Strahd Loves, Credits

Man Kills
Writing and Design: Jack Shear
Cover Art: Michael Gibbons
Interior Art: Dmitry Vechorko, Sammy Williams, David Balev,
Clark Young, Donovan Reeves, Jose Martinez, Macau, Adam
Flockeman, Kristina Flour, Alexia Rodriguez, Engin Akyurt

Contact: totgad@gmail.com

A Ravenloft Fanzine
Issue 3: Winter 2022
The Dead Travel Fast
I bid you welcome to the third issue of Strahd Love, Man Kills.
Have you ever considered that since the Land of the Mists is an
artificial construct made by the Dark Powers, the sun that shines
over the domains may not be real in a meaningful sense? Think
upon this: if the sun isn’t real, creatures of the night such as
vampires and wights may not be affected by its sullen rays.
It’s too grim a possibility to contemplate for long. Let’s move on
to this issue’s contents:
Lurid Locations explores a version of Sanguinia inspired by
the Gothic fear of feudalism’s oppressive excesses.
Baleful Backgrounds presents a new background for
characters: penny dreadful writer.
Seeds of Evil details two adventure seeds you can use to craft

scenarios set in Ravenloft. This issue’s installment posits the grim
possibility of a war between Dracula and Strahd and a campaign
framework based on stopping a malefactor from resurrecting the
Darklord of Barovia after his demise.
Portraits of the Damned presents two nonplayer characters
for use in your games: Reverend Krast and Sister Vulcra, two
witchfinders corrupted by fanaticism and zealotry.
Cryptic Alliances adds two additional factions to Ravenloft
from my home campaign and offers an alternate take on the Vhage
Agency detailed in Van Richten’s Guide.
Tragic Heroes focuses on sinister spiritualists you might
create as characters for games set in the Domains of Dread.
Random Ruin features a table that generates Dark Secrets for
the characters in your campaign and suggests mechanics for
making those secrets matter.
Forbidden Tomes provides a bibliography of a particular
genre of horror for your edification and entertainment. This
installment explores dark fantasy.
Lurid Locations
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft features many interesting
locations tailor-made for adventures set in the Land of the Mists,
but there is always room for more sinister sites. This installment of
Lurid Locations presents a re-imagined version of Sanguinia.
Sanguinia was introduced in the Realm of Terror boxed set, but
it never really had a chance to shine as a compelling adventure
locale. Sanguinia was depicted as a rather generic cold and dark
Gothic land under the thumb of a cruel vampire lord, which meant
it had little to recommend it over Barovia as a site for vampire-
slaying adventures.
The version of Sanguinia that I present here mines the fears of
a return to feudalism and the resurgence of the excesses of the
medieval past that color many Gothic novels. I’ve taken the
previous Darklord, Prince Ladislav Mircea, and divided him into
two competing Darklords—each of whom symbolizes a different
kind of feudal horror.

SANGUINIA Map
Maps of Sanguinia can be found in Realm of Terror and the
Ravenloft Campaign Setting book. Also, several fantastic fan-
made maps of the domain are only an internet search away.
Sanguinia
Domain of Feudal Excesses
Darklords: Count Magnus von Karlok and Countess Yulia
Skarnstein
Genres: Gothic horror and dark fantasy
Hallmarks: Oppressed peasants, decadent nobility, blood tithes
Mist Talismans: Bejeweled goblet, fragment of shattered crown
Sanguinia is a cold northern realm of defiled churches, sprawling
castles, and humble farming communities. Once a land held in
thrall by a single capricious feudal prince, Sanguinia is now a
realm divided. Two vampire nobles vie against each other for
control of Sanguinia. In the south, Count Magnus von Karlok
holds sway over the territories encircling Fagarus. In the north,
Countess Yulia Skarnstein rules the villages, towns, and hamlets
that surround Kosova.
A look of fear, resentment, and resignation is common in the
eyes of Sanguinian serfs. The mortal peasantry who populate the
land are forced to work the unforgiving and often barren soil of
Sanguinia just to eke out a meager existence. Worse yet, they must
pay a tithe in blood to the vampires who reign over them as
undying lords. Although they are oppressed by undead nobles they
cannot hope to overcome, revolts among the lower classes are
becoming increasingly more common, incendiary, and dangerous
in Sanguinia. These petty rebellions are always violently
suppressed by the vampires who govern the domain.
Countess Skarnstein and Count von Karlok contest each other’s
rule in both overt and subtle ways. Each wishes to usurp the other
from their territory so that they might rule all of Sanguinia. Yulia
Skarnstein has spies hidden within the Count’s household and
plots to lure him into a cunning trap that will end his unnatural
existence. Magnus von Karlok has marshaled his troops, annexed
villages that belonged to the Countess’s dominion, and hopes to
one day meet Yulia on the field of battle so that he might kill her
personally. Neither can rest easy while the other still exists. The
people of Sanguinia are caught in the middle of this ferocious and
unending enmity.
Noteworthy Features
Those familiar with Sanguinia know the following facts:
• Sanguinia was once a united kingdom ruled by Prince
Ladislav Mircea, but is now divided between the vampires
Countess Yulia Skarnstein and Count Magnus von Karlok.
