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Azalin Rex

2019-09-13T18:53:48Z

Nerit:

[[File:Azalin.jpg|thumb|alt=Alt Azalin's Illusionary Living Face|Azalin's Illusionary Living Face]]
[[File:Azalin rex.jpg|thumb|alt=Azalin's True Undead Face|Azalin's True Undead Face]]
{{canon}}
In the World of ''[[w:Greyhawk | Greyhawk]]'' and [[Ravenloft]] campaign settings for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, Azalin Rex or "The Rex" is a wizard-king. He is the [[Darklord]] of the domain of Darkon. He is known by his subjects for his draconian rule.<ref name=ravgaziip134>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 134</ref>

== Description ==
As a [[lich]], an undead wizard, Azalin's true appearance resembles a skeleton or mummy. In his everyday appearance, however, Azalin maintains the illusion of a living king, closely mimicking his late-life persona: an elderly man with aquiline features and a piercing gaze, with unkempt dark hair topped by a heavy [[Iron Crown|iron crown]]. However, he can alter his appearance to resemble many humanoid individuals, even that of a different race or gender.<ref name=ravgaziip134>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 134</ref> Perhaps as a result of this in-game flexibility, official portrayals of Azalin differs greatly from artist to artist, much more so than portrayals of characters such as [[Lord Soth]] or [[Strahd von Zarovich]].

== History ==

=== Early life ===
Firan Zal'honan was born in the earldom of Knurl<ref name="From the Shadows p. 30">[[From the Shadows]] p. 30</ref>, a city-state in the eastern Flanaess. As the second of three sons of [[Lord Turalitan Zal'honan]], his political future was decidedly dim from his birth<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>, and he spent much of his childhood overlooked by his parents. From an early age, Firan demonstrated a keen intelligence, marked with a distaste for his fellow men and their deviation from discipline and order, a revulsion that manifested itself in self-loathing several times for his own perceived weaknesses. Firan respected his father's strict rulership, as well as the prior claim to succession exercised by his older brother Ranald, but disliked his father's superstitions and his bans against magic. Perhaps in a display of rebellion, Firan entered the underworld of Knurl's mages, studying under the wizard [[Quantarius]].<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

As a youth, Firan seems to desire control over others and of himself above all else, although he also is given to angry outbursts and quick decisions which he later comes to regret. Even into his later lichhood and rulership status, these attributes recur, painting the portrait of a ruler demanding fealty and promising order, but secretly and constantly frustrated by the failings of his fellow men and of himself.

The only family member he loved without reservation was his younger brother, [[Irik]]. Where Firan was quick to anger and slow to forgive, Irik was the opposite. Firan pursued his studies and thirsted after[[knowledge]], but occasionally displayed an inability or ignorance of the potential repercussions. The death of Irik would prove a telling example: At 15, Firan called a [[demon]] that broke loose from his power and killed Irik<ref name=ravgaziip134>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 134</ref>. Firan's actions caused his father to expel [[Quantarius]] from the city, and Firan chose to follow him into exile, continuing his studies.<ref name="King of the Dead p. 104-125">[[King of the Dead]] 104-125</ref> In time, he would learn magics that few other mages could master (and which are actually largely beyond reach of normal D&D characters): he could permanently heal himself by stealing others' life forces, he could read minds and steal magical information, completely learning new spells with a thought<ref>KotD p. 152-153</ref>, he could extend his own life by draining the vitality of enemies.<ref>KotD p. 144-146</ref>

=== Rulership of [[Knurl]] ===
[[Ranald Zal'honan]] died as a result of a dissipate and gluttonous lifestyle, and Firan returned to his home, assuming the seat of power and ruling as "Azal'Lan," or wizard-king.<ref>KotD p. 156-165</ref> His credits include reversing the decline that Knurl suffered under Ranald's reign, and returning it to economic and military significance.<ref name="KotD p. 166-167, 176">KotD 166-167, 176</ref> Also, under his reign, magic once again became an important part of Knurl's daily life.

Firan swore allegiance to the distant Malachite Throne of the [[Great Kingdom]]KotD p. 166</ref>, but conducted many unsanctioned military campaigns against the surrounding tribes, adding handsomely to Knurl's holdings. His reign was marked by prosperity and growth, but also by violence and dissent from the conquered tribes.<ref name="KotD p. 166-167, 176">KotD 166-167, 176</ref>

Firan was 60 when he married, as his life-extending spells started to fail and he needed an heir. His loveless marriage took 18 years to produce a son<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>, with some saying his wife even sought magical wards against bearing his child. [[Olessa]] died in childbirth, cursing him.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref> Firan named his son Irik, after his brother, but the name would carry greater resonance. His son inherited the kindness and generosity of Firan's brother, and would not follow his father's harsh footsteps, a trait Firan saw as weakness.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref> When Irik was caught freeing political prisoners, Firan was faced with a choice: to pardon his son, or to kill him. In accordance with his own laws and as a symbol of his strict devotion to them, Firan not only permitted the [[execution]] but wielded the headsman's blade himself.<ref>KotD 186-193</ref>

Although this act impressed upon his citizens the strictness of his rule, Firan himself was plagued with doubts over his own actions. He became obsessed alternately with finding a means to live forever, or finding a means to bring his son back from the dead to try to train him anew.<ref>KotD p. 193-196</ref> As he lamented his failure as a father, a dark and nameless force presented him with the secret of lichdom.<ref name=ravgaziip134>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 134</ref>

Firan shed his mortality and changed his official title to Azal'Lan, ruling for 60 more years.<ref name=ravgaziip134>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 134</ref> During this time, [[Knurl]] became a major power in the Flanaess, even daring to renounce fealty to the Malachite Throne. Azal'Lan's military and trade power began to infringe on the territories of surrounding kingdoms, who sought ways to eliminate Azal'Lan. Assassins and armies alike seemed unable to topple him, but the course of his downfall would come from the minor tribes he had defeated early in his reign.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

Azal'Lan was finally lured out of his defenses by the promise of a new magical spell that could allow a mage to restore true life to a corpse. Blinded by his hopes for restoring his son, Azal'Lan went forth with a small retinue of guards, and was then ambushed<ref>KotD p. 206-214</ref> by a group of mercenaries. Fleeing their pursuit, he entered a dense fog to lose them. He was never to see Knurl again.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

=== Arrival in Ravenloft ===
In [[542 BC]], Azalin appeared in [[Barovia]], whose inhabitants called him "Azalin" upon hearing his name.<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref> Continuing in his insatiable quest for knowledge, he terrorized several local boyars searching for magical texts. During this time, he apparently discovered something similar to the life restoration spell he sought<ref>KotD p. 226-236</ref>, but whether he could learn it at all is unclear (see Memory anomalies below).

It was not long before he drew the attention, and grudging respect, of the domain's dark lord. Trapped in Barovia and suffering from a strange malady that prevented him from learning new spells<ref name="I, Strahd, the War Against Azalin">[[I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin]]</ref> Azalin entered into an uneasy alliance with Strahd. Azalin, who was a more powerful spell caster than the vampire, would instruct Strahd in the magic arts in exchange for his help in Azalin's [[experiments]] which were aimed at returning the lich lord to his own [[plane]]. This collaboration led to the first concerted attempt to break through the [[Misty Border]] surrounding Barovia and escape using an apparatus of Azalin's design.<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref>

This attempt resulted in the pair arriving in the outworld realm of [[Mordent]]<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref>, which bore striking similarities to the town of Whitby in Britain, also a setting for Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. There, [[the Apparatus]] split Strahd's personality into good and evil manifestations: [[the Alchemist|Alchemist]] and Creature respectively. Azalin's role in this adventure ([[I10:The House on Gryphon Hill]]) appears to be largely observational. The Alchemist and Creature's attempts to destroy each other caused the escape attempt to fail, and forced Mordent into joining the Demiplane of Ravenloft.

