Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

As soon as Isolde took up the blade, it rekindled • Isolde dreads the day when the Carnival crosses
the grief and fury she had suppressed for so long, paths with its fey counterpart for a second time.
awakening the desire to avenge her long-dead com­ Were that to happen, Isolde would be forced to
panions by slaying the fiend she knows as the Caller relinquish the Carnival to its true shadar-kai mas­
(see "Mist Wanderers" later in this chapter for de­ ters, and Nepenthe along with it.
tails). Isolde always chooses the Carnival's stops
based on her predictions of the Caller's next steps, ROLEPLAYING ISOLDE
and if her pursuit forces the Carnival into danger,
so be it. Only by ridding Isolde of Nepenthe can she The Carnival is the closest thing Isolde has to a
truly escape the Dark Powers' clutches. But Isolde family and a home, and she expects everyone who
will never part with the blade willingly, and if it is works for her to carry their weight. She endlessly
taken from the Carnival, the sword will always find overburdens herself, struggling to protect those
its way back. around her as her hate for the Caller drives her for­
ward at any cost.
In addition to having the properties of a holy
avenger, Nepenthe is a sentient, neutral evil weapon Personality Trait. "We all contribute so that
with an Intelligence of 10, a Wisdom of 8, and a we all benefit. Those who do not carry the burden
Charisma of 18. It has hearing and darkvision out do not eat."
to a range of 60 feet. It can read and understand El­
vish. It can also speak Elvish, but only through the Ideal. "Those most deserving of aid are those who
voice of its wielder, with whom the sword can com­ never ask for it."
municate telepathically. When using its telepathy to
speak to Isolde, the sword can mimic the voices of Bond. "You share a bond with those you travel
Isolde's fallen companions as it drives her to catch with, a bond closer than blood. Choose well who you
their fiendish killer. Unlike Isolde, whose motives share the road with, lest you carry them forever."
are good, the sword is corrupt and irredeemable.
Flaw. "For my victories and scars, I deserve more
FREEDOM OF THE MISTS than a nursemaid's duty."

The Carnival travels through the Mists and between ADVE NTURES IN T H E CARNIVAL
other Domains of Dread as Isolde pleases-though
the Dark Powers occasionally send it off course. The Carnival deals i n fabricated spectacles and
The Carnival provides one of the few means of cheap surprises, but it disguises actual marvels of
escaping from another Darklord's domain, since it a far deadlier sort. Even as the Carnival's troupers
ignores the closed borders of other domains. Other astonish their visitors with amazing performances,
Darklords cannot travel with the Carnival to escape a surreal world of outlandish beings, dangerous
their own domains, however. bargains, and deadly tricks encroaches on the fes­
tivities, threatening performers and audiences alike.
CLOSING THE BORDERS The Carnival provides a safe place for a time, but
the longer it lingers, the greater the danger grows­
Nepenthe can close the borders of its domain, as whether from intolerant common folk, jaded troup­
detailed in "The Mists" at the start of this chapter. ers, dangerous fey, or Isolde's tireless quest.
With the sword's consent, Isolde can do the same.
When the Carnival's borders close, the Mists are Consider the plots on the Carnival Adventures ta­
filled with eerie, colorful lights and distant music, ble when planning adventures in this domain.
echoing memories of past carnivals.
C A R N I VA L A DV E N T U R E S
ISOLDE'S TORMENT
d4 Adventure
Isolde is both protector and prisoner of the Carnival.
The following truths endlessly weigh upon her: One of the Carnival's performers has been a r­
rested by a local sheriff. H ermos asks the party to
• The Carnival constantly grows, bringing addi­ return the trouper, either to save them or to m ake
tional souls dependent on Isolde's guardianship. them face Carnival j ustice.
She's tortured by her obligation toward the Carni­
val's troupers and her vow to avenge her murdered 2 A local h ires the party to find a loved one who
companions. disappeared at the Carnival. The trail leads to a
Litwick M arket vendor whose tri n kets turn people
• Isolde obsessively plots the perfect confrontation into their favorite animals.
with her immortal quarry, the Caller. But the
small concerns of the Carnival nag at her cease­ 3 The Carnival adopts a new performer escaping
lessly, exacerbated by the fey interlopers drawn to thei r fam i ly. The performer asks the party to deter
her presence. Her burdens drive her to seek seclu­ family mem bers i ntent on bringing them home.
sion to keep her legendary temper in check.
4 The characters fi nd a mirror holding the disem­
bodied reflection ofTindafulus, a mage trapped by 87
his own reflection. He wants the party to find his
duplicate, who escaped with a mysterious carnival.