• The oppressed peasants of Sanguinia are required to tithe
their blood to feed their undead masters.
• The worship of the gods has been outlawed throughout
Sanguinia. The land’s many churches and cathedrals stand
vacant or ruined, though some Sanguinians meet in secret
to continue practicing their faiths.
Sanguinian Characters
Characters from Sanguinia tend to be hardened and stoic folk
who take nothing for granted. Used to hunger, frigid weather,
and abuse from those with authority, they rarely complain openly
and treat every new day as a gift. When players create characters
from Sanguinia, consider asking them the following questions.
What social class did you belong to? Social class matters a
great deal in Sanguinia. Most Sanguinians are serfs with few
rights, but a small middle class of artisans does exist. Rarer still
are the mortals who attend the courts of the lands’ vampire rulers
as members of the hereditary aristocracy.
Have you attended the court of Yulia Skarnstein or
Magnus von Karlok? The courtiers of the land bend to the
whims of Sanguinia’s vampire nobles—have you ever
encountered either of the vampire lords who rule the realm or
perhaps had your presence requested at their courts?
What sustains you? Sanguinia is largely a land without hope,
but its people often grasp onto an ideal or cause that gives their
lives a greater sense of purpose. This ideal may be dedication to
one’s family, belief in a spiritual savior, or the cause of liberty and
emancipation itself.
Settlements and Sites
Sanguinia is a hard, unforgiving land of frost, cold winds, and
rocky soil. Most of the populace live in villages and hamlets that
are little more than open farmland dotted with crude shelters. It is
only around the estates of Sanguinia’s vampire lords that anything
approaching urban civilization can sustain itself.
Castle Guirgiu
Nestled at the foot of the mountains, Castle Guirgiu is an
abandoned keep that was once the seat of Prince Ladislav. The
people of Sanguinia have a pronounced dread of Castle Guirgiu.
The castle is haunted by a spectral memory of the once-whole
prince; he continually weeps over his currently divided state and
inability to reconcile his warring passions.
Fagarus
The heavily fortified city of Fagarus is the seat of Count Magnus
von Karlok’s realm in the south of Sanguinia. Count Magnus
demands that the people of Fagarus suffer meekly under the
imposition of austerity. Fagarus is the central hub of trade in
southern Sanguinia, but the townspeople do not benefit from
increased access to food or other goods. The Count stockpiles
grain and other necessities for the war he wishes to wage against
Yulia Skarnstein. Order is kept in Fagarus by the Count’s brutal
enforcers, who are immediately recognizable by the ashen coats
they wear and the executioner’s axes they carry as grim badges of
office. Overlooking the town is Castle Myrkrana, Count Magnus
von Karlok’s spartan and imposing keep.
Kosova
Kosova is the largest city in Countess Yulia Skarnstein’s northern
realm and the acknowledged center of culture in Sanguinia. The
Countess’s court attracts artists, dancers, musicians, poets, and
actors who find the unnatural allure of undeath to be aesthetically
inspiring. Similarly, the pleasures offered in Kosova dull the pain
and monotony of toil on behalf of the Countess. Taverns, brothels,
and gambling dens litter the streets of the city. At the center of
Kosova stands Castle Siebenhurst, Yulia Skarnstein’s seven-spired
fastness of gleaming white stone, elegant galleries, and stained
glass windows depicting acts of carnal depravity.
Lake Argus
The winds blow cold and harsh around the shores of Lake Argus.
Save for a few brief weeks in the height of summer, Lake Argus is
sealed over with a thick crust of gleaming ice. Those who stare into
the lake’s mirror-like surface on nights of the full moon are
granted strange visions, such as glimpses of a wintry apocalypse
that will make the land inhospitable to life or the presence of a
sunken city lurking at the center of Lake Argus.
Tirgo
The town of Tirgo is caught at the border between the lands
claimed by Count Magnus von Karlok and Countess Yulia
Skarnstein. Ownership of the town and its farmland alternates
between the two vampire lords of Sanguinia depending on the
fluctuation of the border between the two vampires’ holdings.
Ladislav Mircea
Sanguinia is a domain possessing two Darklords, but it was once
the province of a single man—Prince Ladislav Mircea. Ladislav
knew he ruled his principality as an unloved despot. Though the
suffering engendered by his rule troubled his conscience, rather
than attempt to reform his tyrannical ways directly he enlisted a
foul priest of a deity known as the Lawgiver to enact a ritual that
would magically purge him of his most pernicious flaws.
Unfortunately, Prince Ladislav was a man of many sins. He was
as warlike and bellicose as he was lusty and depraved. The ritual
did not free him from his worst impulses—it instead rent him
asunder, giving separate life to the failings that marred his
essential self. His anger and love of exercising authority was
encapsulated in Magnus von Karlok, the very embodiment of the
imperious vampire. His licentiousness and ungovernable
attraction to physical and spiritual corruption was given form as
the vampire hedonist Yulia Skarnstein.
As equal portions of the same blighted soul, Yulia and Magnus
hold each other in the deepest contempt and are cursed to forever
war against one another in a battle that neither can win. The Dark
Powers ensure that the hubris of Prince Ladislav’s vain attempt to
free himself from his transgressions will be punished in perpetuity
as the two halves of his nature are forced into a never-ending
conflict to control Sanguinia.
