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Meredoth, Darklord of the Nocturnal Sea
Meredoth, Darklord of the Nocturnal Sea
The platonic form of an Evil Sorcerer in appearance, Meredoth is a necromancer native to Mystara's Alphatian Empire. A loner taken up to eleven, Meredoth responded to being given dominion over a small colony by killing all of his subjects due to his disdain for the living, reanimating them as a vital experiment that would lead to his creation of the first lebendtod. The Dark Powers gave him his own private island on the newly formed Nocturnal Sea, but also removed his ability to have ideas of his own — he literally has to interact with other people to craft magic items, or at the very least steal ideas from others, which is sheer agony to his artistic impulses.- Abusive Parents: What caused his initial misanthropy, at least in the netbook version. His father, an obsessive and introverted creator of golems and other constructs, wanted nothing to do with him and instead left him solely to the care of construct caretakers, only interacting with Meredoth to chastise him for trying to get his attention by subverting the control of his constructs. His mother was a vapid and frivolous enchantress who only cared about her own pleasures and had no qualms about using Mind Control spells to punish or discipline her son.
- The Aloner: He would desperately like to be this, and he's willing to enforce it.
- Always a Bigger Fish: In the fiction for the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer fan-splat, he serves as this to the Fraternity of Shadowsnote . In the Todstein section's ending, he effortlessly dispatches the agent investigating his island by deflecting the agent's spell back at him. By the time the agent has managed to escape back to his ship by the skin of his teeth, he discovers that Meredoth has ransacked his spellbook, stealing every spell bar the illusion spells, and left behind a note. A spell impregnated into the note promptly Mind Rapes the agent when he reads it, nearly shattering his sanity with visions of the magical power of Meredoth's homeland as the old Jackdaw himself lambastes the Fraternity as pathetic dabblers who fail to even begin to grasp magic's true potential, culminating in a warning to leave him and his island alone. Terrified, the agent can only sail away from Todstein, giving his superiors his utmost exhortation to leave Meredoth in peace.
- Badass Boast: Gives a truly epic one in the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer:A real wizard doesn't let reality frighten him away from true power, he frightens REALITY into heeding his bidding! The power to bend worlds, to own them, to destroy them, is his to TAKE, not covet in impotent envy.
- Chaotic Evil: His official In-Universe alignment.
- The Chessmaster: How he works around his curse while dealing as little with others as possible.
- Creative Sterility: His curse, which, given his nature as an artist of both magic and regular art, is awful for him. Worse, it has a few intentional loopholes which all require him to do what he despises most to circumvent it: interact with other people.
- Evil Is Deathly Cold:
- Meredoth resides on the island of Todstein, which is in a permanent arctic winter; ice, snow and freezing winds all year around.
- In the fanmade Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer, Meredoth has the "Cold One" feat, which makes him so cool and clammy that not only does he feel like a dead body to the touch, non-sentient undead are likely to believe he's also dead.
- Evil Old Folks: You really should listen when he tells you to get off his lawn/island...
- Evil Sorcerer: The only one stronger than Azalin, in fact! Not that he uses it...
- Fantastic Racism:
- Meredoth hates life in general, but he is especially demeaning towards people who don't know anything about magic, due to having come from an empire where social status was determined exclusively by magical proficiency.
- In the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer, this is part of the reason why Meredoth and Azalin will never be able to form an alliance with each other (which, given their curses are practically mirror-images of each other, would make for a serious
Game-Breaker):- Meredoth is/would be revolted at the fact that Azalin allows "drudges" to hold not only token positions of authority (Darkon's barons) but to actually be of vital importance to him (the Kargat), and similarly would jeer in disdain at Azalin's emotional conflict over his "failures" with his son Irik; in Meredoth's eyes, Irik's total lack of spellcasting ability would have disqualified him from ever being heir to the throne in the first place! Meredoth also looks down on Azalin for being a lich, because arcanists in the Alphatian Empire have other, "more efficient" ways to preserve their lives and so undeath is looked upon as something only an inept bungler would choose.
- Meanwhile, Azalin disdains Meredoth for his lack of interest in escaping Ravenloft, his ineptitude at political gamesmanship, and the similarity between Meredoth's wilful neglect of his domain prior to and after becoming a Darklord and that of Azalin's brother Ranald.
- Fisher King: The Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer version has an ability called "What's Mine Is Mine", which lets him immediately sense any sentient creature that sets foot on Todstein. He can also create and control storms around Todstein.
- Freudian Excuse: A combination of Abusive Parents, being raised solely by mindlessly obedient golems, and one of his first "friends" stealing Meredoth's ideas for a new form of bone golem, all led to a man who believes that living beings are inherently unreliable and untrustworthy, and only artificially created lifeforms and the undead are worthy company.
