Domain of the month - Gundarak!

[Willowhugger]

Hook 1#

Gundarak has an unusual curse upon it due to their Lord's affliction. Vampires and other undead in the domain slowly regain the ability to do certain activities but gradually have their other hungers increase.

* A Ghoul might slowly regain his good looks and intelligence but find his need for flesh even greater that he must kill a man to feast.

* Vampires regain the ability to have children but also gain violent sexual desires.

He might also lose his immortality.

* A Ghost gains the ability to fully manifest but continues having no ability to feel anything

Optional:

This curse has afflicted Strahd who doesn't understand it still and it is slowly affecting him. He becomes desperate to somehow restore the Domain to Duke Gundar.

Hook 2#

Vlad Dracov has been secretly funding members of the former soldiers of Duke Gundar in Gunderak for some time now and is preparing to have a "far off" colony (that he might actually conquer since he can in no way directly coordinate the actions-which will only frustrate him more)

This movement is unrelated to Gabrielle Aderre's and Mallochio is funding them, resulting likely in a huge Civil War if they suceed in slaying Strahd's governors.

They believe they also have an impenetrable weapon against Strahd....Toben the Many.

Hook 3#

The Bandit Gang of Duke Gundar finally reaches Gunderak and Strahd Von Zharovich is challenged to a duel for the countryside. Strahd intends however to use a new spell he's devised with the Book of Souls to transfer lordship of the domains (and his curse) to Gunderak.

This matter is complicated though because Gunder has kidnapped the current incarnatioon of Tatyana and fallen for her!

[alhoon]

The harshest tax was on born girls: a heavy tax that the family had 15 years to pay, otherwise the girl was seized and brought to Gundar.

You're kidding me! What if the girl in question decided to flee when she was 14 years old instead of that fate? What if she died by natural/unnatural causes?

Gundar was aging?
But he was middleaged when Soth found him. And he was in Ravenloft for about a century or more!

Gundar is back?
From what I remember from KotBR, Azrael believed the vampire to be cruel, insane etc. I remember that he had people on spikes around his castle. I would certainly not wanted that ******* IMC.

What was Gundar's level? Just in case
His curse is that he is aging?

Charlatan:I'll use your hook today.

[Malus Black]

Gundar was aging?
But he was middleaged when Soth found him. And he was in Ravenloft for about a century or more!

No-one said he aged fast. I believe it was one year per decade or something along those lines - but to a creature used to the prospect of eternal existence, it must have been terrifying.

What was Gundar's level? Just in case

His writeup in the Book of Secrets put him as a 13th level Eminent Nosferatu fighter. I'm not sure what the canon answer is, or even if there is any.

[DeepShadow of FoS]

In a lonely stretch of forest in Gundarak stands a crumbling tower of blackened stone, supposedly old even before Gundar ruled. It is believed curse, but few know the details; from time to time it is encircled in a ring of poisonous fog, and that's enough to deter visitors.

When fleeing Strahd on the night of the crescent moon, a paladin PC is advised to hide in the tower; apparently it is a blind spot in Strahd's ability to sense paladins. The PC is also warned to be gone before the crescent moon turns new.

Delayed, the character is forced to remain, and discovers the secret that has been hidden all these years: the tower has a master! A black-cloaked rider appears with the new moon, sends his sweat-lathered, coal-black steed to the pasture out back, and enters. Immediately he feels the chafe of the paladin's aura, but if the PC is quick, he may be able to escape, for the master of the tower cannot stray beyond a hundred yeards from the tower.

Not until the next crescent moon, when he mounts his coal-black horse and rides the Lonesome Road, searching for his head....

(P.S. This is a preview for my Headless Horseman revisited. Yes, his backstory belongs here in Gundarak, and while I won't say exactly why, he holds a razor-sharp clue in his hand when he rides....)

[alhoon]

The PCs in an expedition or other adventure find a burned out book. Most of the book is unreadable. The parts that can be read seem to be written in Draconic. Studies about the undead and necromancy. However on the back cover of the book, the following is written (also in Draconic) with much more care and large letters.

"I'll burn, I'll destroy, I'll kill!
I'll wrench out the world from the hands of the living!
I'll remake the world as it should have been; as I want it!
Necrolyte."

Further study of the remainings of the book turn up that for the Necrolyte to put up a base of opperations in a place with the right ethereal resonance, he should make his lab "in a land once ruled by a vampire and now in the hands of a vampire". . . i.e. Gundarak.

[alhoon]

A society of Gundarakite Rebels fighting against Strahd and Barovia has become a collection of extremists!

They have gathered around a powerful cleric that makes magic weapons to help them in their fight. Then, they take the war on Barovia acting as special saboteurs and terrorists.

The cleric's hate on Barovians has pushed him in finding a way to make cheap and effective weapons against them. He has found a way to distilize Gundarak's resonance against females and his own hate against Barovians.
A magic blade buried in the body of a Barovian maid and the corspe with the weapon buried in Gundarak's earth can be easily enchanted in a barovian Bane weapon(see below). The cleric has produced 3 Barovian bane blades and 9 lesser barovian bane blades that way.

The society opperates in Barovian Gundarak to distabilize Strahd's authority and recruit agents, makes terrorist attacks in Barovia itself (more in order to take grim satisfaction in Barovians' suffering than anything else) and in neighboring domains as adventurers and assassins to collect money and resources for their fight.

The society is evil. Rationalizing their blind hate, the members will attack a weak adventuring party in Invidia for example to take their equipment to use in their "just" cause. If the party has a Barovian in the numbers so much the better. If not. . . then well, tough luck for them.

Barovian Bane weapon: A magic weapon that has been vaptised in Barovian blood with the ritual described above, can be turned to Barovian Bane or a lesser Barovian bane weapon cheaper.

