Harkon Lukas proves that even Bards can be scary in Ravenloft. As long as they’re also shapeshifters and creatures of the night.
It is not often that you see a Bard as a main villain. On the whole, they seem very silly, to the point that they’re memes. But Bards and their musical abilities can inspire some truly terrifying tales. As is the case with Harkon Lukas, Meistersinger of Ravenloft.
Also, it should be mentioned that a big part of what makes him scary is also that he’s a werewolf. In fact, he comes from a whole family of werewolves. But even for a lycanthrope, Harkon Lukas and his musical ability only fanned the flames of ambition… and evil.
A Small Wolf With Big Dreams
Harkon Lukas was born to a community of lycanthropes. And not just any werewolves, either. The Lukas bloodline was virulent with lycanthropy. In Harkon, it found new strength. Because the youngest Lukas had a trickster’s disposition. A sly chameleon, he could blend in with any crowd as easy as breathing.
And as is the case with many Darklords of Ravenloft, ambition took root deep in his soul. The young werewolf sought to unite his family. Thinking that an army of monsters could rule the world. Though, family, as it turns out, is often disappointing. When Lukas lashed out at them for failing to live up to his expectations, they turned on him. Violently, as you might imagine. But Lukas fought back, slaying many of his own kin before disappearing into human lands.
Harkon Lukas – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
One thing Lukas knew was how to control his own body. Unlike others of his kind, he was never forced to change his shape. Neither the moon nor the presence of blood or even powerful magic could force him into his bestial form.
This fact helped him blend into the human lands. Living among them, he learned to change his shape, the way a virtuoso changes keys. He could alter the smallest physical details of his body. Changing the smallest hair as easily as he could come up with with a completely different persona from nothing. He might be a handsome, beguiling man one day. And a striking, beautiful woman the next.
In the human world, Harkon Lukas learned how to manipulate those he considered his inferiors. Which, when you’re a werewolf is everyone. Adoration became his chief weapon. It sharpened the ambitions the Meistersinger held. If he could not rule over a nation of hunters, he would force an empire of sheep to dance to his howling.
So Lukas became a legend, a performer, a teacher, a scoundrel, and a luminary of all stripes. People flocked to him to bask in his presence. And when enough people came, the land’s rulers realized Harkon was a threat. But they realized it too late.
Death, “Rebirth”, and Darklord-dom
Though the officials in Lukas’ new homeland tried to quietly imprison him, taking him out of the public eye, the people loved him. Commoners defended him. Harkon had learned how to weaponize affection. Even as the royal authorities confronted him, they played right into his hands.
When royal agents came for him en masse, Lukas feigned his own death at their hands. The ensuing outrage sparked riots that turned into a revolution. Within a week, the nation had fallen to defenders that bore the red-stained coffin of Harkon Lukas at its head.
As the rebel forces neared the walls of the royal palace, they were met by a monarch. Contrite and humbled by the display, the monarch begged forgiveness and argued for peace. But even as the crowd began to be swayed, Harkon Lukas ended his ruse.
He burst from the crimson coffin in wolf form and devoured the monarch before the assembled masses. Drenched in blood, the newly “resurrected” Lukas returned to human form and took up the battered, bloody crown to throngs of cheering. And then the Mists came.
Harkon Lukas in Ravenloft
When the Mists of Ravenloft cleared, Harkon Lukas emerged into a new realm. An unfamiliar provincial land called Kartakass. And here, Lukas was no longer one step away from being crowned king. But rather he was a stranger none could recall.
In the Demiplane of Dread, Lukas is cursed. Though he ever seeks to win esteem and influence among the people he knows, none remember him. The locals constantly forget that he’s a relevant, modern performer. His works are remembered fondly, but only vaguely. From a distance.
This is why Lukas must reinvent himself, again and again, to try and win their lasting love. When he cannot, Lukas instead takes up-and-coming performers as his proteges. Hoping to steal from them their talent, ideas, wealth, and lives.
Happy Adventuring
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Source: Bell of Lost Souls