- The Hermit: Meredoth lives alone on Todstein, and enforces it by killing any being who gets near his island.
- Irony: As is common with Darklord curses; Meredoth currently can only create magic items or spells that others have invented, but before being swept up by the Mists he would regularly steal ideas that other wizards had invented (before arranging for them to die or become mindless drug addicts so they couldn't reveal he had stolen them) as well as fight lethal wizard duels for the purpose of stealing his victim's spellbooks as his prize.
- Loners Are Freaks: Particularly when they're homicidally insistent about being alone.
- Magitek: Being from a mystically-inclined region of Mystara, Meredoth has a lot more equipped than other inhabitants of the Land of Mists. Subtle things, mind you, but it's pretty convenient compared to normal living accommodations in Ravenloft.
- The Magocracy: Meredoth is originally from the Alphatian Empire in Mystara, which is one of these.
- Misanthrope Supreme: Meredoth hates living creatures; he craves to only have to deal with reliable, dependable, obedient undead and construct slaves.
- Necromancer: Whether Meredoth or Strahd is the most triumphant example of this to be seen in the Demiplane of Dread is a matter of debate; Meredoth has higher level and invented the lebendtod, which can perfectly imitate a living human and has full sentience whilst being totally obedient to the creator, while Strahd invented the more combat-lethal Strahd Zombie/Skeleton/Skeletal Steed and lacks Meredoth's curse to prevent him from inventing new undead.
- Pet the Dog: In the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer, Meredoth has shown honest kindness towards a single living creature; his huptzeen, Hoarfrost. He actually made a fumbling effort to soothe her fear and discomfort whilst transforming her from a white-fang (a form of giant, fur-covered, cold-immune snake) into a sentient magic item.
- Also, not only does she sleep against him every night, on rare occasions, maybe once or twice a year, he will sense her doing so and gently pet her in his sleep. It says a lot about Meredoth that this, combined with his willingness to forgive her for making mistakes, is the most sign of caring any creature has ever received from him.
- Put Them All Out of My Misery: His general attitude towards sapient life.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Towards the Fraternity of Shadows in the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer.Call yourselves "wizards", do you? 'Esteemed Brother', yet? HAH! Cringing cowards, the lot of you, hiding your power from ignorant drudges who rightly should BEG to lick your boots! Aping science in your practices, of all fool things: are you ASHAMED of your magic?
Look upon MY world, dabbler, and behold how arcane might TRULY rules! Not craven conspiracies lurking in shadow, but POWER! Not wheedling schemers' paltry dreams of usurpation, but CONQUEST! A real wizard doesn't let reality frighten him away from true power, he frightens REALITY into heeding his bidding! The power to bend worlds, to own them, to destroy them, is his to TAKE, not covet in impotent envy.
So timid a will does not deserve magic's full bounty. I have relieved you of what you never earned, pretender; flimsy spells of falsehood are all you deserve to keep.
Tell your spineless masters your turncoat "friend" is not here. If he were, rest assured that I would have leashed him by now: he, at least, had the courage to seek power worthy of a mage's effort, and might have made a useful tool.
The dead of Nebligtode do as they're told. The living emulate or join them.
Learn from their wisdom, mageling … and LEAVE. ME. ALONE!!! - Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Todstein, his home island.
- Unequal Rites: In the Nocturnal Sea Gazetteer, part of Meredoth's "curse" is that he has gained the ability to cast all of his spells spontaneously, like a sorcerer. Meredoth hates this ability, because it reminds him of both the envious resentment he held for sorcerers as a youth and because he despises sorcerers as lacking in diligence.
Captain Alain Monette, Darklord of L'île de la Tempête
Captain Alain Monette, Darklord of L'île de la Tempête
A violent and cruel privateer, he was nearly killed by his mutinous crew, but washed up in the shores of his island domain.- Animorphism: As a werebat, when high tide strikes he takes on the form of a half-human half-slow loris. No, wait...
- Autocannibalism: The reason he became a werebat was because he fed upon bats that had drunk his blood.
- Ax-Crazy: Makes sure to never leave a victim alive.
- Bad Boss: As a pirate captain, even the slightest question or delay in following his orders meant a brutal beating before the crew. He paid for it in spades.
- Bat Out of Hell: The last thing any survivors from the shipwrecks he causes see is his werebat form.
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Darklords mentions that even though those who try to escape the island have only the endless sea to look forward to, many choose to die in freedom or kill themselves rather than wait to be killed by Alain.
- Closed Circle: He's tried numerous times to leave the isle, but the further he gets away from the island the weaker he gets, to the point where he would likely die before losing sight of it.
- Disproportionate Retribution: As mentioned, flogging was his answer for even the slightest error.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: Unable to leave his island and forever denied the freedom of the seas, Monette has devoted himself to causing countless shipwrecks.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: A long scar that snakes diagonally across his face.
