Query regarding Tristessa

[Carrion Crow]

I've been going through my Ravenloft stuff as part of my revised Core project and discovered that some information is missing. Now, I only have my 2E stuff, so am limited in my information and therefore did an extensive seach on the Internet as well, but am still not finding what I am looking for.

My question is regarding Tristessa - what exactly did she do that caused her to become a Darklord? From the limited information I've got, she appears to be more of a victim than someone who warranted Darklordship.

I've read up on the background regarding the war between her and Loht due to the Cult of the Spider Queen, but there doesn't appear to be anything irredeemably evil that's she's done that would cause the Dark Powers to turn her into a Darklord.

I'll admit that I may be missing something, but if anyone can shed some light on this, it would be appreciated.

[Mistmaster]

In my book, nothing, Loth was the one who should have turned Darklord.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

I've been going through my Ravenloft stuff as part of my revised Core project and discovered that some information is missing. Now, I only have my 2E stuff, so am limited in my information and therefore did an extensive seach on the Internet as well, but am still not finding what I am looking for.

My question is regarding Tristessa - what exactly did she do that caused her to become a Darklord? From the limited information I've got, she appears to be more of a victim than someone who warranted Darklordship.

I've read up on the background regarding the war between her and Loht due to the Cult of the Spider Queen, but there doesn't appear to be anything irredeemably evil that's she's done that would cause the Dark Powers to turn her into a Darklord.

I'll admit that I may be missing something, but if anyone can shed some light on this, it would be appreciated.

The Scourge of Arak, that killed all of the surface life, seems to have been Tristessa's scream of pain and anguish at her own death and that of her child. This act of mass-murder, combined with her consorting with demons and other acts of wickedness, may have cemented her role as a Darklady.

Was Tristessa dealt a bad hand? Yes. But only after engaging in almost every kind of wickedness under the earth, worshipping an evil goddess and waging civil war. She had no call to take it out on a people who were compleyely uninvolved - and she continues to bring harm to the innocent in undeath. All those poor babies...

[Mistmaster]

Her death scream was not a deliberate act thought; while she was not a good person, Loth's action were not an impulse.

[The Lesser Evil]

The exact specifics of her crimes prior to the Scouring of Arak are left vague, but there's enough that the details can be filled in with a little effort. We know Tristessa was one of the most ardent and influential of the Arak worshipers of the Spider Queen/Lolth, rising through the ranks to become its high queen. Their cult is noted as being so debased and corrupt it offended the Unseelie Court, a group filled with necromancers and serial killers. We are told that they broke Arak law (though not that one big Law of Arak) Tristessa became key in spreading the cult after the original drow priests perished, and in her power struggles with Loht many servitor creatures (as in, mortals, changelings, and probably assorted non-Arak magical creatures) dropped like flies. So she is a spreader of a religion that is evil to its core and also a warmonger. This being the Cult of the Spider Queen/Lloth, she probably performed many murders of mortals and such on her own and/or by proxy prior to her conflict with Loht and the Scourge of Arak. It's very easy b/c of the drama of the situation in she avoided breaking the Law of Arak, but that doesn't mean she didn't bring about the deaths of many many non-Arak.

As for the Scourge, it's somewhat ambiguous considering her extreme duress. However, the text seems to indicate her words went beyond mere screams and turned into a dire curse with full intention. Invoking a curse is a big deal in Ravenloft, especially so for a fatal curse and especially especially so for a curse that lays waste to a whole land and all of its people. Simply saying something reflexive like "you'll regret this" or some such; Invoking a curse is a deliberate act of will. It may be telling that Tristessa targeted the surface world of the mortals rather than those who were responsible for her death, who escaped unscathed. It might imply that she was displacing her wrath upon the surface or even showing an extreme malevolence at the sun and all that live under it simply for existing. That's how I would read things to make sense of the tale.

[alhoon]

While Tristessa's actual death was horrific, as others have said she was not a nice person. She wiped out the entire region, intentionally or not. And by the way she is described, she would be all cool with killing everyone and everything because she lost her child.

That said:
Tristessa's curse is IMO more... gothic; she was punished for her worship of the wrong deity, not the mass murder. The mass murder was the embodiment of the violence, anger and sorrow in her soul, not the act of ultimate darkness itself.

[Mistmaster]

While Tristessa's actual death was horrific, as others have said she was not a nice person. She wiped out the entire region, intentionally or not. And by the way she is described, she would be all cool with killing everyone and everything because she lost her child.