Magnus’s Powers and Dominion
Magnus von Karlok is a towering
vampire of rigid, militaristic mien, with
a long mane of hair and piercing eyes.
He only ever truly feels comfortable
when striding across the battlefield
clad in his blood-red ancestral armor
and giving vent to his violent impulses
against whoever dares to oppose him.
Magnus von Karlok’s stats are similar
to those of a vampire warrior.
The Knights of Draghul.
Magnus von Karlok maintains an elite
band of warriors known as the Knights
of Draghul who direct and lead his
militias. The Knights of Draghul are
mostly comprised of the scions of dragonborn families that the
Count has allowed to settle in estates around Fagarus. Count
Magnus trains each of his knights personally; they are fanatically
loyal to him, viewing him as a veritable demigod of war who will
lead them to blood-soaked victories.
The Brides of von Karlok. Magnus has few close
relationships, but his most trusted advisors are his three
monstrous brides: Lithka is a cunning harpy who acts as his
spymaster, Phaedra is a medusa who operates as his private
assassin, and Maxima is an erinyes who assists in drawing
elaborate battle plans for the conquest of Countess Yulia
Skarnstein’s territories.
Roleplaying Magnus von Karlok
Magnus is inflexible, believes in a strict code of honor, and is a
reactionary traditionalist at heart. However, his chivalrous nature
is compromised by a domineering streak that flares into violent
rage at the slightest provocation.
Personality Trait. “If a subordinate does not bow and scrape
before me, they must learn a grievous and painful lesson.”
Ideal. “I am driven to seek glory through military victory.”
Bond. “I feel a kinship with all honorable warriors.”
Flaw. “My belief in the superiority of my martial skill
sometimes blinds me to obvious danger.”
Yulia’s Powers and Dominion
Yulia Skarnstein is a vampire of
breathtaking beauty who refuses to be
dressed in anything less than the
height of sumptuous fashion. She is a
masterful gatherer of information and
an adept manipulator. Yulia favors
indirect machinations; she prefers
quiet assassination and complex
stratagems over blatant aggression.
Yulia Skarnstein’s stats are similar to
those of a vampire spellcaster,
though her spells lean toward
enchantment, divination, and magic
drawn from the darker end of the
cleric’s spell list.
Cult of the Razor’s Kiss. Yulia is the high priestess of a
pleasure cult that venerates Malcanthet, the Demon Queen of
Succubi. The cultists of the Razor’s Kiss view pain and degradation
as the highest forms of beauty and art; they venerate Malcanthet
through sadomasochistic rituals that test their endurance and
devotion to the Demon Queen. As Malcanthet’s chosen prophet,
Yulia Skarnstein has a number of skilled enchanters,
cambions, and succubi from the cult sworn to her service.
Roleplaying Yulia Skarnstein
Countess Yulia fears the inescapable ennui that comes with long
centuries of undeath. She regularly holds salons in Castle
Siebenhurst to stave off boredom and keeps a harem of
breathtakingly beautiful intellectual and artistic men and women
to provide her with whatever stimulation she requires.
Personality Trait. “I appreciate witty conversation and
demand to be amused by those around me.”
Ideal. “I want to be privy to every secret and experience every
possible pleasure—no matter how base or degenerate.”
Bond. “Whoever gratifies my desires is my current favorite,
but my favor is forever fickle and inconstant.”
Flaw. “I cannot conceive of others as anything else but
playthings.”
Adventures in Sanguinia
The horror of Sanguinia lies the fear of a return to feudal brutality
in a land where the common people can be used, drained of
vitality, and disposed of at the whims of a powerful caste of
undead nobility.

Sanguinia Adventures
d8 Adventure
1 A monstrous beast has been massacring remote villages. It
must be tracked to its lair and slain. However, it will be
discovered that the beast is under the command of a
shadowy agent sowing chaos and discord to weaken one of
the domain’s Darklords.
2 Ownership of a hamlet sitting near the shores of Lake Argus
is contested by the domain’s two rival vampires, rendering it
vulnerable to being caught in the crossfire as they pursue
their bloody-minded vendettas.
3 A peasant rebellion is about to erupt in a village famous for
its gem cutting. The serfs are in dire need of additional
Baleful Backgrounds
armaments, training, and the aid of experienced This section of Strahd Loves, Man Kills presents a new
adventurers to make their bid for freedom successful. background for characters: penny dreadful writer.
4 A forsaken dungeon holds dark intimations of the Although any fictional tales of terror a penny dreadful writer
connection between the domain’s two fractious Darklords. might pen could be easily mistaken for factual reporting by the
besieged and bedeviled denizens of the Land of the Mists, I love
5 An unheralded force of darkness descends upon the land. the idea of an adventurer who captures the essence of their
The only thing that could possibly repel it is an alliance exploits in prose—with a few grisly embellishments, of course—to
between the forces commanded by Yulia Skarnstein and satisfy the prurient interests of the reading public.
Magnus von Karlok. The characters will be placed in the
unenviable position of entreating their combined aid.