===Memory anomalies===
After the failed Mordent incident, the already-tense relation between Azalin and Strahd frayed further. When the domain of Mordent actually appeared beyond Barovia's borders, Azalin deduced that the [[Misty Border]] of Ravenloft might hold other lands, free from Strahd's authority. He entered the mists alone, and emerged in a realm of his own: Darkon.<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref>

Here, the exact nature of Azalin's existence is unclear, on two counts. The first count is the issue of a personality split: one source ([[King of the Dead]], a canonical novel) maintains that a traveling wizard named Firan appeared at the border, while an undead lich-like creature named Darcalus materialized in Darkon's central castle, [[Avernus]]. Firan, a just and good [[adventurer]], eventually sought out the depraved tyrant Darcalus and confronted him, rather as the Alchemist Strahd and the Creature Strahd did in Mordent. However, few other Ravenloft products refer to this (although they do not explicitly contradict it). According to King of the Dead, Firan stumbled about Darkon with no memory, and did not regain his memory until he defeated Darcalus, whereupon the undead essence merged with his own and made him Azalin once again. The novel also depicts his rage at realizing he had come so close to escaping his despicable undead state as well as the burdens of rulership.<ref>KotD p. 10-78, 263, 267-271</ref>

The second count is the question of Azalin's memory. As with many Darklords, Azalin suffers a curse tailored to his personality, granted by the [[The Dark Powers]] of Ravenloft. In this case, one dimension of his curse is the inability to learn any new magic at all, a crippling blow to any wizard, and downright unbearable for a lich, especially one who has knowingly sacrificed his living self so he can pursue new magics for all eternity. All sources cite this handicap, but they disagree on the time it manifested. Some sources, including [[King of the Dead]], imply that he could not learn new magic from the moment he arrived in Barovia (such as the resurrection spell he found)<ref>KotD p. 230-236, 250-251</ref>; others, such as the [[Gazetteers]]<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref> and campaign setting books, imply he must have been able to learn new magic while helping Strahd penetrate the Demiplane's magical secrets. The fact that he invented [[Bone Golems]] and [[Zombie Golems]] during his time with Strahd<ref>[[Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II]] p.26</ref> suggests that he had some ability to innovate after arriving in Ravenloft. [[I, Strahd: The War Against Azalin]] maintains that the curse struck Azalin immediately upon entering Barovia, and that the lich tutored Strahd in the arcane arts. Azalin had the [[vampire]] lord learn and cast any spells that Azalin devised but could not personally master. The [[Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]] also depicts Azalin tutoring Strahd. However, this source maintains Azalin tutored Strahd at Strahd's command. Here, Azalin complied because of his deference to Strahd's connection to the land. At the time, Azalin believed that if Strahd were to be unmade, so would the [[Demiplane of Dread]] and all within it, including the [[lich]] himself<ref>[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]] p. 54</ref>

What is certain is that by the time he assumed lordship of Darkon, his curse was firmly in place.<ref name=ravgaziip135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 135</ref> Also, a similar curse strikes all travelers to [[Darkon]], who eventually lose their memories and gain false memories, a magical tome that records these true memories as they are lost, Âand it is implied that Azalin himself only rediscovered his true past after reading the book.<ref name=ravgaziip25>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.25</ref>

=== Rulership of Darkon ===
After a few years spent assembling the [[Kargat]] secret police, Azalin prepared for a massive [[invasion]] of Barovia to unseat his nemesis. The invasion was thwarted by [[Strahd]]'s minions, who struck at the Kargat leadership and disrupted Azalin's chain of command<ref name=ravgaziip20>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 20</ref>. Afterwards, the effort of rebuilding the Kargat, and the appearance of intervening domains such as [[Falkovnia]], put an end to Azalin's military interest in Barovia.

Azalin's rule over [[Darkon]] was absolute: all political, military, and Kargat matters ultimately reported to him. His rule was strictly lawful to the point of ruthlessness, but based in large part on deception, both in terms of Azalin's illusion of being a mortal king, and also in the artificial docility that his civilians displayed, thanks to their false memories. However, this concentration of power has its weaknesses, especially when Azalin has demonstrated several times his willingness to abandon his people and realm at a moment's notice if it means a chance of escape from Ravenloft.<ref name=ravgaziip.34>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.34</ref>

Militarily, Azalin recognizes the futility of attempting to extend his borders through conquest. In defense, too, he has little to fear. On no fewer than four occasions, the neighboring country of Falkovnia to the south has declared [[war]], and Azalin's mastery of undead has easily repulsed their soldiers.<ref>[[Domains of Dread]] p. 17</ref>

=== Escape Attempts ===
In the last 30 years, Azalin has tried to escape Ravenloft twice more.<ref>The first is played out in the two [[module]]s [[From the Shadows]] and [[Roots of Evil]] that conclude the Grand Conjunction series. The second is played out in the [[Requiem: The Grim Harvest]] [[boxed set]] that concludes [[the Grim Harvest]] series of modules.</ref>

The first attempt was in manipulating the [[Grand Conjunction]], wherein he sent powerful heroes back in time to steal key artifacts from the formation of Ravenloft. Azalin's actions split the Demiplane open, freeing all the Darklords to terrorize other worlds. However, his hatred for Strahd proved to be his undoing: Azalin returned to face his nemesis, giving the heroes their chance to reverse the Grand Conjunction and reform the prison of Ravenloft once more. Some Darklords escaped permanently; Azalin and Strahd were not among their number.<ref>[[Roots of Evil]]</ref>

(The actual history of the Grand Conjunction involves six tenuously-related adventures, tied together by a poetic [[hexad]]. Later source materials claims Azalin's flaw was to disrupt the verse order of the hexad's last two couplets, although the "correct" order of the verses themselves frequently changes from product to product.)

Azalin then initiated a side project aimed at circumventing his magical curse: he magically impregnated various women with clones of himself, then tried to harvest the clones' magical knowledge when they reached adulthood after a childhood of magical tutelage. Although this [[experiment]] failed, it did result in the creation of [[Lowellyn Dachine]], a clone (of sorts) of Azalin, and an important figure in later day Darkon.<ref name=ravgaziip138>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 138</ref>

He then toiled for 10 years in creating his "[[doomsday device]]", which would turn him into a [[demilich]] and allow his immaterial essence to escape. The prototype device turned [[Lowellyn Dachine]] into a [[negative energy elemental]] known only as [[Death (Lowellyn Dachine)|Death]].<ref name=ravgaziip2223>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.22-23</ref>

The second and full application of the machine caused the [[Requiem]], killing all life in [[Il Aluk]], the capital city, and shattering Azalin's essence and scattering it across Darkon. He remained in that state for five years before pulling himself together<ref name=ravgaziip24>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.24</ref> and taking over the corpse of his son, which had been lying in [[Castle Avernus]] for almost two hundred years. To this date, Irik's spirit haunts Azalin, reminding him constantly of his actions and urging his father towards redemption. Needless to say, Azalin gives this counsel limited heed.<ref name=ravgaziip134-135>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.134-135</ref>

During his absence, Il Aluk became an undead [[Necropolis]], ruled by [[Death (Lowellyn Dachine)|Death]]<ref name=ravgaziip138>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 138</ref>, and his Kargat lieutenants ran amok. Mortal agents loyal to Azalin helped to foil usurpation attempts by a rebel Kargat leader ([[Tavelia]]) and also by the new ruler of Il Aluk, Death.<ref name=ravgaziip24>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.24</ref> Although reinstalled as ruler of Darkon, Azalin's current concerns are the re-centralization of his power, the elimination of rebel Kargat officers, and the future of Necropolis, whose mere existence is a daily challenge to his own power.

=== Current ===
Today, Azalin's [[experiments]] seem to focus on more than just escape. The lich lord appears to have recovered some limited ability to expand his knowledge ever so slightly, by formulating new magic as long as it is strongly related to knowledge he already has, though this process apparently takes much longer than for a human mage. He also has gained several salient powers, including the ability to look into the mind, and alter the memories of, anybody in Darkon. His control over undead is still absolute, with no apparent limit to the number or power of slaves thus controlled, and his spellcasting largely seen as being second to none.<ref name=ravgaziip136>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.136</ref>

[[Azalin's Phylactery]] is an enormous golden dragon skull, which is almost immovably heavy. It also appears near indestructible.<ref name=ravgaziip136>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p. 136</ref> His dependence on it may be equal to or even less than most liches, some sources maintain that he will be instantly killed if it is destroyed, while others imply that he will survive as long as his physical body is not destroyed along with it. Like most liches, Azalin is extremely protective of his true name<ref>[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]] p. 52</ref>, although whether this is out of any true weakness (perhaps to spells such as [[Trap the Soul]], which require the true name to be spoken) is debatable.

Currently, Azalin has commissioned the services of a scholar, known only as [["S"]], to travel and research the domains of Ravenloft. "S"'s speculation indicates that he is still searching for a method to escape Ravenloft.<ref name=ravgaziip24>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.24</ref> According to several products released recently, his current plan involves discovering a method to undo the magical bonds tying the [[Dukkar]], [[Malocchio Aderre]], to the domain of [[Invidia]]. Once free, Malocchio would have the ability to travel freely within and without the [[Land of Mists]], unstoppable to the [[Dark Powers]] and, most importantly, able to take even darklords with him. As well as finding a method to free the Dukkar, Azalin is also working towards making a deal with (or enslaving) Malocchio to ensure that he will allow Azalin to return to the world of [[Oerth]]. (Comments from the authors seem to indicated escape is not the goal of Azalin's current plan. This section needs to be rewritten in light of this.) [In game Azalin remarks that even dreams must die.<ref name=ravgaziip24>[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]] p.24</ref> The dream here is that of escape. For he has concluded that the Dark Powers would be able snatch him back at their leisure.]

