An expanded Shadowlands Cluster: Fallen Avonleigh?

[JasperWick]

Intro
So the Shadowlands seems to have a theme of Arthurian tropes, especially with the Circle, King Ferran, and Morgoroth. The Heretical Wars are mentioned, an allusion to the Crusades (imo not a tasteful one) surrounding the past of Kateri Shadowborn as well.

I want to preface this by saying I HAVE NOT READ THE SHADOWBORN NOVEL, but I am in the process of reading through it. After I've read it I might add some stuff to this post, but for now, let's talk about revamping the Shadowlands.

As it is right now, there is the domain of Avonleigh, Nidala, and Shadowborn Manor. For something so expansive and evocative of old medieval fantasy like Arthurian Legend, Camelot and Avalon and old Britain, three domains (and two are mostly HOUSES!) doesn't seem to give a lot of narrative wiggle room. To start my expansion, I'm gonna puff up the domain number from 3 to 12/13, one for roughly each knight in the Circle of Knights. I'm gonna have each domain have a sort of Arthurian/medieval theme, and to justify them being a cluster, they will be tied together in politics, history, and campaign story potential. So, here we go, starting with the history of the Cluster of Fallen Avonleigh! (Note: not only will I be expanding on the story, but I will be changing existing story elements. I'll explain why in each section):

Avonleigh and Morgoroth
Avonleigh was a land just and righteous, for it was governed by King Ferran and his Circle of 12 Knights (Total of 13). They had been pulled from all 13 counties of Avonleigh by the guidance of the Church, the Old Gods, prophecy, etc., and they defended Avonleigh from goblins, dragons, bandits, malicious Fey, and opposing knights. They ruled well enough and were heroes to Avonleigh, but things changed when Morgoroth hit the scene.

Morgoroth is no longer running from another land after his evil deeds caught up with him. Instead, Morgoroth (Like a myth pertaining to Merlin) is a Half-fiend. Morgoroth is a cambion born in Avonleigh, sent away by the Church to the furthest highlands of Avonleigh where an old wise woman would teach him the beginnings of magic. Morgoroth, descended from Mephistopheles of Cania, was a natural at magic. He would grow to master it in time, being Avonleigh's only archmage, and seeking to prove that he would do good in life he came to King Ferran's court to offer his services. Ferran accepted seeing that he was good despite his Cambion nature, to many of the Knights' protests.

Enter Aurora: Ferran's sister. No longer is she ABOUT to take her vows -- she is the High Priestess, holiest mother of Avonleigh. Both High Priestess and Court Wizard, Aurora and Morgoroth would advise Ferran. The Knights, as good as they were, showed distrust in the Cambion Morgoroth, and Aurora and Morgoroth bonded. Aurora was obsessed with proving to Morgoroth that his infernal heritage did not matter, and as they spent time together they fell in love as usual. Morgoroth and Aurora devised a ritual with their arcane and divine magics that would purge the Infernal heritage out of Morgoroth's blood, but that resulted in the eternal slumber of Aurora. Believing that his infernal heritage cursed him to kill this holy woman he loved, Morgoroth fled with her sleeping body to Tergeron Tower (Instead of Manor. What self-respecting wizard has a Mansion instead of a Tower? Mordenkainen? Okay fine...).

As he fled, the Circle believed him to be guilty of infiltrating Ferran's court to steal away his sister for vile Infernal magic. Ferran rode alone to Tergeron Tower, for none of the other Knights would trust in Morgoroth's goodwill and already begun organizing their army. In Morgoroth's paranoia that Ferran would believe him to be evil, Morgoroth struck Ferran down, damning Tergeron Tower and its nearby forest to the Mists.

So some changes here: I changed Morgoroth fleeing and having a Knight come to Avonleigh to out him in front of the circle, merely cause I thought this new story might fit better. Being a Cambion like Merlin was rumored to be a devil's son, I feel, both ties Morgoroth and the source material closer. It also gives the Circle of Knights a bigger reason not to trust him. I also changed Morgoroth and Aurora's love and misunderstanding to something deeper and more religious/arcane because I felt that the domain forming out of what was originally a high-school drama level misunderstanding was... kinda lame. The Knights also did not follow Ferran into the forest, for they themselves are now much more important to the story of the Shadowlands/Avonleigh.

tl;dr = Avonleigh has multiple counties, Morgoroth is a cambion and untrusted by the circle, he and Aurora both fall in love and find spiritual/magical interest in eachother, and a magical accident causes Morgoroth to flee from the knights. Ferran chases him and dies, drawing Tergeron Tower into the Mists.