6 Magnus von Karlok has enlisted a rogue artificer to create INSPIRATIONS
automaton soldiers to swell the ranks of his legions. This background was inspired by the many unrecognized authors
7 The moon turns a sickly yellow and the earth splits to reveal of penny dreadfuls in the nineteenth century who kept the Gothic
a fire raging beneath the land. These apocalyptic portents tradition alive in the lurid pages of their cheaply printed
point to the arrival of a dhampir prophesied to bring the end periodicals. Should you wish to explore the world of penny
of the world. dreadfuls, I recommend Varney the Vampire, a lengthy tale that
8 An innocent has been captured by the Cult of the Razor’s predates the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The
Kiss. This individual is in need of rescue, else they will String of Pearls, which introduced the world to Sweeney Todd,
transformed into an avatar of Malcanthet against their will. the Demon Barber of Fleet Street!
Penny Dreadful Writer
You write gruesome tales of murder, monsters, and mayhem for
the entertainment of the reading public.
Skill Proficiencies: Choose two from among History, Insight,
and Investigation
Tool Proficiencies: Calligrapher’s supplies
Languages: One of your choice
Equipment: A copy of your latest publication, calligrapher’s
supplies, a blank book, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch
containing 10 gp
Feature: Adoring Fans
Even under the most unlikely circumstances you might encounter
a fan of your work. This fan will be willing to put you up for the
night or aid you in any way they can, if only to have the
opportunity to get your autograph, take a peek at your next penny
dreadful, or ask you where you get your ideas.
Noteworthy Work
The authors of penny dreadfuls typically write multiple volumes in
long-running series of horror tales. Choose the title of the work
you are most known for or roll on the Penny Dreadful Title table.
Penny Dreadful Title
d10 Title
1 The Fleshless Monk of Chesterton Abbey
2 The Corpse Grinder of Marbury Street
3 The Fountain of Blood
4 Midnight on the Moors
5 The Mystery of the Seven Brides in Black
6 Patchwork Jack Strikes Again!
7 The Hangman’s Vengeance
8 Death Has Come to Streghastra Manor
9 The Ghoul’s Feast
10 Velmina the Vampire
Personality Traits
d8 Personality Trait
1 I pry into other people’s private lives to find material for my
next story.
2 I always have my nose in a book.
3 I scrutinize everyone’s behavior so that I might make my
characters’ motivations more realistic.
4 I adventure to experience horror firsthand to capture its
effects with the upmost verisimilitude.
5 When I am writing I become oblivious to the world and
people around me.
6 I am curious about every little detail and quite easily become
fixated on minor matters.
7 I never pass up the opportunity to hear an old storyteller
spin a yarn by the fireside.
8 Writing is my curse. I feel bound to write even though the
process is pure torture.
Ideals
d6 Ideal
1 Exhortation. Although my works are fiction, they are
cautionary tales that warn the reader of the dangers lurking
in this world. (Good)
2 Literary Luxuriance. I write simply because I enjoy the
act of literary creation and a fine turn of phrase. (Neutral)
3 Fame. My works will carry my name far and wide. (Any)
4 Narrative Order. I write to find the underlying structure
in the chaos of life. (Lawful)
5 Greed. All that matters is that I get rich off my works, no
matter who gets exploited along the way. (Evil)
6 Romantic Temperament. I live for the thrill of sudden
bursts of unexpected inspiration. (Chaotic)
Bonds
d6 Bond
1 I owe my publisher a great debt for taking a chance on me
Seeds of Evil
when I was an unknown author. What follows in this section of SLMK are two adventure seeds
2 The book I treasure most was written by an anonymous suitable for any composition of characters ready to intervene in
author, and I am obsessed with uncovering their identity. domain-shaking conflicts in the land of Barovia.
3 I love to sign copies of my works for my favorite bookseller.
4 My tales are all written as a tribute to my beloved muse. Strahd versus Dracula
5 I truly care about the fans of my work who support my Did you know that it is a canonical
career as a writer. possibility that Strahd could face
off against Dracula?
6 I have a literary rival whom I must embarrass and outdo at
every turn. Allow me to explain.
It is generally excepted that
Flaws Ravenloft pulls people from other
realms into the Land of the Mists.
d6 Flaw
The setting is, at least in part,
1 I often accuse other writers of plagiarism. populated by characters from
2 Any criticism of my work is taken as a personal insult. other settings, such as Krynn,
3 When I suffer from writer’s block, I become irritable or Faerûn, Athas, and Oerth. The
depressed. Mists can also abscond with
4 I habitually exaggerate my literary success in conversation characters from Gothic Earth—a
with my peers and other people I wish to impress. setting that where all the elements
of the Victorian Gothic are real
5 I am haunted by the horrific incident that set me on the path rather than fictional. In fact,
of writing tales of terror. Ravenloft has an entire domain—
6 Deep down, I know that I am a talentless hack. Odiare—that was stolen from
Gothic Earth's Italy.
And that's where Dracula comes in.
Dracula is one of the great evils of the Gothic Earth setting. If
the Mists can incorporate Odiare into Ravenloft’s patchwork of
horrors, there's no reason why they could not also pull Dracula
from Gothic Earth's Transylvania and insert him into Barovia as a
Darklord to rival Strahd von Zarovich. Of course, were that to
happen, it would only be a matter of time until Dracula and Strahd
square off to determine who is the true vampire lord of Ravenloft
and the rightful master of Barovia. What a horrible war for your
players’ characters to find themselves embroiled in.
