Strahd Loves, Credits

Man Kills
Writing and Design: Jack Shear
Cover Art: Becky Munich
Interior Art: Mallory Johndrow, JJ Jordan, Janko Ferlič, Haley
Owens, Trollinho, Frank Uyt den Bogaard

Contact: totgad@gmail.com

A Ravenloft Fanzine
Issue 2: Fall 2021
My Neck to the Blade
I bid you welcome to the second issue of Strahd Loves, Man Kills.
Dark delights await you in the pages that follow, but first I must
tell you of a dream that continues to trouble me.
While writing this issue, I dreamed of an abattoir. The stone
floor of the slaughterhouse was encrusted with dried gore, but in
places it was still slick with freshly spilled blood. The stench of
spoiled meat was overpowering and foul. Swarms of green flies,
bejeweled and incessant, buzzed through the air and crawled
across every surface. There were no doors to this slaughterhouse,
no entries or exits, just blood-streaked walls unbroken and
unending—the abattoir was an entrapping world unto itself.
Perhaps this abattoir is where all characters in Ravenloft find
themselves eventually. I shudder to think on their ultimate fates
within this barbarous and inescapable slaughterhouse.
Let us wake from this hideous dream and consider the contents
of this issue of Strahd Love, Man Kills:
Lurid Locations explores a Wild West-themed version of
Lurid Locations
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft features many interesting
Nova Vaasa.
locations tailor-made for adventures set in the Land of the Mists,
Baleful Backgrounds presents two new backgrounds for but there is always room for more sinister sites. This installment of
characters: dandy and inquisitor. Lurid Locations presents a re-imagined version of Nova Vaasa.
Seeds of Evil gives advice on using the adventures in The version of Nova Vaasa that I detail here takes the brief
Candlekeep Mysteries in the context of a Ravenloft campaign. description of the domain in Van Richten’s Guide and adds a
Cryptic Alliances revisits and updates seven classic factions substantial bit of inspiration from “the Weird West.” My Nova
and secret societies from Ravenloft’s prior iterations. Vaasa is a land haunted by the corrupting and insidious American
Portraits of the Damned details Donesta Sangino, a dream of Manifest Destiny.
villainous artist who crafts monsters from paint and canvas, and
the Viscount, a drow gunslinger haunted by his violent past. INSPIRATIONS
Tragic Heroes focuses on grim gunslingers you might create
Nova Vaasa was originally presented in Ravenloft’s 2e era as a
as characters for games set in the Domains of Dread.
domain inspired by Russian feudalism and Robert Louis
Forbidden Tomes provides a bibliography of a particular Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The new
genre of horror for your edification and entertainment. This iteration of Nova Vaasa in Van Richten’s Guide feels more tribal;
installment explores body horror. although a slight connection to Stevenson’s novel remains, the
Darklord of the domain now tells a very different story. My
version of Nova Vaasa was influenced by The Dark Tower,
Deadlands, The Sixth Gun, Deadwood, Hell on Wheels, Jonah
Hex, Malifaux, The Six-Gun Tarot, and Pretty Deadly.
Nova Vaasa
Domain of the Accursed Frontier
Darklord: Myar Hiregaard
Genres: Disaster horror and dark fantasy
Hallmarks: Manifest destiny, bandits, wagon trains,
homesteaders, miners and prospectors, the Wild West
Mist Talismans: Tarnished sheriff’s badge, noose, scrap of
bloodstained flag, rusty horseshoe, ace of spades playing card
The people of the Nova Vaasa frontier were once tribal nomads,
but they were united into a nation called Vaasa by a great warlord
named Myar Hiregaard. She ruled with strict fairness, though her
bellicose nature ultimately made her a poor leader for a populace
who desired to set down roots, adopt the ways of settled
civilization, and build enduring communities.
Vaasa was shattered by a civil war known as the War of the Five
Stewards. The violence of the conflict, combined with the bloody
lengths Myar pursued to stamp out the hostilities, ruined the
Vaasans’ attempt to forge a lasting union as a burgeoning nation.
In the aftermath of the hostilities, the towns and villages of Vaasa
lay devastated, and the land itself was incurably poisoned by the
conflict. No crops would grow in the soil tainted by the blood
spilled in the War of the Five Stewards. The Vaasans were forced
to resume their ranging and roaming. Leaving the ruins of Vaasa
behind, they headed into the western frontier to seek Nova Vaasa,
literally “the New Vaasa,” to rebuild what they had lost.
Nova Vaasans now find themselves trapped a life of perpetual
westward migration. They dearly want to settle permanently, but
the land allows them no such stability. Rich veins of ore in the hills
and mountains tempt pioneers into establishing mining camps,
but lodes mysteriously vanish. Farmsteads are decimated by
plagues of locusts. Villages are raided by undead bandits.
On the frontier of Nova Vaasa, nothing is permanent and plans
for the future always comes to ruin in the end. When nascent
communities inevitably fail or fall to catastrophe, they become
part of the desolated east as the pioneers of Nova Vaasa up stakes
and move further into the unexplored west. The frontier promises
a land of plenty and a chance of establishing permanent
settlements, but the Nova Vaasans are chasing a dream that will
never be fulfilled.
Noteworthy Features
Those familiar with Nova Vaasa know the following facts:
• The people of Nova Vaasa continually travel west across
the frontier in hopes of finding habitable sites that will
blossom into towns, ranches, and farmsteads.
• The land itself seems to reject settlement. Accidents,
violence, and strange phenomena push the Nova Vaasans
to continue their westward march.
• Nova Vaasa’s temporary forts, encampments, and wagon
trains are sometimes attacked by a bandit called Malken
and her posse of undead riders.