The Fall of the Circle
The 12 remaining Knights of the Circle arrived with their armies to Tergeron Tower... only to find it and the entire forest surrounding it missing. Believing dark forces were at work (rightly so), they all returned to the Castle of Avonleigh. They discussed that they would need great power and great allies to even FIND Morgoroth, and they would also need a new royal on the throne. So, in addition to their quest for more strength, allies, and items of power, the Circle also agreed that one of them must be the new King/Queen.

The King/Queen of Avonleigh marked their rule by an artifact: The Sword of Kings. The next to rule would embark on a journey guided by the Church, Wise Women, or priests of the Old Gods to find this sword in a quest, and draw it out of a stone to signify their rule. When a royal dies, the sword is never found on them, and magically transports to wherever the new ruler of Avonleigh must quest to find it. The Circle was told by a wandering seer named Mave that whoever would draw this blade would start a new line of Kings and Queens. Naturally, all of the Knights were interested. Unknown to them, Maeve was a powerful sorceress and Morgoroth's greatest enemy. We will hear more of her later.

This is where things go from bad to worse. Some Darklords of the Shadowlands as written are made here:

-1. Elena Faith-Hold: Her story is mostly the same at its core. She was the holiest and most devout of the knights to begin with, and she was closer to Aurora than her own brother, Ferran. Some say she also loved her, but in secret. So shaken up by the Devil-born Morgoroth putting Aurora under his spell and whisking her away, Elena only had her faith to keep her strength. She grew more devout to the point of zealousness, and in her quest for just souls, she imposed more holy rule onto her native county of Nidala to the point where her religious inquisitions bordered on cruel.

(Here I wanted to give a solid reason for her zeal. She was the most shaken by what had happened, and in finding refuge in her faith, she fell to evil).

-2. Kateri Shadowborn: Kateri Shadowborn travelled to her home county, the Shadow Mountains, named for their imposing shadows left on the valley communities. Kateri fought an evil wizard and his undead servants before finding a blade PERFECT for slaying Morgoroth -- Ebonbane. She brandished it against the evil wizard's apprentices and remaining monsters and found it effective against magic users. However, the blade made her go berserk, and she ended up slaying a small village. Horrified, she locked herself and the blade in her family manor and contacted priests to help seal Ebonbane away (Or at least purify it for use). Ebonbane persisted in her mind, however, and with it she slew the priests who had come to help her in madness. This is what brought the domain of the Shadow Mountains, including Shadowborn Manor, into the Mists. To this day, Ebonbane and Nidala battle for dominance over eachother, and any who enter are mere pawns for the contest of willpower between the knight and the sword.

(I liked Nidala's story, but when I discovered the circumstances behind Alexi Shadowborn being born... I felt really, REALLY uncomfortable)

Some more darklords were made during this time too. The quests of the Knights of the Circle, one by one, brought the counties of Avonleigh into the mists until Avonleigh was made piece by piece again in the mists. They were reunited with the domain that held Tergeron Tower and Morgoroth, but they are all so occupied with their own evils, issues, and plans against EACHOTHER that Morgoroth either remains a distant foe or a forgotten name to many.

tl;dr = The Circle was sent by a Sorceress named Maeve on a quest for power and to discover who the new ruler of Avonleigh would be. All are corrupted on their journey to some degree, and pull their respective counties into the Mists to form Avonleigh



NEW DARKLORDS
Here's the fun part -- who are the new Darklords and what are the new domains of Avonleigh? The Darklords are all Knights of the Circle who fell in their quests, now warring and plotting against eachother or caught up in their own curses.

-3. Prince Sarius: Technically the rightful heir of Avonleigh's throne, Sarius was borne of King Ferran and the late Queen Phoebe. He was a strong lad and joined his father's order of knights the instant he became of age. However, as good-hearted as he was, he simply was not fit to rule. He was too soft, too weak and inexperienced, and when his father's death came, he was overlooked by the Circle in favour of Maeve sending them all out on their quests. Prince Sarius remained in Avonshire, capital county of Avonleigh, and simmered in rage. He served as well as any other in the Circle had, upheld its faiths as any other Knight had, and the crown was rightfully his... Yet he was made to adventure for the Sword of Kings as the others were to. The bitter prince did not rule all of Avonleigh -- merely Avonshire in his father's absence. His rule grew despotic and cruel, ordering the people to see him as the true king and pay him fealty on pains growing from fines to death. His executions of those who knew he was unfit brought Avonshire through the mists.

