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=Canon Domains= ==Aggarath== ::Location: Wandering ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: Varies, mostly Ruby Crystal ::Motif: Memories ::[[Darklord]]: Chardath Spulzeer & Maleffluent This domain is unique in that it technically isn't part of the wider Demiplane of Dread and isnt surrounded by the Mists. It is instead contained within a ruby set into the hilt of a magical dagger of the same name. Anyone killed with the dagger has their soul trapped in the domain. The domain appeared in the adventure ''The Forgotten Terror'', which is meant as a tie-in to the Forgotten Realms adventure ''Castle Spulzeer''. The PCs find the dagger inside the titular castle, in [[Faerun]]. The dagger later somehow finds its way into the Demiplane of Dread and into the hands of Dr. Arcanus, a weregorilla who appears in ''Children of the Night: Werebeasts''. <gallery> aggarath dagger.png|The dagger Aggarath aggarath map.png|The closest thing we have to a map </gallery> ==Arak== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: Mountainous ::Motif: Fey ::[[Darklord]]: Gwydion the Sorcerer-Fiend This used to be the homeland of the [[Shadow Fey]]. After the Grand Conjunction, Arak got absorbed by Darkon and the Shadow Fey got dumped into the new Shadow Rift that opened up to the southwest. The designers originally planned to have Arak be a domain of [[Drow]], but later decided to replace them with the unique Shadow Fey. ==Arkandale/Verbrek== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Swamps ::Motif: Werewolves ::[[Darklord]]: Nathan Timothy, then Alfred Timothy The obligatory [[werewolf]] domain, to contrast the Dracula and Frankenstein ones. Everybody here knows the wilderness (as embodied by the werewolves) is at their door, and live accordingly. This domain was originally called '''Arkandale''' and was run by Alfred's father, Nathan, until he lost the Dark Powers' interest by actually making peace with his lot in life and coming to enjoy being a riverboating casino owner, even if it did mean no longer being able to hunt on the land. [[Quoth the Raven]] #1 offers an alternative fan take on the domain where Nathan reclaims it after Alfred's werewolf supremacist cult causes a deadly famine and then civil war amongst the local lycanthropes, which leads to it being renamed Arkandale once more. ==Avonleigh== ::Location: Shadowlands cluster ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Forest ::Motif: King Arthur ::[[Darklord]]: Morgoroth the Black Avonleigh is a monster-haunted forest ruled over by the [[darklord]] Morgoroth the Black, a [[planeswalker]] [[wizard]] who traveled to the homeland of the three domains and ended up destroying the not!Arthurian court there through accident. He is now trapped as a ephemeral shade unless the enchanted mirror that trapped him in this state is reassembled in his former mansion home. <gallery> Avonleigh map A Light in the Belfry.png shadowlands 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Barovia== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Mountains ::Motif: Dracula ::[[Darklord]]: Baron [[Strahd von Zarovich]] This is the oldest domain in Ravenloft, the literal heart of the Demiplane of Dread. It's ruled by Strahd, and is basically Dracula in D&D. It is also home to the titular [[Castle Ravenloft]], Strahd's humble abode. This domain has been visited in literally ''every single edition'' of D&D after BECMI; even 4th edition, the only edition without an adaptation of I6 to its titles, has the adventure "Fair Barovia" in [[Dungeon Magazine]] #207, which has the party exploring Barovia and completing assorted side-quests. ===5e=== It's literally just Barovia as seen in [[Curse of Strahd]]. The only major change is that now the Dark Powers have started to get creative and may have Tatyana reincarnate as someone unexpected to mess with Strahd. <gallery> barovia map I6.jpg|Original hex map from Module I6 Barovia map Realm of Terror.jpg|Redrawn in the ''Realm of Terror'' boxed set. Note that the geography is still hex shaped. barovia map RM1.jpg|An expanded map from RM1: ''Roots of Evil'' </gallery> ==Blaustein== ::Location: Sea of Sorrows, off the coast of Dementlieu ::Cultural Level: Early Medieval ::Landscape: ::Motif: [[wikipedia:Bluebeard|The Bluebeard Folktale]] ::[[Darklord]]: Bluebeard A small island consisting of a castle and a single village, whose population are fanatically loyal to the blue-bearded master of the castle above. ==Bluetspur== ::Location: Southern Core; Island of Terror after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Dark Age ::Landscape: Temperate hills, plains, and mountains ::Motif: Alien Abductions ::[[Darklord]]: The [[Illithid]] God-Brain Meaning "Blood Trail" in German, it's a desolate wasteland with nightly, violent electrical storms on the surface. Beneath the surface lie the maddening and sprawling cities of the illithids and their tortured slaves that they experiment on, creating countless [[Broken One]]s. This is also the home of the infamous Vampiric Mind Flayers, a creature that is technically indestructible in AD&D. <gallery> bluetspur map RQ2.jpg bluetspur RQ2.jpg RQ2 cover art.jpg makab poster RQ2.jpg|The caverns inside Mt. Makab bluetspur 3e.jpg Vrgtr remembering bluetspur.png </gallery> ==Borca== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Mountains ::Motif: [[wikipedia:Rappaccini's Daughter|Rappaccini's Daughter]] ::[[Darklord]]: Camille Boritsi or Ivana Boritsi Originally, Borca was ruled by the Darklord Camille Boritsi, and was half its present size, sharing borders with the near-identical domain of Dorvini. Ivana poisoned her mother because her mom seduced her boyfriend, and during the Grand Conjunction, her domain absorbed Dorvinia. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.2-borca.png </gallery> ==The Carnival== ::Location: Traveling pocket; Island of Terror in 5e ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Carnies ::[[Darklord]]: Isolde and Nepenthe ===5e=== No longer a wandering point of light, [[The Carnival]] is now a free-floating island of terror, with the role of [[Darklord]] being shared between Isolde and Nepenthe, a cursed sword she carries. The backstory has also been changed extensively, involving a counterpart to the Carnival run by [[shadar-kai]]. The Carnival is also haunted by the ''Litwick Market'', a black market of malicious fey with a grudge against the Carnival who invariably show up once the Carnival settles down and start making trouble. Also, the Twisting is no longer a thing. ==Cavitius== ::Location: Burning Peaks cluster ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Negative Energy-Infused Wasteland ::Motif: Cartoonish [[Necromancer]]-Ruled Hellhole ::[[Darklord]]: [[Vecna]] Assumed disappeared or absorbed by neighboring Tovag when Vecna escaped the demiplane. <gallery> burning peaks Vecna Reborn.jpg citadel cavitius Vecna Reborn.jpg Vecna Reborn cover.jpg </gallery> ==Cyre?