The Resurrection of Strahd
It’s typical for players new to Ravenloft to have their first
experience of the Domains of Dread come in the form of a trip to
Strahd von Zarovich’s castle. Nearly every edition of Dungeons &
Dragons has had its own version of the classic adventure in Castle
Ravenloft. Whether the scenario is the original I6: Ravenloft or
Curse of Strahd, it makes a great deal of sense to introduce the
setting through its most famous adventure and let new players
meet the setting’s most notorious Darklord.
But what of players who are already well-versed in the ways of
Ravenloft? There are only so many times you can stalk the
corridors of Castle Ravenloft looking to end Strahd’s reign of
terror before familiarity breeds contempt. One alternative
campaign framework I’ve used is to start play with the necessity of
defeating Strahd already taken off the table. In this campaign,
somebody else has already done the dirty work of killing Strahd.
Another group of adventurers—whether in recent memory or the
distant past—successfully traversed the dangers of Castle
Ravenloft and ended the Count’s miserable existence.
Portraits of the Damned
This installment of Portraits of the Damned details Reverent Krast
The problem, of course, is that evil rarely stays dead in the and Sister Vulcra, two witchfinders whose faith has been twisted
Land of the Mists. Taking a cue from the Castlevania series, the into an obscene form by zealotry.
central tension in the campaign is that someone is trying to
resurrect Strahd von Zarovich. The campaign revolves around
stopping this villain before they are able to raise Strahd and begin Reverend Krast
the long nightmare that afflicts Barovia anew. Of course, if the As a child, Grigori Krast’s father left him at an orphanage run by
players fail to halt Strahd’s return, they’ll need to deal with him as the Church of Ezra. The hardships he endured there only served to
well. Who would dare raise Strahd from his eternal slumber? Let’s make him unfeeling, cruel, and suspicious. As an adult, Grigori
consult the oracle to find out. became an ordained priest of the Church of Ezra and made the
hunting of witches his vocation. Grigori Krast is a tall, gaunt man
Strahd’s Resurrection who rarely smiles. He is never without the blood-encrusted maul
d8 Conspirator that has served him well in his campaign against witchery.
1 Lyssa von Zarovich, a usurper distantly related to Strahd.
2 Madame Eva, the corrupt Vistani fortune teller. Sister Vulcra
3 Necromancers of the Crucifuge. Vulcra took the veil as a nun of the Sisterhood of the Requiem
Vow, a militant ascetic sect of the Ulmist Inquisition. By all
4 Cultists who revere Strahd as a messiah.
accounts, Sister Vulcra was slain by devils who assaulted the
5 Rudolph van Richten, who needs something from Strahd. Sisterhood’s stronghold, but she miraculously arose reborn from
6 Rahadin, Strahd’s loyal dusk elf executioner. her crypt three days after burial. Many in the Requiem Vow
7 Members of the Fraternity of Shadows. believe her to be a living saint. Sister Vulcra is a stern woman who
8 Death, a primordial entity of the grave. wears a suit of battered armor and covers her beautiful hair with a
bloodstained wimple.
Reverend Krast’s Traits
Ideal. “I will rid the world of the stench of witchery.”
Bond. “My father’s lesson was harsh, but the orphanage made
me the man I am today.”
Flaw. “I look for pretenses to accuse others of witchcraft.”

Sister Vulcra’s Traits

Ideal. “I have been called to serve a higher power as their
chosen disciple.”
Bond. “I have the utmost respect for sainted martyrs.”
Flaw. “I disdain anyone who notices my beauty.”

Adventures with Grigori and Vulcra

Reverent Krast uses the stats of a war priest. Sister Vulcra uses
the stats of an inquisitor of the sword. The duo are often

accompanied by orphaned children they “adopt” in their travels.
These children are purposefully reduced to a feral, wild state. They
are kept on leashes and their teeth are filed to sharp points to
make them into weapons useful to the two witchfinders. These
children use stats similar to those of wolves. Consider the
following plots when featuring Grigori Krast and Sister Vulcra in
an adventure:
• The witchfinders have accused an innocent of practicing
black magic and plan to burn them at the stake to
demonstrate the fate that awaits heretics.
• The pair have taken a child into their retinue who is not an
orphan; the child’s parents are desperate to have the girl
returned to them.
• One of the pair have been captured by a coven of witches.
The other demands that the characters help them free their
compatriot. If the characters refuse, they will be accused of
being in league with fiends.
INSPIRATIONS
Reverent Krast was inspired by Reverend Trask from Dark
Shadows. Sister Vulcra was inspired by the Battle Sisters army,
and Saint Celestine in particular, from Warhammer 40k. Their
savage adopted children were inspired by the show Salem.
Cryptic Alliances
This installment of Cryptic Alliances details two factions that I’ve
used to good effect in my own campaigns and an alternate take on
the Vhage Agency.
The Barbarez Legion
The Barbarez Legion is a mercenary band comprised solely of
gnolls who engage in carnage to honor the demon lord Yeenoghu.