Sarius' curse is that he knows he is unfit to rule. His self-doubt and inexperience lead him to consult with the dead soul of his mother, Queen Phoebe, through the new High Priest's magic... only to be told every time a better solution to an issue he could ever think of, and to be chastised for how far he's fallen. Sarius wants nothing more than to see the other Knights dead, and sends his armies after them in their domains. None ever return.


-4.Alandra Drakenmoor: From the valleys of Drakenmoor, named for its wyverns and its famed Dragons, Alandra was a cavalry rider and lancer of highest skill (Imagine a Dragoon from Final Fantasy). She was also not just any mere noble from this land -- she was its princess, and a beloved one at that. She journed home for a famed artifact -- the Drakespike, a lance meant to slay and control Dragons (Yes yes, Dragonlance is a big inspiration). Alandra discovered it was in the possession of the Red Dragon Pyredance, and Pyredance demanded a sacrifice for it. Treasure and her own people. Alandra gave her family treasure freely but could not sacrifice her people. Yet she also knew that her people would never forgive her even if she gave one up to Pyredance... yet still she could not defeat Pyredance alone. She gave up some of her people's lives as a sacrifice for the greater good and took the Drakespike... and with it, pierced the heart of Pyredance. However, for betraying her own people, Drakenmoor was pulled into the Mists.

Today Drakenmoor is overrun by dragons and drakes, as Alandra controls them all. She constantly rides astride a young Dragon -- Pyredance's young -- and has forsaken her people in order to build her own fortune from Pyredance's tower. She is becoming more like an evil dragon herself, yet she tells herself it is for the power needed to defeat Morgoroth. Pyredance still lives, miraculously, and plots against her as he is disguised as a peasant in one of Drakenmoor's many villages.


-7. Grimheld Goblin-Bane: From a hilled county called Greenwall, Grimheld was a bloodthirsty warrior even before his fall. He slew the Goblin King with the rest of the Circle, and made peace. When his quest started he returned home, only to discover that the goblins had survived. Rather than slaughter them, he made a deal with them -- the Goblins would be absolved of their crimes should they join him and slay Morgoroth together. They agreed, and Grimheld became known as the new Goblin King.

I'm a little unsure of how this "Goblin-King" type darklord could go. Maybe some inspiration from Forlorn? If you've any suggestions, please tell me!


-6. Mornhel the Fey-Born The only non-human member of the Circle, Mornhel is a wood elf from the Feywood. He joined the Circle to help defeat a monster in the forest, and part of his membership deal was that the Circle never hurt the Feywood. When he was sent back home on his quest, he discovered that Grimheld Goblin-Bane had sent goblins to cut down some wood to create more siege weapons. Angered, Mornhel came to the conclusion that the laws, faiths, and beliefs of humanity had blinded him. Turning back to the way of the Feywood, Mornhel launched an attack on Grimheld's goblin and human armies. Soon, the trees themselves began to fight on Mornhel's side. However, anytime since that a human entered the wood simply seeking to hunt or pick apples, Mornhel's Elves slaughter them. This is what pulled the Feywood into the Mists.

Mornhel is hateful and seeks the death of all humans, believing them to be stains on Avonleigh. To the Elves, even the name Avonleigh is a false name -- the true Elven name of the land is lost to time. Mornhel has truly become one with the forest, able to travel between trees like a dryad and cause the trees to come alive and speak.
I'm unsure of a good curse for him. Maybe something to do with a Half-Elf son? Or maybe perhaps HE is a Half-Elf? Again, shoot your suggestions below!


-7. Theodred, the Black Knight: Theodred is from Avonshire, same as prince Sarius. He was always the odd one out of the Circle. He was not nobility -- rather, Ferran chose this farmer boy for his valour in defending his family farm from brigands with nothing but a scythe. Theodred was always humble and stuck to his roots, and he was beloved by all of Avonleigh perhaps more than Ferran. When his quest came, Theodred was certain he would never find the Sword, merely being a peasant. However, on his quest, he found the sword in a glade... yet he failed to pull it out. He was unworthy. Upset at this cruel slight, he returned to the capital city, only to see Sarius' rule of Avonshire was now cruel and bitter. He tried to fight Prince Sarius, but was defeated and banished. Theodred now wanders without a home, painting his armor black to save it from rust. This turned him bitter as well, and he began to see signs of fate pointing him towards the Sword of Kings in the lakes, the breeze in the woods, and the clouds themselves.

