Magic, trickery, manipulation, power. A need to prove himself superior by orchestrating the fall of others (others being anything from kings to whole races). He could create vivid hallucinations and taint minds.
The usual picture of him, is whispering at the ear of the fallen Elf King
My main problem: I can't think of him as a darklord, his awesome as a villain NPC but he doesn't stuck me as the Ravenloft material. Nothing Romantic or tragic or fallen about him. The fallen King? Sure. The dragon that orchestrated it? Not so much.
What I have so far:
The Darklord
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Duke Carpasinus Daturfel
Half-elf ex-green dragon (about 400 years old) with innate magic abilities and a powerful spellcaster. He learned magic while young, serving as the mount of a powerful evil archmage... before he betrayed the archmage in a crucial battle.
Having the rare power to change shape, this dragon was drawn in Ravenloft after orchestrating the fall of a human kingdom by corrupting the king. In human form, he drove him to madness and forcing him (and the kingdom) down to a path of ruin. Paranoia turned the king against neighbor elves and other former allies so when the various revolts turned to a rebellion and foreign enemies he ignored came in force, nobody helped. Before the dust settled, the dragon attacked in his true form spearheading monster invasion and destroyed the city. The Mists came as the dragon was mummifying the still alive king for his collection amid the ruins of his kingdom.
The dragon found himself in half-elf form on the throne that was similar to the throne of the King he ruined, in a duchy that was similar in geography and customs to the kingdom he ruined... but smaller. Less prosperous. Less worthy of his time. Every one hailed him as the Duke now that his "father" has died.
It wasn't long before the dragon realized that he couldn't change to his true form, that he couldn't leave the backwater place to go to his lair and bask in his treasure and the mummified remains of people he has ruined; effectively he had to start over. The duchy didn't have a lot of riches and as importantly for the dragon, it didn't have anyone worthy of his time. There wasn't a large righteous church he could corrupt. There wasn't a big prosperous guild he could lead to ruin. There wasn't even a magical academy he could turn to infernal practices!
Sure, there was a monarch... but he was that monarch.
Acting in anger he brutally killed some of his advisors. But few cared; the advisors weren't loved, weren't particularly competent and they weren't from any important noble houses (there were no important houses). And then the assassins came. And the Dragon found out nearly too late that he wasn't immune to poison. That he had his magic, but his frail humanoid form was way too easy to beat. Without even moderately powerful healers, wizards or warriors, he nearly lost his life to a group of 5 pathetic assassins that would have died in the first breath if he was able to take his true form. He realized then that he needs to surround himself with pathetic humans, that he actually needs protection.
In the two decades since his imprisonment, the dragon has tried to build up some of the institutions so he could lead them to ruin; but his position of power, intelligence and magic made it too easy to lead an institution to raise and his nature made sure he would sabotage and ruin the institution way too soon; he simply wasn't interested to put the effort needed nor suited in leading an organization to greatness or wait for one to be ripe enough. And he has come to realize that even if the whole duchy is brought to shining prosperity... it would still be not enough of a prize. It's simply too small compared to the kingdom he led to ruin, too poor compared to the riches he has amassed and too untalented compared to the remains of artists, rulers, generals and leaders he has gathered.
From investigations, rumors and spies he has learned of places far away; he has heard of the Weathermay family. He has heard of the large kingdom of Darkon, the church of Ezra, the church of the Lawgiver... all more worthy to him than what he had available. And the dragon seethes in anger and frustration, making it even harder for him to tolerate prosperity enough for him to be mildly interested to ruin.
Half-elf ex-green dragon (about 400 years old) with innate magic abilities and a powerful spellcaster. He learned magic while young, serving as the mount of a powerful evil archmage... before he betrayed the archmage in a crucial battle.
Having the rare power to change shape, this dragon was drawn in Ravenloft after orchestrating the fall of a human kingdom by corrupting the king. In human form, he drove him to madness and forcing him (and the kingdom) down to a path of ruin. Paranoia turned the king against neighbor elves and other former allies so when the various revolts turned to a rebellion and foreign enemies he ignored came in force, nobody helped. Before the dust settled, the dragon attacked in his true form spearheading monster invasion and destroyed the city. The Mists came as the dragon was mummifying the still alive king for his collection amid the ruins of his kingdom.
