Baron Urik von Kharkov
Urik von Kharkov is Darklord of Valachan. He has an unusual and complicated backstory, as a panther who was polymorphed into human form by a Red Wizard of Thay. After thus becoming human he forgot his animal self and was horrified when the wizard who had transformed and then trained him used him as a weapon against an enemy by introducing von Kharkov to her and letting them become lovers, then removing his enchantment and causing Von Kharkov, now again a panther, to tear his lover to shreds. The wizard then caused Von Kharkov to be human once more; horrified at what had happened and afraid to be made use of a second time, Von Kharkov fled and was taken by the Mists into Ravenloft, emerging in the realm of Darkon. There he learned of the Kargat, Azalin's secret police, and eventually became a member of the Kargat and a Nosferatu Vampire. Perhaps intrigued by this strange mix of animal, human and undead hungers and needs, the Dark Powers soon von Kharkov darklord of his own domain.
Von Kharkov resides in Castle Pantara as a distant but feared ruler, who rules largely through his second-in-command Lady Adeline and through his werepanther secret police. Every year he demands that a bride be provided for him; the fate of these women is not known to the inhabitants of his domain, but is all too easy to guess. To feed his vampiric hunger he has opted to feed shallowly from many sources, thus creating the idea of an endemic illness, debilitating but not life-threatening, known as White Fever. He fears the artifact known as the Cat of Felkovic, having once almost been slain by this uncanny figurine. He is also known to be the creator of the Fang of the Nosferatu.
Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue
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Secrets of the Dread Realms - p56 | |
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Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp55-57 | |
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Secrets of the Dread Realms - pp7,55-57 |