Whether these are true omens, the cruel magic of Maeve the Sorceress, or something darker, is unknown. He grew the most frantic in his quest for the Sword of Kings, slaying people over it and bringing him to the Mists as well. He has no domain and no home -- he freely wanders all of Avonleigh, to the other trapped Circle Knights' consternation.

These are all the ideas I've had so far, yet I still haven't reached the 12 mark. I want to incorporate things like the Sword in the Stone, and the personal quests of the knights for the Holy Grail. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the replies! I'd love to hear your ideas, as I am not entirely versed in Arthurian lore aside from the Sword in the Stone, Monty Python, Overly Sarcastic Production's videos, and the Merlin series (Still not over its finale...).

And about this... Maeve character...:
Maeve the Sorceress (idk if she's an actual sorcerer or a wizard or warlock or Fey or WHAT) was Morgoroth's enemy before the Mist. A spellcaster of equal skill who longed for Morgoroth's downfall, yet was not responsible for the events with Aurora. I want her to be this nigh-fairy tale villain. She's the hag who offers you an apple. She's Maleficent, who puts people to sleep eternally (Copying Morgoroth's magic mistake on purpose perhaps?). She leads goblins and dragons and contests her rule with Grimheld and Alandra respectively. She's this pervasive evil force... Yet what is she doing this for? Morgoroth has already lost, no? She is a character I want to use to demonstrate evil outside a Darklord, and to pry a further mystery.

(Also please, please tell me if the idea of an evil sorceress character is TOO outdated, gaudy, or offensive.)

CONCLUSION
I truly apologize for the size of this post -- it's one of my first posts on this website, and this is a concept I've been toying with for a while. One day, I'll make a map of this new Avonleigh and share it. If any of you have ideas to pitch, please send them my way! Ideas for darklord knights of the circle, characters or places, or constructive criticism is appreciated.

Thank you for reading this wall of text!

[The Lesser Evil]

-3. Prince Sarius: Technically the rightful heir of Avonleigh's throne, Sarius was borne of King Ferran and the late Queen Phoebe. He was a strong lad and joined his father's order of knights the instant he became of age. However, as good-hearted as he was, he simply was not fit to rule. He was too soft, too weak and inexperienced, and when his father's death came, he was overlooked by the Circle in favour of Maeve sending them all out on their quests. Prince Sarius remained in Avonshire, capital county of Avonleigh, and simmered in rage. He served as well as any other in the Circle had, upheld its faiths as any other Knight had, and the crown was rightfully his... Yet he was made to adventure for the Sword of Kings as the others were to. The bitter prince did not rule all of Avonleigh -- merely Avonshire in his father's absence. His rule grew despotic and cruel, ordering the people to see him as the true king and pay him fealty on pains growing from fines to death. His executions of those who knew he was unfit brought Avonshire through the mists.

Sarius' curse is that he knows he is unfit to rule. His self-doubt and inexperience lead him to consult with the dead soul of his mother, Queen Phoebe, through the new High Priest's magic... only to be told every time a better solution to an issue he could ever think of, and to be chastised for how far he's fallen. Sarius wants nothing more than to see the other Knights dead, and sends his armies after them in their domains. None ever return.

One possible source of inspiration for this character could be King John of Robin Hood legend fame. His crimes could include oppressing the land while his brother was away at war fighting Morgoroth. Perhaps Sarius was guilty of sending those before him in line to the throne to their deaths?

-4.Alandra Drakenmoor: From the valleys of Drakenmoor, named for its wyverns and its famed Dragons, Alandra was a cavalry rider and lancer of highest skill (Imagine a Dragoon from Final Fantasy). She was also not just any mere noble from this land -- she was its princess, and a beloved one at that. She journed home for a famed artifact -- the Drakespike, a lance meant to slay and control Dragons (Yes yes, Dragonlance is a big inspiration). Alandra discovered it was in the possession of the Red Dragon Pyredance, and Pyredance demanded a sacrifice for it. Treasure and her own people. Alandra gave her family treasure freely but could not sacrifice her people. Yet she also knew that her people would never forgive her even if she gave one up to Pyredance... yet still she could not defeat Pyredance alone. She gave up some of her people's lives as a sacrifice for the greater good and took the Drakespike... and with it, pierced the heart of Pyredance. However, for betraying her own people, Drakenmoor was pulled into the Mists.