The dragon found himself in half-elf form on the throne that was similar to the throne of the King he ruined, in a duchy that was similar in geography and customs to the kingdom he ruined... but smaller. Less prosperous. Less worthy of his time. Every one hailed him as the Duke now that his "father" has died.
It wasn't long before the dragon realized that he couldn't change to his true form, that he couldn't leave the backwater place to go to his lair and bask in his treasure and the mummified remains of people he has ruined; effectively he had to start over. The duchy didn't have a lot of riches and as importantly for the dragon, it didn't have anyone worthy of his time. There wasn't a large righteous church he could corrupt. There wasn't a big prosperous guild he could lead to ruin. There wasn't even a magical academy he could turn to infernal practices!
Sure, there was a monarch... but he was that monarch.
Acting in anger he brutally killed some of his advisors. But few cared; the advisors weren't loved, weren't particularly competent and they weren't from any important noble houses (there were no important houses). And then the assassins came. And the Dragon found out nearly too late that he wasn't immune to poison. That he had his magic, but his frail humanoid form was way too easy to beat. Without even moderately powerful healers, wizards or warriors, he nearly lost his life to a group of 5 pathetic assassins that would have died in the first breath if he was able to take his true form. He realized then that he needs to surround himself with pathetic humans, that he actually needs protection.
In the two decades since his imprisonment, the dragon has tried to build up some of the institutions so he could lead them to ruin; but his position of power, intelligence and magic made it too easy to lead an institution to raise and his nature made sure he would sabotage and ruin the institution way too soon; he simply wasn't interested to put the effort needed nor suited in leading an organization to greatness or wait for one to be ripe enough. And he has come to realize that even if the whole duchy is brought to shining prosperity... it would still be not enough of a prize. It's simply too small compared to the kingdom he led to ruin, too poor compared to the riches he has amassed and too untalented compared to the remains of artists, rulers, generals and leaders he has gathered.
From investigations, rumors and spies he has learned of places far away; he has heard of the Weathermay family. He has heard of the large kingdom of Darkon, the church of Ezra, the church of the Lawgiver... all more worthy to him than what he had available. And the dragon seethes in anger and frustration, making it even harder for him to tolerate prosperity enough for him to be mildly interested to ruin.
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Avaritia:
Population: 56000. 88% humans, 7% elves, 2% halflings, 1% dwarves, 2% other.
The Duchy is situated South of Sithicus. The Northern part (about 1/3 of the domain) is mostly a mix of temperate forests and hills that are home to various independent elven tribes. The misttop mountains and Disappearing mountains intrude a bit and end in this part of the domain and have a couple of old, small dwarven underground settlements. The Southern part, is mostly temperate, fertile grasslands and plains while it has some wooded areas, a few gentle hills and a large lake. It is inhabited mostly by human settlements close together and a few halfling villages.
Similar to other nearby domains, the empty areas and the forests of the domain hold ancient, mysterious ruins. Some of these still show signs of exceptional beauty that has now faded, others are crude remains of castles and forts long ruined and abandoned. Some show signs of elven architecture, some are unmistakably of dwarven craftsmanship and some show the utilitarian design of humanity. Some were obviously meant to hold, with strong (or even once enchanted) walls while others are structures made by necessity from those past owners with clay and wood. Amid the vines, crumbling arches and dusty facades, danger may lurk in waiting. Dangerous monsters or ghosts can often be found or curses may befall those that risk investigating them for valuables. Nearby settlements may have stories about the previous owners of those ruins but whether they're reliable is a matter of debate.
