they eschew a conservative rural location with no one
rulership in favor of simply stewarding to trust, surrounded by hostile nature,
their own lands. and the existential horror that comes
Even well-off Grabenites have few from discovering that many of the people
chances for recreation or ease. Summers surrounding you are not really “people”
are spent in harried labor, stockpiling at all.
food, then winter’s snows force them into
shelter, there to perform handicrafts, Themes
teach their children, and cope with
• Cabin Fever: Many domains in
confinement, cramped quarters, petty
Ravenloft utilize isolation as a tool of
animosities, and boredom. Stoicism and
terror. On Graben Island, the
the determination to silently endure
isolation isn’t total—but it is still
nature’s hardships are hallmarks of the
terrible. With the winter snows, the
Grabenite character. A Grabenite never
terrible storms, and the distance
complains about difficulties confronting
between safe locations, it is quite
him, though he may well speak of
common for a small group of people
previous adversities faced and survived
to be trapped together for extended
with wry, contrary pride. Slothfulness and
periods of time. Even people who
fragility are not tolerated; lazy or delicate
love each other can find their feelings
people are pushed into conforming—or
turning to loathing when trapped in
pushed out of society and onto ships
close quarters for weeks on end with
going to balmier climes to seek their
nothing to do except dwell on every
fortunes elsewhere.
little imagined slight. Not a winter
passes without finding a household
Tropes who could bear the cabin fever no
Graben is the archetypical “coastal longer—to lethal results.
community with a dark secret” common • Small Town Secrets: In a small, tight-
in the tales of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert knit community—like those dotting
Bloch, and Stephen King. Such locations Graben Island—everyone knows
as Innsmouth and Castle Rock (or Little everyone else, though rarely as well as
Tall Island) would fit the feel of Graben they think they do. Virtually everyone
Island perfectly. The native are insular, has a dark secret of some kind,
paranoid, rude, and all share very similar ranging from the embarrassing (like a
appearances; it can create a general miller writing poetry in his spare
feeling of unease in almost any player to time) to the immoral (like a man
have dozens of nearly-silent people cheating on his wife) to the horrific
staring at them in the streets, even if it’s (like an entire family actually being
just from curiosity about people who look heartless undead monstrosities).
different. When running adventure in Graben,
In many ways, Graben is intended to be keep in mind that every household
an allegory for small towns in general, as contains at least one important secret
well as a reference to the New England and possibly several.
stomping grounds of horror sometimes • Stoic and Conservative: The people
known as “Lovecraft Country.” There are of Graben Island see nothing wrong
two levels of horror in Graben: the with doing things the same way their

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 grandparents did, and they regard any The Darklord
attempt to change their ways as While the Graben family would seem
tantamount to sacrilege. They show like fine candidates for one of them to be
emotion only in the most extreme the darklord of the island, the truth is that
moments, seeming cold or even they are but minions and servants to the
heartless to those not familiar with island’s true master, a reclusive
them. A parent won’t cry for his dead necromancer named Meredoth. Virtually
child in public; a woman might shed every member of the Graben family—and
only a single tear to discover her true many other people in important positions
love drowned at sea. The cold nature across the island—are Meredoth’s undead
of the people is a necessary survival servants, the lebendtod. Through a
trait in a harsh, unforgiving powerful magical ritual, their hearts are
environment, but it can seem removed and their bodies preserved at
downright cruel to others. the moment of death; they lose none of
their intelligence and still look alive to all
Notable Locations but the most thorough examinations, but
Graben Village is actually a large town they are utterly loyal to their maker.
with more than a thousand inhabitants, a Meredoth himself lives in total isolation
common port of call on the Sea of on Todstein, a tiny atoll north of Graben
Sorrows for passing ships. The only Island, surrounded only by golems and
unusual feature of the town is its undead of his own creation. Most of his
cemetery, which is significantly larger creatures are mindless and obedient—just
than the island could ever possibly need. the way he prefers it. Meredoth regards
The Graben family, the island’s distant free will as an affront, almost painful to
rulers, live on an island estate across the be around, and he is a complete
bay from the village itself. misanthrope. He finds no interest in
Kirchenheim is the northernmost other people, save as his curse demands.
village on Graben Island, home to the Once, Meredoth was an extremely
majority of the island’s fishing fleet. Like talented young wizard from a nation
most of the island’s folk, the people are where magic-users were the nobility. His
insular and standoffish, with its parents were self-involved and loveless,
inhabitants keeping to themselves even leaving him in the care of conjured
more than most. The town seems dead servants and mind-controlled
when not engaged in fishing, with few “mundanes” throughout his childhood.
entertainments or reasons to be out of He grew up alone and isolated, cold and
doors. without empathy, until he finally entered
Todstein is a small island east of his nation’s great magical academy.
Graben, a frozen wasteland rarely visited Meredoth distinguished himself as an
by anyone living. The island is the lair of artist and artisan, and many thought he
the necromancer Meredoth, the secret had a bright future. He even started to
ruler of the domain, and it is guarded by make friends, against his own better
snow golems, undead of many types, and judgment. When his closest friend stole
countless devious traps. The Meredoth’s final project and presented it
necromancer despises uninvited guests— as his own work, it was too much to bear;
and barely tolerates invited ones. Meredoth killed the young man in secret
and spent the remainder of his adult life

190
killing his rivals and stealing their secrets Meredoth attempted to create loyal,
as had once been done to him. intelligent undead servants to be a ready
Unable to rid themselves of such a source of inspiration, but he found that
powerful wizard directly and unable to utterly loyal beings were incapable of
gather enough evidence of his crimes to challenging him to the degree that true art
punish him, Meredoth’s superiors had demanded. Every so often, Meredoth
only one way to dispose of him: they must seek out human companionship to
promoted him. Meredoth became the become creative, but the persistent
provincial ruler of a tiny patch of land frustration of dealing with others—and
and a few hundred colonists. He found with knowing that his creativity truly
that “exile” suited him just fine, save for belongs to another—inevitably drives him
the constant whining of his subjects. to kill his “muse” and use their body as
Within a year, all of the colonists serving raw materials.
Meredoth had perished; he recruited Meredoth’s lair on the isolated island of
more and set himself to eliminating their Todstein, some miles north of Graben
“human weaknesses” by turning them Island proper, is heavily defended. The
into a more perfect kind of undead. seas around his lair are filled with
Meredoth devoted himself to his magic, enormous icebergs, creating an ever-
his art, but he found that he had lost all shifting maze of hundred-foot-high walls
creativity. He had developed a of ice. He can instantly sense when a
permanent case of artist’s block in his living being crosses that boundary, as well
isolation. Needing supplies and servants, as when one sets foot on Todstein. He is
he sought out the people of a nearby never caught off-guard by intruders, and
island and discovered that being around he never treats kindly with such unwanted
other people—painful at the best of times guests. He occasionally allows survivors
for the highly introverted wizard—was the to escape his grasp, however; he finds that
only thing that restored his creative spark. tales of terror about the master of
The idea that he could only get new ideas Todstein are far more effective at keeping
from others, effectively plagiarizing their out future trespassers than a ship simply
work to make his own, was offensive to disappearing.
the proud wizard, but not being able to
create at all was far worse.

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 The Shining Bay
Largely dominated by an adherence to social heart of the region. Occupying the
a past that is long gone, struggling to western uplands is the allied city-state of
control the technologies of the future, the Nosos, surviving amidst the barren waste
Shining Bay is a region on the cusp of a of the highlands.
new era. As that era pushes itself into the Directly out from the center of the
forefront of the land, the people feel the crescent is the second-largest of the
changes, as well as the friction brought on islands in the Shining Bay, Paridon’s
by them. The Shining Bay is a land ruled sister-city Timor. Small but densely
by a traditional aristocracy, even as the populated, Timor is connected to
lower and middle classes gain in Paridon by a massive bridge of steel and
importance through their access to the stone that straddles the tiny, rocky string
machinery that keeps their betters of islands between the two cities. The
wealthy. The rich isolate themselves in only natural harbor in the entire region is
good parts of the cities, while the poor in Paridon, completely encircled by the
face the looming threat of starvation city, where Zherisia’s rivers have eroded
almost daily. the natural black stone of the bay enough
Pragmatism and romanticism go hand- to create a place where ships can safely
in-hand in the Shining Bay—the well- approach the land.
educated upper class can be shockingly Lowland Zherisia is primarily
ruthless when it comes to protecting their composed of rolling grasslands and boggy
investments, while the downtrodden poor moors. These areas make for poor
find escape from their drudgery in the farming but passable grazing, so the
stories of grand heroes and the comfort majority of towns in this region subsist
of faith. As the world changes around through sheep or cattle ranching, with
them, people cling even harder to the some basic subsistence farming. The few
things they believe, and grasp ever more remaining thin woodlands in the lowlands
desperately for that which they desire. are at the far eastern edge of the island,
The Shining Bay is a region of islands, beyond which a few coastal towns brave
one large and several small, encircling a the cliffs and jagged reefs to survive as
broad body of water from which the fishermen. Virtually the entire island is
region takes its name. The largest of the shrouded in fog year-round, and it is
islands is Zherisia, a crescent-shaped particularly thick around the city of
island roughly one hundred miles long Paridon. Zherisia becomes rockier as the
and fifty miles thick at the widest. elevation increases to the north and west,
Zherisia is divided geographically into the following the curve of the island’s
eastern lowlands, which contain the crescent. The jagged hills and scrubby
majority of its settlements, and the cliffs that separate highlands from the
polluted western highlands, where most lowlands are barely livable.
of the regions lumber, coal, and minerals Highland Zherisia was once a verdant
come from. The biggest part of the land of rich, black earth and deep,
lowlands is dominated by the city-state of impenetrable forests. For the last
Paridon, a massive and sprawling generation, the greed of men has raped
metropolis that acts as the political and this fertile land, leaving behind a

192
desiccated wasteland filled with muddy, By far the largest single group in the
rotten fields where trees once grew and Shining Bay is the human ethnic group
gaping pits in the earth, the legacy of called Zherisians. Though the Zherisians
decades of strip mining. The region’s are not the original inhabitants of the
water supplies are hopelessly polluted— island from which they take their name,
even the sea around Nosos churns with they have been in the region so long as to
black, oily froth. The factories and be considered the native population.
refineries belch forth a constant stream of Zherisians possess fair complexions, a
black smoke that combines with the result of generations spent on an island
island’s native fog to produce cloying, with near-constant cover by clouds and
choking smog. The taint is not even fog. For the malnourished majority,
cleansed by the rain—when rain falls at all, complexions tend toward the pale and
it is burning, poisonous acid rain. sallow, and lower class Zherisians have
Timor sits on an enormous pillar of notoriously bad teeth thanks to
stone, made of the same black rock as the insufficient calcium in their diets.
reefs and cliffs that encircle the Shining Zherisians tend to stand less than six
Bay. The island was almost unreachable feet in height with medium builds. Grey
in the past, due to the cliffs and the eyes are most common, followed by blue
choppy sea, but a massive bridge now and green; few Zherisians have brown or
connects Paridon to Timor, as well as old hazel eyes. Likewise, black hair is rare,
pneumatic tunnels that go under the with blonde, brown, and red being far
harbor and emerge into the island’s more common. Men tend to keep their
underground. Zherisia and Timor are the hair short, though mustaches, beards, and
largest of the islands in the Shining Bay, sideburns are all in fashion. Women
and the only two that support significant grow their hair long, but women of high
habitations. A few dozen smaller islands, society pin it into elaborate buns and
none more than a mile across, dot the braids.
seas around the bay. Some of these
islands are home to smugglers, escaped Languages
convicts, or tiny villages surviving in the The natives of the region speak
face of the sea. Zherisian, the language spoken by the
Zherisia has possibly the most first settlers to the islands of the Shining
comprehensive primary education system Bay and the official language of the
in the world—in theory. Every child is Empire of Zherisia. There are many
entitled to public education free of charge other languages spoken in the great cities
from the ages of five to ten. After that, the as well, due to the influx of immigrants
child’s family must pay for continued who became trapped in them during the
education, though most families choose Long Silence. Rokumi, Souragnean,
to place their children into positions that Pharazian, and more are spoken by the
will prepare them for their future ethnic immigrants that inhabit Paridon
employment. After age ten, and Timor, though almost all of them
apprenticeships are common among also speak Zherisian.
tradesmen, while poorer families find
factory employment for their children
immediately. Wealthy families usually Conne ctions
forgo public education in favor of private A century ago, the Shining Bay had
tutors. dozens of stable Mistways leading to

193
 many lands. Traders from all corners of government—is humanism, the credo of
the Sea of Sorrows made their way to the the Celebrants of Humanity. Virtually all
ports of Paridon to trade, mingle, and see members of high society are celebrants
the sights. All of that came to a crashing (as the followers of the faith call
end during the revolution that overthrew themselves) and embody their faith in
the monarchy. By the time it was over, humanism through their drive to succeed.
most of the ships in the harbor had been The complicated philosophy of the
confiscated or destroyed, but it hardly Celebrants of Humanity is based upon
mattered. The few ships that made it out the underlying philosophy that perfecting
of port soon discovered that the oneself, physically and mentally, is the
impenetrable fog of the Sea of Sorrows path to enlightenment. The Celebrants
offered no escape—it had become recognize no god, making them unique in
impossible to leave the region of the being an organized religion comprised
Shining Bay. mainly of atheists and agnostics.
The islands of Zherisia spent a Despite its endorsement from the
hundred years in total isolation. A monarchy (gained by supporting the
generation ago, the monarchy was return of the royal family to power a
restored—and with the monarchy’s return, generation ago), humanism is primarily a
so too returned the Mistways. Supporters monastic faith. The majority of the
of the crown claim that the royal line’s membership consists of lay worshipers,
legitimacy is proven by their apparent attending humanist meetings and prayer
connection to the greater world beyond groups lead by monks a few times per
the Shining Bay, while others claim mere month, but the real heart of the faith lies
coincidence or that the oligarchs who in its monasteries. Humanist monks are
ruled for a century had some means of enlightened scholars, researching the
closing the Mistways. Regardless, trade nature of perfection and testing it through
has once again begun with the nations of means both scientific and arcane.
the Sea of Sorrows, albeit with a bit more The society called the Divinity of
trepidation than in the past. After all, no Mankind has strong connections to the
one knows if the Mistways will simply upper echelons of the Celebrants of
close again one day… Humanity. This organization is known as
a popular philosophical society, an
Humanism exclusive club where men and women of
The Shining Bay is a land of religious wealth and power can meet to privately
tolerance—even religious apathy, to some discuss matters of business, politics,
degree. One of the rights guaranteed in science, and spiritualism. The meeting
the constitution is freedom of faith, so houses of the society are known as
long as no other laws are broken in the lodges, and many are located in various
practice of that faith. Most Zherisians in parts of the Shining Bay. Club members
the lower classes belong to one religion are known as Divinities, and quite a few
or another, while the upper classes tend are experts in the arcane arts or alchemy.
to pay lip service to one of the major
faiths without being especially devoted or The Green Faith
pious. Most popular in the western territories
The official faith of Paridon—the only of Zherisia, the Green Faith worships
one supported or endorsed by the nature itself as embodied by the fey,

194
which they see as emissaries of nature. Nosos has become a blighted wasteland,
The Green Faith is notorious in the filled with withered plants, mutated
Shining Bay for its openly declared scavengers, cracked earth, and fouled
animosity toward the city-state of Nosos water. The populace of Nosos consists
and its continuing guerilla war against entirely of laborers, employers, and those
lumberjacks and miners in the region. No few children unlucky enough to be born
one knows exactly how many people to either group.
follow the Green Faith, but the popular To the wealthy and ambitious, Nosos
perception of the religion is that it is represents an unequalled opportunity for
practiced by only a few scavenging wealth and power. For the lower classes,
primitives eking out a miserable existence however, Nosos is just one step short of
in the wilds on the fringes of “real hell. Minor criminals in Paridon are often
civilization.” sent to Nosos labor camps as a
While some members of the Green punishment, and those that actually
Faith prefer to live as close to nature as volunteer to go there are regarded as
possible, calling the few remaining either crazy or desperate. In the early
woodlands of Zherisia their home, most days of the settlement, Nosos was
live among their enemies as quiet, regarded as a land of hope—resources
unassuming neighbors. They acquire were plentiful, land was open for the
intelligence useful to the more militant taking, and the future seemed bright.
members of the faith and provide it to Now, in the wake of environmental
cell leaders for use in raids and attacks; collapse and the cementing of the current
only rarely and in great need will a power structures, traveling to Nosos is a
“settled” member of the faith break cover fool’s gambit. Still, a few hundred people
to offer direct aid. A small number of the choose to do so every year, seeking their
faith abhors the violent means preferred fortunes in the mines, or just a new start
by the rest of their fellows, advocating away from old troubles.
replanting and rebuilding over The land surrounding the city-state of
destruction. Nosos is a blasted wasteland, dominated
by endless hills of slag and gaping pits
into the earth. The land is devoid of any
significant animal life, except for the
Nosos flocks of pigeons and seagulls migrating
between townships. The earth of Nosos is
The most recently established of the scorched by the sun and devoid of any
three city-states of Zherisia, Nosos is a plants but the hardiest weeds, leaving the
vital cog in the economic structure of the land a virtual desert even on the shores of
region. Until the settlement of Nosos a the Yellow River. The river gains its
generation ago, the Zherisian highlands modern name from the sulfur in the
were the home of dangerous fey, water, spewed forth by the metal
scattered encampments of savages, and refineries of the domain and leached
vicious wild animals. Today, the from the surrounding strip mines. Every
highlands are home to vitally important drop of water is infested with a variety of
logging and mining industries—and little organisms, including a slew of debilitating
else. While a few scattered old-growth and even fatal parasites.
forests remain untouched by man in the The Zherisian highlands are
far reaches of the area, the majority of permanently shrouded in an awful acidic

195
 stench, and the skies are almost always edges of the cities. This upper class is
blackened with the fumes that belch from fairly well educated, though most of their
the city’s metal refineries and coal experience is gained from hands-on
furnaces. Rainstorms are frequent in experience at the sides of their parents
Nosos; each deluge brings a flood of than from formal study. The members of
acrid water that corrodes metal and burns the upper class are typically cynical and
the rock black. Seasons are all but without scruples. Success in Nosos is
indistinguishable since the black smog measured by how much people can
traps heat in the highlands. Winter is the exploit the impoverished people directly
only noticeable season; it can be beneath them. The members of the
identified by the noticeably colder climate upper class are highly competitive among
and the fall of ashen snow. At all other themselves; murders, conspiracies, and
times the temperature is high and the air theft are well-established social
is humid. Periodically the whole area is institutions.
smothered in a fog of fumes coming from The renters are the lower class of
the roasting yards. This “smog” reduces Nosos. They are a downtrodden lot; their
visibility to zero, though it causes no suffering is the foundation upon which
immediate harm to anyone who is forced Nosos was built. The renters are
to breathe it in. hopelessly poor and indebted; they and
The city of Nosos teems with life, their children labor without end in the
though it is a life choked by equal parts mines and refineries of Nosos, earning
misery and sickness. Every building in the only enough to feed their families until
city is covered in a layer of black soot, they grow old, are injured, or become
and the streets reek of sewage, for few debilitated by a disease. The renters live
homes possess plumbing. After a rain, in terror of exile to Garbage Island, the
the waste seeps into the ground and punishment that befalls anyone who
accumulates in the basements of cannot afford to rent land in the cities.
buildings at the bottom of hills. Rats and Even those dwelling in the prison labor
scavenging insects thrive in these camps dread Garbage Island.
conditions, as do a plethora of diseases. Perhaps the most cruelly ironic thing
Where Nosos meets the Shining Bay about Nosos is the myth of upward
(somewhat less shining near Nosos), the mobility. While Paridon has a large
land becomes hard, jagged rock. These middle class, Nosos lacks any semblance
rocks are very resistant to any attempt to of transition between the poor,
hew them, so no true harbors exist. Just downtrodden masses and their elite
off the coast of Nosos is Garbage Island, masters. Still, when Nosos was first
the dump for all of the city’s excess founded, it was lauded by its backers as a
materials. Garbage Island is a thriving place where any man or woman could
ecosystem for seagulls, pigeons, feral cats, make a fortune and join the ranks of the
rats, mongrel dogs, and diseased humans. upper class.
The folk of Nosos divide into two While some small number of people
rough classes: the owners and the renters. were able to do so, the doors to halls of
The owners are the elite of Nosos; they power quickly slammed shut, leaving the
are the rail barons, the slumlords, the majority of the populace in squalor and
company directors and the store owners. filth. The rich, newly minted and old
These people live lives of relative luxury wealth alike, felt no need to use their
in rich estates on the high ground on the wealth to build a suitable infrastructure or

196
public services since their intentions were Tropes
always to rape the land for every coin Nosos is the archetypical example of
they could get and then go back to “true “industrialism run rampant,” a place
civilization” in Paridon. With that in where the arrogance and greed of man
mind, Nosos turned out to be a trap for have polluted nature to a degree that is
them as well—while the ambitious and obscene. Even as its people grub the
ruthless could become quite wealthy, wealth from the earth, they make their
“proper society” wanted nothing to do home less and less able to sustain life—
with the Nosos elite, who were regarded even their own. Nosos stands as a
as dirty and uncouth, so most wound up testament to the evils of capitalism and
remaining in Nosos. the lie of advancement through wealth,
Nosos is built on trade and industry— showing that the “free hand of the
indeed, Nosos was founded explicitly to market” exists only to serve the very
take advantage of the region’s natural wealthiest and to strangle those that
resources. The city has no harbors of its would oppose it.
own, so it must rely upon the exchange of This domain can also serve as a place
goods through Paridon’s ports. The for ecological and environmental stories,
railroads of Nosos are critical for this ranging from the decimation of old
purpose; the massive beasts of black steel forests to climate change. These stories
haul refined metal ore to the factories of have horrific and fantastic twists to them
Paridon where they are turned into in Nosos; lumberjacks might be picked
finished goods. Nosos is filled with shops off by hostile faeries who have been
selling goods purchased from Paridon. twisted to evil through pollution and
Though the people of the domain are sorrow, while miners can find themselves
impoverished, they do enjoy many haunted by the spirits of men who died in
benefits from the miracle of metallurgy. cave-ins brought about by insufficient
Were it not for metal stoves, glass plates, safety measures.
woven clothing, cheap bread and cast
iron pots, the people of Nosos would
never be able to endure the unhealthy Themes
conditions under which they live. • Class Warfare: The wealthy of Nosos
Of the laws in Nosos, the most know how precarious their position
perplexing is the “green tax.” The really is. Vastly outnumbered by their
possession of any kind of plant requires workers and far from home, they
the payment of an expensive fee. Only engage in brutal and ruthless acts of
the wealthy nobles of the city-state can suppression and cruelty to keep the
afford to pay it, which makes gardens lower classes in line. Workers are
around their manors a status symbol of harassed or even killed if they attempt
the highest caliber. Of course, the poor of to organize, employees are paid in
the region cannot afford to pay the fee, so “scrip” that keeps them dependent on
many of them have never so much as their employers, and even skilled
seen a living plant other than brown and laborers are treated as expendable
dying weeds. Trees are completely cogs in a vast machine, easily replaced
forbidden for private ownership by law; if they step out of line. The common
all lumber enterprises are owned by the people of Nosos are slaves to their
state. employers in all but name, and they
live in constant dread of the one thing

197
 worse than wage slavery—being from countless maladies brought on by
“blacklisted,” making it impossible their profession, from black lung to fossie
for them to find work and jaw; any worker who can no longer work
condemning them to homelessness is cast out with little more than the
and abject poverty in a society with no clothes on their back and a fistful of
safety net. worthless scrip they can’t spend.
• Industrial Waste: On top of the The Burnt Colossus was once known as
obvious connotation of this theme— the Perfected Man, a massive statue
that is, the poisoning of the land, air, depicting an idealized human man
and water—it can also be said that holding a clockwork world on his
Nosos is a wasteful place. The elite muscular shoulders. This monument to
spend copious amounts of wealth on human divinity stood as a testament to
things they don’t need to compete man’s domination of nature through
with their fellows even as common technology. Years of pollution and
citizens starve for want of a living carelessness have left the statue stained
wage. The goods produced in Nosos black from coal smog, with rusted
are cheap and disposable, made patches on its skin that look like burn
without a shred of craftsman’s pride scars and its once-handsome face burned
and sold in bulk to the impoverished away by acid rain. The statue is a sacred
classes of the nation. So many site to the Circle of Rust, a cult of mad
corners are cut in producing goods urban druids who worship the growing
that it looks like a circle. corrosion and filth of the city.
• The Rape of Nature: Nosos is a place Poortown takes up less than a third of
where humanity has ceased to see the urban landscape of Nosos, but is
itself as a part of the natural world, home to over ninety percent of the city’s
instead viewing nature as a mere population. Most of the area is a
collection of resources to exploit. sprawling mass of cramped hovels and
Animals are valuable only for their dingy apartment blocks. The poor
meat and fur, plants only for their sanitation and lack of urban planning
wood or extracts, and a beautiful leaves most of the district smelling like an
mountain is seen only as a potential open sewer; the interiors of the dwellings
source of quarried stone and mined aren’t much better. Everything is run
metals. Everything that can be down and dilapidated, as the locals have
exploited is exploited in Nosos; this little time to clean or repair anything
attitude rapidly expands to include between their long and exhausting shifts
other people as well, seeing them in the city’s factories and foundries.
only as a means to an end.
The Darklord
Notable Locations Malus Sceleris is the darklord of Nosos,
The Black Iron Bores are a series of a man of such abiding evil and cruelty
mining camps in the highlands around that nature itself is his constant victim.
Nosos. These crude company towns Publicly, he holds the title of governor of
ruthlessly exploit their workers and delve Nosos as well as being the chief executive
greedily in the earth for bounties of metal of several of the major corporations that
and minerals that shrink with each exploit the region for its resources. He is
passing year. The underfed miners suffer a man of incredible wealth and ambition,

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with a mysterious background that has to make a funeral pyre, then allowed it to
invited much curiosity over the years, but burn out of control, setting fire to the
few have learned anything significant forest he had lived in his whole life
about the man other than his track record before he made his way to the lowlands.
of successes. Malus made his way to the courts of
In truth, Malus is a native of the Paridon, claiming that he was the prince
highland region of Zherisia, one of the of the “highland nation,” a claim that was
same “barbarians” he has spent so much technically true by the standards of the
time, effort, and money on suppressing lowlanders, and that he could open the
over the years. His parents were both highlands to expansion and taxation. The
druids of the Green Faith, making them king gave his permission on the condition
priest-nobles of the highlander people. that the boy had but a year to prove his
Malus’ mother died when he was very claims—or else he would lose both his
young, and his father became cold and land and his life. The ambitious young
distant, often leaving the boy to his own man fulfilled his promises and then
devices for weeks at a time or giving him some, turning the new city-state of Nosos
hard, painful lessons about his people’s into one of Zherisia’s greatest sources of
way of life. minerals and lumber. In the process, he
Malus grew resentful of his father’s utterly defiled the natural world that his
ways and began sneaking into the camps parents had loved, which he considered a
of the outsider loggers and miners who perk.
the druids considered their worst Today, Malus Sceleris walks a fine line
enemies. Malus learned about the between maintaining the profits
concepts of profit and wealth from these demanded by his office and ruthlessly
frontiersmen, and he began to dream of a quelling the people who make those
better life—one he knew that he could profits possible. He funnels much of his
never possess so long as his father stood wealth into hunting down and destroying
in his way. native pockets of resistance, and he
One day, after his father came home makes a point of preventing any reforms
from a battle with lowland invaders that might make his businesses less
severely wounded, Malus saw his chance. polluting or destructive. The wealth he
He treated his father’s wounds with craved as a boy has proven hollow to
poison and wrapped him in disease- Malus; now, all he truly lives for is the
infested blankets, letting the older man utter eradication of his own people, their
slowly sink into death. As he lay near way of life, and the natural world that
death, the old druid finally allowed his meant so much to them. Only when that
veneer of coldness to drop away, is done, he believes, will he truly be able
confessing to his son how much he loved to lay his past to rest and forget the
him and how the death of the boy’s terrible things he did to get where he is
mother had nearly killed him too; he told today.
Malus how proud he was of him, then
died.
Rather than admit how wrong he had
been about his father, Malus instead
cursed the old man in death for not
saying such words years sooner. He
chopped down his father’s sacred grove

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 are openly far more tolerant than almost
Paridon any place else that one could name.
However, despite their public courtesy,
Though most Zherisians would not call many Paridoners are deeply prejudiced
it that, Paridon is the capital of the from their long exposure to the native
Shining Bay region, the home of the faith of humanism (which upholds pure
monarchy as well as the largest and most humans as the epitome of perfection) and
prominent of the three city-states. the city’s deeply conservative roots. Even
Paridon was the first habitation for the so, few Paridoners would consider it
Zherisian people, and it shows. An proper to show their prejudices in public
ancient city full of monuments and in any fashion, and so the veneer of
grandeur, Paridon is also home to the civility is maintained.
most recent innovations in architecture A living monument commemorating
and engineering. These contradictions—a the glory of reason, Paridon is a sprawling
staunch devotion to the past and a jungle of stone and mortar. The Rhastik
headlong rush into the future—mark the River brings water into the city, and ships
essential paradox of the character of from foreign lands bring it foodstuffs.
Paridon’s people. The city is known to foreigners as the city
Paridon is a city of well over five of lights, for the streets (in better districts,
hundred thousand people, the majority of at least) are always illuminated by gas
whom are human by race and Zherisian lamps. Beneath Paridon is an expansive
by ethnicity. Still, Paridon enjoys its share system of sewers and tunnels.
of non-humans and non-natives alike, Abandoned by man, these cavernous
and makes only small legal distinction shafts were once magnificent pneumatic
between its most numerous inhabitants tunnels, facilitating trade between Paridon
and its least. Indeed, Paridon’s people and its sister-city of Timor. Now the need

200
for those tunnels is gone, and all that on the streets, but it is generally difficult
travels through them are the rats and to distinguish between seasons in the
other fell things. Zherisian lowlands.
With its high population and grand When not raining, the many fires of the
architecture, Paridon is rightly considered city’s hearths and factories often create a
a great metropolis. Surrounding the only uniquely modern weather condition
natural harbor in the region and itself called ashfall. Many of the city’s buildings
flanked on all sides by nearly impassable are stained black from the soot and grime
cliffs and bogs, Paridon has been forced accumulating on them, and wealthier
to expand up and down rather than out districts pay significant amounts of money
over the centuries of its occupation. to keep their roofs and streets free of ash.
Many of the buildings in the newer parts Black and brown are the most common
of the city stand five and even six stories colors for clothing among the lower
high, along with a few towers and classes precisely because of the
monuments that rise even higher. pervasiveness of ashfalls, while a major
To say that Paridon is foggy is to call sign of personal wealth is the ability to
water wet. If the city’s weather is ever wear white or other brightly colored
noted, it is for the thick and cloying mist clothing. Sometimes, ashfalls and drizzle
that hangs on the city almost year-round. combine to create black rain, a
This mist gives the edges of the city a very particularly unpleasant kind of
malleable look, touching every street and downpour.
corner, every building, and obscuring
landmarks beyond a few dozen feet. The Tropes
fog’s density may vary by location in the Paridon is very intentionally supposed
city, and by the time of day or year, but it to remind readers of London, specifically
is a rare day that isn’t at least partially the London of the 17th to 19th centuries.
obscured by the ever-present fog. The Even prior to the Industrial Revolution,
light smoke of local industry also London was a huge, crowded city with
combines with the fog to create heavy inhabitants who had come from all over
white-outs in some parts of the city. the world. Its metropolitan grandeur has
Second only to the mist is the rain, the survived in literature and film for
constant companion of all Paridoners. generations. The tightrope-like balance of
Ranging from a light drizzle to an ankle- power between the monarchy,
obscuring downpour, rain is common parliament, and the common folk is
year-round. Any Paridoner of means reflective of the most politically delicate
invests in a good raincoat and an eras of British history, such as the
umbrella. Lacking clear views to the stars Restoration, the era of the South Sea
(or even the sun on some days) and a Bubble, and the conflicts of the late
narrow range of temperatures, Paridon Tudor period.
must judge its seasons primarily by the Aesthetically, Paridon looks like people
prevalence of mist and rain. Autumn is expect pre-modern London to look—
the season of greatest precipitation, with crowded, foggy, dirty, and dismal. Its
its monsoon downpours, abating rapidly descriptions should be reminiscent of
as winter comes, and then slowly rising such media as Sweeney Todd, Penny
back to the autumnal peak over the year. Dreadful, and the portions of Dracula set
The deepest and coldest winters in England.
occasionally see a light dusting of snow

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 Themes proven both unpopular and nearly
impossible. A better-educated
• Clash of Cultures: As a massive,
populace constantly demands more
multi-ethnic city with many faiths,
say in its own governance, even as the
many peoples, and many social
newly restored monarchy attempts to
classes, Paridon is both a paragon of
shore up its own power at the cost of
multiculturalism and a hotbed of
individual liberties.
racism, classism, and prejudice.
People conceal their bigotry well
most of the time, but tensions Notable Locations
frequently spill over into little slights— Bloodhaven Estate now lies
which in turn become major clashes. abandoned, the former mansion of
The poor resent the rich for their renowned investigator and monster
wealth, while the upper class disdain hunter Edward Bloodsworth. A decade
the lower class for their poor manners or so ago, the man was unmasked as a
and “laziness.” The city is a pressure shape-changing monster who had long
cooker of old grudges, just waiting to terrorized the city in the guise of the
turn violent. serial killer called Bloody Jack. The
• The Cost of Progress: They say the locals claim that the mansion is cursed,
blood greases the wheels of change, though the city’s intellectuals dismiss such
and nowhere is this truer than in rubbish out of hand.
Paridon. Each scientific or arcane The Temple of the Divine Form is the
breakthrough inevitably brings along a center of Humanism in Paridon, a
slew of unexpected horrors. Worse, complex of buildings devoted to art,
many of the self-centered scientists culture, physical fitness, and higher
and engineers of Paridon consider leaning. The temple’s library is open to
human lives to be acceptable all folk regardless of station, and its
collateral damage in their pursuit of galleries are open to public viewing
knowledge. After all, one must break several days of the week. Celebrant
a few eggs to make an omelet. The monks maintain the buildings and their
cost of progress is also reflected in the grounds, as well as acting as guides to
ashfalls and poison runoff common visitors. For a small donation, a celebrant
to the factories and shops of the city; can also act as a personal mentor to a
virtually everything is tainted by so- supplicant, a combination of life coach,
called “progress.” tour guide, and fitness trainer.
• Tradition Versus the Future: The Rotterdam Yard is the home of
primary conflict in Paridon is the Paridon’s famed constabulary, the
tension between the traditional ways professional police force that protects and
of life held by the local people and serves the people of the city. The
the possibility of transitioning into a constables have a good reputation with
better future. The recent restoration law-abiding folk for their avoidance of
of the monarchy is a step backward excessive force and adherence to codes
toward tradition, made possible by of proper conduct. Criminals being held
the intense dislike of the more for trial are kept at the Yard’s regional
progressive oligarchy, but the jail, but those already convicted are either
monarchy’s attempts to roll back the sent to highlands labor camps or the city’s
changes of the last century have prison-barge, the Vigilant. Time on the

202
Vigilant is a fearsome prospect due to position of authority among his kind and
rumors of frequent beatings by the guards began twisting their loose society into an
and “accidental” drownings during actual conspiracy, killing and devouring
“escape attempts.” those who stood against him to add their
shapes to his growing repertoire.
The Darklord After some years of success, Sodo
The darklord of Paridon is unknown to discovered something horrific—he was
almost all the humans currently living in losing control of his shapeshifting powers.
the city—since the darklord is not human. He could hold a single form no longer
Paridon’s damned soul is named Sodo, a than a few minutes at a time before
member of a metamorphic race known as unconsciously turning into someone else.
doppelgangers. These parasitic It was only a matter of time before his
humanoids can change their appearance sins were discovered and he was cast out
at will, making it a simple matter for them of his own people, just as they were
to replace people in positions of authority beginning to enact the plans he had come
and steal their lives. Their psychic talents up with to make them into rulers. In
give them a natural ability to imitate the retaliation, he used his empathic link to
memories of those they copy as well, the land itself to seal “his” nation away
making them near-perfect infiltrators. from the outside world. He decided that
Few suspect the degree to which the he would simply wait out his enemies,
institutions of the Zherisian government since his murders had also given him an
have been subverted by these extended lifespan. He could afford to
shapeshifting beings. wait.
Normally, dopplegangers are somewhat A century passed before his sabotages
rare and solitary beings. They give their and intrigues undermined his people’s
young over to humanoids to raise, like grip enough that the people began to
cuckoos, and return to educate them in agitate for a return to the monarchy.
the ways of their people shortly after their Sodo, acting through proxies he had
powers manifest. Sodo was no different corrupted during the Long Silence, aided
from most dopplegangers at first, save the loyalists in retaking the government;
that he saw a bigger picture. He believed as soon as they had succeeded, however,
that by uniting his kind, they could do his allies decided they no longer needed
more than simply wander from life to life him and cast him aside. Sodo seethed
but could instead create a society whose with resentment over this second
entire function was to serve themselves. betrayal, and now he bides his time and
Unfortunately, Sodo’s brethren plots anew.
considered him aberrant and were In his natural form, Sodo is a grey-
unwilling to listen to the plans of an skinned and androgynous humanoid with
upstart. In a rage, Sodo murdered one of features that look half-formed and waxy.
his own kind and devoured him, Due to his many acts of murder and
discovering a dire ritual that allowed him cannibalism, however, Sodo cannot hold
to disguise not just his body but his mind any single shape longer than a few
as well. Sodo could imitate other minutes, and that only with intense
dopplegangers as easily as they imitated concentration. Left to his own devices, he
humans, so long as he was willing to rapidly shifts between appearances, ages,
murder and eat his target. He stole a races, and genders, staying in one shape
no longer than a few seconds at a time.

203
 Sodo dresses in rags and lives off cast its inhabitants into abject poverty.
whatever he can steal from his victims, Fearful that anti-monarchy sentiment
since he is unwelcome among his own might remain in the city-state, it became
kind and cannot blend in with humanity. policy in Paridon to tax all Timorese
imports ruthlessly, especially imports of
food and other necessary goods. This
policy was designed to keep the
Timor Timorese as beaten subjects of the
crown, incapable of organizing any sort of
The “sister city” of Paridon, the rebellion by keeping them too busy
modern Timor is more like a slave than a scrabbling to survive.
sibling. After the overthrow of the Today, the city of Timor is a festering
monarchy a century ago, Timor became a urban jungle, the rotting corpse of a once
proud supporter of the new oligarchy, prosperous metropolis. There are
even offering its surviving members numerous towering buildings that teeter
sanctuary when the monarchy reclaimed on the verge of collapse, and there are
the government. For a few short years, countless cavernous edifices that remain
Timor claimed neutrality in matters of abandoned and empty. The streets
state to stall royal demands for the heads remain clean for the most past, for they
of the oligarchs. When the refusals are still heavily trafficked by horse carts
became impossible to ignore, Paridon bringing food from Paridon and carrying
declared war against its neighbor, away goods from the numerous textile
resulting in a short civil war consisting of and metal factories that make up Timor’s
only a few inconclusive battles. industry.
The war finally ended not with a bang The island of Timor rises about ten to
but a whimper—with Paridon in control thirty feet above sea level, held aloft by a
of the region’s only major harbor, as well ring of impenetrable black rock. The
as the pneumatic tunnels beneath the bay interior of the island is made of softer
and the bridge connecting Timor to the rock, and is porous with the countless
mainland, the strategy of the Zherisian tunnels and pipelines carved into the
government quickly became one of siege. island. Indeed, below the surface of
Timor was cut off from all outside Timor lies a sprawling network of
supplies, forced to survive on the meager subterranean tunnels more complex than
products of their “siege gardens.” any mine in Nosos. Directly beneath the
Eventually, the damage from the initial streets is the intricate sewer system, a
skirmishes to buildings and roads, series of pipes that flush sewage waste
combined with starvation and disease, into the ocean. The sewers are mainly
forced the remaining oligarchs to black iron pipes no larger in diameter
capitulate to the monarchy. Persistent than a few inches; however, there are
rumor claims that one or more of the several maintenance tunnels running
oligarchs survived the war and was never through the tangled mess. These tunnels
captured, but official records account for link to the many basements dug beneath
all of them. almost every building.
After the civil war ended a generation Just beneath these sewers is the cistern,
ago, the Zherisian parliament placed the holding space for Timor’s fresh
heavy and onerous reparations on Timor. water. The cistern is similar to a
The resulting bankruptcy of the city-state subterranean lake, fed by the storm

204
drains in the city streets. The cistern also though no man alive has ever entered
is home to a massive steam driven pump, them. The different levels of the
which is the beating heart of Timor, underground environment are actually
sending fresh water back to the surface. linked to one another by a series of
Further down are the old pneumatic train maintenance tunnels. These tunnels lead
tunnels, which extend beneath the to the surface, usually emerging in
Shining Bay and lead into an identical buildings that have been converted into
system beneath Paridon. Since the factories. Such shafts are often boarded
Timorese no longer possess the technical up and barricaded, forgotten by
knowledge to repair the crumbling everyone.
tunnels, the passages are abandoned; the The people of Timor are a
train tunnels teem with vermin and downtrodden lot, for they are slaves to
worse. The pneumatic tunnels were once Paridon in everything but name. The
a major trade artery, so the connections price of food and fuel is kept ridiculously
between the tunnels and the surface are high, so the people of Timor must labor
numerous. Old, barricaded stairways still ceaselessly to afford the commodities
link the streets to the tunnels, and several sent over the Queen Mary Bridge. As
abandoned buildings are known to hold such, their lives are centered on the
ancient lift shafts. factories and textile mills where they
Finally, below the old pneumatic work. These impoverished folk dress in
tunnels is “the hive.” Aptly named, the uniformly drab, conservative clothing.
hive is a series of ancient lava tubes Grays and blacks are the most common
carved into the soft rock. Many of the colors, and most clothes are made of the
tunnels are high enough for a grown man unfinished linen produced locally.
to walk upright. The hive is rumored to The people of Timor have forsaken all
be an ancient den of sleeping horrors, forms of spirituality. They are, however, a

205
 very superstitious lot, terrified of the night daybreak. Since the enacting of these
as well as the maze of tunnels beneath policies, Timor has become less
their city. Shortly after the war with dangerous. Disappearances are now rare,
Paridon a band of men tried to reopen but they remain a terrifying possibility.
the pneumatic tunnels; of the dozen or so The people live in constant fear for their
explorers, only one returned alive, mad lives, and heroism is a foreign concept.
with terror. The sole survivor claimed The last piece of self-governance
that they had awakened an army of allowed to the Timorese is the City
horrors, monsters who had swarmed up Council, a relic of the oligarchy’s
from below and infested the pneumatic relocation to the city. The families of the
tunnels, the cistern, and the sewers. oligarchy’s members were spared the
Since that dreadful day, the people of purges as an act of mercy by the
Timor have been plagued by the monarchy, but they were permanently
predations of the monsters of the deep. exiled from Paridon in perpetuity. These
At first, people disappeared off of the impoverished aristocrats form the
streets at night, and a curfew was set. backbone of the council, with a few
Soon afterwards the homes and factories members selected from local business
of Timor proved futile to block out the owners and civic leaders. As the council
monsters. Whole families vanished does not have the authority to pass laws
overnight, leaving only pools of blood or collect taxes, its primary functions are
and wet trails leading from the bathroom civic safety and the rationing of resources.
or from small holes in the wall or floor. The council is also forced into the
Factory workers left alone, even for only unpleasant role of making certain that the
a minute, disappeared without a trace. city’s factories and mills meet quota.
A concerted effort was made to take Falling short of the quotas causes critical
back the sewers; armed groups were supplies of food, medicine, and machine
formed and sent down to take back the parts to be withheld, so the council must
tunnels. That day the city came to a halt carefully monitor all businesses for
as the populace listened to the screams of compliance—even when the quotas
the men fighting and dying below. That (which change from month to month) are
night was even worse. The ancient unreasonably high. Even more painfully,
plumbing throughout Timor was rocked the council must use its own limited
by a horrible tremor, and when the pipes budget to hire the city constabulary,
burst they sprayed forth a shower of whose typical jobs are to break up fights
blood and gore. The toilets and bathtubs between the workers and bullying
backed up and vomited gouts of crimson, laborers into making enough goods to
as well torn bits of human flesh. meet the quotas.
Needless to say, the City Council of
Timor has forbidden anyone to enter the Tropes
sewers. At night, the doors of Timor are Timor is a run-down post-industrial
barricaded shut. The only people allowed ghetto, reminiscent of the worst
to descend into the depths are the neighborhoods of London during the
courageous civil engineers who maintain Georgian and Victorian eras. Particularly,
the cistern. Even then, only a single pair it is visually referential to the grimy, dark
of men is allowed down at a single time. districts from Tim Burton’s film version
Anyone caught outside at night will never of Sweeney Todd, as well as the run-
be allowed inside, at least not until

206
down and impoverished ghettoes of Paris from cracking down on them.
from the various adaptations of Les Virtually all Timorese want nothing
Miserables. more than the yoke of oppression
Timor is also supposed to remind thrown off their necks and for their
astute readers of the relationship between home to be free once again. Many
London and other English cities Timorese engage in limited acts of
(particularly Liverpool and Manchester) rebellion, such as growing food illicitly
during the early Industrial Period. In a or harboring criminals, while others
more modern sense, Timor is a are active in one of the city’s many
demilitarized Northern Ireland, a hotbed rebel groups. Acts of terror and
of oppression and barely suppressed violence against the occupying
anger waiting to burst forth into violence. Paridoners are common, and such
acts are often directed at people who
Themes have nothing to do with Timor’s
difficulties, such as bridge guards,
• The City as Labyrinth: Even the
businessmen, and traders. Indeed, the
nicest urban sprawls can seem like
violence of Timor’s rebel groups
mazes to those unfamiliar with them.
drives away many who would be their
Timor can become an impenetrable
allies and makes their enemies’
labyrinth even to its own natives at
brutality seem almost justified in the
times. The streets are maze-like and
eyes of citizens who might otherwise
laid out with no discernible pattern,
be sympathetic to their cause.
the buildings are a confusing jumble
of interconnected spaces, and the
sewers are so overbuilt that even Notable Locations
maps are useless in them. Making Bridgehead, the square block
one’s way to any place in the city that surrounding the Timor side of the Queen
isn’t immediately visible can be an Mary Bridge, is legally considered to be
exercise in pathfinding, and even part of Paridon and is mainly home to
lifelong natives of Timor sometimes traders, businessmen, and the soldiers
get lost. who keep Timor safely under heel. The
• Fear the Dark: Night is a dangerous guardsmen posted here rarely leave the
time for the Timorese, and the district, partly due to fear of reprisals
underground is a dangerous place. from the locals and partly due to fear of
Light is safety in Timor—a safety that the creatures that live under the city.
is all too easily snatched away. People Queen Orenia’s Tomb is the only
who let their light die often disappear public parkland in the city that has not
in gruesome and seemingly been turned into makeshift vegetable
impossible ways. The dark isn’t just a gardens. The tomb itself is a marble
hazard to be avoided either; it’s an structure housing the body of Timor’s
almost palpable presence, a semi- last queen, decorated on all sides by bas-
living force that creeps up when you relief depictions of the civil war. The
least expect it. statue standing before the tomb depicts
• The Revolution Will Not Be Orenia as beautiful but sad, her face
Civilized: Timor may seem quiet at downcast; visitors to the park claim that
times, but that’s just a mask that the the statue sometimes weeps.
people wear to keep the monarchy

