The fellas want to play Ravenloft and It's my turn to GM. They have played in Ravenloft, but I have not. We will be playing 2nd edtion AD&D.
I don't want to ruin it for them, but I have some questions. Let's start with Azalin. Who is he? Is he supposed to be some kind of major mo fo? Does everyone do what he says? Has anyone ever gotten their hands on his Lich Heart? Is he the big mover and shaker in Ravenloft? If not, why does he let Count Strahd run rampant? What are Azalin's motivations? Does he instantly kill PCs on sight? Does he like to toy with them? Does he like coffee? Tell me more about the man, please.
Get the Domain of Dread book (2nd edition, available in downoladable pdf at http://www.svgames.com/downloads-wotc-adndraven.html), you'll get what you need there.
And if you need more on Azalin, get the 3rd ed book Ravenloft Gazetteer II (easily convertible to 2nd edition if you have Domain of Dread).
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In short, Azalin is the incontested lord of his domain, but there are like 50 domains ... Strahd being the lord of another one... And Azalin probably hate coffee (my guess).
Joël
Ok, no offense, but your questions show you know nothing about Ravenloft !
That's pretty much what I said in my post, thus, that is why I was asking here.
Azalin want desesperatly to escape ravenloft he tried two time and both it was failure and he almost died on his last try.Most people dont know he his a lich but they think he is only a powerfull magician.
Here's the short, short version:
1) Azalin is a lich.
2) He's a Darklord.
3) Darklords cannot leave their Domains. That's why Azalin hasn't squared off with Strahd.
4) Azalin is often described as an "iron fist within a velvet glove." He's cool, collected, and calculating.
5) Azalin suffers from a special curse. You can read up about it in his write up.
Sources I would recommend: Domains of Dread, any of the boxed sets (black or red) or even the current Gazetteer II. Even though the current Gazetteers are 3rd edition, most of the information is source material, so it will have the information you want.
3) Darklords cannot leave their Domains. That's why Azalin hasn't squared off with Strahd.
Ok, then what is he doing in the RavenLoft 2 module? That is where I seem to be having problems, I guess. There isn't much info on him there. He just...is. For an 8-10 level module, a Lich of his caliber seems to be a bit much. He could easily kill them, yet doesn't. Not really a good reason for why. I can always make up something, but like people here have already said, there seems to be some cannon on him and thus, might
off the experienced players. Sorry if I seem like I am asking for a handout, I'm just way out of my element on this one.If you want to play I2 alone and not as part of a campaign, then consider Azalin an unwilling minion of Strahd, only working with him for the common goal of escaping the Lands of Ravenloft.
Originally posted by Kronk LaSworda
That's pretty much what I said in my post, thus, that is why I was asking here.
Pay that comment no mind Kronk. People get flame happy on the WizO boards all of the time. Are the answers you received the ones you were looking for ?
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Originally posted by Kronk LaSworda
Sorry if I seem like I am asking for a handout, I'm just way out of my element on this one.
Listen to your own advice: don't try to tackle something which is outside what you know you're capable of.
There are lots of ideas out there that don't involve the (arguably) most popular and (arguably) most pivotal character in the setting. Find one. Or just make stuff up. Ravenloft is a boundlessly diverse "world" based more on mood and attitude than on its named NPCs. Enslave your mind and the rest will follow.
BTW, at what level are you starting?
At the time this is set in the timeline, Azalin isn't a darklord, nor is Mordent a "true" domain.
Long story short:
Azalin arrived, sucked up by the mists, but was not a darklord yet. He agreed to help Strahd escape, despite their mutual hatred, so that he could escape as well. He used Strahd's power, money, and knowledge to experiment. At the time, Strahd thought him to be merely a powerful wizard, and not a lich. He funded and supported Azalin's experments in attempt to learn from him, and to escape Ravenloft.
One such experiment punched a hole in the planar fabric and brought Strahd and Az to Mordent, a place in the prime material plane, apparently from an alternate universe where Strahd the Alchemist was good. The question of which universe is "real" is unanswered, and somewhat moot. At the conclusion of the adventure, Az and Strahd were sucked back into Ravanloft and dragged Mordent with them. The power vacuum left Godefroy the ghost as darklord of Mordent.
