Domains of Ravenloft - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

Domains of Ravenloft. In a far-flung corner of the Plane of Shadow drifts a hidden expanse of roiling mist and vague semi-reality. At this eerie edge of the multiverse, the Dark Powers collect the most wicked beings from across ages and worlds within inescapable, mist-shrouded domains. These are the Domains of Dread, the nightmare demiplanes that form the D&D setting of Ravenloft. Untold terrors lurk within these lands, yet the collection of the Dark Powers is far from complete. This chapter provides information for the DM and explores the misty truths of the Domains of Dread, along with a sampling of the terrifying domains, dreaded Darklords, and daring wanderers trapped in the Dark Powers' clutches. Dr. Viktra Mordenheim, Darklord of Lamordia, crafts the perfect body for her newest band of golem-hunting mercenaries Nature of Ravenloft Nothing one might assume about any world on the Material Plane is necessarily true in the Domains of Dread. The following sections detail how the Dark Powers manipulate the Land of the Mists, and what domain inhabitants accept as the ways of their world (or desperately avoid pondering). The Mists The Mists can always be found at a domain's borders but can also appear in dense banks that rise wherever adventures demand. Such banks might veil strangers or hidden foes, or they can transport those who enter them to distant lands, other domains, or even beyond the Domains of Dread. The Mists are inscrutable, but they ever serve the schemes of the Dark Powers, delivering creatures wherever these wicked forces desire. The Dark Powers also grant Darklords limited ability to manipulate the Mists surrounding their domains, allowing most to open or close their domains' borders to others on a whim. If a domain's borders are closed, supernatural agitation is obvious to any who approach the Mists. This takes the form of roiling disturbances within the haze, menacing silhouettes, threatening sounds, or other activity themed to the Darklord or do...