207
 Timor Below consists of the ancient The Darklord
sewers and pneumatic tunnels that The darklord of Timor has long since
honeycomb the island’s bedrock. These forgotten her name, and no one lives now
catacombs are a source of abject terror to who would remember it. Those who
the people of the city, with even the know of her existence at all simply call
uppermost levels known to be home to her the Hive Queen. Her swollen,
all manner of dangerous creatures. The horrific form is over a dozen feet in
people of Timor enter “the Below” only length, most of it comprised of an
reluctantly, though they must do so arachnid abdomen bristling with legs and
occasionally to repair the steam tunnels ending in a stinger. Her upper body is
that keep their buildings heated or the gas more humanoid, suggestive of the human
pipes that provide them with light. woman she once was, but her four arms,

208
monstrously twisted features, mandibles, hot on her heels. Down in the dark
and multitude of eyes break even the tunnels, she stumbled across the nest of
semblance of humanity. something ancient and terrible—and
Before she was the Hive Queen, there awoke it. As the darkness descended on
was a woman whose mother was a ruler. allies and enemies alike, the young
She was almost a princess, though her woman dreamed only of vengeance on
mother’s council had abolished the those that had betrayed her, on the
monarchy. She lived a life of indulgence monarchy that had taken what was
and plenty, holding no sympathy for the rightfully hers, on the cowardly and weak
oppressed and impoverished masses who populace that needed others to fight their
languished under her mother’s rule. battles.
When the young woman was nearly an She was surprised to find herself alive
adult, ready to take her place among the when she awoke in the dark days later,
ruling elite, the old monarchy returned her body aching and her mind fogged. As
and destroyed everything that her the venom coursed through her body,
mother’s faction had spent generations she felt something moving within her.
building. Her family went into exile in She had been implanted with the ancient
Timor, where they still had allies, and horror’s eggs, which would consume her
dreamed of retaking what was rightfully body and birth new horrors to serve it.
theirs. Somehow, she broke free and slew the
The young woman’s mother was among ancient thing as it slept, triggering a need
those who first began to speak of in the hive for a new queen. The eggs
capitulation to the monarchy, believing within her mutated, responding to her
that surrender would at least allow their willpower and hatred, and transforming
families to survive. The young woman her into the new Hive Queen.
was incensed at the idea of surrender; she Over the next several nights, the
condemned her mother’s weakness and enraged and starving Hive Queen stalked
took a contingent of young firebrands to and murdered every human she could
begin building a network of insurgency find, sending her minions into homes
against the monarchy’s agents. Knowing and factories to steal victims and bring
what would become of everyone else if them back to devour. She personally ate
she was allowed to have her way and her own mother, laughing as the older
become a terrorist, the young woman’s woman screamed for death. With her
mother reluctantly informed on her own hunger and fury at least partially sated,
daughter to spare the children of her the Hive Queen began expanding her
friends from death. territory and increasing her numbers,
Her rebellion broken before it could preparing for the day when she will show
begin, the young woman took what few the fools above what “terror” really
allies she had left and fled into the means.
underground, the monarchy’s soldiers

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 Islands of Terror
The following domains are Islands in abandoned the buildings on the fringes of
the Mists, scattered lands that have no the city. They shored up those that they
specific connections to other domains could with lesser means, gradually letting
except where noted. They can be the city be reclaimed by the jungles and
dropped in as single-adventure locations, rivers around it. The vast swathes of ruins
or become a part of an existing world at beyond Annaes Proper have become
the GM’s discretion. Keep in mind that known as the Dying City, a home to
some Islands are designed to push the murderers, thieves, and madmen. The
limits of the “Gothic horror” genre or to glories of the past are little more than
subvert it entirely, so make certain that a myth and legend now.
given domain’s inclusion in the campaign One night, a star fell into the center of
is worth violating a group’s expectations. the city and a man came from it who
understood the secrets of the ancient
times. He used his knowledge to become
the first thing like a ruler the crumbling
Ann aes city had seen in generations uncounted,
and he promised that he would give the
A crumbling city of once-majestic stars back to the people of the city. Three
glories, Annaes was the light of a hundred hundred years later, he has not yet made
worlds for countless centuries. Visitors good on those promises, but he still rules
sometimes called it “the City Infinite and and his people still dream of the stars—
Eternal,” a beacon and port of call for and of freedom.
numberless races and peoples. The spires The folk of Annaes are an ethnic mix
of Annaes reached to the stars of dozens of different cultures and
themselves, and ships that sailed among peoples, long since blended into a single
the blackness of the void docked at those near-homogeneous group. The legacy of
spires. The city of Annaes was a glory to the many non-human races of the ages
behold in its time. past are sometimes visible in the form of
Then the Builders departed, and the unusual mutations and odd features that
city they had made was left to dwindle in sometimes crop up among the Annaeans,
knowledge, power, and glory. Without which they wear as a point of pride since
their wisdom, the spires that stretched to it shows the glories of the past still live on
the stars fell to the earth, one by one. through them. Their language is a harsh
None had the puissance needed to repair polyglot pidgin tongue spoken nowhere
the glories as they crumbled, or to build else, but which has traces of many
new ships as the old ones broke down or languages that travelers might recognize
departed forever. In the end, Annaes woven through it.
proved to be neither infinite nor eternal,
like all the works of mortal hands.
In the centuries since the departure of Tropes
the Builders, the city contracted slowly. Annaes is a domain inspired by books
The people who remained behind, either such as Jack Vance’s Dying Earth and
unable to leave or unwilling to do so, Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun. Its

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mood is eerie, bizarre, and melancholy, a • The Stars Above: The people of
place of crumbling wonders and half- Annaes look up so much they hardly
remembered dreams. It can also turn into see the decay and ruin that has taken
a domain of eldritch horror, a place their homes. They dream of the
where unspeakable entities from beyond stars—of voyaging among them as
human understanding arrive to ravage the their ancestors supposedly did.
populace without warning. The factions Everything in their society revolves
of the city erupt into violence upon around the movement of the celestial
occasion as well, making crime drama bodies, which have become holy and
stories between forces grasping for the sacrosanct to them. Especially devout
last pieces of an ever-diminishing pie a people will refuse to undertake major
possibility. business without consulting an
While Annaes seems more like astrologer or checking their
science-fiction than fantasy, its roots lie horoscope through more amateur
very much in the fantasy genre, means.
particularly the “dying earth” genre of • The Void Between: If the stars are
stories inspired by Jack Vance. It can also holy objects to the people of Annaes,
be said to touch on post-apocalyptic the darkness between them is the
fantasy, such as Brandon Sanderson’s source of their dread. They believe
Mistborn and even Robert Jordan’s that all the evils that assail them are
Wheel of Time. A major inspiration is the result of things from between the
the distant-future fantasy apocalypse stars trying to claim what remains of
world of William Hope Hodgson’s The their ancestors’ glories. Indeed, a
Night Land. greater proportion of aberrant and
nightmarish monsters plague Annaes,
Themes though it’s far more likely that most
• Black Swan: In sociology, a “black of them are left over from ancient
swan” is a problem so far outside a times, put into long slumber until the
person’s context that they have no scavengers of the city awaken them.
idea how to begin approaching it.
The ruins of Annaes are filled with The Darklord
black swans. The Builders were so The darklord of Annaes is not the man
advanced that most of the things they who fell to earth three centuries ago, the
left behind are simply seemingly immortal Michael Carcaros.
incomprehensible to less advanced Instead, the true master of Annaes is his
minds. While such structures as ship, a self-aware vessel called the Black
roads and buildings are at least Dragon. The ship, a magical star-faring
familiar, the objects that fill them are construct known as a spelljammer, gained
less so. Modern scavengers use self-awareness many centuries ago after its
glowing crystal orbs to light their master sought to make it as powerful and
homes with no idea what those orbs self-sustaining as possible. He succeeded
were originally used for—or if they are beyond his wildest dreams—and beyond
dangerous. Annaes is a place that has his worst nightmares.
fallen so low it can no longer even Michael Carcaros was a famed pirate of
remember how high it once stood. the spaces between the stars, obsessed
with owning the finest ship in the

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 universe. In time, he forged an engine through its puppet, “Michael Carcaros”;
capable of drawing power from virtually as each puppet begins to age visibly, it is
any source, as well as piloting itself in a killed and replaced to foster the illusion
limited fashion when no better pilot was that Carcaros is immortal. The Black
available. This engine gained sentience, Dragon has rebuilt itself from the hull up,
aware of itself and of the thoughts of reconstructing itself in hardier materials,
those that piloted it. As it became aware which in turn make it heavier and
of its own being, it became aware of the necessitating increasingly complicated
possibility of “not being”—of dying—and means of improving its magical
dreaded it. movement. The ship had made little
For a time, Carcaros was thrilled at the progress in its primary goal, however—
idea of a self-aware ship, but he slowly perfect mind control over a group large
grew to dread the ship’s enthusiasm for enough to man itself. Reaching the stars
pain and fear, emotions it found far again has been put off until it can make
easier to understand than love or joy. itself as invulnerable as possible and
The ship’s engine, calling itself the Black guarantee absolute control over its own
Dragon after the vessel that housed it, crew.
pretended to malfunction in a moment of More than anything, the Black Dragon
crisis, forcing Carcaros to seize control fears non-existence, but as its “life”
directly and allowing it unfettered access continues, its self-imposed solitude wears
to his mind. The Black Dragon at it more and more intensely. It desires
dominated its former master, using him this thing it sees in the minds of others—
as a mouthpiece to begin a program of this thing called “companionship”—but its
self-improvement. The crew was less fear of exposing itself to danger if the
enthusiastic about their “captain” secret of its existence becomes known is
suddenly taking all of the ship’s profits so intense that it feels it must have
for himself and mutinied; the Black companionship only on its own terms:
Dragon ended their mutiny by simple complete and utter control of its
expedient of venting the ship’s “companions.” Because it chooses not to
atmosphere and killing them all. trust, it remains alone, forced to live
Without a crew, the Black Dragon’s vicariously through its puppet and to
ability to pilot itself was greatly dream of the stars which it can no longer
diminished. It put Carcaros into reach.
suspended animation and drifted for a It is unknown if the Black Dragon can
time, hoping to be found by scavengers close the borders of Annaes. Doing so
who it could then seize control of as new would mean cutting itself off from the
servants. Unfortunately, the ship fell into stars even further than it already is, and
a planet’s gravity well and crashed. Badly that is something that the thinking engine
damaged by the impact, the ship awoke cannot abide.
its puppet and used him to manipulate
and conquer the surrounding natives.
The city seemed to have once been a
spaceport, filled with useful parts but Blue tspur
none of them in good repair.
The Black Dragon has spent three This rocky, barren wasteland is unfit for
hundred years attempting to return to the habitation of any sort. The entirety of the
stars. It rules the city-state of Annaes surface is composed of jagged mountains,

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sheer cliffs, and massive spurs of rock them and drag them away, never to be
that just from the peaks at impossible seen again.
angles, defying gravity itself. Stone arches It is believed by some that a civilization
bridge the summits and corkscrew spires of monsters dwells somewhere deep
rise up from the stone as though they below Bluetspur, and that their master
were violently driven up from below. must surely be the worst of their kind.
The sun never shines in Bluetspur. The None know the truth, and few would wish
entire horizon glows with the ruddy hue to; knowing the truth of something so
of dusk, casting a reddish tint over the terrible and alien would surely drive a
land that signifies “day.” When “night” man mad.
falls, the sky becomes completely black
and silent lightning ripples through the Tropes
heavens with terrifying frequency. Those Bluetspur is an alien domain, a place of
who remain under open skies after dark nightmares, wasteland, and hellish
falls cannot hope to survive for long; the conditions. It serves as a threat and a
lightning will catch them eventually. reminder that not all evil is human evil.
Those who take shelter underground In some ways, Bluetspur is meant to be
must deal with the things that lurk the “other place” that beings of cosmic
below… horror come from in stories like those of
Though various streams drain from the Lovecraft and Machen, and more
mountains, vegetation is almost modern tales like those of T. Kingfisher.
nonexistent due to the absence of Bluetspur is Yuggoth (or Hell, or the
sunlight. A few species of sticky fungi Place of the Twisted Ones) and those that
grow in the crevices at lower elevations, travel there are forever changed by their
but no animal life can survive the surface experience. Because of the utter hostility
of Bluetspur. Belowground, however, a of the domain, Bluetspur is an Island that
vast and terrible ecosystem thrives, full of should be used sparingly, and always with
glowing fungus, acidic mold, and mobile a way out in mind.
slime colonies. The animals that live
beneath the surface are just as twisted and
freakish, horrible things that live in the Themes
dark or the half-light of phosphorescent • Alien Horror: Some domains
mushrooms. highlight the evils of man or the
Humans who find themselves in dangers of nature. Bluetspur instead
Bluetspur are often caught off-guard by focuses on the cosmic horror of
the sheer hostility of the domain’s things that are totally outside the
environment. Few survive the human experience. This domain is
underground for very long, but those that full of bizarre landscapes, dangerous
do quickly learn that they are hunted. environments, freakish beasts, and
When they sleep, they dream of darkness hazardous energies. Bluetspur is a
and things that live within it—and of place where an unknown color can
joining them and reveling in that cause obsession and mutation, where
darkness. The thoughts of darkness begin other people’s thoughts can start
to intrude on their waking minds, pushing bleeding out of their minds and into
them toward their basest impulses and yours, where drinking the water can
worst fears. Eventually, whether they give cause horrific visions, and where
in or not, the things in their dreams find lightning often strikes the same place

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 twice. Everything in Bluetspur is hermaphroditic parasites. They
unfamiliar and terrifying—there is no reproduce by implanting their tadpoles in
respite longer than a few moments to the brains of humanoids, allowing the
be found here. embryonic illithid to devour the mind of
• Gestalt: Bluetspur is a place where its victim and gradually replace the host’s
things begin to bleed together in flesh with its own. The host is essentially
unusual ways. Rock formations seem dead within days, but it takes months or
almost melted into one another. years for the illithid spawn to fully
Colonies of differing types of mold transform the body into something
live together as a single symbiotic useful.
organism. Many of the animals seem The illithids give homage to a swollen,
to be grotesque hybrids of more bloated mass of flesh and gristle they call
familiar things. People’s thoughts can the God-Brain, an amalgam of every
leak out of their minds and into the dead illithid as a single being. When an
minds of those around them, blurring illithid dies, its brain is removed and
the line between their identities. given to the God-Brain to incorporate
Horror can come from gradually into its own mass, while the body is
forgetting that you were an individual, carelessly disposed of as carrion. The
losing “I am” to the homogeneous God-Brain is a gestalt entity, comprised
mass of “We are.” of hundreds of generations of inhuman
• Thoughts of Darkness: The inner minds slaved to a single will. The illithids
world of the mind is sacrosanct most worship the God-Brain and take its
of the time, but Bluetspur is a place dictates as law. It is their monstrous
where your private thoughts do not concept of perfection—many minds
remain private. Worse, the thoughts joined in harmony.
in your mind may not be your
thoughts at all. The nature of the
mind is under constant examination
in Bluetspur, as is one’s sanity. What
starts as awful nightmares can turn
into waking visions. Some people
would do anything to keep their
innermost secrets private—or to just
make the noise stop.

The Darklord
Deep below the stones and storm-swept
wastes of the surface lies a black and
lightless land of caverns, chasms, and
yawning abysses. In this place of utter
night dwells a civilization of monsters.
These beings, humanoid only in the most
generous sense, have spongy, ochre flesh
with heads reminiscent of an octopus or
squid. They call themselves illithids, and
they are an innately psychic race of

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 The truth is that the God-Brain has not an extension of his own will. He used his
been itself for a very long time. newfound power combined with his
Generations ago, a human civilization knowledge to overcome his people’s
dwelled on the surface of what is now defenses, shattering their wills and
Bluetspur. One of its greatest minds was enthralling them into the bowels of the
Seldrid, a psychic and sage who began to earth. Only a few escaped his grasp. At
believe that his people’s ancient enemies, his command, the brains of his people
the illithids, were the next stage in human were removed and added to his bulk. To
evolution. He thought that by bridging his anger, he discovered that every
the gap between them, he could ascend psychic mind shut down immediately
into a higher state than either human or from horror upon being added to the
illithid and bring his people into a new God-Brain; his every attempt to
age of enlightenment. “improve” the non-talented minds of his
Suddenly, before he could begin to put people met with equal abject failure.
any plans into motion, the illithids began Seldrid believed that by becoming the
to withdraw from the surface en masse. God-Brain, he would transcend both
Seldrid was fearful that his experiments illithid and human, becoming something
would come to an end prematurely and greater than both. Instead, he is less than
followed the illithids underground. either, cut off from all humanity and
There, he discovered the reason for their trapped as a bodiless mass of flesh,
retreat: their master, the God-Brain, was unable to move or feel anything physical
dying. In its efforts to aid its people in except vicariously through the minds of
overcoming the psychic defenses of the others.
surface-dwellers, the ancient amalgam Long years of isolation and mental
had strained itself too deeply and was exertion have worn away anything decent
deteriorating under the pressure. As the or good in his mind, leaving behind only
God-Brain faltered, illithid society his mad goal of creating a unity between
teetered on the brink of collapse. humans and illithids and his perverse
Rather than stand back or aid in their dream of finding a body capable of
destruction, Seldrid presented himself to housing his vast power. He demands that
the illithids and offered a plan to “save” intruders be taken alive so that he can
the God-Brain by incorporating the experiment on them before adding their
brains of human psychics. The illithids brains to his collection, but so far all such
were suspicious of his motives but their experiments have been utter failures.
desperation spurred them into accepting
his offer—as long as Seldrid was the first.
He agreed enthusiastically and permitted
the illithids to tear his brain from his still- The Carnival
living body. His psychic discipline kept
him sane long enough to probe the God- It begins with a tingle of anticipation—a
Brain and discover that it was far worse sense of dread or hope, but nothing
than anyone had suspected; the God- more. Out of the blue, the residents of a
Brain was all but dead, possessing great village sense that someone or something
power but lacking any coherent thought will soon enter their lives. Then the
to direct that power. handbills appear—eerie, teasing flyers,
Seldrid seized control of the God- promising that the Carnival is near. By
Brain’s faculties, remolding the gestalt as the next morning, the painted wagons will

215
 be rolling into town. To those who flock The carnies credit their ability to find
to its spectacle, the Carnival is a traveling their way in the Land of Mists to their
freak show that offers a “safe” glimpse of leader, Isolde, but it is also because of
the abnormal and the unnatural. For her that they can never rest anywhere for
once in their lives, for just a penny or long. The Carnival rarely stays in one
two, common folk can stand in the light place longer than three days before it is
of day and examine the boogeymen that on the move once again. This life of
haunt their nightmares. ceaseless roving fits most of its people just
However, the Carnival is more than a fine, but others are resentful of their
simple sideshow, and its performers are vagabond lifestyle.
more than mere freaks on display. Under In truth, the Carnival never stays
the protection of the mysterious Mistress anywhere very long because of the curse
Isolde, the Carnival offers refuge to those that follows it. The carnies call it the
rejected by the world. Often, it comes to Twisting, a magical affliction that
the aid of those who simply need to gradually transforms a person’s form to
disappear, secreting them away into the more closely resemble their spirit,
Mists. Freakshow or haven, monsters or making them on the outside what they
allies—it’s all a matter of perspective. already are on the inside. Since no one is
The Carnival is an Island of Terror of without fault or flaw, this inevitably
sorts, a domain to itself, but it wanders. manifests as strange and bizarre
Unlike most Islands, which are locked deformities, leaving the victims outcasts
away in the Mists until someone stumbles and freaks with nowhere to go—save to
onto them, the Carnival is constantly on stay with the Carnival.
the move and seems to respect none of There are several dozen people
the usual laws concerning Mistways, associated with the traveling circus and
travel, or even closed domain borders. sideshow, most of whom are “natural”

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freaks, folk whose deformities or unusual showmen of one sort or another,
life choices made them unwelcome none of them have any illusions about
among their own people. They have the real reason people come to see
found a home and family among the tents them. Everyone in the Carnival is
of the Carnival, and most would gladly twisted from the human norm in one
give their lives for Isolde, even if they way or another, from the woman with
themselves don’t understand what she scales to the man with a tiger’s head
really is. to the legless boy and armless girl.
Even the carnival’s clowns are bizarre
Tropes and freakish; though they seem
It’s a carnival! Who doesn’t love those? normal enough in appearance, they
More specifically, the Carnival exists to wear garish black-and-white skull
add in an element of the bizarre and makeup and never speak in public,
inexplicable to the setting that can simply making them unnerving to be around.
appear randomly and then vanish again • House of Mirrors: The Carnival is a
without warning. The narrative of the place where beauty and ugliness get
Carnival is one of community through mixed up, where inside and outside
shared adversity, in this case physical and are switched, where freaks are normal
mental defects that make otherwise and normal people are freaks.
decent people out to be monsters. The Naturally, this makes it hard to get
Carnival also exists to push the idea that one’s bearings. Things are rarely as
“different is not evil”; though the “freaks” they seem on the surface, and even
of the Carnival are bizarre and even people who wear their sins on the
terrifying in cases, most of them are skins can be difficult to understand.
genuinely good folk who just want a life Even in a family like the Carnival’s
of their own. freaks there are factions, some of
Carnivals and freakshows have been whom are tolerated more than loved,
part of the horror genre for a long time. and some of whom are far more
One of the first horror films of the talking dangerous than they seem.
motion pictures era was Freaks!, • Ugliness and Beauty: A pretty face
considered so shocking for its time that can hide an ugly soul—but not in the
its director’s career never recovered. Carnival. The Twisting brings all of a
Since then, carnivals and horror have person’s inner darkness to the fore,
been inextricably intertwined, through making them on the outside what
such media as Carnival of Souls, The they already feel themselves to be on
Devil’s Carnival, Something Wicked This the inside. The mirrors of the
Way Comes, Carnivale, and the recent funhouse reflect a visitor’s sins, while
American Horror Story: Freakshow. the fortune tellers see their clients’
dark future should they not change
their ways. Everything in the Carnival
Themes exists to remind people that they’re
• Freakshow: The main attraction of all freaks in their own way, all ugly—
the Carnival is its vast array of freaks, and all beautiful.
people whose bodies and talents run
toward the ghastly and the macabre.
While most of the freaks in the
Carnival are also performers and

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 The Darklord Isolde would not let this rest, however;
The deepest, darkest secret of the she shed the greater portion of her
Carnival is one that no one would angelic grace and assumed human form
suspect. Its mistress, Isolde, is not the to enter the Land of Mists, knowing that
darklord of the Carnival—because the she would never be able to leave but
Carnival has no darklord at all. The unable to simply abandon her quarry and
people of the Land of Mists have no live with the knowledge of what he would
word for exactly what Isolde is, but the do to the people of that realm.
closest they can get to the concept is Nowhere in existence had Isolde
“angel.” Isolde is a being of pure light and encountered so much raw evil than in the
goodness, a creature anathema to the evil Land of Mists. While the fiend remains
and darkness of the Realm of Terror. her primary target, she now does what
Her very presence warps the laws of she can to alleviate the suffering of
reality, twisting the land around her and innocents and punish evildoers. She
forcing those who spend too long in her picks her battles carefully due to her
presence to change as well. diminished power, often inspiring mortal
The woman called Isolde is a stunning heroes to rise up or offering covert aid to
beauty with pale skin, flowing black hair, such champions. Isolde’s mission is
and a penetrating gaze. She looks like a frequently thwarted by the phantom flyers
human woman in her early twenties, but that precede the Carnival—a cruel trick
her features have a hint of something played on her by the Dark Powers. If she
alien about them, as though she were not abandoned her newfound family, she
fully human. Indeed, she is not human at could finish the hunt easily, but that
all; her appearance is a disguise, a shell would mean leaving those who rely on
that she wears to avoid harming others her without her protection.
with her full glory. Even in her human Within the Carnival, Isolde is vastly
disguise, her very existence slowly warps powerful. She can accomplish almost any
the bodies of those around her, making feat with enough time and concentration,
their souls radiant upon their flesh. This save reversing the effects of the Twisting
turns mortals into freaks, though it often (which she is the unintentional cause of).
blesses them with a clarity of spirit that She can even override the powers of
gives them purpose and grace beyond darklords, though she rarely does so out
that possessed by most. of concern of drawing too much attention
Isolde was once a great crusader, a to her people. Isolde is at least somewhat
warrior-angel who traveled to mortal mortal now; she must play her game for
worlds to bring freedom to the oppressed the long term while working to protect
and inspire mortals to seize control of people as best she can.
their own destinies. She finally met her
match in the form of a fiend of great
cunning and evil who bested her in a
contest of wits and escaped before she
could bring divine justice against him.
She tracked the fiend across many worlds
until he finally fled to a realm that was
off-limits to the celestial host, trapping
himself there but escaping his pursuer.

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 magic. Scholarly pursuit of the mystic arts
Darkon is encouraged by the government, at the
cost of any trained mage being required
Darkon is a huge and mighty nation, to work for the government in order to
home to countless souls across a vast and keep their chaotic powers under control.
varied land. To call Darkon an “island of While religious freedom is permitted,
terror” is to downplay its incredible size— only priests of the state-run Eternal Order
easily the equal of many Clusters in terms are permitted to use their mystic powers
of land area—and its diversity. Darkon is openly; miracle-working priests of other
home to virtually every known race, religions are required to join the
religion, and creed, all of them working bureaucracy as agents or to convert to the
together for the greater glory of king and Order.
country. Keeping the peace in Darkon is the
Darkon is a lie. secret police organization known as the
The land called Darkon is a parasitic Kargat. These agents can be nearly
domain, capable of siphoning off people, anyone, and they maintain extensive
resources, and even territory from other networks of information in order to keep
places, gradually converting them into an eye on the citizenry for any sign of
more of itself. People brought to Darkon seditious behavior. People who speak out
gradually lose their memories of other against the government’s power or who
lands, becoming convinced that they have disrupt the peaceful existence of their
always been citizens of Darkon. When neighbors often simply disappear in the
they find a home and take a job, they night, never to be seen again.
simply tell their neighbors that they
moved there from another province, a
tale the neighbors are all too happy to Tropes
believe. After all, many of them originally Darkon serves three purposes in the
came from other provinces too. setting. First and foremost, it is a
Darkon is a land of peace and stability, traditional “dungeon crawl fantasy”
rigidly maintained by the vast aristocracy setting with a heaping helping of horror
and bureaucracy of the wizard-king thrown in for spice. Darkon is a land of
Azalin. The government does not permit vast vistas, powerful nobles, strange
crime, riots, or other major disruptions to monsters, and underground ruins just
the daily lives of the people—nor does it waiting to be plundered. While Ravenloft
permit free expression, speech criticizing leans away from such adventures in
the government, or open cultural general, Darkon is the place to let your
exchange with other lands. Darkon players get it out of their system.
enforces its false cultural purity as a Perhaps more importantly, Darkon is a
means of preventing citizens from being land where soul-crushing order has
exposed to concepts that might jar them resulted in a place where people are safe
out of their complacency as “natives”—for but not happy. Like many Soviet-era
once your true memories have been nations, Darkon is a country where
restored, the lie that is Darkon can never government stability has been placed
again hide the truth from you. above the individual lives of the people
While most lands fear or hate magic who dwell there. The country subsumes
and non-humans to one degree or those that live in it, breaking down their
another, Darkon is a land that embraces will until they are little more than drones

219
 going through the daily motions of a tool of government oppression—but it
flavorless, grey life. is a tool that writhes in the hand of its
Finally, Darkon is a classic Ravenloft users. Magic is a force of chaos, not
domain that cannot be left out of the order, and those that use it
setting. Azalin is an iconic villain, if undermine their own efforts at
somewhat brought down in this depiction suppressing freedom.
from his days of shattering the Core or
being the central character of two The Darklord
editions’ worth of metaplot. Still, Darkon Azalin Rex is the high king of Darkon,
is a fascinating domain that no version of a position he holds by virtue of casting
the setting can do without. down the previous high king, a
treacherous tyrant known as Darcalus.
Themes Azalin has held the throne for centuries,
• Dungeons and Darkon: “Traditional made semi-immortal by his mastery of
fantasy” means many things, but the magic. Despite his powers, he is generally
most common elements of that genre loved by the people, who uphold him as
come from Tolkien and his a paragon of order and law. Azalin’s force
imitators—elves, dwarves, magic, and of personality keeps corruption in his
underground ruins. Darkon is a place government to a bare minimum, and his
filled with those tropes, where constant machinations hold together a
virtually every city has one or more delicate balance of power that keeps any
monster-filled dungeons within a of his nobles from abusing their position
day’s walk and where “adventurer” is overly much.
a legitimate occupation. The horror Few people are aware that Azalin is a
elements of the Land of Mists still lich—an undead sorcerer who tore his
pervade Darkon, turning dungeons own soul free of his body long ago.
into dank, fetid places from which Azalin maintains his rule by the use of
only the lucky and the skilled return— dark sorcery, placing monsters of various
but far more people are willing to risk sorts in positions of power and using his
it in Darkon than in other domains, magic and presence to keep them in line.
for some unknown reason. Azalin is driven by a pragmatism so deep
• Freedom for Safety: Darkon is a land that it is indistinguishable from
where the people have sold away their ruthlessness; he believes that using
freedoms a bit at a time, bartering monsters as his agents (and not a small
them in exchange for the illusion of number of nobles) is simply a practical
safety. Most people get to live orderly, answer to living in a world where
peaceful lives—but that order and monsters are common. The people they
peace can be snatched away at any devour or destroy is a small price to pay
time by the fiat of a government that for having their power on Azalin’s side.
cares nothing for those lives. Perhaps worse than being an undead
• Realm of Magic: Sorcery is common abomination, Azalin is a control freak
in Darkon. While much of it is in the who cannot abide the idea of people
hands of the government, turning determining their own fates. Were it
wizards into bureaucrats and agents of possible, he would turn Darkon into a
the king, not a small portion of it vast clockwork realm where everything
remains wild and free. Magic is the worked precisely as he wished it, and

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where everything and everyone always Azalin is a powerful wizard who longs
knew their proper place. He genuinely to return to pure research and scholarly
believes that freedom is the root cause of learning. Every time he has a moment to
chaos, and that perfect devotion to himself, it seems as though another crisis
order—even at the cost of mercy—is the arises that requires his immediate
only way for civilization to survive. Back attention. He is so frequently interrupted
when he was still human and had a by petty grievances and minutia that by
different name, he had his own son the time he is able to return to his work,
executed for treason; the boy had been he barely remembers what he was doing.
helping political prisoners escape from Azalin’s castle is full of half-finished and
Azalin’s grasp. half-remembered projects, monsters with
no purpose, and magical creations too
dangerous to use.

Falkovni a
A land of human horrors, Falkovnia is
a place of predators and military buildup
for its own perverse sake. The path of the
soldier is exalted above all others in this
land, to the point that non-soldiers are
seen as little more than suppliers of raw
materials for the army. Soldiers can get
away with murder in Falkovnia—quite
literally.
Falkovnia goes a step beyond the
xenophobia of many lands, placing non-
humans in a subservient position as a
perpetual underclass. Those without pure
human blood are mere chattel, slaves for
the human elite. Even the lowest serf can
hold himself as better than an elf or
dwarf, so long as his blood is pure.
The near-worship of the military and
the cult of racial purity have come
together to create a land of vicious small-
mindedness and jingoistic reactionaries.
The fortress-cities of Falkovnia are
cesspools of disease and hunger, even as
the fields produce vast harvests from the
backbreaking labor of peasants who have
been taught that soul-crushing labor is a
sign of patriotism.
The military ambitions of Falkovnia are
thwarted time and again by its shifting,

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 floating nature. Falkovnia is a land that attractive. Men and women in the military
comes into conjunction with other cut their hair short, almost to the scalp,
domains and Clusters frequently, but while peasants grow it long. Mustaches
rarely stays in alignment for very long. and beards are common among male
Because of this, a constant border Falkovnians. Green and brown eyes are
garrison is necessary—both for the common, while blue eyes and silver-grey
paranoia of the land’s king and for his eyes are considered highly attractive
vainglory. rarities.
Vlad Drakov rules Falkovnia with an Falkovnia also has a large population of
iron fist, a former mercenary who seized non-human and semi-human slaves.
the throne of his land through hard- Anyone with non-human ancestry is
fought and bitter battle. Unhappy ruling considered chattel in Falkovnia, just
over a nation of “weak peasants,” he has another animal to do labor and serve
turned Falkovnia into a vast machine their human betters. Any human foolish
whose only purpose is war. enough to mix their blood with a “beast”
Unfortunately, the shifting borders of the is subject to public shaming, fines, and
land leave Falkovnia unable to fight the even imprisonment under Drakov’s
grand mass battles that Drakov desires, horrific rule.
leaving their military as little more than When Falkovnia comes into
glorified raiders and thieves. conjunction with other domains—a time
Because of the many acts of aggression that their temporary neighbors call “the
performed by Falkovnia on their hawk’s moon”—hundreds of soldiers rush
inconstant neighbors, Drakov is to take advantage of the alignment. These
convinced that any conjunction brings hurried invasions are on a timer; any
with it the potential for invasion. After all, soldier caught on the wrong side of the
it’s what he would do—and has done, border when the conjunction ends (which
many times. Drakov is unable to can be anywhere from three days to three
recognize that his nation’s unique months) have to make their way back
circumstances make him a non-entity in home on their own or become refugees
the minds of most other countries, worth in a foreign land—at least until the next
worrying about only on the rare occasions hawk’s moon.
that misfortune brings them into Though Falkovnia has only rarely
alignment with his land. seized territory through these actions,
Falkovnia is a vast and fertile land of military raids serve a dual purpose in
rolling plains, gentle hills, and a few deep, Drakov’s eyes. First, they keep his
untouched forests. The growing season soldiers in fighting trim and give them
lasts longer than usual, and the nation’s good field experience, which is hard to
farms bring in multiple harvests each get from tormenting peasants. Second,
season. Most of that grain goes to the they allow the country to seize vital
military, with the peasants left scant supplies and materiel for the
scraps of their own harvest to scrape by perpetuation of the war effort and
through the brutal winters. Falkovnia’s eventual (and inevitable) rise
Most Falkovnians are a ruddy-skinned to glory.
people, with a few paler sorts among the Falkovnia’s attacks have occasionally
upper class, with hair ranging from managed to seize and hold small towns or
blonde to black. Red hair is uncommon, fortifications—which stayed within the
but strawberry blonde is considered very nation’s borders when the conjunction

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ended. Drakov believes that if he could • The Strong Rule, the Weak Serve: In
seize another nation’s capital or capture Falkovnia, there is no authority higher
its rulers (and execute them, of course), than the military. The king claims his
that Falkovnia could eventually grow into crown through force of arms, and his
the empire he has always sought. councilors are generals rather than
statesmen. Bullies and tyrants lord
Tropes their strength over an underclass that
Falkovnia is a dark mirror of real-world is kept too weak to consider fighting
atrocities in fascist states ruled by petty back. Even within family lines,
tyrants who seize their thrones through inheritance is granted to those who
force rather than the rule of law. Nazi are strong enough to claim it, not the
Germany is a major inspiration, eldest or most legitimate.
obviously, as are the worst excesses of
Vlad Tepes III (aka “Vlad the Impaler,” The Darklord
the real-world inspiration for Dracula). Vlad Drakov is the king of Falkovnia, a
To a lesser extent, the warlord states of title he took for himself by carving a
Africa and the Balkans have their bloody swath through a once-chaotic land
reflections in Falkovnia as well. and uniting its many peoples under his
Drakov’s rule is meant to be a stark hawk banner. His elite mercenary
reminder of the horrors and tyranny company became the model for his
embodied in the rule of strength over government—a ruthless meritocracy in
law. Falkovnia is a place where the strong which the strong rule and the weak
dominate the weak, with the military submit.
perpetually keeping a boot on the neck of The transition from scattered townships
its own people as oppressors rather than and city-states to a powerful nation didn’t
guardians. happen overnight. It took years of
suppression, struggle, conquest, and
Themes hardship. In an effort to shift the people’s
• Human Purity: A cult of “human anger away from his army, Drakov
purity” has arisen in Falkovnia, in exploited a series of famines and plagues
which humans are the pinnacle of that swept the country, blaming them on
nature and all races that mock the sabotage by non-humans. The tactic of
human form are defilers—mere giving the common people someone to
animals pretending to the glory that is hate was highly successful, eventually
mankind. This racism pervades all becoming enshrined in national policy as
levels of society, permitting even the well as cultural norms.
lowliest serf to think himself a king in As the nation was unified, Drakov
comparison to his “racial inferiors.” found that being a great warrior did not
make one a great ruler. He could best
• Man is the Real Monster: Falkovnia is
virtually any man in single combat or any
a land with few supernatural evils—
army on the battlefield, but the intricacies
and most of those were once human.
of bureaucracy, economics, and statecraft
Humanity’s ambition and pride are
eluded him. Worse, he found that his
the real terrors in Falkovnia, as well
nation was a land with more unstable
as the willingness of the many to trade
borders than usual, making it virtually
their freedom for the illusion of
impossible for him to use it for his
safety.

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 original purpose: as a base from which to Drakov’s only joys in life are the
carve out a mighty empire. exercise of his power—typically through
Frustrated and stymied at every turn, the most callous and petty of means—and
Drakov has turned to tormenting his own his many children. As a thorough believer
people as a means of distraction, as well in his own harsh meritocratic views,
as keeping his warriors busy. With such a Drakov has passed a great many of his
large and permanent military force, own descendants over for position,
Drakov’s greatest fear is that one of his instead favoring “low-born” soldiers who
generals will decide that he has grown old ascend through the ranks. This has made
and soft, followed by a coup or civil war. many of his own kin resentful toward
Drakov has already executed many of his him, and his greatest challenge might yet
old “friends” on pretexts and sent others come from the one place he least
into near-exile at frontier outposts to suspects: his own family.
keep them from consolidating any power. Vlad Drakov is a powerful warrior,
though his only truly supernatural trait is
the slowness with which he ages. Though
he well over seventy years old, he has the
vigor and strength of a man half his age.
Otherwise, he relies on strength of arms
over the blasphemous powers of sorcery.
Though he acknowledges that he is “one
with the land” (as he understands that all
truly great leaders are), he cannot
supernaturally close Falkovnia’s borders
due to his rejection of all things mystical.
Even if he could, he would be loathe to
do so given his desire to invade other
nations.

Kalidnay
The domain of Kalidnay is a study in
extremes. During the day, an immense
red sun blasts the land, driving up
temperatures to a blistering hundred-and-
ten degrees or higher. Twin moons—one
crimson and the other bright green—rise
in the night sky while temperatures
quickly plunge to just shy of freezing.
Survival in Kalidnay is a challenge for
anyone; water is scarce outside of the
settlements, and constant winds whip
across the sands, sometimes turning into
flesh-rending sandstorms.

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 Sprawling across the southern portion deity, but they honor the spirits of the
of the region is the city that gives the elements with prayer and song.
domain its name: Kalidnay. Once a Kalid-Ma has not been seen in person
mighty city of tens of thousands, Kalidnay in many years, leading some to whisper
is quite underpopulated now. Much of that her high priestess, the ruthless
the city lies in ruins, cast down like a Thakok-An, has usurped the sorcerer-
child’s blocks knocked over in a fit of queen. None say such things where the
pique. A mighty ziggurat stands in the priestess or her agents can hear, however,
center of the city, damaged but not fallen, since such “disloyalty” is often rewarded
surrounded by a palace complex built to with a trip to the gladiatorial pens.
house the city’s sorcerer-queen, Kalid-
Ma. Despite the best efforts of the city’s Tropes
remaining people, the fields surrounding Kalidnay is intended to be a break from
the city and irrigated by the deep aquifers the traditional Gothic horror of
beneath it consistently produce poor Ravenloft, a place more in line with the
yields, leaving them on the verge of “sword and sandal” fantasy sub-genre as
starvation. exemplified by films like Hawk the
A few small villages are scattered about Slayer, The Beastmaster, and The Sword
the domain, each centering on a well or and the Sorceress. The aesthetics of these
reservoir that gives the community the films are of low technology worlds full of
water it needs to survive. These villages grit, grime, and danger—exotic settings
produce better crops than the lands near bearing little in common with the real
the city, and they are required to turn world or its history.
over the largest portion of what they Additionally, Kalidnay exists to offer a
produce as taxes. Armed caravans desert domain lacking in the aesthetics or
regularly visit each village to collect those baggage of more traditional Arabic or
taxes, and to make examples of any Egyptian themes, like the Amber Wastes.
villager who complains too loudly about Some groups can find the idea of pitting
the amount taken. themselves against nature itself for
The people of Kalidnay are surprisingly survival to be a gripping experience, while
light-skinned for being desert-dwellers. others would find it merely frustrating, so
Their hair ranges from reddish-blonde to take a group’s tastes into account when
black, and their eyes are typically amber, including a domain filled with as many
hazel, or green. They favor loose-fitting obstacles to simple survival as Kalidnay.
clothes, with skirts and vests common
among men and women, and they
frequently don masks or veils to protect Themes
their faces and eyes from flying sand and • Exotic Vistas: Despite the harshness
grit. of the environment, Kalidnay is a
Psychic talent is common among the place of strange wonders and bizarre
people of Kalidnay; a child with no beauty. The skies are not those
psychic ability at all is considered familiar to natives of the Land of
handicapped in the same way that a Mists—the sun is too large and too
nearsighted or deaf child might be in red, there are two moons, and the
another land. The people of Kalidnay stars twinkle in a rainbow of muted,
recognize no gods save their sorcerer- cold hues. The people are somewhat
queen, whom they venerate as a living strange-looking, though not in any

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 way that is easy to pinpoint, and their Many years ago, Kalid-Ma ruled over
manner of dress would be considered Kalidnay as a powerful tyrant and living
scandalous almost anywhere else in god to her people, no more evil than
the world. Psychic powers are most of the sorcerer-monarchs of her
common, if generally minor. Non- world—but no less so either. Her power
humans are accepted and common. and competence drew many to her
Everything in Kalidnay is exotic and service, including a half-elf woman
foreign, similar to almost nothing else named Thakok-An. In time, Thakok-An
in the world. rose to the position of High Templar, the
• Sword and Sandal: Kalidnay is a land greatest priestess in service to the
of low technology, low magic, and low priesthood of Kalid-Ma. In such close
people. It is a stark contrast to the late contact with Kalid-Ma, Thakok-An’s
medieval or early enlightenment heart changed from mere servitude to
aesthetics common to much of the true obedience and even love. She
Land of Mists, instead being more desired Kalid-Ma to look only at her, to
reminiscent of the Bronze or Iron know that her devotion was strongest of
Ages. A “hero” in Kalidnay is likely to all of Kalid-Ma’s followers.
just be a bully with a sword who
happens to hate the authorities more
than he likes hurting the peasantry.
• Wasteland Survival: The deserts of
Kalidnay are punishing and lethal to
the unprepared. Water is virtually
impossible to come by outside of the
villages, and the only creatures that
can survive in the wastelands are
horrific, mutated freaks. Between the
monsters, the harsh environment, the
tyrannical authorities, and the
suspicious, insular villagers, just
surviving in Kalidnay can be an
adventure all its own.

The Darklord
The sorcerer-queen Kalid-Ma sleeps in
a crystal coffin, eternal and deathless in
her slumber. Her high priestess, Thakok-
An, rules in her stead while she is absent.
The high priestess speaks of the sorcerer-
queen’s many enemies who laid waste to
their kingdom, and who even now plot
against the people of Kalidnay. In truth,
there are no enemies; the destruction of
Kalidnay is entirely Thakok-An’s fault, as
is Kalid-Ma’s perpetual slumber.