- Hazardous Water: Even without his interference, the area around his island is covered in reefs and other hazards.
- Human Resources: The "light" for his lighthouse is a skull with a continual light spell cast upon it.
- Icy Gray Eyes: His eyes are a cold steel grey, as of the sea on an overcast day, and he was a vicious disciplinarian as a sea captain.
- Lawful Evil: In-universe.
- Made of Iron: Keelhauled thrice by his mutinous crew, who then proceeded to flog him for a straight hour before he finally lost consciousness. He was still alive when they tossed him into the sea and he drifted into the Mists.
- Making a Splash: Has absolute control of the ocean around his island, thus he can bring the tide in and change to his other form whenever he pleases, or drag in victims.
- Morphic Resonance: Keeps his scar even as a werebat.
- The Musketeer: An expert with cutlass and arquebus.
- No-Sell: Monette may only be harmed by silver or magical weapons, in either form.
- Our Werebeasts Are Different: An infected werebat who changes uncontrollably with every high tide.
- Summon Magic: The beacon from his light can even reach worlds outside Ravenloft. The second someone decides to investigate, they are drawn into range of his island.
The Lady of Ravens, Darklord of the Isle of the Ravens
The Lady of Ravens, Darklord of the Isle of the Ravens
The vain and selfish scion to a degenerate family of nobles, she was born with sorcerous powers and used them to enforce her will, becoming a petty tyrant who was convinced that all others existed only to serve her. Indifferent to all people, she spent all her time in the Tower of Flints with her beloved ravens... until the day she realised one of the children she had once ignored had grown into a handsome young man, and she instantly fell head over heels in love with him. In her solipsism, she believed he loved her back, until the day he returned from war and she saw him run into the arms of his real sweetheart. Enraged and heartbroken, she used her ravens to murder them both, for which she was damned to the Demiplane of Dread.- Enfante Terrible: Her self-centeredness developed into sociopathy — and was bolstered by budding sorcerer powers — at an early age, which further shaped her into the monster who eventually damned herself to the Mists.
- Forced Transformation: She has the ability to polymorph people into ravens, either changing a whole group with her gaze (once per day) or by individually touching them (at will). It's common for her to use this to "punish" intruders, often sparing a single soul to spread her tale beyond the sea, or to force people to do her bidding by transforming their friends.
- Freudian Excuse: Not invoked by her, she's too self-absorbed to bother, but in her netbook backstory; her family were insane, the servants mindlessly obedient to her due to social protocol, her sorcerer powers allowed her to conjure fae and elemental servitors who were magically compelled to obey her every thought, and the ravens loved her and believed everything she said absolutely. It's only natural that she become sociopathically self-centered.
- It's All About Me: The ultimate root of her damnation; her complete inability to understand that she isn't the center of the universe.
- Name Amnesia: Worked into her backstory in the netbooks, which says that she forgot her name as part of her curse. Consequently, she endlessly seeks to find her name, believing that this will allow her to speak to ravens once more.
- Neutral Evil: In-Universe — it's the official Character Alignment given in her profile writeups, fitting her utter self-centeredness, sociopathic nature and disregard of the value and worth of anyone save herself.
- Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Described as such in Domains of Dread. Given that she's a Darklord, she probably also qualifies as an Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette.
- Shout-Out: Her backstory in the netbooks is very reminiscent of Gormenghast.
- Shrouded in Myth: Never given a canon writeup, though the netbooks have supplied one.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Originally, she could communicate with ravens as if they were people. Her curse is that she can no longer speak to them, even though they obey her every whim.
Baron Lyron Evensong, Darklord of Liffe
Baron Lyron Evensong, Darklord of Liffe
Come to the wonderful village of Claveria on the pastoral island of Liffe and spend an enchanting evening of food and music with the skilled minstrel Lyron Evensong. Stay a while. Stay forever.- All Crimes Are Equal: Philanderer? Kill 'em. Greedy ruler? Kill 'em. Baby crying too much? Guess what?
- Constantly Curious: He wants to know everything about his guests.
- Cursed with Awesome: The incident with the harpsichord proved to be this, since being an Intangible Man meant he could kill with impunity.
- The Dreaded: The people of Claveria hate and fear him.
- Emotion Bomb: Once he's summoned some interesting people into Claveria, the Baron sends them an invitation which curses the first person who touches it with an array of phobias until they come to visit. Actually declining his invitation in person causes these phobias to intensify drastically.
- "Eureka!" Moment: In Book of Crypts, his study seems designed to provoke a constant stream of these. Every single portrait and sculpture has the Baron with his harpsichord or a reference to it, there's a statue of a destroyed harpsichord and a melting Baron, and to cap it all off, there's a poem the Baron wrote himself about how destroying the harpsichord would kill him. Gosh, this is going to be a tough one...
