Lord Drassak

Lord Drassak is a nonplayer character from the adventure module Thoughts of Darkness. In universe, he was a powerful champion of good and the Brotherhood of Contemplative Power. He sought the return of the Sacred Barrier along with his close associate Anitella. He plays a large role in the final parts of the module despite the warping of his flesh into an illithid vampire.

Biography

Lord Drassak was an outlander paladin called into Barovia by the Mists. There, he eventually joined the Brotherhood of Contemplative Power and became their champion. He also became quite close to Anitella.

Following the theft of a relic holy to the Brotherhood they called the Sacred Barrier (in actuality, the Rod of Houtras, a type of Rod of Rastinon) by Lyssa von Zarovich, Drassak and Anitella journeyed to Bluetspur to get it back from her and the High Master Illithid. Through sneakiness and guile, Anitella and Drassak learned the High Master Illithid's sinister plot to take over the Illithid God-Brain using the Apparatus triggered by the Rod. Anitella and Drassak retrieved the Rod, but Drassak was not satisfied with its mere capture. Rather, he wanted to destroy the Apparatus and steal the Apparatus manual possessed by the mind flayers. After Anitella hid the Rod and they returned to complete their new goals, Anitella and Drassak were captured by the mind flayers.

Drassak became the host for an illithid vampire tadpole. The mind flayers attempted to wrench the Rod's location from Anitella's mind, but her wild talent prevented their success. Sent to the mind flayers' laboratories for torture and experimentation, Anitella was changed into an octopus-headed Greater Broken One. The transformation drove her to a deranged state (and Neutral Evil alignment), rendering her obsessed with avenging herself against the mind flayers. She was eventually liberated from captivity by the Shattered Brethren.

Role in Thoughts of Darkness

Drassak serves as an unexpected benefactor in the module Thoughts of Darkness. Despite the death of his body, Drassak's pure nature combined with his knowledge of psionic lore allows his spirit to overwhelm the tadpole as it devours his brain. From there, he implanted his soul to possess the High Master Illithid. Gaining the High Master's retinue of psionic powers, Drassak uses them to heal and assist the party. He brings the Rod of Houtras to bear against the Illithid God-Brain. The battle ends with Drassak's destruction but escape for the player characters and Anitella, the latter of whom remains behind in Bluetspur.

Other Notes

Despite Drassak's destruction while inside the High Master's body, sources released after Thoughts of Darkness specify that the High Master is still somehow extant.

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Thoughts of Darkness
		Thoughts of Darkness - p55
		Thoughts of Darkness - pp8-9,p47