Quoth the Raven #33 Reaction Thread

[Rock of the Fraternity]

Please post your reviews of the 2026 issue of Quoth the Raven right here, in this here thread.
The nice people at the asylum told me I'll never be able to herd cats, and I agree. But if you just open up a box - or a lippy orderly's ribcage - then I find that they will come.

[IanFordam]

Here's hoping that if I start off on the right foot then I'll do better at providing feedback on QtR33 than I did its predecessor. So let's get the ball rolling:

Darkon's History Explored (Final Entry)
by Matt "Strahdsbuddy" Doyle

Although I enjoyed both of this article's predecessors, I feel this is the strongest in the series. Apart from the opening section, it is not a narrative but a history, yet it is a history with a strongly narrative feel. It is very readable. In truth, it reminds me of Tolkien's Silmarillion or Martin's Fire & Blood, both of which I enjoyed.

My only real complaint about the article is that Azalin's arrival isn't given the same attention as other historical events. It is nicely foreshadowed, but then it just... happens.

However, this minor complaint is greatly offset by the good stuff. Just to give some examples: I really liked the detail about Zekhar Vineth's tattoo. Cion Brenfael is probably my favorite character in the article, just because the article conveyed his personality well. I found the section featuring Zillah Tamrath particularly moving. It ended on the perfect note.

[doctornecrotic]

Once again, I fail to cross promote on The Piazza on Halloween itself! Needless to say, I did enjoy reading a little bit in between trick or treaters. I've been excited to see Speedwagon's look at Farelle in full especially.
I mostly read quickly, and will reread, but a few things stuck out. Firstly, the registry of monsters is awesome and flavorful! I love all the handmade art, created with much love and care, for each creature. Likewise, I was happy to see much much needed love for Nova Vaasa, a core domain in need of the attention. Lightlords feel like an aspect of Gothic Horror not heavily capitalized in a lot of Ravenloft, so that was excellent to see! Speedwagon added so much more depth and purpose to Farelle, which is an excellent sight! Immolation adds so much to the Thaani and proves psionics can work in the Demiplane of Dread too.
As for my own, I mostly noticed a few quirks in my writing, as no one is a sharper critic than yourself. In the Evil NPCs article, I did notice that Dr. Lanley the Technologist does not have Rogue Skill points assigned, that's an embarrassing error. I think he was meant to be a tradesman/soldier without defined NWP, but oops. Likewise, I've returned to my habit of using New Rockbaecche and Rockbaecche interchangeably again.

[Speedwagon]

Time for my first review!

Darkon's History Explored (Final Entry)
By Matt "Strahdsbuddy" Doyle

I've greatly enjoyed the expansion to Darkon's False History. It really gets the ideas going of what a False History for such a large domain would look like, and it ties into so many aspects of present-day 3e Darkon that one can see how considered and thoughtful Strahdsbuddy's approach is. Darcalus's undead legions sweeping through Darkon reminded me of the Scourge and their Scouring of Lordaeron and Quel'thalas from World of Warcraft and Warcraft 3's lore. And I felt fully immersed with the framing fiction for this article. I'd love to learn more about our protagonists and their travels!

Of the characters, Faelith and Tenicius really interested me. The entire negotiation of the Treaty of Il Aluk was well-written to me. I enjoyed the careful consideration of each and every funeral custom, as well as the actual discussion (macabre as it is) of necromancy's economic knock-on effects. Same for the adjustment of attitudes amongst Darkonians to the undead, as well as the risk of the native tribes/races/species losing their languages and cultures. I would love to see what Strahdsbuddy can do with other domains that have their own rich False Histories, like Hazlan or Falkovnia.

[IanFordam]

Miseria Revisited
by Aoverekoha

This article is a curious beast, and to be clear, I say that with appreciation. It's a domain expansion for a non-canon domain which originally appeared in the Undead Sea Scrolls 2001. Which is to say that Miseria is probably unknown to (or forgotten by) most readers.