C H APTER 3 j DOMA I N S OF RAVEN LOFT

DARKON DARKON IAN CHARACTERS

Domain on the Brink ofDestruction Darkon boasts particularly varied human and nonhu­
man populations. While diverse groups of humans
Darklord: None dwell i n the domain's cities, there a re several commu­
Genres: Dark fantasy and disaster horror n ities where nonhumans a re in the majority, including
Hallmarks: Fractured realm, magical ruins, ongo- the dwarves and ores ofTempe Fa lls, the elves of Ne­
blus and N evuchar Springs, the gnomes and halfli ngs
ing supernatural catastrophe of M ayvi n , and the dragon born and d row ofVrad lock.
Mist Talismans: Ashes of a corpse, coin stamped People of a ny sort m ight fi nd a home somewhere i n
Darkon. When players create characters from Darkon,
with Azalin Rex's face, tainted spring water consider asking them the fol lowi n g q uestions.

The domain of Darkon has failed. Across the land, What part ofDarkon are you from? Are you from
ageless monuments and magical wonders crumble the mysterious J agged Coast, the decadent lands of
before the Shroud-the Mists turned hungry. Rexcrown, or the eerie Mistlands? Were you raised in a
com m u n ity where your people were i n the majority?
Once the prison of the lich Azalin Rex, Darkon
stretched between two oceans, its lands filled How has your life been affected by the Shroud? Was
with gothic cities and the monuments of forgotten you r home consumed by the S h roud? H ave members
wizard-tyrants. Largely ignoring his role as ruler, of you r family vanished? Or do you bel ieve the S hroud
Azalin dwelled in seclusion while manufacturing is a delusion ofsuperstitious locals?
magical atrocities and manipulating prophecies to
free himself from the Dark Powers' grip. He finally How does your community prevent the dead from
succeeded, orchestrating a magical event that shook rising? Is burning corpses a common practice or a ta­
the entire domain: the Hour ofAscension. The boo? H ow have you seen a burial rite go wrong?
Darklord vanished-and Darkon changed.
SETTLEMENTS AND SITES
Since Azalin's disappearance, a strange golden
star called the King's Tear hangs in the heavens, Darkon is a land of dark wonders and apathy. The
and each night the Mists surrounding the domain ruins of forgotten magical empires and impossible
roil with hidden activity and creep inward. These architecture litter the land, but the jaded people ig­
Mists, now known throughout the domain as the nore these marvels to focus on daily concerns.
Shroud, erode Darkon's borders. Those fleeing the
Shroud report strange shapes and figures within. CASTLE AVERNUS
What happens to the lands claimed by the Shroud is
a mystery, and none who enter it return. In the minds of Darkon's people, Castle Avernus
was the sanctuary of their aloof king and the citadel
Despite facing gradual annihilation, Darkon's liv­ from which he watched over his people. In truth,
ing population largely ignores the threat, dismissing Avernus was a perilously haunted fortress, home to
reports of vanished regions as rumors and fear­ Azalin's deadliest servants and magical depravities.
mongering. As the domain splits into crumbling is­ During the Hour of Ascension, that changed.
lands, ambitious beings vie for Azalin's power, each
claiming to be the lost king's obvious successor. Castle Avernus was destroyed in a torrent of oth­
These would-be tyrants blame one another for the erworldly flame, an explosion that froze partway
domain's dissolution, and each believes they alone through its blast. The castle now hangs in midair,
can save Darkon by becoming its sole ruler. its chambers, laboratories, and crypts suspended in
disjointed sections. Magic woven into the fortress's
NOTEWORTHY FEAT U R E S stones attempts to heal the shattered castle, caus­
ing new halls and rambling stairs to form between
Those familiar with Darkon know the following facts: fractured floors. These surreal ruins can't conceal
the magical radiance hanging at the castle's core-a
• The Mists consuming Darkon have divided the vestige of the magical force that destroyed the castle
land into four regions: the Jagged Coast, Lychgate, and precipitated the Hour of Ascension. This myste­
the Mistlands, and Rexcrown. rious force now calls to spirits across Darkon, draw­
ing them in to feed an ongoing magical reaction.
• Azalin Rex, King of Darkon, vanished during
the Hour ofAscension. Since then, an unmoving Despite the devastation, Castle Avernus isn't
golden star called the King's Tear hangs in the empty. Azalin's treasures and former servants sur­
sky. The sun and moon pass behind this star daily. vived, including Ebbasheyth, the Darklord's black
shadow dragon advisor; a vast library that records
• The Kargat, the nation's secret police, is particu­ the memories of all who die in Darkon; and the
larly active in Darkon's largest cities: Martira Bay tomb haunted by Irik Zal'honen, Azalin's son.
and Il Aluk.
IL ALUK
• The night after any Humanoid dies, its corpse
rises as a mindless Undead that shambles into the A city of spires and leering gargoyles, 11 Aluk is
night. Locals swiftly burn bodies to prevent this. home to Darkon's elite and presents a facade of
cosmopolitan glamor that fails to hide its crumbling
8 8 C H A PT E R 3 I D O M A I N S O F RAVEN LOFT