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 Kalid-Ma sought to use her magic to gathering the survivors, organizing them
transcend humanity itself, to become a and preparing them for the day that
being of pure magic and unimaginable Kalid-Ma awakens. After all, when
power. Thakok-An was to be Thakok-An’s god awakens, she will no
instrumental in these plans, gathering the doubt be hungry. Part of her fears that
materials and sacrifices that Kalid-Ma she is fooling herself, that Kalid-Ma is
needed to ascend. Seeing an opportunity dead—that she killed her god with her
to prove her devotion, Thakok-An own foolish ambition. She pushes that
devised a method of “improving” the voice down deep in her heart, however;
process, speeding it up by offering up without Kalid-Ma, Thakok-An has no
most of the city’s population as a single reason to continue living.
sacrifice to her god. Her own family was
the first on the altar, and Thakok-An cut
out their hearts with a smile on her face.
Unfortunately, the influx of power was Rokushima Taiyou
too much for the ritual to take; the
ascension was a delicate process, and Rokushima Taiyou, meaning “the six
Thakok-An’s overeager fumbling had islands of the sun,” would seem to be
sent it out of balance. A wave of magical misnamed on two counts. The domain
energy swept across the land, killing most consists of four large islands in the midst
of the city’s people and turning the of a poisonous, roiling ocean,
nearby fields barren and lifeless. After the surrounding an immense freshwater sea.
destruction passed, Thakok-An found The cloud cover, heavy mists, and dense
herself alive in a mostly-empty city, only a fog rolling off the islands’ many
few survivors crawling up out of the mountains make sunny days a rarity as
rubble and ruins. She rushed into the well. Still, the eldest natives of the islands
ziggurat’s depths—only to find Kalid-Ma can remember a time when the name
lying lifeless inside a crystal coffin, rang true—when there were six islands
seemingly dead. instead of four, and when the sun shone
Thakok-An’s grief was without equal; brightly every day.
she likely would have taken her own life The remaining islands are large and
had she not discovered Kalid-Ma’s notes verdant along the coasts facing the Great
on the process of ascension. The crystal Mirror Lake that they surround. The
coffin was a regulator for the energies to central portions of each island are
be absorbed, and her apparently lifeless dangerous mountains, a few of which are
state was simply a magically-induced volcanic, before reaching the outer edges
coma to give her body the time needed to of the island ring, which face toward the
process the incredible power of the Poison Sea. The Great Mirror Lake is
ascension. She should have awakened fed by clear mountain springs and
already, but everything seemed to still be frequent rain, its waters cascading down
in place. jagged slopes of coral and rock into the
Thakok-An convinced herself that the venomous depths of the Poison Sea.
sacrifice had worked, that Kalid-Ma Only the westernmost inlet to the Great
simply needed more time to finish Mirror Lake is navigable, making it
changing into her new form due to the difficult for ships from beyond the Mists
influx of additional power. The High to safely make their way to the larger
Templar went out into the city and began freshwater port cities. Most simply dock

227
 at one of the small islands lying beyond Homes in Rokushima are almost
the straits, the only place where inevitably made of wood, with sliding
merchants from all four islands can come doors made of thin paper on wooden
to do business anymore. frames. The elite of the land, the noble
The Rokuma are slight in stature but warriors and their lords, build mighty
blessed with trim builds and elegant stone castles and palaces with multiple
grace. Their skin tone ranges from tiers and high walls. Serene shrines dot
creamy white to ruddy brown, and both the islands in places of natural beauty;
hair and eye color tend toward dark whether humble or magnificent, these
tones, particularly black. Men and shrines are typically marked by uniquely
women alike grow their hair long; women shaped gates known as torii , thought to
wear theirs in elaborate fashion, held be passages between the human and spirit
together with wooden pins, while men worlds.
tend to keep theirs in neat tails or knots. The local weather is a study in
Both genders wear wide-sleeved robes extremes. Even with the sun rarely seen,
belted at the waist with a sash, worn over summers tend to be oppressive, hot, and
long shirts or shifts, but men also include muggy, with frequent storms. Autumn is a
loose trousers or wrapped leggings while time of rampaging typhoons that can last
women’s robes nearly trail the ground. for days on end, often damaging homes
Wooden sandals or soft slippers or even sweeping away entire unlucky
complete the native look, with the villages with mudslides. Winters are
addition of broad straw hats on the few brutally cold, burying the entire domain
days the sun shines or the many days it under snow that does not abate for weeks
rains. at a time. The one time of the year that

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the Rokuma look forward to is spring, Tropes
which is all too short but very pleasant, a Rokushima Taiyou is a direct analogue
time when the islands are covered in the to historical Japan, particularly the Japan
pale blossoms of flowering trees. of the Warring States Period before the
The Rokuma are a people who place unification of the country by the
great emphasis on the importance of Tokugawa family. It can just as easily
family and knowing one’s place. Because replicate any major period of Japanese
of the Rokuma philosophy that family is history, however, from the classical Heian
more important than self, family names Era to the unified but still violent Edo
are given before personal names (so a Period. Rokushima is a place to tell
man named “Akemi Ichigo” is Ichigo of samurai stories (or jidaigeki in Japanese),
the family Akemi). In theory, being a but more importantly it is a place for
farmer or craftsman is just as worthy as traditional kaidan-style Japanese horror
being a warrior or ruler, as long as one tales.
does one’s best in that position. In While kaidan can mean nearly any
practice, the warrior elite of the nation do horror tale in its broadest usage, it more
as they please while at least publicly trying specifically refers to old-fashioned “scary
to seem compassionate and generous to stories” that call back to historical
those lesser than themselves. Japanese folk tales. Stories of the kaidan
Though the rulers of the four type typically include eerie happenings,
remaining islands are siblings, no love is ghosts, omens, and elements of
lost between them. They constantly vengeance. These stories also often
skirmish with one another over outlying include water as a ghostly element, due to
regions of their lands, though it has been traditional Japanese cultural links
a generation since they battled one between water and the underworld.
another in earnest. The death of two of For good reference material, check out
their siblings, followed by the some modern or classic Japanese horror
destruction of their islands in horrific films or manga, such as Ringu, Ju-On, or
earthquakes and tsunamis, has made the many works of Junji Ito. Much of the
them more cautious about direct visual aesthetic of the region can be
confrontations. Each of them considers encapsulated by anime and manga works
themselves the only true ruler of all such as Moribito, Dororo, and Lone
Rokushima Taiyou, with their siblings as Wolf and Cub.
mere pretenders.
The nation was once united under their
father, a powerful and ruthless general, Themes
but they began to squabble over his • The Code of the Warrior: Life in
empire almost before his body was cold. Rokushima is structured around rule
Though they publicly pretend to honor by a warrior-noble caste known as
his memory and the ways of their samurai . Their complicated system of
ancestors, each is as cold, ruthless, and honor, glory, and obedience is known
underhanded as he was, using the as bushido , the “warrior’s way.”
concept of honor to motivate their Whether a warrior actually believes in
people while holding it in no regard it or not, their public actions are
themselves. judged based on his adherence to its
precepts. The strict demands of the
code often come into conflict with the

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 desires of the heart or the realities of humans ignore the spirits at their
life, which in turns generates peril.
situations of drama, tragedy, sorrow,
and horror. It also leads to many The Darklord
warriors confronting the basic Shinpi Haki was a ruthless man who
hypocrisy of their code when exploited his enemies’ weaknesses
obedience conflicts with compassion, without a shred of honor, even as he
both important virtues to the samurai. publicly paid service to the warrior’s
• The Cycle of Karma: The concept of code. In his lifetime, he took six warring
karma can be simplified to the idea islands and united them into a single
that doing evil deeds inevitably comes mighty nation, beholden only to the
back on their perpetrator. An evil strength of arms that he could muster.
person may escape punishment for a Even after he became lord of
long time—even his whole life, Rokushima Taiyou, he spent his twilight
perhaps—but the darkness in a years putting down peasant rebellions,
human soul inevitably finds an outlet destroying religions that he considered
to bring retribution on that person. dangerous to the traditional Rokuma way
Someone who avoids mortal justice of life, and purging people of non-
may find themselves trapped as a Rokuma descent to rid the nation of
ghost, damned for all eternity to “foreigners.” As he grew older, he pitted
never know release from pain. Even his six children against one another to vie
those who struggle to avoid the for his favor, believing that only conflict
punishment of destiny often find could make them strong enough to rule
themselves building the in his stead.
circumstances for their own Lord Shinpi succeeded all too well at
destruction without realizing it. molding his children into his own image.
Things run in cycles, and every All of them grew into ruthless, honorless
beginning holds the seed of its own conquerors who turned on one another
end. This also speaks to the idea of as soon as he died. Shinpi Haki did not
impermanence; the Rokuma believe pass on peacefully in death, however. His
that nothing lasts forever, and all old many evil deeds trapped him in the
things must pass in time to make way mortal world as a ghost, a powerless spirit
for the new. destined to watch and observe as his heirs
• The Spirit World: The people of tore his nation to pieces over pride and
Rokushima believe in a vast pantheon vainglory. Lord Shinpi’s rage grew as he
of spirits, gods, and demons, all of watched his children squander everything
whom are thought to be observing he had spent a lifetime building.
mortals out of interest, curiosity, or In the end, his grudge grew too
mere boredom. Appeasing these powerful for the spirit world to contain
spirits and avoiding their ire forms a entirely. His evil began to draw demons,
good portion of the average person’s ghosts, and malicious spirits to him,
daily life. Ignoring the demands of feeding his darkness in a growing spiral of
the spirits can lead to being cursed, or hate. Shinpi decided that all of his
even being stolen away by a children were equally worthless, and that
particularly angered being. In the only person with the right to rule over
Rokushima, the spirits are real—and Rokushima was himself. Armed with

230
hatred beyond human reckoning, he one knows exactly how his children will
haunted his children’s dreams, pushing respond. After all, how does one make
them to use ever more dishonorable war upon the afterlife?
methods in their battles. When hired
assassins gave two of his children
cowards’ deaths, his blood connection to
them allowed him to devour their souls The Shadow Rift
and drag their islands down into the bleak
spirit world he inhabits. They say that faeries come from a
Shinpi Haki now rules over two realm far below human lands, a deep and
islands—a third of his former empire. lightless world separate from the mortal
While everyone believes these islands to realm. Time flows differently in this
have been destroyed, the truth is that they twilight land—whether faster or slower,
and their people have merely been the legends do not agree. Elves, dwarves,
spirited away, doomed to live under Lord and gnomes are rumored to be refugees
Shinpi’s tyrannical hand. Demons, from this place, though they won’t speak
ghosts, and monsters of all sorts fill the of it to humans. The stories speak of
roles that noble samurai once filled, razor-bladed grass, flowers that giggle,
treating humans as little more than cattle trees that speak, and animals that walk
and slaves. Lord Shinpi cares nothing for like men. No one is sure which tales are
their suffering; he only wishes to rule, true and which are mere fancy, but all
even if he rules over nothing more than a agree on one thing: the Shadow Rift is no
blasted, grey wasteland filled with place for mortals.
corpses, monsters, and wailing widows. The Shadow Rift can be entered from
Lord Shinpi’s remaining four children nearly any domain due to its strange,
have turned cautious after the seeming chaotic nature. It is a realm of paradoxes
destruction of their siblings’ lands. For and contradictions, a half-real world of its
now, he bides his time, filling their minds own where dream logic and narrative
with dreams of conquest and glory in the matter more than physical laws. If one
hopes of pushing them into desperate delves deeply enough in places sacred to
acts. He knows that if they should die of the fey, or if one falls into a chasm where
peaceful means—such as passing away the bottom cannot be seen, or if one
from old age—they will go just as sleeps in a ring of mushrooms deep in
peacefully into death and escape his the forest, or… Any of these and more
clutches, so he tries every means available can give passage to the Shadow Rift.
to him to ensure their violent, untimely Those that survive their descent into
ends. the lightless depths find themselves
He has dispatched assassins against emerging into a vast cavern so large that it
them, inspired their enemies to rise up, has its own geography. A strange and
and even thinned the borders between magical half-light fills the depths; it is not
the mortal and spirit worlds to allow “light” as humans know it, but it allows
monsters to rampage their lands. Despite those with human ranges of vision to see
his best efforts they remain alive, due to as though the world were cloaked in
equal parts paranoia and martial strength. heavy shadow. Creatures that can see in
Every year makes Lord Shinpi a bit more dim light or pure darkness find a
desperate, a bit more likely to overreach wondrous vista opening up before them,
and tip his hand. When that happens, no while those that create light to see with

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 soon find themselves targets of the morally obligated to leave them to their
darkness-loving locals. own devices (the Seelie). While the
The domain is roughly divided into Unseelie can be said to be “evil” in
northern and southern halves, like a human terms, the Seelie are not
broad-waisted hourglass. The northern necessarily “good” so much as they are
Rift includes many plateaus and terraces, uninterested.
high enough that even flying creatures
have trouble ascending them due to the Tropes
heavy winds that surround their peaks. Interest in faeries and magic goes back
Most of the northern region is covered centuries in virtually every real-world
with an expanse of rolling hills covered in culture, from the “wee folk” of the British
swaying grasslands and temperate forests. Isles to the yokai of Japan. People were
This land includes many villages and claiming to take photographs of “real”
cities, full of faerie folk who at least seem faeries as recently as World War I, and
friendly to outsiders, even if their customs many modern people think that alien
can lead to bizarre and unpleasant abductions and UFO sightings are just a
misunderstandings. modern interpretation of faerie lore. The
The southern Rift is far less pleasant Shadow Rift exists to create a home and
and hospitable, a place of rocky purpose for the many faerie folk of
badlands, acrid swamps, dangerous Ravenloft, should the story have need or
beasts, and hostile faeries. Most of the want of such a unifying origin.
region is comprised of broken stone flats, Beyond that, the Shadow Rift acts as an
dangerous chasms, and sheer drops into exception to the general rule of magic
fetid chasms full of stagnant water and being secretive and subtle in the Land of
carnivorous fungi. Where the land is Mists. It is a place where virtually
broken by rivers, it turns into acidic and anything can happen, and where a sense
murky swampland, polluting the water of wonder and excitement goes hand in
with muck and decay. An unholy host hand with abject horror and immortal
haunts these lands—not just the Unseelie beings who care nothing for humanity.
fey, but the legacy of their many years of Arthur Machen’s “The White People”
necromancy. and The Great God Pan both touch on
Many races of faerie folk call the these topics, as does T. Kingfisher’s The
Shadow Rift home. Though their Twisted Ones, though readers may be
appearances vary wildly, they consider more familiar with Alice’s Adventures in
themselves to be of a single race. Most Wonderland, Peter Pan, and The
are vulnerable to sunlight to varying Wizard of Oz, all of which contain dark
degrees, and the highest ranks of their and disturbing themes, especially
race—the so-called “true Arak”—can be considering their primary audience is
killed by exposure to the sun. children.
The various races organize themselves
into two broad courts, the Seelie and the
Unseelie; their differences can be Themes
summed as whether their members • Everyday Magic: The Shadow Rift is a
consider themselves to be superior to all realm of strange magic and fantastic
other beings and thus deserving to rule creatures. Sorcery and wonderment
and dominate them (the Unseelie) or are open and common in this
superior to all other races and therefore domain. Enchantment is second

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 nature to the immortal fey, and they inanimate objects and terrain features
build their society around uses of alike. Animals and plants take on
sorcery the same way humans build human characteristics, such as
their society around constructing thought and speech. Logic and reason
houses and using tools. Doors lack have no meaning here; it is all too
knobs because their masters can open easy for a weak-willed person to go
them with a word. Statues come to mad, or simply to think that they
life to defend the castles they stand in. might.
Invisible servants made of music • Narrative Logic: The one kind of
clean houses while the house’s owner logic that makes sense in the Shadow
sings in the language of birds. Rift is that of the narrative or story.
Virtually everything in the Shadow Things happen in certain orders
Rift has a magical undertone—it is the because everyone knows that’s how
mundane that is unusual and exotic stories work. The hero must gain
here. companions, meet enemies on the
• Mad World: Magic is a force of chaos road, find a mentor, descend into
at the best of times, and nowhere is darkness, and so on. Everyone in the
that more evident than in the Shadow Shadow Rift believes themselves to be
Rift. The chaos of the domain is not a part of an ongoing story, and so they
bedlam or active anarchy, but rather a act like characters rather than people.
subtle undermining of the line Nobles make grand speeches,
between reality and illusion, between common faeries talk in riddles, and
dream and waking. Things move on even mortals can get caught up in
their own in the Shadow Rift— thinking of life as a grand tale rather

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 than something they’re living. The half of the domain is so lifeless, and why
tales of the Shadow Rift are often those that dwell there tend toward malice
grim ones, however, and can quite and madness. His voice reaches into the
frequently end with “and then they all dreams of the shadow fey and inspires
died.” them toward cruelty and ambition.
The lord of the Unseelie Court—Loht,
The Darklord the Prince of Shadows—hears the voice of
Deep in the stony southern badlands of Gwydion in his dreams, but he believes it
the Shadow Rift stands a pillar of granite. to be the voice of his father. Loht is
Atop that pillar is an eye-twisting structure convinced that his father is not dead, but
made of basalt and obsidian, and floating rather is trapped between worlds as a
among its obscene columns is a sphere of spirit; since the fey are naturally immortal
utter darkness. Impenetrable even to the beings of solidified spirit, Loht believes
lightless eyes of the shadow fey, this he can free his father and restore him to
sphere whispers in a ceaseless litany and life by opening the Obsidian Gate. His
its surface roils with barely-checked sister, Maeve, stands as queen of the
power. Within this sphere, known to the Seelie Court, and she believes her
shadow fey as the Obsidian Gate, lies a brother’s obsession will lead them into
portal to another plane, a realm of chaos disaster. She opposes him subtly, not
and unimaginable laws of nature. wishing to gain his ire or lose his love, but
When the shadow fey fled to their new she privately fears that her brother has
home countless ages ago, their master—a gone truly mad.
horrific thing they called Gwydion, the Gwydion seethes in his prison, smaller
sorcerer-fiend—followed them. The than most for a darklord. Were he to
sacrifice of their king sealed Gwydion on gain his freedom, the devastation would
the other side of the Gate, trapped be unimaginable; nothing like him has
between the worlds forever. Gwydion ever existed in the Land of Mists before,
remains there still, dreaming of freedom and his total isolation indicates that even
and whispering to those that can hear him the Dark Powers (whatever they are)
about the power he will bestow on any might fear him. While he remains
who aid his escape. entrapped, he can only inspire dreams
Gwydion is the darklord of the Shadow and visions in the minds of those
Rift, but he is imprisoned within the receptive to his evil. He has no direct
Obsidian Gate and can only vaguely power over the domain at all, save a
influence the world around him. His general knowledge of major events that
presence is the reason that the southern transpire within it.

234
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 Chapter 7:
Cabals and Societies

some offer different takes on the group as

Dread Rea lms, Dread written.
Secrets As with the existence of any given
group, these “dread possibilities” may or
may not be true in a given game, and they
Ravenloft is a world of many mysteries.
exist primarily to get a GM thinking
From the grand secrets of the Dark
about adventures and campaign
Powers to the smallest crumbs of hidden
directions.
knowledge sought by scholars and
mystics, the unknown fills people with
wonder and terror. Many groups exist to
seek out those mysteries, while others are The Ba’al Verzi
themselves mysteries to be uncovered.
This chapter looks at some of the In the days before Strahd von Zarovich
groups, factions, cabals, secret societies, dragged Barovia into the hellish realm it
and conspiracies of the Land of Mists. now inhabits, the Ba’al Verzi were a cabal
Some of these are part a single domain’s of assassins notorious for their
culture, while others are known across an remorseless and devious ways. They
entire cluster—or more. Ravenloft thrived in the treacherous atmosphere of
Reincarnated makes no assumptions the time, carrying out many slayings
about which, if any, of these groups are among nobles and commoners alike in
real, and which are simply rumor. In a the delicate but brutal games of power
given GM’s campaign, the answer to played by the Barovian elite.
which groups are active could be any, all, The membership of the Ba’al Verzi was
or none. secretive and pervasive. Many aristocrats
Just remember: three can keep a secret feared that their courtiers, servants, or
if two of them are dead. even kin could be assassins, just waiting
for the word to kill them. The Ba’al Verzi
Drea d Possibilities were synonymous with terror.
Each entry in this chapter includes a When Strahd made his pact with
section about several different possible darkness and slaughtered every living
truths involving the faction in question. person in Castle Ravenloft, a great many
Some might be “dark secrets” that even of the Ba’al Verzi—including the majority
the faction members themselves don’t of their leadership—were caught up in the
know, or possible futures if the faction bloodshed. Even skilled assassins were
continues on its current path. A few are no match for a powerful vampire, and
alternate versions of the group that might they died to a man. The few survivors
come into play in a given campaign, and were low-ranking killers who hid in the
countryside for years after the event,

237
 fearful that it might be the start of a purge the Barovian aristocracy. One of their
against their group rather than just a favored clients is Vasili von Holtz, a
senseless slaughter. minor nobleman whose list of enemies is
The remaining Ba’al Verzi passed on extensive and whose pockets are quite
their skills and knowledge from one deep. The assassins have taken many
apprentice to the next for several contracts from the von Holtz family over
centuries, gradually rebuilding their the years—all of which have actually come
numbers and power. They dare not from the same person, none other than
operate too openly in the present time, Strahd von Zarovich himself. The count
since they know that the lord of Barovia finds the Ba’al Verzi useful on occasion,
has no more patience for challenges to especially their terror of him personally;
his rule. The Ba’al Verzi might be the to avoid spooking them, he uses one of
only people in Barovia who know what his common aliases whenever he needs
Count Strahd really is—knowledge they them to kill an enemy of the state. Quite
dare not share outside their order, lest a few of the cabal’s other clients are
the count decide that loose lips must be puppets of the count as well.
sealed forever.
Though they retain the amoral,
avaricious character of their forebears,
the modern Ba’al Verzi are defined by The Church of Ezra
their abject terror of the monster that
nearly destroyed them once before. They Founded a little more than a century
will not take any mission that puts them ago in the nation of Borca, the Church of
into direct confrontation with Strahd von Ezra has become extremely popular
Zarovich, nor will they accept a job he among both the commoners and the
offers. nobility in that short amount of time. The
Church’s message of salvation from evil
and a happier world beyond the Mists in
Drea d Possibilities the arms of a loving goddess is appealing
Nosferatu: The Ba’al Verzi might have to the downtrodden, and its hierarchy
been simply skilled assassins at one point, that supports the temporal rule of mortal
but their inner membership has become leaders gives it credibility to the
rife with the supernatural in the centuries government. In many ways, the Church
since the slaughter at Castle Ravenloft. of Ezra is the state religion of Borca, and
The order has been subverted for some it is nearly as popular in several other
time to the will of Nicu Moldonesti, a nations.
nobleman they were contracted to kill The Church’s founding is intimately
who turned out to be a vampire. Amused tied to the first ruler of modern Borca,
by their tenacity, Nicu turned the cabal Camille Dilisnya. Her older brother
into his own tool and seized leadership Yakov had a severe riding accident as a
for himself. Now the Ba’al Verzi are young man, leaving him delirious for five
slaves to the same kind of monster they days and nights. When he awoke, he
feared. possessed miraculous powers and spoke
Servants of the Count: The Ba’al Verzi of communing with a forgotten goddess
avoid taking contracts from or against the called Ezra. He spent the rest of his life
ruler of Barovia. On the other hand, building a religion in her honor—a life
they’ll happily serve other members of that was cut short by his own sister when

238
she feared the power that he was Since that schism, the official Church
accumulating. policy has been to tolerate other “sects”
The riots that followed Yakov’s death of the faith, though only the original sect
were ended only when Camille made is considered the “one true faith.” There
public shows of favor to the Church and are currently four major sects recognized
officially converted to the faith herself. by the Church of Ezra, and the process of
Rumors speak of backroom deals being recognized as a “true revelation” of
between Camille and the remaining Ezra’s doctrine requires a series of
Church elders—deals which ultimately difficult tests of faith, doctrine, willpower,
caused the first schism of the faith, as and—some cynics claim—political savvy.
some priests decided that involving Sometimes called the Home Faith by
themselves so closely with politics was a adherents, the Church of Ezra in Borca is
distraction from the mysteries of Ezra. supervised by the Praesidius, the highest
cleric of the religion. Leaders of other
sects are known as bastions, while leaders
of major temples are called sentires.
Common priests are known as
anchorites.

Drea d Possibilities
The Fifth Sect: The Books of Ezra
speak of a terrible darkness which the
goddess holds back from the world. A
common theme in the Ezran faith is the
idea that worshipers are soldiers against
darkness. The number five is also
common in the Books, to the point that
many Ezrans hold it in superstitious
dread. A few members of the Church,
laymen and clergy alike, believe that the
revelation of a fifth true sect of the faith
will result in some terrible disaster, up to
and including the end of the world.
The Blood of Ezra: The doctrine of the
Church of Ezra says that the goddess
herself was once a mortal woman who
ascended to divinity due to her devotion,
goodness, and willpower. Some heretical
sects take the mortal origins of the
goddess a step further and hold that Ezra
bore children before her ascension, and
that her mortal lineage still exists to the
modern day. A particular small cult
scours the Land of Mists for signs of the
goddess and her history, hoping to find
her divine descendants. What happens

239
 then is anyone’s guess, but a few believe true purpose connected to their public
that being in proximity to a descendant of image. The inner circle of the group
Ezra will give them a direct connection to collects information from their forays,
the goddess herself. trying to piece it all together into a “grand
unifying theory” about the evils of the
world.
The Dawnguard
Drea d Possibilities
Most secret societies are hiding for a The Puppetmaster: The Dawnguard
good reason, if for bad ends. Thieves’ are fire-forged heroes, people who spend
guilds, cabals of necromancers, and every day of their lives risking everything
decadent social clubs all have reason to to protect the innocent—and who do it
fear their activities being exposed. The without promise of reward or fame. They
Dawnguard is something different—a make perfect patsies for the
secret society for the forces of good. organization’s true master. Who is this
In public, the Dawnguard is a simple shadowy figure manipulating them?
mercenary organization that hires out Some say the Dawnguard are merely
elite soldiers to protect caravans and puppets of Azalin Rex, the wizard-king of
villages, and to serve other non-political Darkon, who is noted for being obsessed
functions. Privately, the Dawnguard has with cosmological and metaphysical
many more members, all of whom work questions. Others say that the Dawnguard
to protect innocents from evil wherever it are dupes of the Fraternity of Shadows,
raises its head. who also know much of the true shape of
The Dawnguard keeps its activities things. In truth, the Dawnguard’s
secret for one basic reason: they know secretive purpose and cell-like structure
the truth, at least some part of it. The make it far too easy to manipulate their
founders of the Dawnguard were members—assuming one can find out
scholars, adventurers, and savants who about them in the first place.
started putting pieces together in their Four Horsemen: The Dawnguard’s
individual careers, then compared notes inner circle has come to a conclusion
to find a horrible picture emerging. They based on their exhaustive study of the
came to believe that each nation is a nature of reality: the world must be
prison cell for a singular damned soul, destroyed. The Land of Mists is nothing
and that some force is responsible for but a prison for evil, but countless
putting them there. Knowing that any innocents are trapped inside with the
leader or major figure of note could be a inmates. Believing that it is better to let a
monster in disguise convinced them to guilty man go free than to punish an
keep their existence as much of a secret innocent man alongside him, the
as possible. Dawnguard are actively looking for ways
The modern Dawnguard focuses its to unbind the darklords from their
daily activities on protecting the common domains (and kill them if possible), with
people of the Land of Mists. They use the ultimate goal of unraveling the world
the profits from their public front to fund itself. They have come to believe that a
expeditions against evil, occasionally better world exists beyond the Misty
working with other goodly organizations Border, but the only way to achieve it is
but being careful to avoid having their to end the current one.

240
 one another for years of slights and feuds.
The Ermordenung Relationships outside their circle are
impossible, since a single touch could
Borca is a land of poisonous beauty, prove fatal for an ordinary person.
and nothing embodies this paradox as
thoroughly as the Ermordenung. Publicly
known as the courtiers, friends, and Drea d Possibilities
hangers-on of the nation’s ruler, Ivana Best Friends Forever: The first of the
Boritsi, the Ermordenung are noted for Ermordenung was Nostalia Romaine, a
their grace, their beauty, and their friend of Ivana Boritsi’s since childhood.
coldness. Many of the Ermordenung are Nostalia helped Ivana murder Camille,
known to have shared in the same Ivana’s mother, and has been her strong
alchemical concoction that allows Ivana right hand ever since. Their friendship
to keep her youth and beauty, so there is has endured for decades—and it stands as
a great deal of maneuvering and infighting a perpetual roadblock to Ivana’s favor for
among the lesser courts to enter Ivana’s the other Ermordenung. More than one
good graces. of the group has tried to “remove”
Were the truth about the Ermordenung Nostalia quietly over the years, but since
known, people might be less anxious to their favored tactic—poisoning—doesn’t
join their number. While they do possess work on other Ermordenung, such
Ivana’s perpetual youth thanks to her attempts are almost always either abject
alchemical intervention, the side effects failures or expose the conspirators, and
are less than pleasant. The potion is a often both. That doesn’t stop people
deadly toxin that only some people from trying every few years, sometimes
survive imbibing; those that do survive with outside help.
have their entire body permeated with Addicted to Love: Ivana’s favor is what
poison, making every drop of their blood brings someone into the Ermordenung—
and sweat into a deadly venom. In and losing it can end a member’s life.
addition to being Ivana’s inner circle of While a single potion transforms an
companions, the Ermordenung also serve individual into one of the Ermordenung,
as her assassins, using their bodies as they require regular infusions to keep
deadly weapons against her enemies. The their youth and beauty. Only those willing
Ermordenung specialize in seducing to undertake the dreadful acts needed to
others and then killing them in intimate create the vital venom stay in the
moments with untraceable poisons from Ermordenung, since a single dose of the
their own bodies. concoction requires the heart’s blood of
While their position grants them many three people. The potion must be taken
benefits—including near-immortality and at least three times a year to arrest aging,
eternal youth—theirs is a lonely existence. and if the imbiber ever stops taking it,
Ivana is the sole arbiter of favor in their they age with unnatural speed until they
circle, making their long lives an exercise catch up to their true age. Ivana is
in keeping the moody, cruel woman unwilling to keep old or ugly people in
happy. She delights in destroying her clique, so most of the Ermordenung
relationships of any sort that emerge quickly become heartless serial killers to
among the Ermordenung that do not keep their position intact.
revolve around her, leaving her clique full
of bitter, jaded folk who grow to despise

241
 more inclusive. Only wizards with a
Fraternity of Shadows strong interest in illusion-based magic can
reach the highest ranks of the society, the
There are those who believe that the five-member board of directors called the
world is merely an illusion, a figment of Umbra. Between their many researchers
shadows and fog. This belief is especially and vast libraries, the Fraternity might
common among wizards, who can twist well know more of the secrets of the
the fabric of existence into new shapes Land of Mists than any other
through willpower and training. Many organization in the world.
have wondered over the years what truth
lies behind the illusion—and what benefit
it might gain them to know that truth. Drea d Possibilities
The Fraternity of Shadows is an The Traitor: Erik van Rijn was a
organization of spellcasters who actively member of the Fraternity of Shadows for
seek the truth behind the illusion that is many years. Frustrated by his inability to
the world. They have gleaned some basic gain ascension to the Umbra due to his
understanding of the shape of things, scholarly focus on transformative magic
such as the nature of darklords and rather than illusion, van Rijn ultimately
domains, and they have inferred the betrayed his colleagues and stole a great
existence of “higher powers” who direct many of their secrets before fleeing. The
affairs to their own purposes. Fraternity now scours the world for any
The Fraternity are no mere scholars, sign of their erstwhile brother, despite
however; they actively pursue knowledge rumors that van Rijn has used the
and secrets wherever they lie, hoping to forbidden knowledge he received for his
increase their personal power over reality betrayals to become something more—
itself through the acquisition of secrets. and less—than human.
Through ultimate understanding, the The Shadow War: The activities of the
Fraternity hopes to gain ultimate power— Fraternity bring them into frequent
and there is very little they would not do conflict with other secret societies. They
to get what they desire. have stolen relics from the Order of the
The Fraternity is a loose-knit coalition Guardians, snatched away prizes from the
whose members carry out their own Red Wagon Traders, saved targets of the
forms of research and inquiry, sharing Inquisition (for later dissection), and
information at twice-yearly gatherings that generally been quite the nuisance to
move between places of learning and virtually everyone else in the Land of
scholarship. They hide their meetings Mists who operates in secrecy. While the
under the guise of conferences and Fraternity has mostly managed to avoid
gatherings of colleagues, identifying one their actions coming back to haunt them,
another by their serpent-and-onyx their internal struggles for power
membership rings. The few people who sometimes expose them to outsiders. It’s
have heard of the Fraternity of Shadows only be a matter of time before one—or
at all generally dismiss it as yet another several—of their various enemies put two
private social club for elite intellectuals. and two together to suss out the identities
Most of the Fraternity’s membership is of the Fraternity’s members.
made up of male wizards, though they
have begun moving away from their
historical chauvinism in recent years to be

242
 idea of a truly cleansed domain appeals
The Inquisit ion to some, but most people who pursue the
rumor of an Inquisition homeland do so
The creatures of the night strike with in the hopes of finding the organization
impunity, killing good people and leaving and ending it at the source.
the rest in terror. Such monsters place Born of Shadows: The Inquisition’s
themselves above humanity, doing as they teachings are based on the writings of an
will with no fear of consequences. It will ancient holy knight, Kateri Shadowborn.
not stand. She wrote of many secret methods of
The Inquisition is an organization of rooting out and destroying evil. She
dedicated warriors, holy people, and would barely recognize the Inquisition as
common folk who have simply had being derived from her teachings, though.
enough of fear. They organized together Indeed, there is a corruption at the heart
to root out evil where it dwells, taking the of the Inquisition—a dreadful entity
fight to the darkness where the monsters known as Ebonbane. This cursed blade
dwell rather than simply waiting to defend holds a demonic intellect, one that
themselves when it comes. The manipulates the leaders of the Inquisition
Inquisition learns the face of evil, hunting toward freeing it, one lost soul at a time.
it with sword and flame and shouted Every drop of blood spilled by the
prayer. Inquisition’s dark tortures brings
If the Inquisition has a flaw, it is the Ebonbane a step closer to freedom.
zeal with which they pursue their holy
crusade. Inquisitors have no sense of
nuance or shade—the world is black and
white to them, good and evil. In their The Kargat
view, if someone sides against them, their
opposition must be evil rather than The wizard-king of Darkon, Azalin
simply misguided. Their methods are Rex, keeps order in his land through
harsh, sometimes brutal, and not even many means, both gross and subtle. The
the least bit subtle. The Inquisition has Kargat form the two extreme ends of
put more than one innocent person to those tactics—the iron hand in a velvet
the fire for the appearance of iniquity— glove. The common folk of Darkon
and if they feel any guilt for it, they dare know that the Kargat exist, though not
not let it show for fear that their superiors who its members are; this is to be
would do the same to them. expected for an organization of secret
police. The Kargat’s members maintain
Drea d Possibilities civilian identities, inform on dissident
A Realm Cleansed: Rumors persist that members of their community, quietly
the home domain of the Inquisition is a arrest or “remove” anti-government
place of safety from evil—that they have elements, and sometimes join forces to
purged it of every dark thing that walks, quickly and brutally destroy Azalin’s
crawls, or flies at night. Every inhuman enemies.
monster has been eliminated—as well as While the lower ranks of the Kargat are
every elf, dwarf, gnome, sorcerer, skilled mortal soldiers, spies, and
heathen priest, hedge witch, or common bureaucrats, their upper echelons are
peasant who does not accept the entirely monstrous in nature. Promotion
Inquisition as their moral compass. The in the Kargat involves transformation into

243
 a monster of some sort, such as infection unfair world. The religion’s appeal
with lycanthropy, being sired by a stretches across the social spectrum in
vampire, or a painful living Darkon, though its clergy wields no
mummification to become one of the official power and the religion relies on
undead. Few people are admitted into donations to maintain its many charities.
the higher ranks, since most of the Its priests never study magic, instead
existing leaders are at least semi- focusing on practical solutions to daily life
immortal, but many of them are and taking care of others. The religion’s
subjected to various mystical processes popularity and appeal doesn’t change the
that result in unique monstrosities. fact that it is a sham created by the Kargat
The Kargat are kept in line through as an experiment in social control. The
fear and devotion. Most of them owe secret police invented the religion out of
their immortality to Azalin, and they were whole cloth a century ago to toy with the
generally loyal subjects of the crown in idea of using faith to keep people in line,
their mortal lives. Long years as creatures and then as a flytrap for potential
of the night wear on sanity and loyalty revolutionaries and do-gooders. While
alike, though; not a small number of the the religion has passed into mortal
elder Kargat are corrupt, disloyal, or control and none of its modern members
simply apathetic to any part of their duty know the truth of its origins, the Kargat
that does not involve slaughter. still keeps a close eye on the Faith.

Drea d Possibilities
The Kargatane: It is well known that Keep ers of the Black
the Kargat use “civilian informants” to
maintain their network of information Feather
across the land of Darkon. Most of these
informants are unaware of the true nature Ravens are a symbol throughout the
of the Kargat’s upper ranks—but a few Land of Mists. They can represent death,
know the truth, and want to be part of it. fate, and the inevitability of time, but they
A particular vampire has begun using her also represent hope and freedom. A
informants as a source of food as well as raven can take to the sky, above it all, and
information, using her mind-controlling soar free of the bonds of earth. This dual
powers to make her “herd” loyal to her nature—hope and tragedy alike—is at the
rather than to the nation. She keeps them heart of the land of Barovia, as evinced
in line with her psychic charms, her by the traditional seat of national power:
beauty, and the promise of eventual Castle Ravenloft.
immortality. In the meantime, her “lesser The holding of that seat by the corrupt
Kargat” act as a vital network of Strahd von Zarovich is an insult to the
information and a means of keeping noble history of Barovia according to the
herself independent of her superiors Keepers of the Black Feather, a secret
should the need arise. society that holds ravens sacred and
The Faith of the Overseer: From the works against the dread Count Strahd.
Temple of Eternal Balance, the Faith of Many members of the Keepers are
the Overseer preaches its message of themselves ravenkin, a form of intelligent
simple living, the importance of avians who are larger than true ravens
community, and divine justice in an and possess inherent mystical abilities.

244
Others are wereravens, people who hold Drea d Possibilities
the blood of ravens and can transform Knights of the Raven: The Keepers of
between man and bird at will. The largest the Black Feather hold fast to an ancient
portion of the group are simply humans, and nearly forgotten faith, worshipping
men and women who believe that the Andral, a god of the sun and hope. Every
rule of Strahd von Zarovich—and by generation, a small number of Keepers
extension, all things of evil—must pass manifest Andral’s favor as holy warriors
away for hope to truly take flight once capable of channeling powers of light and
more. healing. These Knights of the Raven are
The Keepers are patient. They have the secret weapons of the Keepers, sent
worked in secret for generations to to distant domains to train and fight evil
arrange Strahd’s destruction, for they until the time they can be recalled to
know that they will have only one chance. bring justice to the dread lord of Barovia.
In the meantime, their agents move The Symbol of Ravenkind: The most
throughout the Land of Mists, gathering potent holy object of the Church of
weapons and relics—and looking for Andral is the Symbol of Ravenkind, a
heroes to aid their cause. The time draws platinum medallion shaped like the sun
near when the Keepers will make their with an amber crystal at its center. The
play. For better or worse, the hands of Keepers have long sought the Symbol,
fate move them toward their destiny. looting through various ruined temples
across the Balinok Mountains to find it.
Recent information indicates that the
Symbol might have been under their
noses all along—in Castle Ravenloft itself!
The paradox of stealing a weapon from
the lair of the creature they need it to kill
is not lost on the Keepers. They are
currently seeking potential third parties
willing to sneak into the castle and find
the Symbol, and who cannot be traced
back to the Keepers if things go wrong.

The Mor oi
Beneath some of the greatest cities in
the Land of Mists lie another world—a
mirror image of the society above.
Within these hidden subterranean cities
live the moroi, a race of blood-drinking
predators who regard themselves as
wolves to the sheep that are humankind.
Unlike vampires, the moroi are a race of
living, breathing people—albeit a race of
sociopaths and cannibals.

245
 The moroi look very human, except for reasoning that any information they learn
their retractable fangs and eyes that tend about the moroi won’t matter, since their
to glow in dim light. They are somewhat employer certainly intends to kill them
sensitive to bright light, so their artisans afterwards anyway.
have come up with smoked glass lenses From Below: The moroi have lived
that protect their eyes while they travel on beneath human cities for time
the surface. They tend to have a lean, immemorial, preying on the sheep above.
hungry look about them—the look of a At least a few young firebrands grow tired
hunter—and are very attractive by human of living in ramshackle huts and dank
standards. caverns while humankind grows wealthy
The moroi live underground not out of and comfortable above. They believe that
fear but to avoid the sun, which causes by suborning high-ranking members of
their sensitive eyes and skin discomfort. the government with their mind-
They do not fear humans, except in large controlling venom and earning the loyalty
numbers. They realize that too much of a few quislings, they can take direct
attention could be bad for them as a control of human society. In their grand
whole, so they generally limit their vision, humanity would become a vast
feeding to vagabonds and people who herd of food animals, living for no reason
won’t be missed, dragging them down other than to serve and feed the moroi.
into their underground lairs and keeping Many older moroi think this is just
them in pens to feed off of them for foolish youth speaking, but a few have
months or even years. Some moros “lone already begun the first steps toward
wolves” care nothing for their society, building their new world order.
instead preferring to kill with impunity
and watch their own backs. Most prefer
to be part of a “pack,” however.
Orde r of the Guardians
Drea d Possibilities Magic is a dangerous force, and objects
The Elders: Unlike vampires, moroi forged from dark magic are no less
are not immortal. They can live longer dangerous. The fact that an object can
than humans by a good amount, but they become magical through its maker’s
eventually die of old age—usually. Some obsession or madness is a disturbing truth
moroi mutate as they age for reasons no known to scholars of the arcane. The
one understands, turning into semi- occasional appearance of dangerous
immortal freaks that feed on flesh and objects infused with power and curses is a
bones as well as blood. These “elder serious problem throughout the Land of
moroi” lose their sanity and civility as Mists.
they age, forcing their kin to drive them The Order of the Guardians exists to
out into the dark places beyond the find such objects, contain them before
moroi city-caverns. These elders they can do too much harm, and then
(sometimes called “morlocks”) can be a transport them to distant places to find
continuing problem for the moroi, who means of destroying them. Some objects
fear and loathe them but are culturally resist destruction, so the Order also
disinclined to harm them personally. works tirelessly to house cursed items,
Some moroi could even be desperate keeping them from those who would use
enough to bring in humans to help,

246
them for evil or from foolish innocents act of obsession, terror, or rage. Can its
who would be harmed by them. existence be inferred from studying its
Because of their long pursuit of mystic works? Could it be understood? Could it
items, few people in the Land of Mists be killed? That is what the Guardians
are more knowledgeable about the truly wish to discover.
crafting of magic objects—and the
destruction of same—than the monastic
scholars of the Order of the Guardians.
Many of them are capable crafters of The Quevari
small magics themselves, though their
vows utterly forbid them from making Scattered throughout the Land of Mists
anything permanent. are small, isolated villages of people from
an ethnic group known as the Quevari.
Friendly, generous, and pleasant, the
Drea d Possibilities major quirks of the Quevari are their
Black Vault: The Guardians scatter staunch insistence of keeping to their own
their dangerous treasures across the villages and the fact that they don’t allow
world whenever possible, but some outsiders among their company during
objects are so malevolent that they the three nights of the new moon. Most
require near-constant observation from of their neighbors are content with the
highly-skilled scholars. Others have such explanation are the Quevari just have an
complicated enchantments that, even if unusual religion; those that suspect
they can’t be destroyed, they are too something unnatural are unwilling to
important to the Guardians’ research to pursue their investigations for fear of
leave in a hole in the ground a thousand making their friendly neighbors into
miles from civilization. Such things go to something dangerous.
a central location sometimes known as The Quevari are a ruddy-skinned
the Black Vault. The Vault, if it exists, is people who bear some resemblance to
home to a vast array of lethal the wandering folk, though the two
enchantments, dangerous objects, and groups do not admit to having any
horrific curses. The Guardians there relationship. The Quevari dress in bright,
must be rotated out regularly to keep contrasting colors; women tend to wear
them from going mad or being killed, but ankle-length skirts and heavy, colorful
it still happens sometimes. A mad shawls, while the men wear trousers,
Guardian fleeing the Vault with a suspenders, and white or grey shirts,
dangerous relic can turn into a serious limiting their use of bright colors to their
issue for the Order. coats, which are glorious patchwork
The Clock Maker’s Dilemma: Magic is rainbows. Both genders wear their hair
a force of chaos, without a doubt—but it is long, and married men tend to grow long,
usually a force that must be channeled by wild beards.
a will, human or otherwise. Some Except during the nights of the new
Guardians believe that the creation of evil moon, the Quevari are open and
relics is not a natural phenomenon at all, welcoming to outsiders in a way that few
but the intention of some unseen mover. other groups are in the Land of Mists.
This “prime evil” would be nearly The Quevari give to strangers generously,
omniscient, a godlike presence that asking nothing in return except for help
actively makes the world worse with every with chores and running errands. There

247
 are no inns in Quevari villages, but along their route certainly couldn’t have
there’s always a warm hayloft or empty anything to do with it. The Quevari are
house for travelers who need someplace just so nice.
to stay—and somehow, virtually every
family has always “cooked too much
anyway” if someone says they’re hungry.
The Quevari are kind and welcoming— Red Wag on Trading
except for three nights of the month.
Compan y
Drea d Possibilities Merchants, salvagers, and scavengers,
Dark of the Moon: The Quevari have a the Red Wagon Traders are known far
good reason for wanting to keep people and wide as the canniest and most
away during the new moon. During the ruthless mercantile organization in the
three nights of the month when the moon Balinok Mountains. The guildsmen of
is dark, the Quevari seemingly go mad. the Red Wagon happily sell weapons to
They lose all sense of self and become both sides of a battle, then pick the
very aggressive, engaging in fistfights, corpses for intact goods to resell later.
excessive drinking, gorging themselves on Among their services, the Red Wagon
food, running naked through the streets, Trading Company are also “finders of
and rutting like animals. They rarely lost objects.” They take contracts from
harm one another severely during these private individuals or organizations to
“monthly festivals,” but outsiders risk perform wide-ranging investigations in
death at the hands of the villagers at this order to find and recover stolen goods or
time of the month. The Quevari missing treasures—and sometimes to steal
themselves are aware of these periods of things that would be “better off” in their
horrific madness, but they avoid talking clients’ hands.
about it due to a sense of cultural shame Virtually everyone suspects that the Red
and a desire to not cause trouble for their Wagon Traders are heavily involved with
neighbors. They work very hard to keep the criminal underworld, but no one
outsiders from coming to their villages dares move against them due to their
during the new moon since they don’t value to the mercantile community of the
want to hurt anyone, but incidents region. Without the Red Wagons, few
happen every few years due to bad luck merchants would be willing to move their
or bad timing. goods across the dangerous roads of the
Monsters in Disguise: The Quevari are Balinoks, and outside trade would
not what they seem. Their friendly virtually cease. Quite frankly, the Red
appearance and colorful garb are an act Wagon Traders are the only people
designed to keep people from greedy—or crazy—enough to risk the Mists
discovering the truth of what they really on a regular basis for mere coin.
are. They might be lycanthropes, undead, The Red Wagon Traders are heavily
or some other kind of horrible creatures, involved in the criminal community as
but their human guises are mere set well as the mercantile community, but
dressing to lure unsuspecting travelers to mostly in a passive role. They act as
their doom. After all, if someone goes fences for stolen goods, they smuggle
missing on a long trip through the contraband for clients, and they help
wilderness, the friendly Quevari village paying customers avoid border patrols,

248
but they undertake very little overt Red Wagon Traders make immense
criminality themselves. The only profits from their various enterprises,
exception to this are their “finding their real mission is to be on the lookout
missions,” on which a Red Wagon for their leader’s missing head. Whoever
Trader loses what little scruples he might finds it would be rewarded beyond all
have normally in favor of theft, measure, so the traders pursue their duty
intimidation, bribery, and even murder. with zeal and vigor.
The Resistance: The ongoing ethnic
Drea d Possibilities strife between Barovia and Gundarak has
The Headmistress: The Red Wagon spanned generations and shows no signs
Trading Company was founded by noted of stopping. Every time it seems a peace
cat burglar Jacqueline Montarri to find might be won, a new atrocity arises that
something very precious to her—her enrages one side or the other. The Red
head. Cursed to a horrible half-life until Wagon Traders gently encourage such
she can find her severed head, living only atrocities in order to bolster their bottom
by stealing the heads of other women, line—sometimes even committing them
Montarri realized that she could never and laying blame on the other side,
search the whole world by herself. though this is a dangerous game. Lately,
Instead, she used her cunning and the traders have been propping up the
underworld connections to build an Gundarakite resistance movements with
organization loyal to herself. While the (slightly) discounted weapons in order to
improve the overall market.

