Ravenloft themed Deck of Many Things

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Hi I am designing a Deck of Many Things that I am planning to add in my Arkandale Gazetteer. So far I have the idea of making it Ravenloft themed, although I am not sure about that as it may give away some clues (then again this may be positive for use in an adventure) any suggestions welcomed.

Vizier/Sage ---------> Madame Eva (as in p.7 in VRGtGhosts)/.....................(any sage ideas anyone?)
Sun -------------------> Holy Symbol of the Ravenkind
Moon --------> Wolf/Werewolf crying on the moon (how original...). Or perhaps a panther in the moonshadows
Star -------------------> Van Richten's Holy Symbol
Comet ----------------> A comet in the sky over a doppelganger plant?
The Fates ------------> Three Hags of Tepest.
Throne --> A throne similar to the one Dr. Dominiati sat in Feast of Goblyns? A dead king on his throne ?
Key -------------------> Bluebeard's keys.
Knight ----------------> A Knight of the Shadows or perhaps ?
Gem ------------------> Either a phylactery, Magic Jar gem as in p.66 in VRGtFiends or Aggarath
Talons ----------------> Either a Talon as normally depicted or a Talon of the Hawk soldier.
The Void -------------> The Obsidian Gate opening. the Shadow Rift?
Flames --> The balor that guards the fracture that connects the Shadow Rift and the Mountains of Misery.
Skull-------------------> Death
Idiot/puzzle ---------> ......................./Leedericks labyrinth?
Donjon ---------------> As normally depicted
Ruin ------------------> Castle Tristenoira
Euryale --------------> Althea
Rogue ----------------> .........................
Fool ------------------> Lord Pidlwik Dilisnya
Jester ----------------> Puncheron
Balance --------------> Normally I would like to have the scale holding medusa statues from the Grim Fastness but there is already a medusa card in the deck so a blindfolded woman holding a scale is OK I guess.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

Vizier/Sage ---------> Madame Eva (as in p.7 in VRGtGhosts)/.....................(any sage ideas anyone?)

I recall that S visited a fey oracle called the Keeper of Secrets near Mount Baratak to ask about the Shadow Rift. Of course, all GazV says is that the Keeper is incorporeal, so there isn't much description to go on.

Moon --------> Wolf/Werewolf crying on the moon (how original...). Or perhaps a panther in the moonshadows

I know some people like to put Bluetspur on Ravenloft's moon, so an illithid outline in front of the moon (and perhaps a suggestion of a nautiloid craft in the corner) could be an interesting alternative.

Flames --> The balor that guards the fracture that connects the Shadow Rift and the Mountains of Misery.

There is an actual balor in Ravenloft? Where is this mentioned?

Idiot/puzzle ---------> ......................./Leedericks labyrinth?

Azrael Dak got suckered into deposing Soth without gaining darklordship of Sithicus. That might qualify him as a classical "fool" for such a card.

Rogue ----------------> .........................

Jacqueline Montarri was a rogue type before she lost her head, so she might be a good choice for this card.

Balance --------------> Normally I would like to have the scale holding medusa statues from the Grim Fastness but there is already a medusa card in the deck so a blindfolded woman holding a scale is OK I guess.

I wonder if there is a more conceptual instance of balance in Ravenloft that could be used, though I can't put my finger on a perfect one. A close example might be the battle between Tristen Hiregaard and Malken for control of the same body.

[KingCorn]

If you mean a Ravenloft Deck of many things with the customized effects, rather than new icons for the same deck, I know either the Books of S or the Undead Sea Scrolls had something like that.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

There is an actual balor in Ravenloft? Where is this mentioned?

Cut dread possibility from Gazetteer V
https://fraternityofshadows.com/TheParl ... eer_V.html

Rogue ----------------> .........................

Jacqueline Montarri was a rogue type before she lost her head, so she might be a good choice for this card.[/quote]
I like this one

Balance --------------> Normally I would like to have the scale holding medusa statues from the Grim Fastness but there is already a medusa card in the deck so a blindfolded woman holding a scale is OK I guess.

I wonder if there is a more conceptual instance of balance in Ravenloft that could be used, though I can't put my finger on a perfect one. A close example might be the battle between Tristen Hiregaard and Malken for control of the same body.

Not a bad idea...

If you mean a Ravenloft Deck of many things with the customized effects, rather than new icons for the same deck, I know either the Books of S or the Undead Sea Scrolls had something like that.