==[[Creation of Azalin Rex|Creations of Azalin Rex]]==

==Chronology==
NOTE: [[CY]] refers to [[Common Years]], the [[calendar]] of [[Oerth]]. BC refers to the [[Barovian Calendar]]

*231 CY: Firan Zal'honan, the man whom would later become known as Azalin Rex, is born.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

*234 CY: [[Irik Zal'honan (Brother)|Irik]], Firan's younger brother, is born.<ref>KotD p. 81</ref>

*246 CY: Adolescent Firan and his friend [[Corsalus]] botch a [[summoning]], causing Firan's younger brother [[Irik Zal'honan (Brother)|Irik]] to become [[possessed]] and transform into a fiend. They call upon [[Quantarius]] for help, but things go awry as [[Earl Turalitan Zal'honan]]. Irik dies, and Quantarius is banished from [[Knurl]]. Firan follows and becomes Quantarius' [[apprentice]].<ref>KotD p. 81-125</ref>

*255 CY: Firan roots out a gang of [[bandit]]s and helps [[Merchant Glodreddi]]'s troops dispatch them.<ref>KotD p. 126-131</ref>

*270 CY: Earl Turalitan Zal'honan dies, leaving [[Ranald Zal'honan]] to rule [[Knurl]].<ref>KotD p. 138-139</ref>

*270 CY: Responding on behalf of Quantarius, Firan saves [[Lord Nerof]] from a plot to [[poison]] him and harshly punishes the [[conspirator]]s. Firan is given control over the business and over tutoring the apprentices while Quantarius recovers from his sickness.<ref>KotD p. 132-142</ref>

*275 CY: Firan's service to Quantarius comes to an end as he prepares to leave of [[Rauxes]]. On the day of Firan's depature, he gives Quantarius an [[apple]] that rejuvenates youth drained from enemies on the battlefield. Shocked and horrified, Quantarius delivers a worrying vision of a doom for Firan worse than [[death]].<ref>KotD 143-149</ref>

*283 CY: Ranald's [[gluttony]] results in an early death, leaving Knurl in chaos. In Rauxes, Firan saves [[Prince Edron]] from [[rebel]]s before he receives word from [[Warden Rehajo]]'s [[messenger]]s that Knurl needs the wisdom of Firan's rule. Firan returns to Knurl and begins to set things in order. The people begin calling him [[Azal'Lan]], an ancient word meaning [[wizard]] [[king]].<ref>KotD p. 150-165</ref>

*290 CY<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref> After arranging the demise of [[Olessa]]'s lover [[Parras Venturian]],<ref>KoTD p. 170-173</ref> Azal'Lan marries [[Olessa]].<ref>FtS p. 61, as told in KotD</ref>

*308 CY: Olessa perishes giving birth to Azal'Lan son [[Irik Zal'honan (Son)|Irik]]. As she is dying, Azalin mentions he caused Parras' murder. In her last few moments of life, Olessa curses Azal'Lan.<ref>From the Shadows p. 61, as told in KotD p. 188-191</ref>

*327 CY: Irik is caught political prisoners escape. Not only does Firan condemn him to [[execution]], but Firan is the one to deliver the killing blow. The night of Irik's [[funeral]], a mysterious tempts Firan with the knowledge of how to become a [[lich]]. Firan accepts the offer. He formally adopts the title of [[Azal'Lan]]<ref>FtS p. 61, as told in KotD 186-196</ref>

*329 CY: Firan finally becomes a [[lich]]. Although he conceals his transition to [[undeath]], Firan officially adopts the title of [[Azal'Lan]].<ref>FtS p. 61, as told in KotD p. 196-203</ref>

*342 CY: Azal'Lan annexes all of the [[Teesar Valley]] that surrounds Knurl.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

*372 CY: Azal'Lan captures part of the southern edges of the [[Flinty Hills]] and Flinty Hills as well as portions of the [[Adri Forest]]. [[Dwarves]] and [[halfling]]s in the Blemu Hills violently rebel. However, their resistance is put down, and they receive horrendous [[punishment]].<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref>

*391 CY: Azal'Lan invades [[Innspa]] in the kingdom of [[Nyrond]], provoking [[Nyrondese]] wrath. They send out [[mercenary|mercenaries]] to wreak their vengeance.<ref name="From the Shadows p. 61">[[From the Shadows]] p. 61</ref> Azal'Lan searches futilely for a way to resurrect Irik until [[Stakaster]] lures Azal'Lan into an ambush from which even he can't defeat.<ref>KotD p. 204-216</ref> Azal'Lan flees his [[ambusher]]s into a bank of [[mists]] that whisk him away from [[Oerth]] entirely.<ref>FtS p. 61, as told in KotD</ref>

*[[542 BC]] Azal'Lan enters [[Ravenloft]] and arrives in [[Barovia]]. The natives corrupt his title to Azalin.<ref name="GazII p.135">[[Gazetteer II]] p.135</ref>

*542 BC [[Strahd]] discusses the potential threat [[Azalin]] poses with [[Madame Ilka]], the new raunie of the [[Zarovan]] tribe ([[Maruschka]] having apparently died at some point in the last 40 years).<ref>[[I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin]] - p71, pp109-117, pp167-171</ref>

*542 BC Strahd confronts Azalin at [[Berez]]. A wary alliance is struck.

*[[547 BC]] Strahd sends Azalin to investigate [[Forlorn]], but nothing of value to them is found.<ref>[[Gazetteer I]] p.73-74</ref>

*[[579 BC]] Strahd and Azalin create a [[portal]] to [[Mordent]] to escape the [[Land of Mists]], but their plans fail as [[the Mists]] snatch up that land. Angered, Azalin abandons Strahd and [[Barovia]].<ref name="Gaz II p. 135">[[Gazetteer II]] p.135</ref>. Darkon forms as a result.<ref name="Gazetteer II p. 9">[[Gazetteer II]] p.9</ref>

*[[579 BC]] [[False History]] '''Late Fall''' [[Darcalus Rex]] is overthrown by [[Azalin]].<ref name="Gazetteer II p. 19">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 19</ref>

*579 BC [[Azalin]] holds a masquerade ball, calling the nobility of Darkon to its mandatory attendance. After Azalin introduces himself and proclaims rule of Darkon to be his, he kills anyone who refuses to acknowledge this right of rule.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 20">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 20</ref>

*{{netbook-small}}[[640 BC]] Azalin appoints [[Tavelia]] as Kargat leader in [[Martira Bay]].<ref name="Death Undaunted p. 4">[[Death Undaunted]] p. 4</ref>

*[[656 BC]] On the [[Prime Material Plane]], [[Ebb]] stalks those who killed her [[shadow dragon]] relatives, but she is drawn into [[the Mists]]. Winding in up in Darkon, she first comes into conflict with Azalin but then reaches an accord with him through their mutual power and condescension towards living [[human]]s.<ref name="Gaz II p.143">[[Gazetteer II]] p.143</ref>

*[[684 BC]] [[Azalin]] calls [[Styrix]] the [[night hag]] into the [[Land of Mists]]. After a number of months, her research of an escape proves fruitless. In response, Azalin banishes her from [[Castle Avernus]].<ref name="Gaz II p.117">[[Gazetteer II]] p.117</ref>

*[[688 BC]] '''Autumn''': The [[Crimson Death]] originates in the [[Boglands]]. It eventually spreads to [[Il Aluk]] and, from there, the rest of Darkon, killing an estimated 1 out of every 5 [[Darkonian]]s. To combat the spread of the plague, Azalin institutes a merciless regimen of quarantines for the next three decades, ordering death for any whom defy them.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 21">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 21</ref>

*[[689 BC]] '''Spring''': The Crimson Death is on the decline. History credits Azalin's quarantines as responsible for its decline, though he continues its enforcement for the next three decades. The decreased population allows women opportunities for career advancement previously unavailable.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 21">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 21</ref>

*[[696 BC]] (Approx.) Azalin assembles the doctrine of [[the Eternal Order]] from various bits of Darkonian [[folklore]].<ref name="Gaz II p. 29">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 29</ref>

*{{netbook-small}}[[700 BC]] Several members of [[the Fraternity of Shadows]] back [[Falkovnia]] in an effort to unseat [[Azalin]]. After the invasion fails, [[Azalin]] and his [[Kargat]] conduct a purge to free the [[University of Il Aluk]] and [[Il Aluk]]'s [[intellectual]] community of Fraternity agents. Several members of the Fraternity, including [[Lazarus Ikonnas]], are [[assassinated]] in the purge. Others are better prepared and flee into neighboring domains, where they are more evenly matched against the Kargat. Azalin eventually halts active extermination attempts against the Fraternity.<ref name="Undead Sea Scrolls 2002 p. 8">[[Undead Sea Scrolls 2002]] p. 8</ref> The only two of the then-current [[Umbra]] to escape are [[Tarnos Shadowcloak]] and [[Wilhelm von Lovenhorst]].<ref name="Quoth the Raven Issue 13 p. 72">[[Quoth the Raven Issue 13]] p. 72</ref>

*[[706 BC]] [[Erasmus van Richten]] is stolen by the [[Radanavich clan]] and sold to [[Baron Metus]]. With the help of [[Azalin]], [[Dr. Van Richten]] wipes out all but one member of the Radanavich caravan; [[Madame Radanavich]] [[curse | curses]] Van Richten.