A Barovian Bane magic weapon quality adds a +1 to the enchantment of the weapon. The weapon gives a +2 bonus on hit/damage rolls against all humans, but against Barovians it deals extra 2d6 damage.
If the above ritual isn't used, the weapon will be just as expensive as a human bane weapon but less useful.
However, if the above ritual is used (with the appropriate power check) the weapon costs 75% as much as it would. So a +1 human Bane longsword would cost 4000 gp and 320 XP while a +1 Barovian Bane longsword would cost 3000 gp and 240 XP.
Caster Level: 8th. Feats: Craft magic arms and armor. Spells: Greater magic weapon, bestow curse, summon monster I.

A Lesser Barovian Bane magic weapon quality adds a +1 to the enchantment of the weapon. The weapon gives a +1 bonus on hit/damage rolls against all humans, but against Barovians it deals extra 1d6 damage.
If the above ritual isn't used, the weapon will be just as expensive as a human bane weapon but far less useful.
However, if the above ritual is used (with the appropriate power check) the weapon costs 50% as much as it would. So a +1 human Bane longsword would cost 4000 gp and 320 XP while a +1 lesser Barovian Bane longsword would cost 2000 gp and 160 XP.
Caster Level: 8th. Feats: Craft magic arms and armor. Spells: Greater magic weapon, bestow curse, summon monster I.

The DM has to find a reason as to why the Extremists hate Barovians so much. Some could be victims of random brutalities made by the Barovians but the cleric should have a more defined reason.


PS. Don't ask why the SM I spell is needed in Bane weapons; I have no idea. The DMG has it as a prerequisite in Bane weapons. IMC this spell isn't needed.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

The harshest tax was on born girls: a heavy tax that the family had 15 years to pay, otherwise the girl was seized and brought to Gundar.

You're kidding me! What if the girl in question decided to flee when she was 14 years old instead of that fate? What if she died by natural/unnatural causes?

That was never clarified in the products. My guess? If she escaped, her parents would undoubtedly have to pay off the "daughter tax" anyway, or else her *mother* would be taken. After all, the "tax" was really just an excuse for Gundar to snack on peasant girls, while fleecing anybody who could afford to pay. If the girl dies young, Gundar's men probably charge a pro-rated tax anyway, as compensation for "wasting the duchy's food on a sickly, weakling female", e.g. if she lived to age five, they'd charge a third of the usual fee.

[Rotipher of the FoS]

Gundar was aging?
But he was middleaged when Soth found him. And he was in Ravenloft for about a century or more!

No-one said he aged fast. I believe it was one year per decade or something along those lines - but to a creature used to the prospect of eternal existence, it must have been terrifying.

Are you sure you aren't thinking of Tristan apBlanc...? He ages one year for every ten, but that's because he's (by day) a living being. :-/

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Gundar's aging non-canon, as far as I know, but I like it. It's from the BoSecrets article on him, as far as I can tell.

[alhoon]

That was never clarified in the products. My guess? If she escaped, her parents would undoubtedly have to pay off the "daughter tax" anyway, or else her *mother* would be taken. After all, the "tax" was really just an excuse for Gundar to snack on peasant girls, while fleecing anybody who could afford to pay. If the girl dies young, Gundar's men probably charge a pro-rated tax anyway, as compensation for "wasting the duchy's food on a sickly, weakling female", e.g. if she lived to age five, they'd charge a third of the usual fee.

OMG! What a dilemma! "Should I run with this party of adventurers for the border (sacrificing my mom or sister) or stay and die?"
Did the Gundarakites knew that Gundar was a vampire or they just knew that every girl that entered that castle never came out?

What was the female population of Gundarak? I mean, many families would prefer to abandon their girls to their fate when born rather than grow attached with a girl that may be taken by their monstrous ruler.

[Manofevil]

Huma's Blade! I think I actually have a hook to add for once.

Having seen a traveler's sketch of a prostitute in another province (take your pick) that bears a striking resemblance to a daughter of his taken to Gundar's castle the year before, A Gundarakite man and his broad extended family are convinced that every girl siezed by Duke Gundar is being sold into sexual slavery across the borders. This rural urban legend rapidly becomes a widespread held belief that is drumming up rebellion in the countryside. Any PCs in the area find themselves smack-dab in the middle of an uprising.

[Joël of the FoS]

Dear members of the Fraternity,

While this thread isn’t anymore the featured thread of this week, it isn’t closed!

If you have more adventure hooks about this domain, post them here – I will collect them and add them to the site .

Post here adventure hooks, short verbatim (conversation by the fireside), or other thoughts about this domain.

Regards,

Joël

[jinat]

Has their ever been any official explanation why his son Medraut was human ? Also in the novel Medraut had a sister, any more information about her ?

If no official account what are some unofficial takes ?

[alhoon]

Gundar had A DAUGHTER? He is the epitome of misogyny in my eyes...

[Mephisto of the FoS]

Gundar had A DAUGHTER? He is the epitome of misogyny in my eyes...

Yes he had , it says so in Knight of the Black Rose, but there is minor reference to her and from the description of her it sounded to me more like a lost one or a very battered child in general. Medraut killed her while "playing" with her in Castle Hunadora's throne room, her blood triggering a portal possibly leading "out of the Demiplane of Dread". Gundar and his son held the portal for some time to study it but neither of them could use it. Then Lord Soth killed Medraut to use his blood to reactivate the portal, in an effort to go back to Krynn but he didn't escape either. I had used the portal story for Feast of Goblyns part II to have the players have a motive for sneaking into Castle Hunadora to assassinate Duke Gundar as it is written the Red Box.