First of all, I want to complement Aoverekoha on their footnote finesse. Full credit is given to the original creators of Miseria, and by paying attention to the footnotes, it is easy to discern which material came from the original article and which was part of Aoverekoha's expansion.

I won't dwell on the tidbits which appeared in the original article except to say that I can understand why Miseria caught Aoverekoha's attention. I like the ghost cities and the two foremost religious orders, and I really like Overlook Anne. (But I'm not going to dwell.) Instead, let me draw attention to the expansion bits which I most enjoyed: The development of Alexandre LeNoir, who received only a single mention in the source article. The ghost castle of Orochi, particularly the Spring Lantern Festival of Terrasses. The detail given to the heads of the Marthenian and Ambrosian churches, who are not burdened with gratuitous Dread Possibilities but instead allowed to be decent people. (Humility and compassion are stated themes of the domain, after all.)

However, what I appreciate the most about this article is that it truly is an expansion. The original article hews more closely to the domain write-up format present in Realm of Terror, but this one adds sections more familiar from the five Gazetteer volumes published for 3rd Edition. This added detail does nothing disruptive but feels like a natural fit with what came before. And I appreciate that.

Given the conceit of the domain, I would have liked at least one more example of a ghost city and a few more individual ghosts. Even if the individual ghosts hadn't gotten full write-ups, a brief description or even a flavorful name could provide a creative hook for the reader.

I enjoyed this article. It had a straightforward goal, expanding Miseria, and I feel it accomplished that goal solidly.

Finally, and without any pretense of objectivity, I was delighted to see the reference to my own "The Mist-Borne Post" article. 'Tis a wonderful thing to discover that something I created has provided inspiration to others!

[Speedwagon]

Miseria, Revisited
by Aoverekoha

First, I'd like to thank the author of this article for the shout-out. Very kind of them! I will freely admit that my own Vorostokov Gazetteer took way more from the formatting of Ian Fordam's works, who in turn took them from the FoS reports (who took those from the Doomsday Gazetteers).

Second, I really appreciate this look into a ghost-heavy domain. While I'm familiar with the potential for ghost-story horror due to Mordent and Staunton Bluffs, this write-up goes in a very different direction. The ubiquity of spectral visitors from beyond the grave means to me that any ideas I thought were "too far" or "not thematically appropriate" for the former two have a place here. That sort of niche is useful, and so is the outlining of the themes & tropes of the domain. If that was inspired by me, then I have to give full credit to hidajiremi/blackwingedheaven/Jeremy Puckett and his Ravenloft Reincarnated articles for the Savage Worlds game system.

The gazetteer-level details are great to have! I really enjoyed the economy & lifestyle sections. The clarification of Miseria's CL was also very useful as a sidebar. I think having villages at different tech levels is a useful way to make the world feel more realistic. I'm reminded of how Russia in 1880 had abolished serfdom, despite its neighbors having done so decades or even centuries prior. I also enjoyed the discussion of the exorcist-monks—a necessity in such a haunted realm. And look at that, a cult of Hecate! Funny how she gets mentioned here and in my work for Farelle.

I recall reading about Cassandre Desesprits and not being particularly wowed by her concept. I can gladly say that I have a better understanding of her here. While I usually like my Darklords having more gravitas or outward sway on their domain, I think Miseria is strongly benefited from Cassandre being so low-key. Her write-up is also a useful reminder that not every Darklord needs to be on the level of Strahd or Azalin. If anything, Cassandre is even more "real" by virtue of her vices being so apparent and her slights being so petty in nature. And it's lovely to see the Mist-Borne Post here! I really enjoy when fans can give shout-outs, nods, and tips of the proverbial hat to other fans and their work.

As Ian stated, I very much appreciated the use of footnotes to clarify what was your original writing versus what came from the pages of the Undead Sea Scrolls. I also appreciated their use in sharing the real-life inspirations behind portions of the article, like the religion section.