• As they move westward, Nova Vaasans encounter
mysteriously abandoned ghost towns and horrific creatures
who hunt in the untamed wilderness.
Nova Vaasan Characters
Characters from Nova Vaasa are often adept at trades that are
valuable to a roving population. Skilled riders, muleskinners,
blacksmiths, carpenters, navigators, horse breeders, scouts, and
marksmen are in high demand on the trails being cut across the
frontier. Brewing is also a respected skill, as Nova Vaasans prefer
to quench their thirst with strong beer and whiskey after long
days in the saddle. When players create characters from Nova
Vaasa, consider asking them the following questions.
Who did you look to for justice on the frontier? The Nova
Vaasan frontier is an often lawless land. Most travelers look to a
leader to keep the ideal of civilized justice alive.
Did you experience the traumas of war? The people of
Nova Vaasa are still haunted by the fallout of the War of the Five
Stewards. Did you fight in the conflict? Did you lose someone
important to you in the war? Were you forced to strive against
someone from your own family?
Why did you give up on the dream of a settled Nova
Vaasa? Few Nova Vaasans abandon the westward march—was
there an inciting incident that made you leave Nova Vaasa
without fulfilling your hopes and dreams of nationhood?
Settlements and Sites
Nova Vaasa is a domain of endless rolling plains, black hills,
canyons and gulches, and sweltering deserts. Due to the curse that
afflicts the land, it has no permanent settlements or persistent
sites. Most communities last a few scant years at most, and some
are forced to move on after only a matter of months. Once the
settlers flee further west, the remains of their failed attempt to
settle are swallowed by the Mists. Some settlers stick together on
the long trail west, continually reestablishing their communities
before inevitably having to abandon their current location to try
again in another area of the Nova Vaasan frontier.
Bergovitsa
Bergovitsa is a community of ruffians who travel westward
through the mountains and hills of Nova Vaasa looking to
establish a profitable mining operation. Though he wields little
real authority in Bergovitsa, Soren Rivtoff acts as its impulsive and
unreliable sheriff. Whenever Bergovitsa reestablishes itself as a
mining camp, it is eventually consumed by bouts of raucous
drunkenness, bitter vendettas, and deadly gunfights.
Ghost Towns
Nova Vaasans sometimes discover eerie ghost towns as they move
west. These towns are always dilapidated and appear to have been
long abandoned. Searching a ghost town reveals few clues as to the
identities of its former residents. However, some Nova Vaasans
have noticed architectural elements or stray items that remind
them of the towns and villages they’ve left behind in the east—
pieces of the lives they’ve forsaken seem to reappear as grim
reminders of their fate as rootless, wandering pioneers.
Kantora
Kantora is a traveling tent revival and missionary movement led
by the renegade priest Othmar Bolshnik. The preachers of Kantora
believe that their god, a tyrannical deity called the Lawgiver, has
ordained that a paradise awaits the Nova Vaasans somewhere in
the west. The religious leaders of Kantora favor a fire and
brimstone style of sermonizing, and they include speaking in
tongues and handling poisonous snakes as part of their rites.
Liara
Led by a scheming brothel madame named Lara Vistin, Liara is a
community of swindlers who survive by providing services such as
gambling, saloons, and prostitution to other travelers on the
frontier. The trajectory of Liara’s wagon train frequently intersects
with the paths of other would-be settlers. Liara attaches itself like
a parasite to drain both coin and resources before moving on to
the next marks further down the trail.
Myar Hiregaard
A celebrated warrior of the Hiregaard clan, Myar united the
nomadic tribes of the vast plains of Vaasa. However, Myar
Hiregaard made a poor peacetime leader. When brutal games
could no longer hold her interest, she incited hostilities between
four of her vassal tribes that resulted in a bloody civil war, then led
her own forces to crush the opposing belligerents. The wide-
ranging conflict of the War of the Five Stewards tore the nation
apart and caused a supernatural doom to befall the land.
After Myar’s greatest massacre, the Mists enfolded the land and
split Myar’s being in two. By day, she leads her people west across
an accursed, ever-expanding frontier, but by night she transforms
into an undead bandit called Malken who preys upon the settlers
who follow in her wake across the expanse of Nova Vaasa.
Myar’s Powers and Dominion
By day, Myar Hiregaard appears to be a hardened woman still
wearing the uniform she donned during the War of the Five
Stewards. Her statblock is similar to that of a veteran. By night,
Myar’s becomes a desiccated revenant clad in a moth-eaten
duster who sports a black wide-brimmed hat and two matching
pistols that spew hellfire.
Malken’s Posse. In her guise as Malken, Hiregaard is
attended by a group of wights mounted on nightmares.
Malken’s posse is the terror of the frontier, thundering across the
plains to assault any travelers or settlements they encounter.
Closing the Borders. When Hiregaard closes the borders of
Nova Vaasa, brutal winds carrying abrasive grit begin to tear
across the frontier. Those who attempt to reach the Mists find
themselves trying to push through a sea of tumbleweed as the
biting winds render the border always just out of reach.
Myar’s Torment
Myar Hiregaard wants to be viewed as the founder of a great and
enduring nation, but the Dark Powers and her own aggressive
impulses conspire to make that impossible.
• During the day, Myar Hiregaard acts as a leader of her
people and a bringer of order.
• With the coming of night, Malken is driven to cause chaos
and wanton destruction.
Roleplaying Myar
Myar Hiregaard is a difficult woman, hard to please and expectant
of deference. Malken is an unhinged maniac who delights in
slaughter and the look of fear in her victims’ eyes.
Personality Trait. “I must take pains to keep my savage and
unnatural alter ego in check.”