Their lust for gold and plunder is outpaced only by their love of
bloodshed. The gnolls of the Barbarez Legion serve anyone
depraved and wealthy enough to employ them. The contract
insisted upon by the Barbarez Legion is simple: they expect to be
paid well to fight on behalf of their employer, and they reserve the
right to feast upon the carcasses of their fallen foes and deceased
allies when battle has concluded.
The warriors of the Barbarez Legion are likely to be found in
any domain when military conflict is imminent or ongoing. They
might appear in Falkovnia, offering to engage the undead hordes
that besiege Levkarest, or they may enter into a contract to repel
the advances of the faceless warriors who continually assault
Staunton Bluffs. When not under contract as soldiers, they operate
as brigands and raiders.
The Crucifuge
The Crucifuge is an order of necromancers who experiment with
novel ways of combining dead flesh, black magic, and the vital
essences of demons to birth new forms of corporeal undead.
Members of the Crucifuge possess a nihilistic philosophical
perspective, regarding life itself as a cosmic stain that should be
effaced by the depredations of the undead. Many necromancers of
the Crucifuge revere Orcus and consider their dark work to be a
form of worship. The undead created by the necromancers of the
Crucifuge are endowed with demonic boons as detailed in
Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes.

Vhage Agency
The Vhage Agency is a guild of occult detectives, spies, private
investigators, thief-takers, and bounty hunters. The Vhage Agency
excels at bringing the worst criminals in the Land of the Mists to

justice, offering an alternative to often incompetent or uncaring
parish beadles, watchmen, and local constabulary. The Vhage
Agency will take any case—that said, their services do come at a
price that is sometimes too dear for the truly downtrodden to pay.
Rumors that the Vhage Agency will take innocent lives for the
right handful of coins dogs the organization and tarnishes its
reputation. Additionally, it is known that the Vhage Agency’s
members have worked as strikebreakers and as private security for
the wealthy and powerful.
What is not well known is that every Vhage Agency office is part
of the domain that entraps the Darklord Flimira “Flintlock” Vhage.
No matter what domain a Vhage Agency office is located in, there
is always a hallway within it that leads to Flintlock’s personal
chamber—a strangely monotone gray room where she spins webs
of deceit, as she is a criminal mastermind successfully
masquerading as a detective.
INSPIRATIONS
The Barbarez Legion was loosely inspired by the Barbaroi in
volume three of Vampire Hunter D. The Crucifuge was inspired
the Devil Forgemasters in Castlevania and Danzig’s Lucifuge
album. My revision of the Vhage Agency took inspiration from
film noir and the historical Pinkerton National Detective Agency.
Tragic Heroes
This feature gives four brief outlines of heroes you might create as
characters to face the horrors of Ravenloft. Each Tragic Heroes
segment revolves around a common theme. The theme of this
installment is sinister spiritualists.
Disciple of Slaughter
The disciple of slaughter is haunted by the ghost of a murderer
who was convicted and executed for their heinous crimes.
Although this haunting is a constant torment to the disciple of
slaughter, they also benefit from the attention of the murderous
spirit who is always by their side. The disciple of slaughter is
unlikely to be a hardened killer in their own right, but when they
are in danger they become momentarily possessed by the
murderer’s spirit—which grants them the ability to kill with
reckless abandon.
Suggested build: Human Path of the Berserker barbarian
Eviscerant
The eviscerant has mastered the art of separating their astral body
from their corporeal body to aid them in the midst of battle. They
project their spiritual body to fight alongside their earthly form,
temporarily sundering the bond between spirit and matter.
However, they run the risk of becoming reckless and foolhardy;
dividing spirit from the body can create a feeling of unreality for
the eviscerant, which sometimes results in a callous disregard for
their own safety as they become all too accustomed to functioning
without the sensations that accompany embodied existence.
Suggested build: Human Echo Knight fighter
Geist Caller
The passing of generations leads to a loss of knowledge as
individuals take their lore with them to the grave, but the geist
caller has learned the secret of recalling the spirits of the dead
from the afterlife to take advantage of their forgotten wisdom. The
geist caller usually serves a deity associated with learning, death,
or secrets. Their divine magic summons specters who whisper
knowledge lost to the world of the living or provide instruction in
skills that the ghost practiced in life. As an example, a law-abiding
geist caller confronted by a locked door may consult with the ghost
of a burglar, temporarily gaining the ability to deftly manipulate
thieves’ tools in order to spring the troublesome lock.
Suggested build: High elf Knowledge domain cleric
Sacral Custodian
The sacral custodian took on the sacred duty of tending to the
sanctified graves of a burial ground. The cemetery they protect
empowers them in strange, uncanny ways; the spirits of dead who
are buried in the cemetery arise from their final rest to defend the
sacral custodian in times of need. Sacral custodians are generally
content to live within close proximity to their chosen graveyard,
but this adventurer has left their duties to find a relic or a bone
that was stolen from one of the graves they swore to protect. The
retrieval of this consecrated item is the object of their single-
minded quest, and they cannot rest until it is re-interred.
Suggested build: Tortle Path of the Ancestral Guardian
barbarian
Random Ruin
When you’re stuck for inspiration,
nothing beats a random table.