1!l arko n

�-�! = 15 miles

social order. Cut off from ports elsewhere in the NEVUCHAR SPRINGS
domain, II Aluk's nobles cling to lies of prosperity
while their fortunes dwindle. They have passed Colorful chemical lanterns limn the paths of
their suffering on to their servants, forcing the pop­ Nevuchar Springs, following carved cliff trails that
ulace into poverty and inciting a swell of a violence descend to the Nocturnal Sea and paved stairs ris­
ranging from riots to assassinations. The nobles' ing to the famed cavern pools in the nearby hills.
rising fear then swept Madame Eris into power; her Here the town's elf mystics, known as the Eternal
elitist cruelties and faux reminiscences have precipi­ Order, study alchemy and the rare properties of
tated a rash of brutal murders and fabulous balls. their famed amber hot springs. Secretive traditions
veil their methods, but the miraculous effects of
MARTIRA BAY their practices are undeniable. Those in need of
healing or relaxation visit lavish spas such as the
The foggy port of Martira Bay is no stranger to mys­ famous Cascana Sanitarium. For all the springs'
tery. A center of trade, the city receives regular visits wonders, some who visit emerge psychologically
from eerie vessels from mysterious lands. The odd­ changed. The locals shrug off these dangers, repeat­
ities these ships bring make Martirans indifferent ing the local aphorism and spa slogan: "Never wait
to miraculous sights. This unflappability helps res­ to wash away the old you."
idents avoid standing out or drawing the attention
of the Kargat, Darkon's secret police, who conduct RIVALIS
their domain-spanning conspiracies from the city's
notorious fortress, the Black Tower (see "Other Quaint pleasantness is a way of life in Rivalis. This
Groups" later in this chapter for details). town boasts a population of halfling fishers and
culinarians, while old human families keep estates
An unprecedented number of serial killers prey around the nearby lakes. When brigands threaten
on Martira Bay, most infamously the Midnight the town or fishing boats vanish-victims of the lake
Slasher, the Spider, and the Weeping Woman. The monster, Wolf-Head Wylie-things are only briefly
overwhelmed constabulary has requested aid from "unfortunate." Discussing such events at the town's
spiritualist groups and professional detectives such larger public houses, such as Old Nuck's or the Lost
as the Ray Agency and the Dusklight Detectives. Goat Knight, spurs locals to change the subject.

C H A P T E R 3 I D O M A I N S O F R AV E N LOFT 89