*[[717 BC]] [[Foedus]], future [[vassalich]] to Azalin, is born in [[Sidnar]].<ref name="Gazetteer II p. 132 n1">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 132, was born 40 years ago from [[757 BC]], the current year of [[Gazetteer II]]</ref>

*[[719 BC]] After three decades of enforcement, Azalin ends the Crimson Death quarantines.<ref name="Gaz II p. 21">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 21</ref>

*[[735 BC]] [[Azalin]] discovers [[Hyskosa's Hexad]]<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 22">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 22</ref>

*[[740 BC]] Azalin engineers [[the Grand Conjunction]] using Hyskosa's Hexad. His plan to destroy the [[Demiplane of Dread]] fails. Fortunately for Darkon, it seems among the least affected.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 22">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 22</ref>

*[[747 BC]] [[Baroness Karimana Reldkasen|Karimana Reidkasen]] is awarded the title of [[Baroness of Martira Bay]] after she reveals her husband's [[corruption]] to [[Azalin]].<ref name="Bleak House Book III p. 25">[[Bleak House: Heroes, Monsters, and Settings]] p.25</ref>

*[[748 BC]] [[Azalin]] and his subordinates finish building the most primitive prototype for the [[Doomsday Device]]. [[The Ebon Fold]] are sent out to begin collecting [[soul]]s.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 23">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 23</ref>

*750 BC-[[755 BC]] [[The Shrouded Years]] As Azalin struggles to regain corporeal form, his mind reaches out to those of his subjects in the [[Drowning Dreams]]. Although his loyal minions can sense him, so can [[Death (Lowellyn Dachine)|Death]]. Death sends out his Horsemen to prevent Azalin's resurrection and wreak devastation upon Darkon.<ref name="Gazetteer I p. 23-24">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 23-24</ref>

*[[753 BC]] Azalin recovers enough of his disperse essence to consciously think again, though he still lacks [[corporeal]] form. He sends [[dream]]s to several allies with plans for his return. These plans apparently involve a [[soul phylactery]].<ref name="Gazetteer II p. 24">[[Gazetteer II]] p.24</ref>

*755 BC '''Summer'''<ref name="Gazetteer III p. 4">[[Gazetteer III]] p. 4</ref> Azalin is restored to corporeal form.<ref name="Gaz II p.24">[[Gazetteer II]] p.24</ref><ref name="RLCS p.18">[[Ravenloft Third Edition]] p.18</ref><ref name="RLPHB p.20">[[Ravenloft Player's Handbook]] p.20</ref>

*755 BC [[Necropolis]] becomes its own [[domain]] with [[Death (Lowellyn Dachine)|Death]] as its [[darklord]].<ref name="Gaz II p.55">[[Gazetteer II]] p.55</ref>

*[[756 BC]] [[Azalin Rex]] hires [["S"]] to complete detailed guides of all of the [[domain]]s of the [[Land of Mists]].<ref name="RLCS p.18">[[Ravenloft Third Edition]] p.18</ref><ref name="RLPHB p.20">[[Ravenloft Player's Handbook]] p.20</ref>

*756 BC '''New Year's Eve:''' As [["S"]] prepares to leave [[Darkon]], [[Azalin Rex]] speaks to her through his shambling [[undead]] and provides her with her protective bracers.<ref name="Gazetteer II p. 53">[[Gazetteer II]] p. 53</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[category:Character]][[category:NPC]]
[[category:1st Edition Character]]
[[category:2nd Edition Character]]
[[category:3rd Edition Character]]
[[category:Arcane Loremaster]]
[[category:Arcane Researcher]]
[[category:Azal'Lan]]
[[category:Betrayed]]
[[category:Betrayer]]
[[category:Cloner]]
[[category:Concealer]]
[[category:Constructcrafter]]
[[category:Corporeal Undead]]
[[category:Crafter of an Artifact]]
[[category:Crafter of an Evil Magic Item]]
[[Category:Darklord]]
[[category:Darklord (Domain Lord Magnitude of Evil)]]
[[category:Deceiver]]
[[category:Delegator]]
[[Category:Demonologist]]
[[category:Disguised]]
[[category:Dragon Rider]]
[[category:Earl]]
[[category:Experimenter]]
[[Category:Fiend Summoner]]
[[category:Filicide]]
[[Category:Foe of Count Strahd von Zarovich]]
[[category:Foe of Vlad Drakov]]
[[category:Founder]]
[[category:Founder of a Religion]]
[[category:Founder of a Secret Society]]
[[category:Former Inhabitants of Oerth]]
[[category:Former Inhabitants of the Prime Material Plane]]
[[category:Golemcrafter]]
[[category:Heirless]]
[[category:Human]]
[[category:Imprisoner]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Castle Avernus]]
[[Category:Inhabitants of Darkon]]
[[category:Inhabitants of the Forest of Shadows]]
[[category:Inventor of a Spell]]
[[Category:Inventor (Monstrous)]]
[[category:Instituter]]
[[category:Intellectual]]
[[category:Killer]]
[[category:King]]
[[category:King of Darkon]]
[[Category:Lawful Evil]]
[[Category:Lich]]
[[category:Manipulator]]
[[category:Male]]
[[category:Mass Murderer]]
[[category:Murderer]]
[[category:Necrologist]]
[[Category:Noble of Darkon]]
[[category:Oerth Native]]
[[Category:Outlander]]
[[category:Personality of Darkon]]
[[category:Planar Mechanic]]
[[category:Ravenloft Lorist]]
[[Category:Ravenloft Loremaster]]
[[category:Reanimator]]
[[Category:Rex]]
[[category:rider]]
[[Category:Ruler]]
[[Category:State of Darkon]]
[[category:State Personality]]
[[category:Temporal Leader]]
[[category:Threatener of Violence]]
[[category:Tyrant]]
[[Category:Wizard]]
[[Category:Undead]]
[[category:Undead Controller]]
[[category:Undead Summoner]]
[[Category:Zal'honan family]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_npc.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' 
''[[I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p19 
''[[The Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]]'' - pp12, 53, 55 
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - pp4, 66, 93 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[From the Shadows]]'' - p58 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - p91 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - p133 
''[[I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin]]'' - cover
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp17-21 
''[[The Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]]'' - p52 
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - p5 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[From the Shadows]]'' - p59 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - pp90-93 
''[[Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill]]'' - pp45, Poster [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - pp133-137
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp7, 11, 17-21, 27 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp13-18, 114, 117, 132 
''[[Death Ascendant]]'' - p57, 60 
''[[Death Unchained]]'' - p57 
''[[The Ravenloft Campaign Setting: Domains and Denizens]]'' - pp11-13, 52-56, 99 
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - pp5, 84-87, 93-94 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[From the Shadows]]'' - pp9-10 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[Tales of Ravenloft: The Crucible of Dr. Rudolph van Richten]]'' - pp8-11 
''[[Tower of Doom]]'' - pp29-31 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - pp90-93, 117 
''[[Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill]]'' - pp39, 45 [http://web.archive.org/web/20100329193632/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ] 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - pp133-137 
''[[I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin]]'' - p35-38, 49-50, 77-84, 87-175, 199-303
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_alias.gif]]
|
Firan Zal'honan
|-valign="top"
|}

Category:Church of Hala

2014-01-19T08:45:28Z

Nerit: Including info from Monster Hunter Compendium III

[[Image:Hala-symbol.png|thumb|300px|right|The symbol of Hala with 13 snakes devouring each others' tails.]]
'''The Church of Hala''' worships [[Hala]]. It is a mystical faith loosely based on modern, real-world paganism and witchcraft practices.

==Centers==
The Church of Hala does not actively recruit and thus is not the major religion in any domain. However, it has hospices for the needy and sick sprinkled throughout the [[Core]].

==Beliefs==
The Church's sacred text, the [[Tales of Ages]], tells of nine gods who created the world from Chaos. The gods then withdrew, intending to allow mortals to fill their world with acts both good and evil. But the mortals lacked wisdom, and the world was soon filled with pain and anguish. Just one of the Nine Gods, the goddess Hala, returned to the world to ease its suffering. She gathered together thirteen women and thirteen men and taught them the secrets of the Weave, forming the first covens.
===The Weave===
The Church of Hala describes magic in a different way, a sort of universal weave. It is not clear if witchcraft or the Weave is something separate from magic powers elsewhere in the multiverse.

==Members==
Clerics of Hala are called witches, both male and female. However, in [[Van Richten's Guide to Witches]], a [[Hospice of Healing Hands]] in [[Valachan]] maintains a group within the mundane functions of the hospice that separates the sexes into "witches" and "warlocks."

A witch is usually a magic user with hereditary or innate power.

===Persecution===
The Weave is also known as witchcraft and provokes widespread, superstitious fear. Witchcraft’s wretched reputation is largely due to hags, the most infamous practitioners. Although witchcraft is not inherently evil, it is thought to be rife with occult dangers. Exposure to witchcraft is thought to create [[caliban]]s, and according to folklore, witches who lose control of their magic may be permanently transformed into monstrous [[hag]]s. Hala’s witches often face hostility when beyond the doors of their hospices. Any witch of Hala unwise enough to encounter the inquisitors of [[Tepest]], for example, should count herself lucky to escape with her life.

