Category:The Kargatane

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The Kargatane is fictional organisation within the Ravenloft campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons. Currently led by Lady Kazandra[1], the Kargatane is a secret society of mortal followers of the Kargat[2][1][3], scattered throughout Darkon but also having representation in Lamordia, Falkovnia, Tepest, and Dementlieu.[4] The Kargatane are pawns, for they are ignorant of their masters' unnatural nature, simply believing themselves to simply be seekers of immortality.[5] The vampire blood they use for extended life (See "Origins", below) are thought to be concoctions of alchemy.[3]

Origins

The Kargatane first evolved out of the attempts of Azalin Rex[2] and Kargat vampires to develop mortal thralls to serve Azalin's vampires during the day.[3] They discovered such a method: a single drop of vampire blood can create an extended year long charm effect. It also produces a temporary boost in physical Ability Scores and slows the aging process.[6][3]

The Kargat vampires tempted a few would-be servants with their blood disguised under other ritual trappings, and the temptation of immortality proved almost too effective into gathering a following. The Kargatane evolved into something much beyond its original design, to a larger outer rim of immortality seekers outside of the vampires' direct control or influence. Although the Kargatane evolved beyond its original intent of design, the Kargat embraced its new nature as they knew it still served their purposes.[2]

Structure

The Kargatane is comprised of small localized cells with membership that follow a general two-tier system of hierarchy. Each cell centers around a single Kargat vampiric master, whom may have up to a dozen Kargatane pawns under his/her influence. The upper tier of the Kargatane's structure is the second circle, the select few that communicate with their vampire master directly and drink of the vampiric blood. The lower tier, referred to as the outer rim, never encounter Kargat vampires directly nor drink of vampire blood. They are simply normal people tempted by the suggestion of immortal life.[4]

Alignment

According to Domains of Dread, the overall Kargatane organization has a Lawful Evil alignment.[1] Other products have not assigned the Kargatane this alignment.

Facilities

A sample Kargatane hideout is mapped out in the Forbidden Lore boxed set (see the included map and Forbidden Lore: Cryptic Allegiances p. 10-11.

Edition timeline discrepancies

The late 2nd Edition Requiem: The Grim Harvest boxed set introduced a cataclysmic plot event, the Requiem, that resulted in the destruction of Il Aluk (or rather, its transformation into Necropolis, for which all of Darkon was called for the rest of Darkon was also called for the remainder of the 2nd Edition Ravenloft product line. The implications of the Requiem was later interpreted by 3rd Edition Ravenloft product line and 4th Edition general Dungeons and Dragons product lines, though both acknowledged Azalin disappeared.

The 3rd Edition Ravenloft product line, produced by Sword and Sorcery Studios (a subsidiary of White Wolf) under license from Wizards of the Coast) continued with the 2nd Edition product line. The 3rd Edition's product line acknowledged Azalin's return to power from seeming oblivion. On the other hand, 4th Edition D&D disregarded the 3rd Edition Ravenloft, and the Demiplane of Dread was functionally replaced with the Shadowfell as the home for domains. For the purposes of fitting Lady Kazandra and the Kargatane into a 4th Edition cosmology without the Core or even Darkon. As such, Book of Vile Darkness 4e sourcebook mentioned that Lady Kazandra took the Kargatane into the Shadowfell following Darkon's fall, a development that never happened in the 3rd Edition Ravenlot product line.

It is unclear which timeline is correct in 5th Edition.

Noncanon information

The Kargatane has been a subject of some fan development. The Kargatane (Real World), the one-time holders of the 3rd Edition Ravenloft fan homepage, created in-world personal avatars in the form of the, which operated a bookshop there as a front for their activities.[7]

Another fan, Joël Paquin detailed two Kargatane operating in Invidia, Jorane Amos and Keith de Lalune in the fan netbook Undead Sea Scrolls 2002.[8]

References

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

Domains of Dread
Forbidden Lore:Cryptic Allegiances
Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II
The Forgotten Children Download Now!

Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II - p37

Domains of Dread pp 137-138
Forbidden Lore:Cryptic Allegiances pp8-12
Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II - pp36-37
The Forgotten Children - pp52-62 Download Now!

Kargatane, The Kargatane


Subcategories

This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.

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