Ideal. “Nova Vaasa will emerge as a lasting nation, and I will
be revered as the mother of that nation.”
Bond. “I need to be seen by my people as a leader. I can never
appear weak or indecisive in their eyes.”
Flaw. “I cannot still the hell that’s in these hands.”
Adventures in Nova Vaasa
Nova Vaasa is ideal for adventures with a Western flavor. Because
it is a frontier, it is also well-suited for hexcrawl campaigns.
Nova Vaasa Adventures
d4 Adventure
1 A band of greedy mercenaries is besieging an embattled
mining settlement.
2 Orphans have been abducted from a wagon train. Their
captors plan to make them fight each other to the death for
the amusement of a degenerate audience.
3 A caravan of travelers is willing to pay for protection as they
venture toward an expanse of grasslands rumored to be the
hunting grounds of primeval reptilian monsters.
4 A desperado and his bandit compatriots have decided that
the characters are likely to meddle in their affairs. They plan
to preemptively assassinate them.
Baleful Backgrounds
This section of Strahd Loves, Man Kills
presents two backgrounds for characters
in games set in the Land of the Mists.
Dandies can be found in any domain
possessing the pretense of “high society.”
They are a natural fit to the pomp and
circumstance of Dementlieu, but Borca
and Ghastria are also likely candidates
for a dandy’s feckless aestheticism.
Inquisitors, on the other hand, flourish in
any land where religion is a force to be
reckoned with. Zealous sects of the
Church of Ezra might employ inquisitors to investigate heresy and
suppress rival faiths. You can also import religions from other
sources or invent puritanical faiths of your own devise that would
utilize the services of a militant branch to persecute unbelievers
and apostates.
INSPIRATIONS
The dandy background was mainly inspired by Oscar Wilde’s The
Picture of Dorian Gray and Joris-Karl Huysmans’s A Rebours,
though a number of similar popinjay characters from books such
as Molly Tanzer’s Creatures of Will and Temper and Gail
Carriger’s Soulless exerted a pernicious influence as well.
Fanatical inquisitors are ubiquitous in Gothic fiction, though
they tend to be villainous agents whose spirituality masks base
desires—the background poses a challenge to roleplay an
inquisitor as a protagonist! For the inspirations behind the
inquisitor background, look to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the
Pendulum,” Matthew Lewis’s The Monk, Ann Radcliffe’s The
Italian, Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the film
The Appearance, and Dan Abnett’s Eisenhorn and Ravenor
series of novels.
Dandy
You are a fop, popinjay, rake, aesthete, or simply a well-dressed
member of the demimonde noted for their devotion to art, fashion,
and the pursuit of pleasurable sensations.
Skill Proficiencies: Insight, Persuasion
Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set or one type of
musical instrument
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A set of fine clothes, a walking stick or parasol,
outlandish accessories of nebulous value, a lace handkerchief, and
a belt pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know
As a flamboyant and stylish dandy, you find it easy to insert
yourself into high society and obtain entry to exclusive events. You
can acquire invitations to gala balls, parties, artistic salons,
theatrical performances, the opera, and other moments of upper-
class spectacle with ease.
Alternate Feature: Bunburyism
You have created a second identity that includes documentation,
established acquaintances, and disguises that allow you to
assume that persona without arousing suspicion.
Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I have a witty paradox ready for every occasion.
2 I adore adding new items to my cabinet of curiosities.
3 I'm a snob who looks down on those who can't appreciate
the finer things in life.
4 I wield rudeness like a hammer.
5 I use flattery to ingratiate myself with the upper ranks.
6 I refuse to be dressed in anything less than the latest stylish
fashions.
7 I want to rub the world's nose in its own absurdity.
8 I believe that other people exist to entertain me.
Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Classicism. The knowledge and art of past ages must be
preserved at all costs. (Lawful)
2 Flaneur. There is no greater thrill than to seek adventure
in the streets of a metropolis. (Any)
3 Egalitarianism. I fight to show the world that nobility of
spirit is not the sole purview of those of noble birth. (Good)
4 Hedonism. I pursue my own pleasure to the detriment of
those around me. (Evil)
5 Self-objectification. I present myself to the world as an
objet d'art. (Neutral)
6 Aesthetic Charity. I live to brighten the lives of
commoners by providing entertainment. (Chaotic)
Bonds
d6 Bond
1 I would do anything to protect my paramour.
2 I am trying to pay off the debts I owe to a gambling den.
3 I would rather be famous than righteous or holy.
4 I am the patron of an artistic academy or institute of higher
learning.
5 I wish to show the world that my rival is unfashionable,
uncouth, and coarse.
6 I have a young ward I am sworn to protect.
Flaws
d6 Flaw
1 I am made foolish by beauty.
2 I can resist everything but temptation.
3 The poorly dressed should be mocked mercilessly.
4 I am dogged by salacious gossip, some of which is true.
5 I am in the grip of an addiction to an illicit substance.
6 My money is frittered away on decadent luxuries and
creature comforts.
Inquisitor
Some religions employ sanctioned inquisitors to root out
corruption and heretical practices. The more zealous
denominations of churches associated with the Lawgiver, the
Morninglord, or Ezra empower inquisitors to uncover the enemies
of their faiths. As an inquisitor, you were justly feared by the
faithful and faithless alike; you were authorized to use extreme
methods to carry out your grim vocation.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from the following list: Insight,
Intimidation, Investigation, Religion
Languages: Two of your choice
Equipment: A holy symbol, a writ of holy sanction, a set of
traveler’s clothes, implements of torture, a pair of manacles, and a
belt pouch containing 10 gp
Feature: Spiritual Authority
As an inquisitor of your religion, you have the authority to arrest
criminals in the lands in which your faith holds sway. You are
authorized to pass judgment and even carry out sentencing for
crimes related to heresy. If you abuse this power, your superiors
can strip it from you.
Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I quote scripture to justify my actions.
2 Everyone should respect my authority.
3 I see my allies as people selected by my god to fulfill a
higher purpose.
4 My heart is hardened against heretics, heathens, and
unbelievers.
5 I feel burdened by my own sins.
6 We must submit our personal desires to the divine plan.
7 Vigilance is required because the forces of evil hide behind
the mask of innocence.
8 I cannot forget the horrors I have witnessed.
Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Innocence. The innocent must be protected from the
trespasses of the sinful. (Good)
2 Order. Strict adherence to divine law keeps the world free
from decadence and decay. (Lawful)
3 Zealotry. If the innocent must be sacrificed to punish
sinners—then so be it. (Evil)
4 Piety. The divine will is above mortal reproach. (Neutral)
5 Misanthropy. Everyone is guilty, everyone deserves the
pyre. (Chaotic)
6 Honesty. Deception opens the door to grievous sins. (Any)
Bonds
d6 Bond
1 I seek revenge against the heretics who murdered my
family.
2 I owe my allegiance to the church in which I was raised.
3 My weapon once belonged to my beloved mentor.
4 My sibling is a monster, and I must hide their misdeeds.
5 An obscure chapel is my spiritual home.
6 I am haunted by the ghost of an innocent I unjustly
persecuted.
Flaws
d6 Flaw
1 A violent urge to punish lurks just under the surface of my
controlled demeanor.
2 My conscience is troubled by the severe penalties I have
meted out.
3 I crave the deference and love of the faithful.
4 I seek forgiveness through flagellation and the mortification
of my wayward flesh.
5 I have no regard for my own safety.
6 I am a hypocrite who is guilty of the sins I punish in others.
Seeds of Evil
I am a firm believer in using every
part of the animal where possible,
which means that if I buy an
adventure or campaign focused on
another setting—such as the
Forgotten Realms, for example—I
immediately start thinking about
how I can adapt it to Ravenloft.
What follows is my advice for running the scenarios found in
Candlekeep Mysteries as Ravenloft adventures.
The S.C.D.
The adventures in Candlekeep Mysteries aren't necessarily meant
to be played one after another; they're more geared toward being
dropped in between other adventures, but playing them back-to-
back as a campaign isn’t much of an imposition if you have the
right premise. My advice is to establish this framework for the
campaign in advance: the characters are all employees of
Ludendorf University Library’s “Special Collections Department.”
Each adventure is a mission that the characters are sent on by
their superiors in the S.C.D., as it is more commonly called.
As the library of the most hallowed institution of higher
learning in Lamordia, and indeed perhaps in the whole of the
Land of the Mists, Ludendorf University Library is an
astoundingly well-funded repository of learning and knowledge.
The library possesses books related to any imaginable topic,
though some of its archives are highly restricted due to the fell
nature of the tomes involved.
Although most of the staff of the library work to maintain and
catalog the library’s holdings or assist the scholars of Ludendorf
University with their research, the library employs a number of
adventurers tasked with seeking out and obtaining rare books,
scrolls, and other writings under the aegis of its Special Collections
Department. The agents of the S.C.D. are rarely sent after
mundane books; rather, they deal in the occult, the perilous, and
the forbidden.
The First Five Adventures
Once you’ve established the premise, the adventures in
Candlekeep Mysteries only need a little light revision to work
within the framework of the S.C.D. Below is my advice for running
the first five adventures in Candlekeep Mysteries. To play these
adventures as a campaign, I simply had the characters level up
whenever it was necessary to tackle the next adventure.
The Joy of Extradimensional Spaces
The premise I used for this adventure is that a visiting scholar had
gone missing from a study carrel in Ludendorf University Library.
“Doctor” Matreous disappeared into Fistandia’s extradimensional
mansion, and members of the S.C.D. were enlisted to find him
before word of his disappearance got out and damaged the
university’s reputation.
There is one bit of this scenario that falls a little flat: when the
characters encounter Matreous in the mansion, he asks them to
continue to explore the extradimensional space on his behalf while
he skedaddles back to the real world. The rationale for continuing
to search the house once he's been found feels pretty thin and is
unlikely to be satisfying to players who aren't content to go along
with it just to further the plot. To fix this issue, I had Matreous run
past the characters and leap through the portal to escape the
extradimensional space, which effectively traps them in the house.
Finding a way out becomes both its own reward and a vital
necessity for the characters still inside the mansion.
Mazfroth’s Mighty Digressions
This adventures centers on discovering why books have been
transforming into monsters and attacking the unaware in the
library. Overall, the early portions of the adventure feature really
good opportunities for investigation. My players were asking
questions, shadowing suspicious individuals, and staking out a
potential hot spot of cursed tomes in short order. This adventure
gives a lot of options for resolving the conflict nonviolently, which
was completely wasted on my group; once inside the house of the
culprits, this adventure turned into a bloodbath. My advice is to
lean into that and make the jackalwere cult behind the
supernaturally murderous books even more deserving of death.
Book of the Raven
Unfortunately, the pieces of Book of the Raven just don't fit
together into a coherent whole, so it requires some extra work.
There is an eerie “abandoned” house to explore in this adventure,
which is admittedly very Ravenloft-esque in tone, but the narrative
links between the house’s past, the wereravens currently squatting
there, and a trip into the Shadowfell at the end are seriously
lacking. I altered this scenario by having the titular book brought
to the characters by Valor, a nonplayer character who had caught
their interest in the previous adventure. Valor turned out to be a
Knight of the Circle whose cadre of fellow knights had been killed
by cultists devoted to the demon lord Orcus.