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_society.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p54
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|}

[[Category:religion]]

Pharazia

2013-09-10T17:52:10Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=AmberWastes.png
|culture_lvl=
|ecology=
|terrain=
|year_formed=
|population=
|races=
|languages=
|religions=
|government=
|ruler=[[Diamabel]]
|darklord=[[Diamabel]]
|analog=Legendary Arabia
|nationality=[[Pharazian]]
}}[[Pharazia]] is a domain of [[the Amber Wastes]], ruled by [[Diamabel]]

[[Category:domain]][[Category:The Amber Wastes]][[Category:Desert]]
[[Category:Wasteland]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Islands of Terror]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p7 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp17-18,110,149-150 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p105 
''[[Islands of Terror]]'' - pp59-63
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p147 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p103 
''[[Islands of Terror]]'' - poster map
|-valign="top"
|}

Phirazia

2013-09-10T17:51:22Z

Nerit: Redirected page to Pharazia

#REDIRECT [[Pharazia]]

File talk:Ravenloft.JPG

2013-08-24T21:56:38Z

Nerit: Created page with "Is there a way to mark images as non-canon? --~~~~"

Is there a way to mark images as non-canon? --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 15:56, 24 August 2013 (MDT)

Category:Year

2010-10-01T16:35:23Z

Nerit:

This is a listing of years according to the Barovian Calendar and the events therein.
==Key==
*Source book event
*Novel/fiction event
*Netbook event
*Homebrew event

[[Category:Event]]

Timeline

2010-10-01T16:13:58Z

Nerit: Redirected page to Category:Year

#REDIRECT [[:Category:Year]]

Queen Kristiana von Zarovich

2010-10-01T05:49:41Z

Nerit:

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Rules [[Prime Material Barovia]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Wife of [[King Barov von Zarovich]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Reincarnation by [[Tatyana]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

Kristina is a reincarnation of [[Tatyana Federovna]].

==Statistics==

Cleric 15, Lawful Good

[[Category:NPC]][[Category:Queen of Barovia]][[Category:Aristocrat]][[Category:Von Zarovich Family]][[Category:Cleric]][[Category:Human]][[Category:Barovian (Prime Material Plane)]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_npc.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - p45,95 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - p6 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Roots of Evil]]'' - p6,34-50 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|}

I, Strahd, The Memoirs of a Vampire

2010-09-30T23:56:04Z

Nerit:

[[Category:Ravenloft: The Covenant]]
[[Category:Source]][[Category:Novel]]
[[Image:I_Strahd_The_Memoirs_of_a_Vampire_Hardcover.jpg|right|300px]]

==Synopsis==
::''To win the hand of the beautiful Tatyana, Strahd Von Zarovich...will do anything, even enter a pact with Death that must be sealed with the blood of his young and idealistic brother, Sergei.''

User talk:Admin

2010-08-31T04:42:42Z

Nerit:

Oh, hey, neat, I can message the Admin. I'm very curious as to the fate of two files. When attempting to access their pages, all I see is blank white. Is this true for anyone else? I know they're both very large files, so I'm wondering if the wiki isn't handling them properly. I believe [[User:Cure]] was able to make a thumbnail on a page, but the file itself won't show up.

See [[:File:Ezranshield.png]] and [[:File:Core's_development.jpg]]. If I could access the Ezranshield.png page I would definitely upload a 50%-75% reduced image. I hadn't noticed how GIGANTIC it was! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 07:22, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

:Hmmm.... yes, I'd noticed that for Core's_develpment, and what I've been planning to do was download it from the Core page, split it up into several panels, and re-upload as several files. (I don't like how the Core page now makes you scroll all the way to the right to see it. Am I alone?) But I hadn't considered that you can't replace the original image because the image page won't load. The problem is actually that the pics are too big for the thumbnail-creating program. So the pic you see of Core's development is actually the full pic. If you try to thumbnail it on the page, you'll see the same blank white page. (First thing I tried to get it to fit on the page). Trouble is that the file pages automatically include a thumbnail for each version, so they also won't load.

:Have you tried going to the main [[Special:Upload]] page and uploading the smaller one with the same name? I think that will work, but you still won't be able to see the file page because it will still try to thumbnail the old version too. I'll look into it. I may have to go into the sql database directly and remove them. (Or find a more powerful thumbnail creator...).

:BTW, [[User:Gonzoron]] is [[User:Admin]], FYI, so either message should get to me. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 13:53, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

:: I tried what you proposed and uploading took me to... a blank page! I believe I have borked your poor thumbnail creator. I don't even see my attempt listed on [[Special:RecentChanges]]. Boo. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 19:24, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

:: Okay, forget the big image. Delete it however you can, please. I've re-uploaded a sane size @ [[:File:Ezran_shield.png]]. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 05:22, 17 January 2010 (UTC)

==Searching for Pages when they are Categories==
Newly discovered problem with the Categories systematization :(.
Good example and how Nathan of the FoS found the problem!: Search for "fraternity of shadows." You only get the [[Fraternity of Shadows (Real World)| (Real World)]] result. Why? Because the [[:Category:The Fraternity of Shadows| in-universe FoS]] page is a Category, thus it does not show up. A lot of new users won't know to check the box "Categories" before they search. By default search only reaches Main (pages). I don't know what to do! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 04:42, 31 August 2010 (UTC)

The Shattered City

2010-07-05T04:02:58Z

Nerit:

NeoTiamat's and Isabelle's Ravenloft play-by-post campaign, run in the [http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/forum/ Cafe de Nuit]. A sequel to [[The Eye of Anubis]], focused on [[Port-a-Lucine]], after the assassination of [[Dominic d'Honaire]].
[[Category:Campaign]]
[[Category:Online]]

Tepest

2010-06-17T05:41:02Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=TepestKeening.png
|culture_lvl=?
|ecology=Full
|terrain=Temperate forests, hills, plains
|year_formed=[[691 BC]]
|population=?
|races=Humans ?, ?
|languages=[[Tepestani (Language)| Tepestani]]
|religions=[[Church of Belenus]]
|government=x
|ruler=x
|darklord=[[The Three Hags of Tepest]]
|analog=
}}

"''It may be a great advance in knowledge not to believe in [Satanic] witches; there is no moral advance in not executing them when you do not think they are there.''"

--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Home of [[Maeve]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

==Things, Creatures & Personnages of Legend==

*[[Goblins]]

*[[Hags]]

*[[Trolls]]

*The [[East Timori Road]]

*The [[Descent]] carved into the face of the [[Shadow Rift]]

*The [[Tepestani Inquistion]]

==Biology==

===Flora===
*[[Fairy Stools]]

*''[[Wichtingourds]]''

===Fauna===
*Wolves

===Native Horrors===
*[[Fey]]
*[[Goblin|Goblins]]
*[[Goblin Calibans|Goblin Calibans]]
*[[Goblin Beast | Goblin Beasts]]
*[[Hag | Hags]]
*[[Treant | Treants]]
*[[Undead Treant | Undead Treants]]

==Geography==

''Note: The above map have serious inaccuraties when compared to that used in the 3rd edition of Ravenloft.

===[[Weather]]===

===Terrain===

====Hills====

====Canyons====

The [[Shadow Rift]], the mother of all canyons

====Forests<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer V, p47">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer V]], p47.</ref>====

The forests of Tepest are ancient. The trees are hardwoods, principally oak, beech and hazelnut, with the occasional spruce or pine. Inexplicably, the trees tend to grow strong, healthy, bent and warped all at once, often with gnarled branches that are so twisted as to recall withered hands. They grow so thickly over head as to condemn the forest floor to perpetual gloom.

*The ''[[Brujamonte]]'' ("[[Hag's Wood]]") or [[Blackwood]] stands south of Viktal, between the [[Vaughn Dnar River]] and the [[Blackmist River]]. Both the [[Vistani]] and the [[goblins]] are said to avoid it, to say nothing of the [[Tepestani]]. It is home to the dread treant [[Blackroot]].

*The [[Goblinwood]]

*The [[Tanglewood]]

*The [[Wormwood]] stands south of the [[South Dnar River]] in southeastern Tepest and reaches across the frontier into [[Nova Vaasa]] where it gradually thins and ultimately gives way to the ''[[Elendighedmark]]'' ("Plain of Misery"). It harbours goblins, Hala's witches, [[Vaasi]] bandits (near its eastern fringes), and the three hag sisters (at is heart) who are the [[Darklords]] of Tepest.<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer V, p47,166">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer V]], p47,166.</ref>

*The [[Wretchwood]]

*The [[Wytchwood]]

====Lakes====

The [[Kronov]] which never freezes

===Communication===

====Rivers====

=====Dnar River System=====
The ''Sydligdnar'' ("South Dnar River") is navigable, although not without difficulty in both directions owing to its current, with small ships between the [[Nocturnal Sea]] and the docks at [[Kantora]]. With the right winds, the ''Sydligdnar'' can be sailed. Otherwise it must be rowed. The Vaughn Dnar and the Dnar are too deep to be forded as they merge to form the ''Sydligdnar''. Bridges consistent with small ships pose a manifest engineering problem, but none are mentioned, so ferry service for river crossings would make sense. A ferry service is known to exist between the docks of Kantora and the port of Guldstrand Beach on the sea at the foot of Egertus.

The Vaughn Dnar River is navigable, although surely with progressively smaller craft as one climbs past the Borchava River and the Trished River on the way to Liara. The Vaughn Dnar is not navigable in [[Tepest]] as its waters plunge through shallow but sinuous and boulder strewn gorges.