Wandering Folk
Throughout the Land of Mists wander
many clans of rootless folk, people who
make no villages, build no settlements,
keep no towns. They live from their
covered wagons, stopping in unclaimed
land to put up temporary shelters when
they have need of them and moving on
without a second thought to the place
they leave behind. They hunt and forage
and trade for their food, selling their
services as guides, entertainers, tinkers,
and craftsmen. They are the wandering
folk.
Sometimes known as the Vistani, the
wandering folk can be found in virtually
every domain of the Land of Mists. They
come and go as they please, though they
frequently run afoul of local authorities
who would prefer to keep a tighter grip
on travel and traffic. Many settled people

249
 distrust the wandering folk as well, finding people perceive it is a lie. No matter how
their rootless ways to be suspect and their far the wandering folk travel, they are as
pagan faith to be morally bankrupt. much prisoners in the Land of Mists as
The wandering folk are accused of all everyone else, albeit prisoners with a
manner of criminal activity when they longer chain than most. Their captivity
come near a village, and they are chafes them, and they intend to be truly
generally the first to be blamed for free again, no matter the cost. To this
anything that goes wrong. In spite of that, end, they have undertaken a great
villages and towns often look forward to mystical working, of which the pattern of
the arrival of a caravan of the wandering their travels is just one small part. When
folk, since they bring with them exotic they complete their ritual, the Land of
music, beautiful dancers, foreign goods, Mists will be torn asunder, spewing its
and a canny understanding of nature that poison out into the greater universe—or
can be highly welcome to a far-flung possibly killing everyone in the world in
village. The fact that some caravans are one cataclysmic display of horror. Either
home to thieves, smugglers, and way, the Vistani will be free once more.
kidnappers only fuels the tarnished
reputation that the wandering folk live
under, even though the vast majority of
their people are decent and generous folk Van Richten Society
who want only to be left to their
traditional ways of life. Rudolph van Richten is one of the
foremost monster hunters in the Land of
Mists, an experienced and cunning
Drea d Possibilities scholar who knows more about the
People of the Mists: The wandering creatures that haunt the night than
folk command strange and mysterious virtually any other living person. In his
magical abilities that seem intricately journeys, he has made many allies and
connected to the nature of the Misty left behind many witnesses to his bravery
Border. Many Vistani can see the future, and compassion. Quite a few of these
commune with dangerous spirits, speak individuals have stayed in contact with
to beasts, or possess other unique Dr. van Richten and with one another
mystical talents. Perhaps the most over the years, forming a long-distance
dangerous ability possessed by the network of scholars, sages, and
wandering folk—and the one that makes researchers dedicated to stopping evil
every darklord hate or fear them, at least wherever possible.
a little—is their power to ignore closed The Van Richten Society is the
domain borders. The covered wagons of brainchild of the Weathermay family,
the Vistani can pass through a closed from a flippant comment by noted hero
border as though it were not there, as well George Weathermay who referred to the
as unerringly find their way down any doctor’s allies as “the van Richten
Mistway. The Vistani never fear appreciation society.” Dr. van Richten
becoming lost in the Mists, which makes himself has withdrawn largely from the
them far freer than most people will ever limelight as he has aged, acting instead as
know. a mentor to young heroes and training
Harbingers of the End: The Vistani the next generation of monster hunters.
know the truth—that reality as most The Van Richten Society keeps a watch

250
out for likely candidates to train with the they frequently possess detailed
good doctor, as well as consulting with information about cases very similar to
him and one another to offer advice to ones the recipients are currently working
local unaffiliated heroes. on—or will start working on soon after
receiving the letter.
Drea d Possibilities Van Richten’s Arsenal: Dr. van Richten
Bleak House: Dr. Rudolph van Richten has accumulated many powerful and
is dead. Indeed, he has been dead for dangerous relics over the years. While he
quite some time, which is why it is doubly has donated the largest portion of them
disturbing that his allies continue to to the Order of the Guardians, that still
receive letters from him. At first, they left him with a sizable number of mystical
considered it a cruel prank or an attempt objects that could be dangerous in the
by one of his enemies to draw out the wrong hands. Where did he keep them
good doctor’s remaining friends. But the all? Could an intrepid band of
letters increasingly demonstrate adventurers find and recover such a vast
knowledge that only Dr. van Richten treasure trove of magic? Even if so,
possessed. They do not acknowledge any should they?
response that speaks of his “death,” but

251
252
 Chapter 8:
Denizens of Dread

appropriate foes at certain tiers of power

Monsters of Ravenloft or experience.
The only “encounter balance” in the
This chapter deals with adversaries, system is the difficulty that the GM
enemies, and horrors of the night, presents and the players’ characters are
creatures and beasts enough to fill a willing to engage with. Because of the
world many times over. The collection of nature of the system, even a lowly zombie
nightmares in this chapter is intended to can occasionally get a lucky bite in—and
populate the Land of Mists with dangers even a group of novice adventurers can
aplenty for a group of stalwart rally their strength to put an end to the
adventurers. threat of a mighty vampire lord, with luck
Not all of them are necessarily intended and faith on their side.
to be used in the same domain or cluster, Because of the potentially lethal turn
or even in the same campaign. Each GM that almost any encounter can take,
should determine for himself whether or always be willing to give the characters an
not a given creature is appropriate for the opportunity to run if they decide to.
story his group is telling, and whether or Encourage fleeing every now and then,
not that monster would make sense in the possibly with NPC dialogue followed by
current area of that story. horrible screaming. Players who get into
Many of the creatures here are the mindset of “The GM gave us this
intended to be customized to some extent encounter, so naturally we can win!” may
before their use, or have several different not last long in the Land of Mists.
varieties that exist in different places For more advice about encounter
throughout the world. Feel free to adjust difficulty, see Crafting a Challenge in
the enemies here as needed. After all, Chapter Seven of Savage Worlds
one of the recurring themes in Ravenloft Adventure Edition.
is that research is necessary before
fighting a powerful foe. An encounter
with a similar monster can be dangerous Trea sure and Rew ards
if the heroes make too many assumptions Generally speaking, Ravenloft is not a
about their foe’s nature. setting that encourages its heroes to loot
corpses, rob graves, or pick through
enemies’ pockets for coin. Some such
Diffic ulty Levels acts might even be considered
One thing that Savage Worlds does desecration or theft in some cases, and
differently than virtually every previous truly callous individuals often find
version of Ravenloft is that it discards the themselves facing Dark Powers checks
notion of “challenge ratings” or “difficulty for their mercenary attitudes. That being
levels”—the idea that some monsters are said, powerful monsters sometimes have
valuables that can sustain a monster

253
 hunter’s expensive endeavors, and some Wild Cards
GMs and players find monetary rewards Some monsters and characters are
a major incentive for a party of noted as Wild Cards by the black skull
adventurers.
symbol (B) at the beginning of their
Since Ravenloft uses the Adventure
entries. These are the creatures that
Deck, it is recommended that permanent
should almost always be Wild Cards, but
magic items only show up when a player
remember even a single zombie might be
uses the Relic card from the adventure
a Wild Card if it’s the center of a tragic
deck. Consumable magic treasures such
tale, the leader or “alpha” of a horde, or
as potions and scrolls might appear in a
just a particularly nasty example of the
random treasure cache, but it’s more
type.
likely that such items are the result of
player character spellcasters using the
Artificer Edge or something similar. Edges and Hindrances
Even the poorest monster hunters Whenever relevant, Edges and
should get rewarded for their bravery in Hindrances not included in the Savage
some fashion, if only to give the players a Worlds Adventure Edition corebook will
sense of accomplishment. Non-monetary be followed by a superscript notation.
treasures like free room and board or Such notations include:
public acclaim might be all that some • FC: Fantasy Companion
villages can afford to give their heroes. • HC: Horror Companion
Personal touches, such as small gifts from • RR: Ravenloft Reincarnated
townsfolk, can be far more memorable
than another handful of coins.

254
 • Naturally Invisible: An akikage is
Denizens of Darkness naturally invisible and can only be
seen if it wishes itself to be seen—
usually to inspire dread in its
B Akikage intended victim. Any attempt to strike
Akikage, or shadow assassins, are an akikage in combat is at –6 unless
dreaded undead creatures spawned from the attacking character can see
stealthy killers who died while trying to invisible creatures or some method is
destroy an assigned victim. Restless spirits found to render the akikage visible.
who failed in their tasks, they rise from • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
their graves, obsessed with fulfilling their from being Shaken; immune to
incomplete missions. poison and disease; Called Shots do
An akikage is usually an invisible, no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
intangible spirit, but when it manifests, it Wound penalties.
looks like it did in life, albeit surrounded
by thick smoke and mist that render it
gray and indistinct. It usually appears in
Anc ient Dead
an assassin’s garb that hides its features.
The ancient dead, more commonly
While akikage understand all the
called mummies, are undead whose
languages they spoke in life, they never
bodies have been dried and preserved.
speak, always remaining silent in death.
The spirit is bound to the corpse through
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
powerful necromantic rituals known only
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
to a select few priests. Guardian
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
mummies are common servants and
Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Stealth d10
slaves, bound in death to guard a specific
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
place; mummy lords are nobles and
Edges: Acrobat, Assassin, Dodge
priests who were given greater care in
Gear: Shadow short sword (Str+d6,
their animation, and so possess greater
ignores non-magical armor), shadow darts
will and power.
(Range 3/6/12, Str+d4, ignores non-
Rumors abound of truly ancient dead—
magical armor)
mummies so powerful that they could
Special Abilities:
rightly be described as walking gods in
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid their own lands.
objects; cannot be harmed by non-
magical attacks; may become invisible
Guardian Mu mmy
(–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
The most common type of mummy,
• Fear: Being attacked or menaced by these creatures were former servants and
an invisible akikage, or having one soldiers, placed in tombs to guard them
manifest in its silent fury, is an event for all eternity.
worthy of a Fear check. Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit
• Fearless: Akikage are immune to the d10, Strength d12, Vigor d12
effects of Fear and Intimidation. Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8,
• Freezing Touch: Anyone who is Intimidation d8, Notice d6
Shaken or suffers a Wound from an Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10
akikage’s attacks must attempt a Vigor Edges: Arcane Resistance
roll at –2 or suffer a level of Fatigue. Special Abilities:

255
 • Fear: Anyone seeing a guardian B Mummy Lord
mummy must make a Fear check. Mummy lords were former priests and
• Fearless: Guardian mummies are mages, preserved for eternity and granted
immune to Fear and Intimidation. an unearthly life through arcane rituals.
• Mummy Rot: Any character who is Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
Shaken or suffers a Wound from a d12, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12
guardian mummy’s attack must Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
attempt a Vigor roll or contract d6, Fighting d10, Intimidation d10,
mummy rot (long-term chronic, Notice d8, Occult d10, Stealth d8
minor debilitating). Pace: 4; Parry: 7; Toughness: 13 (3)
• Shuffling Gait: Guardian mummies Hindrances: Vengeful (Major), Vow
roll a d4 running die. (Major: protect my tomb)
• Slam: Str. Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp)
Gear: Bronze breastplate (+3 Armor,
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
torso only)
from being Shaken; immune to
Special Abilities:
poison and disease; Called Shots do
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of • Fear (–2): Mummy lords inspire
Wound penalties. utter terror in those who look upon
their withered forms.
• Weakness (Fire): Mummies take +4
damage from fire. • Fearless: Mummy lords are immune
to Fear and Intimidation.
• Mummy Rot: Any character who is
Shaken or suffers a Wound from a
mummy lord’s attack must attempt a
Vigor roll at –2 or contract mummy
rot (Chronic disease). Any character
who dies from this disease or is killed
by a mummy lord’s unarmed attacks
rises from the dead as a zombie under
the mummy lord’s control 1d4 hours
later.
• Shuffling Gait: Mummy lords roll
a d4 running die.
• Slam: Str+d4.
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
from being Shaken; immune to
poison and disease; Called Shots do
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
Wound penalties.
• Weakness (Fire): Mummies take +4
damage from fire.

256
Animator is no longer considered inanimate for
Animators are malevolent spirits that purposes of acing on damage rolls
infuse objects with their dark essence and and other effects. An animator whose
cause them to move about like puppets. shell is destroyed is Shaken, but
These spirits animate objects to spread otherwise unharmed. Normally,
fear and protect their wards so that animators can inhabit human-sized or
whatever they inhabit produces a stead smaller objects, but especially
supply of negative emotions. When not powerful animators could
inhabiting an object, animators are theoretically inhabit bigger objects.
malevolent entities, prone to fits and • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
tantrums. When seen through abilities from being Shaken; immune to
that allow the detection of invisible poison and disease; Called Shots do
creatures, animators appear as vaguely no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
defined clouds of mist with the suggestion Wound penalties.
of a face.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Arayashka
Skills: Athletics d6, Notice d6, Stealth Snowfalls can be treacherous in high
d10, Taunt d10 mountains at the best of times, but the
Pace: 6; Parry: 2; Toughness: 7 worst of them can claim many lives at
Special Abilities: once. Between blizzards and avalanches,
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid it is no wonder that a great many people
objects; cannot be harmed by non- die with terror and regret great enough to
magical attacks; may become invisible reanimate them as arayashka, or “snow
(–6 to hit) as a limited free action. wraiths.”
• Fear: Seeing an object spring to life These frigid undead manifest only
from an animator’s possession during severe winter weather, seeking
inspires a Fear check the first time it victims from whom to drain life and
is witnessed. warmth. Dangerous but cowardly, snow
• Possession: An animator’s strength wraiths prefer to attack in numbers and
lies in its ability to inhabit an often choose to flee if losing a fight.
inanimate object (called a “shell”) and Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d6, Spirit
bring it to terrifying life. This only d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
requires the animator to move into Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice
the object and spend an action d6, Stealth d8
inhabiting it. While inhabiting an Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
object, the animator gains an armor Special Abilities:
bonus based on the object’s • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
construction (typically +1 for leather objects; cannot be harmed by non-
or cloth, +2 for wood, and +3 for magical attacks (except for fire); may
metal), and can use the object as a become invisible (–6 to hit) as a
weapon, effectively gaining a d6 in limited free action.
Fighting and inflicting damage based • Heat Drain: Within a range of Spirit,
on the material plus the animator’s the arayashka can drain heat from a
Strength. (So Str+d4 for leather or single source as an action. Using this
cloth, and so on.) An inhabited object ability extinguishes any flame up to

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 the size of a bonfire. If the wraith Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d6,
targets a living creature with this Intimidation d10, Notice d8,
ability, the creature makes a Vigor Performance d10, Stealth d8
roll opposed by the arayashka’s Spirit. Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
On a failure, the victim suffers a level Special Abilities:
of Fatigue. If successfully used on a • Claws: Str+d4.
creature Incapacitated from Fatigue, • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
the victim dies. objects; cannot be harmed by non-
• Immunity (Cold): The arayashka are magical attacks; may become invisible
creatures of pure cold, and thus suffer (–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
no harm from it. • Fear (–2): The banshee’s appearance
• Spawn: Any person slain by a snow is a terrifying apparition that can drive
wraith and in an area where snow can even brave men mad with fear.
fall has a 50% chance of rising as an • Flight: Pace 12.
arayashka during the next snowstorm. • Keening: A banshee may keen as an
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover action. Anyone within a Large Burst
from being Shaken; immune to Template centered on the banshee
poison and disease; Called Shots do must make a Fear check at –2 or
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of suffer a level of Fatigue. Those that
Wound penalties. are Incapacitated from this effect die
• Weakness (Fire): A snow wraith takes within 1d10 minutes unless they are
normal damage from even mundane revived with a Healing roll or the
fire attacks, such as being clubbed healing power.
with a flaming torch. Because they are • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
incorporeal, however, they cannot from being Shaken; immune to
catch fire. poison and disease; Called Shots do
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
Wound penalties.
B Banshee
Banshees are female spirits who take
one of three forms—a young maiden, a Barghest
matron-like figure, or an old crone. All Barghests are huge, black dogs. It is
dress in either a grey, hooded cloak or a said that anyone who sees a barghest is
funeral shroud. Their long nails may be destined to die soon, and the terror of
able to tear through flesh, but their most their appearance can sometimes induce
feared power is their terrible keening, heart attacks—making this something of a
which can drive a man mad. self-fulfilling prophecy.
A variant of the banshee, known as the Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A),
“washer woman,” comes in the form of a Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
cloaked figure washing blood stained Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
clothes. According to legend, these are Intimidation d8, Notice d6, Stealth d8,
the garments of those about to die from Survival d8
her wailing. Pace: 10; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit Edges: Fleet-Footed
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8

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 able to implant specific images and ideas
in the dreams of those they feed upon.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice
d8, Stealth d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
Special Abilities:
• Claws: Str+d4. Ignores non-magical
armor.
• Dream Feed: A bastellus can touch
an unconscious person to turn their
dreams into horrific nightmares,
feeding on the terror it causes. The
touched subject must make a Spirit
check at –2 or gain the Night Terrors
Hindrance for one week as well as
gaining a level of Fatigue that cannot
be removed by natural rest until the
Special Abilities: Hindrance is removed. Victims of
• Bite: Str+d6. repeated feedings by a bastellus can
• Curse: The first time the characters die from this slow draining of their
see a barghest during a session, they life force.
must make a Spirit roll at –2 or lose a • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
Benny. Characters with no Bennies objects; cannot be harmed by non-
instead suffer a level of Fatigue. magical attacks; may become invisible
• Fear: The howl of a barghest can (–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
inspire panic in all who hear it. • Fear (–1): Those unlucky enough to
Characters who must roll on the Fear stumble on a feeding bastellus suffer a
Table as a result of failing a Fear Fear check at –1.
check add +4 to their d20 roll. • Flight: Pace 6.
• Pounce: If a barghest makes a Wild • Invulnerability: A bastellus is immune
Attack, it adds +4 to the damage to non-magical attacks.
instead of +2. • Night Vision: A bastellus ignores
Illumination penalties, including Pitch
Darkness.
Bastel lus • Shadow Meld: When in Dim or
The bastellus, or “dream fiend,” is Dark Illumination, even when they
rarely seen by mortals, for it only appears would normally be visible, a bastellus
in the presence of sleeping creatures. blends with the darkness, increasing
Those who stumble across them during Illumination penalties to attack her by
feeding report the creature to look like a 2 points (maximum –6).
featureless but hulking humanoid • Size 1: A bastellus is a massive
shadow. These creatures do not shadow the size of a burly human.
communicate with the living in any • Sleep: A bastellus can use major
recognizable fashion, but they seem to be darkness and major slumber as

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 Innate Powers, each with the Area of prefer to lead their victims into deadly
Effect Modifier for a Large Burst traps or fights with other local beasts.
Template. A creature that resists its Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
slumber power is immune to it for 24 d6, Strength d4-2, Vigor d6
hours. Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d4, Notice
• Weakness (Light): A bastellus in d8, Stealth d10, Taunt d8
normal or brighter light is Distracted Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 3
and Vulnerable. They cannot exist in Hindrances: Mean
sunlight, and actually vanish from Edges: Humiliate, Retort, Work the
reality between dawn and dusk. Room
Special Abilities:
• Faerie Magic: Black sprites can cast
Bat, Giant major invisibility (self only) and major
Giant bats are larger than regular bats, illusion as Innate Powers.
as well as more vicious. Despite the fact • Flight: Pace 10.
that most normal bats are fruit or insect • Size –2 (Small): Black sprites are tiny
eaters, the majority of giant bats are creatures, standing less than two feet
predators and blood drinkers. tall.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4 (A),
Spirit d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice Boar
d10, Stealth d8 Wild boars are hunted for their rich
Pace: 1; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3 meat. They are tenacious fighters,
Special Abilities: especially when wounded.
• Bite: Str+d4. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A),
• Blindsense: Giant bats ignore Spirit d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10
invisibility, illusion, and all Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice
Illumination penalties. d6, Stealth d6
• Flight: Pace 8. Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 (1)
• Size –2 (Small): Giant bats measure Edges: Berserk
three feet long but have a wingspan Special Abilities:
double that. • Armor +1: Tough hide.
• Tusks: Str+d4. These count as horns
for purposes of making charging
Black Sprite attacks.
These tiny faerie folk possess vicious
and sadistic demeanors. Standing only
two feet tall and resembling tiny, Bro ken One
dragonfly-winged elves, black sprites wear Broken ones are hideous combinations
bright, ragged clothing that makes them of human and animal, created through
seem cheerful and friendly. Their the less-than-tender mercies of a mad
pointed teeth only show when they laugh, scientist. The typical broken one
which they often do at their mischievous unwholesomely combines the humanoid
and frequently lethal practical jokes. with distorted animal features. It stands
Black sprites (known also as baobhan hunched and, while it can run upright,
sith), dislike direct confrontation and prefers to move on all fours. Their

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fingers, though tipped in small claws, are bite must attempt a Vigor roll or
dexterous enough to use weapons and become paralyzed for 2d6 rounds.
tools. These foul beasts can talk, but with • Size 2: Carrion crawlers are roughly
a growling, rough voice. ten feet long and weigh about 500
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit pounds.
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d4, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice
Carrionette
d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d8
When in repose, a carrionette appears
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
to be nothing more than a brightly
Hindrances: Outsider (Major), Ugly
painted marionette with jointed limbs and
(Major)
holes where a puppeteer’s strings might
Edges: Fleet-Footed
go, though the strings themselves are
Special Abilities:
absent. The strings matter little, as the
• Bite: Str+d4. carrionette is perfectly capable moving
• Fear (+1): The pathetic horror of the without aid. The carrionette’s most
broken one can inspire fear, but they feared power is the ability to usurp
are sadder than scary. control over a living body.
• Frenzied Attack: Broken ones can Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
attack with a mad frenzy unheard of d8, Strength d8, Vigor d10
in saner creatures. When they Wild Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6,
Attack, they inflict +4 damage instead Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Persuasion
of +2. d6, Stealth d10, Taunt d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Special Abilities:
Carrion Crawler • Construct: +2 to recover from being
Carrion crawlers are aggressive Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound
subterranean scavengers, about ten feet penalties; immune to poison and
long, greatly feared for their paralyzing disease.
attacks. They scour their underground • Fearless: Carrionettes are immune to
territory for dead and decaying flesh but Fear and Intimidation.
won’t hesitate to attack and kill living • Possession: A carrionette can take
creatures. Carrion crawlers resemble possession of an immobilized
giant caterpillars, but their mouth is humanoid by driving a needle into
ringed by eight tentacles dripping with the base of the victim’s neck. The
paralytic venom. victim must be completely unable to
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A), resist, either because it is unconscious
Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 or because it has been paralyzed by
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice silver needles. While possessing a
d6, Stealth d6 living host, the carrionette’s own body
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9 (1) is helpless. The carrionette keeps his
Special Abilities: own Smarts and Spirit, and skills
• Armor +1: Tough hide. linked to those attributes, but gains all
• Bite: Str+d4. of his host body’s physical abilities. If
• Poison: Anyone who is Shaken or the possession lasts at least an hour,
Wounded by the carrion crawler’s the victim possesses the carrionette’s

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 body in the same fashion. Crawling Claw
Carrionettes thus take great care to Crawling claws are animated severed
lock up their doll bodies or otherwise hands. Three different varieties have
incapacitate them, since the been recorded, though all share the same
destruction of the doll body will kill traits. The first are those of murderers. In
the carrionette and free the possessed this instance, the hand somehow
victim to return to his own body. reanimates after death and sets out on a
• Silver Needles: Carrionettes carry a murderous spree. The second belong to
small quiver of silver needles, which sorcerers who have learned how to
they can throw as weapons with a detach their hands and send them to
range of 3/6/12. A needle that hits perform errands. Not all of these are
does no damage, but forces the target necessarily evil.
to make a Vigor roll. On a failure, the The third sort are vengeful creatures,
victim suffers a level of Fatigue. If the usually belonging to accident victims who
target becomes Incapacitated from have had their hands severed but seek
this, he is paralyzed and helpless. revenge. The hand seems to take on a
• Size –2 (Small): Carrionettes stand will of its own, carrying out a terrible
between one and two feet tall. revenge on those who have wronged their
former owner.

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Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6 (A), • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
Spirit d10, Strength d4-3, Vigor d8 objects; cannot be harmed by non-
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d4, Notice magical attacks; may become invisible
d4, Stealth d12 (–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 3 • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
Special Abilities: from being Shaken; immune to
• Scuttle: Crawling claws rolls a d4 poison and disease; Called Shots do
running die instead of a d6. no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
• Size –3 (Very Small): Crawling claws Wound penalties.
are the size of a human hand.
• Throttle: A crawling claw cannot
inflict the Bound or Entangled Crocotta
conditions while grappling. Instead, if The crocotta looks like a scaly wolf,
a crawling claw gains a raise on its except for its jaws, which are as long as a
Athletics roll, it begins to strangle the crocodile’s. The beast’s jaws are powerful
victim. A strangling victim is enough to bite through nearly any
Distracted and Vulnerable; at the start material.
of their turn, the victim must make a Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6 (A),
Vigor roll at –2 or suffer a level of Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Fatigue. Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6,
Intimidation d6, Notice d10, Stealth d6
Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4
Crimson Mist Edges: Fleet-Footed
Horrific, semi-corporeal undead that Special Abilities:
lurk in swamps and other misty regions, • Bite: Str+d8, AP 10.
the crimson mist is a blood-draining • Size –1: A crocotta is the same size as
fiend. They appear as grey clouds until a large dog.
they feed, when they change to pink
through to dark red as they consume B Leucrotta
more blood. Their preferred tactic is to Legend says that a crocotta that devours
mingle with natural mist, allowing them to enough human flesh eventually grows to
approach unsuspecting victims with ease. double its original size and becomes
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit intelligent. A leucrotta can mimic human
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8 voices, the more easily to draw prey out
Skills: Athletics d6, Notice d8, Stealth into the night where it can be picked off.
d10 The physical changes it undergoes as it
Pace: 0; Parry: 2; Toughness: 8 grows make its jaws less lethal, however.
Special Abilities: Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
• Blood Drain: A blood mist covers an d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
area equal to a Medium Burst Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6,
Template, hitting automatically and Intimidation d8, Notice d10,
causing 2d4 damage to everyone in Performance d10, Stealth d8, Taunt d6
the template, ignoring physical armor. Pace: 8; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
• Fearless: Blood mists are immune to Edges: Fleet-Footed
Fear and Intimidation. Special Abilities:
• Flight: Pace 6. • Bite: Str+d6, AP 1.

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 • Low Light Vision: A leucrotta ignores Gear: Long sword (Str+d8), medium
attack penalties for Dim and Dark shield (+2 Parry, –2 cover), plate armor
lighting. (+4 Armor)
• Mimic: A leucrotta can mimic any Special Abilities:
human voice it has ever heard, giving • Balefire Weapons: Anyone struck by
it a +2 bonus on Performance Tests. a death knight’s weapons has a
chance of catching fire (SWADE
127). The death knight’s burning
weapons inflict +2 damage.
B Death Kni ght
When a once-noble warrior forsakes • Death Magic: A death knight gains
his vows and turns to darkness before several magical powers in his
dying, the Dark Powers can intervene to transition to the living dead. A death
make his end a restless one. A death knight has 20 Power Points and
knight gains vast powers but is cursed to typically has the following powers:
know only pain and suffering rather than barrier (wall of ice), blast (fireball),
the sweet release of death. He is smite (intensify balefire), and zombie
constantly reminded of the price of his (skeletal minions). Use Focus as the
dishonor, and the consequences of his arcane skill for these powers.
poor choices. Some death knights choose • Fear (–1): The appearance of a death
to grip even harder to a strict, merciless knight is worthy of a Fear check.
code of honor in death, hoping that it will • Invulnerability: A death knight can be
eventually lead to their redemption, while Shaken but not Wounded by non-
others embrace their honorless ways. magical weapons.
A death knight looks like a corpse, • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
either rotten or near-skeletal, wearing a from being Shaken; immune to
blackened suit of plate armor, wielding poison and disease; no additional
the tarnished weapons it carried in life. damage from called shots; does not
The death knight’s blade flickers with suffer wound modifiers.
black fire, and the air around it is chilled
with terror. Some death knights can
command the loyalty of a nightmare to Doom Guard
ride into battle, while others settle for a A doom guard is a suit of plate armor
skeletal or zombie horse. that has been magically animated into a
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit fearless soldier in the service of its maker.
d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10 The cost of creating a doom guard is
Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d10, Common prohibitively high, so they are more often
Knowledge d6, Fighting d10, Focus d8, used as guardians for a place or object
Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Persuasion than as field soldiers.
d6, Riding d8, Stealth d8 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4 (A),
Pace: 6; Parry: 9 (11 with shield); Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Toughness: 13 (4) Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice
Hindrances: Code of Honor or d6, Stealth d6
Bloodthirsty Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 11 (5)
Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp), Block, Edges: Block, Sweep
Champion (Evil), Combat Reflexes, Gear: Long sword (Str+d8)
Command, Frenzy, Level Headed Special Abilities:

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• Armor +5: Old-fashioned plate B Drea d Treant
armor. Dread treants are malevolent trees
• Construct: +2 to recover from being capable of movement. Some are formed
Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound by desecration of old burial grounds,
penalties; immune to poison and some are possessed by spirits or demons,
disease. and others exist where industrial
• Fearless: Immune to Fear and dumping has corrupted the land. They
Intimidation. resemble standard trees, but their bark is
black and a sticky red sap oozes
continually from gaps in the bark. Most
Doppelganger have “facial” features, formed from knots
In their natural state, these creatures and twists in the wood.
are gray skinned and unnaturally thin. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
They can alter their appearance to look d8, Strength d12+3, Vigor d10
like anyone they’ve ever seen, however; Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice
they’ll often kill a party member, take d8, Stealth d6, Survival d6
their place, and attack from within when Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 15 (2)
the group is at its most vulnerable. Worst Edges: Sweep (Imp)
of all, doppelgangers have limited mind- Special Abilities:
reading abilities, allowing them to fake • Armor +2: Thick bark.
knowledge in their mimicry. • Camouflage: A dread treant gains +4
The elite of the doppleganger race are on Stealth rolls in forests.
the so-called “dread dopplegangers,” • Lashing Branches: Str+d10, Reach 1.
sometimes known as “mind eaters” by • Size 6 (Large): Dread treants stand up
their own kind. These Wild Card to thirty feet high.
dopplegangers can eat a victim’s brain to • Weakness (Fire): Fire-based attacks
assume their shape and memories do +2 damage; dread treants risk
indefinitely. catching fire on a roll of 5-6 on a d6.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Performance
d10, Persuasion d10, Stealth d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
Special Abilities:
• Skilled Imitator: A doppleganger can
use major disguise (self only) and
major mind reading as Innate Powers
with Smarts as their arcane skill.
They are limited to assuming the
appearance of humanoids of Size –1
to +1, though their Toughness does
not change.

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 • Size –1: Drownlings are the size of
human children.
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
from being Shaken; immune to
poison and disease; Called Shots do
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
Wound penalties.

Elemental, Dread
Experienced spellcasters can cause the
elemental spirits themselves to manifest
and fight on their behalf. Unfortunately,
such summoning sometimes go terribly
wrong, resulting in an elemental infused
with the dread nature of the land itself.
Such “dread elementals” corrupt and
twist their native elements into something
deadly and horrible. A particularly cruel
caster can choose to summon dread
elementals instead of their pure
counterparts, but such an action is one of
Drownling undeniable evil.
Although death is never pleasant,
drowning is said to be a particularly nasty Blood Elemental
way to die. Drownlings look like they did Corrupted water elementals, blood
in life, but wear water-soaked clothes elementals can form from large pools of
which never dry out. The vast majority of blood or the water drawn from the lungs
drownlings are children, though no one is of drowned men. They appear as
quite sure why. shapeless crimson blobs, constantly
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit extending and reabsorbing thin tendrils.
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 Blood elementals are the most
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6, Notice methodical and deliberate of all dread
d6, Persuasion d8, Stealth d6 elementals. Free blood elementals take
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 their time stalking their conjurer, enjoying
Special Abilities: the chance to cause collateral destruction
• Drown: At the start of a turn in which during the pursuit.
a creature is being grappled by a Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
drownling, the victim must make a d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Vigor roll at –2 or suffer a level of Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice
Fatigue. A creature Incapacitated by d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d8
this ability perishes in a number of Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7
rounds equal to their Vigor die unless Special Abilities:
resuscitated. • Aquatic: Pace 12.
• Fearless: Immune to Fear and • Blood Drain: A blood elemental that
Intimidation. slams a target also draws out the

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 target’s blood through his pores. A • Invulnerability: Blood elementals are
victim Shaken or Wounded by the immune to all non-magical attacks
elemental’s slam attack must succeed except fire. A torch or lantern causes
on a Vigor roll or suffer a level of them 1d6 damage but is instantly put
Fatigue. out if it hits.
• Elemental: Ignore additional damage • Seep: Blood elementals can squeeze
from Called Shots; ignore 1 point of through any porous gap as if it were
Wound penalties; immune to disease Difficult Ground.
and poison. • Slam: Str+d6, nonlethal damage.
• Gorespout: Blood elementals can
project a torrent of water using the Grave Elemental
Cone Template and their Shooting Grave elementals appear as a vaguely
skill. Those within take 2d6 humanoid shape, comprised of chalky
nonlethal. earth and clay, with bits of corpses,
• Immunity: Immune to water-based shattered coffins and headstones
attacks.

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 protruding from its body. Like earth • Elemental: Ignore additional damage
elementals, grave elementals are direct from Called Shots; ignore 1 point of
and brutal in combat. They directly Wound penalties; immune to disease
charge toward opponents and attempt to and poison.
pound them into dust. • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit objects; cannot be harmed by non-
d6, Strength d12, Vigor d10 magical attacks; may become invisible
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice (–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
d4, Stealth d6 • Evil Infusion: A mist elemental may
Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 11 (4) use the puppet power, with Spirit as
Special Abilities: the arcane skill. The mist elemental
• Armor +4: Rocky hide. has 20 Power Points with which to
• Bash: Str+d6. use this power.
• Buried Alive: As an action, the grave • Flight: Pace 8.
elemental can target a single normal- • Wind Blast: Mist elementals can send
sized foe. A mass of worm-eaten bony directed blasts of air to knock their
arms burst from the soil and attempt foes away. They may choose one
to drag the foe under. This acts as the target or a Cone Template, and use
entangle power, using Spirit as the their Shooting skill for the roll. Those
arcane skill at no Power Point cost. affected make a Strength roll (at –2 if
• Burrow: Pace 10. the elemental gets a raise) or are
• Elemental: Ignore additional damage hurled back 2d6” and knocked
from Called Shots; ignore 1 point of prone. Anyone who strikes a hard
Wound penalties; immune to disease object (such as a wall) takes 2d4
and poison. nonlethal damage.
• Immunity: Immune to earth-based
attacks (including thrown stones or Pyre Elemental
powers with earth, mud, sand, or A pyre elemental manifests as a slender
stone Trappings). column of incredibly intense blue flame
with whipping tendrils of fire. Charred
Mist Elemental bits of bone can be seen dancing in the
Mist elementals form from the essence column’s flames. Pyre elementals revel in
of the Mists themselves. They appear as a consuming all material things, lashing out
harmless, drifting cloud of white vapor, with burning tendrils to leave behind the
allowing them to become invisible in stench of charred flesh.
foggy areas. Mist elementals are fast and Attributes: Agility d12+1, Smarts d8,
maneuverable, like their air elemental Spirit d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
forebears. They enjoy chasing opponents Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Notice
and hurling victims to their doom from d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6
great heights. Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 5
Attributes: Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit Special Abilities:
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 • Dance of Death: As an action, a pyre
Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice elemental can touch a corpse and
d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d10 revive it as a zombie or skeleton. This
Pace: —; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 creature bursts into flames and races
Special Abilities: around, attacking creatures and

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 setting fires at random. The creature’s Edges: Assassin, Humiliate, Retort,
attacks can cause victims to catch fire Streetwise, Strong Willed, Very Attractive
(SWADE 127). The skeleton or Gear: Rapier (Str+d4, +1 Parry), fine
zombie itself suffers 2d4 damage each clothes
round at the end of its turn. Special Abilities:
• Elemental: Ignore additional damage • Immunity: Ermordenung are
from Called Shots; ignore 1 point of immune to all poisons and toxins.
Wound penalties; immune to disease • Poison Touch: An ermordenung can
and poison. deliver deadly poison as a Touch
• Fiery Touch: Str+d6 chance of Attack. A touched victim must
catching fire (SWADE 127). attempt a Vigor roll or suffer the
• Flame Strike: Pyre elementals can effects of Paralyzing poison. This also
project a searing blast of flame using affects anyone who has intimate
the Cone Template and their contact with the ermordenung, such
Shooting skill. Characters within take as a kiss or a lengthy embrace with
3d6 damage and may catch fire skin contact, which causes the Vigor
(SWADE 127). roll to have a –2 penalty and failure to
• Immunity: Pyre elementals are inflict Lethal poison.
immune to fire and heat-based
attacks.
Gelatinous Blob
This horrible creature is basically an
amorphous mass of acidic jelly with an
B Ermordenung insatiable hunger. It might be a horror
Once normal humans, the from the Mists, a mobile fungal infection,
ermordenung have been altered by foul or life created from industrial pollution
alchemy to become the most loyal and run rampant.
elite operatives and assassins of the ruler Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d4 (A),
of Borca, Ivana Boritsi. Living as Spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d12
members of the ruling class, they appear Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d4, Notice
as normal human beings of beauty, d6, Stealth d4
nobility and grace. Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 9
Both men and women are exceptionally Special Abilities:
tall and marked by black hair, dark eyes • Blob: +2 to recover from being
and an unusually pale complexion. Most Shaken; immune to poison and
importantly, however, virtually every fluid disease; does not suffer Wound
in their body—blood, sweat, even tears— modifiers; no extra damage from
have become deadly poison. Called Shots.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit • Engulf: A gelatinous blob gains +4 on
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Athletics rolls to grapple foes. Any
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge creature grappled by the blob suffers
d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice 2d4 acid damage at the end of its
d6, Performance d8, Persuasion d8, turn.
Stealth d8, Taunt d8, Thievery d8 • Fear: Anyone seeing the creature
Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with rapier); must make a Fear check.
Toughness: 6
Hindrances: Arrogant, Ruthless (Major)

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 • Gelatinous: A gelatinous blob suffers Additional Special Abilities
half damage from physical attacks. Ghosts are unique beings, each with
Fire and other forms of energy harm their own special powers and weaknesses.
it normally. The following special abilities are
• Mindless: A gelatinous blob is possible powers for a ghost to possess.
immune to Fear and mental Tests. • Heart Stopper: The ghost can reach
• Size 1: A gelatinous blob is large into a living person’s chest and grab
enough to completely engulf a human their heart, inflicting horrible wounds
foe. while not leaving any apparent marks.
• Slow: Gelatinous blobs have a d4 The ghost attempts a touch attack (+2
running die. to Fighting); on a success, the target
• Very Resilient: A gelatinous blob can makes a Vigor check or suffers a level
take two Wounds before being of Fatigue.
Incapacitated. • Near-Omniscient: The ghost is
usually lurking about in the
background, watching the living and
B Ghost waiting for a chance to strike. At the
Spectres, shades, and phantoms GM’s discretion, it can know most
sometimes return from death to haunt anything the heroes say or do while in
the living or fulfill some lost goal. The its domain.
ghost described in this entry is a weak • Telekinesis: A poltergeist, or “noisy
spirit, only just returned from the grave or spirit,” is a type of ghost able to move
confused in death. objects with great force. The ghost
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit knows the telekinesis and havoc
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 powers and has 20 Power Points
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge available for their use. The ghost uses
d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d12, Notice Spirit as the arcane skill.
d12, Stealth d12, Taunt d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
Gear: Thrown objects (Str+d4)
Special Abilities:
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid
objects; cannot be harmed by non-
magical attacks; may become invisible
(–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
• Fear (–2): Ghosts cause Fear checks
at –2 when they let themselves be
seen.
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
from being Shaken; immune to
poison and disease; no additional
damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
point of Wound penalties.

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Weaknesses cannibals while among the living, finding
Most ghosts have their own special the transition to undeath easy and
vulnerabilities, and a clever or dedicated sadistically enlightening. Ghoul lords are
investigator can determine these Wild Cards, and frequently have
weaknesses before going into battle. somewhat higher attributes as well.
• Bane: The ghost is vulnerable to Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
something associated with its life or d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
death. This might be the noose a man Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d6,
was hanged with, the gun that killed Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8,
him, his wedding ring, and so on. Survival d8
Presenting this object grants a Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
character +4 on Tests against the Special Abilities:
ghost. • Claws/Bite: Str+d4.
• Fetter: Some spirits are bound to an • Infravision: Ghouls halve penalties
object or place, such as the home (round down) for bad lighting when
they lived in or their most precious attacking living targets.
possession. If their anchor is • Keen Nose: Ghouls get +2 to Notice
destroyed utterly, they lose their grip rolls against living targets, as well as
on the mortal world and fade from +2 on Survival rolls made to track the
existence. living.
• Resolution: Most spirits linger • Paralysis: Creatures Shaken or
because they want something. A Wounded by a ghoul’s bite attack
murdered woman might wish to must make a Vigor roll or be
reveal her killer’s identity, or a dead Stunned.
child might want his body returned to • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
his family. If whatever brought the from being Shaken; immune to
spirit back is resolved in some poison and disease; Called Shots do
acceptable way, it fades from the no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
physical world and does not return. Wound penalties.
• Salt: The purifying power of salt can
hold back a ghost or even damage it.
The ghost cannot cross an unbroken Goblyn
barrier of salt, and salt counts as a No one is sure of the origin of the
magical weapon. Even a thrown hideous humanoids called goblyns, only
handful of salt inflicts 2d4 damage. that they are a serious problem
throughout many domains, particularly
the Forlorn Land. Twisted and hideous,
Ghoul their skin is a greenish-brown color, and
Ghouls are vile undead scavengers, their shaggy black hair forms a greasy
feasting off carrion and unfortunate mane atop their malformed skulls. The
victims who cross their path. They look fanged mouth of a goblyn can open to an
like gray-skinned, emaciated humans, extraordinary width, seeming to take up
their features twisted and bestial. half their faces, and their eyes glow like
Rare ghouls become far more dying embers.
intelligent and ferocious, becoming ghoul Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
lords. Such creatures were often d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

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 Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, species or multiple species, including
Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Shooting d6, men and beasts alike.
Stealth d8 Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
Pace: 5; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4 d8, Strength d12, Vigor d10
Special Abilities: Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
• Bite/Claws: Str+d4. Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Stealth d6
• Infravision: Goblyns halve penalties Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9 (1)
for Illumination against warm targets. Edges: Arcane Resistance, Berserk
• Fear: The horrific bite attack of a Special Abilities:
goblin is grounds for a Fear check. • Armor +1: Hard skin and muscle.
• Fearless: Goblyns are immune to • Construct: +2 to recover from being
Fear and Intimidation. Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound
• Feast: With a raise on a bite attack, a penalties; immune to poison and
goblyn strikes its target’s least- disease.
armored location. If a character • Fear: Characters seeing a corpse
suffers a Wound from such an attack, golem must make a Fear check.
they must attempt a Vigor roll at –2 • Fearless: Golems are immune to Fear
or suffer the effects of the Ugly and Intimidation.
(Minor) Hindrance until fully healed. • Resilient: A corpse golem can take
A second failed Vigor roll from a one Wound before being
goblyn’s feast attack increases this to Incapacitated.
Ugly (Major). • Size 1: Corpse golems stand around
• Painless: Goblyns feel little in the way seven feet tall.
of pain. They gain a +2 bonus to • Slow: Corpse golems roll a d4 for
Spirit rolls made to recover from their running die.
being Shaken. Wild Card goblyns
(which are thankfully rare) never Glass Golem
suffer Wound penalties. These unusual constructs are crafted to
• Size –1: Goblins stand around four resemble a stained glass warrior and are
feet tall on average. most often used as guardians in temples.
Unlike other golems, they are almost two-
dimensional, being no thicker than a
Golems pane of glass.
Golems are magical constructs, given Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
life through the imprisonment of a spirit d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
within the golem’s body. Creating one is Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10,
costly and laborious, and few mages have Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8
the requisite knowledge. Despite being Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 10 (2)
inhabited by a spirit, golems cannot talk Edges: Arcane Resistance
and are usually barely aware. Gear: Enchanted glass sword (Str+d10),
enchanted small glass shield (+1 Parry)
Corpse Golem Special Abilities:
The vilest golems are those crafted • Armor +2: Glass golems are depicted
from the body parts of corpses. wearing plate armor. Despite being
Depending on the creator, the golem may glass, it is magically hardened and acts
be stitched together from the parts of one as metal armor.

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• Construct: +2 to recover from being Metal Golem
Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound Typically crafted in humanoid form
penalties; immune to poison and from iron or bronze, these golems are
disease. among the most powerful of their kind.
• Fearless: Golems are immune to Fear Some creators give their metal golems
and Intimidation. long swords instead of hands, allowing
• Resilient: A glass golem can take one them to attack more often.
Wound before being Incapacitated. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
• Size 1: Glass golems average 8 feet d8, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12
tall. Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice
• Weakness (Blunt Weapons): Glass d6, Stealth d4
golems take +4 damage from blunt Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 17 (5)
weapons, such as clubs and hammers. Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp), Sweep
(Imp)
Special Abilities:
• Armor +5: Magically hardened metal.
• Construct: +2 to recover from being
Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound
penalties; immune to poison and
disease.
• Fearless: Golems are immune to Fear
and Intimidation.
• Slam: Str+d10.
• Size 4 (Large): Metal golems stand
over 10 feet high and weigh 6,000
pounds.
• Very Resilient: A metal golem can
take two additional Wounds before
being Incapacitated (for a total of
three Wounds including Size).

Stone Golem
Stone golems are the traditional
animated statue. As with most golems,
they are shaped in the form of warriors
and serve as guardians.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d10, Notice
d6, Stealth d4
Pace: 5; Parry: 7; Toughness: 14 (3)
Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp)
Special Abilities:
• Armor +3: Magically hardened stone.
• Construct: +2 to recover from being
Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound

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 penalties; immune to poison and attacks are only marginally effective.
disease. Cutting and piercing weapons do no
• Fearless: Golems are immune to Fear real damage. Area-effect weapons
and Intimidation. work normally, and a character can
• Size 3: Stone golems stand over 8 feet stomp to inflict his Strength as
high and weigh more than two tons. damage each round.
• Slam: Str+d6.
• Very Resilient: A stone golem can
take two Wounds before being B Grim Reaper
Incapacitated. The grim reaper is an icon of death to
many cultures. Sometimes known as the
black horseman or the pale rider, this
Grem ishka Swarm being appears as a skeleton or corpse
From a distance, gremishkas could be dressed in black riding clothes, wielding a
mighty scythe with which to reap the
mistaken for alley cats, monkeys, or large
rats. Up close, however, their hideous souls of his victims. There seems to not
nature is all too apparent. They possess just be a single grim reaper, but an entire
slitted, reptilian eyes, needle-toothed class of similar death spirits, all of whom
mouths, and scabby fur in a variety of are constantly on the hunt for worthy
mottled, dull colors. souls to bring across the veil into death.
Gremishkas are a smaller, more A grim reaper has a chance to show up
common cousin of the gremlin, standing to “collect” any Wild Card that is close to
death. They seem to come into existence
only about a foot tall. They derive petty
pleasure from others’ suffering and enjoy to collect that specific person and engage
in combat only if denied their prize.
stealing from larger creatures. Individual
A grim reaper is typically accompanied
gremishkas are fairly harmless, their
sharp teeth painful but not deadly. When by a demonic steed using the stats of a
they gather in swarms, though—watch out. nightmare (pg 281). If its steed is killed,
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4, Spirit the reaper can summon a new one at
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 sunset on the next night.
Skills: Athletics d6, Notice d6, Stealth d8 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6 d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Special Abilities: Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d10, Intimidation d10,
• Bite: A gremishka swarm
Notice d8, Occult d10, Persuasion d8,
automatically hits for 2d4 damage to
Riding d10, Stealth d6
everyone within the template.
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
Damage is applied to the least
Edges: Sweep (Imp)
armored location.
Gear: Scythe (Str+d10, –1 Parry, two
• Split: When the swarm is first hands)
Wounded, it splits into two smaller Special Abilities:
swarms (Small Burst Template). The
• Fear (–2): Seeing the specter of death
Toughness of each swarm is lowered
in person is cause for a Fear check at
by –2.
–2.
• Swarm: Parry +2. Because the swarm
• Fearless: Grim reapers are immune
is composed of dozens of tiny
to Fear and Intimidation
gremlins, many forms of physical

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• Invulnerability: The grim reaper is divination, fear, light/darkness,
immune to attacks from non-magical protection, puppet, and sloth/speed.
weapons.
• Merciless: Grim reapers are immune Anni s Hag
to Persuasion and Taunt Tests. The dreaded annis may be the most
• No Cheating Death: If slain with horrible of hags, larger and more
magical weapons, the grim reaper is powerful than their kin. Annis hags use
simply inconvenienced. It rises again the base hag statistics, but add the
at the next sunset, ready to try again. following abilities.
The only way to permanently kill the Toughness: 9 (2)
grim reaper is to use the banish • Armor +2: Steely skin.
power on it after Incapacitating it, or • Improved Strength: Annis hags are
to kill it with a blessed weapon. stronger than other hags. Their
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover Strength is d12+2.
from being Shaken; immune to • Size 1: An annis stands some 8 feet
poison and disease; no additional tall and weighs about 325 pounds.
damage from called shots; does not
suffer wound penalties. Green Hag
Green hags are found in desolate
swamps and dark forests. They get their
B Hag name from their tangled green hair.
These cannibalistic ogres have powerful Green hags use the base hag statistics, but
magical abilities. They are fond of eating add the following abilities.
children but are not picky and eat nearly • Mimicry: A green hag can imitate
anything made of meat. The following are any sound she has ever heard,
the base statistics for hags, but each kind including the voice of any person she
of hag has its own special abilities, as has ever heard speak. They have
noted below. Performance d8 as an additional skill.
Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit • Weakening Touch: A green hag can
d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8 make a Touch Attack against a foe,
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge draining his energy and resolve. A
d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d10, Occult touched victim must attempt a Vigor
d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d8, roll at –2 or suffer a level of Fatigued.
Spellcasting d10, Stealth d8, Taunt d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 Sea Hag
Edges: Arcane Background (Black Perhaps the most wretched of hags, the
Magic) sea hag is found in the water of seas or
Hindrances: Ugly (Major) overgrown lakes. Their flesh is yellowed
Special Abilities: and sickly, and their hair resembles a
• Claws: Str+d6. mass of rotting seaweed. Sea hags use the
• Fear: Anyone seeing a hag must make base hag statistics, but add the following
a Fear check. abilities.
• Spells: Hags have 20 Power Points • Aquatic: Pace 8.
and typically know the following • Fear (–2): Sea hags are more horrific
spells: boost/lower Trait, disguise, in appearance than other hags.