Unbeknownst to Valor, the wereravens were manipulated by
Orcus’s cult to deliver the book to her in order to draw her into a
trap at the chalet. (The wereravens were being controlled through
the figurine of Orcus they have at the house.) Valor asked the
characters to accompany her to the house, with the library gaining
the Book of the Raven to add to their collection as payment. The
trip through the grave at the end is the final confrontation with the
cult. One cool thing you can do here is make the gargoyle statues
on the mausoleum look like mini Orcuses!
A Deep and Creeping Darkness
This is a pretty solid adventure about exploring an abandoned
mining town. In my version of the scenario, the members of the
S.C.D. were sent there by a scholar at Ludendorf University who
was currently writing a history of the town and its downfall; they
wanted the characters to return with documents from the town
that could be used as research for their monograph.
There are a couple small missteps and missed opportunities in
this adventure that you can address. The characters have the
option of stopping at another town for information prior to
arriving at the abandoned mine, but I found myself wishing that
more happened there—this is a good place to expand with your
own content. Also, though the early portions of exploration in the
mining town work well for creating an atmosphere of dread, I
would add a few more opportunities for explosive encounters;
things come to a nice climax at the end of the adventure, but the
earlier sections need a bit more action. Similarly, this adventure
benefits from additional “set dressing” and detail. Play up the deep
and creeping darkness of the doom that befell the town.
Shemshime’s Bedtime Rhyme
Shemshime's Bedtime Rhyme is an excellent adventure. It's a bit
of a “bottle episode,” with the characters locked inside a
subterranean library with a cast of interesting nonplayer
characters who have been “infected” with a supernatural tune that
they must continually hum and sing. Although this adventure is
very light on combat, with one fight at the conclusion that can end
quickly if the players have pieced together what they need to do,
the lead up to it is fantastic. The claustrophobic atmosphere of the
adventure and the loss of control experienced by the players work
in tandem. Although the adventure revolves around a nursery
rhyme, it all comes off as suitably unnerving.
The adventure gives you the option of having the events of the
scenario occur slowly to heighten the feeling of dread or having the
events proceed at a breakneck pace so that the players barely have
time to breath as problems begin to mount. I went with the latter
option and it worked well; things moved along briskly, but the
players were able to suss out the cause of the issue and its solution
in good time.
Admittedly, I did amp up the tension in ways that the
adventure as written wasn't ready to commit to. For example, I
had K’Tulah scale the walls to get to the hatch leading to the
outside world during her moment of panic—then she fell to her
death as the characters looked on helplessly. Similarly, I had
Gailby bludgeon Crinkle to death with the metal book instead of
merely knocking him unconscious. My version of this adventure
was likely a bit more metal than its author envisioned.
Ludendorf University Library as group Patron
Consider using the rules for patrons in Eberron: Rising from the
Last War or Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything to establish
Ludendorf University Library as a group patron for the
characters. Between the University entry in the Eberron book
and the Academy entry in Tasha’s Cauldron, you’ll have all the
tools and options necessary to make the University Library an
element of the campaign with its own distinct feel and
personality. As an additional benefit, the University Library can
supply members of the S.C.D. with Mist talismans if they need to
travel to other domains on library business.

Cryptic Alliances
This installment of Cryptic Alliances revisits several secret
societies, factions, and faiths that were present in earlier versions
of Ravenloft, but did not make it into Van Richten’s Guide.
Ata-Bestaal
The Ata-Bestaal is a lodge of monster hunters who track and slay
the unnatural beasts that stalk the Land of the Mists. However, the
Ata-Bestaal do not pit their lives against monstrosities because
they are motivated by altruism or a higher calling. Rather, the
members of the Ata-Bestaal revel in the hunt itself and the glory of
primal bloodshed. Each member of the Ata-Bestaal longs to shed
the trappings of civilization by becoming bestial and untamed by
the laws of society. To the hunters of the Ata-Bestaal, embracing a
philosophy of “might makes right” and an outlook that idealizes
nature as “red of tooth and claw” offers a model of vital existence
far superior to that of the civilized world’s stifling insistence upon
propriety, restraint, and self-control.
Some members of the Ata-Bestaal pursue the goal of
transcending the burdens of civilized life by engaging lycanthropes
in hand-to-hand combat in hopes of both defeating worthy foes
and acquiring their peculiar curse. Others seek the aid of mad
scientists, such as Frantisek Markov and his ilk, who are willing to
transform them into mongrelfolk. One group of Ata-Bestaal
hunters have captured an enclave of scientists belonging to the
Simic Combine who were brought through the Mists from
Ravnica. The unfortunate Simic biomancers are being forced to
graft bits and pieces of animal flesh onto the hunters’ bodies to
alter them beyond their mundane origins.
Ata-Bestaal Characters
Characters who have undergone a transformation into a more
bestial state might be represented by using the shifter race from
Eberron: Rising from the Last War, animal-inspired races such
as leonin and minotaurs from Mystic Odysseys of Theros, or the
Simic hybrid race from Guildmaster’s Guide to Ravnica. The
Path of the Beast barbarian is an ideal class choice for a character
who belongs to the Ata-Bestaal lodge.
Church of Hala
The Church of Hala is a mystical,
nature-based faith practiced by self-
proclaimed witches. The Church
reveres Hala, a Witch Goddess who
is believed to the last remaining
member of a nine-god pantheon.
Since witchery is generally
associated with the malignancy of
hags and the practice of black magic
in the Land of the Mists, the witches
of the Church of Hala often find
themselves misunderstood, if not
reviled outright. Even so, the witches
of Hala operate a number of small
hospices that offer healing to any who seek their aid.