The [[East Timori Road]] remains on the south shore of the Vaughn Dnar from Kantora until just after the [[Trished River]], inviting the hypothesis that at that point either the Vaughn Dnar becomes fordable or has a [[bridge]] thrown across it that doesn't greatly harm river traffic. To reach that point, the East Timori Road crosses the [[Borchava River]], suggesting that the Borchava is either more fordable than the Vaughn Dnar or that a bridge thrown across the Borchava would do less harm to river traffic than one thrown over the Vaughn Dnar. In [[Liara]] there is at least one bridge over the Vaughn Dnar. There are [[Stone Bridges (Tepest) | four ancient stone bridges]] built over the river between the [[Tepestani Frontier | Tepestani frontier]] and [[Lake Kronov]].

*The [[Trished River]]
*The [[Little Borchava River]]
*The [[Borchava River]] has as its tributary the [[Little Borchava River]]
*The [[Vaughn Dnar River]] has as its tributary the [[Trished River]] and [[Borchava River]]
*The [[Dnar River]]
*The ''[[Sydligdnar]]'' ("[[South Dnar River]]") has as its tributaries the [[Vaughn Dnar River]] and the [[Dnar River]]

====Roads====

*The [[East Timori Road]] runs from [[Egertus]], through [[Kantora]] and [[Liara]], and into [[Tepest]] where it is cut short by the [[Shadow Rift]].

Note: Efforts, subject to continual sabatoge, are underway to cut a road through [[Tepest]] and [[Keening]] to the [[Strigos Road]] in Darkon.

====[[Fractures]]====

Principe one to and from [[Shadow Rift]]

===Landmarks===

===Frontiers===

====[[Darkon]]====

*The [[Mountains of Misery]]

? The [[Forgotten Hills]]

====[[Nova Vaasa]]====

*The [[Wormwood]]

*The [[Vaesen Foothills]]

====The [[Shadow Rift]]====

? The [[Vaesen Foothills]] of northwestern Nova Vaasa are the foothills of the [[Balinoks]] from vanished [[Markovia]]. They front the [[Shadow Rift]].

===Population Distribution===

====Towns====

====Villages====

==Authority==

===Darklord===

* [[The Three Hags of Tepest]] - [[Laveeda]], [[Leticia]] and [[Lorinda]] Mindefisk

===Temporal Rule===

====Legendary====

====Contempory====

===Spiritual Rule===

====Legendary====

====Contempory====

===Church and State===

===Government===

===Law===

===Law-Enforcement===

====Extra-Judicial====

===Intelligence Gathering===

===Military Footing===

===''Casus belli''===

====Past====
*The [[Great Upheaval]] in 740 BC sparked an inquisition against the [[fey]] who were its "cause" and in particular where "responsible" for the disappearance of [[G'Henna]] and [[Markovia]]. This is actually closer to the truth than it appears, for [[Gwydion the Sorcerer-Fiend]] literally dragged the kingdom of ''[[Niurin Scaa]]'' and the [[Arak]] with it to its current position, displacing the lands of [[G'Henna]] and [[Markovia]] in the process.

====Present====
*Repeated attacks by an unidentified party (or parties) on Vaasi efforts to cut a road through [[Tepest]] into [[Keening]] and on to the [[Strigos Road]] in [[Darkon]]. There is discussion among the Nova Vaasans of the need to civilize the Tepestani.

====Future====

==Language & Culture==

==Gods and Religions ==

===God - Focus - Domains===

==Inns & Taverns==

==NPC==

==References==
<references />

[[Category:domain]][[Category:The Core]]

==Chronology==
BC

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Darklords]]'' 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp7,51-54 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp15,17-19,141-142 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp38-39 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - p31 
''[[Darklords]]'' - pp40-41 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - pp79-80 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' - pp8-56 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]'' - p3
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp26-27 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting]]'' - poster map 
''[[Darklords]]'' - p39 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - poster map 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' - p24 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]'' - poster map
|-valign="top"
|}

Talk:"S"

2010-06-17T05:33:30Z

Nerit: Created page with 'FoS Nathan told me "S" is a clone of Azalin. I say, "WAT!" (Only one of the reasons being she lacks a Y chromosome...) So, true? Should it be in the article? --~~~~'

FoS Nathan told me "S" is a clone of Azalin. I say, "WAT!" (Only one of the reasons being she lacks a Y chromosome...) So, true? Should it be in the article? --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 05:33, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Tepest

2010-06-17T05:29:00Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=Tepest.png
|culture_lvl=?
|ecology=Full
|terrain=Temperate forests, hills, plains
|year_formed=[[691 BC]]
|population=?
|races=Humans ?, ?
|languages=[[Tepestani (Language)| Tepestani]]
|religions=[[Church of Belenus]]
|government=x
|ruler=x
|darklord=[[The Three Hags of Tepest]]
|analog=
}}

"''It may be a great advance in knowledge not to believe in [Satanic] witches; there is no moral advance in not executing them when you do not think they are there.''"

--C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Home of [[Maeve]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

==Things, Creatures & Personnages of Legend==

*[[Goblins]]

*[[Hags]]

*[[Trolls]]

*The [[East Timori Road]]

*The [[Descent]] carved into the face of the [[Shadow Rift]]

*The [[Tepestani Inquistion]]

==Biology==

===Flora===
*[[Fairy Stools]]

*''[[Wichtingourds]]''

===Fauna===
*Wolves

===Native Horrors===
*[[Fey]]
*[[Goblin|Goblins]]
*[[Goblin Calibans|Goblin Calibans]]
*[[Goblin Beast | Goblin Beasts]]
*[[Hag | Hags]]
*[[Treant | Treants]]
*[[Undead Treant | Undead Treants]]

==Geography==

''Note: The above map have serious inaccuraties when compared to that used in the 3rd edition of Ravenloft.

===[[Weather]]===

===Terrain===

====Hills====

====Canyons====

The [[Shadow Rift]], the mother of all canyons

====Forests<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer V, p47">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer V]], p47.</ref>====

The forests of Tepest are ancient. The trees are hardwoods, principally oak, beech and hazelnut, with the occasional spruce or pine. Inexplicably, the trees tend to grow strong, healthy, bent and warped all at once, often with gnarled branches that are so twisted as to recall withered hands. They grow so thickly over head as to condemn the forest floor to perpetual gloom.

*The ''[[Brujamonte]]'' ("[[Hag's Wood]]") or [[Blackwood]] stands south of Viktal, between the [[Vaughn Dnar River]] and the [[Blackmist River]]. Both the [[Vistani]] and the [[goblins]] are said to avoid it, to say nothing of the [[Tepestani]]. It is home to the dread treant [[Blackroot]].

*The [[Goblinwood]]

*The [[Tanglewood]]

*The [[Wormwood]] stands south of the [[South Dnar River]] in southeastern Tepest and reaches across the frontier into [[Nova Vaasa]] where it gradually thins and ultimately gives way to the ''[[Elendighedmark]]'' ("Plain of Misery"). It harbours goblins, Hala's witches, [[Vaasi]] bandits (near its eastern fringes), and the three hag sisters (at is heart) who are the [[Darklords]] of Tepest.<ref name="Ravenloft Gazetteer V, p47,166">[[Ravenloft Gazetteer V]], p47,166.</ref>

*The [[Wretchwood]]

*The [[Wytchwood]]

====Lakes====

The [[Kronov]] which never freezes

===Communication===

====Rivers====

=====Dnar River System=====
The ''Sydligdnar'' ("South Dnar River") is navigable, although not without difficulty in both directions owing to its current, with small ships between the [[Nocturnal Sea]] and the docks at [[Kantora]]. With the right winds, the ''Sydligdnar'' can be sailed. Otherwise it must be rowed. The Vaughn Dnar and the Dnar are too deep to be forded as they merge to form the ''Sydligdnar''. Bridges consistent with small ships pose a manifest engineering problem, but none are mentioned, so ferry service for river crossings would make sense. A ferry service is known to exist between the docks of Kantora and the port of Guldstrand Beach on the sea at the foot of Egertus.

The Vaughn Dnar River is navigable, although surely with progressively smaller craft as one climbs past the Borchava River and the Trished River on the way to Liara. The Vaughn Dnar is not navigable in [[Tepest]] as its waters plunge through shallow but sinuous and boulder strewn gorges.

The [[East Timori Road]] remains on the south shore of the Vaughn Dnar from Kantora until just after the [[Trished River]], inviting the hypothesis that at that point either the Vaughn Dnar becomes fordable or has a [[bridge]] thrown across it that doesn't greatly harm river traffic. To reach that point, the East Timori Road crosses the [[Borchava River]], suggesting that the Borchava is either more fordable than the Vaughn Dnar or that a bridge thrown across the Borchava would do less harm to river traffic than one thrown over the Vaughn Dnar. In [[Liara]] there is at least one bridge over the Vaughn Dnar. There are [[Stone Bridges (Tepest) | four ancient stone bridges]] built over the river between the [[Tepestani Frontier | Tepestani frontier]] and [[Lake Kronov]].

*The [[Trished River]]
*The [[Little Borchava River]]
*The [[Borchava River]] has as its tributary the [[Little Borchava River]]
*The [[Vaughn Dnar River]] has as its tributary the [[Trished River]] and [[Borchava River]]
*The [[Dnar River]]
*The ''[[Sydligdnar]]'' ("[[South Dnar River]]") has as its tributaries the [[Vaughn Dnar River]] and the [[Dnar River]]

====Roads====

*The [[East Timori Road]] runs from [[Egertus]], through [[Kantora]] and [[Liara]], and into [[Tepest]] where it is cut short by the [[Shadow Rift]].

