Who's immortal in Ravenloft?

[Trike]

My Modern Ravenloft NWOD project continues in depth. That leaves me with another question for everyone.

The timeline leaves me several centuries beyond the Time of Unparalleled Darkness as I bring the classic Ravenloft world into a modern era. The darklords do not have domains anymore but nations have sprouted in familiar lands. So, which darklords are ageless? I need to figure out who is still around to plague my unsuspecting players.

Let me consult my trusty John W. Mangrum. The Time of Unparalleled Darkness was scheduled (prophesied) at 775 BC. That would put my "modern" era at between 1575 and 1775 BC. So who's still around, eh?

[devilfox]

Well, Strahd and Azalin are the first two that come to mind.

Actually, technically all of the undead lords would still be there - unless someone had managed to off them in the interim. So that gives you von Karkhov, Godfrey, Tristen ApBlanc and Tristessa as well... and van Riese, I guess. Not to mention Ankhtepot, Tiyet and Misroi out in the Mists.

Malken would probably still be around, though he would have found a new "host" I assume.

And I do recall reading somewhere that Elena Faithhold is immortal.


And that's it for off the top of my head.

[Ryan Naylor]

Assuming nothing's happened to them in the meantime:

Strahd (undead)
Azalin (undead)
Tristen ApBlanc (possibly - he may be pure ghost by then, or an extremely old vampyre)
Hazlik (depending how his undying soul really works)
Harkon Lukas (apparently immortal)
Tristessa (undead)
Adam and Mordenheim (effectively immortal)
Wilifred Godefroy (undead)
Death (immortal)
Malken (new host)
The Hags (very long lived)
Gwydion (immortal)
Urik von Kharkov (undead)
Daclaud Heinfroth (undead)
Stezen d'Polarno (maybe - I don't think he ages since the portrait went up)
Lyron Evensong (effectively immortal)
Pieter van Riese (undead)
Easan the Mad (both immortal and long lived)
Morgoroth (effectively immortal in the mirror)
Ankhtepot (undead)
Sodo (long lived)
Ladislav Mircea (undead)
Draga Saltbiter (undying soul)
Tiyet (undead)
Ebonbane (immortal)
Arijani (immortal)
King Crocodile (undying soul)
The God Brain (long lived, if not immortal)
Haki Shinpi (undead)
Anton Misroi (undead, more or less)
Torrence Bleysmith (undead)
The Nightmare Man (immortal?)
The House of Lament (probably)

...and maybe a few others I can't remember or don't care about.

Ivan Dragonov and Jander Sunstar aren't darklords but might still be around too.

[Zilfer]

Joy to the world that Vlad Drakov is dead! To bad his line sired Vlad Drakov IV and soon V. XD

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Frantisek Markov is probably immortal, given his power to shapeshift into a fresh new (animal) body any time he wants. Certainly he doesn't seem to have suffered any age-related frailties by the time of ''Neither Man Nor Beast''.

We described Meredoth as unaging in the NS Gaz, and the Lady of the Ravens was written up with an Undying Soul. Virundus, the underwater lord we added to the region in that netbook, is likewise immortal due to his curse-imposed pseudo-godhood.

Of course, if you really like one of the mortal darklords, you could always expand upon their curse to make them immortal IYC, or assume they became undead at some point. Likewise, darklords you don't care to keep could be bumped off by rivals or heroes in the interim, even if they're described as immortal in the published products.

There are quite a few non-darklords who'd still be hanging around, such as Jacqueline Montarri.

[The Lesser Evil]

I don't recall if Ivana Boristi and her Emourdeung had stopped aging or not. I know Ivan will never grow up though

Mordenheim's link to Adam seems to have given him immortality and longevity beyond normal man.

The Hive queen could have left a brood of progeny behind and the various queens now bicker with each other. Perhaps as a lingering curse of the first, they could all have part of her memory and even her soul.

Although not immortal, the lord of Nosos (forgot his name) and his domain seem to fit a modern or near mordern setting pretty well with some minor alterations- they look like they might be a good fit for a modern or industrial setting (perhaps somewhere in the developing world to account for the man vs. nature schtick?)

As for non-darklords, certainly Toben the Many's likely to be floating around in some form or another (and would make for a lovely zombie apocalypse scenario in a modern setting). So are likely the Shadow Fey and their leaders if the Shadow Rift is still extant (perhaps it's been buried between the subways and sewer tunnels- where the shadow fey live as a sort of 'subdweller' people). They could be involved in a war with the Hive Queen's spawn or drive the spawn upwards into the city.

