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Azalin Reviews: Darklord Lemot Sediam Juste

Domain: ScaenaDomain Formation: 732 BC Power Level: 💀💀💀⚫⚫Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), Islands of Terror (2e), VRGTR (5e)

Lemot Sediam Juste is the Darklord of the traveling Domain known as Scaena, which means “stage” in Latin. However, this failed playwright and has-been actor may have missed that obvious reference to his eternal prison.

A tall, skeletal-thin man with greasy black hair, Lemot was a renowned actor and writer of the stage known for his dramatic and comedic roles. As with many overinflated egotistic performers, this was not enough for him. He wanted to be known for all styles of writing and acting. Type casting was decidedly NOT for Lemot.

However, he could never portray tragedy without it coming across as melodramatic or unintentionally hilarious. His writing and direction was no better and he deceived himself into believing that it was entirely his troupe’s fault. They enjoyed heightening the comedic aspects of his plays and, to Lemot, they ruined his visions.

A rational man, Lemot decided to seek vengeance for this affront. He wrote a play with countless, horrific death scenes in which the bodies of each victim would lay on the stage for the entire production. The night of the play’s debut, Lemot replaced all of the prop weapons and poisons with real ones.

He joined the audience, watching gleefully as his troupe unknowingly killed one another on stage. It is odd that not a single actor noticed anything amiss that evening. No one, and surly not those that acted under Lemot’s direction, is that good of an actor.

Lemot’s play, which was just a bloody mess, ended with a chorus of boos from the audience. This infuriated the playwright who wanted nothing more than to bask in his revenge. Being the overdramatic has-been that he is, Lemot snuck outside and as the audience waited the final bow, he barred the doors of the playhouse and set it ablaze.Once the constabulary arrived to quell the fire and locate the cause of it, Lemot, in a rare moment of clarity, skulked away and hide in another theater. He fell asleep within and when he came to, he was alone and a thick Mist, in which he could not venture, surrounded the theater.Scaena is one of the smallest Domains in Ravenloft, made up of only a single theater. It can travel to any other Domain as well as any other plane of existence, typically forming over the location of an existing theater. A feat wasted on the showboat Darklord who does not realize where he is.Within Scaena, everything Lemot writes becomes reality upon the stage of the Scaena Theater. Because of this, he believes that every single being that appears on his stage is his creation and are only there to act out his visions.Despite Lemot being nothing more than a spindly writer forever unsatisfied with his creations, he is difficult to defeat. Those that wander onto his stage are forced to enact his visions without seeing Lemot writing behind the scenes, for he is engulfed in layers upon layers of illusions.In fact, Lemot can create an illusionary version of Scaena over the real, making his “creations” believe they are fighting him when they are not. The only limit to his creation is his own imagination, which makes him not only a powerful individual but an entirely annoying one to deal with. Like Lemot himself, many who visit his Domain find themselves constantly questioning reality.

In the “good” doctor’s latest guide, Lemot is now Lemont and instead of replacing the props in his play, he joined the stage after his audience grew bored and demanded blood and gore, which he delivered by brutally murdering the entire cast before their eyes. Here, Scaena was once part of Dementlieu and became its own Domain after Lemont’s bloody debut. It does not appear that this new version of Scaena has the ability to travel through planes of existence.

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Gregor Zolnik

Domain: VorostokovDomain Formation: 731 BCPower Level:💀💀💀 ⚫⚫Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), Dark of the Moon (2e), Darklords (2e)

Gregor Zolnik, the Darklord of Vorostokov, is a classic example of the hero’s fall and why I will forever question the motives of one who ‘does good’ especially when they constantly seek recognition for these so-called good deeds.

Vorostokov was originally located within the northern provinces of Cerilia within the world of Aebrynis. Once a temporal land, within the Mists, Vorostokov is now a land of perpetual winter. The people struggle for survival, only the bravest venturing into the wilds to hunt for dwindling resources.