Dark Secrets
In some games set in Ravenloft, the characters may not be pure of
heart in the traditional sense. If you want a cast of characters
burdened by their past misdeeds or the strange convolutions of
their lives, have each player either pick or roll for a Dark Secret
from the following table.
When a character encounters something that reminds them of
their Dark Secret or interacts with someone who knows their Dark
Secret, consider giving them inspiration if their reaction draws
attention to their hidden past. Once a character gains inspiration
in this way, they can’t do so again until they finish a long rest.
Additionally, if you are using the optional Stress Score rules from
Van Richten’s Guide, that character’s Stress Score increases by 1.
Dark Secret
d100 Secret
01 Abandonment. You abandoned your family during a
crisis, leaving them to fend for themselves.
02 Abduction. You were kidnapped as a child, and your
family was lost to you.
03 Abusive. You were physically or emotionally violent to
someone vulnerable.
04 Accursed. You are the unfortunate inheritor of a
dreadful familial curse.
05 Addiction. You have developed an unhealthy reliance
on an intoxicant.
06 Aggression. You entertained yourself by getting into
needless, brutal fights.
07 Betrayal. You broke the bonds of trust with someone
who loved you.
08 Betrothed. You fled an arranged marriage.
09 Black mark. One of your family members is an
infamous criminal.
10 Blackmail. You extorted a prominent member of
society because you knew their secret.
11 Blasphemous compact. You have made an unholy
pact with an otherworldly creature.
12 Bleak outlook. You see no value in life and seek your
own death.
13 Bloodsport. You participated in or were part of the
audience for a game that was fatal to a competitor.
14 Bullying. You tormented someone else, pushing them
to the brink of their ability to endure.
15 Cannibalism. During an expedition you were forced to
commit cannibalism to survive.
16 Charmed. You were once under the control of a
spellcaster who used enchantments to break your will.
17 Cold. An attack by an undead creature has left you with
muted emotions and an inability to experience pleasure.
18 Compelled. You have always heard voices in your head
urging you to do cruel, inhuman things.
19 Cowardice. You once witnessed a grave crime, but did
not intervene out of fear.
20 Criminal confederacy. You aided and concealed the
heinous crimes committed by someone else.
21 Cult membership. You belonged to an unwholesome
or dangerous cult.
22 Deranged. During a time of crisis you had a complete
mental breakdown and were institutionalized.
23 Desertion. You were a soldier, but you abandoned your
duties to save your own skin.
24 Disastrous duel. You killed someone in a duel.
25 Dishonored. You committed an unworthy act that
would stain your reputation forever if it were known.
26 Disturbing past life. You have vivid memories of the
monstrous life you led prior to being reincarnated.
27 Divine punishment. You were struck by lightning—
evidence that you have earned a god’s personal disfavor.
28 Double. Someone else looks exactly like you and
sometimes commits crimes using your identity.
29 Enmity. A childhood friend is now your bitterest foe.
30 Enslaved. You were once kept in bondage as a slave.
31 Enthralled. You willing gave your blood and service to
a vampire.
32 Entrapment. You arranged circumstances so that
someone else took the blame for your crimes.
33 Escapee. You managed to escape from a prison,
dungeon, or jail before finishing your sentence.
34 Exile. Due to an unspeakable incident, you are no
longer welcome in your homeland.
35 Expelled. You were forced to leave a school or
apprenticeship due to an indiscretion.
36 Extortion. You demanded money and used the threat
of violence to get it.
37 Extravagance. You shamefully squandered your
inheritance.
38 Failed execution. You were believed to have been
executed for a crime, but you miraculously survived.
39 Fallacious will. You forged a fraudulent will to ensure
your inheritance.
40 False witness. You turned in a rival to the authorities
whom you knew was innocent of an alleged crime.
41 Fictitious title. You claim an aristocratic title that you
have no real right to.
42 Fixation. You have an unhealthy obsession with
another person.
43 Flagellation. You abuse your body in the name of your
religion or to soothe your feelings of guilt.
44 Forbidden love. You are in love with someone
unsanctioned and disallowed.
45 Forged identity. You have adopted another person’s
name and identity to escape from your old life.
46 Forsaken. Your parents abandoned you at a foundling
hospital or sold you to a traveling carnival.
47 Fraud. You pretended to be someone or something you
are not in order to enrich yourself.
48 Gossip. You spread malicious rumors, ruining
someone’s reputation and good name.
49 Grave robbery. You violated the sanctity of the grave
for your own gain.
50 Hag-ridden. Each night, you dream that you are visited
by a hag who sits on your chest. During these episodes
you feel like you are awake, but find yourself paralyzed.
51 Harangued. A spectral saint regularly chastises you for
your moral failings.
52 Haunted. You perceive the ghost of someone you have
wronged at inopportune moments.
53 Hedonism. You are addicted to sensual pleasure and
have led others down the path of the sybarite.
54 Heresy. Some of your religious sentiments run contrary
to accepted dogma.
55 Hideous parasite. A monstrous parasite lives within
your body.
56 Hunted. You were born the heir to a bloodline that
someone or something is invested in exterminating.
