The Metropolis Cluster

[Mistmaster]

Nice but too young for my tastes.

Yeah, I was iffy on how old to make the Darklord since it is inspired by Children of the Corn, which is part of what makes it so creepy. If it helps, by the current year in the cluster, he's well into his adult years, but trapped in a younger body.

Yes, but he was thirteen when he damned himself, that does not agree with me.

[Manofevil]

I'd like to see Marilee Marcusa visit this domain.

[HyperionSol]

I'd like to see Marilee Marcusa visit this domain.

She'd likely find someone who shares her misery in Isaiah since he can't grow up either. Still, both of them are very manipulative so even if they get along, they might start trying to manipulate each other and eventually become bitter enemies. Before that happens, the two could really make a reign of terror until they turn on each other. It would make for a good adventure set in the domain.

[HyperionSol]

I first began considering this Domain when I learned about Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital and I thought a hospital Domain would be good for the Cluster. A simple ghost story wouldn't work though as it would feel more like a modern Mordent. Then I discovered WInston's Heart and he had ideas for a theme of weird science and themes of madness as the hospital has the potential to bend minds if the Darklord has done enough tinkering...

New King’s Hospital

Cultural Level: 1940’s America (New York, Chicago, etc)

Religion: Pantheon of Angels

Locations: The domain encompasses the entire hospital campus which includes several buildings such as specialists and the space needed for their practices. The Main Building, Physical Therapy, Diagnostics, etc.

Darklord: Doctor Kristoph Hopewell

Inspiration: Winston’s Heart, Kingdom Hospital

The Mists of Ravenloft drift away, leaving the gray fog for the sanitized white walls of a campus of buildings. Everything is meticulously cared for and devoid of many colors save where it cannot be removed. The grounds show people in wheelchairs or using canes to help move, unflappable orderlies and nurses either helping them, or going about their business.

This is the Domain of New King’s Hospital. Within the Metropolis Cluster, it is the source of the best medical treatment across the city. Many people go there seeking treatment for what ails them. Some people go for more than a typical operation or medicine. People it’s director welcomes with open arms for the sake of medicinal advancement.

Kristoph Hopewell, the Cursed Doctor

Kristoph was a gifted student of the science, particularly in medicine and adjoining fields. He had aspirations to become a doctor in his future and was quick to set himself ont he path which would take him to that lofty position.

Many people considered to be gifted or genius often had a personality quirk to them. Kirstoph was no different. In his particular case, he had a fascination with magic and the supernatural. Most would write it off as a means to relieve stress from a long day of studies, but for Kristoph, it was much more than a hobby. It was a nigh obsession with him.

As he looked at the supernatural, Kristoph who lacked a sense of wonder, tried to apply all he knew about science to it. He wanted to know how such ideas began and what their basis was. He studied myth and legend just as readily as he did science and medicine. With his dedicated hours of study and research, he soon began to discover parallels in realms of mysticism and branches of science.

Many would argue that magic and science could never have parallels, but Kristoph quickly came to the theory that magic and science had similar basis in existence, but branched off in different paths. Soon, Kristoph had come to the idea that magic and science had the same core laws, and with that, both could be harnessed together for greater effect that either could have by themselves.

It was a bold theory and would have had Kristoph laughed out of any scholarly institution. In his world, the supernatural was considered a myth and fit for children. Still, Kristoph balanced his studies and located supernatural societies and learned from them just as readily as he learned from his teachers in his schools.

As Kristoph earned his doctorate with honors, many hospitals were making offers to have him join them and train as well as work with them. He looked through many of the offers, researching them thoroughly before he came to one which caught his eye; New King’s Hospital

New King’s Hospital was a campus of medical buildings, hosting impressive facilities for its time as well as some of the leading research in the field of medicine. Many doctors were all but fighting to be able to join. More than that, New King’s Hospital had a colorful history.

New King’s Hospital was build on the ruins of the original King’s Hospital after it had burned down. It created the rumor that the hospital was haunted, but also numerous theories as to how the hospital had burned down int he first place as no concrete cause was discovered. More than that, ill omens and stretches of bad luck surrounded much of the hospital’s history, all stemming from stories that the grounds of the hospital were once used in rituals by spiritualists before the encroaching city swindled the land from them.

It was a position too enticing to resist for Kristoph. A hospital which could appreciate and challenge his skills, but have plenty of supernatural research for him to pursue. He naturally was quick to accept the position and was quick to get to work.

Kristoph naturally flourished in his new position, dedicating much of his time to healing and bettering medicine during the day. During the night, he would relentlessly study and research rumors of supernatural phenomena and record everything in his journals for later study.

Kristoph soon found a circle of like-minded doctors and orderlies who believed in the supernatural or saw potential in his theories. Together, they made a secret society within the hospital to study signs of supernatural and the history of the building. They managed to reserve several labs for themselves, experimenting with engaging magic through scientific instruments, or practicing science through magic, tyring to find the commonalities and places where the two could cross over.

Kristoph’s research began to bear fruit as he began to discover means of communicating with the spirits in the hospital, engaging in medical procedures, and using magic to enhance the results for better treatment. Slowly, Kristoph was beginning to bridge the gap between magic and science. His theories were proving true, science and magic could unite for the betterment of both.

But Kristoph desired more, to not only prove his theories but take them as far as he could go.

Kristoph began to slowly design a machine, a device that would allow him to harness the forces of the supernatural and wield them like the mightiest wizard or sorcerer. Using every scrap of knowledge he had, every meticulously taken note, and every resource he had thanks to his connections and lofty position in the hospital. It took over a year of consulting, experimenting, and construction, but he was able to create his magnum opus, the Thaumaturgic Configuration.

The body of the machine was created, but soon came the concern of how to activate said machine. Creating the Thaumaturgic Configuration was as much a ritual as it was a process of construction. Activating the machine would require a potent ritual to balance such a thing. Fortunately, the sacrifice would not need to be grand, since the science of the machine made it more efficient, but a meaningful sacrifice was still required. In fact, for such a powerful relic like his device, a human sacrifice would be required.

Fortunately, Kristoph had plenty of potential sacrifices.

Organizing his followers, Kristoph had his entire group take over an upcoming open-heart surgery. The group wheeled in the patient, a war veteran whose heart was failing and turned the operating theater into a ritual site. Nurses chanted the magic words in the background while doctors used spell components alongside surgical tools. Over the course of hours, the team removed the veteran’s heart, placing it inside a special container, and completed their ritual, binding the heart to the Thaumaturgic Configuration by placing it where the veteran’s heart used to be.

The Thaumaturgic Configuration came to life in a flash of light. The power of raw magic channeled by the laws of science clashed with one another as the device first came online. In this moment, the barriers between the Material Plane and other planes were worn thin and the power of those planes began to touch the hospital. The Maternity Ward was emptied as innocents were swept away by entities of the positive planes. Demons and Devils peeked in through the shadows of negative planes, but they stayed their hands, unwilling to be caught in what was to come. With the betrayal of his oaths as a healer, the resentment of so many spirits, and a land tainted by the anger of its original bearers, the Dark Powers saw potential in New King’s Hospital and reached out for it

New King’s Hospital was drawn into the Mist, but a Darklord was not crowned just yet. So instead, they sat back and watched the events unfolding.

The people inside of the hospital noticed that things had changed when they completed their ritual. The shadows grew longer, their technology began to grow spotty, and chills ran down their spines although there was no one around. Worst of all, a thick, choking fog surrounded the grounds of the hospital.

Kristoph was not afraid. He merely had to study these strange events and he knew he could use his Thaumaturgic Configuration to dispel them and return everything back to normal. Once the device was bonded to his victim, he began to configure it to dispel magic. He took aim at the mist and cast his first spell. The veteran cried in pain, feeling their life being drained, but the spell had no effect on the mist. Kristoph surprised his magnum opus was so ineffective, reconfigured it for a more powerful version of the spell, and tried again. More pain engulfed the veteran, but Kristoph was not concerned as he merely tried more and more powerful versions of the spell to end the supernatural mist.

His final attempt saw the veteran flatline, and the Thaumaturgic Configuration grew dark.

And then the monsters began to rise. Bodies in the morgue sprung to life as zombies. Dolls left for children became possessed, turning into carrionettes. Shadows emerged in the basements, hunting in the darkness. Ghosts manifested in the halls of the hospital, shrieking in their undead agony.

The monsters led a massacre through the building, leading to the deaths of many patients and staff before Kristoph rallied his followers and what remained of the security forces and began to cut them down. Magic and martial prowess won the day, but the damage was done to the hospital. Kristoph was the only doctor of high enough authority left in the hospital and had the force of personality to cow the security teams.

Gripping his Thaumaturgic Configuration, he swiftly ordered his followers to find another patient or staff member who they could conduct a second ritual one so they might recharge the device and perhaps escape their circumstances. The doctors quickly found another victim and began their ritual again.

Once the first incision was made, the Dark Powers crowned their Darklord, sending New King’s Hospital to join their Metropolis Cluster.

Appearance

Kristoph appears as a gentleman who is often found in a white lab coat, a fine vest, and trousers, appearing like a proper intellectual. His brown hair sports gray at the temples and his finely cut mustache and beard. He appears every bit of the professional doctor who leads his staff. He radiates an aura of experience and authority. Other than that, he appears completely ordinary and has no visible sign that he is the Darklord of the Hospital.

In terms of personality, Kristoph has few cares aside from his research and his reputation. Both are something he is ruthless in protecting and advancing. Even if his experiments prove to be a success, he seeks to improve them, often conducting a series of experiments with the same purpose and subjects.

Current Sketch

Kristoph has become the head of New King’s Hospital, often organizing resources, ensuring all procedures are properly conducted, and overseeing research and development of new medicine, techniques, and procedures. Most often, he is researching and experimenting with the Thaumaturgic Configuration, trying to use it to properly dispel the supernatural events which plague the hospital and make the device more advanced and powerful.

This leads to Kristoph’s curse. No matter what he tries, no matter how he tries to advance his magnum opus, any problem he solves with it will only create another two. His greatest desire was to merge science and sorcery to solve mankind’s woes, but now his device only creates problems that threaten the lives and safety of his patients, an inexcusable blow to his reputation and all of the work he put into creating the Thaumaturgic Configuration.

Whenever he casts a spell with the Thaumaturgic Configuration, he causes monsters and supernatural events to begin happening in the hospital. In some examples, bodies in the morgue rise as zombies to plague the staff, pipes burst in the basement which spawns sahuagin, and objects come to life to threaten anyone they find. Other effects such as hauntings, warped space, living spells, and mutating people or animals in the hospital have been known to happen. This has forced Kristoph to use the device sparingly, one more intolerable blow against his pride.

The Land

The entirety of the Domain is the hospital and its campus grounds. There are some buildings that cater to specific ailments. Some buildings include the maternity ward, burn victims, physical therapy, and other specialties. All of them are manned with experienced doctors and very professional staff who are strict in their schedules, but thoroughly attentive.

Dormitories have been constructed so to house interns and nursing staff who are undertaking special studies in the hospital before they are made into full doctors and have the funds to buy homes of their own. Much of the nursing staff is believed to live there and it shows in their dedication to the people they tend to, raising the hospital’s reputation.

Several sections of the hospital show damage from the various supernatural disasters which Kristoph has the staff quickly block off and reorgainze the hospital or find workarounds so patients and potential patrons will not see. A dedicated matoenance staff are able to repair them in a few days, but it makes navigating the hospital a trek as the accessible halls and floors seem to change at times.

The Law

Being the director of the hospital, Kristoph naturally has control over the hospital’s policies. He is able to work the bureaucracy of the hospital to show favor to people on his side or slow down people he is against. Once he has signed the paperwork, it is considered set in stone and any orders will be carried out. Most of the staff are quite methodical in carrying out the doctor’s orders.

Still, in terms of law and governing, the hospital is beholden to the laws of the city it resides within. This is why Kristoph is working hard to ensure no rumors of wrongdoing escape the hospital. The last thing he needs is authorities from other Domains storming his hospital and risking all of his hard work. This is sometimes difficult to do, considering the nature of some supernatural events he causes by tinkering with the Thaumaturgic Configuration.

Closing the Borders

When he wishes the borders to close, Kristoph merely concentrates and raises the mist. People who enter smell the scent of laughing gas or other painkillers. Continuing into the mist causes the targets to grow numb and collapse or even pass out. This leaves them to be collected by the staff and be admitted to the hospital for a falsified medical condition.

The Folk

The people who live within the borders of New King’s Hospital are either patients or staff. The patient population is constantly fluctuating as there are waves of people who need medical treatment. The Staff is much more stable in terms of numbers. Although what many people do not know is that the majority of the staff are flesh golems made from the bodies of victims of the superatural events. The flesh golems are made from a team of surgeons and scientific equipment, seemingly slowing down their descent into aggression and obsession since no one person helped create them, or other flesh golems did the work.

Some human staff members remain. Usually the entire senior staff are part of Kristoph’s secret society, conduction research for him, or helping cover his tracks when he needs special materials for his procedures. Junior staff members include interns and aspiring doctors. Often their numbers fluctuate as they do their work and leave, or get invited to join Kristoph’s society if they show the proper desire for knowledge.

Facing Kristoph Hopewell

Kristoph relies entirely on his Thaumaturgic Configuration to battle. He is a Wizard, and can configure his device to different schools of magic, using it as both a spellbook and a magic focus. Casting a spell takes off a year of life for every level of spell slot expended and the device recharges after a long rest. When the one bonded to the device perishes, the device is inert until another ritual/surgery is performed.

When Kristoph casts a spell though, a random event not unlike Wild Magic will occur, but with dread variants befitting Ravenloft.

Encounters

The most common of encounters inside of New King’s Hospital would be the Flesh Golems who make up the majority of the staff. If a group of heroes become a problem, the golems will begin hunting them doggedly.

It is also possible that any supernatural creature from anywehre in Ravenloft could be stalking the halls of the hospital. Even if they wouldn’t normally be in an urban setting, they could appear thanks to Kristoph trying to use his magnum opus again. A basement could flood, having aquatic monsters appear. A Grim Reaper may appear, targeting the sick and dying in the hospital. Even Head Hunter spiders could begin nesting in the silent portions of the hospital. There is no limit as Kristoph refuses to abandon everything he worked for and will not let the device go.