When winter came early in Gregor’s homeworld, it decimated Vorostokov’s crops and without the aid of hunters, the entire village would have died of starvation. Gregor was one of those hunters and continually set forth to into the wilderness to provide for his family. During yet another fruitless hunt, he encountered an injured wolf. Watching the beast, he yearned for its keen senses and strength. For if he had them, he could sneak up on his prey and feed his mother and sisters for the winter.

As he watched the dying wolf, he recalled a tale his grandfather had told him of people who could change into wolves by donning their hides and calling upon the magic of the night. Desperate for that power, Gregor decided to see if there was any truth to the tale. I do not recommend attempting to see if magic based on folktale works without research, but Gregor isn’t known for his intellect.

Once the moon rose, he killed the wolf and drew a circle in the snow with its blood. He then skinned the beast and placed its hide upon his back. Lastly, he ate it’s brain for its cunning and its hearth for its strength. I wonder if Gregor thought about what he would do if his made up ritual didn’t work…he would have wasted likely the only food he would have found for his family for some time.

Regardless, it worked and Gregor took on a very painful transformation, his limbs bending and snapping as they reshaped into the form of a wolf. In his new form, Gregor easily took down a caribou and dragged it back to his mother’s house. He transformed in secret in a nearby cave then informed his mother where he had left the carcass.

While he slept, his mother shared the caribou with the entire village. At first, this angered her son, but then as the villagers regarded him as a hero, he decided to use the wolf pelt to continually provide for the people.

After the winter thawed, the Duke of Vorostokov praised Gregor and named him the hero of the village. While visiting, he met the Duke’s daughter Ireena. The two fell in love and married shortly after. The lure of the wolf, however, was not easily ignored and Gregor fell to sneaking out at night so he could experience the power of this animal.Ireena thought he was being unfaithful and decided to be unfaithful herself. This, as you imagine, did not turn out well. Gregor, in his wolf form, discovered his wife in bed with another and gave into his savage nature. He killed everyone in the Duke’s household that night and enjoyed the slaughter. This act brought Gregor and Volrostokov into Ravenloft and an endless winter.In Vorostokov, Gregor became a powerful loup du noir, donning his wolf skin pelt to force his change from man to beast almost on a nightly basis. He rules the land as Boyar and created werewolves under his control to serve him under his Boyarsky. Among the Boyarsky are his own sons as well, the only other loup du noir of the pack.Gregor and his Boyarsky continue to provide for the village of Vorostokov, often hunting humans from other villages when food in the wilderness is scarce. The people are fed, but often turn a blind eye to the source of their meat or remain in blissful ignorance.Gregor is a skilled ranger, fighter, and unless one has access to powerful magic and weapons of pure silver, nearly invulnerable when in his wolf form. If one does manage to defeat him, his body disappears and he finds himself by his wolf skin pelt in a protected cave. The only way to really defeat him would be to destroy his pelt, then deal with the man himself. Not an easy feat when protected by his Boyarsky.

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Alfred Timothy

Domain: VerbrekDomain Formation: 730 BCPower Level: 2/5 SkullsSources: Secrets of the Dream Realms (3e), Domains of Dread (2e), Realm of Terror (2e), Domains and Denizens (2e), Gazeteer IV (3e)

Alfred Timothy is the tiny, angry wolf Darklord of Verbrek, a small, uncivilized Domain infested with lycanthropes with a scattering of tiny villages inhabited by people who wish they lived elsewhere. The events of the Grand Conjunction lead Verbrek to absorb the Domain of Arkandale, Alfred’s original home.

Alfred is the ignored son of Nathan Timothy, the little werewolf captain that could. He was a scrawny, runt that Nathan dismissed at an early age as being useless to his needs. Not sure what said needs are when one is stuck on a river boat.

Alfred, realizing he would never gain his father’s affections and morphing this self-hatred into a hatred for the humans his father often fraternize with, he emancipated himself from his family to explore Arkandale. Having emancipated myself from my own family to seek a career in magic, I can sympathize, though Alfred did little more than play at wolf as he sneered at humanity…just as useless as his father saw him to be.

