Darklord is a title used to refer to the mystically imprisoned and cursed ruler of a domain in

Ravenloft Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a '' pocket dimension'' or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land piece ...

, a

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Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

Background

A Darklord was originally an individual who had committed a truly horrific crime, which drew the attention of the enigmatic Dark Powers. The Dark Powers then proceeded to craft a personal kingdom around the Darklord. This crafted domain serves both as a kingdom and a prison: the Darklord gains incredible powers while within its borders but can never leave it, although most Darklords can seal their domain borders with a thought. Within their domains, the Darklords are forever tormented by the objects of their desires, which are often the objects for which they committed their crimes. The Dark Powers dangle these objects before the Darklords like the fruits of

Tantalus Tantalus ( ), also called Atys, was a Greek mythological figure, most famous for his punishment in Tartarus: for either revealing many secrets of the gods, for stealing ambrosia from them, or for trying to trick them into eating his son, he ...

. Each Darklord's desires and motivations differ: some desire love, some hunger for glorious victory, while others crave for the defeat and humiliation of their enemies, which may include other rival Darklords. The ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplement '' Darklords'' (1991) introduced sixteen new Darklords to the setting, of which the website ''

Diehard GameFan ''GameFan'' (originally known as ''Diehard GameFan'') was a publication started by Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson in September 1992 that provided coverage of domestic and imported video games. It was notable for it ...

'' notes that "some of these Darklords would go on to have full adventures devoted to them, one would be the star of a SSI video game and still others would appear in published fiction. Yet others would never be seen again". Kevin Kulp, game designer, highlighted that "a notable aspect of this book is that most of the darklords aren't particularly powerful, even by 2nd edition AD&D standards. ..It's also a nice reminder that just because someone is evil and despicable, they aren't necessarily particularly tough or good at combat. They may have other abilities, assets, or assistance". The 5th Edition sourcebook ''Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft'', according to ''The Gamer'' website, highlights that the "Darklords work in a different way than the standard D&D boss .. Their ability to lockdown their domain, spread a plague, or manipulate dreams isn't something you can quantify with numbers. Instead, a Darklord's powers are something to be deployed over the course of many sessions, making the players wonder when and if they'll ever get a chance to face their foe. ..The Darklords of Ravenloft do battle by turning allies into enemies, depriving heroes of sleep with nightly haunts, and dangling hope just to yank it away at the last moment. ..When players finally defeat a Darklord, it will be because they persevered and were resourceful in unraveling their enemy's many schemes".

Darklords

Known darklords have included: *

Strahd von Zarovich Count Strahd von Zarovich is a fictional character originally appearing as the feature villain in the highly popular ''Advanced Dungeons and Dragons'' adventure module I6: ''Ravenloft''. Later, this character and his world would be explored in f ...

, who was introduced in the original ''Ravenloft'' adventure * Azalin Rex, who was introduced in '' Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill'' '' Ravenloft: Realm of Terror'' (1990) introduced: *Gabrielle Aderre, lord of Invidia *Dominic d'Honaire, lord of Dementlieu *Ivan Dilisnya, lord of Dorvinia * Vlad Drakov/Vladeska Drakov, lord of Falkovnia *Lord Wilfred Godefroy, lord of Mordent * Hazlik, lord of Hazlan * Harkon Lukas, lord of Kartakass * Frantisek Markov. lord of Markovia *Mordenheim's Monster, "

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

", lord of Lamordia *Yagno Petrovna, lord of G'Henna *Jacqueline Renier, lord of Richemulot * Alfred Timothy, lord of Verbrek *Nathan Timothy, lord of Arkandale * Ivana Boritsi, lord of Borca *Duke Gundar, lord of Gundarak *Malken, lord of Nova Vaasa *

Lord Soth Lord Soth, the Knight of the Black Rose, is a fictional character appearing in the fantasy realms of ''Dragonlance'' and later ''Ravenloft''. He is depicted as a death knight and fallen Knight of Solamnia from the world of Krynn. Development ...

, lord of Sithicus *Baron Urik von Kharkov, lord of Valachan *Jack Karn, lord of Farelle * Ankhtepot, lord of Har' Akir *Ladislav Mircea, lord of Sanguinia * Anton Misroi, lord of Souragne *Lord Arijani, lord of Sri Raji *Sir Torrance Bleysmith, lord of Staunton Bluff's *Easan the Mad, lord of Vechor *Sodo, lord of Zherisia The supplement '' Darklords'' (1991) focuses on "sixteen different Darklords spread out over thirteen chapters". The Darklords detailed in this supplement are: * Ankhtepot, a

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* Tristessa, a

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banshee A banshee ( ; Irish language, Modern Irish , from , "woman of the Tumulus#Ireland, fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or kee ...

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* Ebonbane, a living evil sword * The Three

Hags A hag is a wizened old woman, or a kind of fairy, witch, or goddess having the appearance of such a woman, often found in folklore and children's tales such as "Hansel and Gretel". Hags are often seen as malevolent, but may also be one of t ...

* The Headless Horseman * The House of Lament, an evil living house * Von Kharkov, a panther who was polymorphed into a person and subsequently turned into a

vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

* Merilee, a child vampire * Captain Alan Monette, a werebat pirate * The Phantom Lover, an

incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

* Marquis Stezen d'Polarno, who drains the souls of victims * Tiyet, a mummy who doesn't appear as

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

* Zolnik, a Loup de Noir

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''Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix II'' (1992) introduced: *Althea, lord of Demise ''Domains of Dread'' (1997) added these: *

Kas the Bloody-Handed This is a list of characters from the Greyhawk Campaign setting (Dungeons & Dragons), campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. A Acererak Acererak was a powerful Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons), wizard who b ...

Vecna Vecna ( ) is a fictional character appearing in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. Vecna has been named one of the greatest villains in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' franchise. Originally appearing in the ''Greyhawk'' campaign ...

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'' #378 (August 2009) detailed: * Arantor, lord of Monadhan

References

Fictional characters introduced in 1990 Ravenloft characters {{D&D-stub