Note: Efforts, subject to continual sabatoge, are underway to cut a road through [[Tepest]] and [[Keening]] to the [[Strigos Road]] in Darkon.

====[[Fractures]]====

Principe one to and from [[Shadow Rift]]

===Landmarks===

===Frontiers===

====[[Darkon]]====

*The [[Mountains of Misery]]

? The [[Forgotten Hills]]

====[[Nova Vaasa]]====

*The [[Wormwood]]

*The [[Vaesen Foothills]]

====The [[Shadow Rift]]====

? The [[Vaesen Foothills]] of northwestern Nova Vaasa are the foothills of the [[Balinoks]] from vanished [[Markovia]]. They front the [[Shadow Rift]].

===Population Distribution===

====Towns====

====Villages====

==Authority==

===Darklord===

* [[The Three Hags of Tepest]] - [[Laveeda]], [[Leticia]] and [[Lorinda]] Mindefisk

===Temporal Rule===

====Legendary====

====Contempory====

===Spiritual Rule===

====Legendary====

====Contempory====

===Church and State===

===Government===

===Law===

===Law-Enforcement===

====Extra-Judicial====

===Intelligence Gathering===

===Military Footing===

===''Casus belli''===

====Past====
*The [[Great Upheaval]] in 740 BC sparked an inquisition against the [[fey]] who were its "cause" and in particular where "responsible" for the disappearance of [[G'Henna]] and [[Markovia]]. This is actually closer to the truth than it appears, for [[Gwydion the Sorcerer-Fiend]] literally dragged the kingdom of ''[[Niurin Scaa]]'' and the [[Arak]] with it to its current position, displacing the lands of [[G'Henna]] and [[Markovia]] in the process.

====Present====
*Repeated attacks by an unidentified party (or parties) on Vaasi efforts to cut a road through [[Tepest]] into [[Keening]] and on to the [[Strigos Road]] in [[Darkon]]. There is discussion among the Nova Vaasans of the need to civilize the Tepestani.

====Future====

==Language & Culture==

==Gods and Religions ==

===God - Focus - Domains===

==Inns & Taverns==

==NPC==

==References==
<references />

[[Category:domain]][[Category:The Core]]

==Chronology==
BC

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Darklords]]'' 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp7,51-54 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp15,17-19,141-142 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp38-39 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - p31 
''[[Darklords]]'' - pp40-41 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - pp79-80 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' - pp8-56 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]'' - p3
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp26-27 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting]]'' - poster map 
''[[Darklords]]'' - p39 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - poster map 
''[[The Shadow Rift]]'' - p24 
''[[Servants of Darkness]]'' - poster map
|-valign="top"
|}

File:Ezran shield.png

2010-06-09T23:26:51Z

Nerit: uploaded a new version of "File:Ezran shield.png": Fixing colors. I know, I liked gold for aesthetics but it's silver for Ezra!

Symbol of Ezra. Vector created in Adobe Illustrator by [[User:Nerit]], based on canon illustration. However, the sprig of belladonna was corrected to true ''Atropa belladonna'' over the mistaken ''Solanum dulcamara''.

(Re-uploading for smaller size)

File talk:Hala-symbol.png

2010-06-09T18:27:25Z

Nerit:

very nice, Nerit! -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 16:41, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
: Thanks, but I wish I knew how to use Illustrator better :P. Oh well. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 18:27, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

Category:Church of Hala

2010-06-09T05:40:17Z

Nerit:

[[Image:Hala-symbol.png|thumb|300px|right|The symbol of Hala with 13 snakes devouring each others' tails.]]
'''The Church of Hala''' worships [[Hala]]. It is a mystical faith loosely based on modern, real-world paganism and witchcraft practices.

==Centers==
The Church of Hala does not actively recruit and thus is not the major religion in any domain. However, it has hospices for the needy and sick sprinkled throughout the [[Core]].

==Beliefs==
The Church's sacred text, the [[Tales of Ages]], tells of nine gods who created the world from Chaos. The gods then withdrew, intending to allow mortals to fill their world with acts both good and evil. But the mortals lacked wisdom, and the world was soon filled with pain and anguish. Just one of the Nine Gods, the goddess Hala, returned to the world to ease its suffering. She gathered together thirteen women and thirteen men and taught them the secrets of the Weave, forming the first covens.
===The Weave===
The Church of Hala describes magic in a different way, a sort of universal weave. It is not clear if witchcraft or the Weave is something separate from magic powers elsewhere in the multiverse.

==Members==
Clerics of Hala are called witches, both male and female. A witch is usually a magic user with hereditary or innate power.

===Persecution===
The Weave is also known as witchcraft and provokes widespread, superstitious fear. Witchcraft’s wretched reputation is largely due to hags, the most infamous practitioners. Although witchcraft is not inherently evil, it is thought to be rife with occult dangers. Exposure to witchcraft is thought to create [[caliban]]s, and according to folklore, witches who lose control of their magic may be permanently transformed into monstrous [[hag]]s. Hala’s witches often face hostility when beyond the doors of their hospices. Any witch of Hala unwise enough to encounter the inquisitors of [[Tepest]], for example, should count herself lucky to escape with her life.

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_society.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p54
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|}

[[Category:religion]]

File:Hala-symbol.png

2010-06-09T05:38:23Z

Nerit: Symbol of Hala. Vector created in Adobe Illustrator by User:Nerit, based on canon illustration.

Symbol of Hala. Vector created in Adobe Illustrator by [[User:Nerit]], based on canon illustration.

Souragne

2010-06-07T04:51:36Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=Souragne.png
|culture_lvl=Chivalric (8)
|ecology=Full
|terrain=Warm Forests and Swamps
|year_formed=635
|population=3,100
|races=Humans (99%), Other (1%)
|languages=[[Souragnien]]
|religions=the [[Loa]] for the masses, [[Church of Ezra]] for owning class
|government=aristocratic elected leader, independent settlements
|ruler=
|darklord=[[Lord of the Dead]]
|analog=Antebellum Louisiana of the Southern United States}}

{{canon}}
'''Souragne''' is a domain based around stereotypical Louisiana voodoo, and as such consists primarily of a vast swamp. The two most important individuals in Souragne are the darklord [[Anton Misroi]], a [[Zombie Lord | zombie lord]], and [[Chicken Bone]], the most powerful [[voodan]] (Ravenloft's equivalent of a [[w:houngan| houngan]]) in the swamp.<ref>[[Souragne Gazetteer]] - [http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Library.html At the FoS Library]</ref>

[[Category:domain]][[Category:Island of Terror]]

==References==
{{Netbook-canon}}
<references/>

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Night of the Walking Dead]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p7 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp17,110,172-173 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp95-96 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - pp40-41 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - p84
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p173 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p96 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting]]'' - poster map 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - poster map 
''[[Night of the Walking Dead]]'' - p5
|-valign="top"
|}

Souragne

2010-06-07T04:48:14Z

Nerit:

{{canon}}
'''Souragne''' is a domain based around stereotypical Louisiana voodoo, and as such consists primarily of a vast swamp. The two most important individuals in Souragne are the darklord [[Anton Misroi]] (a [[Zombie Lord | zombie lord]]) and [[Chicken Bone]] (the most powerful [[voodan]] (Ravenloft's equivalent of a [[w:houngan| houngan]]) in the swamp).

{{Netbook-canon}}
<ref>[[Souragne Gazetteer]] - [http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/Library.html At the FoS Library]</ref>
{{dombox
|picture=Souragne.png
|culture_lvl=Chivalric (8)
|ecology=Full
|terrain=Warm Forests and Swamps
|year_formed=635
|population=3,100
|races=Humans (99%), Other (1%)
|languages=[[Souragnien]]
|religions=the [[Loa]] for the masses, [[Church of Ezra]] for owning class
|government=aristocratic elected leader, independent settlements
|ruler=
|darklord=[[Lord of the Dead]]
|analog=Antebellum Louisiana of the Southern United States}}

[[Category:domain]][[Category:Island of Terror]]

==References==
<references/>

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Night of the Walking Dead]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p7 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp17,110,172-173 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp95-96 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - pp40-41 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - p84
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p173 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p96 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting]]'' - poster map 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - poster map 
''[[Night of the Walking Dead]]'' - p5
|-valign="top"
|}

File:Souragne.png

2010-06-07T04:47:51Z

Nerit: {{MCS}} Category:Map

{{MCS}}
[[Category:Map]]

Category:The Amber Wastes

2010-06-07T04:47:10Z

Nerit:

[[Image:AmberWastes.png|right|thumb|400px|The Amber Wastes]]
'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' [[Cluster]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Composed of [[Har'Akir]], [[Pharazia]], and [[Sebua]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

[[Category:Cluster]][[Category:Desert]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp15,18,146-152 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp102-110
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p147 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p103
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_alias.gif]]
|

Amber Wastes, The
Amber Wastes
|-valign="top"
|}

Template:MCS

2010-06-07T04:46:07Z

Nerit:

{| align=center border=0 cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 style="border: 1px solid #7b2e00; background-color: #f5e0c2; color:black;"
|-
| style="font-size: 90%" | This page incorporates content from the inactive [http://fraternityofshadows.com/GryphonHill/ Mordent Cartographic Society]. Used with their express permission.
| [[Image:200px-Reinel_compass_rose.svg.png|25px]]
|}<noinclude>
{{documentation}}</noinclude>

File:AmberWastes.png

2010-06-07T04:44:37Z

Nerit: {{MCS}} Category:Map

{{MCS}}
[[Category:Map]]

Todstein

2010-06-05T19:32:48Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=Todstein.png
|culture_lvl=
|ecology=
|terrain=tundra, taiga
|year_formed=[[]]
|population=1?
|races=None
|languages=
|religions=None
|government=None
|ruler=[[Meredoth]]
|darklord=[[Meredoth]]
|analog=
}}

==Climate & Terrain==
Despite a similar latitude to that of Graben Island, Todstein has a radically different climate. The climate of the island, for unknown reasons, is arctic. The temperature can drop to -60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and reaches a maximum of 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer.