Today Drakenmoor is overrun by dragons and drakes, as Alandra controls them all. She constantly rides astride a young Dragon -- Pyredance's young -- and has forsaken her people in order to build her own fortune from Pyredance's tower. She is becoming more like an evil dragon herself, yet she tells herself it is for the power needed to defeat Morgoroth. Pyredance still lives, miraculously, and plots against her as he is disguised as a peasant in one of Drakenmoor's many villages.

So you imagine Alandra going through a transformation into an evil dragon, similarly to how Fafnir of Norse mythology was once a dwarf? Perhaps Alandra spends a little bit more time each day exhibiting draconic characteristics.

-7. Grimheld Goblin-Bane: From a hilled county called Greenwall, Grimheld was a bloodthirsty warrior even before his fall. He slew the Goblin King with the rest of the Circle, and made peace. When his quest started he returned home, only to discover that the goblins had survived. Rather than slaughter them, he made a deal with them -- the Goblins would be absolved of their crimes should they join him and slay Morgoroth together. They agreed, and Grimheld became known as the new Goblin King.

I'm a little unsure of how this "Goblin-King" type darklord could go. Maybe some inspiration from Forlorn? If you've any suggestions, please tell me!

You could take inspiration from the Goblin King Jareth from the Labyrinth.

-6. Mornhel the Fey-Born The only non-human member of the Circle, Mornhel is a wood elf from the Feywood. He joined the Circle to help defeat a monster in the forest, and part of his membership deal was that the Circle never hurt the Feywood. When he was sent back home on his quest, he discovered that Grimheld Goblin-Bane had sent goblins to cut down some wood to create more siege weapons. Angered, Mornhel came to the conclusion that the laws, faiths, and beliefs of humanity had blinded him. Turning back to the way of the Feywood, Mornhel launched an attack on Grimheld's goblin and human armies. Soon, the trees themselves began to fight on Mornhel's side. However, anytime since that a human entered the wood simply seeking to hunt or pick apples, Mornhel's Elves slaughter them. This is what pulled the Feywood into the Mists.

Mornhel is hateful and seeks the death of all humans, believing them to be stains on Avonleigh. To the Elves, even the name Avonleigh is a false name -- the true Elven name of the land is lost to time. Mornhel has truly become one with the forest, able to travel between trees like a dryad and cause the trees to come alive and speak.
I'm unsure of a good curse for him. Maybe something to do with a Half-Elf son? Or maybe perhaps HE is a Half-Elf? Again, shoot your suggestions below!

Mornhel could be a "purity" themed darklord, with his idea of purity taken a step forward to have his people continually wage war on each other (elven subraces, religions, etc. fighting each other), thus forever preventing his people from waging a uniting front against the humans he despises. Another possible theme could be hypocrisy- with his people adopting ways of the humans in order to fight them- turning away from nature etc. In this setup, Mornhel is powerless to keep his fellow elves from becoming like that which he hates.

-7. Theodred, the Black Knight: Theodred is from Avonshire, same as prince Sarius. He was always the odd one out of the Circle. He was not nobility -- rather, Ferran chose this farmer boy for his valour in defending his family farm from brigands with nothing but a scythe. Theodred was always humble and stuck to his roots, and he was beloved by all of Avonleigh perhaps more than Ferran. When his quest came, Theodred was certain he would never find the Sword, merely being a peasant. However, on his quest, he found the sword in a glade... yet he failed to pull it out. He was unworthy. Upset at this cruel slight, he returned to the capital city, only to see Sarius' rule of Avonshire was now cruel and bitter. He tried to fight Prince Sarius, but was defeated and banished. Theodred now wanders without a home, painting his armor black to save it from rust. This turned him bitter as well, and he began to see signs of fate pointing him towards the Sword of Kings in the lakes, the breeze in the woods, and the clouds themselves.

Whether these are true omens, the cruel magic of Maeve the Sorceress, or something darker, is unknown. He grew the most frantic in his quest for the Sword of Kings, slaying people over it and bringing him to the Mists as well. He has no domain and no home -- he freely wanders all of Avonleigh, to the other trapped Circle Knights' consternation.

