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#1 curtisin Feb 03, 2006 14:21:54

I have here included both the Darklord and details of the Domain. It is located to the north of Darkon. (I have left a lot of things loose, both because I want others to be able to build upon this, but also, just in case my players happen to check this board (once they discover they are in Ravenloft) so that not too many details are given away. Let me know what you think. (If you like it, let me know. If you don't please feel free to give critisism, but keep it positive and useful :-)) The Domain of Frigia: Frigia is basically frozen tundra, with only mild vegetation in the form of pine trees, redwoods and other sorts of hardy plants able to survive. Surprisingly a lot of fungi seems to thrive in the land as well, as well as a special sort of tree called the brendergodt tree.. It's a small tree, that gives the people of Frigia more or less their own respite from the cold, as the tree burns so intensely that it is able to dispel the effects of cold and hypothermia 3 times faster than normal, while still burning for a very long time (a single log is able to warm an entire room for a night). It should also be noted that it is a very irregular evening that doesn't see snow fall on the villages of the domain. A lot of wildlife is also often seen in Frigia, mostly reindeer, wolves, polar bears and arctic animals (there are even rumors of schools of orca-whales along the coast, but it hasn't been proven so far). However, ALL animals within the borders of Frigia are completely white as if the color is bled from them the moment they enter (even animals from other domains lose their color within 3 months of going to Frigia... This color never reappears). The expanses of Frigia are relatively devoid of "monstrous" life-forms, but Frost Giants and Ice Elementals are occassionally encountered in this icy domain. Most monsters know to stay away from inhabited lands, but woe be to the one who enters their territory. The People: The people of Frigia are actually an open lot, much less close minded than their southern neighbours of Darkon, being both pleasant and welcoming. It is not unusual for a complete stranger to be invited into the private home of a native Frigian, for an evening. Should this stranger prove trustworthy and good-natured, he will most likely have earned the eternal friendship of the family he visited. Frigians are quite superstitious however and follow a lot of taboos. For instance, it is considered extremely unlucky for someone to enter a home WITHOUT snow on their boots, so people usually do NOT stamp off the snow from their feet before walking in, but usually do this just inside the door. Frigians are also extremely helpful, often helping each other for the sake of the community, and not asking anything for it. The Frigians speak Frigian as a matter of course, but most people know enough Darkonese to be able to hold a normal conversation. Due to the limited contact that they have had with other people, they usually do not speak any other languages (though a few hunters and such are conversant in Giant). This will probably change in the future as more and more domains discover that the redwoods of this domain are extremely suitable for all kinds of wood-working, both as masts on ships and as building material, because of the hardness of the wood. The Government: Frigia has no official government, but each village is ruled by the local mayor, who more or less does as he wishes, with the consent of the local populace. Once a year, the villages mayors meet in a council to discuss matters that may concern them all... Usually nothing is discussed, but much beer is consumed. (this also means that most types of foreign coins are accepted readily, because no coinage are made in Frigia). Religion: Due to the superstition that is so rampant in Frigia, most Frigians are highly religious, usually either pledgling themselves to the forces of Nature itself or worshipping Hala. Other religions are very rare, though the Mordent faction of the church of Ezra has begun to make a few inroads. (The Nevuchar Springs faction is viewed with loathing by most Frigians and is more or less the only thing that would get strangers thrown out from private homes). The Frigian hero: Most frigians heroes are Rangers, Barbarians or Druids. However, a surprising number of sorcerers is also found in Frigia. Rarest of all are Paladins, though rogues are almost as rare (this being due to the social stigma of stealing from one's community instead of contributing). Darklord of Frigia Orb of Eternal Winter The Orb of Eternal winter is an infernal artifact, one with it's own malign intelligence. It started life on the world of Toril, where a minor wizard, in an attempt to combine and emulate the powers of the legendary Crystal Shard and Ring of Winter and create his own, superior, magical item. In order to do so, he summoned an elder Ice Elemental known by the name of Gzzzzhhaarkkkk, (a loose translation from the elemental speech would be "Breaker of the lesser ice") to imbue the artifact with the power over Ice and Cold, that the wizard thought was an essential part of making eternal life (or at least making his own life eternal). However it wasn't long before he lost control of the artifact and Gzzzzhhaarkkkk consumed his soul. It then lay dormant for many years, until another wizard happened upon the artifact... Thinking that he might be able to control fiends from the icy plains of Baator (such as Gelugons), he foolishly summoned one and tried controlling it... Much to his surprise, the fiend simply vanished when he tried controlling it... What really happened was that Gzzzzhhaarkkkk consumed the fiend, and in doing so, tainted it's own neutral soul with that of the fiend... It wasn't long until the wizard lost control and ended up consuming himself in an obscure ritual designed to gain control of the imprisoned beings. Now, Gzzzzhhaarkkkk actively started hunting down beings to consume, since he found that he gained power from doing so, prefering people with an arcane bent (such as wizards and sorcerers)... However, Gzzzzhhaarkkkk's progress did not go unnoticed and soon the Mists took an interest... It all came to a head when Gzzzzhhaarkkkk discovered that not only could he consume the souls of those around him, but also control the empty husks and in so doing influence events around him... It so happened that the one he tried controlling, another minor wizard, had a girlfriend.. A druid of not-so-insubstantial power, who immediately discovered the change in her lover, and who tried to exorcise the outer planar beings... However, the ritual went horribly wrong, and she actually gained some of the power in the Orb, and lost her very being in the process... That's when the mists came to claim them both... Powers of the Orb: Intelligence - 22 Wisdom - 22 Charisma - 20 Spell like abilities: Once per day it is able to manifest in it's normal form (use the stats for an Elder Ice Elemental, or subsitute for an Elder Earth Elemental) for 15 rounds Once per week, it is able to consume the soul of any being within 100 feet (Will Save DC 25 - Intelligence based. Base DC 19). Those who fail this save fall comatose and die within a week. (at this point, only a carefully worded wish will restore the soul of the victim, who will be unable to recall any details of the event). This will also power it's ability to cast spells in that each arcane spellcaster it consumes of equal or higher level will help it gain more power. (I'll explain this later). Once per day, it can cast Animate Dead, but only on the ones who have had their souls consumed by the Orb, and who remain with in the Domain of Frigia. However, the affected beings (having stats as a zombie) will be able to converse intelligently (because they are, in fact, controlled by the Orb), and will not rot. The only outward clues to their undead status are the fact that their skin is freezing cold to the touch and that the irises of their eyes turn an icy hue of white. At the moment the orb is able to cast spells like a 5th level sorcerer (in any form), but no spells with the fire descriptor ( I will leave the actual spells up to you, but they should be HEAVILY ice/cold-themed). It will be able to learn higher level spells as it progresses with consuming arcane spellcasters, but in order to do so, the victim must be equal or higher level (at the moment 5th level and higher) and it will need to consume a number of arcane spellcasters' souls equal to the next level for it to reach (which means that it will need to consume at least 6 5th level spellcasters). Closing the border: When the Orb decides to close the border (which it rarely does) and 10 meters(30 feet or so) thick wall of ice appears around the domain of Frigia, which is 50 meters(150 feet or so) high. Anything that can bypass this barrier can get free from the domain, but climbing the wall carries it's own risk, since it is totally flat, and gives off intense cold (causing 1d6 subdual damage each round to anyone within 10 feet).