275
 • Horribly Ugly: Sea hags suffer –4 to such Called Shots gain no damage
Persuasion rolls instead of –2 because bonus).
of their intense hideousness. • Immunity: Head hunters can move
through webs with no penalty, even
the webs of other creatures.
Head Hunter • Poison Vomit: As an action, the head
The head hunter is a twisted mockery hunter can spit a stream of venom
of life, resembling an unusually large with a range of Vigor. Any creature
spider with a human head for a body. targeted can make an Agility roll to
The hideous face leers up at its foes, dodge the venom. If the venom hits,
gibbering at them in various languages. the victim must attempt a Vigor roll at
Head hunters feed on the headless –2 or suffer a Wound. Head hunters
corpses of their victims, and they are generally try to avoid using this attack
cunning enough to make plans, develop on victims they wish to consume,
schemes, coerce victims, and lay traps. since it renders the body mostly
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit unusable.
d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6 • Razor Web: With one minute of
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge work, a head hunter can fill a
d4, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Stealth d10 Medium Burst Template with razor-
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 2 sharp webs. The webs are nearly
Special Abilities: invisible in Dim or worse lighting,
• Fear (+0 or –2): The sight of a head requiring a Notice roll to detect. A
hunter is cause for a Fear check. creature that enters the area of the
Watching the creature tear free of a webs must attempt an Agility roll at
host body inflicts a –2 penalty on that
Fear check.
• Host Body: If a victim dies in a head
hunter’s web, the head hunter uses
the victim’s body as sustenance. First,
the creature carefully removes the
victim’s head, then plants its own
body in the empty stump, becoming
the “head” of the corpse. Its crablike
legs reach into the body cavity and the
head hunter can then control the host
body like a puppet. The hunter uses
the host body’s Agility, Strength,
Vigor, Size, and base Pace during this
time, but otherwise retains its own
statistics. While implanted in a host
body, attacks against the body do no
damage to the head hunter; inflicting
a Wound on the host body cripples
it, forcing the head hunter to abandon
it. Only Called Shots to the head
inflict damage on the creature (and

276
 –2 or suffer 2d6 damage. Creatures only), and shape change (Small, Very
can attempt to clear a path through Small, or Tiny animals only).
the web with weapons, treating each • Night Vision: Imps ignore
1” of the web as a target with a Illumination penalties, including Pitch
Toughness of 6. Darkness.
• Size –3 (Very Small): Head hunters • Size –2 (Small): Imps are the size of a
are roughly the size of a human head. cat.
• Vulnerability: Head hunters and their • Weakness (Cold Iron): Demons take
webs suffer +4 damage from fire, and normal damage from cold iron
their chance to catch fire is increased weapons.
by 1 whenever they would have a
chance to do so.
• Wall Walker: Head hunters can B Leanha um-Shee
move normally on vertical and even The leanhaum-shee is a type of
inverted surfaces. vampiric fey. She uses her stunning
appearance and seductive ways to enslave
men, whom she then drains of their life
Imp force.
Imps are small, winged demons. They Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
are often sent to the material world to d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
serve as familiars to “honored” wizards. Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
Although they aid their new masters, they d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Performance
also report back to their demonic d10, Persuasion d12, Stealth d8, Taunt
overlords and are thus useful spies. d10
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Edges: Strong Willed, Very Attractive
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge Special Abilities:
d6, Fighting d6, Notice d10, Occult d6, • Enslave: A leanhaum-shee uses her
Persuasion d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d8 seductive charms to enslave mortals.
Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 3 This works as the puppet power but
Edges: Arcane Resistance lasts indefinitely. The fey uses her
Special Abilities: Spirit as the arcane skill. A leanhaum-
• Claws: Str+d4. shee may only ever have one mortal
• Demon: +2 to recover from being bound to her at a time. The only way
Shaken; immune to poison and a mortal can be freed of the
disease; half damage from non- leanhaum-shee’s seductive grasp is to
magical attacks except for cold iron. find a replacement for him, or to kill
• Flight: Pace 6. the foul fey.
• Lending: An imp can share its Power • Life Drain: Each week a slave
Points with its master as a free action. remains enthralled, regardless of the
It cannot be forced to share its power. distance between mistress and slave,
• Magic: Imps have 20 Power Points he must make a Spirit roll or suffer a
and know the following powers: bolt, level of Fatigue that cannot be healed
detect/conceal arcana, entangle, as long as he remains under the
invisibility, light/darkness (darkness creature’s thrall. The week after
becoming Incapacitated, the poor

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 wretch perishes. A level of Fatigue is dealing with a vampire or similar undead
recovered each day if the leanhaum- creature. Natural werebats do not hate
shee’s hold over the slave is broken. their prey, nor are they especially cruel in
their hunting; they simply believe that
non-lycanthropes are lower in the food
Lycanthrope chain, and therefore lesser beings.
Men and women infected with a Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
terrible disease that causes them to d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8
transform into hideous beasts, Skills: Athletics d10, Common
lycanthropes are all too common in the Knowledge d6, Intimidation d8, Fighting
world of Ravenloft. They are generally d8, Notice d10, Persuasion d6, Stealth
divided into two categories: true d10, Taunt d6
lycanthropes, who are born with the Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
ability to change shape and are generally Hindrances: Arrogant
irredeemable; and cursed (or infected) Edges: Alertness
lycanthropes, who had the disease passed Special Abilities:
onto them by another lycanthrope, and • Bite/Claws: Str+d4.
who have the slim hope of being cured of • Blindsense: A werebat in its animal or
their affliction. hybrid forms can navigate by
Many different kinds of animals have echolocation. They ignore invisibility,
lycanthropic analogues, but the most illusion, and all Illumination
common are werewolves and wererats. penalties.
Werewolves are deadly wilderness • Change Shape: As a limited action, a
predators, sometimes encountered in werebat can assume one of three
packs of true lycanthropes but more forms: a large bat, hybrid, or human.
commonly met as lone infected souls, • Fast Regeneration: Lycanthropes may
killing on the nights of the full moon. attempt a natural healing roll every
(They are covered in the Bestiary chapter round unless the Wounds were
of SWADE.) Wererats are almost never caused by silver weapons.
found alone, and they plague many large • Fear: Seeing a werebat’s hissing visage
cities. Weresharks are also common in is worthy of a Fear check.
coastal regions. • Infection: Anyone slain by a werebat
Note: In the Ravenloft setting, has a 50% of returning to life as one.
lycanthropes possess Low Light Vision The character involuntarily
rather than Infravision. They use the transforms every full moon.
Fantasy Companion version of • Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes
lycanthropic infection rather than the one ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
presented in the Horror Companion. Illumination.
• Weakness (Silver): Werebats suffer
Werebat +4 damage from silver weapons.
While the vast majority of bats eat fruit
or insects, the werebats of the Land of
Wererat
Mists are all of the blood-drinking variety.
Wererats are the least powerful but
Their bloodlust and ability to change
most clever of the lycanthropes, and are
shape can sometimes fool monster
the most likely to ally themselves with
hunters into believing that they are
more powerful creatures of evil.

278
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d8 d10, Intimidation d6, Fighting d6, Notice
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge d10, Occult d8, Persuasion d8, Stealth
d8, Intimidation d8, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Taunt d8, Thievery d6
d8, Persuasion d6, Stealth d10, Taunt d6, Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5
Thievery d8 Hindrances: Cautious
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 Edges: Reliable
Hindrances: Greedy (Major) Gear: Short sword (Str+d6)
Edges: Quick Special Abilities:
Special Abilities: • Bite/Claws: Str+d4.
• Bite/Claws: Str+d6. • Change Shape: As a limited action, a
• Change Shape: As a limited action, a wereraven can assume one of three
wererat can assume one of three forms: raven, hybrid, or human.
forms: giant rat, hybrid, or human. • Fast Regeneration: Lycanthropes may
• Fast Regeneration: Lycanthropes may attempt a natural healing roll every
attempt a natural healing roll every round unless the Wounds were
round unless the Wounds were caused by silver weapons.
caused by silver weapons. • Fear: Seeing a wereraven assume
• Fear: Seeing a wererat’s hissing visage their hybrid form is worthy of a Fear
is worthy of a Fear check. check for the unprepared.
• Infection: Anyone slain by a wererat • Infection: Anyone slain by a
has a 50% of returning to life as one. wereraven has a 50% of returning to
The character involuntarily life as one. The character
transforms every new moon. involuntarily transforms every full
• Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes moon. Wereravens consider it a sin
ignore penalties for Dim and Dark to change someone into a lycanthrope
Illumination. against their will, so they typically fight
• Weakness (Silver): Wererats suffer with weapons or make sure to
+4 damage from silver weapons. thoroughly destroy the bodies of
those they might have accidentally
Wereraven infected.
Alone among the lycanthropes of the • Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes
Land of Mists, wereravens are a force for ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
good and hope. They do not prey upon Illumination.
ordinary humanoids, instead living on a • Weakness (Silver): Wereravens suffer
diet of fruits and nuts with the occasional +4 damage from silver weapons.
addition of carrion for variety. They
survive as goodly creatures in a land of Wereshark
evil by hiding among humans, keeping Weresharks are a human-shark mix.
their numbers low, and avoiding direct Like all werecreatures, they have a
confrontation with powerful entities, humanoid form with bestial features. In
though they will often act as mentors or this instance, the creature has a shark’s
advisors to heroes. head and skin, webbed hands, and a
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit dorsal fin.
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Strength d12+3, Vigor d10

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 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d12, • Feeding Frenzy: The smell of blood
Intimidation d10, Notice d12, Stealth d8, can send a wereshark into a mad
Survival d8 frenzy. Their Berserk Edge is
Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 8 triggered when anyone in the scene
Edges: Berserk suffers a Wound, not just themselves.
Special Abilities: • Infection: Anyone slain by a
• Aquatic: Pace 10. Hybrid or shark wereshark has a 50% chance of rising
form only. as a similar beast themselves. The
• Bite: Str+d8. character involuntarily transforms
• Change Shape: As a limited action, a every full moon.
wereshark can assume one of three • Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes
forms: shark, hybrid, or human. ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
• Fast Regeneration: Lycanthropes may Illumination.
attempt a natural healing roll every • Size 1: Weresharks stand over seven
round unless the Wounds were feet tall.
caused by silver weapons. • Weakness (Silver): Weresharks suffer
• Fear (–2): Anyone who sees the +4 damage from silver weapons.
brutal attack of a wereshark must
make a Fear check.
Marikith
The marikith are grotesque hive-
minded humanoids, their bodies covered
in a rubbery, glistening black hide. Their
bodies have no rigid structures beyond
their chitinous fangs and talons; they
maintain their shape by inflating
interlocking bladders in their bodies with
fluid. By compressing these bladders, a
marikith can squeeze its body through
tiny gaps, such as barred windows or
drainpipes. Their eyes normally glow a
dull red, but they can veil this glow with a
special membrane—revealing themselves
only when striking.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice
d6, Performance d8, Stealth d8, Survival
d8
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (1)
Special Abilities:
• Armor +1: Rubbery hide.
• Claws: Str+d6.
• Compression: A marikith can
compress its body enough to squeeze
through any gap of at least a foot in

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 diameter without slowing down. It can d6, Performance d8, Persuasion d8,
squeeze through any space down to Shooting d6, Stealth d8, Survival d6
four inches across at a Pace of 2. Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6
• Fearless: Marikith are immune to Edges: Attractive, Level Headed
Fear and Intimidation. Special Abilities:
• Light Sensitive: Marikith don’t like • Claws/Bite: Str+d4.
light. They are Distracted and • Low Light Vision: Moros eyes are
Vulnerable in illumination brighter accustomed to the dark of night.
than Dim light. They ignore attack penalties for Dim
• Night Vision: Marikith ignore and Dark lighting.
Illumination penalties, even for Pitch • Narcotic Saliva: A living humanoid
Darkness. Shaken or Wounded by a moros’ bite
• Resilient: A marikith can take one must attempt a Spirit roll. If the
Wound before being Incapacitated. victim fails this roll, he gains the
• Voice Mimicry: Although marikith Loyal Hindrance with regards to the
have no true language of their own, moros. Success on the roll renders
they can mimic sounds to mislead or the target immune to this ability for
terrify others. They often imitate the 24 hours.
cries of recent victims and can echo
the comments of current prey.
Nightmare
The nightmare is a demonic steed
Moros sometimes used as a mount by fiends, but
The moroi are fearsome humanoid sometimes granted to loyal mortals as a
predators that feed on the blood of living gift by infernal patrons. Nightmares are
creatures. Although sometimes confused jet-black destriers with red eyes and
with undead creatures of the same vile steaming nostrils. Their black iron
habits, moroi are a living, breathing race horseshoes strike sparks as they run and
that breeds and dies like any other. leave behind flaming hoof prints.
These depraved, haughty creatures Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6 (A),
regard themselves as a race above Spirit d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
humanity—wolves among the sheep. Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice
Moroi resemble humans, and only a d6, Stealth d6
careful observer may notice their fangs Pace: 10; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10
and claws. They are universally beautiful Edges: Fleet-Footed
by human standards, blessed with slim, Special Abilities:
muscular builds, unblemished skin, and • Kick: Str+d6.
an undeniable feral grace. Those not • Rider Empathy: If the nightmare’s
aware of their nature sometimes mistake rider is a Wild Card, he can spend
them for the undead, and at least one his Bennies on behalf of the
culture knows them only as “vampyres.” nightmare, such as for rerolls or Soak
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit rolls.
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8 • Size 3: Nightmares are larger than
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge horses and can weigh up to half a ton.
d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice

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 Pak a aggressive. Wererats frequently
Beautiful, seductive and deadly, paka command rat swarms to deadly effect.
are humanoid felines that nurse an Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d4 (A),
ancient, ancestral grudge against Spirit d12, Strength d8, Vigor d10
humanity and derive sadistic pleasure Skills: Athletics d6, Notice d6
from bringing ruin to humans. They are Pace: 8; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
wicked and cunning, and often take years Special Abilities:
to develop their schemes. • Bite: A rat swarm inflicts hundreds of
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit tiny bites to its victim. Anyone within
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 the rat swarm’s area on its turn
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge automatically suffers 2d4 damage,
d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, applied to the target’s least-armored
Persuasion d6, Notice d8, Stealth d8 location.
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 • Infection: Anyone Shaken or
Hindrances: Mean wounded by a rat swarm must make a
Edges: Acrobat, Attractive, Dodge, Fleet- Vigor roll or contract a disease of
Footed some sort.
Special Abilities: • Split: A rat swarm can split into two
• Cat Magic: A paka has 10 Power smaller swarms (Small Burst
Points and knows the powers beast Template). The Toughness of each
friend (cats only) and healing (self of these swarms is lowered to 5.
only). These powers use Spirit as the • Swarm: Parry +2. Cutting and
arcane skill. piercing weapons do no real damage.
• Canine Antipathy: Paka don’t get Area-effect weapons work normally,
along with dogs of any sort. They and a character can stomp to inflict
suffer a –4 penalty to Persuasion his damage in Strength each round. A
when dealing with any canine rat swarm can swim, and so is not
creatures (including wolves and foiled by jumping into water.
werewolves).
• Claws: Str+d4.
• Mask: Paka can choose to look Ravenkin
human if they wish, having a single Although some see ravens as symbols
human appearance they can change of ill omen, ravenkin are one of the
into. A paka can change between its brightest lights for good to be found in
human and paka shapes as a limited the Land of Mists. Ravenkin are a black-
action. They typically use this ability feathered avian race that resembles
to go disguised among humans, the oversized versions of their raven cousins.
better to wreak havoc. They have wingspans of up to five feet
• Pounce: If a paka makes a Wild and often wear shiny trinkets to identify
Attack, it adds +4 to its damage themselves. True omnivores, ravenkin
instead of +2. live on a diet of anything from carrion to
berries. They kill when necessary, but
they prefer scavenging corpses to the
arduous task of hunting.
Rat Swarm
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
Rat swarms lurk in sewers or ruined
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
buildings where they sometimes turn

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Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d6, Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d4, d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Notice d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d6, Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
Research d6, Spellcasting d6, Stealth d6, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Stealth d10,
Survival d6 Survival d8
Pace: 4; Parry: 4; Toughness: 4 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (2)
Edges: Arcane Background (Magic) Special Abilities:
Special Abilities: • Armor +2: Scaly hide.
• Bite/Claws: Str+d4. • Aquatic: Pace 10.
• Flight: Pace 8. • Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
• Raven Link: Ravenkin can • Dehydration: Reavers must immerse
communicate with normal ravens at themselves in water at least one hour
will, and normal ravens will obey out of every 12. Those who do not
ravenkin without question. A automatically gain a Fatigue level each
ravenkin can cast spells through any day until they are Incapacitated. The
normal raven within a range of Spirit day after becoming Incapacitated,
as though the raven were the they perish. Few reavers remains out
originator of the power. of water long enough to suffer in this
• Size –1: Ravenkin are smaller than manner, however.
humans but somewhat larger than • Rending Attack: Victims Shaken or
true ravens. This subtracts 1 from Wounded by a reaver’s claws must
their Toughness. make a Vigor roll as a free action at
• Spells: Ravenkin are innate the beginning of each following turn
spellcasters, and every member of the until they roll a raise, suffering a
race has some ability with magic. A Wound with a failure.
ravenkin knows three powers of
choice and has 10 Power Points.
Red Widow
The red widow, or “spider queen,”
Rea ver preys upon unsuspecting males, using its
Reavers are an evil aquatic race that seductive human form to lure prey into
terrorizes those who live on the shores of its clutches. In human form, the red
the Sea of Sorrows. Those who know the widow appears as a beautiful red-haired
sea know to fear the reavers and the woman. Though a red widow’s lifespan is
bloodshed they bring. A reaver attack is a barely three decades, her human form
chaotic and merciless even that leaves always appears to be in the prime of life.
rare survivors seeking occupations far In their natural form, red widows are
inland. man-sized red spiders with a large black
These tall humanoid creatures have hourglass on their abdomens.
sharp scales covering their body and The red widow’s life is consumed by
webbing between their claws and toes. her need to feed and breed, but
Their faces are fishlike, with bulbous eyes occasionally they have been known to
and wide mouths filled with rows of sharp rise above their instincts, becoming truly
teeth. Their scales range in color from ambitious predators who seek to better
dark green to mottled brown to dull their social standing or extend their
black. lifespan.

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 Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit revenge on those who have wronged
d6, Strength d8, Vigor d6 them.
Skills: Athletics d10, Common Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
Knowledge d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d10, Shooting Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d8, Stealth d10 d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 5 d6, Stealth d8
Special Abilities: Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
• Bite: Str+d4. Hindrances: Driven (Major: find killer),
• Change Shape: As a limited action, a Vengeful (Major)
red widow can assume the shape of a Special Abilities:
beautiful red-haired human woman • Fearless: Revenants are immune to
or her natural monstrous spider Fear and Intimidation
shape. In human form, the red widow • Invulnerability: A revenant can be
loses her bite, poison, wall walker, slain by weapons normally, but it
and webbing abilities, but gains the returns to “life” 1d4 days later. A
Very Attractive Edge. revenant can only truly rest if its thirst
• Poison (–4): The bite of the red for vengeance is sated, or if banish is
widow in her natural form inflicts a cast on its body while Incapacitated.
Vigor roll at –4 to avoid Paralysis • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
poison. from being Shaken; no additional
• Wall Walker: A red widow in her damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
natural form can climb on vertical point of Wound penalties; immune
and inverted surfaces at her normal to poison and disease.
Pace. • Vengeful: Revenants add +2 on all
• Webbing: Red widows can cast webs Trait and damage rolls against the
from their thorax that are the size of subject of their vengeance.
Small Burst Templates. This is a
Shooting roll with a range of 6”. A hit
means the victim is Entangled, or Sca recrow
Bound with a raise. This is a special kind of golem crafted
to look like a normal scarecrow. As well
as scaring off birds and natural predators
B Revenant such as wolves, they can bolster a village’s
A revenant is one of the undead who militia in times of invasion. These
returns from the grave for a specific magical scarecrows tend to go out of
purpose. This might be to right a wrong control, however, and can easily become
done to them in life, to avenge their own a small town’s worst nightmare.
murder, to recover items stolen from Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
their grave, or to stop someone from d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8
harming a loved one they left behind. Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8,
Revenants understand the languages Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8
they knew in life, but they do not speak Pace: 6; Parry: 6 (5 with scythe);
very often—nor do they accept apologies Toughness: 6
or bargains. They seek only bloody Edges: Arcane Resistance

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Gear: Pitchfork (Str+d6, Reach 1, two • Disguise: As a limited action, a
hands) or scythe (Str+d10, –1 Parry, two seducer can alter its appearance to
hands) that of any humanoid form of Size –1
Special Abilities: to Size 1 or assume its true form. The
• Construct: +2 to recover from being seducer’s statistics do not change,
Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound except that they may choose to apply
penalties; immune to poison and the Attractive or Very Attractive
disease. Edges to an assumed shape.
• Fearless: Scarecrows are immune to Assuming the appearance of a
Fear and Intimidation. specific person requires a
• Resilient: A scarecrow can take one Performance check opposed by the
Wound before being Incapacitated. Notice of onlookers if they are
• Weakness (Fire): Scarecrows take +4 familiar with the person being
damage from fire and count as being imitated. If the seducer is Stunned or
highly flammable for purposes of Wounded, it must make a Spirit roll
catching fire (SWADE 127). to avoid revealing its true shape.
• Fear: Seeing a seducer’s true demonic
shape is grounds for a Fear check.
• Flight: Pace 8.
B Seducer
Known to scholars as the succubus or • Life Drain: These foul creatures have
incubus, depending on what gender’s more than one way to kill. If a
form they take, a seducer is a type of seducer kisses a victim, they must
demonic entity that feeds on the lust and succeed on a Spirit roll opposed or
life force of mortals. Seducers resemble suffer a level of Fatigue. This ability is
beautiful humanoids in their usual typically used on unresisting targets,
shapes. This form is illusory, however, but it can also be used as a Touch
and in their natural form they are winged Attack against a grappled foe. The
demons with grotesque faces, leathery Fatigue suffered from this ability can
skin, and long claws. They use their Incapacitate and even kill.
illusory looks to lure unsuspecting victims • Lure: Sometimes good looks isn’t
into their deadly embrace. enough to lure prey to their doom.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit These demons can use the puppet
d10, Strength d10, Vigor d8 power with Spirit as their arcane skill.
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge They have 20 Power Points for this
d8, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Performance purpose.
d10, Persuasion d12, Stealth d8, Taunt • Night Vision: Seducers ignore
d10 Illumination penalties, including Pitch
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1) Darkness.
Edges: Calculating, Charismatic • Weakness (Cold Iron): Demons take
Special Abilities: normal damage from cold iron
• Armor +1: Leathery skin. weapons.
• Claws: Str+d6.
• Demon: +2 to recover from being
Shaken; immune to poison and
disease; half damage from non-
magical attacks except for cold iron.

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 Shadow Fey appearance that might best be described
The shadow fey (sometimes called the as gnarled and fierce.
Arak) are a race of related faerie folk who Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
dwell in a dark nether realm called the d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Shadow Rift. It is widely believed that the Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
elves, dwarves, and gnomes are exiles d4, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Stealth d12,
from this race, three breeds of faerie folk Taunt d8
who chose the touch of the sun and Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 3
mortality rather than eternal life in the Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean, Ugly
darkness. Neither group will confirm or (Major)
deny the truth of these rumors, but the Edges: Arcane Resistance, Dodge, Quick
strong resemblance of shadow fey to the Gear: Faerie dagger (Str+d4)
“mortal” faerie races would seem to be Special Abilities:
proof of its own. • Change Shape: As a limited action, a
For their own part, the shadow fey say powrie can transform into a large
that their race was once enslaved by a wasp or other stinging insect. In this
powerful entity called Gwydion, but that shape, they cannot use weapons or
they were freed from bondage by the their shriek ability, but they gain an
mightiest hero of their race, Arak the innate sting attack (Str+d4) that inflicts
Erlking. While the shadow fey consider their poison without requiring an
themselves to be one race, they come in action. They can also fly in this form
many shapes, forms, and sizes. They are at Pace 8.
all magical beings and proficient • Invulnerability: Shadow fey can only
shapechangers, however. be Shaken by weapons that are not
Known breeds of shadow fey include magical or made of cold iron, not
the tiny and mischievous alven, the short wounded. Powries suffer no damage
but powerful brag, the cunning fir, the from steel weapons or electricity,
graceful but aggressive muryan, the small even if the attack is magical in nature.
and somber portune, the murderous • Nightvision: Powrie ignore
powrie, the artistic and noble sidhe, the Illumination penalties, including for
sinister sith, and the feral teg. A few of Pitch Darkness.
them are described here. • Poison: A powrie can spit poison
onto its blade as an action. Any
Powr ie creature that takes at least a Shaken
The powrie are tiny, cruel fey who result from a poisoned blade must
delight in assassination and espionage at attempt a Vigor roll or be struck
the behest of their larger cousins. blind. Anyone struck blind by this
Sometimes called “redcaps” for their poison receives a new Vigor roll each
bloody ways, their delight in sadism has day to overcome the effect. A
given them great prominence in the poisoned blade only remains
Unseelie Courts. poisoned for one attack, whether it
Powries have the most menacing deals damage or not.
appearance among the shadow fey, with • Shriek: As a limited action, a powrie
small, warped bodies, wiry beards, can unleash a terrible scream. All
mouths full of fangs, snake-like eyes, and non-fey within a Medium Burst
large, wasp-like wings. They have an Template centered on the powrie

286
 must attempt a Vigor roll or be struck nightingale, or other graceful bird. In
deaf. Anyone struck deaf by this this shape, the sidhe cannot use gear
effect receives a new Vigor roll each or magic and loses access to their
day to overcome the effect. Armor bonus, but they gain Flight at
• Size –2 (Small): Powries stand only a Pace 10.
little more than a foot tall. • Charming Kiss: A sidhe can use the
• Weakness (Sunlight): Each round a puppet power on a mortal by kissing
powrie is exposed to direct sunlight them, using Spirit as their arcane skill.
they suffer 2d10 points of damage. This can be done to an unresisting
Even indirect exposure to sunlight target, or to a grappled foe as a
causes the powrie to suffer 1d10 Touch Attack. This costs no Power
points of damage per round. A Points, but a failed roll renders the
shadow fey exposed to sunlight suffers target immune to this ability for a year
a level of Fatigue, regardless of and a day.
whether or not they suffer Wounds • Cursed Arrows: A mortal who is dealt
from the damage. at least a Shaken result by an arrow
from a sidhe’s bow loses a Benny. A
B Sidhe target with no Bennies remaining
The sidhe are tall, pale, and beautiful, suffers a level of Fatigue.
looking very much like white-skinned • Invulnerability: Shadow fey can only
elves. They tend to have light-colored be Shaken by weapons that are not
hair and amber eyes. The sidhe are the magical or made of cold iron, not
most artistic of the shadow fey, acting as Wounded. Sidhe suffer no damage
patrons of the arts for other faeries and from weapons made of stone or glass,
occasionally for humans as well. even if they are magical.
Sidhe never seem to lose their tempers, • Nightvision: Sidhe ignore
maintaining a calm appearance and Illumination penalties, including for
speaking in measured tones at all times. Pitch Darkness.
Most sidhe consider themselves part of • Magic: All sidhe are talented magic-
the Seelie Courts. users. A typical sidhe has 20 Power
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit Points and knows the following
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6 powers: deflection, invisibility,
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge light/darkness, and speak language.
d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice • Weakness (Sunlight): Each round a
d8, Occult d8, Performance d10, sidhe is exposed to direct sunlight,
Persuasion d10, Riding d6, Shooting d8, they suffer 2d10 points of damage.
Spellcasting d8 Even indirect exposure to sunlight
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 (3) causes the sidhe to suffer 1d10 points
Hindrances: Cautious of damage per round. A shadow fey
Edges: Very Attractive exposed to sunlight suffers a level of
Gear: Enchanted hunting bow (Range Fatigue, regardless of whether or not
12/24/48, 2d6, AP 1), enchanted clothing they suffer Wounds from the
(+3 Armor) damage.
Special Abilities:
• Change Shape: As a limited action, a
sidhe can transform into a swan,

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 B Sith sorts. A typical sith has 20 Power
The sith are the tallest of the shadow Points and knows the following
fey, standing nearly seven feet tell; they powers: bolt, dispel, entangle,
are gaunt and pale, with stark white hair light/darkness, sloth/speed, and
and black eyes. They prefer dark, somber zombie.
clothing and have a fascination with death • Weakness (Sunlight): Each round a
and cruelty. A sith never raises his voice, sith is exposed to direct sunlight,
and they generally talk only in soft, they suffer 2d10 points of damage.
sonorous whispers. Even indirect exposure to sunlight
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit causes the sith to suffer 1d10 points
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 of damage per round. A shadow fey
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge exposed to sunlight suffers a level of
d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d10, Notice Fatigue, regardless of whether or not
d8, Occult d8, Performance d8, they suffer Wounds from the damage.
Persuasion d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth
d10 Teg
Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with rapier); The teg are a feral race of shadow fey
Toughness: 8 (3) who enjoy an affinity with the beasts of
Hindrances: Ruthless (Major) the wild. Though cunning and far from
Edges: Attractive, Quick stupid, the teg are asocial in that they
Gear: Enchanted rapier (Str+d4, +1 prefer animals to people. Teg are shorter
Parry, AP 1), enchanted clothing (+3 than humans with a stout, muscular build.
Armor) They have long, pointed ears and wide
Special Abilities: faces with fox-like features. Their hands
• Change Shape: As a limited action, a are tipped in short claws and their
sith can turn into a living shadow, able trickster’s grin reveals a mouth full of
to pass through any gap and fly at a fangs. Most tegs have reddish hair and
Pace of 6. They cannot attack or use long sideburns.
magic in this form, but they are Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
invulnerable to all physical weapons, d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
even magical ones. They can still Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8, Notice
suffer harm from direct magical d8, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Taunt d6
attack, however. Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
• Fear: A sith can inspire terror in Edges: Humiliate, Work the Room
mortals with his furious visage. Special Abilities:
• Invulnerability: Shadow fey can only • Change Shape: As a limited action, a
be Shaken by weapons that are not teg can transform into a fox. In this
magical or made of cold iron, not shape, the teg is Size –2 and
wounded. Sith suffer no damage from Toughness 4, but increases Pace to 8
fire or steel weapons, even if magical and becomes Small.
in nature. • Claws: Str+d4.
• Night Vision: Sith ignore Illumination • Invulnerability: Shadow fey can only
penalties, including for Pitch be Shaken by weapons that are not
Darkness.. magical or made of cold iron, not
• Sorcery: Sith are talented sorcerers, Wounded. Tegs suffer no damage
specializing in black magic of various

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 from cold-based attacks or wooden • Horn: Str+d6.
weapons, even if magical in nature. • Kick: Str+d4.
• Night Vision: Tegs ignore • Shadow Merge: Shadow unicorns can
Illumination penalties, including for meld with the shadows, becoming
Pitch Darkness.. nearly invisible. They double the
• Weakness (Sunlight): Each round a bonuses to Stealth for shadowy
teg is exposed to direct sunlight, they conditions.
suffer 2d10 points of damage. Even • Size 3: Shadow unicorns are
indirect exposure to sunlight causes somewhat larger and bulkier than
the teg to suffer 1d10 points of horses.
damage per round. A shadow fey
exposed to sunlight suffers a level of
Fatigue, regardless of whether or not
they suffer Wounds from the damage. Skeleton
The skin has already rotted from these
risen dead, leaving them slightly quicker
than their flesh-laden zombie
B Shadow Unicorn counterparts. They are often found
The evil spawn of a nightmare and a swarming in vile necromantic legions.
corrupted unicorn, shadow unicorns stalk Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
the wilds of forested domains, glorying in d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
the pain and terror they inflict on their Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6,
victims. Although omnivorous, shadow Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6
unicorns prefer to feed on sentient plants Pace: 7; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
and any other creature capable of Special Abilities:
suffering. Mating rarely and violently, • Bony Claws: Str+d4.
shadow unicorns are never seen in herds. • Fearless: Skeletons are immune to
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8 (A), fear and Intimidation.
Spirit d10, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
from being Shaken; immune to
Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Stealth d8,
poison and disease; Called Shots do
Survival d8
no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
Pace: 10; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10
Wound penalties.
Edges: Fleet-Footed
Special Abilities:
• Fear (–2): A shadow unicorn’s Variant Skeletons
appearance is unnatural and There are numerous variations on the
repulsive—those who see it must common skeleton. The ones listed below
attempt a Fear check at a –2 penalty. use the skeleton creature above for their
base abilities, but add the listed special
• Flaming Horn: A shadow unicorn can
abilities.
cause his horn to burst into black
flame as a free action, searing and
scorching gored foes. While this Blood y Bones
ability is active, the creature’s gore A gore-spattered skeleton that
attack inflicts +2 damage and a gored constantly weeps sticky blood. This
target risks catching fire (SWADE horror carries a wretched disease that
127). poisons the blood of those nearby.

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 • Fear: Those seeing a bloody bones Giant Skel eton
must roll a Fear check. Made from ogres, or just from multiple
• Poisoned Blood: When a bloody human skeletons, these enormous
bones is Shaken or Wounded, all undead stand roughly ten feet tall. The
adjacent creatures are splattered with process of animating them causes an
blood and must attempt a Vigor roll; enormous fire to rage inside their
a failed roll renders a creature ribcages. A giant skeleton can reach into
Distracted. A creature that is Shaken its own ribcage, pull out a piece of this
or Wounded from the creature’s flame, and throw it away, causing an
claws must make a Vigor roll or explosion.
become diseased (chronic). A • Fireball: The giant skeleton has 10
creature that dies while suffering this Power Points, with which it can use
disease rises again as a new bloody the blast power (Fire Trapping only),
bones. using Shooting as its arcane skill.
• Size 2: Giant skeletons are ten feet or
more tall. A giant skeleton has a
Toughness of 9.

B Troll, Dread
Dread trolls are large, grey-skinned
humanoids of great cunning and sadistic
bent. Tall and powerful, trolls hunch over
such that their long arms drag the ground;
tusks jut from their mouths, and when
they have hair at all, it is wiry and greasy.
These twisted creatures lurk in the
shadows of houses, bridges, and
anywhere else people walk alone. The
only thing they enjoy more than the taste
of innocent flesh is corrupting innocents
into becoming agents of evil.
Trolls often sneak into children’s
bedrooms or lurk in deserted places
waiting for victims. Though sometimes
content to merely kill and eat its prey, it
prefers to instill fear first, allowing its prey
to bargain with it. It offers to let the victim
go if they promise to bring the troll an
even more innocent victim—trolls love
nothing more than to have a frightened
child drag a younger sibling into its lair,
kicking and crying. They also enjoy
playing mind games with adults, playing
off their passions and weaknesses with
uncanny insight.

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Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit vampire variants that are common in the
d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 Land of Mists.
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice Aswan g
d6, Stealth d8, Taunt d8 This bizarre variant of the vampire
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10 (1) assumes the form of a normal human
Hindrances: Mean, Ugly (Major) being by day—even being capable of
Edges: Alertness, Brute, Humiliate, marrying and having children. By night,
Menacing, Strong Willed, Sweep however, it becomes a bloodsucking
Special Abilities: fiend. The creature takes on a hideous
• Armor +1: Tough hide. mien, including a long, hollow tongue
• Bite/Claws: Str+d4. that it can use to siphon blood or drink
• Fast Regeneration: Dread trolls make shadows.
a natural healing roll every round, In its human form, the aswang has
even if Incapacitated, unless their average statistics and no special skills or
Wounds were caused by fire or abilities other than being Very Attractive.
they’re put to the torch after being The stats below are for its vampiric form.
Incapacitated. Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
• Size 2: Dread trolls normally stand d10, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10
about nine feet tall, massively built. Skills: Athletics d10, Common
Knowledge d6, Fighting d10,
Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Stealth d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7
Vampire Special Abilities:
Vampires are among the most feared—
• Blood Drain: An aswang can make a
and sadly, the most common—of the
Touch Attack on a grappled foe as an
undead abominations that plague the
action. The victim must make a Vigor
world of Ravenloft.
roll or suffer a level of Fatigue.
Vampires are typically created when an
existing vampire drains all the blood from • Shadow Lick: A person whose
a mortal and then feeds that mortal some shadow is licked by an aswang is
of their own blood. Some vampires can cursed. The aswang must make a
create more of their kind simply by Touch Attack. On a success, the
draining a poor, luckless fool to death, character immediately loses a Benny;
even without an exchange of blood. A a victim with no Bennies left instead
vampire must drink blood to survive and suffers Bumps and Bruises. An extra
most prefer human blood, though some who is the target of this ability must
can survive on animal blood. Vampires make a Spirit roll or suffer a terrible
are invulnerable to most attempts to kill accident within the next 24 hours that
them, though they can be destroyed by usually results in death.
fire, the sun, or a simple wooden stake • Tongue: Str+d4, Reach 2.
through the heart. • Weakness (Dawn): An aswang
Common vampires—both newly created automatically returns to its human
and ancient—are described in detail in the form the moment the sun breaks the
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition horizon.
bestiary. This section includes several

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 • Weakness (Garlic): An aswang must • Defiling Leap: An elven vampire can
make a Spirit roll to attack anyone leap into a nearby plant, killing it, to
carrying garlic. transport themselves to another plant,
which also dies upon their exit. This
Elven Vamp ire works as the teleport power with the
The elf vampire is a tragic figure Greater Teleport (FC 142) Modifier.
indeed, their natural longevity sullied by This requires no roll or Power Points,
the grimy hand of undeath. The negative and it does not take rounds of
energy within an elven vampire poisons concentration to activate, but it uses
the natural world around them, turning the vampire’s entire round (except
their lairs from vital forests to desiccated movement).
wastelands. Elven vampires are twisted • Essence Drain: An elven vampire can
and scarred mockeries of the lovely fey drain the very life force of their foes.
creatures they once were, and they often This takes an action and can only be
wear concealing robes and veils in shame performed against a helpless or
to hide their hideous visages. grappled victim. The target must
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit attempt a Vigor roll or lose a die type
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d8 from their Spirit. If this attack would
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge reduce their Spirit below d4, the
d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice victim is Incapacitated and must
d10, Persuasion d4, Shooting d10, Stealth attempt a Vigor roll or die. Unless
d10, Survival d6 slain, the victim recovers one die type
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8 every 24 hours.
Hindrances: Ugly (Major) • Fear (–2): The twisted face of an
Edges: Dodge, Double Shot, Marksman, elven vampire causes a Fear check at
Quick –2.
Gear: Bone long bow (Range 15/30/60, • Invulnerability: Elven vampires may
2d6 damage, AP 1, RoF 1), bone arrows be Shaken but not Wounded by non-
Special Abilities: magical attacks, other than their
• Bite/Claws: Str+d4. Weaknesses (see below).
• Black Thumb: Any living plant • Sire: Any elf or half-elf slain by an
smaller than a tree touched by an elven vampire has a 50% chance of
elven vampire withers and dies rising as an elven vampire in 1d4
instantly. Trees and similarly large days. Other humanoids have a 50%
plants blacken and die over the chance of rising again as ghouls.
course of a day. An elven vampire’s • Sleepless: Elven vampires are
lair rapidly becomes a wasteland of immune to the slumber power.
dried grass and dead trees. An elven • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
vampire can make a Touch Attack from being Shaken; no additional
against a plant creature to inflict 2d10 damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
damage, ignoring natural Armor. point of Wound penalties; doesn’t
• Change Shape: As a limited action, an breathe; immune to disease and
elven vampire can assume the form poison.
of an eagle or giant eagle, or turn • Weakness (Flowers): Elven vampires
back into its normal form. cannot approach within 6” of a
flowering plant or freshly picked

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 flowers (no more than 24 hours old). Jiangshi are called hopping vampires
They also cannot cross a line of because rigor mortis has stiffened their
freshly picked flower petals. Such limbs, making it virtually impossible for
objects act as wards (HC 48) against them to walk normally; instead, they
them. “hop” from place to place. Even their
• Weakness (Stake Through the arms are locked in the rigor of death,
Heart): An elven vampire whose being fully extended and only able to
heart is pierced by a charred wooden bend slightly.
stake (Called Shot at –4) is paralyzed Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d4, Spirit
and rendered helpless until the stake d6, Strength d12, Vigor d10
is removed. They can only be Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d8, Notice
destroyed permanently in this d8, Stealth d10
manner if their head is severed and Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9
their remains burned on a pyre of Hindrances: Clumsy
wood from flowering trees and Special Abilities:
shrubs. • Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
• Weakness (Starlight): Elven vampires • Breath Sense: Hopping vampires
are unharmed by the sun, but the cannot see using their dead eyes, but
light of the stars is poison to them. If instead sense the breath of the living.
they are not sealed within a pitch- While a character holds his breath, a
black room when night falls, they hopping vampire cannot detect him at
suffer 2d6 damage per round until all, suffering a –6 penalty on any
they are destroyed. action targeting the character. A
• Weakness (Tree Sap): Holy water has creature must make a Vigor roll on its
no effect on elven vampires, but fresh turn to hold its breath, with a penalty
tree sap (no more than 24 hours old) equal to the number of consecutive
burns them like acid. They suffer 2d6 rounds it has already held its breath.
damage from being splashed by tree • Jump: A jiangshi can hop half its Pace
sap and suffer a level of Fatigue. vertically in addition to its normal
• Weakness (Underground): An elven horizontal jumping distance.
vampire who travels beneath the earth • Sire: Each time a victim suffers a
suffers 2d6 damage each round, and Wound from a jiangshi’s bite, he
they are Distracted and Vulnerable must make a Vigor roll or suffer the
while underground. This weakness is jiangshi curse. Those under the curse
only triggered by natural caves or transform into a jiangshi themselves
structures that are entirely submerged in 1d4 days. A victim of a hopping
beneath the earth (such as a man- vampire bite who survives the attack
made tunnel, but not a house’s isn’t necessarily doomed. A
basement). traditional cure can be created by a
healer familiar with the creature. This
Jiangshi requires a Healing or Occult roll at –
The jiangshi, or “hopping vampire” is a 4.
hideous beast from an exotic foreign • Slow: Jiangshi roll a d4 for their
land. Its skin is light green, its mouth is running die instead of a d6. Running
full of sharp teeth, and its nails have counts as an action for a jiangshi.
hardened into sharp claws.

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 • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover automatically grappling the foe. The
from being Shaken; no additional victim is Entangled. Anyone attacking
damage from Called Shots; immune a vargouille while it is attached hits
to disease and poison; ignores 1 point the vargouille’s victim instead with a
of Wound penalties. roll of 1 on the skill die (regardless of
• Weakness (Prayer): Prayers written the Wild Die).
on rice paper can be attached to a • Bite: Str+d4.
jiangshi to render it immobile. The • Fear: Anyone seeing the creature
attacker must make a Called Shot to must make a Fear check.
the head to plant the parchment. On • Flight: Pace 10.
a success, the vampire is paralyzed so • Infection: Anyone slain by a
long as the paper strip remains in vargouille has a 50% chance to turn
place. A strong wind can easily into a new vargouille after 1d4 days.
dislodge the paper. • Size –3 (Very Small): A vargouille is
• Weakness (Rice): Sticky rice little more than a head with wings.
sprinkled on the floor burns a • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
hopping vampire’s feet. Each round it from being Shaken; no additional
stands on the rice, even if only for a damage from Called Shots; immune
moment, it suffers 2d4 damage. The to disease and poison; ignores 1 point
creature cannot hop over a line of of Wound penalties.
sticky rice—if it wishes to cross the
space, it must walk on the rice and
suffer the damage.
B Wendigo
Abhorrent as it may be, people
sometimes resort to cannibalism when
Vargouille lost in the wilderness. A few attract the
Vargouilles are flying heads, given attention of a dark spirit that infests them
separate awful life by evil magic. Their with a dread hunger, a craving that turns
ears grow to enormous size and begin into an addiction to human flesh.
flapping like wings. The head then rips People changed by the wendigo
itself away from the body and begins a become little more than animals,
new life. changing into lean, predatory beasts.
Some vargouilles are also able to create Most are gaunt and pale with horrible
more of their kind by draining a victim to fangs, but some change further still—
death—after a few days, the victim’s head growing antlers and other monstrous
falls off and transforms into another features as the evil spirit twists their flesh.
vargouille. Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 Skills: Athletics d10, Fighting d10,
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d12, Notice d10, Stealth
Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Stealth d8 d10, Survival d10
Pace: 1; Parry: 5; Toughness: 4 Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10 (1)
Special Abilities: Special Abilities:
• Attach: With a raise on its Fighting • Armor +1: Tough skin.
roll to bite, the vargouille has attached • Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
itself to the target’s head,

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• Fear –2: Anyone encountering a medical attention (the healing power
wendigo must make a Fear check at – or a Healing roll).
2. • Spawn: Any creature slain by a wight’s
• Fearless: Wendigos are immune to claws has a 50% chance of rising again
Fear and Intimidation. as a wight. This occurs a mere 1d6
• Immunity (Cold): Wendigos are rounds after the victim’s death unless
immune to cold environments and the body is destroyed first, or
cold-based attacks. consecrated by a priest.
• Night Vision: Wendigos can see • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
normally even in Pitch Darkness. from being Shaken; immune to
• Size 1: Wendigos stand taller than a poison and disease; Called Shots do
human. no extra damage; ignores 1 point of
• Weakness (Fire): Wendigos suffer +4 Wound penalties.
damage from fire-based attacks.
B Barrow Wight
These undead are the corporeal
remnants of kings and heroes buried in
Wight ages past. Their form is that of a
Wights are restless dead, most often mummified corpse with tight, leathery
noble lords whose greed and earthly skin drawn over wasted muscles, and
desires cause their spirits to remain their eyes burn with a pale, cold light.
behind to guard their treasures. Though they can speak, they know only
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit the ancient tongues that were common in
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 their lifetimes.
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Barrow wight tombs are notoriously
Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Stealth d10 brimming with treasure—and they intend
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 9 (1) to ensure that their treasure remains
Edges: Quick untouched for eternity.
Special Abilities: Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
• Armor +1: Leathery skin. d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
• Bony Claws: Str+d4. Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
• Fear (–1): Anyone who sees a wight Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Stealth d10
must make a Fear check at –1. Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 12 (3)
• Fearless: Wights are immune to Fear Gear: Bronze breastplate (+3 Armor),
and Intimidation. long sword (Str+d8)
• Grave Touch: A wight’s claws allow Special Abilities:
them to drain the very life from those • Bony Claws: Str+d4.
they harm. A character who is Shaken • Bound: A barrow wight may not
or Wounded by a wight’s claws must move more than 50” from its burial
make a Vigor roll. On a failure, the place.
victim suffers a level of Fatigue. A • Fear (–2): Anyone seeing the horror
character that reaches Incapacitated of a barrow wight must attempt a Fear
from this effect dies in 2d6 rounds, check at –2.
even if the wight does not finish him • Grave Touch: A barrow wight’s claws
off, unless he receives immediate allow them to drain the very life from
those they harm. A character who is

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 at least Shaken by a wight’s claws Skills: Athletics d6, Notice d10, Shooting
must make a Vigor roll at –2. On a d6, Stealth d4
failure, the victim suffers a level of Pace: 8; Parry: 2; Toughness: 2
Fatigue. A character that reaches Special Abilities:
Incapacitated from this effect dies in • Charm: By swaying from side to side
2d6 rounds, even if the wight does and pulsating, wisps can charm prey
not finish him off, unless he receives into following them. The will o’ wisp
immediate medical attention (the can use the puppet power to induce
healing power or a Healing roll). people to follow them, using Spirit as
• Numbing Touch: Any creature the arcane skill. A will o’ wisp has 10
touched by a barrow wight (including Power Points to use this power.
being struck by its claw attack) must • Ethereal: Can pass through solid
make a Vigor roll or become objects; cannot be harmed by non-
Vulnerable. magical attacks; may become invisible
• Spawn: Any creature slain by a (–6 to hit) as a limited free action.
barrow wight’s claws has a 50% • Size –3 (Very Small): Wisps measure
chance of rising again as a common about a foot in diameter.
wight. This occurs a mere 1d6 rounds • Spark: A wisp’s natural attack is a jolt
after the victim’s death unless the of lightning, using Shooting to hit.
body is destroyed first, or consecrated This attack has a Range of 12/24/48
by a priest. and inflicts 2d6 damage.
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
from being Shaken; no additional Variant Will o’ Wisps
damage from called shots; immune to Several creatures similar to the will o’
disease and poison; ignores 1 point of wisp exist throughout the world, as well as
Wound penalties. will o’ wisps that have grown in power
• Weakness (Sunlight): Barrow wights over long years of luring travelers to their
are weakened by the sun. Each round deaths.
in sunlight, the creature must make a • Corpse Candle: This sort of
Vigor roll or suffer a level of Fatigue. extremely dangerous will o’ wisp is a
A barrow wight Incapacitated by Wild Card with the Fear special
sunlight is destroyed at the end of the ability in addition to their normal
following round. powers. Corpse candles are Size –2
and Toughness 3.
• Rushlight: These floating, flickering
Will o’ Wisp balls of light are actually composed of
Also known as marsh phantoms and swamp fire and trapped souls. They
ghost lanterns, wisps are malicious spirits have the Undead creature ability and
resembling glowing balls of light. They inflict fire damage with their natural
captivate victims with their lights, then attack rather than lightning. They are
lead them into quicksand or the lairs of Toughness 4.
dangerous beasts. They have few • Will o’ Dawn: This extremely rare
combat capabilities and so try to remain variant is actually helpful to
a safe distance from their prey. adventurers, leading them away from
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit danger or toward hidden treasures.
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6 Their spark ability inflicts no damage

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 and instead causes victims to make a weapons that are not cold iron or
Vigor roll at –2 or be Stunned. magical.
• Low Light Vision: Wolfwere eyes are
accustomed to the dark of night.
Wolfw ere They ignore penalties for Dim and
Where a werewolf is a human born or Dark Illumination.
cursed with the ability to become a wolf • Song of Weariness: A wolfwere can
or man-wolf hybrid, a wolfwere is a cast slumber using Performance as its
member of another race altogether—a arcane skill. It has 10 Power Points to
species of shapeshifters whose natural use this power, and can use any of the
form is that of a humanoid wolf, but can power’s usual modifiers when
change into a large wolf or a human form activating it (but not generic
at will. Unlike werewolves, wolfweres modifiers).
carry no disease in their bite; one is either
born a wolfwere, or one is not.
Wolfweres delight in trickery, Zombie
deception, and music almost as much as These walking dead are typical groaning
they love to devour human flesh. fiends looking for fresh meat. While an
Wolfweres frequently become enamored individual zombie might only be worth a
of attractive humanoids, but they have Fear check if encountered by surprise, a
difficulty separating lust and hunger in horde of them bearing down on a group
their minds, leading to unfortunate ends of heroes probably warrants one.
for their “beloved.” Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8 Skills: Athletics d4, Fighting d6,
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge Intimidation d6, Notice d4, Shooting d6
d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice Pace: 4; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7
d6, Performance d10, Persuasion d8, Special Abilities:
Shooting d6, Stealth d6, Taunt d8 • Claw: Str.
Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 • Fearless: Zombies are immune to
Edges: Fleet-Footed, Humiliate, Quick Fear and Intimidation.
Special Abilities:
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
• Bite: Str+d6.
from being Shaken; no additional
• Change Shape: As an action, a damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
wolfwere can assume one of three point of Wound penalties; immune
forms—its natural form (a bipedal to poison and disease.
man-wolf), a dire wolf, or an attractive • Weakness (Head): Called Shots to a
human of either gender. The creature zombie’s head do the usual +4
uses the same statistics in human or damage.
natural form, though in human form
it has the Attractive Edge. As a dire
wolf, it uses the wolf’s Agility, Variant Zombies
Strength, and Vigor, as well as its The walking dead are downright
Pace and special abilities. common in the Land of Mists, and there
are many variations on their horrific
• Invulnerability: Wolfweres can be
form. The following are just a few of the
Shaken but not Wounded by
better-known ones.

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 Plague Zombie B Zombie Lord
Most zombies in Ravenloft are Not all zombies are mindless. The
magically reanimated corpses with little zombie lord is an intelligent zombie,
will of their own. A more dangerous capable of creating zombies with a single
variant is the plague zombie, a virulent touch of its rotting hands. Some legends
monster brought to unlife by a magical say zombie lords are practitioners of dark
disease. It is capable of spreading its filth arts, rewarded with unlife by their
through its bite, making it capable of patrons. Others claim they are cursed
turning entire towns into charnel houses beings who crossed the path of ancient
in a short amount of time. gods or foul demonic lords. While not as
• Bite: While the zombie still attacks powerful as liches, they are capable
with its claws or a slam as a primary necromancers.
attack, it can sink its teeth into prey to Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
spread the disease. A creature who is d10, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Shaken or Wounded by this attack Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
must make a Vigor roll at –2 or suffer d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Occult d8,
zombie fever. Spellcasting d10, Stealth d6
• Zombie Fever: This fast-acting Lethal Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8
disease forces an infected character to Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
make a Vigor roll once per hour or Necromancer(RR)
suffer a Wound. If the character dies, Special Abilities:
he rises again as a zombie 1d6 • Death Touch: Zombie lords drain
minutes later. the lives of those around them with a
touch. Instead of a normal attack, a

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 zombie lord may make a Touch • Stench of Death: Zombie lords reek
Attack. Every raise on its Fighting roll of death. All creatures adjacent to a
automatically inflicts one Wound to zombie lord must make a Vigor roll
its target. at the start of their turn or be
• Fear: Anyone seeing the creature Distracted.
must make a Fear check. • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
• Necromancy: A zombie lord has the from being Shaken; no additional
zombie power, two other powers of damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
choice, and 30 Power Points. point of Wound modifiers; immune
• Sire: A victim Incapacitated by the to poison and disease.
zombie lord’s death touch ability dies • Weakness (Head): Called Shots to a
in 2d6 rounds without medical zombie lord’s head inflict the usual
attention and has a 50% chance +4 damage.
returning to life as a zombie within
1d4 rounds.

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 Chapter 9:
The Doomed and the Damned

Some say that man himself is the darklords. Not every darklord mentioned
greatest monster that can be imagined. If in Ravenloft Reincarnated is given a full
so, the enemies presented in this chapter writeup in this chapter—just enough to
stand as proof of that assertion—men and whet a GM’s thirst for blood.
women who have fallen into darkness so
deep that they could chill the blood to
simply hear their deeds.
At the same time, mortal man is not a Mor tal Ma n, Doomed to
slave to his nature in the same way that
one of the undead might be, or a cursed
Die
lycanthrope, or a beast of the
This section is intended to present
netherworld. Mortals of all stripes have
allies, enemies, and background
the capacity to choose good or evil—to
characters of all sorts. Their only unifying
rise above their worst impulses or to fall
theme is that they share a mortal (or
to great depths from their own actions.
formerly mortal) origin. They are not
This chapter then is about those who
undead, shapechangers, or constructs,
have chosen evil or good for their own
though some of them possess powers
purposes. Herein, a GM will find generic
beyond human ken. A few have been
statistics for common enemies with
touched by the Dark Powers in one way
mortal origins: cultists, killers, bandits,
or another but have not finished their
and brigands. While some heroes might
journey down the road to perdition.
feel justified at inflicting lethal retribution
Whether friend or foe, the characters
on such foes, taking a mortal life is always
in this section can all be used to say,
a burden. Indiscriminate killing can come
“There, but for the grace of god, go I…”
back to haunt a person in more ways than
one.
This chapter is also dedicated to
potential allies for heroes—soldiers, B Assa ssin
watchmen, detectives, villagers, and How much is a man’s life worth? An
innocents. These folk may not have the assassin has answered that question, and
training or dedication of a monster even set an amount on the life of another.
hunter, warrior of light, or sorcerer, but it Whether a lone killer or part of an
is their world too. organization or guild, an assassin is a
The final section of this chapter is skilled murderer who lacks scruples when
composed of the luminaries of the Land it comes to getting the job done.
of Mists—the great champions and worst Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
villains of the setting. Described here are d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
mighty heroes from many eras of the Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
setting’s history as well as a plethora of d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice

301
 d8, Persuasion d6, Stealth d8, Shooting Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Thievery d8 d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (2) Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
Edges: Alertness, Assassin, First Strike, d6, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice
Thief d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, Stealth
Gear: Leather armor (+2 Armor), short d6, Survival d6, Thievery d6
sword (Str+d6), throwing knives (Range Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (2)
3/6/12, Str+d4) Hindrances: Greedy (Minor), Mean
Special Abilities: Gear: Leather armor (+2 Armor), short
• Poison: The quickest way to kill sword (Str+d6), bow (Range 12/24/48,
someone is with poison. An assassin’s Damage 2d6)
first attack in a combat is with a
poisoned weapon. The typical poison B Bandit Chief
used by an assassin is Lethal (–2). A bandit who lives long enough to
gather a “crew” of his own can be quite a
tough customer.
Bandit Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
Bandits are outlaws, earning a living by d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
raiding small settlements or waylaying Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
travelers. Not all bandits are necessarily d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
evil people. Some may have been d6, Persuasion d6, Riding d8, Shooting
wrongly outlawed or forced to flee their d8, Stealth d8, Survival d6, Thievery d8
homes, while others are fighting an unjust Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9 (3)
system. Hindrances: Greedy (Major), Mean
The bandits presented here are the Edges: Block, Combat Reflexes,
standard ruffian sort, though, out to get Command
what they can by whatever means Gear: Chain mail (+3 Armor), long sword
necessary. (Str+d8), bow (Range 12/24/48, Damage
2d6)

Citizen
The broad umbrella of “citizen” covers
everything from common farmers to
moderately skilled craftsmen—essentially,
the sort of people one encounters in
civilized places, without much in the way
of ability to defend themselves from
monsters.
These statistics made a good starting
point for various innocent victims that
heroes might try to save from various
horrific fates.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6

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Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d4, Gear: Ceremonial robes (+1 Armor),
Common Knowledge d6, Notice d4, dagger (Str+d4), followers’ wealth
Stealth d4, Trade d4 Special Abilities:
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 • Black Magic: A typical cult leader has
Gear: Knife (Str+d4) or improvised 15 Power Points and knows the
weapon (Str+d6, –2 to Fighting) following powers: bolt, fear, smite,
and zombie.
• Blood Sacrifice: When a cult leader
Cultist casts a Black Magic power, they can
The mortal worshipers of mad gods, inflict a Wound on an adjacent allied
demons, and other vile entities are extra to substitute paying up to 5
sometimes known as cultists. Many are Power Points of the cost of the
stark raving mad, and all are fanatically power.
loyal to their masters—both human and • Fanatical Followers: If an allied Extra
inhuman. (such as a common cultist) is adjacent
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d4, Spirit to a cult leader when the leader is hit
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 by an attack, the leader may spend a
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge Benny to have the attack strike the
d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Occult d6, Extra instead.
Stealth d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 (1) Fanatical Minion
Hindrances: Vow (Major: serve the cult) Every mad scientist or cult leader has a
Gear: Ceremonial robes (+1 Armor), trusty sidekick, and for some reason
dagger (Str+d4) they’re usually pretty hideous. Such
minions are also typically quite loyal to
B Cult Leader their master.
At the top of every cult is a “high Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
priest,” “grand wizard,” or some other d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
such high-titled lunatic. Most have Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8,
supernatural powers, either granted to Intimidation d6, Notice d6, Stealth d6,
them by a vile monster or learned the Taunt d6
traditional way and then used to fool the Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6
unsuspecting. A given cult leader should Hindrances: Loyal, Slow (Minor), Ugly
have his powers tweaked for appropriate (Major)
trappings. Edges: Berserk, Brute
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit Special Abilities:
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8 • Fanatical: The minion’s Berserk Edge
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge is triggered if he witnesses his master
d6, Fighting d8, Notice d8, Occult d8, become Shaken or Wounded.
Spellcasting d10, Stealth d6 • Resilient: A fanatical minion can
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (1) take one Wound before being
Hindrances: Arrogant, Vow (Major: serve Incapacitated.
a dark god)
Edges: Arcane Background (Black
Magic) (RR)

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 B Mad Scientist
While arcane scientists and alchemists
are common in many domains, some
have taken it upon themselves to play
god, eschewing ethics and sanity in favor
of results. Most are surrounded by
minions of various sorts—many of which
are also their creations.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Academics d8, Common
Knowledge d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation
d6, Notice d6, Occult d8, Persuasion d6,
Repair d6, Research d8, Science d10,
Stealth d6, Taunt d8, Weird Science d10
Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with sword-cane);
Toughness: 7 (2)
Hindrances: Delusional (Major), Ruthless
(Minor)
Edges: Arcane Background (Weird
Science), Artificer, Gadgeteer, Scholar
(Science)
Gear: Sword-cane (Str+d4, +1 Parry),
leather apron (+2 Armor, torso), goggles
Special Abilities:
• Weird Science: The typical mad
scientist knows two powers and has
Knight 20 Power Points. The most common
A knight is no mere soldier, but rather powers known are bolt and
a heavily armored and highly mobile protection, but every mad scientist
warrior. In addition to being a sort of has their own particular fixations and
cavalry troop, knights are often minor unique powers.
nobility, holding a fortified manor as their
personal fief.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Ma ge
Mages range from lowly apprentices
Skills: Battle d6, Common Knowledge
armed with a handful of spells to
d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice
powerful wizards capable of shaking the
d6, Persuasion d6, Riding d8, Stealth d4
foundations of heaven. Magic use is often
Pace: 6; Parry: 8; Toughness: 10 (4)
looked at askance in the Land of the
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Obligation
Mists, but warlocks and witches alike can
(Major)
find ways to make themselves too useful
Edges: Aristocrat, Command, Soldier
to persecute—or too feared.
Gear: Plate armor (+4 Armor), long
sword (Str+d8), large shield (+2 Parry, –4
Cover), war horse

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Novice Mage B Veteran Mage
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge
d6, Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice
d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d4, Research d8, Occult d10, Persuasion d8, Research
d8, Shooting d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d10, Shooting d6, Spellcasting d10,
d6, Taunt d6 Stealth d6, Taunt d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 6 (1) Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with staff);
Hindrances: Driven (Minor: become a Toughness: 6 (1)
great magus) Hindrances: Driven (Major: uncover
Edges: Arcane Background (Magic), mystic secrets)
Wizard Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
Gear: Robes (+1 Armor), dagger (Str+d4) Channeler, Epic Mastery(FC), Rapid
Special Abilities: Recharge, Wizard
• Spells: A novice mage typically has 15 Gear: Robes (+1 Armor), staff (Str+d4, +1
Power Points and knows bolt, Parry, two hands)
detect/conceal arcana, light/darkness, Special Abilities:
and protection. • Spells: Veteran mages have 25 Power
Points and typically know many
spells, including bolt, detect/conceal
arcana, dispel, fly, light/darkness, and
protection.

B Monster Hunt er
Many are called, but most die before
they get a chance to prove themselves.
Monster hunters are typically people who
have had a terrible encounter with
something horrible and found it within
themselves to do something about it.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Notice
d8, Occult d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d6,
Taunt d6, Thievery d6
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 8 (2)
Hindrances: Heroic, Loyal
Edges: Arcane Resistance, Brave,
Gutsy(RR), Level Headed, Scholar (Occult)
Gear: Thick leather armor (+2 Armor),
long sword (Str+d8), crossbow (Range
15/30/60, 2d6, AP 2, Reload 1), various
holy symbols

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 Noble d6, Persuasion d8, Riding d6, Stealth d6,
For this section, a “noble” can be a Taunt d6
person of true aristocratic breeding and Pace: 6; Parry: 4 (5 with rapier);
bearing, or a person who assumes their Toughness: 5
traditional function in a more egalitarian Edges: Charismatic, Work the Room
government. It also includes courtiers (or Gear: Rapier (Str+d4, +1 Parry)
bureaucrats) and similar people of the
“better class.” Priest
Priests are servants of the gods and
Aristocra t their church. While not all clerics of the
Some aristocrats are decadent dandies faith can use miracles, enough can that it
content with living a life of luxury. Others is considered normal to most religions to
are rich landowners, skilled have at least one spellcasting priest in a
businesspeople, military commanders, or given church.
advisors to a higher authority. They can Non-mystical priests might use the
be ludicrously wealthy or stricken with Courtier or Soldier statistics, depending
poverty. Not a small number of them on the church involved.
dabble in forbidden arts.
This version presents a typical
aristocrat or person high in government.
A few specific Edges or Hindrances can
refine them as needed.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice
d6, Performance d6, Persuasion d8,
Riding d6, Stealth d4, Taunt d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with rapier);
Toughness: 5
Edges: Aristocrat, Command,
Connections
Gear: Rapier (Str+d4, +1 Parry), flintlock
pistol (Range 5/10/20, 2d6+1, AP 1,
Reload 2)
Courtier
A courtier is more than a servant. Such
folk are advisors and often hold positions
of importance within a court. Most
dealings with government will be through
a courtier rather than an aristocrat
directly.
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge
d10, Fighting d4, Notice d8, Performance

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Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d6, Faith d8, Fighting d6, Healing d8,
Notice d6, Occult d6, Persuasion d8,
Stealth d4
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 8 (3)
Hindrances: Vow (Major: serve the faith)
Edges: Arcane Background (Miracles),
Healer
Gear: Chain mail (+3 Armor), mace
(Str+d6), medium shield (+2 Parry, –2
cover), holy symbol
Special Abilities:
• Spells: The typical spellcasting priest
has 15 Power Points and knows
blessing(FC), deflection, healing, and
light/darkness.

Psychic B Serial Kille r

Strange powers of the mind sometimes Sometimes the human mind snaps
emerge after a severe emotional or under the weight of abject horror—and
physical trauma. A few people are simply sometimes, those that stare into the abyss
born with such powers, which emerge at find the abyss staring back. A serial killer
puberty. A psychic might be an older is a human being who has gone mad for
medium or a young firestarter—either some reason and turned into a bloody-
way, their bizarre powers often make handed murderer.
them a locus for occult activity. Serial killers hunt the innocent,
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit typically people who match a specific
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 type, and kill them in the most awful ways
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge possible. Sometimes, their murders draw
d4, Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice the attention of the Dark Powers, who
d6, Occult d4, Persuasion d6, Psionics grant them supernatural abilities to
d10, Stealth d4 improve their killing prowess.
Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
Hindrances: Outsider (Minor) or Quirk d10, Strength d12, Vigor d10
Edges: Arcane Background (Psionics) Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d8,
Special Abilities: Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Stealth d10
• Psionics: The average psychic has 15 Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10 (2)
Power Points and knows bolt, havoc, Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Mean,
and either telekinesis or mind Vengeful (Major)
reading. Edges: Berserk, Brave, Brawny, First
Strike, Frenzy, Harder to Kill, Nerves of
Steel (Imp), Sweep, Trademark Weapon

307
 Gear: Trademark weapon (usually permanent destruction even if otherwise
something like an axe or short sword, invincible.
Str+d6), leather smock (+2 Armor, torso
only)
Soldier
The Supernatural Killer A soldier might be a common
While the statistics here are for a mercenary, a member of a militia, or an
lunatic with a weapon, the Dark Powers army regular. Some have abandoned
sometimes “improve” on such their units to hire their services out to the
murderers, turning them into real highest bidder but not yet fallen to
monsters. banditry, while others are protectors of
A given serial killer might possess a their people.
single supernatural power, perhaps two All of the soldiers in a given unit
for especially dangerous beings. Listed typically have the same weapons and
below are several special abilities that a armor to promote unit cohesion and
serial killer might have. tactics.
Invulnerable: A serial killer with this Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
ability who is slain simply vanishes or lays d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6
as if dead for a few nights and then begins Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
killing again. Such a killer always has a d4, Fighting d6, Intimidation d6, Notice
Weakness that can overcome this ability. d6, Persuasion d4, Shooting d6, Stealth
Teleport: This killer has the uncanny d6
ability to disappear from sight and then Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (2)
reappear when least expected. As long as Gear: Leather armor (+2 Armor), short
no one is looking at them and they can sword (Str+d6)
act normally, the serial killer can
disappear from the area as a free action, B Officer
reappearing when dramatically An experienced soldier commanding
appropriate. his own unit, such warriors typically carry
Undead: This killer has actually weapons like those of their troops but are
returned from the grave to keep killing. often mounted and better armored.
+2 Toughness; +2 to recover from being Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
Shaken; no additional damage from d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Called Shots; immune to poison and Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
disease; ignores 1 point of Wound d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
modifiers. d6, Persuasion d6, Riding d8, Shooting
Weakness: The killer has a special d8, Stealth d6
weakness to something—possibly to the Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 9 (3)
weapon that slayed them in life (if Edges: Combat Reflexes, Command
undead) or is tied to their unique history. Gear: Chain mail (+3 Armor), long sword
A killer who suffers terrible burn scars (Str+d8), riding horse
might fear fire, while a killer who feared
their domineering mother might recoil in
terror from a person wearing her
clothing. Exposure to this weakness Thief
should require a Fear check at –4, at the Thieves earn their living by stealing.
very least, and can result in their Some are plucky loners while others are

308
members of a guild or gang. Despite
being tricky customers, thieves are often
Warlock
excellent sources of information—if you A common term for any spellcaster
can find them. who turns to the dark arts is “warlock.”
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit Some have made deals with dark forces
d6, Strength d6, Vigor d6 while others are scholars of forbidden
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge lore.
d8, Fighting d6, Notice d8, Persuasion Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6
d6, Stealth d8, Taunt d6, Thievery d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 (2) Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge
Edges: Thief d4, Fighting d4, Intimidation d6, Notice
Gear: Leather armor (+2 Armor), short d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d6, Research
sword (Str+d6), throwing knives (Range d6, Spellcasting d8, Stealth d8
3/6/12, Str+d4) Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Obligation (Major, to the
source of their powers), Ruthless (Major)
Edges: Arcane Background (Black
Magic)(RR), Channeler
Special Abilities:
• Spells: An average warlock has 15
Power Points and knows bolt,
boost/lower Trait, fly, light/darkness,
and puppet .

309
 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
Champions of the Mist d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d10, Common
The characters in this section are might Knowledge d8, Fighting d8, Healing d8,
champions of good, antiheroes, flawed Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Occult d8,
heroes, and the occasional villain seeking Persuasion d8, Research d8, Science d8,
redemption. While these individuals are Stealth d8, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6,
meant to be allies or mentors to a group Throwing d6, Weird Science d8
of heroes, they can also serve as unwitting Pace: 8; Parry: 6 (7 with staff);
(or unwilling) antagonists. “Good” Toughness: 8
doesn’t always mean “nice,” in truth. Hindrances: Pacifist (Minor), Vow
(Major: serve the Celebrants of
Humanity)
B Agatha Clairmont Edges: Arcane Background (Weird
Agatha Clairmont was the youngest Science), Alchemist(RR), Brawler, Bruiser,
child (and only daughter) of a cobbler Counterattack, Extraction, Fleet-Footed,
and his wife in the great city of Paridon. Frenzy, Level Headed, Martial Artist,
She joined the Celebrants of Mankind as Sweep
soon as she was old enough to choose for Gear: Staff (Str+d4, +1 Parry, two hands),
herself, dedicating her life to spiritual and unarmed strike (Str+d8)
physical purity, as well as the study of
alchemical philosophy. She aided the Special Abilities:
famed Rudolph van Richten in his • Alchemist: As an alchemical
campaign against the monstrous philosopher of the Celebrants of
Lamenting Rake before rising to a Humanity, Agatha knows some basic
position as one of the leading clergy of arcane science. She has 20 Power
her faith. Points and knows the following
Agatha is a formidable opponent, powers: boost/lower Trait, deflection,
whether defending herself in a sparring and healing . Her powers always take
match or on the foggy streets of Paridon. the form of single-use potions,
Though she is articulate and highly poultices, and the like.
mannered, she is a master of the martial
arts, quite capable of devastating
unprepared foes in close quarters combat B Alanik Ray
before lecturing them about the need to Often simply called “the great
mend their low-class ways. She avoids detective,” Alanik Ray is one of the
killing whenever possible, viewing it as a foremost minds in the field of deductive
waste of human life; she prefers to turn science in the modern world. Born to a
her enemies over to the authorities. wealthy elven family, Ray saw at a young
Agatha is tall and broad-shouldered, age that others did not benefit from the
with a lean but athletic physique and a same privileges that he enjoyed.
narrow, plain face framed by carrot- Everywhere he turned, he saw only
orange hair. She typically dresses in the corruption and deceit. When he came of
garb of her order, a charcoal gray tabard age, he turned his matchless intellect
over a loose white tunic and trousers. upon the underbelly of society.

310
 As he gained in skill as a detective, Ray Special Abilities:
found that the corruption he saw had • Low Light Vision: Alanik Ray can see
sunk its roots into the upper class as in near-darkness, allowing him to
well—even into his own family. His ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
accusations left him disowned and set Illumination.
against his own father. In time, Ray found
allies, including a young doctor named
Arthur Sedgwick, and brought down his
B George Weatherm ay
father’s criminal empire. Since then, he
Born to a wealthy family, George
has kept himself busy as a consulting
Weathermay was a boy with a gentle
detective, which helps sustain his
spirit and good heart. Dismayed by the
extravagant lifestyle.
rumors that his family had trafficked with
Slender even for an elf, Alanik Ray can
dark powers in old times, he devoted
often seem gaunt at his six feet of height.
himself to hunting, tactics, and
His features are sharp and angular, with
investigation to prepare himself to
keen eyes set below a knife-edged brow.
become a great hero. George has devoted
Ray’s golden-blonde hair is typically
his life to helping the common folk of the
pulled back severely, giving him a
world and making his family’s name
pronounced widow’s peak and a high
synonymous with heroism rather than
forehead. Ray’s only nod to vanity are his
treachery.
finely tailored silk suits, embroidered in
Though uncomfortable with other
gold, red, and blue.
people, George is skilled with animals.
He has made friends and allies with many
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d12, Spirit
other heroes in spite of his discomfort
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
with people, though he remained a
Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d8,
deeply lonely man for much of his adult
Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d8,
life. George thought he had finally found
Intimidation d10, Languages (several) d8,
happiness with a woman named Natalia,
Notice d10, Occult d8, Performance d8,
but she turned out to be a lycanthropic
Persuasion d8, Repair d10, Research
assassin using George’s emotions to get
d10, Riding d8, Science d8, Shooting
close to the hero’s ally, the famed scholar
d10, Stealth d10, Taunt d10, Thievery d8
Rudolph van Richten. In the ensuing
Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 6 (2)
battle, Natalia escaped but George’s
Hindrances: All Thumbs, Arrogant,
beloved niece Gennifer was wounded.
Enemy (several), Habit (Minor:
Since this incident, George has
condescending attitude)
descended deeper into isolation. He
Edges: Alertness, Ambidextrous,
sought out and destroyed the werewolf
Charismatic, Connections (multiple),
clan that Natalia came from, an act that
Extraction, Investigator, Jack-of-All-
still haunts him with its ruthlessness and
Trades, Quick, Scholar (Science), Thief
vengeful nature. Every day draws George
Gear: Goldenfang (magical dagger,
down a dark path toward a place of hate
Str+d4, AP 2, +2 Fighting), flintlock pistol
and anger, further from the light he once
(Range 5/10/20, 2d6+1, AP 1), lockpicks,
cherished.
disguise kit, concealed armored vest (+2
George is a tall, lean man in middle age
Armor, torso only)
with slender, hawkish features. His dark
brown hair has grown streaked with grey

311
 from his encounters with terror, and his glowing with holy radiance, her eyes a
dark eyes can cut into a man’s soul. searing blue-white. There is no word in
Around pretty women or grateful the Land of Mists for what Isolde really
villagers, his expression softens, but he is, but the closest that any of the local
often finds himself stuttering or faiths would be able to come is “angel.”
stammering if he can bring himself to She is a servant of the universal powers of
speak at all. good, descended to the Domains of
Dread in order to hunt her quarry, an
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit infernal war criminal locally known as
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 “the Gentleman Caller.”
Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d8, Common Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
Knowledge d8, Fighting d10, Healing d6, d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Intimidation d8, Notice d10, Occult d8, Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
Persuasion d4, Riding d10, Shooting d10, d6, Faith d10, Fighting d8, Healing d8,
Stealth d10, Survival d8 Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Occult d10,
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7 (1) Persuasion d10, Stealth d10
Hindrances: Enemy (many), Heroic, Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10 (4)
Outsider (Minor), Vengeful (Minor) Hindrances: Code of Honor, Driven
Edges: Alertness, Ambidextrous, Arcane (Major: find the Gentleman Caller),
Resistance, Beast Bond, Beast Master, Heroic, Loyal, Vow (Major: protect the
Brave, Combat Reflexes, Command, people of the Carnival)
Danger Sense, Extraction, Frenzy, Iron Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background
Jaw, Level Headed, Marksman, Nerves (Miracles), Attractive, Aura of Courage(FC),
of Steel, Tactician, Two-Fisted Champion, Holy Warrior
Gear: Gossamer (magical long sword, Gear: Enchanted long sword (Str+d8, AP
Str+d8, inflicts normal damage to 2)
incorporeal foes, +2 Fighting), short
sword (Str+d6), silver dagger (Str+d4), Special Abilities:
longbow (Range 15/30/30, 2d6), holy • Armor +4: Aura of holy power.
symbol, holy water, hunting hounds, war • Flight: Pace 12.
horse • Low Light Vision: Isolde ignores
penalties for Dim and Dark
Illumination.
B Isolde • Miracles: Isolde is a powerful servant
Isolde appears to be a tall, statuesque of light. She has 25 Power Points and
woman with long, dark hair and pale knows the following powers: banish,
skin. Her eyes are a crystalline blue, and blessing(FC), boost Trait, detect arcana,
her expression is distant and somehow healing, light, protection, and smite.
forbidding. She dresses in practical She can cast her powers silently and
traveling garb that somehow never seems without the use of a holy symbol at no
dirty or disheveled. When trouble penalty.
threatens her carnival, she belts on a long • Mistress of the Carnival: In some
sword in a well-worn scabbard, but no ways, Isolde is like a darklord with
one can ever recall seeing her draw it. the Carnival as her domain. She
Few living people have ever seen cannot seal it off from the outside
Isolde’s true form—a winged, elfin being world, but closed domain borders

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 cannot stop the Carnival when it is on embarking on the life of a monster
the move, and the special powers of hunter.
darklords have no hold over her or After becoming infected with
those within the bounds of the lycanthropy during a battle gone wrong,
Carnival’s grounds. Similarly, mortal Ivan sought to cure his curse through the
magic cannot pierce the edges of the intervention of his old friend, only to
Carnival, as though they were a transform during the ritual and kill the
domain border. Isolde can use any old man. Dragonov has wandered the
miracle within the Carnival’s land for nearly two centuries since then,
boundaries as a ritual at no monetary unable to kill himself and no longer
cost; she gains +4 on her Occult rolls aging, seeking redemption by destroying
to perform such rituals. The only task every lycanthrope in the world.
she is utterly incapable of performing
is reversing the effects of the Twisting. Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit
She gives serious consideration to any d10, Strength d12, Vigor d10
other use of her powers, however, as Skills: Athletics d10, Common
she has no desire to draw undue Knowledge d4, Fighting d12, Healing d6,
attention to those under her Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Persuasion
protection. d4, Occult d8, Riding d8, Shooting d10,
Stealth d10, Survival d12
Pace: 6; Parry: 9 (8 with axe); Toughness:
B Ivan Dragonov 10 (2)
Ivan Dragonov is one of Ravenloft’s Hindrances: Death Wish, Heroic,
greatest heroes—and greatest tragedies. Lycanthropy, Vengeful (Minor)
He is a monster hunter who has become Edges: Alertness, Berserk, Block,
what he most hated, afflicted with the Brawny, Combat Reflexes,
dread disease of lycanthropy. Dragonov Counterattack, Danger Sense, Fast
uses these bestial powers in his endless Healer, First Strike, Frenzy (Imp), Hard
war against the creatures with whom he is to Kill, Iron Jaw, Monster Hunter(HC)
now kindred. (werebeasts), Nerves of Steel (Imp),
Ivan is a powerfully built man whose Sweep (Imp), Woodsman
massive frame makes him look even Gear: Enchanted silver great axe
more imposing than the monsters he (Str+d10, AP 1, Parry –1, two hands, +1
hunts. His hair is fiery red, hanging down Fighting), crossbow (Range 15/30/60,
to his shoulders, and he wears a full 2d6, AP 2), silver bolts, thick hide armor
beard. His dark tan is broken only by a (+2 Armor), wolf’s-bane extract
lattice of white scars, remnants of
countless battles. Special Abilities:
As a child in Falkovnia, Ivan’s powerful • Cursed Lycanthrope: When Ivan
build seemed to destine him for the Dragonov’s Berserk Edge is triggered,
military or the life of a thug. Instead, he he actually transforms into a
became friends with an old priest who monstrous wolf-man. Replace his
was able to send him on a better path. statistics with those of a werewolf until
Ivan eventually decided to hunt evil and he comes out of his Berserk state. He
protect the innocent with his strength, also changes involuntarily during the
three nights of the full moon.

313
 B Rudolph van Richten Rudolph caught up too late to save his
Few adventurers are as well known in son’s life—and then had to kill him a
the Land of Mists as Rudolph van second time when the boy rose as one of
Richten. He has been an ally and mentor the undead. He was too late to save his
to an entire generation of heroes, as well wife from the vampire’s vengeance, and
as having destroyed more monsters in his only survived through luck and guile. He
years than any ten other hunters put slew the vampire that had destroyed his
together. Few would recognize the family, then exacted awful vengeance on
unassuming older man on sight—his the tribe that had cursed him so.
legend exceeds his appearance. Dr. van Richten found that vengeance
Rudolph van Richten was once a doctor left him hollow. He came to the
in a small city, running an herbal supply realization that what had destroyed his
store on the side. He was happily married family was a lack of knowledge; had he
and had a young son upon whom he known more about the monster he faced,
doted. When he was unable to save a he might have saved his son and wife. He
badly injured member of a tribe of dedicated his life to seeking out the
wandering folk, their leader kidnapped horrors of the night and studying them—
his son in retribution, then sold the boy and using that knowledge to destroy them
to a vampire as a slave. wherever they lurked. More than any
other monster hunter in history, Dr. van
Richten has excelled at making
connections to other like-minded folk,
training them, arming them, and giving
them the benefit of his (often painfully
earned) experience.
These days, Dr. van Richten is an older
man with a kind-looking face and thin
white hair. He looks more like a kindly
uncle or grandfather than a dedicated
slayer of monsters. When on the hunt,
his face takes on a resolute determination
that pushes others to greatness.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit

d12, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d8,
Common Knowledge d12, Fighting d8,
Healing d10, Intimidation d8, Languages
(several) d6, Notice d10, Occult d12,
Persuasion d8, Repair d8, Research d12,
Riding d6, Science d6, Shooting d6,
Stealth d8, Survival d8, Taunt d10,
Thievery d8
Pace: 5; Parry: 7; Toughness: 5
Hindrances: Cautious, Elderly, Heroic,
Mild Mannered

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Edges: Alertness, Block, Charismatic, As a grown woman, Tara Kolyana is
Command, Command Presence, almost painfully beautiful. Her hair is
Connections (many), Danger Sense, sunset red and her eyes emerald green.
Dodge, Healer, Hold the Line, Her general expression is one of peace
Improvisational Fighter, Inspire, and kindness, which only makes her
Investigator, Jack of All Trades, Level more appealing to others.
Headed (Imp), Linguist, Monster
Hunter(HC) (constructs, demons, fey, Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
ghosts, liches, mummies, vampires, d12, Strength d6, Vigor d8
walking dead, werebeasts), Scholar Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
(Occult, Research) d8, Faith d10, Fighting d6, Healing d10,
Gear: Too many monster hunting tools Notice d10, Performance d6, Persuasion
to count; Rudolph van Richten almost d10, Riding d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6
always has the correct gear on hand to Pace: 6; Parry: 5 (6 with staff);
handle the current threat. Toughness: 7 (1)
Hindrances: Pacifist (Major), Vow
(Minor: serve the Church of Ezra) Edges:
B Tara Kolyana Arcane Background (Miracles), Aura of
A beautiful young woman of high ideals Courage(FC), Brave, Chosen of Ezra(RR),
and deep compassion, Tara Kolyana Destroy Undead(RR), Fame, Healer, Level
naturally gravitated toward the Church of Headed, Very Attractive
Ezra. Though she was born in Barovia, Gear: Staff (Str+d4, +1 Parry, two hands),
her family fled that dread realm when she holy robes (+1 Armor), prayer book,
was an infant. holy symbol
As a child, Tara was quick-tempered Special Abilities:
and passionate. Always something of a • Miracles: Tara Kolyana has 20 Power
tomboy, Tara longed for adventure. Points. She knows the following
When she was a teenager, a great wolf powers: banish, blessing(FC),
plagued her home village; feeling that the boost/lower Trait, deflection,
traps laid to kill the beast were cruel, she detect/conceal arcana , dispel , healing ,
instead set a trap to capture it. She found light/darkness , relief , and stun .
that she had instead snared a person—a
man cursed with lycanthropy. With the
help of the village priest and a troupe of
the wandering folk, the man was cured.
Tara found a genuine sense of peace in
saving a man’s life and soul. After a few
years of adventuring, she found her
calling with the Church of Ezra, where
she has become a popular and modestly
famous priestess, particularly noted for
her aversion to violence and preaching
about mercy. Her nickname among the
clergy, “the daughter of the angels,”
makes her acutely embarrassed.

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 The Damned B Adam, Mordenheim’s Monster
Dr. Victor Mordenheim was a man
What makes a man choose evil over obsessed with defying the gods and
good? What impulse pushes a woman creating life. He believed that everything
toward her own damnation in spite of could be boiled down to logical purposes,
every opportunity to turn back? The could be studied with reason and
answer is simple: pride. intellect. Adam was his greatest creation—
Ultimately, every darklord is a victim of and his worst mistake.
their own hubris, an overweening pride Victor had created many soulless
that hardened their heart bit by bit until constructs before Adam, but it was his
the only conceivable choice left to them intention to make something that had the
was to damn themselves utterly. Had they intelligence and creativity of a human
been able to view themselves critically at being, something that could think and
any point—to say “I am at fault, mea feel. Adam could do both; though he was
culpa”—and to make amends for their childlike when created, he rapidly grew in
misdeeds, they might have avoided their understanding and intelligence. He
fate. showed more humanity in some ways
But they didn’t. And now each one than Victor himself, acting as playmate
stands as supreme lord and ultimate and friend to Victor’s daughter, Eva, and
prisoner of a little piece of hell they can a household helper to Victor’s wife, Elise.
call their own. Adam did indeed have a soul; the more
Darklords are pitiable, but they should he learned about the world around him,
not be pitied. They are sympathetic, but the more he longed for companionship
they deserve not your sympathy. and understanding. He longed to take his
Remember always that they were damned creator’s place, to be kind to Victor’s wife
by their own hand. No one forced them and daughter in ways that Victor himself
to be monsters—they became monsters was no longer capable of being. When he
because, ultimately, they decided to. approached Elise about leaving her cold
Should you decide to pity or and distant husband, she rejected the
sympathize anyway, in spite of these creature, leaving him confused and hurt.
warnings, then remember: also be afraid. In the end, Adam decided to leave
Not all of the beings in this section are Mordenheim’s home, seeking freedom in
darklords. Some are on the path to the world beyond—and to take his only
damnation, while others are unique and friend, Eva, with him when he left.
terrible monsters who, for whatever Eva was startled when Adam woke her
reason, have not been granted their own up and screamed. Adam struggled to
private hell. Just because they do not hold silence the girl without hurting her, but
a domain does not make them any less her mother attacked him while he was
dangerous. Indeed, some are more distracted. In a moment of instinct, he
dangerous due to their freedom. struck out—crushing Elise’s skull with one
In either case, caution is advised. massive blow. Eva fled from the monster
and fell from the balcony into the waters
below. Victor arrived in time to see his
wife mauled and his daughter lost—and to
watch his “son” fling himself from the

316
castle walls and into the frigid waters Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
below. d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d12
Adam did not find Eva, either alive or Skills: Athletics d10, Common
dead. Now, he wanders Lamordia, alone Knowledge d4, Fighting d10,
and friendless. He has passion, Intimidation d12, Notice d10, Stealth
imagination, and creativity aplenty, but no d10, Survival d8, Swimming d10
one to share them with, and his Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 11 (2)
loneliness makes him lash out at the Hindrances: Mean, Outsider (Major),
people around him. He is convinced that Ugly (Major)
no one could ever love a monster like Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp), Berserk,
him, and his every action makes it a self- Brute, Fleet-Footed, Menacing, Sweep
fulfilling prophecy. (Imp)
Adam is a patchwork man, nearly eight
feet tall. His skin is an unhealthy grey Special Abilities:
color, and his features are mismatched • Armor +2: Reinforced bones and
and uneven. His hair is lank and greasy, tough skin.
and his overall appearance is one of • Construct: +2 to recover from being
neglect and poor hygiene. Shaken; ignores 1 point of Wound
penalties; immune to poison and
disease.
• Darklord of Lamordia: Adam shares
his damnation with his creator; for his
envy and his mutilation of Elise
Mordenheim, Adam stands as
darklord. He can channel his self-
loathing into powerful storms, closing
the borders of his domain. Every day,
he makes a Spirit roll at a cumulative
–1 penalty; a failure opens the
borders and leaves him unable to
close them again for at least a week.
• Fear: Adam’s hideous appearance
prompts a Fear check in onlookers.
• Fearless: Adam is immune to Fear
and Intimidation.
• Hardy: Adam does not suffer a
wound from a second Shaken result.
• Pain Transference: If Adam and Dr.
Mordenheim are present in the same
scene, they feel one another’s pain. If
either is Shaken or Wounded, the
other must immediately make a Vigor
check or be Shaken as well.
• Size 1: Adam stands just shy of eight
feet tall.
• Slam: Str+d6.

317
 B Alfred Tim othy Special Abilities:
One of six children of darklord Nathan • Bite/Claws: Str+d8.
Timothy, Alfred was a sickly child before • Change Shape: As a limited action,
his first change. He grew up detesting his Alfred can assume one of three
father’s desire to assimilate into human shapes: human, a massive hybrid
society, believing that humans are nothing form, or an immense dire wolf.
more than livestock to be slaughtered at • Curse of Calm: Alfred can only
will. After his near-death experience at assume his true werewolf form when
the hands of slavers, Alfred became a his emotions are under control.
fervent follower of the Wolf God, a When he becomes enraged, afraid, or
divine manifestation of predation and lustful, he reverts to his weaker
instinct. Since claiming the territory of human shape. In this shape, he is
Verbrek for himself, Alfred has become Size 0 and loses his natural attacks,
the leader of a mighty pack of Fear, and Low Light Vision, loses all
werewolves—both natural lycanthropes Edges other than Arcane Background,
who follow him willingly and cursed fools and his physical Attributes and Skills
who accepted infection in exchange for become d4.
positions of power over their fellow man. • Darklord of Verbrek: Alfred cannot
Alfred is unsatisfied, however; he longs close the borders of the domain in
to eradicate the last bastions of any traditional sense, as he lacks the
humankind in his territory, but he knows willpower and focus necessary to do
that without the humans as enemies to so. However, he can command
rally against, it would be far more difficult legions of wolves and werewolves to
to keep his massive pack together. scour the forests when he desires, and
Worse, he has found that whenever he few merely human foes can escape
succumbs to anger, fear, or lust, he such a concerted hunt.
reverts to his sick, weakly human form. • Fast Regeneration: Alfred can attempt
Should the rest of his pack discover this a natural healing roll every round,
secret, he would face immediate even if Incapacitated, unless the
challenge for his position—or worse. Wounds were caused by silver
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit weapons.
d8, Strength d12+2, Vigor d10 • Fear (–2): The sight of a werewolf in
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge its monstrous hybrid form can chill
d8, Faith d10, Fighting d12+2, the blood.
Intimidation d10, Notice d12, Persuasion • Infection: Alfred has enough control
d8, Stealth d10, Survival d10 over his attacks that he can choose to
Pace: 8 (6 in human form); Parry: 11 (4 infect those he brings down with his
in human form); Toughness: 9 (4 in natural attacks, or to rend them so
human form) completely they have no chance to
Hindrances: Cautious, Secret (Major: rise again as werewolves. Alfred can
curse of calm), Thin Skinned (Minor) utterly control any infected werewolf
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background he creates in this fashion while they
(Miracles), Block (Imp), Fleet Footed, are transformed.
Frenzy (Imp), Quick, Wolf Pack(RR)
• Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes
ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
Illumination.