Later on, Azalin got his own domain, known as Darkon.
The reason Az seems pretty lame in the module is that it was written before the Ravenloft setting, as Catman said. When the setting was created, they fleshed out a lot of small references from the original two modules, such as Azalin, into full-fledged NPCs.
If your players are familiar with Ravenloft and you're not, they will probably expect Azalin to behave as he does later in continuity. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough for you to pull off without reading up on him. We can help you out here, but it will definately be lacking something.
If I had to sum him up, he's the ultimate in lich-hood. Patient, calculating, massively intelligent, beyond mortal morality, valuing knowledge above all things, bitter, regal (at this time he once was, and again will be, a king of a huge land).
Originally posted by Raymond_Luxury_Yacht
On a side note, if you're playing 2e Ravenloft, Azalin is dead.
Well, dead-ish....
On the one hand, he's always been dead (undead). ;)
Seriously, what Raymond is referring to is that towards the end of the 2e line, one of Azalins schemes (literally) blew up in his face, leaving him apparently truly dead.
3e Ravenloft reveals that his essence was dispersed throughout his domain and he somehow managed to pull it back together (via the events of an unreleased module) into the body of his dead son.
But he wasn't dead throughout 2e, only at the end, and if you do end up using RL2:THoGH, it's way before that anyway.
(1) RL is a demi-plane in the ethereal plane and is almost impossible to either get into or get out of. The demi-plane comprises of lots of "mist" or primordeal soup and domains. The domains are finite in size but might be thought of as demi-planes in their own right, each sharing a territorial border. Each domain is created as a prison for a dark lord who may or may not be the actual "political" leader. Each domain also incorporates a curse that frustrates the most basic desire of the Dark Lord.
(2) As a gothic horror/fanatsy the setting focuses on human scale storries focusing on the classic vices of man kind. Rather than drawing on King Arthur or Epic Fantasies think more of Edgar Alan Poe, Brahm Stoker's tale of Dracula or Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Generally the heroes are less powerful than other settings. Though there are plently of people who make exceptions (and presumably run great campaigns), Ravenloft generally works better at lower levels where a pack of werewolves is a (really) scarry threat.
(3) Strahd and Azalin are the two most powerful and influencial Dark Lords in the cluster of domains known as the Core. They rule over Barovia and Darkon respectively. They have a long history of antagonism. Since they're both undead a long time means a looong time. They are, as you put it "major mo fos". No group of PCs should ever be able to take them on especially on their home turf. They are not "boss monsters" like you find at the end of a level in a CRPG or of even what I think of as a normal length campaign. They have sufficient control over their realms to detect and neutralize a growing threat to them long before ever being actually endangered. But sometimes their long term schemes can be thwarted.
(4) Azalin has long been motivated to escape and RL and get home. Following his return from near extinction following the cataclysmic failure of his last scheme he has instead decided to revenge himself upon his "jailors" the dark powers. The curse that afflicts him is that he can't learn entirely new styles of magic, just refine those principles he already knows. As an example I don't think he knows the spell grease (or anything like it) so he can't ever learn that spell. Though possibly the greatest spellcaster in the core his powers are static while other promising spellcasters (including Stradh) continue to gain power.
(5) Azlin is likely to totally ignore low level PCs, delegate dealing with mid level PCs to his secret police called the Kargat, and possibly use as tools PCs that start to move out of the mid level range. IMO he'd see higher level PCs destroyed or tricked into haring after other Darklords. He is brilliant and not unwise (though proud), and is a wheels within wheels kind of schemer who might have you doing exactly what he wants even when the PCs think they're thwarting his will.
Incidentally Strahd is much the same way, though he is wiser in the ways of human hearts and more adept at making alliances with strange bedfellows. On the other hand Strahd is less brilliant intellectually, not as powerful a spellcaster and lacks the volume of resources in his much smaller (and more backward) realm.