These are all the ideas I've had so far, yet I still haven't reached the 12 mark. I want to incorporate things like the Sword in the Stone, and the personal quests of the knights for the Holy Grail. If you have any suggestions, please let me know in the replies! I'd love to hear your ideas, as I am not entirely versed in Arthurian lore aside from the Sword in the Stone, Monty Python, Overly Sarcastic Production's videos, and the Merlin series (Still not over its finale...).

I might suggest you either have Theodred or another one of your darklords actually have been chosen by the Sword, only to fall into darkness as they let the power and acknowledgement go to their head. This would make for an interesting theme of entitlement and a subversion/deconstruction of the whole "Chosen One" archetype, the moral lesson to his story that even being seemingly favored by the gods does not enable one to act with moral impunity.

Other examples of potential darklords could come from twisting/exaggerating the flaws of the Knights of the Round table. For example, Lancelot is known to have inadvertently brought doom upon his country by his adultery with Guinevere. In some depictions, Lancelot is said to be prone to fits of madness like when he doubts her love for him, as well as a hidden darker nature normally held back by his chivalry but unleashed when he enters combat. In a Ravenloft version, we could easily imagine this as a curse for taking a more active role in betraying/causing the king and his kingdom's downfall.

Other potential sources for darklords not associated with the Arthurian myth but nonetheless connecting to other sources of inspiration for the Shadowlands:
-Gilles de Rais, whom was at one time an ally of Joan of Arc (the latter of which Faith-hold seems to take some inspiration from).
-TTomás de Torquemada or other similar figures in the Spanish Inquisition or other similar movements

[JasperWick]

I like the idea of prince Sirius being a King John figure a lot. I also looked up the guy who fought along Joan of Arc and he also seems an I threshing figure to add in. Maybe another reason that Elena Faithhold felt so betrayed by the circle and took refuge solely in her faith.

[Mistmaster]

Well, at least two or three of them need to stay on the light side, for the sake of balance.

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

-7. Grimheld Goblin-Bane: From a hilled county called Greenwall, Grimheld was a bloodthirsty warrior even before his fall. He slew the Goblin King with the rest of the Circle, and made peace. When his quest started he returned home, only to discover that the goblins had survived. Rather than slaughter them, he made a deal with them -- the Goblins would be absolved of their crimes should they join him and slay Morgoroth together. They agreed, and Grimheld became known as the new Goblin King.

I'm a little unsure of how this "Goblin-King" type darklord could go. Maybe some inspiration from Forlorn? If you've any suggestions, please tell me!

You could take inspiration from the Goblin King Jareth from the Labyrinth.

You beat me to that suggestion. Does this mean Grimheld Goblin-Bane will sing Magic Dance and be played by David Bowie?

If any of you have ideas to pitch, please send them my way! Ideas for darklord knights of the circle, characters or places, or constructive criticism is appreciated.

Perhaps you can use Pellinore and the Questing Beast?

(I liked Nidala's story, but when I discovered the circumstances behind Alexi Shadowborn being born... I felt really, REALLY uncomfortable)

I understand that. I recall the Dungeon Master who introduced me to Ravenloft saying that he found Ebonbane too disturbing to use.

[JasperWick]

If I can ask (As someone who has never seen Labyrinth), what is the Goblin King's deal in that movie? And is it based off a real tale about a Goblin King, or was it just David Bowie's fever dream?

[Wolfglide of the Fraternity]

If the movie is a fever dream, then it originally comes from Jim Henson and Brian Froud. Terry Jones of Monty Python wrote the script based on their concepts. David Bowie was cast later, but that did affect the direction of the project, and things departed from Terry Jones' original ideas. More on that can be found here. I do not believe it is based off of some older tale.

As for his "deal," Wikipedia has a page for Jareth that might be helpful, particularly the section on his personality. There are also some good quotes of his to look at here. I particularly like:

Everything that you wanted, I have done. You asked that child be taken; I took him. You cowered before me; I was frightening. I have reordered time, I have turned the world upside down, and I have done it all for you! I am exhausted from living up to your expectations of me. Isn't that generous?

I rather like the idea that his behavior is at least partially an attempt to conform to the expectations of the protagonist. It reminds me of the hypothesis that Pennywise eats children because that is what monsters are expected to do.