== In [[Eberron]], the nation of Cyre was destroyed in the Day of Mourning, leaving only the [[Mournland]] behind. That Cyre became a Demiplane of Dread is perhaps the most common theory on the origin of the Mournland within the fandom, as it checks all the boxes for explanations. *The Mournland stops at Cyre’s artificial, political, borders and thus had to be caused by some intelligent actor. The Dark Powers certainly count. It also explains why it stops so exactly at the water that the docks were left behind. *The Mournland’s border is a wall of “dead-gray mist”. The link is obvious. In 4th Edition, this dead-gray mist supernaturally drains people of hope. *The Forge of War states that Dannel ir'Wynarn insistence that the crown of Galifar belonged to her was the only thing keeping the Last War going, making her prime Darklord material. *Dark Sun material describes Kalidnay as having been destroyed by "unknown disaster" that left it only "a jumble of ruins". The ruins in the Mournland are described being "moved", "rearranged", "turned 90 degrees", or "found miles from where war-era maps say they should be", which certainly can be described as a "jumble". The one adventure that travels to the ruined city (DSM2) mentions several structures remain intact, and many appear to be ruins purely because they're centuries old, which fits the multiple Mournland adventures with surviving structures, and several people seem to have died suddenly in a way that their body was intact. (While some of the Mournland's signature features are absent, all outside descriptions of Kalidnay are centuries after the fact while all descriptions of the Mournland are 0-4 years after its creation.) None of this will ever be confirmed, and it’s unlikely to be anti-confirmed, as the truth of the Mourning is one of Eberron’s mysteries that exists to have no answer but what the [[Dungeon Master]] gives them. The setting's creator has however concurred it's a good option if one wanted some bit of Eberron in Ravenloft. The theory received a bit of a nod in 5th edition with the reveal of a new Domain of Dread that is a fragment of Cyre that was taken by the mists on the Day of Mourning. Keith Baker also later released a supplement called [[Dread Metrol]] which makes the capital of Cyre another Domain of Dread. ==Cyre 1313, The Mourning Rail== ::Cultural Level: Dungeonpunk ::Landscape: A magical train traveling through the Mists ::Motif: Ghost train ::[[Darklord]]: The Last Passenger The first ever [[Eberron]] Domain of Dread. On the day that Cyre was destroyed by the Mourning, a train was about to carry a bunch of refugees who saw the disaster coming out of Cyre, but the train's departure was delayed by a mysterious VIP who threw hundreds of the train's passengers out to make room for their self and their retinue and to be sure nobody on the train would learn their identity, and so the train departed too late. The train was taken into the mists when the Mourning hit where it became a mobile domain constantly running from the Mourning which the passengers think is still chasing them. The passengers still haven't noticed that the Mourning already killed them. <gallery> Vrgtr.cyre-1313-THE MOURNING RAIL.png </gallery> ==Darkon== ::Location Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Dark Age to Chivalric ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills, Plains, Mountains & Swamps ::Motif: Generic [[Dark Fantasy]] ::[[Darklord]]: Azalin Darkon is notable as the most overtly fantastical realm in the Demiplane of Dread, with a relatively huge population of [[demihuman]]s that sees humans going from the usual 90+% population merit to only 75% as well as the greatest amount of local toleration for arcane magic. If one spends a month in the realm they lose their memories until they leave the domain, thinking they've always been from Darkon. Unfortunately, this also convinces one to never leave unless forced to. It absorbed the domain of Arak after the Grand Conjunction. ===5e=== The first "continuation" domain, Azalin went missing during an event called the Hour of Ascension and now Darkon is falling apart, slowly being dissolved by the Mists. The domain has become split into four islands. During the day the mists can be crossed as normal, but during the night anything covered by the mists disappears and the mists swallow a little bit more of the land in tiny steps or in huge floods. As was the case during the original [[Grim Harvest|Shrouded Years]], a number of demilords are trying and failing to hold it together. Collectively known as The Inheritors, they consist of the vampire Alcio Metus (sister to the late Baron Metus), Cardinna Artazas and the Necrichor of Darcalus Rex, and Madame Talisveri Eris. The only clue about where Azalin went is a strange glowing object called the King's Tear which appeared floating over Darkon at the same time that he vanished. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.3-darkon.jpg </gallery> ==Dementlieu== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Plains ::Motif: Renaissance France/Victorian England ::[[Darklord]]: Dominic D'Honaire; 5e: Saidra d'Honaire Though not as overtly modeled on London as the domain of Zherisia, Dementlieu definitely taps into the Urban Gothic motif, as is made clear by the way it is home to myriad mystical mind-manipulators and the character Alanik Ray, who is basically Sherlock Holmes if he was an [[elf]]. It's considered the "cultural heart" of the Core. ===5e=== Completely rewritten, Dementlieu is now an impoverished city where everybody tries desperately to pretend they are richer and more important than they actually are or else lose their clout, and avoid getting exposed as frauds lest they be disintegrated by its new [[Darklord]]; Saidra d'Honaire. Also has a Masque of the Red Death thing going on, making it a bit like Sanguinia. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.4-dementlieu.jpg </gallery> ==Demise== ::Location: Sea of Sorrows, Finger Archipelago off the coast of Lamordia ::Cultural Level: Stone Age ::Landscape: ::Motif: ::[[Darklord]]: Althea A rocky island made from a mostly cooled volcano, this is basically a glorified dungeon that serves as the prison of the [[medusa]] Althea. Fans have tried to expand this by adding the ghost of her murdered [[maedar]] husband (arguably a much better candidate for the darklord) and her maedar son, who hates both of his crazy parents and wants off this godsforsaken rock. ==Dominia== ::Location: Island of Terror, later Sea of Sorrows ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Insane Asylum ::[[Darklord]]: Dr. Daclaud Heinfroth A small island that houses the most famous insane asylum in all of the Core. A pity it's actually a nest of cerebral vampires, ruled over a crazed psychiatrist determined to push the studies of inflicting madness and terror to their absolute limit. ==Dorvinia== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: ::[[Darklord]]: Ivan Dilisnya Absorbed by neigboring Borca during the Grand Conjunction. ==Falkovnia== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Plains ::Motif: Authoritarianism; 5e: Zombie Apocalypse ::[[Darklord]]: Vlad Drakov; 5e: Vladeska Drakov Slap together Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia, paint it up in the most shit-awful and miserable stereotypes of Dark Ages Europe, and have the place be run by a man who melds Hitler with Vlad the Impaler and is so bloodthirsty they'd both be disgusted by him. Falkovnia is outright called the biggest shithole in the Demiplane of Dread. ===5e=== Completely rewritten, Falkovnia is no longer the "war horror" domain, but instead a zombie apocalypse domain, where the now genderswapped darklord struggles to keep the living alive in the face of monthly sieges by massive armies of the [[Walking Dead]]. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.5-falkovnia.png </gallery> ==Farelle== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Temperate Woodlands ::Motif: Wholesomeness ::[[Darklord]]: Jack Karn An island splinter of the Wildlands, inhabited by a burgeoning population who are genuinely warm, welcoming and thriving. A pity that this is the manifestation of the darklord's curse. ==Forlorn== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Iron Age ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Plains ::Motif: Scottish ::[[Darklord]]: Tristen ApBlanc A vaguely Scottish Celtic themed domain that nobody gives a shit about because there's nothing in it but killer plants, giant bugs, and [[goblyn]]s. 3e tried to fix this by adding a small population of native humans, but the overall domain is still a monster-infested backwoods, so nobody fucking cares. As for its resident asshole, ApBlanc is a [[vampyre]] by day, and a ghost by night, proving once and for all that the Dark Powers do, indeed, have a sense of humor. <gallery> forlorn map Castles Forlorn.jpg </gallery> ==Ghastria== ::Location: Southern Core; Later moved to Sea of Sorrows ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Dorian Grey with dash of Marquis de Sade ::[[Darklord]]: Stezen D'Polarno A surprisingly grim and colorless place which grows abundant food that, mysteriously, holds no taste when consumed. ==G'Henna== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Cold and temperate hills, plains, mountains, and deserts ::Motif: Corrupt [[Theocracy]] ::[[Darklord]]: Yagno Petrovna Here a starving population works the fields to produce food to be sacrificed for the god [[Zhakata]]. Unfortunately the god doesn't exist and priests of the god eat the offerings, while the farmers starve themselves waiting for a god that will never come. <gallery> g'henna map Circle of Darkness.jpg g'henna 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Graefmotte== ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Dense Pine Forest, Mountains ::Motif: Starvation ::[[Darklord]]: Lord Durven Graef A 4e domain. When the [[Yeenoghu]]-worshipping hordes of the White Ruin threatened the empire of Nerath in the [[Nentir Vale]], Lord Graef was the ruler of a minor frontier province who had already lost two of his three children. Desperate to preserve his family legacy, he was determined that his final son, Geoffery Graef, would not answer King Elidyr's call to take up arms against the horde. When his son disagreed, they fought, and Lord Graef accidentally killed his son by causing him to fall and fatally strike his head. Which was when the [[gnoll]] warbands fell upon Graefmotte. Lord Graef led the fighting over the night, and was near-mortally wounded; disemboweled and with an arm bitten off, nobody expected him to cling to life for a day and a night... never mind for his wounds to fully heal. Ever since then, Graefmotte has been a land cursed, where its people face a slow, withering death by starvation, or a quick, bloody one at the jaws of the maddened gnolls and starvation-spawned [[ghoul]]s that haunt the ever-shifting forest. ==Gundarak== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: ::[[Darklord]]: Nharov Gundar, then Daclaud Heinfroth Absorbed by Barovia during the Grand Conjunction. Heinfroth moved to the newly created domain of Dominia. ==Har'Akir== ::Location: Island of Terror; Amber Wastes cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Bronze Age ::Landscape: Desert and Badlands ::Motif: Mummy Horror Movies ::[[Darklord]]: Anhtepot A tiny little village of Egyptian peasants who live next to a tomb housing the [[darklord]] Ankhtepot, a pharaoh who blasphemed against the gods and was condemned to both eternity as a [[mummy]] and to be trapped in obscurity with only a single village of humble peasants to "lord over". ===5e=== Completely rewritten, Har'Akir is now a sprawling, heavily populated land where [[necrocracy|the living bow to a mummified aristocracy]] and Ankhtepot actually wishes for death. <gallery> amber wastes 3e.jpg Vrgtr-map-3.6-har-akir.jpg </gallery> ==Hazlan== ::Location: Southern Core, moved further south during Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Hills, Mountains & Plains ::Motif: Yellow Peril ::[[Darklord]]: Hazlik A tiny sliver of [[Thay]] transplanted into the Demiplane of Dread, where a tiny minutia (the Mulan ethnicity) rules over and brutally represses a far vaster majority (the Rashemani). One of only two places so absolutely shit that [[The Lawgiver]] is actually worshipped here. ===5e=== This retconned version of the domain has dropped the Mulans vs. Rashemani racism of the past and is now being devastated by a series of arcane apocalypses. [[Darklord]] Hazlik now suffers a combination of his old curse and Azalin's curse. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.7-hazlan.jpg </gallery> ==House of Lament== ::Location: Moving pocket domain ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Mansion ::Motif: Haunted House (particularly the literary [[wikipedia:The Haunting of Hill House|Hill House]]) ::[[Darklord]]: The House Itself The House of Lament is a cursed structure that is simultaneously domain and darklord; a haunted structure that demands the sacrifice of human souls in an effort to quell its inescapable loneliness. <gallery> house of lament RR1.jpg house of lament Domains of Dread.png </gallery> ==I'Cath== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Temperate Forest ::Motif: [[Oriental Adventures|Chinese]] ::[[Darklord]]: Tsien Chiang A tiny Island of Terror inhabited only by its Darklord and her four daughters - the three evil daughters Hate, Spite and Scream, all of whom are variant Con-tinh (evil spirit women), and the benevolent, tormented good daughter Nightingale. Her domain is similar to Forlorn in that it's basically a glorified dungeon, with literally nothing to do except show up and defeat the Darklord or die trying, except it's [[Oriental Adventures|Chinese]], not Scottish. Tsien Chiang is a misandrist [[necromancer]] from [[Kara-tur]], based on an ''incredibly'' minor (not to mention being original creations made for Ravenloft with [[Kara-Tur]] as backstory) character from the [[Forgotten Realms]] lore. She can also transform into an evil [[Treant]]. ===5e=== Completely rewritten, I'Cath has gone from a glorified [[Oriental Adventures]] [[dungeon]] to a crumbling city where the population is largely trapped in an eternal slumber, forced to constantly work at building and rebuilding a dream-version of I'Cath at the behest of [[Darklord]] Tsien Chiang, who can never be satisfied with what she has. When the inhabitants wake, they must scavenge for food in a city constantly being rebuilt by Tsien Chiang's armies of [[Jiangshi]], who will not harm a sleeper, but will happily tear an awake mortal limb from limb. <gallery> i'cath RR4.jpg </gallery> ==L'ile de la Tempete== ::Location: Nocturnal Sea ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Bats ::[[Darklord]]: Captain Alain Monette A rocky and treacherous island whose lighthouse serves only to lure sailors to their doom upon its shores. ==Isle of the Ravens== ::Location: Nocturnal Sea ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Ravens ::[[Darklord]]: The Lady of Ravens A deserted island home only to its darklord, an insane but powerful sorceress from a [[Gormentghast]]ian family, and her legions of raven and [[fey]] servants. Whilst it was first mentioned in official media, appearing in brief summary in the writeup of the Nocturnal Sea in the Domains of Dread revised campaign setting, it was fans who fleshed it out; the Isle of the Ravens first received a writeup in the [[Books of S|Book of Sacrifices]], before later being revisited in [[Quoth the Raven]] #13. ==Invidia== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Hills ::Motif: Lethally Impulsive Stupidity/Envy (literally in its name) ::[[Darklord]]: [[Darklord#Gabrielle Aderre|Gabrielle Aderre]] A land of passionate, hot-blooded and constantly feuding individuals, including mercenary armies, ogres, giants, and wolfweres. The [[Vistani]] are executed on sight here, and as such, its hunter-mercenaries are on the collective shit-list of both Strahd von Zerovich and Ivan Dilisnya. ===5e=== Rewritten; [[Darklord]] Gabrielle Aderre now constantly dabbles in black magic and conjuring all manner of outsiders to try and ensure that her beloved (and implicitly possessed) son Malocchio will have the best of futures. <gallery> invidia map The Evil Eye.jpg </gallery> ==Kalidnay== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Desert ::Motif: [[Dark Sun]] ::[[Darklord]]: Thakok-An or Kalid-Ma The city and lands surrounding Kalidnay in Athas, which are nothing but ruins within [[Dark Sun]]'s setting proper. Its inhabitants actually prefer the Demiplane of Dread to living in Athas. <gallery> kalidnay map Forbidden Lore.jpg </gallery> ==Kartakass== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Hills ::Motif: Werewolves ::[[Darklord]]: Meistersinger Harkon Lukas A rural backwoods inhabited by proud, cocky, music-loving foresters who are quite happy with the way things are, thank you. They are totally oblivious to the population of [[wolfwere]]s hiding amongst them. ===5e=== Largely unchanged, save for the revisions to Harkon Lukas' story and the replacement of [[wolfwere]]s with [[Loup-garou]]. <gallery> Map-3.9-kartakass.jpg </gallery> ==Keening== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Temperate Mountains Bleached of Life ::Motif: Banshee ::[[Darklord]]: Tristessa the Banshee A cursed and forsaken realm, with a population consisting solely of its mad, grief-stricken [[banshee]] [[darklord]], her court of half-insane [[undead]] [[fey]], and a village of [[skeleton]]s that constantly mime out the actions of their last day. ===5e=== Now has a living population who live in terror of its [[banshee]] [[Darklord]]. They fear the Darklord so much that they have actually destroyed their own sense of hearing to protect themselves. <gallery> keening map RR1.jpg </gallery> ==Klorr== ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: Surreal environment ::Motif: Impending Doom ::[[Darklord]]: Klorr New 5e domain mentioned in brief. A series of shattered islands floating through a misty netherworld, swirling around a blazing giant eye, where one island is obliterated every hour only for another to take its place. ==Lamordia== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Plains; 5e: Arctic Tundra ::Motif: Frankenstein ::[[Darklord]]: Dr. Mordenheim & Adam; 5e: Viktra Mordenheim & Elise A stuffy, tempest-lashed domain that prides itself on its scientific acumen and its staunch rationalistic beliefs, totally denying the fantastical nature of the world around them. ===5e=== Basically unchanged, save for a new emphasis on an arctic climate and a lazy genderswap for the darklords. The darklord curse has been given a twist, too: Viktra succeeded where Victor would perpetually fail-- but she cannot duplicate her success and the living (golem-like) Elise shuns her and hides in the wilderness. Also, the whalers operating out of Ludendorf may or may not be hunting creatures [[Kraken|more fearsome than actual whales]], and it's heavily implied that there may be a radioactive kaiju hibernating under the mountain range not-so-subtly named "The Sleeping Beast". <gallery> lamordia map Adam's Wrath.jpg Vrgtr-map-3.10-lamordia.png </gallery> ==Liffe== Location: Nocturnal Sea ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: ::[[Darklord]]: Baron Evensong A surprisingly large and fertile island, with one of the biggest and most welcoming populations of any island-domains in the Nocturnal Sea. Canonically ruled by Baron Evensong, although the fanmade Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer downgraded him to one of a cluster of different super-minor darklords. ==Markovia== ::Location: Southern Core; Moved to Sea of Sorrow during Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Stone Age ::Landscape: Warm Forests, Hills & Mountains ::Motif: The Island of Dr. Moreau ::[[Darklord]]: Dr. Frantisek Markov It's literally just the Island of Dr Moreau in D&D. That's it. Originally part of the Core, but was moved out to the Sea of Sorrows as a result of the [[Grand Conjunction]]. Nothing here except the [[Darklord]], his [[Broken One]] minions, and a small temple of priests dedicated to guarding a powerful evil artifact that would be of great interest to the Darklord. <gallery> markovia map Neither Man Nor Beast.jpg </gallery> ===5e=== Rewritten into a mixture of Dr. Moreau and Dr. Jekyll. ==Monadhan== ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Tropical Rainforest ::Motif: Treachery ::[[Darklord]]: Arantor A 4e domain. During the war between [[Bael Turath]] and [[Arkhosia]], the [[Metallic Dragon#Silver Dragon|Silver Dragon]] Arantor and his daughter Imrissa were called upon to destroy a remote Turathi military outpost, almost hidden within thick tropical rainforest, whose isolation and surroundings made it virtually unreachable by ground-based forces. But after they hit their target, they realized that their intel had been faulty; this was no military camp, it was a refugee center for Turathi civilians! Father and daughter quarreled over what to do, with Imrissa wanting to return to Arkhosia and take responsibility for their crimes, whilst the glory-hound Arantor insisted they conceal it and protect their reputations. The argument grew so heated that Arantor slew his daughter, and then, stricken by guilt, he massacred the survivors of his first attack before becoming a plague upon the Turathi until his death. Which was when he awoke as a [[dracolich]] in a cavern deep below a twisted reflection of Monadhan, which has now become a gathering point for traitors. The greater the betrayal, and the more pathetic the reason, the more likely the perpetrator is to find a place within Monadhan - whether by being swallowed by the Mists, or by awakening there alive and whole after dying for their misdeeds. As a result, Monadhan is now an oubliette for treacherous scum from across time and space. ==Mordent== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Plains & Swamps ::Motif: Ghosts and Haunted Houses ::[[Darklord]]: Lord Wilfred Godefroy It's basically the setting for every ghost-related Gothic Horror novel ever written. High concentration of both incorporeal undead and mist creatures in a land dotted by small villages sheltering the living. Is also full of ancient ruined manors, decaying coats of arms and dying or dead noble families, furthering that neo-Britain impression by casting it as the decaying remnants of a once-mighty civilization. The false history implies they share a mutual background with Borca, perhaps having originated from the same nameless fantasy world. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.11-mordent.jpg </gallery> ==Necropolis== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Iron Age ::Landscape: Temperate Settled Area ::Motif: City of the Dead ::[[Darklord]]: Death Once a bustling metropolis in Darkon called Il Aluk, the place was destroyed and turned into a city of sapient undead creatures protected behind a mystical veil that kills and reanimates any living humanoids that enter. This was caused by Azalin achieving an epic-level fuck up with his magic. Generally considered the worst domain in the Core because you can't go in there without being transformed into an [[undead]], which in AD&D came with associated rules that, in the grand tradition of [[Ravenloft]], utterly fucked you over pretty much from the get-go. Its Darklord, "Death", is an uber-powerful ghost with hyper-lethal abilities that was created from a clone of Azalin and which has gone absolutely insane, believing itself to be the literal spirit of death. <gallery> il aluk map Realm of Terror.jpg </gallery> ==Nidala== ::Location: Shadowlands cluster ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: ::Motif: Fallen Paladin ::[[Darklord]]: Elena Faith-Hold Nidala is the only actually populated domain in the Shadowlands, and is ruled over by the self-righteous fanatical fallen [[paladin]] Elena Faith-Hold. <gallery> shadowlands 3e.jpg </gallery> ==The Nightmare Lands== ::Location: Southern Core; Island of Terror after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: None ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Lakes, Dream Spheres ::Motif: Nightmares ::[[Darklord]]: The Nightmare Man and his Nightmare Court A strange realm that exists halfway between the Demiplane of Dread and the [[Plane of Dreams]], ruled over by Darklord-like figures who live to visit mortals with nightmares and ultimately draw them into complete insanity. <gallery> nightmare lands map.jpg nightmare lands Domains of Dread.png </gallery> ===5e=== Largely unchanged, save for the new origin of the Nightmare Court as multiple personas birthed from the mind of a powerful but monstrous [[psion]]icist who tried to run from the crimes of her past. ==Niranjan== ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: Island monastery ::Motif: [[Path of Inspiration]] ::[[Darklord]]: Sarthak New 5e domain mentioned in brief, tied to Kalakeri, ruled over by a corrupted [[Metallic Dragon|Brass Dragon]] who poses as a ''sadhu'' to lure victims into sacrificing their worldly goods for his hoard before he consumes their souls and replaces it with an obedient shadow. ==Nocturnal Sea== ::Location: Island of Terror; East of core mainland after Grand Conjunction ::[[Darklord]]: Meredoth Originally known as '''Nebligtode''', this is the cold and dismal sea to the east of the Core, ruled over by Meredoth, an epic-level [[Necromancer]] from Glantri in [[Mystara]]. Although strongly associated with ''Graben Island'', which is where "his" people live, Meredoth can actually travel the Sea at will, and in fact lairs himself on the wintery isle of ''Todstein''. Like the Sea of Sorrows, there are plenty of other domains scattered around the Nocturnal Sea ruled over by their own lords. <gallery> graben island map RA2.jpg todstein map RA2.jpg </gallery> ==Nosos== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Polluted Hellscape ::Motif: Rampant Pollution, Capitalism Gone Wrong ::[[Darklord]]: Malus Sceleris A hellish polluted pit of a domain, where disease runs rampant amidst mountains of filth and sewage in a sky clouded with fumes, smoke and gas. ==Nova Vaasa== ::Location: ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Plains ::Motif: Russia under Peter the Great/ Jekyll & Hyde ::[[Darklord]]: Sir Tristen Hiregaard/Malken; 5e: Myar Hiregaard A horse-filled steppeland dominated by sweeping grassy plains and crushing urban poverty and squalor, presided over by a mixture of corrupt aristocrats and Lawful Good types who view "law" as more important than "good". This is the ''other'' domain shitty enough to have [[The Lawgiver]] as the state religion, and is such a hellhole that ''Barovians'' look down on its people as backward hicks. Nova Vaasa greatly expanded in size during the Grand Conjunction. ===5e=== Rewritten; now less Russian and more Mongolian, with