Lately, the witches of the Church of Hala have taken an interest
in the land of Tepest. In particular, they plot to overthrow Lorinda
and free the people of Viktal from the bloody burden of the Tithe.
Dark Delvers
The Dark Delvers are a group of spelunkers, cavers, and dungeon
explorers who search deep beneath the earth for a primordial
entity known as Hated Mother. The Dark Delvers believe that the
Hated Mother is the source of the supernatural evil that pervades
the Land of the Mists; their hope is that if the subterranean lair of
the Hated Mother can be located, she can be killed and the land
thereby restored to a forgotten state of purity.
The Dark Delvers maintain fortresses and fastnesses
throughout the mountain ranges of the Land of the Mists. Most of
these structures predate the Dark Delvers adopting them as
headquarters—they seemed to be waiting for the Delvers’ arrival,
complete with inexplicable labyrinths winding down into the
abyssal depths beneath them.
To keep knowledge of the Hated Mother from spreading among
the uninitiated, the Dark Delvers have created their own secret
language known as the Mother’s Tongue. The Dark Delvers use
this invented language to safeguard their findings from prying
eyes and to inscribe markers left behind in their underground
explorations to guide fellow members of their secret society.
The Eternal Order
The mystics of the Eternal Order belong to a cult that venerates a
patchwork pantheon of deities borrowed from other religions. All
of the gods they venerate, such as Vecna, Myrkul, Jergal, Vol, and
Nerull, are associated with death. Members of the Eternal Order
believe that undeath represents a transcendence of mortal frailty
and willingly serve powerful undead entities in hopes of learning
necromantic rites, such as the rituals of lichdom, that would allow
them to become undead creatures.
Fraternity of Shadows
The Fraternity of Shadows is a secret society of wizards who
operate throughout the Land of the Mists. Contrary to the name of
their organization, the Fraternity admits both men and women
into their ranks, though this was not always the case. Members of
the Fraternity of Shadows recognize each other by the silver rings,
fashioned in the shape of two intertwining asps, worn by those
who have been admitted into the cabal.
Although the wizards of the Fraternity seek to master many
kinds of magic, they have an especial interest in illusions. Their
study of the illusionist’s art has led them to the realization that the
Land of the Mists is itself a construct, an unreal nightmare where
fiction has been given a strange half-life in order to torment the
Darklords trapped therein. The wizards of the Fraternity of
Shadows hope to learn enough about the land’s true nature to
wrest control of it from the Dark Powers.
Ildi’Thaan
The Ildi’Thaan present themselves as a society of like-minded
individuals who share an interest in unlocking the potential of
their minds. In particular, they seek to awaken and sharpen their
psionic powers. As members of the Ildi’Thaan progress toward
harnessing their psionic power, they find themselves visited by
terrifying nightmares. These dreams are initially surreal and
phantasmagorical in tone, but as they become more intense they
impart an underlying urge—each member of the Ildi’Thaan finds
themselves called to the strange land of Bluetspur, where the mind
flayers promise to reveal untold secrets of the psionic arts in
return for aid in discovering lost tomes of ancient prophecy known
as the Thirteen Texts of Thaan.
Viktra’s Children
Viktra Mordenheim tends to either destroy or cast out any
experimental constructs who do not meet her exacting
expectations—a common enough occurrence, since none of her
creations have managed to equal or surpass her beloved Elise.
Although most of her surviving creations wander away into the
wastes of Lamordia to live as solitary brutes, some eventually
awaken to new or forgotten intelligence and become reasoning
beings all too aware that their creator has abandoned them as
unfit and unworthy.
A few of the sentient and intelligent constructs that Viktra has
crafted have banded together into a coterie obsessed with their
creator’s work. Naming themselves Viktra’s Children, these
constructs work in concert to discover the processes of animation
for themselves so that they might reproduce their kind through
scientific means.
Viktra’s Children Characters
Characters who are members of Viktra’s Children can be
represented with either the reborn lineage in Van Richten’s
Guide to Ravenloft or the warforged race in Eberron: Rising
from the Last War. Of course, you could also run a much wilder
campaign about Viktra’s Children by allowing the players to play
as modified golems from the Monster Manual or as other
constructs usually intended to be antagonists.

Portraits of the Damned
This feature discloses the awful truth of two nonplayer characters
that you can use in your games. In this installment, I detail
Donesta Sangino, an artist who uses her paintings to create
monsters and ensnare the wills of those who have the misfortune
of being immortalized on her canvasses, and the Viscount, a
former enforcer for a crime syndicate who cannot escape his
deadly reputation. It is no exaggeration that Donesta Sangino is
easily the most hated villain I’ve ever crafted. I’ve used her as an
antagonist in several campaigns and across a number of
adventures, and she never fails to get under the players’ skins. The
Viscount, on the other hand, was meant as a tragic villain, but my
players quickly adopted him as a troubled friend and ally.
Donesta Sangino
It is often remarked upon that Donesta
Sangino’s rise to fame in the art world
was meteoric, and indeed she seemed
to appear out of nowhere to become the
name on every aesthete’s lips, but her
origins were actually quite humble.
Donesta was born to a poor, working-
class family in Ghastria. She evidenced
a talent for art, particularly for
portraiture, and she contributed to the
family’s meager finances by sketching
passersby in charcoal for a few paltry
copper pieces.
In her teenage years, Donesta
Sangino found a patron—a wealthy
nobleman who dabbled in the occult.
Her patron not only supported Donesta monetarily, raising her out
of poverty, he also taught her the arts of wizardry as well. This
tutelage would prove to be his undoing; Donesta was a quick
study, and she soon mastered enough enchantment magic to
mentally enslave her patron. She drained his wealth, used his
contacts among the upper crust to establish herself as the artist of
the moment, and finally abandoned him to a life of abject penury
when his money ran out.