[The Lesser Evil]

The novel offhandedly makes reference to a couple of cities, Letour and Sanschay, that were sacked by the Southern Empire. Either or both might make for a territory where a quisling/defector soon-to-be darklord to have betrayed the Great Kingdom of Avonleigh. A domain ruled by such a traitor darklord could be a place colonized by the enemy, with only ghosts and other undead of the traitor's people- you could loot Stauton Bluffs and Sir Torrence Bleysmith here, although it may or may not need expansion depending upon your desires for the domain if you were to use it.

[DocBeard]

I've been pondering this a few days because I really like and respect how much work you put into this even if I find myself disagreeing with a lot of the creative decisions. The corrupted knights seem like promising characters, but most of them work just as well as cursed or afflicted characters who are potential rivals for the domain, and the entire circle falling makes Elina's fate less horrific. Likewise I feel like Elina's motivation and damnation are fine on their own. Elina, much like Strahd, got caught up in fighting a war that was over and her inability to let go is the heart of her curse; she should love to have her friends back, right up until they say or think the wrong thing and become just another disappointment. Likewise Kateri being a half-Darklord feels like an odd choice to lesson the implications of her relationship with Ebonbane; if anything Kateri feels, to me, like the prototype for what happens to van Richten, a great good preserved by the Dark Powers as a backup plan in case their reach extends their grasp, again.

The heart of the chivalrous allegory is the test of virtue; we watch the knights stumble and fall to be reminded of how easy it is, and overcome to be given the hope that we too may be our best selves in the face of the world. I think a lot of these characters should be out in the world; think about the core, knightly virtue of each former Circle member, and how the current Circle would want to aid or hinder them, with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Ebonbane can be overcome if the curses that consume the original Circle are finally beaten. This gives the Circle of Shadows reasons to be meddling abroad more than they usually do, and a core quest that gives the iconic secret society some focus. I feel like you could either fit Nialdia into the Tepest-Forlorn social cluster fairly easily, or keep it a focused Cluster, though Lesser Evil's idea of just one extra darklord representing a traitor state that was sacked for their perfidy is a good idea. The knight travels away from home to pursue the grail, though.

[JasperWick]

I've been pondering this a few days because I really like and respect how much work you put into this even if I find myself disagreeing with a lot of the creative decisions. The corrupted knights seem like promising characters, but most of them work just as well as cursed or afflicted characters who are potential rivals for the domain, and the entire circle falling makes Elina's fate less horrific. Likewise I feel like Elina's motivation and damnation are fine on their own. Elina, much like Strahd, got caught up in fighting a war that was over and her inability to let go is the heart of her curse; she should love to have her friends back, right up until they say or think the wrong thing and become just another disappointment. Likewise Kateri being a half-Darklord feels like an odd choice to lesson the implications of her relationship with Ebonbane; if anything Kateri feels, to me, like the prototype for what happens to van Richten, a great good preserved by the Dark Powers as a backup plan in case their reach extends their grasp, again.

The heart of the chivalrous allegory is the test of virtue; we watch the knights stumble and fall to be reminded of how easy it is, and overcome to be given the hope that we too may be our best selves in the face of the world. I think a lot of these characters should be out in the world; think about the core, knightly virtue of each former Circle member, and how the current Circle would want to aid or hinder them, with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Ebonbane can be overcome if the curses that consume the original Circle are finally beaten. This gives the Circle of Shadows reasons to be meddling abroad more than they usually do, and a core quest that gives the iconic secret society some focus. I feel like you could either fit Nialdia into the Tepest-Forlorn social cluster fairly easily, or keep it a focused Cluster, though Lesser Evil's idea of just one extra darklord representing a traitor state that was sacked for their perfidy is a good idea. The knight travels away from home to pursue the grail, though.

This is def a unique angle. Your take on Elena wanting her friends back kinda gives her some more depth than being a fallen paladin (and one of many fallen knights at that), and Kateri as I initially imagined rewriting her does lack both the agency to be her own character and the agency to enact enough evil on her own terms to warrant being a Darklord. I think I'll keep it as original with Ebonbane being the pure darklord and Kateri being the force keeping it trapped.

As for the Knights as a whole, while I was writing the domains of this new Avonleigh cluster (Working on the map rn!) it was a little hard to make it so the Darklords were all knights. One, this hampered the creative storytelling a bit. While it tied them all together from a common origin, the fact that they ALL fell on the same quest and that they're mostly restricted to being a knightly class like a paladin or fighter felt a little limiting. I'm thinking that the Circle is definitely broken -- some knights like Elena and Kateri Shadowborn having fallen prey to the Dark Powers' plans, some lost and travelling across the cluster (and beyond) searching for heroes who can do what they couldn't, and some Knights of the Circle fallen in battle.