The majority of the humans live in hamlets and villages. These villages are not uniformly spread; several settlements will be within an hour walk of each other, then it would be empty land and wilderness for several miles before the next group of hamlets and villages. These village groups typically have 1000-2000 people with a few lesser nobles in command and their retinues keeping the peace. A single noble could own a couple small hamlets or a large village with lots of farmland and herd animals could be split between two nobles. Food and goods from those villages are usually catered to a nearby town, controlled by a baron. The towns are small, having a couple thousand people and between a dozen and a score of soldiers. The barons own the fealty of 12-20 lesser nobles and their retinues and receive some tax from them. There are three baronies in the duchy, that owe fealty to the duke, pay taxes and support him with their armies if needed. The capital is a moderately large town of about 6000 people, surrounded by a large, dense ring of small villages and farms whose lords are vassals directly to the duke, that account for another 8000 people.
The Halfling settlements pay more taxes in foodstuff and services but are usually exempt from military duty. In return, they are mostly self-governed. If needed the local baron would lend them support against monsters or enemies that threaten the piece.
The elves in the North are independent from the duke and his laws and resist the barons and the duke. From time to time, a tribe may fall under the influence or even command of a human baron but for various reasons such successful barons are quickly led to ruin. The dwarves are isolated enough and hard enough to be completely independent, but occasionally the make trade agreements with the various merchant guilds. Such agreements are temporary; the dwarves are not keen to spread their trade to humans too far and they have witnessed way too many successful merchants suddenly becoming erratic, cruel and paranoid crippling their own guilds.
Population: 56000. 88% humans, 7% elves, 2% halflings, 1% dwarves, 2% other.
The Duchy is situated South of Sithicus. The Northern part (about 1/3 of the domain) is mostly a mix of temperate forests and hills that are home to various independent elven tribes. The misttop mountains and Disappearing mountains intrude a bit and end in this part of the domain and have a couple of old, small dwarven underground settlements. The Southern part, is mostly temperate, fertile grasslands and plains while it has some wooded areas, a few gentle hills and a large lake. It is inhabited mostly by human settlements close together and a few halfling villages.
Similar to other nearby domains, the empty areas and the forests of the domain hold ancient, mysterious ruins. Some of these still show signs of exceptional beauty that has now faded, others are crude remains of castles and forts long ruined and abandoned. Some show signs of elven architecture, some are unmistakably of dwarven craftsmanship and some show the utilitarian design of humanity. Some were obviously meant to hold, with strong (or even once enchanted) walls while others are structures made by necessity from those past owners with clay and wood. Amid the vines, crumbling arches and dusty facades, danger may lurk in waiting. Dangerous monsters or ghosts can often be found or curses may befall those that risk investigating them for valuables. Nearby settlements may have stories about the previous owners of those ruins but whether they're reliable is a matter of debate.
The majority of the humans live in hamlets and villages. These villages are not uniformly spread; several settlements will be within an hour walk of each other, then it would be empty land and wilderness for several miles before the next group of hamlets and villages. These village groups typically have 1000-2000 people with a few lesser nobles in command and their retinues keeping the peace. A single noble could own a couple small hamlets or a large village with lots of farmland and herd animals could be split between two nobles. Food and goods from those villages are usually catered to a nearby town, controlled by a baron. The towns are small, having a couple thousand people and between a dozen and a score of soldiers. The barons own the fealty of 12-20 lesser nobles and their retinues and receive some tax from them. There are three baronies in the duchy, that owe fealty to the duke, pay taxes and support him with their armies if needed. The capital is a moderately large town of about 6000 people, surrounded by a large, dense ring of small villages and farms whose lords are vassals directly to the duke, that account for another 8000 people.
The Halfling settlements pay more taxes in foodstuff and services but are usually exempt from military duty. In return, they are mostly self-governed. If needed the local baron would lend them support against monsters or enemies that threaten the piece.
The elves in the North are independent from the duke and his laws and resist the barons and the duke. From time to time, a tribe may fall under the influence or even command of a human baron but for various reasons such successful barons are quickly led to ruin. The dwarves are isolated enough and hard enough to be completely independent, but occasionally the make trade agreements with the various merchant guilds. Such agreements are temporary; the dwarves are not keen to spread their trade to humans too far and they have witnessed way too many successful merchants suddenly becoming erratic, cruel and paranoid crippling their own guilds.