During his travels he discovered a group of humans that made sacrifices to the Wolf God in hopes of appeasing him to put an end to the constant wolf attacks their village endured. Religious types never do learn, do they?

Alfred was drawn to this Wolf God, but no matter how much he preyed or offered up sacrifices to this “deity”, they never replied. Having another father figure ignore him, Alfred threw a temper tantrum in his werewolf form by desecrating the shrines the villagers had to the Wolf God and slaughtering all of their sheep.

He then fell asleep in the middle of the destruction he caused. Naturally, he was captured, tied to a stake and burnt alive. Or, he would have been if two Vistani hadn’t approached the villagers and offered to buy him.

Once in their possession, the Vistani said they would free him in exchange for the safe passage of any Vistani he meant from that day forward. Alfred agreed, but as soon as he was released, he slaughtered the two women and the Mists formed Verbrek for him.

In Verbrek, Alfred gained his wish of being a Priest of the Wolf God, but, our tormentors, never giving anything without dire cost, cursed him as well. Whenever passionate emotions hit him, he turns into his human form, which is incredibly embarrassing for a little wolf that wants nothing more than to be in his hybrid or wolf form at all times so he can completely shun his human half.

That coupled with the fact that the majority of his werewolf followers would attempt to take over his leadership status if he shows a fraction of a weakness, makes it so Alfred must be overly cautious. Something, the angry little wolf cannot stand.

Powerwise, he’s similar to any run-of-the mill werewolf except he can shadow walk from any part of Verbrek to another. Quite useful when the little wolf needs to run away with his tail between his legs.

Azalin Reviews: Darklord "The Baron"

Darklord: The BaronDomain: The EyrieDomain Formation: All that can be determined is this Domain formed prior to 750 BC as Il Aluk is mentioned in an adventure associated with the Domain and Il Aluk becomes Necropolis in 750 BC during The Requiem.Power Level: 💀💀💀⚫⚫Source: Dungeon Magazine Issue 58; 1996

There is very little history on the Darklord of the flying citadel Domain known as The Eyrie. Indeed, there is more information regarding The Eyrie’s former residence than the Darklord himself. At least the former resistant has a name even if he was only in the demiplanes of dread for a month before his flying castle was infiltrated.

Eyrie Keep was once located along a pass in the Khalkist Mountains on the continent of Ansalon on Krynn. It was originally inhabited by the Knights of Solamnia, the rigid knights of Krynn with strict moral codes (unless you’re Lord Soth). During the War of the Lance, the Keep was transformed into a flying citadel in hopes to defend itself and others from the aerial forces of Takhisis’s army. It may have extended their time on Krynn, but the flying citadel was no match for Takhsis’s dragons and it was eventually taken by the Dragon Highlord Kravon.

Kravon lost his red dragon mount earlier in the war and decided to make it everyone’s problem. He slaughtered and tortured his way through Ansalon until even his cruelest generals abandoned him. It’s unclear why they did so, perhaps Kravon was too focused on his personal vendetta than the will of his Goddess? Regardless, alone in his flying castle, Kravon was taken by the mists and transported to the demiplanes of dread forever bound to his the flying citadel, which roamed freely among the Domains of Dread.

Kravon was only a Darklord for one moon cycle, for, when a group of werebats discovered the castle their leader saw it as the perfect home for his kind. The werebats infiltrated the castle and when confronted by Kravon and told to bow before him and Takhisis, the leader of the werebats simply attacked the former Dragon Highlord and killed him. In doing so, the leader named himself The Baron of The Eyrie. Upon doing so, this self-proclaimed ‘baron’ became the Darklord of The Eyrie in Kravon’s place and as its Darklord, The Baron is completely contained within the walls of the flying castle.