As she continued to ply the trade of a portraitist, though by now
she had exchanged the charcoal of her youth for vibrant oil paints,
Donesta discovered arcane ways of using her art as a medium for
her magic. When she paints a person known to her, she doesn’t
just capture their likeness—she also captures a bit of their free will
and binds it to the portrait. Some have noted that many of the
incidental figures in her paintings resemble her artistic rivals—the
very artists she has eclipsed seem to be referenced in her works. In
truth, she has siphoned away the agency of her contemporaries
and paved the way for her own success by bending her patrons and
clients to her will.
Donesta Sangino is currently one of the most popular painters
in the Land of the Mists. Despite the isolation that afflicts many
domains, she is an uncannily well-known figure throughout
Ravenloft. She is sought after by nobles, rich merchants, and
powerful members of the clergy. Having one’s portrait painted by
her is guaranteed to be worth the extravagant cost when balanced
against the social capital to be gained from being noted as one of
her patrons. Of course, none know the true price of sitting for
Donesta Sangino’s cruel art.
Donesta Sangino’s Traits
Ideal. “I will rise up in the world by bleeding the wealthy and
prestigious dry.”
Bond. “I only feel secure when surrounded by sycophants or
those who are under my control.”
Flaw. “A return to poverty would be a fate worse than death. I
willingly take great risks to grow my wealth and status.”
Donesta Sangino’s Powers
Donesta Sangino has the statblock of an enchanter, though her
Charisma is 16 and she is proficient in the Deception and
Persuasion skills. She also possesses the Displacement ability of an
illusionist, which recharges whenever she casts a spell of 1st level
or higher. Donesta can channel her magic into her paintings in the
following ways:
Monster Creation. Donesta Sangino can create any monster
by painting it for a number of uninterrupted days equal to the
creature’s challenge rating. At the end of the final day, the creature
springs forth from the canvas and obeys her will.
 Painted Portals. When Donesta paints a landscape, she
creates a mystical conduit through the Mists to that location. As an
action, Donesta can touch a landscape painting of her creation and
be instantly teleported to that area.
Soul-Stealing Portraits. If a humanoid has had their
portrait painted by Donesta Sangino, they make saving throws
against her spells with disadvantage as long as the portrait is in
her possession.
Adventures with Donesta Sangino
Donesta Sangino deftly maneuvers the rich and powerful into her
web like a cunning spider. As a renowned artist, Sangino finds
herself in demand—it is considered a mark of power and prestige
to have your portrait painted by Donesta or to have the essence of
your estate or home captured in one of her famed landscape
paintings. Consider the following plots when featuring Donesta in
an adventure:
• A friend of the characters has had their portrait painted by
the famed artist Donesta Sangino. They will be horrified to
discover that their ally is now seemingly under Donesta’s
thumb, lavishing her with extravagant gifts and throwing
ostentatious parties in her honor.
• Artists on the brink of success are being killed by monsters
who bleed oily pigment when wounded. Following the trail
of death and destruction will lead back to Donesta Sangino,
who is using her painted monstrosities to murder artists
she considers potential rivals.
• After a previous run in with Donesta, the characters learn
that she has painted their portraits from memory. They
have a vested interest in stealing or destroying these
portraits before Donesta Sangino can use them to exact
revenge against the characters.
• Donesta has decided that one of the player characters is
her latest muse. She will stop at nothing to kidnap the
source of her inspiration.
• Donesta’s peculiar skills with magical painting could
provide exactly the aid needed for the characters to take
down a greater evil, but what horrific price would the artist
want in trade for her services?
The Viscount
Elleri Ban’Ethyn, more commonly called the Viscount because of
his gallant manners and eloquent mode of speech, is a drow
gunslinger with a fearsome reputation. Originally hailing from
Faerûn, Elleri was once an enforcer employed by a crime syndicate
in Waterdeep. The mastermind at the head of the syndicate used
Elleri and his deadly skill with firearms to eliminate her rivals one-
by-one, until the survivors were forced to band together to end her
reign of terror. As his boss lay bleeding to death, Elleri tried to flee
the city by night, but his flight plunged him into the midst of a
disorienting fog that transported him into the Domains of Dread.
Elleri has attempted to atone for his misdeeds by living the
peaceful life of a wandering gambler in this accursed land, but his
reputation always uncannily precedes him in the form of a
mysterious woman in black who tells tall tales of his matchless aim
and his past as a remorseless hired gun. These tales cause many to
give the fabled Viscount a wide berth, while others treat him with
contempt as they have already judged him to be a cold-blooded
killer. Few look upon the Viscount as a friend.
The stories told about Elleri also draw unwanted bravos into his
orbit. These fellow gunfighters seek a duel against the Viscount to
test their skill against his under the glare of the sun at high noon.
Thus far, Elleri has emerged the victor from each challenge, but
the death of every gunfighter he sends to the grave weighs heavily
upon his already burdened soul.
The Viscount’s Traits
Ideal. “I want to die having made peace with who I was and
what I did in Waterdeep.”
Bond. “I must discover the identity of the woman in black who
tells tales of my crimes and deadly deeds.”
Flaw. “Although I try to atone for my bloodthirsty ways, I still
take pleasure in felling a foe with a well-placed shot.”
Adventures with The Viscount
The Viscount has the statblock of a drow gunslinger. As long as
Elleri wears his trademark pair of violet spectacles, he does not
suffer from the Sunlight Sensitivity trait. Consider the following
plots when featuring Elleri in an adventure:
• Angry townsfolk believe that Elleri is responsible for the
murder of a beloved citizen. The characters know him to be
innocent of the crime, but will they be able to apprehend
the guilty party and clear Elleri’s name before he’s forced to
shoot his way out of a difficult situation?