I wonder if fate would ever be nice to Ratik Ubel and let him catch his murderer- or make him live on after his murderer's death of natural causes to seek vengeance on his murderer's descendants. Certainly could make for a nigh invincible slasher type figure of urban legend if he survives to the modern age.

Madame Eva and the Zarovan tribe seem to exist outside the normal timeframe as we know it, so they might pop in from time to time in a post-apocalypse Ravenloft.

[A G Thing]

Vistani in Winnebago's... I don't know if it would be interesting or not! I wonder how much of their culture would survive modernization like the gypsies of our world?

[Trike]

My modern Vistani will probably be heavily influenced with modern European gypsies. My technology level is slightly before the television so it would be hard not to re-imagine Django Reinhardt as an NPC.

The modern vardos I'm picturing are more like large, fifties style flatbed trucks with a colorful, box built onto the bed.

Vistani families will be locked in the age old battle between elders "lost in the past" and youths "forgetting their spiritual heritage."

[High Priest Mikhal]

I don't recall if Ivana Boristi and her Emourdeung had stopped aging or not.

Ivana has stopped aging, but the Emordenung age at 25% of the normal rate so long as they keep up doses of vital venom. Since only humans (or things that look human) are chosen by Ivana, the longest they'd live is three to four centuries.

[devilfox]

I don't recall if Ivana Boristi and her Emourdeung had stopped aging or not.

Ivana has stopped aging, but the Emordenung age at 25% of the normal rate so long as they keep up doses of vital venom. Since only humans (or things that look human) are chosen by Ivana, the longest they'd live is three to four centuries.

Also, stopping aging does not necessarily imply immortal...

Ivana may well live a normal human lifespan but never look a day over 18.

[A G Thing]

My modern Vistani will probably be heavily influenced with modern European gypsies. My technology level is slightly before the television so it would be hard not to re-imagine Django Reinhardt as an NPC.

The modern vardos I'm picturing are more like large, fifties style flatbed trucks with a colorful, box built onto the bed.

Vistani families will be locked in the age old battle between elders "lost in the past" and youths "forgetting their spiritual heritage."

I can see that especially with the picture! Could be really cool as a dynamic especially if some of the tasques had to change their skill sets to survive or new tasques formed or at least revealed themselves. I also imagine the Zarovan would have this march to the future the hardest of all!

[Hazgarn]

Of course, if you really like one of the mortal darklords, you could always expand upon their curse to make them immortal IYC, or assume they became undead at some point.

Interesting thought... What mortal NPCs might be interesting to see in undead form in this new future?

I might just be psychotic, but for some reason a ghoul lord Arthur Sedgewick comes to mind...

[High Priest Mikhal]

Also, stopping aging does not necessarily imply immortal...

Ivana may well live a normal human lifespan but never look a day over 18.

This is true. She's already an octogenarian so if her lifespan is limited, it may be she dies within a few years of 757 BC. OTOH, it would be a final blow to Ivan Dilisnya's pride if she were to live forever barring accident or assault while he continues to age.

[The Lesser Evil]

Also, stopping aging does not necessarily imply immortal...

Ivana may well live a normal human lifespan but never look a day over 18.

This is true. She's already an octogenarian so if her lifespan is limited, it may be she dies within a few years of 757 BC. OTOH, it would be a final blow to Ivan Dilisnya's pride if she were to live forever barring accident or assault while he continues to age.

What would be a mean doubletwist was that Ivan would continue aging, but never die (immortality without youth, kinda like Gundar), whereas Ivana might be the opposite (youth without immortality).

Speaking of Gundar, his (albeit slowed) aging despite being a vampire intrigues me. What if in the modern day he's in an old folks home somewhere trying to regain his lost youth through a proxie of goons and gangsters? Kinda like the Godfather mixed with Ra'as Al Ghul rolled up into the body of a vampiric Wilford Brimley? In his old age, Gunder's gotten a little wiser and has cooled off a bit, but it's really all a facade since he doesn't have quite the strength he needs to be an utterly physical threat any more.

So now Gundar's a respected elder patriarch of a prominent crime family, who expresses his spite by sending out his thugs instead of doing the dirty work himself (much to his chagrin). Of course, his time is slowly passing and he's becoming of less and less relevance as time goes on (the old grandfather figure you keep around b/c that's what tradition dictates). Of course, this is ironic b/c he outlives his children and assumes prominence for a time once they're dead. But then they're children start to disregard him, and the process starts over.

[twinwolf]

perhaps Ivana, once social darling, is now in a self imposed exile. due to the workings of her curse as darklord and the DP's own twisted sense of... irony? humour? while she is awake she has not aged but while she sleeps she just crumples to dust.