Other Darklord ideas can be more based on Arthurian or legendary early Medieval figures Darklords on their own, like the Lady of the Lake. The idea of one of the Darklords that survived being a traitor to the Circle can also cause some interesting interactions with Elena Faith-Hold, prompting an excuse to have some real military conflict in the Cluster.

[DocBeard]

I feel like Kateri is what makes Ebonbane more interesting than your average fiend in a box. As far as demons and devils go, Ebonbane's committed the great mistake of being bested by a human not just physically but spiritually, but despite all of its terrible efforts has been unable to break the spirit of this woman it's hurt so much, and invested so much in destroying the legacy of. As long as one knight of the shadows does good in the domains of dread, Kateri Shadowbane's winning in Ebonbane's eyes. Every second her legacy endures is a humiliation for a fiend of Ebonbane's level, who can't even cut his losses and stew over what happened for a few hundred years back in hell. They're stuck together, and Ebonbane's as much a prisoner of Kateri as he is Ravenloft, if not more considering the implications of what happens to the Demiplane if he's ever fully freed. It's the very human, personal loathing of what should be an easy mark that, imo, lets the Dark Powers keep their grips in the fiend when traditionally they don't do so well with alien intellects of the archdevil or demon lord level.

If I were using her that's what I'd focus on; despite how exhausted she is, she's up against one of the great evils of dungeons and dragons and consistently holding out in a heroic act of spiritual endurance. Ebonbane's taken her body, her country, her order, her friends, her children, her fuckin' horse, but here she is all the same. It's horrific but it's inspiring and a grim reminder of the cost of epic level heroism in a Ravenloft campaign.

[Evtrax]

i have a domain idea, and i might come back with more.

how about one based on Gawain and the green knight. Maeve sends this knight into the path of a powerful fae ruler, and gawain takes his place or something. i honestly dont have much beyond that seed of an idea.

[kourkenko]

Wow. It is a very interesting concept, much work are needed but i can be very good.

You also have Adar as a darklord or demilord, a corrupt unicorn who became the first black unicorn and caused the death of a mighty paladin because of his arrogance (i don't remember her name...), almost canon (created in the Book of Sacrifice netbook p34 but appearing in Arthaus books).

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Wow. It is a very interesting concept, much work are needed but i can be very good.

You also have Adar as a darklord or demilord, a corrupt unicorn who became the first black unicorn and caused the death of a mighty paladin because of his arrogance (i don't remember her name...), almost canon (created in the Book of Sacrifice netbook p34 but appearing in Arthaus books).

He is supposed to be Kateri Shadowborns paladin unicorn steed and he was the patriarch of black unicorns when he mated with a Nightmare (fiendish horse). He is not himself a black unicorn, and his connection with the Shadowborn line is the reason he is a demilord of a magical moving grove in the Phantasmal Forest in the Shadowlands.

[HyperionSol]

Well, perhaps you can take inspiration from Gawain and Tristain.

Gawain accepted a challenge from a Green Knight and beheaded him, but the knight survived. Then when he quested to meet the green knight for the returned strike, he found a citadel and was tempted by a maiden. He received gifts from her and returned them to the green knight when he returned. Until he got a green girdle. He tried to keep it, where the Green Knight revealed himself and gave a gentle blow and chastised him for his deception, teaching Gawain humility.

(I don't know the tale perfectly, but it's easy to find.)

A Darklord Gawain perhaps indulged in all the maiden's (the green knight's wife) gifts. Then when the green knight saw fit to punishment for his unbecoming behaviour, Gawain killed him and fled. He claims all the knight owned, but he has to hide his identity and give up his reputation to keep the other knight's lands in check. He constantly has to hear about his formerly good name being reviled and attributed to any crime committed in his lands.

Tristain went on a journey to another kingdom and met a woman named Isolde. She was married to another noble, but the two fell in love and longed for each other. Tristain married later, but he was so deep in his own lost love he couldn't stop pining for Isolde, making his marriage unhappy and grim.

A Darklord Tristain may try to go back to take Isolde away and he kills her husband. Isolde is horrified by his actions and rejects him, and he seeks to drag her back to his kingdom and make her marry him. He is drawn into the mists and what he wants most is Isolde, but she disappeared in the mists and now he is constantly seeking her. Although this idea is off the top of my head and seems similar to Strahd's.