Possible setting villains of Vaniae
by John CalvinA few more ideas that have been floating around (not sure if we've already talked about all of them or not, but I'm going to do a brain dump here):
Possible Setting Villains:
Brissard/M-Ming - The Emperor of Vaniae is your typical despotic ruler, however he possesses powers far in advance of the other kingdoms on the planet. The Emperor uses these powers (possibly derived from ancient Galactic technology) to cow all of the other rulers into subservience. Low to mid level campaigns could focus on confronting the Emperor's servants and foiling his plots, while higher level campaigns could be centered around uniting the nations of Vaniae and breaking the Emperor's rule.
Egg of Vaniae - Possibly an analogue to the Egg of Coot, possibly some derivation of ancient Galactic technology combined with magic - this ancient device and or entity wields unimaginable power. It's motives and plots are unknowable, but studying them suggests that this entity is anything but beneficent. The Egg may be the device that the Emperor has possession of that grants his extraordinary powers, and defeating the Emperor may set the Egg free from its bonds.
The Planet Vampire - Whatever this entity is, it is ancient and powerful beyond belief, rivaling even the immortals themselves. Few even know of the existence of this creature, but those that do theorize it came from beyond the borders of Mystaraspace and has been feeding on planets ever since its arrival. Already one has fallen (Damocles) and now the entity has attached itself to Vaniae (possibly riding one of the shards of shattered Damocles to its new home).
The Red Curse - Some foul curse traveled from Mystara to Vaniae centuries ago and has been plaguing the planet ever since. This would be some variant of the Savage Coast's Red Curse, having traveled to Vaniae with the Nithians and Aranea when they migrated here.