57 Hypocrisy. You publicly crusade against a sin you
freely indulge in private.
58 Illness. You suffer from an incurable fatal disease.
59 Imaginary friend. You never outgrew your childhood
imaginary friend; they urge you to commit misdeeds.
60 Indebted. You have racked up an impressive debt.
61 Jealousy. You are consumed by jealousy over another
person’s wealth or accomplishments.
62 Lovelorn. You are in love with someone who does not
return your affections.
63 Marked for sacrifice. You were very nearly sacrificed
by a cult or doomsday sect. They still seek your death.
64 Masochism. You find pleasure in accepting pain.
65 Massacre. You were a soldier who participated in war
crimes against civilians.
66 Meddling. Your meddlesome ways have ruined
someone’s life.
67 Missing relation. One of your family members
vanished suddenly and without explanation, but you
know the cause of their disappearance.
68 Monstrous rearing. You were raised by the monster
who slew your parents.
69 Murder. You have taken a life in cold blood.
70 Mysterious scars. Your body is defaced by scars, but
you have no memory of how you earned these wounds.
71 Nocturnal pulse. In your dreams you roam the night
as a predatory animal.
72 Otherworldly nightmares. An Elder Evil trapped in
the Far Realm speaks to you in your dreams.
73 Parricide. You killed one or both of your parents.
74 Perversity. You struggle against a constant urge to do
things that you know to be wrong.
75 Plague bearer. You are a vector for a disease that you
are immune to.
76 Press-ganged. You were forced to join a pirate crew or
bloodthirsty militia against your will.
77 Provocation. A book or tract you have written has
earned you the ire of the authorities.
78 Rage. You are a wellspring of barely contained anger.
79 Raised by wolves. Your parents abandoned you to
nature in a place of desolation.
80 Renounced duty. Your family is sworn to guard an
imprisoned monster, but you forsook that duty. The
monster is now free because of you.
81 Repressed memories. You are nagged by the
certainty that you have repressed a traumatic memory.
82 Robbery. You stole an item of importance. The original
owner still seeks its return.
83 Sadism. You find pleasure in delivering pain.
84 Secret lineage. You are related to a deposed or
executed royal family.
85 Sold to a hag. You parents sold you to a vile hag who
raised you in a hut deep within the woods.
86 Stolen valor. You pass yourself off as a hero.
87 Survivor’s guilt. You are the sole survivor of a terrible
calamity. You know what you did to save your own hide.
88 Tempted. You are the target of a fiend who regularly
attempts to coax you into signing away your soul.

89 Terrifying portent. On the night you were born, a
terrible omen predicted that yours would be a life of
untold horrors.
90 Touched by evil. You have a physical malformation
due to exposure to black magic.
91 Uncanny home. The house you grew up in was
haunted by ghosts tied to your family’s crimes.
92 Unholy. When you enter a place of worship, you feel
your skin crawl and experience searing pain.
93 Unlawful exhumation. You exhumed and sold fresh
corpses to medical schools for their anatomical lessons.
94 Unseelie revelry. As a child you frolicked with the
wicked fey under the cover of a deep and secret forest.
This revelry has marked you with unnaturally red hair.
95 Unwholesome experiments. You assisted an insane
artificer with their horrid experiments.
96 Usury. Your financially predatory ways have ruined
someone’s economic prospects.
97 Vengeance. You are consumed by the idea of taking
revenge against someone for a real or imagined slight.
98 Visions of apocalypse. You only ever dream of bloody
war and world-ending catastrophes.
99 Voyeurism. You take pleasure in spying on others
surreptitiously during private moments.
100 Roll twice on this table; yours has been an eventful life.
Forbidden Tomes
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft features a fantastic discussion of
different genres of horror. Unfortunately, the one thing it doesn’t
include is a list of inspirations you can turn to for each of the
genres it covers. This feature aims to add to Van Richten’s Guide
by providing a list of media you might want to read, watch, or play
to deepen your understanding of those genres. This installment
covers dark fantasy. These selections are not intended to be
comprehensive—these are merely my favorite examples of the
dark fantasy genre.
Bardugo, Leigh. Shadow and Bone.
Blizzard. Diablo.
Cook, Glen. The Black Company.
Delaney, Joseph. Revenge of the Witch.
FromSoftware. Dark Souls.
Games Workshop. Vampire Counts.
Giesbrecht, Jennifer. The Monster of Elendhaven.
Howard, Robert E. The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian and The
Savage Tales of Solomon Kane.
Hoshino, Katsura. D.Gray-man.
Kikuchi, Hideyuki. Vampire Hunter D.
King, Stephen. The Gunslinger.
Leiber, Fritz. Swords and Deviltry.
Martin, G.R.R. A Game of Thrones.
Miura, Kentaro. Berserk.
Moorcock, Michael. Elric of Melniboné.
Moore, C.L. Jirel of Joiry.
Sapkowski, Andrzej. The Last Wish.
Sedgwick, Marcus. My Swordhand is Singing.
Smith, Christopher. Black Death.
Wagner, Karl Edward. Death Angel’s Shadow.
Wizards of the Coast. Innistrad.
Yagi, Norihiro. Claymore.
Wyrd Miniatures. Malifaux.