a genderswapped darklord who united the warring tribes of her homelands, only to turn them against each other once more when she grew bored with peacetime. ==Odiare== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate settled area ::Motif: Pinocchio ::[[Darklord]]: Maligno Island from [[Masque of the Red Death|Gothic Earth's]] Italy, populated by children and the [[carrionette]]s who killed the adults that used to live here. Naturally, all the kiddos are quite concerned about what'll happen when they're old enough to be labeled an adult. <gallery> odiare map RM2.jpg </gallery> ==Pharazia== ::Location: Island of Terror; Amber Wastes cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Early Medieval ::Landscape: Deserts, Oases, Rivers ::Motif: Arabian Nights ::[[Darklord]]: Diamabel A pseudo-Arabian city-state ruled over by its [[darklord]] Diamabel; a moralistic fanatic who led a campaign of genocidal terror in life, when felled by an arrow he arose as the shining [[angel]] he always wanted to become... only to find he transformed into a hideous [[undead]] version of himself at night. <gallery> amber wastes 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Richemulot== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Temperate Forests, Hills & Plains ::Motif: Wererat Land ::[[Darklord]]: Jacqueline Renier A pseudo-French domain distinguished mostly by being the largest breeding ground of [[wererat]]s in the entire demiplane. The name is literally French for "Rich Mouse", which pretty much gives the game away from the start if you know the language. ===5e=== Retconned into a plague-stricken nation barely avoiding crumbling into total ruination through the machinations of Renier, who's also responsible for the plagues in the first place as she's a one-percenter who despises the middle-class and people who aren't wererats. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.12-richemulot.jpg </gallery> ==Rokushima Táiyoo== ::Cultural Level: Dark Ages ::Landscape: Archipelago with forests, hills, and mountains ::Motif: Japan ::[[Darklord]]: Haki Shinpi Four islands surrounded by a poisonous salt water ocean. Each island's ruler hates the others, whilst the Darklord (their father) is forced to watch as they tear apart his dreams of unity and peace. It's also the home of the [[Akikage]] (ghost ninjas), [[Hebi-no-Onna]]s (snake women), and [[Kizoku]] (vampiric womanizers). Despite a Dark Ages cultural level, it's interested in the gunpowder weapons of Dementlieu and Darkon. Fun fact: the ''Anesthesia'' spell is popular here, as its use allows the dying to face death with a clear mind, and thus die with honor. Strangely, the capitals of the four warring brothers have the Japanese names of various real world countries: Beikoku (米国, United States of America), Eikoku (英国, England), Chuugoka (corruption of 中国, China), and Roshiya (Literally just Russia said funny). As long as it sounds Japanese! Sadly, that's more than can be said for the Dark Lord's name... <gallery> rokushima 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Sanguina== ::Location: Island of Terror; Frozen Reaches cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Early Medieval ::Landscape: Arctic Hellhole ::Motif: Russia ::[[Darklord]]: Prince Ladislav Mircea Sanguina is an Early Medieval Russian kingdom ruled over by Prince Ladislav Mircea, a self-centered [[alchemist]] who accidentally transformed himself into a [[mutant]] [[vampire]], possibly a [[Vrykolaka]], that feeds on the Four Humours (blood, phlegm, black bile, yellow bile) in an effort to save himself from a deadly plague. <gallery> frozen reaches 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Saragoss== ::Location: Verduous Lands cluster ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: Ocean ::Motif: Aquatic ::[[Darklord]]: Draga Saltbiter Saragoss is an oceanic domain; a vast entangling sargassum patch full of wrecked ships crawling with [[ghoul]]s and cannibal [[pirate]]s above and [[sahuagin]] and [[shark]]s below, with a self-loathing [[wereshark]] [[pirate]] and [[cleric]] of [[Umberlee]] for a [[darklord]]. <gallery> verduous lands 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Scaena== ::Location: Traveling pocket domain ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: The inside of a theater ::Motif: Mad Artistry ::[[Darklord]]: Lemot Sediam Juste The personal theatre of Lemot Sediam Juste, who went insane and murdered his entire cast of actors, then burned down the theatre with himself in it, all because he couldn't accept that he was only good at writing comedies and he was a fucking terrible author of tragedies. Now it wanders the Misty Realms, luring in victims to serve as cast and audience alike, all ultimately to meet destruction. <gallery> scaena map RR4.jpg </gallery> ==Sea of Sorrows== ::Location: West of Core mainland ::[[Darklord]]: Captain Pieter van Riese; 5e: Pietra van Rise This is the Western Sea of the Core, a cold, stormy, mist- (and Mist-)haunted expanse of water populated by various islands, representing the scattered domains of lesser Darklords. Its own "true" Darklord is Captain Pieter van Riese; a [[ghost]] based on the legendary Flying Dutchman who has perhaps the greatest freedom of any Darklord in Ravenloft - he can even leave his ship to go on land and enter other domains! This is because his curse is to ''never'' be able to find his own way, but instead to only be able to take others to where they want to go. ===5e=== The now female darklord is a [[pirate]] turned ghost or sea zombie (it's not clear which). Mention is also made of Blaustein (now ruled by the ghosts of Bluebeard's wives), Dominia (the patients are all avatars of Dr. Heinfroth), the Isle of the Ravens (unchanged), and the new domains of The Lighthouse, which features, well, a lighthouse, and Vigilant's Bluff, where an undead paladin offers refuge so long as you respect his faith (otherwise he'll have your bones decorate the surrounding coral reef). ==Sebua== ::Location: Island of Terror; Amber Wastes cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Bronze Age Darklord, Stone Age natives ::Landscape: Desert Wasteland ::Motif: Mummy meets Ghost ::[[Darklord]]: Tiyet ''Sebua'' consists of an abandoned Egyptian manor next to an oasis haunted by both a tribe of feral children, who inhabit the nearby ruins of a fallen city, and the [[darklord]] Tiyet, a unique female [[mummy]] who appears as a gorgeous woman... save for her insatiable hunger for human hearts. <gallery> sebua map RR1.jpg amber wastes 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Shadowborn Manor== ::Location: Shadowlands cluster ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: House ::Motif: Righteous Paladins ::[[Darklord]]: Ebonbane A manor that is the resting place of