Gwydion

[Willowhugger]

What's exactly so important about this character? The review says that if he escaped, he might be able to challenge the Dark Powers themselves. Is he a God? A Demon? What?

Is Gwydion a renegade Dark Power?

[Jester of the FoS]

Check out the Shadow Rift and Gaz V for the answers.
He is not a Dark Power but instead an extradimensional sorcerer-god of unknown power that enslaved an entire race of fey.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Gwydion seems to be that rare beast: a "darklord" whom the DPs never actually selected to become one. The shadow fey's escape from the Plane of Shadow, and Gwydion's pursuit, seem to have been initiated on the latter plane; getting caught up in the Mists was apparently an accident for both the fey and their former master, as the Araks' planar gate linked up to Ravenloft rather than the Material Plane.

Of course, that's assuming the DPs weren't watching the fey escape plan all along, so they could intercede en route and capture Gwydion and his servants. But at face value, Gwydion's "darklordship" seems more like an accidental interaction between the Land of Mists and Gwydion's evil, not an intentional attempt to build him a domain. In that respect, he's a bit like Isolde, whose "domain" is really just a reality wrinkle she's turned into a traveling refuge.

If, indeed, Gwydion's capture was an accident, then that means the DPs didn't necessarily want him there; perhaps they'd rather be rid of him, but haven't been able to sever the connection between Ravenloft and the Plane of Shadow that's holding him imprisoned. That, in itself, makes Gwydion a potential threat irregardless of what he is, as he's not fully under the DPs' power, like most other darklords are.

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

I prefer to think that Gwyduin, like all other Darklords was selected by the Dark Powers to fill his station, otherwise the domain of Arak would not truly have formed. No Darklord is made without the Dark Powers' say so Of course, whether Gwydion is a God-like ctreature is yet to be seen, all we know is that he enslaved the race that became the Arak and twisted them, though that is far more likely due to their prolonged contact wit hthe Plane of Shadow.

If you ask me, if the Dark Powers were unable to make the choice of Gwydion becoming the Dark Lord of Arak, they woud have selected another candidate by now.

Whatever Gwydion is, he's big, he's ugly and importantly trapped inside what remains of the Obsidian Gate.

[Fernando VI]

I totally agree, Gwydion may be a God of some sorts. However I played him as an entity of wondrous power, but not a God. Don't forget the DPs know their way around choosing who deserve a little nice domain of their own...

[William Blackmoor]

I prefer to think that Gwyduin, like all other Darklords was selected by the Dark Powers to fill his station, otherwise the domain of Arak would not truly have formed. No Darklord is made without the Dark Powers' say so

But we do know that the Dark Powers sometimes take a greater bite than they can chew. Vecna broke free and could have probably destroyed Ravenloft had he chosen to do so.
I agree with Rotipher. Gwydion was trapped by the Arak and not the DP's. The Dark Powers chose him as Darklord by opportunity. Who knows what would 've happend had he come through the Obsidian Gate.

[Nathan of the FoS]

Gwydion seems to be that rare beast: a "darklord" whom the DPs never actually selected to become one. The shadow fey's escape from the Plane of Shadow, and Gwydion's pursuit, seem to have been initiated on the latter plane; getting caught up in the Mists was apparently an accident for both the fey and their former master, as the Araks' planar gate linked up to Ravenloft rather than the Material Plane.

Of course, that's assuming the DPs weren't watching the fey escape plan all along, so they could intercede en route and capture Gwydion and his servants. But at face value, Gwydion's "darklordship" seems more like an accidental interaction between the Land of Mists and Gwydion's evil, not an intentional attempt to build him a domain. In that respect, he's a bit like Isolde, whose "domain" is really just a reality wrinkle she's turned into a traveling refuge.

If, indeed, Gwydion's capture was an accident, then that means the DPs didn't necessarily want him there; perhaps they'd rather be rid of him, but haven't been able to sever the connection between Ravenloft and the Plane of Shadow that's holding him imprisoned. That, in itself, makes Gwydion a potential threat irregardless of what he is, as he's not fully under the DPs' power, like most other darklords are.

Ooohhh...I like this idea a lot. I've never liked the Shadow Rift as a huge "hole" in the middle of the Core; it's just too weird. (For the record, I don't like Necropolis either, for the same reason.) But if we look at the Shadow Rift as a manifestation of Gwydion's reality wrinkle, it makes much more sense. It's bizarre and otherworldly because the Demiplane is being warped by the interaction of the Dark Powers' control of the plane and Gwydion's shadowy, infernal presence.

And a little retrofitting makes the Shadow Rift's appearance more explicable, as well. Let's say the Arak came into Ravenloft and left Gwydion behind, with Loht becoming darklord; then, during the Grand Conjunction, Gwydion found his erstwhile slaves and appeared to reclaim them. Unfortunately for him, the (metaphorical) door slammed shut while he was half-way through it, leaving him half-present in Ravenloft, where his massive reality wrinkle distorted what had been Arak, creating the Shadow Rift.