Since he cannot leave The Eyrie, The Baron relies upon the werebats (Jerzi, Pyetr, and Liza) he created – and has absolute control over - to fetch his nightly meal of humanoid blood. The Baron despises that he must rely upon them for this and they, in turn, despise him for forces them to do so every night. Indeed, Liza plots to overthrow The Baron and utilize the citadel as a haven for werebats as a formidable fortress to launch raids from and subject humanoids to her will. The Baron, on the other hand, wishes to be free of his underlings but must rely upon them for his nightly meal.

The Eyrie itself isn’t very impressive, aside from the fact that it can fly, though one cannot control where it flies, only our Tormentors have that particular ability. It is inhabited by werebats, flying beasts (bats and birds), and the occasional harpy. On its base, giant spiders wove massive webs to catch flying creatures as the castle moves through the skies.

The Keep has a long history and one can find evidence of the former Knights of Solamnia or the Dragon Highlord that once lived there if they know what they’re looking for and at. It also has a rather unique mental imprint upon it where the castle has absorbed the memories and souls of those who have died within, which often manifests as the whispering of voice or an illusionary vision. Yet, it is not haunted and these manifestations cannot harm those who view them. At least, not physically. I’m certain that viewing a Dragon Highlord having a temper tantrum about their dead dragon leaves a permanent impression on one’s psyche.

The Baron is a werebat wizard who prefers spending time with his books over time with others as most wizard do. He can cast in both his human and hybrid forms, though not in his bat form…which, given the need most wizards need for gestures, words, and components, is unsurprising. As Darklord, he may summon an ‘aerial’ servant to come to his aid, can summon a flock of ravens or two hawks, and swarms of bats. Also, as most Darklords, The Baron can close the borders of his Domain by summoning high winds that surround the Eyrie, making it impossible for anyone to leave. He typically does this to prevent his prey from leaving.

It’s difficult to rate a Darklord with very little history, but given that he is a wizard and has a decent amount of control over his underlings, I will award him 3 skulls.

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Draga Salt-Biter

Domain: SaragossDomain Formation: 728 BCPower Level: 💀💀💀⚫⚫Sources: Islands of Terror (2e), Ravenloft 3rd Edition (3e)

Draga Salt-biter is a wereshark who despises sharks and the Darklord of Saragoss, a Domain of ship wrecks barely kept afloat on a massive mat of saragasso seaweed. Lurking beneath the surface is a thick kelp forest and nearly opaque waters infested with sharks, barracuda, and countless dangers. One can walk across the saragasso mat, but there are countless weak points that are constantly shifting and falling through is a sure way to meet an early demise.

Unlucky sailors find themselves pulled into Saragoss after encountering a ghost mist surrounded by mist on whatever sea they happen to be sailing upon. After a storm that nearly destroys their vessel, they find themselves stuck in the saragasso with a ship that can no longer sail and surrounded by distrusting crews of other vessels. Life in Saragoss is about survival and stealing whatever one can to get out as quickly as possible, but as soon as one crew leaves, another is pulled in.

Draga was born in the Sword Coast to two abusive sailors. Though he held a deep hatred for his parents, he loved the Sea of Stars on which they sailed. The wind on his face and the salt on his tongue was his only pleasure and he left his home as soon as he was able.

Out in the high seas, the ship Draga boarded was invaded by pirates. The young boy hid as the pirates slaughtered everyone on board. Pirates are known for…well, pirating, but Draga must not of thought about that detail when he hid amongst the cargo. He was easily found and the pirates decided it would be good fun to drive a hook through his calf and drag him behind the ship as shark bait.

They let a few sharks nibble on him before reeling him back aboard and deciding to keep him. One of the sharks that bit him happened to be a wereshark. So, not only did Draga develop a deep fear of sharks that day, but also became a wereshark.

Draga spent a few years with the pirates, learning their ways, including the religion of Umberlee. If you’re unfamiliar with this so-called deity, Umberlee is a sea goddess worshiped by those that sail the seas and are petrified of her destructive powers.

Draga ensured the death of the ship’s chaplain and took his place as the religious leader among the pirates who had tortured him when he was a child. He stewed for years, letting them think he held no ill well against them as the mastered his lycanthropy, then carried out his revenge.

He damaged the ship’s hull with his shark teeth, then slaughtered the entire crew, ensuring that those who used him as shark bait were given the same treatment. Though, Draga did not reel these pirates back in, but let the sharks eat them.

Draga moved on, sailing the seas as the Captain of the Vengeance and became one of the most ruthless pirates on the Sword Coast. After a particularly blood day of pirating to celebrate the last year of his 20s, the Dark Powers decided to give Draga a gift and in a thick roll of fog, Draga, his crew, and the Vengeance were all brought into Sargasso, the ship imprisoned just as much as Draga was in a thick bed of seaweed.

While exploring his new Domain, Draga discovered a horrifying reality. Even in his human form, he could only breath while submerged in the sea. As it goes with most were creatures, Draga lost himself in a fit of rage and when he came to, he had killed most of his own men and destroyed the Vengeance which sank before his eyes.

Draga thinks of sharks as “trash fish” and want nothing to do with the animals. Now, I know a lot of us Darklords have self-hate issues, but Draga may take the prize for this. Draga keeps to his human form as often as he can, paranoid that he will, eventually, be nothing more than the sharks he despises.

Power wise, he is able to control the sea creatures within his Domain and he can summon sharks to his side. If he is ever destroyed, his essence is divided into all the sharks of his Domain. This creates a strange ritual in which each shark attacks the others to absorb a piece of Draga and this continues until there is only one shark left and that sharks becomes Draga. This process takes a mere week to complete. If only I had land-eating sharks in Darkon perhaps my own resurrection would not have taken 5 years to complete…

Draga is a powerful opponent and best left alone under the sea. Though, perhaps if you just flash a mirror at him when he’s in his shark form, he’ll be disgusted enough to flee. 3/5 stars.

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Inza Magdova Kulchevich

Domain: SithicusDomain Formation: 720 BCPower Level:💀💀💀⚫⚫Sources: Secrets of the Dread Realms (3e), Gazetteer IV (3e), Heroes of Light (3e), Spectre of the Black Rose (novel)

Once the Dark Powers grew bored with Lord Soth collecting dust and kicked the overcooked Knight of the Rusty Rose out of Ravenloft, a new Darklord took on his mantle - Inza Magdova Kulchevich became the Darklord of Sithicus during what is now referred to as the “Night of Screaming Shadows”.

Seeing that Inza has always been a screaming child overshadowed by her famous mother, this is quite fitting. Inza was born to Magda Ilyanova Kulchevich in the Domain of Gundarak on the exact moment Duke Gundar, the Darklord of Gundarak, was assassinated. A little foreshadowing there, I suppose.

Since Magda is far more important to this tale, let’s discuss her first. Magda’s tale begins when Lord Soth slaughtered her entire family and tribe, then forced her to serve as his guide as he angrily swung his sword at everything in Barovia and Gundarak.

You can read about Soth’s tale here. For Magda’s part, she did act as Soth’s guide, for given the choice between him and Count Strahd, she choose the rusty bucket, which should give you an idea of how pleasant it is being around Strahd for more than a few minutes.

During her wary adventures with the Death Knight, Magda discovered the fabled Gard, an unbreakable cudgel that is said to belong a legendary ancestor of hers, Kulchek the Wanderer. It is said that Kluchek carved the cudgel with his fable dagger Novgor from a tree “on top of the world”. Utter nonsense, but there are grains of truth in these tales for both weapons are imbued with powerful magics.

As soon as she had the chance, Magda fled Soth and began gathering other Vistani who had lost their tribes and formed her own - The Wanderers. Despite her youth, Magda was the raunie of the Wanderers and viewed as a hero to her people. She hoped to find Novgor someday to add to her family’s legend.