Ebonbane, a raging fiend trapped in a sword, which is itself trapped in a crystal sarcophagus. Ebonbane is so dangerous that Morgoroth, darklord of the neighboring domain of Avonleigh, actually uses his magic to assist in keeping the damn thing locked up. ==The Shadow Rift== ::Location: Central Core ::Cultural Level: N/A ::Landscape: Eternally Dark ::Motif: Fairy Tales ::[[Darklord]]: Gwydion the Shadow Fiend Having appeared after the Great Conjuction where G'henna and Markovia used to be, this is the homeland of the [[Shadow Fey]], and as such no mortals know anything about the place. The court is found at the bottom of a chasm filled with mist, protecting it from the sun, as well as erasing anything stupid enough to try penetrating so deeply into said-mist. In classic fairy fashion, time works differently here, with a fortnight outside equaling a year ''inside.'' ==Sithicus== ::Location: Southern Core ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Hills ::Motif: [[Dragonlance]] ::[[Darklord]]: [[Lord Soth]], later Inza Kulchevitch The only domain in the Core that has a [[demihuman]] majority population, this was formerly the domain of [[Lord Soth]], and is thus loosely based on the [[Dragonlance]] setting. Warning: contains vampire [[kender]]. <gallery> sithicus map When Black Roses Bloom.jpg </gallery> ==Souragne== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Chivalric ::Landscape: Swampy Bayous ::Motif: Louisiana Voodoo ::[[Darklord]]: Anton Misroi It's basically the Ravenloft version of the Antebellum South as a whole and New Orleans in particular. ===5e=== Still Gothic New Orleans, but Anton's got a new backstory as a sadistic prison warden and has been downgraded in terms of power. <gallery> souragne map RQ1.jpg souragne 3e.jpg </gallery> ==Staunton Bluffs== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Middle Ages ::Landscape: Cold Prairies and Forests ::Motif: [[wikipedia:Wuthering Heights|Wuthering Heights]] ::[[Darklord]]: Sir Torrence Bleysmith; 5e: Teresa Bleysmith A small realm of prairies, overseen by the mad, bitter ghost of the man who caused the downfall of the people who once dwelled here. ===5e=== Largely identical, except the former [[darklord]] is now a good guy and his crime has been given to his retconned sister, Teresa Bleysmith. ==Sri Raji== ::Location: Island of Terror; Verduous Lands cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Rain forests, hills, and mountains ::Motif: India / Sri Lanka ::[[Darklord]]: Maharaja Arijani; 5e: Ramya Vasavadan Ruled by the [[Rakshasa]] Maharaja Arijani. Most of the human inhabitants of Sri Raji congregate in three cities, each located surprisingly close to the domain border. A fourth city, Mahakala, is less populated and commonly referred to as "accursed". It's basically Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but with more [[rakshasa]]s, [[beastfolk]] and giant insects. ===5e=== Completely rewritten and renamed '''Kalakeri'''. Locked in an eternal civil war between its [[Darklord]], Ramya Vasavadan, and her two [[fiend]]ish siblings; Arijani the [[Rakshasa]] and Reeva the [[Arcanaloth]]. <gallery> sri raji map RM3.jpg verduous lands 3e.jpg Vrgtr-map-3.8-kalakeri.jpg </gallery> ==Sunderheart== ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Half-ruined city on a cliff's edge at the edge of a swampy river dela ::Motif: Diabolist Grand Guignol ::[[Darklord]]: Ivania Dreygu and Vorno "The Ghoul" Kahnebor A 4e domain. Originally the [[Bael Turath]] city of Harrack Unarth, Sunderheart's doom came when it came under the control of the lovers Ivania Dreygu and Vorno Kahnebor, the [[Nentir Vale]] version of Romeo and Juliet... if Romeo and Juliet were debauched hedonistic [[tiefling]]s who engaged in rape, murder and cannibalism and who massacred their entire families so they could be together. Eventually, Vorno became so vile that even Ivania grew sick of him, so she murdered him by feeding him a servant girl whom she had fed with a deadly poison. Then she woke up in Sunderheart with her [[ghoul]]ified [[undead]] lover fused to her back like a monstrous parasitic twin. Now she rules by day over the half of the city still inhabited by the living, and Vorno the Ghoul rules over the undead-haunted ruins at night. ==Tepest== ::Location: Northern Core ::Cultural Level: Early Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Hills ::Motif: Grim Faerie Tales Europe meets Salem Witch Trials ::[[Darklord]]: The Sisters Mindefisk Hands down one of the most primitive and worthless backwaters in the Core, Tepest's trio of [[hag]] [[darklord]]s are practically non-entities in their own land, with the focus instead being on how the ignorant superstitious peasantry are falling increasingly under the sway of a self-righteous inquisition of self-proclaimed [[fey]]-hunters and [[witch]]-burners. The sisters ''do'' fan the flames of said-group so they can harvest the bodies of anyone condemned, but mostly stick to hiding in their cottage. ===5e=== Sitting somewhere between continuation and retcon, Tepest has lost its anti-fey inquisition and is now focused on its new darklord, Lorinda Mindefisk, who imprisoned her sisters in a cauldron because they refused to let her have a child. <gallery> tepest map RR1.jpg Vrgtr-map-3.13-tepest.png </gallery> ==Timbergorge== ::Cultural Level: Iron Age ::Landscape: Dense confider forest ::Motif: Nature's Savagery ::[[Darklord]]: Silvermaw A 4e domain. When a naive [[treant]] allowed [[human]]s to settle in the planeshifting forest that was an [[archfey]]'s garden under his care, he was horrified when they began to create a fire to keep them warm as they slept. But when he attacked in an effort to quench the flames, he burned himself and then set the forest ablaze, leaving it to burn as he focused on slaying the human interlopers. For this, his master cut the garden away and banished it to the [[Shadowfell]]. Here, the tribal humans have become a pack of werewolves, endlessly hunting and being hunted by the mad, wounded treant, who has coated his mouth with molten silver so that he may better rend and bite his foes; hence his name "Silvermaw". ==Tovag== ::Location: Burning Peaks cluster; Island of Terror in 5e ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Mountains, Scrub Pine Forests ::Motif: [[Vampire]]s, War ::[[Darklord]]: [[Kas the Bloody-Handed]] <gallery> burning peaks Vecna Reborn.jpg tor gorak Vecna Reborn.jpg </gallery> ===5e=== Another continuation. No longer connected to Cavitus, which probably doesn't exist anymore since Vecna is gone. Kas now fixates on finding Vecna and resuming their ancient battle. ==Tower of the Phantom Lover== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: NA ::Landscape: Tower over underground labyrinth ::Motif: Sexual Predator Ghost ::[[Darklord]]: Leederik the Phantom Lover The mysterious hideaway of the malevolent spirit known as the Phantom Lover, who seeks to seduce and then slaughter women pining for lost love. ==Timor== ::Location: Island of Terror; Underneath Zherisia after the Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Stone Age ::Landscape: Underground Tunnels ::Motif: Xenomorphs ::[[Darklord]]: The Marikith Queen Timor is a dripping hive of tunnels infested by xenomorph expies called Marikith. Later retconned as the sewer system under the city of Paridon in Zherisia. ==Valachan== ::Location: Southern Core, moved slightly west during the Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Medieval ::Landscape: Temperate Forests & Hills ::Motif: African Savages ::[[Darklord]]: Baron Urik von Kharkov; 5e: Chakuna A rugged wilderness inhabited by dusky-skinned foresters who take pride in their absolute ignorance when it comes to book-learning or anything not related to the practicalities of forest-work, to the point they even look down upon their own priests. Befittingly, this leaves them too ignorant to realize they are being eaten alive by a hidden population of [[nosferatu]] and [[werepanther]]s. ===5e=== Similarly to Tepest, Valachan is supposed to be a continuation of its former self, although there's a lot of retcons to the lore. Since Kharkov was slain by Chakuna, the jungles have turned hungry, rendering the realm a land where everything is out for blood and those appetites are barely kept in check by regular ceremonial blood sacrifices known as the Trial of Hearts. <gallery> Vrgtr-map-3.14-valachan.jpg </gallery> ==Vechor== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Classical ::Landscape: Warm Forests, Hills & Swamps ::Motif: Insanity ::[[Darklord]]: Easan the Mad A vaguely India-esque domain ruled over by an insane [[elf]] [[wizard]] who has the power to reshape the surroundings based on his current mad whim. ==Vhage Agency== ::Cultural Level: ::Landscape: An office building ::Motif: Insanity, Film Noir ::[[Darklord]]: Flimira Vhage A new 5e domain in the form of a detective agency ruled over by Flimira Vhage, who remains unaware that literally the entire agency only exists in her own broken mind. Oh, and it literally looks like an old [[noir]] film brought to life, complete with everything inside being in different shades of monotone gray. ==Vorostokov== ::Location: Island of Terror; Frozen Reaches cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Dark Ages ::Landscape: Winter Wasteland ::Motif: Russia ::[[Darklord]]: Boyar Gregor Zolnik Vorostokov is a frigid Dark Ages wasteland of villages and forests trapped in a perpetual winter, ruled over by the [[Loup du Noir]] Boyar Gregor Zolnik. <gallery> vorostokov map Dark of the Moon.jpg vorostokov village map Dark of the Moon.jpg vorostokov map RR1.jpg frozen reaches 3e.jpg </gallery> ==The Wildlands== ::Location: Island of Terror; Verdous Lands cluster after Grand Conjunction ::Cultural Level: Dark Ages ::Landscape: Tropical Jungles and Swamps ::Motif: Animal Fables ::[[Darklord]]: King Crocodile The Wildlands are basically [[grimdark]] Jungle Book; a tropical jungle full of asshole talking animals ruled over by the monstrous King Crocodile. <gallery> verduous lands 3e.jpg </gallery> ==The Winding Road== ::Location: Moving Pocket ::Cultural Level: N/A ::Landscape: Random road ::Motif: The Headless Horseman ::[[Darklord]]: The Headless Horseman or Eli van Hassen Hands down one of the worst Domains in classical Ravenloft, the Winding Road is a glorified random encounter in which the party is suddenly attacked by the Headless Horseman, a powerful [[undead]] warrior mounted on horseback. Who is he? Well, there's three stories about where he came from. The first one is that he was an innocent man executed by Drakov's men. The second one is that he was a man who chopped off his own head rather than be killed by one of Strahd's men. And the third is that he was a bard who failed to entertain Ivana Boritsi as she bathed, so she chopped off his head and mixed his blood into her bathwater. If you think that none of those sound like a Darklord's backstory, you're not wrong. Oh, and you also have to fight the undead severed heads that precede and then follow the Horseman's run-by attack, which includes several [[medusa]] heads. ===4e=== Reinvented as the '''Endless Road''' in [[Dungeon Magazine]] #174. The tiny little roadside town of Tranquility was a peaceful place, until the day a four-headed [[hydra]] lurched from the fens and began plaguing the people. When a wandering [[adventurer]] known only as "The Horseman" arrived and slew the beast, the people celebrated. But the town's ruler, Eli van Hassen, a man forever plagued by resentment and inferiority over his provincial abode, resented the hero's fame. He forced his daughter to slander the man, accusing him of rape, and whipped the people of Tranquility into a frenzied mob who executed their savior despite his former protests. Now Eli and his daughter inhabit a fortified mansion that sits on the side of a great road, which stretches on to infinity; unless the Road decides to let you go, which it can do to anywhere in the [[Multiverse]], you can walk forever and never leave. Of course, that risks attack by the undead remains of the Headless Horseman, who wants revenge on the van Hassens, but will happily settle for anyone else he can get his hands on. ===5e=== Reworked into the '''Riders Bridge''', this time the Horseman is a [[dullahan]] who shows up at important bridges in domain-specific forms and attacks anyone who tries to cross. Successfully crossing the bridge may transport you to a different domain. <gallery> headless horseman RR1 1.jpg headless horseman RR1 2.jpg headless horseman Dungeon 174.png </gallery> ==Zherisia== ::Location: Island of Terror ::Cultural Level: Renaissance ::Landscape: Urban ::Motif: Sherlock Holmes ::[[Darklord]]:Sodo Dominated by the sprawling London-esque city of Paridon. It's infested with a uniquely powerful strain of [[doppelganger]]s. The [[darklord]] is a many-cursed psychotic doppelganger named Sodo. Also home to the [[Brotherhood of Mortis]], an evil necromancer cult based on the group Brotherhood of Hecate from the Playstation 1 video game "Nightmare Creatures", as a way to port some of the monsters from the game to Ravenloft's tabletop form. ===5e=== The elaborate dread [[doppelganger]] society has been wiped out. Now there's just a starving city descending into madness and a single ancient doppelganger trying to preserve its existence through cannibalism. The sewers that used to be called Timor still exist but the marikiths have been replaced with [[Carrion Stalker]]s. <gallery> Paridon map Hour of the Knife.jpg zherisia 3e.jpg </gallery>
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