That said:
Tristessa's curse is IMO more... gothic; she was punished for her worship of the wrong deity, not the mass murder. The mass murder was the embodiment of the violence, anger and sorrow in her soul, not the act of ultimate darkness itself.

That bring us to what we consider an Act of Ultimate Darkness; in my hopinion worshipping the wrong deity does not qualify. That is the reason whu in the Mistworld Tristessa is not a dark-lord and Keening is not a domain but a region in Tepest.

[alhoon]

I can see your point of view but I would alter Tristessa's backstory than remove her darklordship. I like
Personally, I would change her to a religious extremist working behind the lines with a plan to exterminate everyone not of her religion so that her child can grow in a place where only her religion exists. Similar to Hazlik's big kaboom plan.

[Mistmaster]

I can see your point of view but I would alter Tristessa's backstory than remove her darklordship. I like
Personally, I would change her to a religious extremist working behind the lines with a plan to exterminate everyone not of her religion so that her child can grow in a place where only her religion exists. Similar to Hazlik's big kaboom plan.

She stays a fascinating character even without her Darklordship, thought, as a non darklord villain.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Still, Carrion Crow wanted to know why Tristessa is Darklady of Keening. I understand she isn't one in your creation, but that doesn't answer the question for the continuity where she is.

[Mistmaster]

Still, Carrion Crow wanted to know why Tristessa is Darklady of Keening. I understand she isn't one in your creation, but that doesn't answer the question for the continuity where she is.

True enought, but the only reply I can give based on canon is because canon Dark Powers are jerks the rest would be a speculation. One could play it in a pretty horrorific way, maybe her daughter was a Draugloth, an half-demon? Maybe her sin was sacrificing lives to create a demonic childwho would havegiven her an advantage? This is not my piece of cake, but it could justify her Darklordship.

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Aren't Draugloth half-drow, half-fiend? Tristessa was never a true drow, just a zelldrow.

Given she worshipped Lolth as the drow taught her to, I'd imagine she did sacrifice living beings to the Spider Queen. It's a mainstay of Lolth's faith.
Tristessa's son was considered to be an abomination by the other Shadow Fey, if I recall correctly. Defying cultural taboos may have contributed to her fall, because yes, the Dark Powers are jerks who interpret the concept of 'sin' as freely and strictly as they wish.

[Mistmaster]

Aren't Draugloth half-drow, half-fiend? Tristessa was never a true drow, just a zelldrow.

Given she worshipped Lolth as the drow taught her to, I'd imagine she did sacrifice living beings to the Spider Queen. It's a mainstay of Lolth's faith.
Tristessa's son was considered to be an abomination by the other Shadow Fey, if I recall correctly. Defying cultural taboos may have contributed to her fall, because yes, the Dark Powers are jerks who interpret the concept of 'sin' as freely and strictly as they wish.

Canon Darkpowers are. And maybe the child was the Zelldrow equivalent of a Draugloth?

[Carrion Crow]

Thanks for all your replies - it has given me food for thought.

I am aware of the whole Shadow Fey thing, but have decided that it's not exactly my cup of tea, so am sticking with Tristessa as a Drow, as well as Arak being a Drow kingdom.

Based on this, perhaps Tristessa is NOT the Darklord, but the actual Darklord's curse? The event which created Keening was the murder of Tristessa and her child, which was a deliberate act of irredeemable evil. So, when the Scourge of Arak happened and Mount Lament was physically shifted, perhaps the person responsible for Tristessa's murder was made the Darklord of Keening, wrenched from the kingdom of Arak and placed with a subterranean copy of the kingdom beneath Mount Lament, completely alone. As a Drow, they could only come to the surface when night fell, but as this is the only time that Tristessa is active, they have become effectively trapped beneath the mountain, occupying empty echoing halls, the only sound being the lamentations of Tristessa herself, a constant reminder of what caused them to lose everything. They would also be in constant fear that Tristessa would discover them hiding beneath the peak, and would wreak her revenge upon them, not knowing that Tristessa was more concerned with trying to locate her missing child.

This would have the added advantage of making Keening somewhere adventurers may wish to visit, if it became known that there was a subterranean city, possibly filled with treasure with no known occupants.

It doesn't alter the "surface" detail (pun intended), but does make more logical sense to me for it to be that way.

[Mistmaster]

That's quite a nice idea; So, Loth is the true Darklord, forever imprisoned under Mount Lament. Also thanks because you actually gave me an idea for a Drow realm in my Tepest's Mount Lament.