• The Viscount has mistaken the characters for a group of
assassins sent to take revenge on him over the outcome of a
previous duel.
• Elleri has devised a method of creating bullets that
detonate with the force and effect of a fireball spell, but he
needs help obtaining the ingredients needed to make his
incendiary dreams a reality.
• Tired of chasing the woman in black, the Viscount needs
aid concocting a scheme that will bring the mysterious
woman after him instead.
The Viscount’s Guns
Elleri wields twin repeating pistols of his own creation. His
abilities as a gunsmith rival those of the artificers of Lamordia. If
the characters help Elleri out of a scrape, he may craft similar
weapons for them as a gift. Elleri is capable of making firearms
with the following stats:
Name Weight Damage Properties
Repeating carbine 8 lbs. 1d12 piercing Ammunition (range
80/240), reload (5
shots), two-handed
Repeating pistol 3 lbs. 1d10 piercing Ammunition (range
40/120), reload (6
shots)
Tragic Heroes
This feature gives five brief outlines of
heroes you might create as characters
to face the horrors of Ravenloft. Each
Tragic Heroes segment revolves around
a common theme. The theme of this
installment is grim gunslingers. Some
of these concepts might require some
house rules and a permissive Dungeon
Master. For example, the crusading
outrider works best if the Dungeon
Master agrees to let paladins take the
archery fighting style and apply their
smite abilities to ranged attacks.
Crusading Outrider
The crusading outrider belongs to an order of cavaliers who have
traded the traditional swords and lances associated with knightly
valor for the modern innovations of black powder firearms. The
crusading outrider is a questing knight, sent from the fortress
maintained by their order—which may even reside on another
plane—to prove their mettle by fighting otherworldly evil wherever
they find it. What bullets alone cannot fell, surely the faith that
empowers their oath will overcome.
Suggested build: Eladrin Oath of the Watchers paladin
Gunmage
The gunmage is fascinated by the violent possibilities of
combining the latest firearm technology with the powers of arcane
science. The gunmage once served in an army or mercenary
company that valued their explosive contributions to the
battlefield, but the tragic loss of their comrades caused them to
strike out on the path of the adventurer. They now seek new
innovations to incorporate into their bespoke magical firearm and
view the adventuring life as the ideal testing grounds for their
novel and deadly inventions.
Suggested build: Rock gnome Artillerist artificer
Mist Warden
Although most residents of the Land of the Mists do not stray too
far from the domains they call home, some do uproot themselves
to seek better lives elsewhere. Those who travel from domain to
domain by entering the Mists risk encountering supernatural
horrors. Enter the mist warden, a trail guide who specializes in
protecting those brave enough to venture into the ethereal wilds to
journey from one domain to another. A trusty firearm and a ready
hunter’s mark are sometimes all that stands between a caravan of
naive travelers and the monstrosities who wait in the Mists.
Suggested build: Wood elf Horizon Walker ranger
Revenant Pistolero
Left for dead on a battlefield, this gunslinger refused the call of the
grave and now seeks revenge against those who betrayed them
into the hands of the unscrupulous enemy. Their quest for
vengeance will not end until all of their foes are buried under six
feet of cold earth. Unlike many gunslingers, the revenant pistolero
does not rely on a well-kept firearm; rather, they channel their
eldritch blasts through the sundered remains of a pistol they once
carried into the fray.
Suggested build: Reborn Undying Patron warlock
Traumatized Sharpshooter
There are many possible reactions to the traumas that come with
living in the Land of the Mists. Some become loners, some become
victims, but others learn ways of striking back against the terrors
that lurk in the night. The traumatized sharpshooter has suffered
greatly, but the ordeals they faced have pushed them to master the
gun as their favored form of self-defense. Their techniques are
flashy—their maneuvers are colored by spectacular displays of
dexterity—but these are the honed abilities of someone who
believes that their skill with a gun is all that ensures their safety
from the nefarious evil that dominates the land.
Suggested build: Human Battle Master fighter
Forbidden Tomes
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft features a fantastic discussion of
different genres of horror. Unfortunately, the one thing it doesn’t
include is a list of inspirations you can turn to for each of the
genres it covers. This feature aims to add to Van Richten’s Guide
by providing a list of media you might want to read or watch to
deepen your understanding of those genres. This installment
covers body horror. These selections are not intended to be
comprehensive—these are merely my favorite examples of the
body horror genre.
Barker, Clive. The Hellbound Heart.
Bennett, Marguerite and Ariela Kristantina. InSEXTS.
Brite, Poppy Z. Exquisite Corpse.
Collins, Nancy A. Swamp Thing.
Cronenberg, David. Dead Ringers, The Fly, and Videodrome.
Del Toro, Guillermo. Cronos.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Case of Lady Sannox.”
Dunn, Katherine. Geek Love.
Fawcett, John. Ginger Snaps.
Franju, Georges. Eyes Without a Face.
Ito, Junji. Uzumaki.
Levin, Ira. Rosemary’s Baby and The Stepford Wives.
Liu, Marjorie and Sana Takeda. Monstress.
Lovecraft, H.P. “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.”
Machado, Carmen Maria. Her Body and Other Parties.
Peele, Jordan. Get Out and Us.
Poe, Edgar Allan. “William Wilson,” “Ligeia,” and “Berenice.”
Roupenian, Kristen. “Sardines.”
Scott, Ridley. Alien and Aliens.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
VanderMeer, Jeff. Annihilation.
Wells, H.G. The Island of Doctor Moreau and The Invisible Man.
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray.