Gabrielle Aderre

Gabrielle Aderre, with her daughter Lucita

Gabrielle Aderre is the darklord of Invidia, though her rule over her domain is severely challenged by her son Malocchio Aderre, whom she gave birth to with the Gentleman Caller as the father. Malocchio is widely considered to be the prophesied Dukkar who will bring about the destruction of the Vistani.

Gabrielle Aderre is no pushover herself. A cruel and manipulative quarter-vistani. Gabrielle is a sorcerer who can cast enchantment spells as gaze attacks. After willingly allowing her mother to be torn apart by a werewolf, Gabrielle was taken by the Mists to Invidia, where she used her evil eye to slay Bakholis, its werewolf darklord. Gabrielle succeeded him as the temporal leader and darklord of the domain.

Gabrielle is the daughter of Isabella Aderre and Vlad Drakov. Isabella looked into the possible future of her daughter and warned Gabrielle to sire no child.

She is the mother to Malocchio and Lucita Aderre and the lover of Matton Blanchard and Ardonk Szerieza, and resides in Castle Hunadora.

Known aliases include: Frau Braun

History

Before Becoming a Darklord

Raised by her mother Isabella in a nomadic lifestyle typical of their ancestors, Gabrielle never knew her father. She held intense curiosity about him and even dreamed of whom he could be. However, Isabella only said he was a very evil man and that Gabrielle was the heir of some of that evil. Furthermore, Isabella granted her a prophetic warning, to never bear children, for it will only bring disaster to her and all those around her. Isabella only meant to be helpful, but Gabrielle took dire offense. In her heart, Gabrielle became estranged from her mother.

When Gabrielle was 19, Gabrielle and Isabella were assaulted by a werewolf. Isabella called for Gabrielle's aid, but Gabrielle refused until Isabella told her the complete truth about her father. Isabella relinquished and revealed that Gabrielle's father was a wealthy Falkovnian whom owned Isabella as a slave. Isabella eventually escaped, but not before she was raped and left with child by the Falkovnian. Gabrielle rejected the revelation as a lie and abandoned her mother to be eaten by the werewolf.

As Gabrielle fled the scene, the Mists surrounded her and brought her to Invidia. She was captured by the minions of Bakholis and brought before him. She rendered the arrogant tyrant helpless with her Evil Eye and then struck him down with her silver dagger. Following Bakholis' demise, Gabrielle became "heir" to the title of darklord of Invidia. The year was 729 BC.

Gabrielle's Rise

Shortly after the death of Bakholis, Gabrielle instigated a peasant rebellion. The Citadel was set ablaze, and Bakholis' regime was quickly dismantled. Gabrielle became temporal leader in his place.

Though Gabrielle now ruled, her rule was not a firm or even wholeheartedly organized one. Gabrielle used her power primarily to buy her comfort. Though cursed to personally never harm a Vistani, Gabrielle instituted a disorganized persecution of the people whom she bitterly hated for causing Isabella, and by extension Gabrielle, to live in poverty and exile. Meanwhile, she personally acted as a provocateur of malevolence by turning those living in love and happiness against each other through deception, temptation, and manipulation. She manipulated many lovers over the years, yet few truly came to lover her. Matton Blanchard, a wolfwere, was a notable exception.

And Fall

Gabrielle ruled more or less as above for several years. In 746 BC , a new lover entered Gabrielle's life. This new suitor was in fact, a demonic agent of chaos and evil, the incubus known as the Gentleman Caller. The Gentleman Caller completely enraptured Gabrielle, turning her against Matton Blanchard. Badly beaten by the Gentleman Caller, Matton was cast aside. Now without rival, the Gentleman Caller left Gabrielle pregnant with his seed before departing, leaving Gabrielle with only fond if hazy memories of their encounter. In the spring of 747 BC, Gabrielle gave birth to their child.

From early on after discovering his nature, Gabrielle intended to raise her son to be a weapon of genocide against the Vistani people that had wronged her. Malocchio matured unnaturally quickly and took to the role like a fish in water. If anything, Gabrielle was too effective in building a hatred of the Vistani within her son.

Within months, Malocchio rebelled against his mother's authority, usurping her authority and rendering her servants disloyal using his mystical talents. He imprisoned, tortured, and gaslighted his mother before leaving her to die in a bloody heap during the following Carnival of Karina of 747 BC However, the still loyal Matton Blanchard discovered his fallen lover and nursed her back to health over the following winter. Meanwhile, Malocchio used mystical manipulation and bloody terror to usurp Gabrielle's power and create a more united Invidia than it ever was under Gabrielle's rule. Unlike his mother's, Malocchio's persecution of the Vistani was a highly organized pogrom of extermination. The Invidians, bolstered by a mercenary force hired by Malocchio, butchered and scattered to the winds the majority of Vistani and giomorgos within Invidia.

Resurgence

Although Gabrielle had been cast down, she was quick to seize ways of striking back. Matton Blanchard began recruiting wolfwere allies from Kartakass to use against Malocchio's forces. In 748 BC, the Gundarakite rebel leader Ardonk Szerieza rose to prominence, eventually gaining leadership of the oppressed Gundarakites in Barovia. As the Gundarakites were similarly oppressed by Malocchio in Invidia, Gabrielle Aderre was quick to exploit the situation. She beguiled him, and they began an illicit affair. Gabrielle gained a valuable tool to manipulate the Gundarakites with. By the middle of 750 BC, Gabrielle and the Gundarakites had seized control of Castle Hunadora. They repulsed Malocchio's attempts at retaliation.

In the later part of 752 BC, Gabrielle learned of her pregnancy, though she did not know the father. Lucita Aderre was born Aderre's second child.

Current Sketch

For Gabrielle, Lucita is both a thing of joy but could potentially cause her ruin. As the young girl ages, she will reveal Gabrielle's infidelity to either Matton Blanchard or Ardonk Szerieza by whether she eventually manifests as a shapechanging wolfwere or not. To add fuel to the fire, Gabrielle is conflicted over whom she wants to be the father. She loves Matton but not Ardonk, yet she hopes Lucita will not be a wolfwere.

Statistics

2nd Edition]

• female human Wizard (Enchanter) 8; Neutral Evil

3rd Edition

• female Zarovan giomorgo Sorcerer 11; Neutral Evil

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Secrets of the Dread Realms Ravenloft Third Edition Domains of Dread The Evil Eye
		Secrets of the Dread Realms - p29 Domains of Dread - p53 Realm of Terror - p89 The Evil Eye - pp53,60
		Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp27-30 Domains of Dread - p53 Realm of Terror - pp89-90 The Evil Eye - pp60-61
		Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp7,27-30,61 Ravenloft Third Edition - pp17,124 Domains of Dread - p53-54 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - pp17-18,43-44 The Evil Eye - pp3-4, 28-29, 33, 33, 49-55, 57, 59-61 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Realm of Terror - p130 Forbidden Lore: Oaths of Evil - p31 Realm of Terror - pp89-90
		Frau Braun