Inza was an apple the fell very far from the tree. She caused problems for the Wanderers wherever they went, but her mother was blind to her selfish and brash attitude. The Wanderers would often complain about Inza but never to their raunie. I’ve heard the saying “love is blind”. Magda’s love for her daughter was akin to being blindfolded in a cave far below the Shadow Rift.

Inza is a master of manipulation and convinced others to teach her how to move as silently as a shadow, pick the toughest of locks, and break into the most well-guarded homes. Where she learned magic, however, is unknown. Some say she made a pact with an unknown entity to obtain it. I venture that it was our tormentors that granted her this gift, paving her way into her eternal prison.

The Wanderers knew to avoid the Domain of Sithicus, but sometimes the Mists have other ideas and they eventually wandered (pun intended) within. Lord Soth allowed them passage through is land and his protection for Magda’s past service, but he forbade them to ever leave and closed the borders whenever they made the attempt.

Once in Sithicus, Inza formed an alliance with Soth’s werebadger seneschal, Azrael. It was Azrael who obtained the Novgor dagger from Malocchio Aderre, the temporal leader of Invidia, and gave it to Inza.

Azrael agreed to assist Inza in eliminating her mother so she could become raunie of the Wanderers and in turn, Inza would assist him and Malocchio in overthrowing Lord Soth. Of course, Inza had far greater plans than being a mere raunie.

With Azrael’s ability to concrol the creatures known as 'salt shadows' and using Novgor to sabotage Gard, Magda was murdered. Inza also ended the life of her mother’s favored guard dog that night, for she has a deep fear of the creatures. Dogs, she believes, can smell the taint upon her soul.

After manipulating everyone from Soth to Malocchio, Inza saw all but three of her fellow Wanderers killed and herself safely behind the walls of Soth’s fortress, Nedragaard Keep. She then directed Soth’s attentions to Azrael’s ritual at the salt mines that would allow him to steal every shadow in Sithicus and use their power as his own.

While Soth was distracted, Inza placed protective wards around herself to ensure her shadow wouldn’t be stolen and Soth’s minions could not touch her as she opened the gates to allow Malocchio’s Invidian forces into the Keep. Soth, always one to deal with a woman that wronged him instead of an apocalypse, ran back to his Keep as soon as he learned of the treachery and left Azrael to his own devices.

Soth broke down Inza’s wards and his undead forces slaughtered the invaders as a do-gooder of the name of Ganelon interrupted Azrael’s ritual. These events lead to the Night of Screaming Shadows, in which the shadows ripped apart Soth’s Keep and the Death Knight disappeared.

Inza survived this ordeal, yet as she was attempting her escape she was accosted by the surviving Wanderers. To escape them, she jumped into the Great Rift. Not the best escape plan…but as she did the shadows embraced and transformed her and she became the new Darklord of Sithicus.

Inza is a mostly hidden Darklord with Azrael attempting to take on the mantle of leadership as she manipulates things to her pleasing from the shadows. Mostly Inza enjoys turning those pure of heart towards the darkness and cares little about actual ruling.

The shadows made her into a creature of formless, shifting darkness. Though, with concentration, she can appear as she was before. She rarely takes anything head on, preferring her minions to handle direct physical conflicts though she has some skill in the arcane and with her dagger, Novgor.

As one of the Wanderers, Inza cannot sleep in the same place twice and as a Darklord cannot ever leave her Domain, which may be trying for a lone Vistana. The presence of someone pure of heart is detrimental to her. Given how difficult it is to fine one so innocent in these lands, I hardly think it’s of much concern for her.

Her shadow form is akin to a vampires mist form, though much faster. She can use it to escape through the smallest cracks in the earth and reverts to this form if defeated so she may raise again another time.

If you make an enemy of Inza, you likely won’t realize it until it’s too late. Her expert manipulation, shadow form, and countless spies make her a difficult individual to counter. Though, I find her type easily dealt with by employing a bit of sunlight.