Lightlords of the Mistworld
By Tomasso "Mistmaster" Mazzoni

One thing I've always admired about Mistmaster's work has been his willingness to stick to his vision. While it isn't the traditional view of the Domains of Dread, it's an entertaining view nonetheless. I can credit Mistmaster's conviction and trust of his vision of the Mists in helping me feel more comfortable in "making mine Ravenloft" at my own tables and in my own headcanons. I also have to give Mistmaster credit for making me think more about my NPCs and influencing how I design them—he always has an adventure hook for whoever a party can interact with! And this article on Lightlords feels like a great addition to his prior body of work while also having some really interesting things for a traditionally-minded Ravenloft DM. Already I like that the Lightlords parallel the Darklords in coming into their roles with the 6 stages, and Mistmaster's concept is further strengthened by explaining the "types" of Lightlords. Though I was familiar with the concept from Mistmaster's prior work, I really think defining it in this way and giving DMs the flexibility of having a Lightlord fit multiple archetypes is a great benefit. Likewise with the examples Mistmaster provides, drawing from traditional lore (hello Sergei and Alanik Ray) and the new NPCs from his body of work over the years (like the Blue Fairy of Collodi and Nightking Ezekiel). I suppose my biggest point of constructive criticism would have been to elaborate further on the penultimate paragraph, regarding the role of lightlords as potential mentors, sponsors, quest-givers, backup, trainers, and info sources. I would have liked to have seen some more mechanics on that—maybe using the 5e sidekick or patron mechanics discussed in books like Tasha's Cauldron of Everything? Since Mistmaster uses the PF ruleset, I don't know if there's a mechanical equivalent or not. But it would have helped this article further. As is, I still really enjoy it and wish there were more. Are there cases of Lightlords succeeding in their quests? What if a Lightlord becomes a Darklord? Have we seen a Lightlord discard their Burden? Do they become a more "normal" NPC? Those sorts of questions show that this article has a really interesting idea, I just want more of it!

[Mistmaster]

First of all thank you. Second, yes, there are been cases both of Lightlords winning and of them becoming Darklords. Azalin is a most egregious example of both. From resistance leader to undead tyrant. I have theorized but not yet implemented the idea of a Darklord being substituted without fullfilling his quest.

[IanFordam]

Lightlords of the Mistworld
by Tommaso "Mistmaster" Mazzoni

Instead of Mistmaster's usual domain rewrite, this year we are treated to a short article about the Lightlord concept which he has developed for his Mistworld. It's a tightly written piece, touching upon what a Lightlord is, the path to becoming one, and then how to use a Lightlord in a campaign. It gives examples but does not belabor its points.

Three bits which stood out to me:

• Lightlords can force open closed borders? Okay, that's a significant boon!
• The notion of a Lightlord falling offers some rich narrative possibilities, particularly in conjunction with a Darklord redeeming themself.
• I very much appreciate the rejoinder that Lightlords exist to aid the PCs, not replace them.

[Mistmaster]

Lightlords of the Mistworld
by Tommaso "Mistmaster" Mazzoni

Instead of Mistmaster's usual domain rewrite, this year we are treated to a short article about the Lightlord concept which he has developed for his Mistworld. It's a tightly written piece, touching upon what a Lightlord is, the path to becoming one, and then how to use a Lightlord in a campaign. It gives examples but does not belabor its points.

Three bits which stood out to me:

• Lightlords can force open closed borders? Okay, that's a significant boon!
• The notion of a Lightlord falling offers some rich narrative possibilities, particularly in conjunction with a Darklord redeeming themself.
• I very much appreciate the rejoinder that Lightlords exist to aid the PCs, not replace them.

Thanks for your feedback. The part about Lightlords as support for the PCs I though it was important to clear a point about respecting PC's agency and not reducing it. SinceI have been criticised about that risk, I hope this assuages that fear. Lightlords, if used correctly are not meant to replace the PCs.

[IanFordam]

Thanks for your feedback. The part about Lightlords as support for the PCs I though it was important to clear a point about respecting PC's agency and not reducing it. SinceI have been criticised about that risk, I hope this assuages that fear. Lightlords, if used correctly are not meant to replace the PCs.

Yes, you addressed that concern directly, which is exactly what I appreciated.