I meant new icons, but I will have a look in the Undead Sea Scrolls for that.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Also because it is for my Arkandale Gazetteer article I am thinking of not depicting any event/character that happened/existed prior to 708 BC (so no Soth and no Azrael Dak, though he would be a nice addition to it). Then again this is Ravenloft and the Mists play games with time so it could be that an event (like the creation of the Shadow Rift) could be depicted in one of these magical cards...

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

There is an actual balor in Ravenloft? Where is this mentioned?

Cut dread possibility from Gazetteer V
https://fraternityofshadows.com/TheParl ... eer_V.html

What a coincidence—right under a cut dread possibility giving more information on the Keeper of Secrets.
It is interesting that the balor is specifically mentioned to have no reality wrinkle. I might have thought the fracture resulted from a reality wrinkle getting jammed between domains like a splinter through skin. Then again, that would be rather similar to the Cellar Door artificial mistway.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

It is interesting that the balor is specifically mentioned to have no reality wrinkle.

My theory is that the unnamed balor has made to many land-based power rituals thus it's corruption has trapped it without any hope of escaping Ravenloft. Making it a guardian to that passage and unable to escape it.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

That origin story would also require some additions to Ravenloft history, since a Balor traveling the Dread Realms would probably leave a mark.

If it mostly visited lesser-known islands of terror (perhaps effectively destroying them in the process), that would both explain why the Core isn't completely torn up, and give it the opportunity to gain some unique new land-based powers. Expanding that story could be interesting.

Okay, I'll stop distracting from the original topic now.

[Mephisto of the FoS]

That origin story would also require some additions to Ravenloft history, since a Balor traveling the Dread Realms would probably leave a mark.

You 've got a point there. Maybe the Dark Powers have contained it somehow then and it needs apowerful ritual to be performed so that it can be freed. There is where the Dark Delvers come along to assist the Hated Mother and unleash her to the world.

then again...

If it mostly visited lesser-known islands of terror (perhaps effectively destroying them in the process), that would both explain why the Core isn't completely torn up, and give it the opportunity to gain some unique new land-based powers. Expanding that story could be interesting.

This is not a bad idea either, Bez’gonach the Land Eater perhaps...?
Corrupted to imprisonment by the Dark Powers so that it would not destroy the demiplane, in the wake of the Grand Conjunction...

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

You 've got a point there. Maybe the Dark Powers have contained it somehow then and it needs apowerful ritual to be performed so that it can be freed. There is where the Dark Delvers come along to assist the Hated Mother and unleash her to the world.

then again...

If it mostly visited lesser-known islands of terror (perhaps effectively destroying them in the process), that would both explain why the Core isn't completely torn up, and give it the opportunity to gain some unique new land-based powers. Expanding that story could be interesting.

This is not a bad idea either, Bez’gonach the Land Eater perhaps...?
Corrupted to imprisonment by the Dark Powers so that it would not destroy the demiplane, in the wake of the Grand Conjunction...

The Dark Delvers connection sounds really good, and it doesn't necessarily exclude the Land Eater part.

The only tricky part is the age of the Dark Delvers organization, which dates back to 556 BC or earlier. Arak doesn't form until 575, and Darkon doesn't form until 579. At that time, there were very few canon domains (a quick look over the Mistipedia timeline suggests only four: Barovia, Forlorn, Har'Akir, and Paridon). Either the balor arrived in Ravenloft a long time ago and destroyed a bunch of previously unknown domains, or the Delvers existed before the balor arrived, but eventually discovered the balor and came to believe it was the Hated Mother. The latter idea is perhaps the simplest, and it doesn't disrupt our understanding of the early Dread Realms very much.

However, the idea that the balor has been around since the early days of Ravenloft is not without use. Taking it a step further, perhaps the current incarnation of Ravenloft, starting with Barovia, is actually a second attempt. There were prior Domains of Dread, but the Land Eater arrived and destroyed them in the course of absorbing their power. Though they lost their first attempt at a world, the Dark Powers managed to capture the balor, then started fresh. It is a pretty significant lore shift from the current conception of Ravenloft, but it doesn't disrupt canon history.

Alternatively, given the strange nature of time, it could be part of a cycle—the balor breaks free of its bonds, destroys Ravenloft, binds itself to the Mists again by absorbing the powers of the lands, gets sealed away by the Dark Powers, and then Barovia reforms as the nucleus of all things.