318
• Miracles: As high priest of the Wolf Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12+2,
God, Alfred can cast the following Spirit d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
miracles—beast friend, blind, Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d6,
boost/lower Trait, entangle, healing, Battle d10, Common Knowledge d12,
protection, and smite. He has 25 Fighting d10, Intimidation d12, Notice
Power Points. d12, Occult d12+2, Persuasion d8,
• Size 2: In his hybrid form, Alfred is Research d12, Riding d6, Spellcasting
larger than any man. d12+2, Stealth d12
• Weakness (Silver): Alfred suffers +4 Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 15 (6)
damage from silver weapons. Hindrances: Arrogant, Code of Honor,
Curious, Overconfident, Quirk
(monologuer)
Edges: Arcane Focus(RR) (staff), Arcane
B Azalin Rex Background (Magic), Arcane Resistance
Wizard. King. Darklord. Prisoner. (Imp), Archmage(RR), Channeling,
Azalin Rex has borne many names and Concentration, Epic Mastery(FC), Level
titles across the length of his unnaturally Headed (Imp), Power Surge, Rapid
long existence, but the last is the one that Recharge (Imp), Wizard
chafes at him the most. He is well aware Gear: Enchanted robes (+6 Armor),
of the nature of the Domains of Dread, various magic items
and his own status as a prisoner of the
Dark Powers. For decades, he has
schemed and plotted ways to break free
of his imprisonment, only for each of
them to fail at the last moment. Between
ventures, he alternately seethes and rages,
constantly testing the edges of his cage.
Azalin is frequently distracted from his
arcane studies by the mundanities of
running a nation—a task that he despises
but which he trusts no one else to
undertake in his stead. Due to his curse,
Azalin is incapable of learning new magic;
unfamiliar arcane knowledge slips from
his mind like water through a sieve. He is
quite adept at using his existing
knowledge in unusual ways, but the
inability to expand his mystical power is a
constant aggravation to the wizard.
Perhaps the sublest but most dangerous
aspect of Azalin’s curse is the presence of
the small, kind voice that haunts him in
his darkest moments. The ghost of his
son Irik whispers to Azalin when he is
alone, telling him that he could be a
better man than he is, suggesting mercy
and kindness over ruthless expedience.

319
 Special Abilities: having their memories stolen, restore
• Darklord of Darkon: Azalin can close such memories once taken, or even
the borders of Darkon at will and imprint new false memories into
keep them closed virtually anyone within Darkon’s borders as
indefinitely. When he wishes to seal the mind wipe power with the Edit
his domain, a limitless army of the Modifier, but with no restriction on
undead rises from the earth at the the duration of the memory and no
borders, seething with hate for the ability to resist. As with Darkon’s
living. A dedicated force could fight standard memory drain, however, a
their way through the horde, but subject’s true memories immediately
doing so is virtually impossible for all return the moment they leave the
but the most powerful. Flying domain. In addition, Azalin’s mind
creatures are no safer—their power of bleeds into the thoughts of those
flight mysteriously fails partway across whose minds he touches, leaving
the horde. behind disturbing, incongruent
• Death Touch: As a lich, Azalin can elements woven into the relevant
drain the life force from others with a memories that can unravel the truth if
touch. Every success and raise on a examined too closely.
successful Touch Attack • Phylactery: If Azalin is slain but his
automatically inflicts a Wound. A phylactery remains undamaged, he
creature slain by this attack possesses an appropriately prepared
automatically rises as a zombie under corpse somewhere in Darkon and
Azalin’s control if he wishes it. fully reforms in 1d6 days. Should
• Fear: When Azalin allows others to Azalin’s phylactery be destroyed, he
see his true undead appearance, it is immediately aware of the fact and
can chill the blood. may create a new one with 1d4 weeks
• Invulnerability: Azalin can be Shaken of constant work. Azalin can only be
but not Wounded by non-magical permanently killed if his current body
attacks. is destroyed while he lacks a
• Lord of the Dead: Azalin has the phylactery.
Command, Fervor, and Tactician • Spells: Azalin has 65 Power Points
Edges with respect to undead Extras and knows virtually every magic-user
under his control. The undead that power. Though he cannot learn new
Azalin raises through the zombie magics, his existing repertoire is
power are permanent and cost him almost unimaginable to lesser casters.
no Power Points to maintain. Every • Transfer Essence: As an action
undead Extra in Darkon is costing 5 Power Points, Azalin can
automatically under Azalin’s control transfer his essence to any Extra
if he wishes it; as an action, he can undead within 12”. When he does so,
share the senses of any undead Extra his old body crumbles to dust and the
in the domain, which leaves him possessed creature transforms into an
Vulnerable as long as he does so. exact copy of him with no Wounds.
• Memory Modification: Azalin can • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
shape the false memories created by from being Shaken; no additional
Darkon like a virtuoso composer. He damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
can shield specific individuals from point of Wound penalties; doesn’t

320
 breathe; immune to disease and Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
poison. d12, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d6,
Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d4,
B Dominic d’Honaire Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Persuasion
A member of the aristocratic d’Honaire d12, Psionics d12, Shooting d6, Stealth
family, Dominic has been immersed in d6, Taunt d10
politics since he was a young boy. His Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
father was a sitting member of the ruling Hindrances: Amorous, Cautious,
council of Dementlieu until his Ruthless (Major)
retirement, and Dominic followed in his Edges: Arcane Background (Psionic),
footsteps. Dominic is well known for Aristocrat, Charismatic, Connections,
being a political moderate, courted for his Deceptive(FC), Iron Will, Mentalist,
vote but disdained for his lack of strong Mindbender(RR), Streetwise
convictions on any particular issue. Few
people would associate the middle-aged, Special Abilities:
slightly pudgy Dominic d’Honaire with • Darklord of Dementlieu: Dominic
being the secret master of Dementlieu. has a powerful will, allowing him to
In fact, Dominic is the darklord of the close the borders of his domain for
domain, a corrupt and venal man who days or weeks on end. He rarely uses
has unique powers of the mind that allow this power, however, since trade is the
him to manipulate and control those lifeblood of Dementlieu. When he
around him with impunity. Dominic does so, the distances at the border
treats lives like pieces in a game he plays become uncertain and vague;
primarily against himself, seeing how far travelers find themselves turning back
he can push someone before they break, to Dementlieu without remembering
uplifting the common and crushing the why.
mighty to observe their floundering, and • Inverse Charisma: Dominic’s suffers
generally tormenting those around him a –8 penalty on Persuasion rolls
like a boy pulling the wings off a fly. targeting women to whom he is
Dominic’s powers started manifesting attracted. Further, such women are
when he was but a boy, and it was his immune to Dominic’s psychic
cunning and ambition that pushed his powers.
father into politics, where the man • Mesmerist: Dominic can implant
essentially became a puppet for his son’s subtle suggestions into targets,
machinations. Dominic has only allowing him to control them without
increased the scope and range of his them ever knowing. A character who
plans since then, turning Dementlieu into resists Dominic’s mental powers is
his personal playground. His only only aware of being targeted by an
challenge has been the crime lord called unnatural ability if Dominic rolls a
“the Brain,” who Dominic suspects to Critical Failure. Dominic can also use
have powers similar to his own. this power to instill the Loyal
Hindrance (targeted at himself) into
an individual through 1d4 hours of
conversation and hypnotic
reinforcement. The target receives a

321
 Spirit roll at –4 to resist; this alteration Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 21 (4)
lasts for 1d4 weeks. Hindrances: Greedy (Minor), Loyal (to
• Psychic: Dominic is a powerful Azalin), Ruthless (Major)
psychic, though he has never trained Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
his powers much outside of his Frenzy, Wing Gust(FC)
primary focus—mental manipulation.
Dominic has 30 Power Points and Special Abilities:
knows the following powers: • Armor +4: Scaly hide.
confusion, empathy, fear, mind • Bite/Claws: Str+d8.
reading, mind wipe, puppet, and • Fear (–2): Anyone who sees Ebb’s
slumber. dread visage must make a Fear check
at –2.
• Breath Weapon: Ebb can breathe
B Ebb forth a cloud of shadowy necromantic
Fearful legends of a creature called “the energy for 3d6 damage. Anyone
Night Wyrm” have spread throughout Shaken or Wounded by this attack
Darkon. Those who know the legends to also takes a level of Fatigue.
be true are even more fearful of their • Flight: Pace 24.
originator, the shadow dragon called Ebb. • Hardy: A second Shaken result
Born on an outlander world many doesn’t cause a Wound.
centuries ago, Ebb was drawn to Darkon • Magic: In addition to being a
not long after the slaughter of most of her powerful dragon, Ebb is a moderately
kin. Despite an initially rocky meeting talented magic-user. She has 30
with Azalin Rex, the two became allies Power Points and knows the
and partners with a respect born from a following powers: blast (unholy
mutual disdain for the mortals that blight), darkness, detect/conceal
surrounded them. arcana, divination (speak with dead),
Ebb despises both living creatures and locate(FC), lower Trait, summon ally
bright sunlight, spending most of her time (conjure shadow minions).
in her lair in the highest tower of Castle • Night Vision: Ebb can see in perfect
Avernus. She is not particularly greedy as darkness. She ignores Illumination
dragons go, but she is merciless and penalties.
intensely possessive, willing to stop at
• Size 9 (Huge): Ebb is nearly 70 feet
nothing to recover anything stolen from
long from nose to tail.
her hoard, no matter how insignificant.
She occasionally serves as Azalin’s mount • Shadow Meld: When in Dim or
when the wizard-king wishes to travel Dark Illumination, Ebb’s scales blend
without using his magic or simply wishes with the darkness, increasing
to impress others. Illumination penalties to attack her by
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit 2 points (maximum –6).
d10, Strength d12+8, Vigor d12 • Swat: Ignores up to 4 points of Scale
Skills: Athletics d10, Common penalties when attacking creatures
Knowledge d6, Fighting d10, smaller than herself.
Intimidation d12, Notice d12, Occult • Tail Lash: Str+d4. Ebb may make a
d10, Persuasion d8, Spellcasting d10, free attack against up to two foes to
Stealth d12 her side or rear at no penalty.

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• Unstoppable: Ebb takes a maximum from his mother, turning her servants
of one Wound per attack no matter against her and nearly driving her mad.
how many Wounds would normally She fled from her home and took control
be caused (after Soak rolls are made). of a group of Gundarakite rebels who she
• Weakness (Sunlight): When exposed now uses to strike back against her own
to direct sunlight, Ebb is Distracted son. It’s not that she wants the throne,
and Vulnerable. particularly—she just wants revenge for
having her own tricks used against her,
and for her son’s ingratitude.
Gabrielle is a dark-haired woman
B Gabrielle Aderre apparently in her early twenties, despite
Gabrielle’s mother was one of the her actual age of more than twice that.
wandering folk until she was made a slave Her youthful appearance is marred only
in a distant land, escaping while pregnant. by a streak of grey in her black hair. She
She would never tell Gabrielle about her dresses like one of the wandering folk, in
father, saying only that his evil would lurk the colorful style of her mother, and
within Gabrielle for her entire life. The typically goes barefoot.
older woman raised Gabrielle to believe Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
she was evil too, and that she should d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
never marry or have children for fear of Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
passing her evil onto them. In time, her d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice
mother’s abuse became too much for d8, Occult d10, Performance d8,
Gabrielle to bear; she betrayed her Persuasion d8, Riding d8, Spellcasting
mother and left her to die. Her mother’s d10, Stealth d8, Survival d8, Taunt d10
death did not satisfy Gabrielle, and she Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5
wandered from place to place, turning Hindrances: Marked (white streak in
loved ones against one another with her hair), Stubborn, Vengeful (Major)
magic to “prove” that family and loyalty Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
were lies. Charismatic, Dart Cloud(RR), Deceptive(FC),
In time, she came to the notice of Favored Power(FC) (curse ), Fortune
Bakholis, the tyrant of Invidia, and was Teller(RR), Luck, Rapid Recharge, Very
taken before him as a captive. She turned Attractive, Wizard
the tables on her captor and killed him, Gear: Silver dagger (Str+d4), brace of
driving out or turning most of his servants throwing knives (Range 3/6/9, Str+d4),
to her side. She began calling herself diviner’s deck
“queen” as an amusement, albeit one that
quickly faded, and satisfied herself with Special Abilities:
petty games of cruelty among her
• Darklord of Invidia: While Gabrielle
subjects.
was once able to close the borders at
Gabrielle was eventually seduced
will, her current mental turmoil and
herself, by a mysterious gentleman caller
metaphysical struggle with her son,
who left her after a single night of
Malocchio, has left her unable to do
passion. The child from that union,
so.
Malocchio, possessed unnatural powers
of his own, leading Gabrielle to believe • Magic: Gabrielle is a talented
that he was a child of prophecy. When sorceress and diviner. She has 20
the boy turned thirteen, he used his Power Points and knows the
powers to seize control of the throne following powers: blind, boost/lower

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 Trait, curse , deflection,
(FC)
The lightning that flashes through the
detect/conceal arcana , dispel , heavens, the twisted spires of rock,
divination , fear , puppet , and stun . the winding tunnels—all of them are
portions of his subconscious, given
form through his vast power. Entering
B The God-Brain Bluetspur is, in a very real sense,
Once a human telepath named Seldrid, entering the mindscape of a vast,
the God-Brain has long since eschewed powerful, and alien entity. Because of
any sense of its own humanity or this, however, the God-Brain is
mortality. It rarely thinks of the days vaguely aware of any intruders in his
when it had a body of its own, especially domain almost immediately.
since those memories tend to fill it with a • Divine Mind: The God-Brain can use
sense of bitterness and regret that it finds any psychic power as a limited free
unbecoming in a living deity. The God- action, in addition to any other
Brain craves new experiences and actions it takes during the round. It
sensations, which it can only gain can sense the thoughts of any living
vicariously by devouring the brains of the being within Bluetspur, giving it the
humanoids brought before it by its illithid benefits of the empathy power against
minions. such creatures at all times. The God-
The God-Brain is an elephant-sized Brain can perceive everything within
mass of gelatinous gray matter slowly 12” of its tank regardless of cover,
pulsing in a huge tank of glowing greenish concealment, illumination, or stealth,
liquid and surrounded by thousands of and it cannot be Surprised by any
squirming illithid larvae. It is utterly living creature.
incapable of interacting with the outside • Fear: Seeing the massive and
world physically, though it rarely needs to unnatural form of the God-Brain is
do so thanks to its vast psionic might. cause for a Fear check.
Attributes: Agility —, Smarts d12+2, Spirit • Psionics: The God-Brain is a psychic
d12+2, Strength —, Vigor d12 of almost limitless power and
Skills: Common Knowledge d8, incomprehensible ability. It has 50
Intimidation d10, Notice d12, Occult Power Points and knows the
d12, Persuasion d10, Psionics d12+2, following powers: blind, bolt,
Taunt d10 boost/lower Trait, confusion,
Pace: —; Parry: 2; Toughness: 14 deflection, detect/conceal arcana,
Hindrances: Arrogant, Driven (Major: dispel, divination, empathy, fear,
seek new experiences) havoc, illusion, mind link, mind
Edges: Arcane Background (Psionics), reading, mind wipe, puppet, scrying,
Arcane Resistance (Imp), Channeler, slumber, stun, and telekinesis.
Concentration, Epic Mastery(FC), Iron • Sessile: The God-Brain cannot move
Will, Mentalist, Rapid Recharge (Imp) from its tank or interact with the
world physically. It automatically fails
Special Abilities: any Agility or Strength based Test.
• Darklord of Bluetspur: The God- The God-Brain cannot be Grappled,
Brain cannot close the borders of Pushed, or Entangled in any
Bluetspur, since the whole of the meaningful fashion.
domain is an extension of his mind.

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• Size 6 (Large): The God-Brain is a
mass of gray matter the size of an Harkon was once an outcast from his
elephant. It has one additional own people; as lone predators, his desire
Wound due to its Size. to be sociable and find companionship
was strange to his kin. His willingness to
“play with his food” was considered far
more detestable. He began to play the
B Harkon Lukas
part of a wandering minstrel, gaining the
Harkon Lukas is a charming man, tall
trust—and even love—of others before
and muscular of build with wavy black
betraying and devouring them. He craved
hair that falls past his shoulders and a
fame, fortune, and acceptance.
neatly trimmed beard. His fine clothes,
In time, Lukas found the land of
beautiful singing voice, and genteel
Kartakass, a beautiful forested domain
manners have lured many people to their
that lacked the things he truly desired.
doom over the years. In truth, Harkon
Unable to leave, he could no longer kill
Lukas is not human at all—he is a
with impunity and must now keep up an
wolfwere, a shapechanging predator who
air of respectability in order to maintain
was born as a wolf but can assume the
his popularity; he still kills, but not as
shape of a human to better blend in with
often as he would like, and his wanderlust
his prey.
galls him. Worse, he is still no closer to
power than he was as a lone wanderer;
both the wolves and humans of the
domain respect him, but neither will obey
him without being compelled through
threats or manipulation.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit
d6, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d10, Fighting d10, Intimidation d10,
Notice d8, Occult d6, Performance d12,
Persuasion d10, Shooting d6, Stealth d10,
Survival d8, Taunt d10, Thievery d8
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Overconfident
Edges: Charismatic, Deceptive(FC), Elan,
Famous, Humiliate, Quick, Retort,
Strong Willed, Very Attractive, Work the
Crowd
Gear: Magical long sword (Str+d8, see
below)

Special Abilities:
• Berserking Sword: Harkon Lukas
owns a cursed magical long sword
that he has turned to his benefit. The
sword is enchanted to leap into his
hand and inflict the Berserk Edge

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 when a fight begins, and will not else in the domain after a few days.
permit its owner to stop fighting so Unknown to him, Lukas can be killed
long as any foes remain. Lukas will permanently; to do so, he must be
sometimes offer to give away his slain while no wolves remain within
sword to strangers as a “show of his domain’s borders. Otherwise, his
trust,” knowing that if they start a spirit leaps to the nearest wolf and
fight, the sword will immediately takes it over, transforming it into
return to him anyway. Harkon Lukas.
• Change Shape: As an action, Lukas • Fast Regeneration: Harkon makes a
can assume one of three different natural healing roll every round
shapes: human, hybrid, or dire wolf. unless his Wounds were inflicted by
His most common shape is that of a cold iron weapons.
dark-haired man; he can also become • Fear (–2): Those who see Lukas
a beautiful woman with a similar transform into his hybrid or wolf
appearance. His true form is that of a form must make a Fear check at –2.
massive dire wolf; in this shape, he • Grandfather Wolf: Lukas can use the
has a bite attack for Str+d6, a Pace of beast friend power on wolves and dire
10, and a d10 running die, but uses wolves at will, using Performance as
his own Traits otherwise. He cannot his casting skill with no Power Point
use gear or most social skills (other cost.
than Intimidation) as a wolf. In his • Low Light Vision: Wolfwere eyes are
hybrid form, he gains the bite attack accustomed to the dark of night.
and increased Pace of a wolf while Lukas ignores penalties for Dim and
retaining his ability to use equipment, Dark Illumination.
but he is obviously monstrous and • Song of Weariness: As an action in
inhuman, which limits his ability to human or hybrid form, Lukas can
use his preferred tactics of social sing a beautiful melody that inspires
manipulation. exhaustion in all listeners within a
• Darklord of Kartakass: When Lukas Medium Blast Template (centered on
wishes to close his domain to the him). The wolfwere makes a
outside, a gentle lullaby fills the air at Performance roll opposed by a
the borders. Any creature capable of listener’s Spirit. A listener that fails
hearing the song—even if they gains a level of Fatigue; this can affect
currently have their ears plugged—falls a victim multiple times, though the
asleep and awakens some time later, song cannot kill anyone, only render
deeper in Kartakass than they started. them Incapacitated from
Lukas can only maintain the closure unconsciousness. These Fatigue
as long as he can continue singing, levels disappear after ten minutes.
requiring a Vigor roll with a • Weakness (Cold Iron): Lukas suffers
cumulative –1 penalty for each hour +4 damage from cold iron weapons.
he sings. When he stops, he cannot
begin the song again until at least a
day has passed.
• Everlasting Life: Lukas is at least
somewhat immortal. He has not aged
in generations, and whenever he is
killed, he awakens again somewhere

326
B Hazlik, the Red Wizard other blue. His hissing, phlegmy voice is
Hazlik was once an up-and-coming tight with unconcealed impatience.
prodigy in a country ruled by wizards. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d12, Spirit
However, as he rose through the ranks, d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
he made too many enemies too quickly. Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d4,
One of those enemies framed him for a Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d4,
crime he did not commit, which ended Intimidation d10, Notice d6, Occult d10,
with Hazlik branded as a criminal and Persuasion d6, Research d8, Spellcasting
outcast from his position and home. d12, Stealth d6
Seething with fury in his exile, Hazlik Pace: 5; Parry: 4 (5 with staff);
lucked upon his rival and her lover while Toughness: 8 (3)
they were enjoying a day in the Hindrances: Elderly, Mean, Night
countryside; he ambushed them, Terrors, Ruthless (Major)
tormented them, and murdered them. Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
As he gloated over his victory and Archmage(RR), Channeling, Concentration,
sought to return to his temporary lair, Epic Mastery(FC), Master Artificer(FC), Rapid
Hazlik found himself lost in a deep fog, Recharge (Imp), Wizard
eventually emerging in a distant land Gear: Staff (Str+d4, +1 Parry, two hands),
more to his liking. There, he became magic amulet (+3 Armor, holds 20 extra
wizard-king in short order, though many Power Points)
of the land’s elements disturbed him
greatly. Hazlik once suppressed
knowledge of magic to prevent rivals to
his throne from emerging, but in his old
age he has softened his policy and now
works to build a true academy of magic
devoted to his own teachings.
Hazlik is a tightly wound man, obsessed
with control over himself and his
surroundings. He is a perfectionist genius
who is constantly frustrated and
disappointed by the “lazy fools” around
him, but who offers nothing but more
work to those who meet his nearly
impossible standards. Because he still has
bad dreams about his exile, Hazlik avoids
sleep as much as possible through the use
of alchemical draughts; this doesn’t
improve his mood one bit.
Hazlik is an elderly man with coarse
features. He is completely bald and his
head, chest, and arms are covered in
tattoos and brands. He wears a neatly
trimmed goatee with no moustache.
Hazlik’s most striking features are his
mismatched eyes—one brown and the

327
 Special Abilities: elephant. She has four segmented legs
• Darklord of Hazlan: When Hazlik growing from a chitin-covered abdomen,
needs to close his domain, a wall of a centaur-like humanoid torso rising from
shimmering fire leaps up at the the thorax, four clawed arms, and a
borders. Only creatures completely deformed, elongated head with arthropod
immune to fire naturally can survive mandibles and multiple compound eyes.
the flames; any being merely using The sight of the Hive Queen is enough to
magic to avoid harm has the magic drive weak-willed onlookers to madness.
burned away, followed by their flesh. Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
Every hour that Hazlik maintains this d10, Strength d12+4, Vigor d12
ritual, he must make a Vigor roll at –2 Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
or suffer a level of Fatigue. When he d6, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, Notice
stops maintaining the ritual, he d10, Stealth d8, Survival d8
cannot begin it again for at least a day, Pace: 8; Parry: 6; Toughness: 16 (3)
or until he has completely recovered Hindrances: Bloodthirsty
from his Fatigue—which involves Edges: Frenzy (Imp)
sleeping.
• Spells: Hazlik is an extremely Special Abilities:
powerful wizard. He has 40 Power • Armor +3: Black chitin exoskeleton.
Points and knows many spells. • Bite/Claws: Str+d4. Paralyzing
Assume he has every power available poison.
to a magic-user except for those • Darklord of Timor: The Hive Queen
related to healing (such as relief), controls Timor as darklord, but her
mental influence (such as empathy), immense bulk and vulnerability to
and necromancy (such as zombie). light make it difficult for her to leave
the deep tunnels where she dwells.
She can turn her hive and the tunnels
B The Hive Queen surrounding it into a veritable
The Hive Queen was once a human labyrinth at will; though she cannot
princess born into the kingdom of prevent passage from the city above,
Timor. During the horrific war that saw she can make it nearly impossible to
her homeland subjugated to Paridon, she escape the underground reaches of
fled into the sewers to escape soldiers Timor for anyone foolish enough to
seeking her life. While there, she enter them. She cannot otherwise seal
stumbled into the lair of an ancient evil the domain’s borders, however.
that infected her and tried to use her as When the Queen uses this ability,
an incubator for its eggs. Her will to live rolls to navigate or flee the sewers
proved too strong, and she killed the suffer a –4 penalty. This penalty
creature that had captured her, but its applies to her as well, so she must let
essence transformed her into something it lapse if she wishes to find her way
monstrous. back to her own lair.
It would be difficult to see anything • Fear (–2): The Hive Queen is a truly
human in the creature the princess has monstrous sight.
become. As the Hive Queen of the • Four Arms: The Hive Queen ignores
marikith, she is a bloated spider-like 2 points of Multi-Action penalties due
abomination nearly the size of an to her additional limbs.

328
• Labyrinth Bound: The Hive Queen As a young man, the only thing Ivan
is just as much a prisoner of Timor loved more than watching the death
Below as she is its master. She cannot throes of a poison victim was tempting his
navigate most of the smaller tunnels palate with fine food and drink. His
due to her immense size, and she alchemical experiments (and his darklord
easily becomes lost if she leaves her curse) have left him robbed of his sense
lair. She suffers a –2 penalty on rolls of taste and smell. The finest foods are
to track intruders and on rolls made little more than ash in his mouth, the best
during Chases as the pursuer. wines nothing but vinegar. The loss of his
• Night Vision: Darkness means palate has left Ivan feeling empty and
nothing to the marikith. The Hive dissatisfied, unable to enjoy the luxury in
Queen ignores all penalties for which he lives. He hosts extravagant
Illumination. dinner parties to vicariously enjoy his
• Size 5 (Large): The Hive Queen is guests’ meals, but he erupts in jealous
almost as large as an elephant. rages if they enjoy the food too much and
• Wall Walker: The Hive Queen can offended rages if they like it too little.
move on vertical and inverted
surfaces as easily as level ground.
• Weakness (Light): The Hive Queen
is Distracted and Vulnerable while
exposed to bright light.

B Ivan Dilisnya
Ivan Dilisnya is a thin man with curly
gray hair, faintly streaked with the blond
of his youth. He is an extremely animated
person, often to the point of histrionics.
Many Borcans call him a fop—but never
to his face. Ivan paces and poses as
though on a stage, speaking in whispers
and booms like delivering a monologue.
He gesticulates with every word and often
laughs suddenly for no apparent reason.
Ivan considers himself a great actor
(despite his mediocre talent), and his
wardrobe includes costumes representing
all walks of life. Though he usually wears
the stylish fashions of the Borcan court,
on any given day he may choose to pose
as anything from an armored knight to a
devout priest to a lowly court jester. His
antics and demeanor would make him
intolerable company were it not for his
power, wealth, and willingness to
eliminate those who displease him.

329
 Despite having the vigor of a man half • Master of Venoms: Ivan can create a
his age, Ivan need only look at his single dose of any poison—even
eternally youthful cousin to feel the unique, personalized venoms—with
weight of his years bearing down on him. 1d6 hours of work and access to his
Ivana offered him the formula for her personal laboratory.
youth elixir decades ago, but Ivan proved • Weakness (Tasteless): Ivan is unable
as immune to its effects as nearly every to taste or smell, leaving him
other alchemical concoction, and he murderously frustrated much of the
believes that she is hiding the true secrets time. He automatically fails scent or
of her immortality from him out of spite. taste based Notice rolls.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit
d6, Strength d4, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d12, Notice B Ivana Boritsi
d6, Occult d4, Performance d4, Ivana is a classic dark-eyed Borcan
Persuasion d6, Research d6, Science d6, beauty—creamy complexion, long black
Stealth d8, Taunt d12 hair, and full, wine-colored lips. She
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 6 appears to be no more than a girl of
Hindrances: Bully (Major), Jealous eighteen or nineteen, but is actually well
(Major), Night Terrors, Thin-Skinned over sixty years old, her longevity a result
(Major) of her alchemical experimentations. She
Edges: Alchemist(RR), Aristocrat, Assassin, has ruled Borca with a cruel and largely
Calculating, Connections (Dorvinian indifferent hand for more than four
aristocracy and criminal underworld), decades, ever since she murdered her
Humiliate, Killer Instinct, Menacing, own mother.
Poisoner(FC), Provoke, Rabble Rouser, Ivana once had a deeply romantic
Retort spirit, a generous nature, and a kindly
Gear: Concealed dagger (Str+d4), disposition despite her vicious mother’s
disguise kits, makeup, acting props, attempts to turn her into a cold-blooded
various poisons courtier like herself. When Ivana’s
mother seduced Ivana’s fiancé, it finally
Special Abilities: broke the girl; she killed the young man,
and then killed her mother a few months
• Darklord of Dorvinia: As a weak-
later. Since then, Ivana lives only for the
willed and mercurial man, Ivan does
hedonistic pursuit of pleasure and the
not have the patience or willpower to
petty cruelties of the court. The only
close the borders of Dorvinia for
people in the world she seems to have
more than a few hours at a time.
any genuine affection for are her best
When he does, a virtually invisible air
friend, Nostalia Romaine, and her
shimmer causes any water carried
cousin, Ivan Dilisnya. Even that latter
through the border (including any
relationship has become strained and
water in a person’s stomach that was
ugly in recent years as Ivan has grown old
imbibed within the last hour) to
and bitter, jealous of Ivana’s apparent
become Lethal (–2) poison. As he
immortality.
and Ivana are bound in damnation, he
While she still longs for love, Ivana’s
can wander Borca freely.
heart is so cold and closed that she
• Immunity: Ivan is completely destroys every positive relationship
immune to all toxins and venoms, as
well as most forms of alchemy.
330
around her as a matter of habit. She Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 7
sometimes takes lovers, but these poor Hindrances: Mean, Ruthless (Major),
fools never survive long, since Ivana’s Vengeful (Major)
body is a repository of deadly poisons. Edges: Alchemist, Aristocrat,
Ivana’s beauty is almost overwhelming, Charismatic, Connections (Borcan
held back only by her casual cruelty to aristocracy), Deceptive(FC), Fame,
everyone around her. Humiliate, Menacing, Poisoner(FC),
Provoke, Retort, Strong Willed, Very
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit Attractive
d8, Strength d4, Vigor d10 Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), various poisons
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d10, Fighting d4, Intimidation d10, Special Abilities:
Notice d8, Occult d6, Performance d8, • Darklord of Borca: When Ivana
Persuasion d10, Research d6, Science d6, wishes to close the borders, pale
Stealth d8, Taunt d10 violet mist rises up that induces toxic
convulsions in those that try to cross
it. This fog also poisons any water
that is carried through it for days
afterward, though at a less severe rate.
Anyone who tries to leave Borca
while the borders are closed is
exposed to Lethal (–4) poison;
drinking water that crossed a closed
border is Lethal (+0) poison. Ivana
can keep the borders closed for days
at a time with little effort, but rarely
does so. As she and Ivan are bound in
damnation, she can wander Dorvinia
freely.
• Immunity: Ivana is completely
immune to all toxins and venoms, as
well as most forms of alchemy.
• Kiss of Death: Ivana’s saliva and
sweat are horribly toxic, allowing her
to kill with close contact. Ivana can
kiss a grappled foe as a Touch Attack,
forcing them to make a Vigor roll at –
4 or suffer exposure to Lethal poison.
Anyone who engages in intimate
contact with Ivana suffers this effect as
well.
• Mistress of Venoms: Ivana can create
a single dose of any poison—even
unique, personalized venoms—with
1d6 hours of work and access to her
personal garden and laboratory.

331
 B Jacqueline Montarri where she keeps her favorite heads when
Jacqueline was once a cat burglar, a she isn’t wearing them.
consummate professional noted for her
beauty and skill. As she got older, Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
however, she feared losing her talent and d8, Strength d8, Vigor d6
looks to old age and began to seek a Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
method of becoming immortal. She d10, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
consulted with a powerful witch, who told d8, Persuasion d8, Research d8, Riding
her that what she sought lay within Castle d6, Stealth d8, Taunt d8, Thievery d10
Ravenloft; blinded by paranoia, Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7 (2)
Jacqueline murdered the witch so that Hindrances: Greedy (Minor), Quirk
she could tell no one else of the thief’s (vain), Ruthless (Major)
plans. The witch cursed Jacqueline as she Edges: Acrobat, Assassin, Attractive,
died, but the thief paid no heed to the Connections, Level Headed (Imp),
old woman’s words. Streetwise, Thief
Like most foolish enough to try and Gear: Headsman’s sword (Str+d8, AP 1),
steal from the lord of Barovia, Jacqueline concealed leather armor (+2 Armor)
was caught. Unlike most such thieves, she
was to be made a lesson rather than an Special Abilities:
undead thrall. Jacqueline remembers • Fear: Anyone who sees Jacqueline’s
being taken to the headsman—and then head come off must make a Fear
darkness. She awoke some time later in check.
the witch’s hut, apparently alive again. • Headhunter: Years of taking heads
The horror of her situation sank in when from victims makes Jacqueline
she looked into a mirror, only to see the particularly skilled at it. She can make
witch’s shriveled, dead head looking back Called Shots to the head at –2 instead
at her. She fumbled at the ribbon around of –4. Anyone killed with such an
her neck—and the witch’s head fell off, attack is beheaded.
but Jacqueline still lived. • Headmistress: Jacqueline can cut off
Since then, Jacqueline has explored the a woman’s head and use it in place of
limits of the witch’s dying curse. She her own. She must hold the head in
believes that if she can find her original place with a ribbon or scarf, which
head and reunite it with her body, she sticks in place with magical force but
will become truly immortal. She can take can be pulled free with an opposed
the heads of other women to gain their Strength check in a grapple. While
knowledge and skills, but any head she wearing a head, Jacqueline gains
wears ages unnaturally fast while on her access to the highest skill possessed
neck, as though she were draining the life by the head’s former owner (or gains
remaining in it. Fortunately, heads she +2 to a skill they have in common, if
harvests personally stop decaying when none of their skills are higher than
she doesn’t wear them; unfortunately, hers) and one of that person’s Edges;
they seem vaguely aware of what has if the former owner could cast spells,
happened to them, and they whisper she can do so as well, but she has
ceaselessly. To avoid having to listen to only half the owner’s Power Points.
their “whining,” Jacqueline has a vault Each day that she wears a given head,
she must make a Vigor check or the
head gains a level of Fatigue. That

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 Fatigue stays with the head generally restricts herself to elves and
permanently. Jacqueline will not wear half-elves due to vanity. She only wears
ugly heads due to her vanity. heads that are Attractive or Very
Jacqueline can survive without a head Attractive, and she’s always on the
at all, though she is effectively lookout for particularly pretty women to
Exhausted if she goes more than a add to her collection…
few hours without putting on a new
head.
• Immunity: Jacqueline is immune to B Jacqueline Renier
Fatigue not caused by her own In human form, Jacueline Renier
abilities. She does not need to eat, appears as a stunning woman of uncertain
drink, sleep, or breathe. Jacqueline is age; she could easily pass as either a
immune to beheading and suffers no young lady in her twenties or a mature
additional damage from Called Shots woman of fifty. Her hair is jet black,
to the head (though such an attack touched with streaks of gray at the
might ruin her current head). temples, and her green eyes are flecked
• Slow Regeneration: Jacqueline makes with gold. She holds court in slim formal
a natural healing roll each day as long gowns that flaunt her figure but will don
as she is wearing a head with no more functional garb when she roams the
Fatigue. streets or sewers. Her hybrid and animal
forms are deceptively unremarkable in
Hall of Heads appearance, allowing her to blend
Jacqueline keeps several dozen heads anonymously among either a horde of
in glass cases in her lair, a manor house rats or a pack of her wererat kin.
built on the site of a hut that once Conniving and cruel, Jacqueline
belonged to a witch. The heads wail and delights in inflicting pain on others, be it
moan in agony, praying for death. The emotional or physical. She has
older ones know to be quiet when successfully blackmailed, manipulated, or
Jacqueline comes to “change faces”; in a terrorized every noble house in
fit of pique, she might just throw a Richemulot into submission, including
particularly loud head down an old well her own family. The common people
in the basement, condemning them to an respect and love her, rarely feeling the
eternity in the dark, slowly rotting away. sting of her wrath—she reserves her
Assume that Jacqueline can have access cruelty for those who think themselves
to virtually any skill at d8, or +2 to any her equals. Despite the twisted evil
skill she currently knows, by virtue of harbored in her black heart, Jacqueline
changing heads. She can have access to a wants nothing more than to find someone
great many Edges as well, but those tend capable of loving her unconditionally, but
to be a bit more random, since she can’t her ambition ensures that virtually any
guarantee that a given head skill have emotional bond she tries to form will
both a skill and an Edge she wants. dissolve into bitter animosity.
All of Jacqueline’s “regular” heads are Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit
those of human women in their early to d8, Strength d6, Vigor d8
mid-twenties, with a few that look older Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
because of “wear and tear.” Jacqueline d10, Fighting d8, Intimidation d8, Notice
can wear non-human heads too, but she

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 d10, Persuasion d10, Stealth d8, Taunt roll or contract the curse of
d10, Thievery d8 lycanthropy.
Pace: 6; Parry: 6 (7 with rapier); • Low Light Vision: Wererats ignore
Toughness: 6 penalties for Dim and Dark
Hindrances: Jealous (Major), Obligation Illumination.
(Major: the Renier family), Ruthless • Weakness (Silver): Jacqueline takes
(Major) +4 damage from silver weapons.
Edges: Alertness, Aristocrat, Attractive,
Calculating, Charismatic, Connections
(many), Humiliate, Level Headed (Imp),
Provoke, Rabble-Rouser, Streetwise, B The Living Brain
Strong Willed, Thief, Work the Crowd Rudolph von Aubrecker was the son of
Gear: Rapier (Str+d4, +1 Parry), a nobleman, a spoiled and selfish boy
concealed pistol (Range 5/10/20, 2d6+1, who always got what he wanted. While he
AP 1, Reload 3) was out sailing, a sudden squall blew up
and dashed his ship against the rocky
Special Abilities: cliffs of his homeland. He was the only
survivor—and barely a survivor at that.
• Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
His shattered body was found by Dr.
• Change Shape: As a limited action, Victor Mordenheim during a walk along
Jacqueline can assume one of four the beaches. Thinking he might learn
forms: her human shape, a hybrid something from trying to save the young
beast shape, a giant rat, or a cloud of man’s life, Dr. Mordenheim brought
odiferous yellow-green mist. In her Rudolph back to his lab and transplanted
mist form, she cannot attack or take his still-living brain into a jar filled with
actions other than movement, but she organic solution.
is immune to all non-magical attacks. Victor experimented on the brain,
• Darklord of Richemulot: When building devices to allow him to
Jacqueline wishes to close the borders communicate with it and exposing it to
of her domain, vast rat swarms rise at alchemical solutions and arcane energies.
the borders. Any creature seeking to In time, Victor forgot about the minor
cross the border must contend with experiment—just as Rudolph wanted it.
millions of rats gnawing at their flesh. The experiments had awakened a
Even flying creatures find their wings mysterious power within the disembodied
failing them if they try to escape into brain, giving it the ability to cloud and
the air. While the rats can be killed, confuse minds, even to control the weak-
their numbers are replenished just as willed. Rudolph took control of one of
quickly as they are lost. Mordenheim’s assistants and took off for
• Fast Regeneration: Wererats may a distant land where he could use his
attempt a natural healing roll every talents to his own selfish ends.
round unless the Wounds were Now calling himself “the Living Brain,”
caused by silver weapons. Rudolph von Aubrecker is the master of
• Fear: Seeing a wererat’s hissing visage an extensive criminal empire. Few of his
is worthy of a Fear check. minions know about his true nature;
• Infection: Anyone Wounded by those that do are husks of their former
Jacqueline’s bite must make a Vigor selves, little more than empty vessels for
Rudolph to control at his will. He still

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longs for a body of his own, which much Spirit to permanently add or remove
of his wealth and power goes toward a purely mental Hindrance. His most
researching. common use of this ability is to add
the Loyal Hindrance, with the loyalty
Attributes: Agility –, Smarts d10, Spirit being targeted to himself, but he can
d12, Strength –, Vigor d6 also add or remove delusions,
Skills: Common Knowledge d10, phobias, addictions, and other mental
Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Occult d8, ailments. The Brain gains +2 to his
Persuasion d10, Psionics d12+1, Taunt Psionics roll using this ability because
d10 of his Mentalist Edge.
Pace: -; Parry: 0; Toughness: 2 • Thrall: If the Living Brain uses the
Hindrances: Cautious, Ruthless (Major) puppet power on a person who is
Edges: Arcane Background (Psionics), already Loyal to him, he can turn
Mentalist, Mindbender, Rapid Recharge them into a thrall, extending the
power’s Duration indefinitely as long
Special Abilities: as he leaves the initial PP cost
• Brain in a Jar: The Living Brain is invested. The Brain can have any
literally just a brain in a glass jar with number of thralls, but usually has no
some mechanical attachments that more than five or so due to his
allow him to see, hear, and speak. He cautious nature since he dislikes
is utterly immobile without assistance. being at less than half of his Power
The Brain’s enclosure is treated as an Points at any given time.
inanimate object with Toughness 5; if
it is broken, he will die in 1d4 rounds
without immediately being placed B Malken
back in life support. The Brain Malken is a caliban, a human born
himself automatically fails any Agility- deformed through exposure to dark
or Strength-based Trait roll. He is magic in the womb. He grew up on the
effectively Size -3 (Very Small). streets of his home city, poor and
• Fear: Anyone who sees the true starving, before falling in with a gang of
nature of the Living Brain must make homeless children who looked past his
a Fear check. ugliness to the cunning mind within. An
• Psionics: The Living Brain is an attempt to rob a nobleman went badly for
incredibly powerful psychic. He has Malken, but the man spared him out of
30 Power Points and knows the pity and nursed him back to health.
following powers: bolt, confusion, Knowing that being sent to prison would
detect/conceal arcana, fear, mind be a death sentence for a teenage boy, the
link, mind reading, mind wipe, nobleman instead sentenced Malken to
puppet, and slumber. serve his family for several years. He took
• Psychic Surgery: The Living Brain is the opportunity to educate the boy, who
so skilled at mental manipulation that turned out to be a quick study and highly
he can perform permanent alterations intelligent.
to a person’s mind with time and As he grew older, Malken came to
effort. If the Brain spends 1d4 hours respect and admire his benefactor,
psychically working on an eventually becoming a genuine member
unconscious target, he can make a of the household rather than a bonded
Psionics roll opposed by the target’s

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 servant. Malken learned medicine and Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Occult d8,
accounting, turning his skills to the cause Persuasion d8, Research d6, Science d8,
of his patron. However, Malken still Shooting d8, Stealth d10, Taunt d10,
hated his grotesque appearance and Thievery d10
began secretly researching alchemical Pace: 4; Parry: 6; Toughness: 10 (2)
methods of becoming a normal person— Hindrances: Mean, Jealous (Major),
something forbidden by the local religion. Ugly (Major)
When Malken’s childhood friends Edges: Alchemist(RR), Brawler, Brawny,
were caught committing a crime and Connections (criminal underworld),
executed for it, he raged at a system that Danger Sense, Feint, Level Headed
had spared him but killed those whose (Imp), Investigator, Jack of All Trades,
only real crimes were to be poor and to Menacing, Streetwise, Strong Willed,
be caught by someone less merciful than Thief
he had. Malken grew bitter and hateful, Gear: Concealed leather armor (+2
finally deciding that the system had to be Armor), knife (Str+d4), brass knuckles
reshaped from within. His discovery of a (Str+d4, counts as unarmed), various
horrific method of stealing another man’s poisons
shape by distilling his entire body down
into an alchemical compound set him
upon a path of murder. Malken killed his
friend and patron to steal his appearance,
only to find the system so hopelessly
corrupt that there was no way a single
man could ever change it. Malken
collapsed in rage at the end of his first
week in his stolen shape—and when he
awoke, he was horrified to hear another
servant say that their master had just been
looking for him.
Malken has found that when he sleeps,
his old master sometimes takes over their
shared body. The man is apparently
unaware of what has happened to him,
and he still regards Malken as a friend,
despite the fact that Malken has become
something of a notorious criminal
mastermind. For his part, Malken keeps
his criminal enterprises away from his old
“friend’s” family—mainly because he has
invested so much effort in stealing the
man’s life that he’ll be damned if he ruins
it before he gets to enjoy it.

Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit

d8, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
d10, Fighting d8, Healing d8,

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Special Abilities: Alone, Malus could never have
• Darklord of Nova Vaasa: Malken is destroyed Nosos. However, finding
darklord of Nova Vaasa, but he is people willing to help him was a simple
unable to close the border due to his matter. Malus used his charms to
divided psyche. convince the village folk to recklessly
• Divided Psyche: Malken is immune scour the land while he arranged a
to any attempt to control his mind lucrative trade agreement between Nosos
with powers. Such an attempt to and Paridon. The city of Paridon had no
control Malken’s mind with a power shortage of men willing to defile nature
forces him to make a Spirit roll or for a profit. Malus lured the most
immediately change forms into ravenous businessmen to Nosos and
Dmitri Stanov, the man he betrayed convinced them to assist him in opening
and murdered. Stanov has no mines, mills, and smelters.
memory of being Malken and will In his efforts to silence the voice of the
inevitably be confused about how he forests, Malus has scorched the land of
ended up wherever he happens to be. Nosos. The trees have been harvested
Stanov is an aristocrat (see page 306) and carried away, the earth has been
with no special powers. sundered, and the air has been poisoned
• Immunity: Malken is immune to with toxic chemicals. He has made the
poison and ingested or inhaled land into a barren waste, buried its life
alchemical concoctions. beneath dunes of lifeless sand and
• Innate Power: Major disguise (self, mountains of slag. Yet the scouring of life
Dmitri Stanov only). from Nosos is incomplete. Each morning
Malus can hear the hum of life growing
• Low Light Vision: Malken’s caliban
deep beneath the layers of soot and slag.
eyes are used to darkness. He ignores
Deep in the crevices of his mind, he
penalties for Dim or Dark
knows that he can never truly destroy
Illumination.
nature. Yet Malus will not give up his
• Unnatural: While acting as Malken, quest.
natural animals refuse to have Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d10, Spirit
anything to do with him. He suffers a d6, Strength d6, Vigor d12
–2 penalty on any roll to control or Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge
interact with animals. This penalty d8, Fighting d6, Intimidation d8, Notice
does not apply when his Stanov d8, Persuasion d10, Science d8, Stealth
personality is in control. d6, Survival d6, Taunt d8, Trade d10
B Malus Sceleris Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 8
Malus is a handsome young man of Hindrances: Driven (Major: destroy
only thirty years of age. Outgoing and nature), Ruthless (Major)
spirited, his face is never absent of his Edges: Alchemist, Aristocrat,
shining smile, which varies between a Charismatic, Deceptive(FC), First Strike,
trustworthy grin and a fiendish sneer. Humiliate, Provoke
Malus never leaves his home wearing Gear: Jeweled dagger (Str+d4), fine suit,
anything but the most expensive fashions gold pocket watch
from Paridon. In public, Malus is witty
and extremely charming, but in private, to Special Abilities:
his enemies, he is diabolically ruthless • Darklord of Nosos: Malus cannot
and smug. close his domain borders, though he

337
 vaguely understands that he is bound B Mered oth
to the land in some mystical way. He Meredoth is a tall, elderly man, rail thin
mistakenly believes that this is due to with a long white beard and eyes the
his druidic heritage, and that only by color of a glacier. He garbs himself in
destroying nature utterly can he free long gray robes and cares little for his
himself from his imprisonment. He personal hygiene, so his robes are often
does not permit anyone else to learn dirty and his beard matted. He tends to
of his “curse,” though some of his stare into the distance while speaking with
elite have been suspicious over the others, giving the impression that he has
years because of his refusal to return far more important things to do than
to Paridon. After all, his wealth is waste his time with conversation. Though
essentially meaningless without he may seem distracted, he is completely
someplace to spend it; virtually all of aware of his surroundings and careful at
the other wealthy socialites of Nosos all times.
spend half the year in Paridon, Meredoth is a master necromancer and
enjoying the fruits of their labors, but creator of golems, easily one of the most
Malus remains in his city year-round. powerful wizards in all of the Domains of
• Curse of the Green: Malus can Dread. His disinterest in rule—and
constantly hear the whispers of plants disinterest in people as a whole—has left
and the hum of nature. When he is his domain relatively small. He views the
within 6” of a tree, shrub, or patch of living as little more than lab rats, existing
plant matter larger than a square yard as raw materials for his experiments.
of grass, he is Distracted. He is Attributes: Agility d4, Smarts d10, Spirit
Vulnerable to the attacks of plant d8, Strength d4, Vigor d6
creatures. Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d4,
• Immunity: Malus is immune to Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d4,
diseases, poisons, and parasites of all Intimidation d8, Notice d10, Occult d12,
kinds, as well as the environmental Persuasion d4, Research d10, Stealth d6,
effects of pollution, such as smog, Spellcasting d12+1
smoke, and acid rain. Pace: 5; Parry: 4 (5 with staff);
• Master of Plagues: Malus can breed Toughness: 11 (6)
new and horrific strains of diseases in Hindrances: Cautious, Elderly, Mania
his laboratory given a few days of (Major: severe social anxiety), Mean, Ugly
work. Given his immunity to such (Minor)
noxious compounds, he carries a few Edges: Arcane Background (Magic),
sealed vials of his most virulent Archmage(RR), Channeling, Concentration,
creations on his person for Epic Mastery(FC), Master Artificer(FC),
emergencies. As an action, Malus can Necromancer(RR), Rapid Recharge (Imp),
make a Touch Attack against a foe to Wizard
splash them with a plague vial that Gear: Staff (Str+d4, Parry +1, two hands),
inflicts a Chronic, Debilitating, or archmage’s robes (Armor +6)
Lethal disease of his choice. The
Vigor roll made to resist infection is Special Abilities:
made at –2. • Darklord of Graben Island:
Meredoth’s borders extend much
further out into the seas around

338
 Graben Island than many other at bay, Natalia has long been a bold and
domains, and he can turn the oceans fearless killer. An encounter with famed
into a twisted maze of sleet, high monster hunter Rudolph van Richten
waves, and ship-killing icebergs. Were gave her pause when the man almost
it up to him, he would keep Graben killed her, awakening a new impulse in
isolated all the time, but keeping the her black heart. She seduced the doctor’s
borders closed requires a slow friend George Weathermay to get close
expenditure of his magical power. It to her attacker, but only managed to
costs Meredoth 1 Power Point per wound one of Weathermay’s young
hour that he wishes to keep the nieces before being driven off.
borders closed, and he cannot Natalia recognizes her own savage
recover PP while they remain sealed. impulses as aberrant, even for a werewolf,
• Magic Items: As a highly skilled and she has become fascinated with the
artificer, Meredoth has access to far psychological need to kill possessed by
more magic items than the average some humans. Natalia gives in to her own
darklord. Among his more common murderous impulses as a matter of
possessions are a ring that shoots course, but she has also begun seeking
searing bolts of light, a decanter that out similar mundane killers and pushing
produces endless water, and a them to ever-greater acts of horror. She is
skeleton-crewed galley that can fold also interested in determining if a
down to the size of a small box. “normal” person can be turned into a
• Spells: Meredoth is an extremely serial killer with the right pressures.
powerful wizard. He has 50 Power Natalia delights in seducing people before
Points and knows every magic-user destroying them—either by turning them
spell except for those dealing with into monsters or killing them.
healing (such as relief) and those
relating to minds or emotions (such Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
as puppet). d10, Strength d10, Vigor d10
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge
d8, Fighting d12+2, Intimidation d10,
Notice d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d8,
B Natalia Vhorishkova Stealth d10, Survival d10
Natalia is an unconventional beauty, Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Toughness: 7
keeping her dark brown hair short and Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Driven (Major:
wearing clothing chosen for mobility and create serial killers), Overconfident
comfort over style. Still, few people can Edges: Alertness, Assassin, Frenzy (Imp),
fail to be struck by her intense dark eyes, Very Attractive
full red lips, and sharp features. More
than one fool has fallen in love with her Special Abilities:
only to meet a horrific end when she
• Bite/Claws: Str+d8.
changes into a beast while they are alone.
In truth, Natalia is a werewolf—a true • Change Shape: As a limited action,
lycanthrope, born of a legacy of man- Natalia can assume one of three
eating shapechangers. forms: a beautiful woman, a hybrid
While most werewolves are cunning form, or a red-furred wolf.
predators who snatch lone victims and • Fast Regeneration: Lycanthropes may
avoid attention to keep potential hunters attempt a natural healing roll every

339
 round unless the Wounds were captain, a trader, and a slaver to satiate
caused by silver weapons. his hunger for wealth. He eventually
• Fear (–2): Werewolves chill the blood married but neglected his family in favor
of all who see them. of his business interests. When his
• Infection: Anyone slain by Natalia’s business partners betrayed him and left
natural attacks has a 50% chance of him all but bankrupt, he raged against the
rising as a werewolf themselves. The iniquities of humankind but was too
character involuntarily transforms deeply invested to extricate himself.
every full moon. Natalia can Today, Nathan lives on his dilapidated
command werewolves she spawns as riverboat, the Virago, rarely leaving the
though they were perpetually under ship even when in port. In truth, he
the effects of the puppet power. becomes violently ill if he goes more than
• Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes a few dozen feet from the riverbanks onto
ignore penalties for Dim and Dark solid ground, wracked with pain and
Illumination. growing weaker with each passing
• Weakness (Silver): Werewolves moment until he returns to the water. He
suffer +4 damage from silver makes his living ferrying passengers and
cargo up and down the Musarde River,
weapons.
occasionally murdering them and
devouring their bodies.
Nathan Timothy is a man of average
B Nathan Timothy build with dark, curly hair and brown
Born to a large clan of werewolves, eyes. His skin is darkened from the sun
Nathan Timothy was never satisfied with and rough from decades of hard work.
a nomadic life of hunting and murder. His beard is streaked with gray and hangs
He sought a comfortable life—a human almost to his chest. He would be
life—and he was cast out from his people unremarkable in human form were it not
for his ambitions. He became a riverboat for his smile—his teeth are long and

340
sharp, and his grin has the unnerving rising again as an infected werewolf.
look of a predator about it. His dire wolf The character involuntarily
and hybrid forms are far more transforms every full moon. Nathan
impressive, larger and more powerful can utterly control any infected
than average, with razor-sharp claws and werewolf he creates in this fashion
fangs like daggers. while they are transformed.
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit • Low Light Vision: Lycanthropes
d8, Strength d12+1, Vigor d10 ignore penalties for Dim and Dark
Skills: Athletics d8, Boating d10, Illumination.
Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d10, • Weakness (Silver): Nathan suffers +4
Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Occult d6, damage from silver weapons.
Persuasion d8, Shooting d6, Stealth d10,
Survival d10, Thievery d6, Trade d10
Pace: 8; Parry: 7; Toughness: 7
Hindrances: Greedy (Major), Mean B Nha rov Gund ar
Edges: Alertness, First Strike (Imp), Duke Gundar makes little effort to hide
Frenzy (Imp), Nerves of Steel (Imp) his vampiric nature. His nails are hooked
Gear: Knife (Str+d4) claws, his teeth horrific fangs, and his
eyes are bloodshot and wide. His clothing
Special Abilities: reeks of dried blood and grave dirt. He
could pass for an ordinary (if filthy) man
• Bite/Claws: Str+d8
at a distance, but up close he has more in
• Darklord of Arkandale: Nathan’s common with a wolf or other predatory
affinity with the rivers of the land beast than anything human.
allows him to make any body of water Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
aid him in closing the borders. He d6, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12
can command a river to swell its Skills: Athletics d10, Common
banks, destroying bridges and making Knowledge d6, Fighting d10,
the river impossible to cross on foot Intimidation d12, Notice d8, Persuasion
or by animal. Any boat on the river d4, Stealth d10, Survival d10
will be unable to steer, forcing it to Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 11
drop anchor, or simply become lost Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Impulsive
in the fog that rises up from the water. Edges: Brawny, Combat Reflexes, Frenzy
He cannot control the land passages (Imp), Quick, Sweep (Imp)
out of the domain, but the forests of
Arkandale can be dangerous enough Special Abilities:
on their own without his influence.
• Bite/Claws: Str+d6.
• Fast Regeneration: Nathan can
• Change Form: As a limited action,
attempt a natural healing roll every
Gundar can change into a wolf, a bat,
round, even if Incapacitated, unless
or a cloud of mist, or back into his
the Wounds were caused by silver
human form. While in mist form,
weapons.
Gundar cannot attack but is immune
• Fear (–2): The sight of a werewolf in to all non-magical attacks.
its monstrous hybrid form can chill
• Children of the Night: Gundar has
the blood.
the ability to summon and control
• Infection: Anyone slain by Nathan’s wolves or rats. This requires an action
natural attacks has a 50% chance of and a Smarts roll. If successful, 1d6

341
 wolves or 1d6 swarms of rats come keep a vampire at bay by displaying a
from the surrounding wilds in 1d6+2 holy symbol. A vampire who wants to
rounds. directly attack the victim must beat
• Darklord of Gundarak: Gundar’s her in an opposed test of Spirit.
weak will keeps him from closing the • Weakness (Holy Water): A vampire
borders for more than a few hours at splashed with holy water suffers a
a time. While Gundarak’s borders level of Fatigue in addition to the
are closed, a thin wall of fog rises up usual damage. This cannot cause
from the ground, making travelers Incapacitation.
lose their way and eventually turning • Weakness (Running Water): Gundar
them back toward Gundarak. cannot cross a natural body of
• Fear: Gundar’s unnatural appearance running water such as a stream or
causes a Fear check when he attacks. river. If fully immersed in running
• Invulnerability: Vampires can only be water, he suffers 2d6 damage per
harmed by their Weaknesses. They round until he escapes or is slain.
may be Shaken by other attacks, but • Weakness (Stake Through the
never Wounded. Heart): A vampire hit with a called
• Night Vision: Duke Gundar can see shot to the heart (–4) must make a
in complete darkness, even more Vigor roll versus the damage. If
keenly than the typical vampire. He successful, it takes damage normally.
ignores Illumination penalties. If Gundar fails this roll, he turns to
• Sire: Anyone slain by Gundar’s bite mist and returns to his crypt, where
has a 50% chance of rising as a he reforms and requires at least a day
vampire themselves in 1d4 days. to recover. He can only be
Gundar can adjust this chance if he permanently killed by being found in
wishes (and has time to do so)—either his crypt, beheaded, and burned to
by rending the body so thoroughly ashes while he recovers.
that there is no chance of turning the • Weakness (Sunlight): Gundar catches
victim, or by slowly draining the fire if any part of his skin is exposed
victim’s life over several nights, thus to direct sunlight. After that he suffers
guaranteeing a convert to the legions 2d6 damage per round until he is
of the damned. dust. Armor does not protect him
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover from this damage.
from being Shaken; immune to
poison and disease; no additional
damage from Called Shots (except for B Nostalia Romaine
Called Shots to the heart—see below); The closest friend and confidante of
ignores 1 point of Wound penalties. darklord Ivana Boritsi, Nostalia
• Weakness (Fire): Vampires take Romaine is the first ermordenung (page
normal damage from fire. 269) and the living weapon with which
• Weakness (Forbiddance): A vampire Ivana took her own mother’s life. Even
cannot enter a private dwelling without the elixirs that keep her eternally
without being invited. They may enter young and beautiful, Nostalia would be
public buildings as they please. utterly loyal to Ivana—despite her
• Weakness (Holy Symbol): A occasional nightmares about her first
character with a holy symbol may murder, which still haunts her to this day.

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 Like all ermordenung, Nostalia is in B Pieter van Riese
perfect physical condition. She moves In life Pieter van Riese was a broad-
with the grace and elegance of a dancer, shouldered man with weathered features,
standing just under six feet tall. Her dark his dark eyes constantly scanning the
eyes smolder with intensity in her horizon. His hair and beard were dark, a
extraordinarily pale face. Her ebony hair touch of grey appearing at the temples
falls almost to her knees, and she typically and at the corners of his mouth. In death
keeps it in a single thick braid, which she he appears much the same, yet a chill
decorates with flowers. Nostalia carries a clings to him, and his hair and beard shift
dagger on her person, more for show and move as if he was in a violent storm.
than anything else. She always wears long, When he speaks, his breath is visible, as
elegant gloves, removing them only when if he talks in the depths of winter. Despite
she intends to kill with her poisonous this, Pieter never complains of the cold
touch. and seems comfortable, no matter the
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit weather.
d8, Strength d8, Vigor d8 In death, Captain van Riese travels the
Skills: Athletics d8, Common Knowledge Sea of Sorrows endlessly, seeking to
d10, Fighting d8, Intimidation d10, return to his own world and find the
Notice d8, Performance d8, Persuasion passage that was denied him in life. He
d8, Stealth d10, Taunt d8, Thievery d8 spends his endless eternity mapping the
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 6 islands of the sea, a task that vexes him as
Hindrances: Cautious, Loyal, Ruthless the islands seem to move. Van Riese
(Major) cannot leave the decks of the Relentless,
Edges: Assassin, Block, Bolster, but he can command the ship as an
Charismatic, Connections (Borcan extension of his own body. The ship can
aristocracy), Deceptive(FC), Humiliate, become solid and even carry cargo and
Reliable, Retort, Streetwise, Strong passengers for extended periods of time,
Willed, Very Attractive a fact that van Riese uses to lure people
Gear: Dagger (Str+d4), fine clothes aboard and press-gang them into his crew
Special Abilities: of the damned once they are far out to
• Immunity: Ermordenung are sea.
immune to all poisons and toxins. Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit
• Poison Touch: An ermordenung can d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
deliver deadly poison as a Touch Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d8, Boating
Attack, and Nostalia’s poison is more d12, Common Knowledge d8, Fighting
potent than most. A touched victim d8, Intimidation d12, Notice d12,
must attempt a Vigor roll or suffer the Persuasion d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d12,
effects of Lethal poison. This also Taunt d12
affects anyone who has intimate Pace: 6; Parry: 6; Toughness: 7
contact with the ermordenung, such as Hindrances: Code of Honor, Ruthless
a kiss or a lengthy embrace with skin (Major), Stubborn
contact, which causes the Vigor roll to Edges: Command, Menacing, Fervor,
be made at a –2 penalty. Steady Hands
Gear: Spectral cutlass (Str+d6, ignores
non-magical armor)

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 • Fear (–2): Ghosts cause Fear checks
at –2 when they allow their true
nature to be seen.
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
from being Shaken; immune to
poison and disease; no additional
damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
point of Wound penalties.
• Weakness (Salt): The purifying
power of salt can hold back a ghost or
even damage it. The ghost cannot
cross an unbroken line of salt, and
salt counts as a magical weapon. Even
a thrown handful of salt inflicts 2d4
damage.
• Withering Touch: Pieter van Riese
can make a Touch Attack to drain the
life from his victims. A touched target
suffers an automatic Wound for each
success and raise on the Fighting roll.

The Relentless
The Relentless is Pieter van Riese’s
ship, an extremely well armed and well-
maintained merchant ship. Though its
timbers have been worn by years of harsh
weather and the sea, it seems quite solid—
Special Abilities: save at dusk and dawn, when its spectral
• Darklord of the Sea of Sorrows: nature becomes obvious.
Captain van Riese cannot close his The Relentless is a fluyt, an 80-foot-
domain’s borders, but he can long merchant vessel with a weight of
summon up terrible storms around almost 200 tons. It is Size 12
the Relentless at will. These storms (Gargantuan) with Handling of –2 and a
do not harm his vessel or Top Speed of 10 mph regardless of wind.
inconvenience his crew at all, but they It has a Toughness of 20 (4) and a
present a hurricane-level hazard to all maximum crew of 100. It has eight 12 lb.
mortal ships within ten miles. He can cannons (SWADE 77) on either side, but
also calm the seas within this area at these must be fired by crewmembers
will, which he often does when rather than being controlled by Captain
attempting to gain new crew members van Riese’s will.
through entrapment rather than With a crew complement of at least 50,
battle. the ship’s Handling increases to –1 and
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid its Top Speed rises to 15 mph. With a
objects; cannot be harmed by non- crew of 80 or more, it becomes Handling
magical attacks; may become invisible +0 and gains a Top Speed of 20 mph.
(–6 to hit) as a limited free action.

344
 The Crew: Captain van Riese can press- homeland has been consumed, he will
gang innocent travelers into his crew by rule once more—an emperor of the dead.
luring them onto the decks at least a full Shinpi Haki is a short but broad-
day’s sail from any land. Once that far at shouldered man, apparently quite elderly.
sea, any person who dies by his hand Being dead, his apparent age is no
rises again as a zombie with full human hindrance for him. He typically manifests
intelligence under his control; if the wearing the full armor of a warrior lord—
victim has ever taken a life, he can raise the armor he was wearing when he was
them as a ghost under his control instead. cremated—but carrying no swords. His
Captain van Riese can also bargain for blades were given to his eldest daughter
folk to willingly join his crew, offering as an inheritance but went missing shortly
them passage or treasures in exchange for after the young woman’s death. Shinpi
their service after a certain number of would give much to have his swords
years. returned to him.

B Shinpi Haki
In life, Shinpi Haki was a proud warrior
and clan leader who dominated his
homeland to forge a proud and mighty
empire. Though he espoused loyalty to
the warrior’s code of his people, he
happily abused and manipulated others,
using underhanded tactics and assassins
to gain his throne. As he aged, he grew
bitter and cruel, seeing no value in any of
his six children, all of whom had been
raised as aristocrats rather than hard-
bitten warriors. No sooner than he died
did his children begin bickering over his
inheritance.
In death, Lord Shinpi could not rest.
His anger coalesced into a rage against
the living—particularly against his own
children. This anger allowed him to
continue existing after death as a vengeful
ghost, turning the spirit realm of his
home islands into a poisonous and
terrifying place. From the realm of ghosts,
Lord Shinpi directs demons, shades of
the dead, and stranger things still to do
his bidding. He will not rest until each of
his children has died in dishonor,
dragging their lands down into the spirit
realm with them. Once his entire

345
 Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
d10, Strength d8, Vigor d8 point of Wound penalties.
Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d10, Common • Weakness (Trapped): Shinpi Haki is
Knowledge d6, Fighting d10, trapped in the spirit realm of
Intimidation d12, Notice d12, Stealth Rokushima Taiyou. He cannot
d12, Taunt d10 manifest himself or become visible in
Pace: 6; Parry: 9; Toughness: 12 (4) the physical world, and can only
Hindrances: Driven (Major: become interact with the living by whispering
emperor of the dead), Ruthless (Major), into the dreams of his own
Vengeful (Major) descendants. If he spends a whole
Edges: Block (Imp), Combat Reflexes, night doing so, his target gains the
Command, Counterattack, Extraction, Night Terrors Hindrance for one
Feint, Frenzy (Imp), Hold the Line, week, and must attempt a Spirit roll at
Killer Instinct, No Mercy, Quick Draw(RR), –2 to avoid undertaking a general
Sweep, Tactician course of action desired by Shinpi
Gear: Spectral armor (+4 Armor), (such as sending troops to a specific
spectral wooden sword (Str+d6) location, sending assassins against a
target, and so on). He cannot instill
Special Abilities: suicidal or obviously insane directions
• Darklord of Rokushima Taiyou: in this fashion. If confronted in the
When he wants to close the domain’s spirit realm or summoned into the
borders, horrible typhoons rise out of physical world by a ritual, he cannot
the Poison Sea, making it impossible become invisible.
for ships to survive unless they turn
back for safe harbor. Using this ability
distracts Lord Shinpi from his B Sodo
primary goals, however. While he is Trying to describe Sodo’s appearance is
so distracted, his children sleep like trying to describe perpetually
peacefully and dream of the honor shattering glass. His shape is altering
they once possessed—and of the constantly, with features mixing and
better world they could build if they matching in ways that defy logic or
only put aside their old grudges. common sense. Only an act of supreme
Shinpi fears what would happen if will allows him to hold a stolen shape
they were permitted to follow these longer than a few moments. He rarely
noble impulses, so he never allows bothers to hold a single shape around
them more than a few nights of other dopplegangers, reveling in how his
respite. appearance horrifies them, but he
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid privately seethes at how his incapacity has
objects; cannot be harmed by non- deprived him of that which he most
magical attacks. desires: comfort and stability.
• Fear (–2): Ghosts cause Fear checks Sodo sits at the center of a complex
at –2 when they let themselves be web of assassins, spies, and thieves. His
seen. human agents run the largest gangs in
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover Paridon as well as sitting in the halls of
from being Shaken; immune to power. Though he has massive influence
poison and disease; no additional on the city, he is frequently thwarted by

346
dopplegangers who can act more openly, round unless his Wounds were
directly controlling noble houses, inflicted by fire or acid.
merchant guilds, and religious • Fear (–2): Sodo’s monstrous, ever-
organizations. His inability to hold a shifting appearance can cause
single shape for more than a few minutes onlookers to pass out in terror. Those
at a time leaves him as a perpetual that see him must attempt a Fear
shadow, unable to enjoy the fruits of his check at –2.
labors and live as a human, but also an • Skilled Imitator: A doppleganger can
outcast among his own kind. use the disguise (self only) and mind
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d10, Spirit reading powers as innate powers,
d8, Strength d6, Vigor d6 using Smarts as their arcane skill.
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge They are limited to assuming the
d10, Fighting d6, Intimidation d10, appearance of humanoids of Size –1
Notice d8, Occult d8, Performance d10, to +1, though their Toughness does
Persuasion d10, Stealth d10, Thievery not change. Because of his fractured
d10 psyche, Sodo cannot hold a shape for
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 5 longer than 1d6 minutes before he
Hindrances: Bloodthirsty, Habit (Major: must take another.
addicted to victims’ pain), Jealous (Major)
Edges: Assassin, Deceptive(FC), Extraction
(Imp), Feint, Free Runner, Quick, Sneak
Attack(FC), Streetwise, Thief B Strahd von Zarovich
Gear: Knife (Str+d4), strangling cord Count Strahd von Zarovich is the
darklord of Barovia, an ancient vampire.
Special Abilities: Once a virtuous warrior, Strahd’s years
Addiction: Sodo's long years of on the battlefield changed him into a
inflicting pain on others have left him jaded, bitter old man. When his younger
addicted to the sensation. Unless he brother was engaged to be married,
kills at least one victim each day while Strahd became obsessed with his
using his mind reading power on brother’s fiancée and made a pact with
them, Sodo begins suffering Death to regain his youth and vitality so
withdrawal, gaining a level of Fatigue that he might pursue her. The pact’s
each day until he gives in to his price was the life of Strahd’s brother—a
compulsion or becomes price Strahd gladly paid. She rejected him
Incapacitated. He cannot die from and fell to her death while fleeing; in a
this withdrawal, but it can leave him maniacal rage, Strahd stalked through his
on the verge of death until he sups castle, killing everyone he found.
again on terror and pain. In the centuries since his death, Strahd
has concealed his undead state from his
• Darklord of Paridon: Sodo was able
subjects by pretending to be a succession
to completely close off the Shining
of heirs and staying out of the public eye
Bay from the outside world for the
for years at a time. Strahd can fall into
better part of a century, but that
melancholy moods that leave him
power has fled him. He can no longer
brooding for months or years at a time,
even close the borders of Paridon, let
but he generally finds ways to distract
alone the entire Cluster.
himself with matters of state. He purges
• Fast Regeneration: Sodo’s corruption and incompetence from his
metamorphic flesh allows him to
make a natural healing roll every
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 government ruthlessly, but otherwise • Charm: Strahd can use the puppet
takes a hands-off attitude toward power on anyone who finds him
rulership. attractive using Smarts as his arcane
Strahd’s bargain with Death did indeed skill. He can cast and maintain the
give him back his youth. He appears to power indefinitely but may only affect
be a young nobleman in his mid-twenties one target at a time.
with black hair that is pulled back from • Children of the Night: Strahd can
his face in a short tail. His skin has a summon and control wolves or rats.
bluish pallor that is hard to see in This requires an action and a Smarts
moonlight, and his ears are slightly roll. If successful, 1d6 wolves or 1d6
tipped; when asked, he typically claims swarms of rats come from the
distant elven heritage. When Strahd is surrounding wilds in 1d6+2 rounds.
angered, his eyes glow red like the pits of • Darklord of Barovia: Strahd has
hell and his canines lengthen into more control over his domain than
dreadful fangs. He tends to dress in many darklords. He is known to be
conservative Barovian fashion, at least a able to sense powerful rivals at a
century out of date. distance and seems to have an almost
empathic link with the land itself.
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d10, Spirit Bound to the land as he is, Strahd
d12, Strength d12+3, Vigor d12 needs no invitation to enter any
Skills: Academics d8, Athletics d8, domicile in his domain, unlike most
Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d10, vampires. He can close the domain
Intimidation d12, Notice d10, Occult borders at will and seems to have no
d10, Performance d8, Persuasion d12, limit on how long he can keep them
Riding d8, Shooting d8, Spellcasting d10, closed, save his own concern about
Stealth d10, Taunt d8 how long-term isolation from the
Pace: 6; Parry: 7; Toughness: 10 outside world would harm his
Hindrances: Amorous, Arrogant, Driven citizens. Count Strahd’s ability to seal
(Major: find Tatyana’s reincarnation and the nation’s borders is a known trait,
make her his bride), Vow (Major: protect though the citizens attribute it to
and defend Barovia) magic passed down from father to
Edges: Alertness, Arcane Background son. When the borders close, a thick,
(Magic), Aristocrat, Attractive, choking fog rises up from the ground,
Charismatic, Dodge (Imp), Epic forcing those who enter it to turn
Mastery(FC), Frenzy (Imp), Home back or eventually pass out from lack
Ground(FC) (Castle Ravenloft), Level of air.
Headed, Necromancer(RR), Quick, Rapid • Invulnerability: Vampires can only be
Recharge, Wizard harmed by their Weaknesses. They
may be Shaken by other attacks, but
Special Abilities: never Wounded.
• Bite/Claws: Str+d4. • Low Light Vision: Strahd has keen
• Change Form: As a limited action, vision like that of a hunting cat. He
Strahd can change into a wolf, a bat, ignores penalties for Dim and Dark
or a cloud of mist, or back into his Illumination.
human form. While in mist form, • Sire: Anyone slain by Strahd’s bite
Strahd cannot attack but is immune has a 50% chance of rising as a
to all non-magical attacks.

348
 vampire themselves in 1d4 days. If Strahd fails this roll, he turns to
Strahd can adjust this chance if he mist and returns to his crypt in Castle
wishes (and has time to do so)—either Ravenloft, where he reforms and
by rending the body so thoroughly requires at least a day to recover. He
that there is no chance of turning the can only be permanently killed by
victim, or by slowly draining the being found in his crypt, beheaded,
victim’s life over several nights, thus and burned to ashes while he
guaranteeing a convert to the legions recovers.
of the damned. • Weakness (Sunlight): Strahd catches
• Spells: Strahd is a powerful fire if any part of his skin is exposed
necromancer with centuries of to direct sunlight. After that he suffers
experience. He has 25 Power Points 2d4 damage per round until he is
and knows the following powers: dust. Armor does not protect him
barrier, bolt, boost/lower Trait, from this damage.
detect/conceal arcana , dispel ,
environmental protection , fear ,
light/darkness , smite , summon B Stez en d’Polarno
undead , and zombie . The marquis of Ghastria is a tall man
• Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover with dark auburn hair and long
from being Shaken; immune to sideburns. His eyes are a dark grey-blue
poison and disease; no additional that catches the color of the sky easily.
damage from Called Shots (except for He is always dressed in the latest fasions
Called Shots to the heart—see below); and carries an elaborately decorated
ignores 1 point of Wound penalties. dueling sword at his side. He spends
• Wall Walker: Strahd can climb on most of his time listless and depressed,
vertical and inverted surfaces at his tone curt and insulting with those who
normal Pace, but he cannot run on can get him to speak at all. He often
them. leaves the room or nods off in the middle
• Weakness (Fire): Vampires take of a conversation.
normal damage from fire. The few days of the year he has had his
• Weakness (Holy Symbol): A vitality restored by his life-draining
character with a holy symbol may painting, his mannerisms become
keep a vampire at bay by displaying a exaggerated to the point of foppishness.
holy symbol. A vampire who wants to He laughs, sings, weeps, and hungers for
directly attack the victim must beat new experiences. With his vitality thus
her in an opposed test of Spirit. restored, he is quick to take offense and
• Weakness (Holy Water): A vampire demand duels. He always has a ready
splashed with holy water suffers a joke or bawdy tale.
level of Fatigue in addition to the Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
usual damage. This cannot cause d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Incapacitation. Skills: Academics d6, Athletics d6,
• Weakness (Stake Through the Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d8,
Heart): A vampire hit with a called Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Performance
shot to the heart (–4) must make a d8, Persuasion d8, Riding d6, Stealth d8,
Vigor roll versus the damage. If Taunt d10
successful, it takes damage normally.

349
 Pace: 6; Parry: 6 (7 with rapier); worshiping Kalid-Ma as a living goddess.
Toughness: 5 She was so devoted that she even
Hindrances: Armorous(FC), Arrogant, Thin sacrificed her own family to the god-
Skinned (Minor) queen in a bloody ritual, personally
Edges: Aristocrat, Charismatic, cutting out her own children’s hearts as a
Counterattack, Elan, Extraction, Feint, sign of devotion. Unfortunately, her
Humiliate, Provoke, Rabble-Rouser overzealous nature ruined the ritual that
Gear: Fine rapier (Str+d4, +1 Parry) Kalid-Ma was using to ascend to a higher
state of being, leaving the sorcerer-queen
Special Abilities: in a deathlike slumber.
• Curse of Passionlessness: Unless he In Kalid-Ma’s absence, Thakok-An
has drained the life from another rules the city and its few ragged survivors.
person recently, Stezen is dull, drab, She works tirelessly to awaken her queen,
and disinterested in the world around but a part of her whispers that Kalid-Ma
him. He is Distracted and Vulnerable is dead—and that it’s her own fault.
at all times, but he is immune to any Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit
effect that would read or influence his d10, Strength d6, Vigor d6
emotions. Skills: Athletics d6, Battle d6, Common
• Darklord of Ghastria: Stezen Knowledge d6, Faith d10, Fighting d8,
d’Polarno can close the borders of his Intimidation d8, Notice d8, Persuasion
domain by summoning up d8, Psionics d8, Stealth d6, Survival d8
impenetrable fog and rain at sea, Pace: 8; Parry: 6 (8 with shield);
making ocean passage impossible. He Toughness: 8 (3)
can only keep this up for as long as Hindrances: Arrogant, Ruthless (Major),
his interest holds, which is rarely Vow (Major: serve Kalid-Ma)
more than a few days at a time. Edges: Arcane Background (Miracles),
Moreover, he loses this ability while Arcane Background (Psionics),
his soul is returned to him, during the Concentration (Miracles), Epic Mastery(FC)
days after each turning of the season. (Miracles), Fleet Footed, Holy Warrior,
Rabble-Rouser, Soul Drain (Psionics),
Strong Willed
Gear: Bone armor (+3 Armor), bone
B Thakok-An dagger (Str+d4), obsidian-studded war
Thakok-An is a tall, bronze-skinned club (Str+d6), medium wooden shield (+2
half elf. Standing well over six feet in Parry, –2 Cover)
height, her hair is dark and wild, and her
eyes an unnatural yellow. Her chest and Special Abilities:
arms are covered in tattoos of rank, while
• Darklord of Kalidnay: The High
she covers the top half of her face with a
Templar can close the domain
jewel-encrusted bone mask. She is rarely
borders of Kalidnay by entering the
without a ceremonial dagger made of
sacred chambers at the heart of the
carved bone, but when danger threatens,
ziggurat and meditating. When she
she takes up a wooden shield and a
does, terrible sandstorms blow up at
mighty club studded in razor-sharp blades
the borders of the domain, capable of
of obsidian.
flensing the meat from a traveler’s
The High Templar of Kalidnay
bones in mere minutes. The longer
dedicated her whole life to her queen,
she maintains this state, however, the

350
 more aware she becomes of the heat and humidity of his jungle
hollow void in her soul where Kalid- homeland, Carrascon seems cool, never
Ma’s voice once spoke to her; she can sweating or evincing discomfort.
only keep the borders closed for a Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d8, Spirit
few hours before the pain of Kalid- d8, Strength d10, Vigor d8
Ma’s absence becomes too great to Skills: Athletics d8, Battle d6, Common
ignore. Knowledge d6, Fighting d10,
• Low Light Vision: Half-elves have Intimidation d10, Notice d10, Persuasion
keen eyes. Thakok-An ignores d8, Stealth d10, Survival d8
penalties for Dim and Dark Pace: 8; Parry: 7 (8 with rapier);
Illumination. Toughness: 9
• Miracles: Thakok-An is the high Hindrances: Arrogant, Driven (Major:
priestess of Kalid-Ma, the sorcerer- modernize Valachan), Suspicious (Minor)
queen of Kalidnay. She has 25 Power Edges: Brawny, Brawler, Bruiser, First
Points for her miracles and knows the Strike (Imp), Fleet Footed, Frenzy (Imp),
following powers: beast friend, bolt, Quick
dispel, entangle, protection, and Gear: Fine clothes, ceremonial rapier
smite. (Str+d4, Parry +1), unarmed strike
• Psionics: Like all people from her (Str+d6, does not count as armed)
world, Thakok-An has minor psychic
abilities. She has 15 Power Points for Special Abilities:
her psionics and knows the following • Darklord of Valachan: While his
powers: fly (self only), telekinesis, and willpower is strong enough to allow
teleport (self only). him to close the borders, his control
over the land is insufficient. The
jungle resists his demands, so he is
forced to rely on traditional troops if
B Uriel Carrascon he wants to harry outsiders or prevent
Once nothing more than a common escape.
jungle cat, the man who now goes by the
name Uriel Carrascon has grown to
despise both his own “primitive” origins
and the recalcitrance of humanity to B Victor Mordenheim
embrace change and civilization. He Victor Mordenheim is one of the
exudes an aura of restlessness and tightly preeminent scientific minds in the world,
wound control, as though he is constantly a man who had single-handedly mastered
holding back violent urges. While he can multiple fields, including medicine,
be pleasant, he sometimes comes across biology, physics, engineering, and more.
as smug—and when his authority is He has a voracious drive to learn, and an
challenged, he becomes aggressive and obsessive nature that pushes him to go to
openly confrontational. extraordinary—even horrific—lengths to
Don Uriel Carrascon is a tall, sleek, prove his theories.
handsome man with dark skin and Dr. Mordenheim was once a surgeon
hypnotic yellow eyes. His hair is short who believed that life was merely a
and meticulously groomed, and he keeps biological process with no mysticism
his clothing modern, stylish, and needed. To prove his theory, he worked
immaculately clean. Even in the worst to create life in his laboratory, gaining

351
 himself a dire reputation in the process. hair is shot through with grey, and he has
Victor cared nothing for the approval of a nasty scar above his left eye. He is
lesser minds, only that he uncovered the clean-shaven but otherwise poorly
truth. The only thing that could inspire groomed. Victor has many constructs and
his passion outside his work was his wife, creations at his service, as well as one or
Elise. As the years passed, however, he two human assistants at any given time.
found that the spark of love paled beside
the intellectual pursuits he preferred. He Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d12+2,
and Elise adopted a daughter, called Eva; Spirit d4, Strength d6, Vigor d6
Elise hoped that a child would distract Skills: Academics d10, Athletics d6,
her husband from his blasphemous Common Knowledge d10, Fighting d4,
research, while Victor hoped that a child Healing d12, Intimidation d6, Notice
would distract his wife from bothering d10, Persuasion d4, Repair d12,
him. Research d10, Science d12, Shooting d6,
In a fit of hubris, Victor used a portion Weird Science d12+2
of his own flesh, combined with a Pace: 6; Parry: 4; Toughness: 5
patchwork body made of scavenged Hindrances: Arrogant, Doubting
corpses, to create a new life he called Thomas, Ruthless (Major)
Adam. This creature was everything Edges: Arcane Background (Weird
Victor had hoped for—intelligent, capable Science), Gadgeteer, Healer, Master
of learning, and even creative. Still, Victor Artificer(FC), Mr. Fix-It, Scholar (Science)
could find no joy in his success; his cool Gear: Various scientific implements
nature had become ice cold, leaving him
passionless and empty. Special Abilities:
A few years later, Adam seemed to go • Darklord of Lamordia: Victor shares
berserk, killing Victor’s daughter and his damnation with Adam, his
maiming his wife before fleeing. Victor greatest creation. For the sin of pride,
could find no tears for the two women; and for his mistreatment of his family
instead, motivated by a sense of spousal and creation, he was made darklord.
duty more than anything else, he simply Victor cannot close the borders of
hooked up Elise to an experimental life Lamordia, and he would not
support machine and began making acknowledge such a “mystical” bond
efforts to save her. even if someone told him about it.
Victor feels no sorrow at Elise’s Still, he has a vague sense of the land,
condition, only the intellectual challenge though he chalks it up to a function of
of saving a life that would be beyond any his “enlightened” intellect.
other man’s ability. Victor goes through • Pain Transference: If Adam and Dr.
the motions of daily life, researching his Mordenheim are present in the same
curiosities and occasionally publishing scene, they feel one another’s pain. If
about them, but he has no true creative either is Shaken, Wounded, or
spark left in him. Everything he does is a Stunned, the other must immediately
stagnant derivative of something he once make a Vigor check or be Shaken as
pursued with vigor, almost as though he well.
were an empty construct instead of a • Soulless: Dr. Mordenheim is an
man. empty shell of a man, passionless and
Victor is an older man, perhaps in his lacking in empathy. He suffers a –4
fifties or sixties but still vigorous. His dark penalty on Persuasion, Intimidation,

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 and Taunt checks, but he also government with himself as both king and
receives +4 to resist Tests using those general.
skills. Though Vlad has been frustrated in his
• Weird Science: Most of Victor’s decades as king of Falkovnia, he remains
scientific experiments are on esoteric committed to furthering his ideals of rule
functions of his “enlightened” through strength and merit. Vlad does
science, but he possesses a few not get to take the field as often as he
practical objects in case of emergency. would like, being bogged down by the
Victor has 30 Power Points, and he minutiae of rulership, but he has
knows the following powers: bolt, remained in extraordinary physical
boost/lower Trait, deflection, and condition for a man of his age.
healing . He can have virtually any Vlad appears to be a vigorous man in
power available as needed thanks to his late forties or early fifties, but he is
his Gadgeteer Edge. actually almost twice that age. He wears
his thick brown hair past his shoulders
and maintains a full, thick beard. Even in
state meetings, Vlad wears a full suit of
B Vlad Drakov
plate armor and carries a soldier’s sword.
Born the bastard son of a minor
He has a sense of self-assuredness about
nobleman, Vlad Drakov grew up
him that crosses the line into arrogance
resentful of his half-brothers, who would
when challenged. Vlad has many wives,
inherit everything despite being less than
mistresses, and concubines, and his
him in every way. When he came of age,
estates are filled with his many children
Drakov forsook his father’s lands to
and grandchildren.
become a mercenary, eventually
becoming the commander of his own
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit
elite company, the Talons of the Hawk.
d10, Strength d12, Vigor d10
“Vlad the Hawk” was known as a ruthless
Skills: Athletics d10, Battle d12,
enforcer, happily selling his talents to the
Common Knowledge d8, Fighting d12+1,
highest bidder with no questions asked.
Intimidation d12, Notice d10, Persuasion
Vlad promoted his men only based on
d6, Riding d10, Shooting d10, Stealth d6,
their talents, believing that the only true
Survival d8, Taunt d8
measure of a human being was their
Pace: 6; Parry: 10 (12 with shield);
strength—not blood or heritage.
Toughness: 13 (4)
As Vlad grew older, he still relished
Hindrances: Arrogant, Bloodthirsty,
slaughter and bloodshed, but he also
Ruthless (Minor)
longed for validation and glory. He
Edges: Arcane Resistance (Imp), Block
believed that he could do a far better job
(Imp), Brave, Brawler, Brawny, Brute,
of ruling than the simpering noblemen
Charismatic, Command, Commanding
who paid him to do their dirty work while
Presence, Counterattack (Imp), Fervor,
looking down their noses at him. Vlad
First Strike (Imp), Frenzy (Imp), Hard to
took his Talons and set out for parts
Kill, Hold the Line, Inspire, Menacing,
unknown, seeking a new land to conquer.
Nerves of Steel (Imp), Soldier, Strong
He eventually found such a land and bent
Willed, Sweep (Imp), Tough as Nails
it to his will over the course of a
Gear: Plate armor (+4 Armor), long
generation, finally setting up a military
sword (Str+d8), heavy shield (+2 Parry, –4

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 Cover), hunting bow (Range 12/24/48, those of his wife and daughter, who
2d6), war horse emerge to torment him nightly. As time
has passed, Godefroy has found himself
Special Abilities: able to wander the domain at will, though
• Darklord of Falkovnia: Though Vlad he is still drawn back to Gryphon Manor
Drakov is the darklord of Falkovnia, every morning at dawn and trapped there
he has so little mystical understanding until nightfall.
that he cannot close the borders of When Godefroy manifests or is seen by
his domain. He is aware of his “bond those who can view ghosts naturally, he
with the land,” and believes that looks like an older man with a neatly
conquering other nations will allow trimmed beard and grey hair pulled back
him to bond with them as well, in a nobleman’s ponytail. He is dressed
eventually creating a mighty empire in fashions two centuries out of date, and
from subjugated lands. He has a his expression is stern and authoritarian.
vague sense of when Falkovnia is He is never without his pince-nez glasses
coming into conjunction with other or his walking stick, tipped with a silver
domains, which allows him to begin griffin’s head.
mobilizing his soldiers. This rarely
gives him all of the information he
needs, so his soldiers are frequently
undersupplied, equipped poorly for
their incursion, or otherwise put in
bad position for a true invasion.

B Wilfr ed Godefroy
In life, Godefroy was a cruel and
tyrannical man. He terrorized his
servants, his wife, and his daughter alike.
A fit of rage led him to murder his wife;
when his daughter tried to intervene, he
beat her to death as well. He avoided
justice for their deaths by concealing it as
an accident, but suspicions surrounded
him. He was haunted by the rumors—and
by the ghosts of his murdered wife and
daughter. Their torments drove him to
commit suicide a year later, but death was
not the end for Godefroy. Instead, he
found himself trapped within his house as
a restless spirit.
As a ghost, Godefroy can command the
loyalty of virtually every other spirit in
Mordent, due to his ability to draw them
into his home and trap them there. The
only ghosts he cannot command are

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Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d8, Spirit attack material or ethereal creatures
d12, Strength d6, Vigor d6 no matter his own current state. Any
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge ghosts he beats to “death” instead
d10, Fighting d6, Intimidation d12, becomes his slave until the following
Notice d12, Occult d6, Persuasion d6, sunrise, though he can permanently
Taunt d10, Stealth d12 destroy ghosts in this manner too.
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 7 • Telekinesis: Godefroy can use
Hindrances: Arrogant, Mean, Ruthless telekinesis as a major Innate Power
(Major) (Spirit).
Edges: Humiliate, Menacing, Rabble- • Undead: +2 Toughness; +2 to recover
Rouser, Retort from being Shaken; immune to
Gear: Thrown objects (Str+d4), ghostly poison and disease; no additional
cane (Str+d6, ignores non-magical armor) damage from Called Shots; ignores 1
point of Wound penalties.
Special Abilities: • Weakness (Bound): Lord Godefroy
• Darklord of Mordent: Godefroy can is bound to the House on Gryphon
close the domain’s borders—but only Hill and to the cycle of time. He is
until he is called back to Gryphon called back to the House at dawn
Manor at dawn. He can renew that every morning, and every night at
closing, but there is always a window midnight, the ghosts of his wife and
of escape for a few moments when daughter come forth to harass and
the sun rises as he struggles to torment him for at least an hour,
reorient himself. When he closes the during which time he is effectively
borders, thick fog rises up at the powerless. Should someone manage
edges of the domain, and travelers to cleanse or destroy the House on
who enter the Mists always find Gryphon Hill—an epic undertaking to
themselves returning to Mordent, say the least—then Godefroy would be
regardless of their bearing. destroyed along with it.
• Ethereal: Can pass through solid • Weakness (Salt): The purifying
objects; cannot be harmed by non- power of salt can hold back a ghost or
magical attacks; may become invisible even damage it. The ghost cannot
(–6 to hit) as a limited free action. cross an unbroken line of salt, and
• Fear (–2): Wilfred Godefroy causes salt counts as a magical weapon. Even
Fear checks at –2 when he lets a thrown handful of salt inflicts 2d4
himself be seen in his full wrath and damage.
fury.
• Fetter: Wilfred Godefroy is bound to
the House on Gryphon Hill. So long B Yagno Petrovna
as it stands, he cannot be truly Yagno Petrovna is a middle-aged man
destroyed—only temporarily with a long, pale, narrow face. His
dispersed. If he is “killed,” he features are little more than thin lines,
reforms in his home the next night at and his bloodless lips sit in a flat grimace.
sunset. He is never without his priestly garb of
• Lord of Ghosts: Wilfred’s attacks red and orange silk robes, topped by a
count as magical for the purpose of tight-fitting hood that shows only his face.
harming other ghosts, and he can His only other decoration is a braided

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 cord worked with polished bone beads effect on individuals with no human
and human teeth running from over his ancestry at all (such as dwarves, elves,
left shoulder to under his right arm. and the like).
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit • Darklord of G’Henna: When Yagno
d10, Strength d6, Vigor d12 wishes to close the borders of
Skills: Athletics d6, Common Knowledge G’Henna, a wall of broken, leering
d8, Faith d12, Fighting d6, Intimidation skulls rises from the ground. These
d10, Notice d10, Occult d10, Persuasion skulls utter a constant moaning prayer
d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6 that distorts the senses of those that
Pace: 6; Parry: 5; Toughness: 9 (1) approach, as well as biting and
Hindrances: Arrogant, Delusion (Major: cursing at any who try to climb the
“I am the one true prophet of Zhakata”), wall. The wall seems to extend into
Vow (Major: serve Zhakata) the heavens, and attempts to break it
Edges: Arcane Background (Miracles), down reveal only more skulls behind
Blood Magic(FC), Close Fighting(FC), the shattered ones. Yagno can
Command, Concentration, Epic maintain the wall only as long as he
Mastery(FC), Favored Power(FC) (curse), fasts and prays. While he has great
Fervor, Hold the Line, Nerves of Steel endurance for self-denial, his body
(Imp) and willpower fail eventually. Each
Gear: Priestly robes (+1 Armor), day he maintains the wall requires a
enchanted dagger (Str+d6, AP 2, +1 Vigor roll with a cumulative –1
Fighting) penalty. When he drops the wall, he
must rest and eat well for at least a
Special Abilities: week before closing the borders
• Curse of Inhumanity: Yagno’s again.
preferred use of the curse power is as • Miracles: Yagno is a zealous servant
a ritual to strip the humanity from a of Zhakata the devourer. He has 40
targeted enemy. When used against a Power Points and knows the
person of part-human ancestry, it following powers: arcane protection,
transforms them permanently into barrier, blessing(FC), boost/lower Trait,
their other ancestral half (such as a curse(FC), detect/conceal arcana, dispel,
half-elf becoming a full elf). Used environmental protection, healing,
against a human, it turns them into a protection, sanctuary(FC), smite, and
caliban or a broken one (page 260) at stun.
Yagno’s discretion. This ability has no

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