- Faux Affably Evil: He's planning to be spending a long, long, long time with you, so he'll turn on the charm...but he hasn't really changed a bit, as he'll show when people start disobeying him or if he thinks they know about his connection to the harpsichord.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: A hundred years is a long time to spend trapped in a single room, and no one's been able to stick out the whole time with him. It's also happened at least thirteen times by his own reckoning, according to Book of Crypts, though he's lost count. (In canon, Liffe is around at least from Domains of Dread to the 3.5 Player's Handbook, a good few years... or millennia for the Baron.)
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Hired a mage to enchant his harpsichord to allow him to force people to obey him. Unfortunately, the mage botched it, and the Baron's life-force was drawn into it, instead.
- Holier Than Thou: Murderously so.
- Implausible Deniability: "What did you say happened to your friend when he touched my invitation? How strange. Well, they do say adventuring is an awfully stressful occupation. Why not come in and relax?"
- Intangible Man: The Baron spends most of the time like this, though he can fully materialize within a few seconds.
- Knight Templar: On Krynn, he believed that his self-righteous disdain for humanity's foibles made him
Lawful Good, and sought to impose his beliefs upon others, by song if possible — and by dagger and club if necessary. He'd be doing the same in the Land of Mists, if his curse would let him. - The Needless: Once you're trapped in the Baron's study, you no longer need to eat or drink for the rest of your natural life—provided you ate enough at the feast. The Baron himself is sustained for the next hundred years.
- Neutral Evil: In-universe, but he believes himself Lawful Good.
- No, Mr. Bond, I Expect You to Dine: Sets out a sumptuous feast for his guests. No Schmuck Banquet here; the food's perfectly fine, and even heals you. You'd better get your fill, too.
- Sealed Room in the Middle of Nowhere: The Baron's study becomes this at the end of every day it spends in Claveria, and stays so for a hundred years (from its occupants' perspective). It's also literally nowhere, as there's nothing but an airy void outside the windows.
- Soul Jar: His harpsichord.
- Summon Magic: The Baron can summon interesting people to spend time with (i.e. adventurers) to Claveria—even those from outside the Mists.
- Transplant: From Krynn.
- Villain Song: "Ode to Lyron Evensong", a peasant jig about poor, poor misunderstood Baron Evensong, and how people were just too stupid to agree with his idea of justice, leading to his perfectly reasonable and justified murders.
- Wandering Minstrel: Used to be one.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: One night in the outside world equals a hundred years in the study.
Easan the Mad, Darklord of Vechor
Easan the Mad, Darklord of Vechor
A wood elf unwillingly possesed by a fiend, which later merged with him. He secluded himself in an island mansion and studied souls for a means to free himself, but instead went on to perform experiments on other creatures. The mists drew him and his island, Vechor, into Ravenloft.- Ban on Magic: Refuses to allow any wizard magic but wild magic in his domain. Mostly because it gives him an excuse to confiscate it and bully said wizards into working for him if he finds them.
- Chaotic Evil: His official In-Universe alignment. He is 'the Mad', after all.
- Demonic Possession: He was possessed by a fiend that eventually fused with his soul. However, one netbook has raised the idea that he was never actually possessed at all, only tricked into thinking so.
- Evil Laugh: Not only does Easan do this, but when someone tries to leave Vechor when the borders are sealed, that person hears horrid, maddening laughter in his head. The victim is quickly driven insane unless he halts trying to leave.
- Facial Markings: All Vechorite infants are branded with the Mark of Easan (their equivalent of "E").
- Mad God: Effectively. Vechorians know he's a madman, but see no problem with worshipping an insane god.
- Mad Scientist: Originally, in his more lucid moments, he turned to arcane magic and science to try and expel the fiend from his mind. Decades of horrific mad science later, he's all but forgotten why he even started.
- Magitek: He built the first known mechanical golems. One text claims he was inspired by a falling star, but most see this as proof of his madness.
- Our Elves Are Different: When they're possessed by demons, they are.
- Reality Warper: Easan is a master of Wild Magic, and can also change the landscape of his domain to whatever his mad whim dictates, including walls of flesh and green skies.
- Telepathy: He can read the minds of every sentient being in his domain.
- Transplant: Originally from Greyhawk.
- Unfazed Everyman: The people of Vechor have learned to accept the weirdness around them, to the extent that it's easier for them to be taken in by illusions — no matter how bizarre, it would be par for the course in Vechor.
- World of Chaos: Vechor. Easan is able to use his Wild Magic to control every aspect of its nature and landscape, which since he's utterly insane means that Vechor is an ever-changing surrealist nightmare, with bizarre apparitions and surrealistic landscapes constantly forcing themselves upon reality, replacing and alternating with each other seemingly at random.
