Everybody who plays Dungeons and Dragons knows about Strahd von Zarovich. Most of them probably know Lord Soth, too. Heck, I’d even say the Frankenstein-ian Viktra Mordheim has a dedicated following. But there are a lot of corrupt, downright kooky Darklords trapped in Ravenloft.
Ravenloft: The Horrors Within draws nearer to global launch day on the DnD release schedule. As Wargamer’s resident spooky nerd, I’m stoked to see these character like Azalin Rex, Hazlik, and Cthulhu make a comeback. But there are several more Darklords I’m hoping to see. They’re downright strange, and they’ll make for interesting horror campaigns going forward with 5.5e.
The God-Brain
Anyone who played Baldur’s Gate 3 will be familiar with the concept of an Elder Brain. The God-Brain is this concept on evil steroids.
Long ago, an Elder Brain began devouring its peers in a twisted attempt to achieve godhood. It found, however, its body rebelling against the consumed matter, and a new plague ravaged its flesh. Fearing this new illithid illness, the surviving Elder Brains banded together to destroy the God-Brain.
They certainly saved themselves from the disease, but the God-Brain lives on in Bluetspur, a domain of dread warped by its terrible ambitions and its waning, unstable power.
Ivana Boritsi
The most effective Dreadlords are the perfect mix of despicable and sympathetic. Ivana Boritsi fits the bill here. The eager, overlooked daughter of an aristocratic herbalist family, her father refused to see her potential, no matter how hard she worked.
Worse yet, her mother seduced her first love in an effort to keep Ivana’s focus on her ambition of leading the family. Ivana saw the corruption that plagued her family eventually, and she vowed to do something about it. That ‘something’ was poisoning her relatives and all their servants – and watching them die slow, painful deaths.
Saidra d’Honaire
Saidra twists the classic Cinderella story into a tale about a deluded wraith that brings pestilence with her wherever she goes. Not seeing the connection? Alright, I’ll explain.
Saidra’s father raised her believing she was the heir of an exiled duke. Though she was ridiculed for her lofty beliefs her entire life, Saidra was determined to restore her family name. With the air of a helpful spirit, Saidra dressed in finery and attended the ball of a young duke, planning to kill or seduce him in order to establish herself.
She almost succeeded, but not before finding out the duke was also a pretender – and her brother. As the clock struck midnight, a red mist descended, killing the entire party. Saidra woke as a wraith in the domain of Dementlieu, where she holds masquerades to this day, forcing everyone to pretend she’s still alive.
Tsien Chiang
Tsien Chiang is another sympathetic villain who was a victim of dreadful circumstances but could not stop monstrous thoughts from consuming her. After her home was destroyed by colonizers, Tsien Chian was rescued by a kindly gold dragon. A desire for vengeance stayed with her, and despite the dragon’s reproaches, Tsien made plans to reclaim her land.
Tsien crafted a bell that could grant wishes using a gold dragon scale. She only meant to drug her benefactor, but she managed to kill him in the process. Still, she pressed on, wishing to rid her city of invaders.
Tsien was welcomed back as a ruler, but after many years, the citizens rebelled against her harsh laws. She survived an assassination, but her four beloved daughters did not. Now, Tsien rules a shadow of her former city in the Domains of Dread, clinging to her lost dreams.
Harkon Lucas
Every horror sourcebook needs werewolves, and Harkon is the lycan fit to lead them. Fittingly, he’s a master manipulator that hungers for power. He once convinced an entire town to love him so fervently that, when he devoured their mayor, they furiously cheered him on.
Before he could enjoy this victory, though, the Mists of Ravenloft swallowed him. Harkon now rules Kartakass, a world of trickery and endless performance. It’s like a golden, glorious fairy tale gone wrong.
Wilfred Godefroy
To me, Wilfred is one of the funniest Darklords in D&D. He murdered his wife, daughter, and father over the course of his lifetime. Those last two haunted him until he was driven to suicide, and when he became a ghost, they kept haunting him. And his dead Dad turned up to keep the harassment going.
A desperate Wilfred possessed a ghost hunter to put his family to rest, but he died too – and began haunting Wilfred as well. Wilfred then haunted an alchemist, pressuring him to invent a tool for separating souls from humanoid bodies. He intended the contraption to send every restless soul to the afterlife, but it instead killed everything living for miles around.
And guess what? They’re all haunting Wilfred too. It’s a black comedy of errors that could make for an adventure that’s as spooky as it is silly.
The Mysterious Passenger
The Mysterious Passenger is an anonymous VIP who was so important their late arrival to an escaping train got everyone on board killed. Said train now rockets through Ravenloft, with the dead passengers continuously tormented inside.
A moving Domain of Dread is pretty novel, but the great thing about this Darklord is how little we know about them. You can make The Mysterious Passenger into whoever you want them to be, telling dark stories about privilege and hubris of all kinds.
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Source: Wargamer