(6) If you plan to run a RL camapaign you really do need to purchase some of the camapaign books. They will help enormously and are some of my all time favorite products. I recomend the Ravenloft Camapaign Setting or old Domains of Dread (2E) if you can find them. You would also benifit from the Gazateers (especially the first two) the 3.5 Ravenloft DMG (lots of goodness unrelated to the edition you're playing in) and one of the VanRichten Guides (Vampire and Ghosts were best in 2E. Walking Dead is best in the new edition).
Hope some of that helps!
-Eric Gorman
Hopefully, I'll have my hands around Azalin and Strahd before game time rolls around.
Thanks again, gentlemen!
Originally posted by LordofIllusions
Pay that comment no mind Kronk. People get flame happy on the WizO boards all of the time.
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I pointed him to the right books, didn't I ?
You can also check the FoS FAQ by following the link in my sig !
Joël
part of his punishment/tortue imbued on him by the powers that be has to do with the public execution of his own son i believe. he behaded his son for some crime or another.
i have used soemthing akin to that as his motivation in interacting with pc's. one of the players was a reincarnation of azalin and that led to all kinds of s&it... but good roleplaying exercises and lessons were learnt.
but dont forget, you can alwas make his inspirations and motivations whatever you want them to be... you can create his history to suit the type of game you want to run.
HTH
Webby
Originally posted by webby
lord of the necropolis (ravenloft novel) has a good insight into his motivations and (for want of better words) the "soul" behind the "lich".
Webby
I'd serriously think about taking a pass on Lord of the Nec. Besides being non-cannon, it will throw you way off on the nature of the mysterious Dark Powers.
But I agree, feel free to change anything you need in the history of the NPCs....as long as the "azlin" they know behaves more-or-less consistently, who's the wiser?
Also, Azlin's secret police, the Kargat are, I believe, all vampires, loyal to him. However, the kargat have their *own* secret police, the Kargatane (not sure if that's canon, but a very popular theme that seems to work very well in the structure of Darkon) who are vampires, lycanthropes, undead, and what-have-you.
If you can afford it, the 3e Ravenloft book from White Wolf is a *very* good reference on Ravenloft.
Anyway, i hope your first shot at DMing a ravenloft campaign works well, and the people on the boards are always willing to help if you have other questions.
Originally posted by Mindshred
Also, Azlin's secret police, the Kargat are, I believe, all vampires, loyal to him. However, the kargat have their *own* secret police, the Kargatane (not sure if that's canon, but a very popular theme that seems to work very well in the structure of Darkon) who are vampires, lycanthropes, undead, and what-have-you.
Close, but not quite. The Kargat are compromised of three ranks. The lowest consists of human(oids) and is generally the public and expendable part. The middle rank consists of shapechangers and lycanthropes, and the third rank consists of intelligent undead, mostly ghosts and vampires.
The Kargatane is a group of people acting as minions of the vampires, fed with their blood and thus utterly loyal to them. There's also the Outer Circle of the Kargatane, people who are thrilled by the prospect of eternal life, but not in any way dominated. You should get hold of "Cryptic Allegiances" in PDF for cheap, it's got a lot of info on the different secret societies in Ravenloft. Of course, none of this matters in House on Gryphon Hill, since the creation of the Kargat lies decades in the future.
If you can afford it, the 3e Ravenloft book from White Wolf is a *very* good reference on Ravenloft.
Agreed, and you should also get the Ravenloft DMG.
Originally posted by Mindshred
Also, Azlin's secret police, the Kargat are, I believe, all vampires, loyal to him. However, the kargat have their *own* secret police, the Kargatane (not sure if that's canon, but a very popular theme that seems to work very well in the structure of Darkon) who are vampires, lycanthropes, undead, and what-have-you.
Close, but it's more along the lines of high-ranking Kargat are undead (Azalin can control them much more effectively) with mid-level forces being lycanthropes and shapeshifters. There are plenty of human agents too, probably hoping for the power and prestige of being powerful Kargat with little or no idea of the real cost...