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

But we do know that the Dark Powers sometimes take a greater bite than they can chew. Vecna broke free and could have probably destroyed Ravenloft had he chosen to do so.
I agree with Rotipher. Gwydion was trapped by the Arak and not the DP's. The Dark Powers chose him as Darklord by opportunity. Who knows what would 've happend had he come through the Obsidian Gate.

Gwudion may be the Sorcerer Fiends or whatever and be God-like, but he isn't a God, he placed himself in the role of one when he enslaved the fey and forced them to look upon as if he were one, that does not truly make him a deity, he just thinks he is one. Gaz 5 does mention his curse is that he is unable to escape the Obsidian Gate, so I would assume the DP's did choose him to be a Darklord and thus cursed him as such. While he has got close to escaping through manilulatng Loht in the past, his plans still failed. As Loht, the only other real candidate for the position of Darklord has already been proven to be able to leave the domain of Arak, Gwydion is the Darklord, so I believe the Dark Powers chosen him and he is not powerful enough to confront them, he is just an all powerful (maybe mortal but extremely long lived) being, not a god.

I am sure that if he was a God, he would have beem mentioned as such before now in canon material.

Vecna may have managed to increase his status, but I see it more as that Vecna turned his attentions away from his curse, that Kas was DL of the neighbouring domain that had the DP's decide to release him, not that he broke free. Same as that Soth was released when he went all depressed and realised it was his own fault for being in his position. Basically, Vecna lost interest on what was keeping him there, so the DP's saw no funin keeping him about, they just happened to time it well with him ascending to a new level of godhood, lol.

So at the end of things, Gwydion is not a deity, but is God-like to the Arak in power.

[Willowhugger]

Yet Gwydion nearly escaped in "The Shadow Rift."

The PCs shouldn't be insturments of a Dark Lord's curse. Curses should be inviolate and a PC CANNOT effect the outcome. If the PCs had just left then if it actually was his curse, something else would have stopped Gwydion.

[Wiccy of the Fraternity]

Yet Gwydion nearly escaped in "The Shadow Rift."

Actually, Gwydion nearly escaped into the Shadow Rift, he is still trapped in the Obsidian Gate. Even if he escaped that, I doubt he could leave the domain of Arak.

The PCs shouldn't be insturments of a Dark Lord's curse. Curses should be inviolate and a PC CANNOT effect the outcome. If the PCs had just left then if it actually was his curse, something else would have stopped Gwydion.

It's more fun to have the players do a Darklord's dirty work, plus it really sets up the dramatics for they realise they have been working for a possible bad guy, lol. Meave would have stopped her brother from opening the Obsidian Gate, but the player characters made it more convenient, as they had lost their shadows to the Powrie and were becoming Changelings, they had to enter Arak to regain possession of them The players were not the tools of Gwydion though, Loht was.

[Charney]

I must admit I still find the Rift to be the lamest domain. Gwydion as a big powerful fiend is cool by himself. But for him to be darklord of a domain filled with dark fairies... I don't know. I expected so much more when I bought the Shadow Rift book. I didn't even like the 3.5 version of the domain in Gaz V.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

That's true, though i think of it in reverse - I hate Gwydion but I like the Shadow Rift. i think it would make more sense for Lhot, the crippled prince, to be the darklord. Gwydion would serve a similar role to the dead of Darkon - a lurking boogeyman with no real effect.

[Jack of Tears]

>>I must admit I still find the Rift to be the lamest domain. Gwydion as a big powerful fiend is cool by himself. But for him to be darklord of a domain filled with dark fairies... <<

Is your objection that he is trapped in a realm with very little outside contact, or that the realm is filled with faeries? It is a sad thing that people have been so inundated with the image of the cute Disney faerie that they have forgotten the far darker fae origins.

Faeries of the old world were not kind, or pleasantly playful ... they were terrible as any force of nature. These were creatures who could bring great bounty or suffering upon mortals with no more than a whim. Who punished peasants for breaking laws they had no foreknowledge of and took offense whenever it suited their purpose. Faeries were neither wicked nor kind, as such; but an alien and fickle breed that considered itself above mankind by right of "birth".

In my opinion (and the opinion of generations of Celts) the Fae have as much right in horror as any vampire or lycanthrope.

If your objection is, rather, that this powerful beast is trapped with nothing more to do than watch its spawn freely move about in a piece of the world they can call their own ... well, that is its curse ....

Though I tend to agree that Lhot is a far more deserving dark lord and play it that way in my games.

[Willowhugger]

My problem with Gwydion is he's so damned impotent.

Can he do ANYTHING?

He's worse than the Lord of the Four Islands.

[Matthew L. Martin]

My problem with Gwydion is he's so damned impotent.

Can he do ANYTHING?

He's worse than the Lord of the Four Islands.

He's got some power and influence, but it's generally weak . . .

And according to Gaz V, that very lack of ability to affect his former minions or the world beyond the Gate is his curse.

Matthew L. Martin