The Kargatane are a sort of daft (well, that group in Vallaki sure is :D) 'immortality cult' created by vampire Kargat both for information gathering and for getting those things done that a vampire might have trouble doing (any daylight work, for example, for the standard-type vampire). They have far less of an idea about how the Kargat works.
Darkon isn't one of my most used realms, so always good to know someone's keeping an eye on the Kargat and kargatane
1. BUY THE BOOKS
2. DO YOU OWN WORK
3. AT LEAST HAVE AN IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH
Azalin would sick the flying monkeys on you in half a blink of an eye if you want to know a little about him.
Speaking of, can you even create ectoplasm in Ravenloft? Not sure off hand if that's from the Astral plane, but i think so....huh
Note that, contrary to what some posters suggest, Azalin is *not* that typical for a lich. Most liches become what they are as a means of continuing their magical studies indefinitely; Azalin did so, because he wanted to rule a nation until he could restore his executed (by him) son to life. He's not a misanthropic bookworm like a stereotypical lich, and he'd rather micromanage his domain than shut himself away in his lab.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/downloads
Azalin is involved in some form or another in about half of those.
Originally posted by Rotipher
Note that, contrary to what some posters suggest, Azalin is *not* that typical for a lich. Most liches become what they are as a means of continuing their magical studies indefinitely; Azalin did so, because he wanted to rule a nation until he could restore his executed (by him) son to life. He's not a misanthropic bookworm like a stereotypical lich, and he'd rather micromanage his domain than shut himself away in his lab.
Congradulations friend on putting together in the most concise manner the finest description of Old Man Azalin's ways and motives. I've been racking my brains on how to best put across these very points and am very pleased that you have done it for me. Good job pal. ;)
Originally posted by Rotipher
Note that, contrary to what some posters suggest, Azalin is *not* that typical for a lich. Most liches become what they are as a means of continuing their magical studies indefinitely; Azalin did so, because he wanted to rule a nation until he could restore his executed (by him) son to life. He's not a misanthropic bookworm like a stereotypical lich, and he'd rather micromanage his domain than shut himself away in his lab.
You do have a point, but aside from why he became a lich, I'd say there's not much difference. And since being trapped in Ravenloft, his orginal motivation has been surpassed by getting the heck out. Doing so has meant lots of long hours in study, experimentation, and planning in the lab, like every other lich.
He's got a vault full of magic items and is always looking to find or create more if they have the slightest chance of freeing him. (or reviving, Irik, yes.)
He is a wee bit more hands on than the average lich, using his illusion powers to interact with the normals on occaision rather than avoiding them. But he still uses lots of intermediaries to do his dirty work: the Kargat, Ebb, his hordes of undead, random deluded PC's. He's still the master manipulator, etc. I don't see how that's atypical of a lich.
The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make us wonder at the possibility that there may be something to them which we are missing.
(Gamel Abdel Nasser)
Originally posted by Anorie
I think that I can help you by roughly giving you an idea of what Azalin would do/say.
1. BUY THE BOOKS
2. DO YOU OWN WORK
3. AT LEAST HAVE AN IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH
Azalin would sick the flying monkeys on you in half a blink of an eye if you want to know a little about him.
Thank you for being so helpful. Your insight has truely enlightened my quest to better myself as a GM. When the day comes that you need assistance, I hope that you are helped by someone as thoughtful and understanding as yourself.
Sarcasm meter reading off the charts. I don't think Anorie was being belligerent, he was just referencing a feature on an old messageboard that used to be around. It was called "Ask Azalin" and you could ask him his call on any gaming related rule. The joke was, "Azalin" would periodically pop in and offer his rulings. All of them were in typical Azalin fashion, which Anorie was demonstrating in his post. If you asked Azalin himself your question about him, that's probably what he'd respond with.
Kind of inside joke, I guess.
Let’s all try to remember a couple of things. First, let’s not insult a person based on nationality (or the nationality itself). Not cool, no matter the nation.
Also, try to remember that we each have varying degrees of knowledge about Ravenloft. These boards are in place so that we can each learn more about the setting. Try to be mindful of that when a person asks a question about the setting.
--Drake