During the winter, snow falls every few days. Blizzards assault the island every two to three weeks. For this reason, the animals dig deep burrows and warrens, and they survive quite well despite the harsh climate.

The island is an igneous extrusion of an ancient, extinct volcano. This gives it a hard, stable base. A 20-foot layer of permafrost lies over the igneous base. Despite the extreme climate, the island is covered by pine forest and a variety of hardy evergreen shrubs growing and thriving right in the permafrost. Snowshoe hare, wolves, ptarmigan and a few other varieties of arctic creatures inhabit the island.

A wide beach rises gradually to meet the pine forest, which rises in a steep hill. The beach is sandy within 20 feet of the water, giving way to frozen sand, then permafrost, and finally the thick pines.

The rest of the island looms 150 feet over the water in icy, treacherous cliffs. Except for the beaches, the rest of the island stands at a 150-foot elevation.

The two mausoleums stand on the northern end of the island. They can be reached by following a snowy, narrow trail from either the western or eastern side of the island.

Except for the mausoleums and trails, the island appears to be untouched by civilization. Animal tracks are abundant, forming trails through the thick woods.

-- [[Ship of Horror]]

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Located in [[The Nocturnal Sea]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''
'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Lair of [[Meredoth]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

[[Category:island]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_location.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p7 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p132 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp79 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - p54-61 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover, p133 
 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp77 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - back cover [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|}

File:Todstein.png

2010-06-05T19:28:58Z

Nerit: {{MCS}} Category:Map

{{MCS}}
[[Category:Map]]

Graben Island

2010-06-05T19:18:29Z

Nerit:

{{dombox
|picture=Graben_Island.png
|culture_lvl=
|ecology=
|terrain=bluffs, prairie, swamp/marsh
|year_formed=[[]]
|population=~2000
|races=Humans, Undead
|languages=?
|religions=?
|government=
|ruler=Graben
|darklord=
|analog=
}}
[[Category:island]]
==Climate & Terrain==
The climate of Graben Island is cold and harsh. Chilly ocean winds torment all sides of the island during all seasons of the year. The temperature never warms above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, even in the height of the summer. Winter temperatures can easily reach -20 degrees Fahrenheit. The island is shrouded in mist nearly every evening, varying from a light haze to thick fog with low visibility.

The island receives frequent, violent storms and is buried beneath many feet of snow in the winter. While the climate is difficult to live in, the storms nonetheless provide a steady source of fresh water.

The northwestern coast of Graben Island is a rocky bluff bordered by a short, rocky beach. The bluff is void of plant life except for some scrub grass and an occasional tree wedged between the rocks.

The village of Graben and the Graben family estate are contained in a bowl-like ravine where the river cuts through the bluff to reach the ocean. On both sides of the river, the bluff slopes steeply upward until it reaches the 300-foot height of the rest of the bluff.

The northern end of the island is covered by rocky, rough terrain. Long, tough grass and some occasional hardy flowers grow in the hard soil. The land is used for grazing sheep and goats.

The land slopes gradually toward the southern end of the island. The midsection of the island is covered by prairie, with long grass, tumbleweeds, and many varieties of shrubs and wildflowers. It is home to a variety of small wildlife, including wild chickens, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, pheasants, quail, partridges and other birds and small mammals.

The southern end of the island consists of swamp and marshland. The ground is spongy and soft, virtually uninhabitable. Many of the typical swamp-dwelling creatures are absent, due to the cold climate. However, the swamps are home to otters, beavers, many species of snakes and frogs, owls and several species of birds.

The frequent rainfall on the island caused the formation of many flash-flood ravines. Along the ravines are dense pine forests, home to bears, wolves, cougars, rabbits, squirrels and many varieties of birds.

--[[Ship of Horror]]

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Located in [[The Nocturnal Sea]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''
==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_location.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p17,132 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p78 
''[[Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - p29 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - pp43-53 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover, p133 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p77 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - poster map [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|}

The Nocturnal Sea

2010-06-05T18:47:06Z

Nerit:

[[Image:Nocturnal_Sea.png|thumb|right|400px]]
"Behind The Curtain: What’s In A Name?
When it was introduced in the 2E module Ship of
Horror, the domain of which the necromancer
Meredoth is darklord was referred to as
“Nebligtode”. In Domains of Dread, the same
darklord’s territory is referred to as “Graben” in
the Ravenloft Timeline, yet is re-styled “the
Nocturnal Sea” in the geographic description of
the Core. The Arthaus products are similarly
inexact, listing the whole of the Nocturnal Sea as
if it were a singular domain by that name.
As the Nocturnal Sea is, to natives of
Ravenloft, a geographic region that incorporates
portions of at least half a dozen other domains,
this Survey now restores the title of Meredoth’s
domain to its original usage. In this and future
FoS netbooks, “the Nocturnal Sea” will refer to
the actual body of water, independent of domain
borders. “Nebligtode” specifically means the
sizable fraction of that Sea which falls under the
necromancer’s purview as darklord."

--The Fraternity of Shadows - [[Survey on the Expedition to the Nocturnal Sea Gazette]]

'''The Nocturnal Sea''' serves as a passageway to [[The Nightmare Lands]] and is ruled by [[Meredoth]] the Sea Mage. He lives on an island populated by his [[undead]] creations, chief among them being [[lebendtod]] (from the German term "lebende Tote" - "living dead"). In his original realm on [[Mystara]], Meredoth was awarded a barony. However, as the obligations of rulership constantly interfered with his ruthless experiments, Meredoth concocted a plan to kill all the inhabitants and turn them all into undead servants that would go his bidding without ever disturbing him again. It was this crime that saw him snatched by the [[Mists]] and granted stewardship of the [[Nocturnal Sea]].

==Ports==

===Eastern Core===

* [[Nevuchar Springs]]

*[[Tidemore]] is a small [[Darkonese]] fishing port, sitting in the shadow of the [[Mountains of Misery]] north of [[Rookhausen]] and well south of [[Nevuchar Springs]]. The town is governed by [[Burgomeister Borganov]]. It is rumoured to be home to strange rituals and fiendish sacrifices, particulary upon its rocky beach.

* [[Rookhausen]] sits currently in ruins, at the edge of the [[Nocturnal Sea]], in the south-eastern [[Darkon]] not far from the border with [[Nova Vaasa]] and the village of [[Rutledge]].

* [[Rutledge]] is a port harbouring roughly 250 souls on the [[Nocturnal Sea]] that straddles the border between [[Darkon]] and [[Nova Vaasa]]. It has, as yet, been claimed by neither. Its lifeblood is fishing but it also serves as a [[pirate haven]].

* [[Mavalga]] is a small fishing port on the [[Nocturnal Sea]] that harbours a population of 209 souls. It is not far south of [[Rutledge]] which itself stands on the border of [[Darkon]] and [[Nova Vaasa]]. This is to say that Mavalga lies on the edge of the [[Ehrendton]] in northeastern Nova Vaasa. It was assaulted by the [[Bad Wind]] in 755 BC.

* [[Skibbygger Beach]] is the leading ship building centre in [[Nova Vaasa]]. It lies on the [[Nocturnal Sea]] just north of the mouth of [[Sydligdnar]]. It should be joined to [[Guldstrand Beach]] by a ferry.

* [[Guldstrand Beach]] is the leading port in [[Nova Vaasa]]. It lies on the [[Nocturnal Sea]] just south of the mouth of [[Sydligdnar]]. It is joined to [[Egertus]] by a steep path, to [[Kantora]] by a ferry, and almost certainly to [[Skibbygger Beach]] by a ferry.

* [[Kantora]] can be with fall ships from the [[Nocturnal Sea]] via the ''Sydligdnar'', although with difficulty owing to its current.

*[[Sly-Var]]

* [[Arbora]]

[[Category:domain]][[Category:Sea]][[Category:Geography]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_domain.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - p7 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp15-16,18-19,110,132-133 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp78-79 
''[[The Nightmare Lands:The Journal of Dr. Illhousen]]'' - pp26-27 
''[[The Nightmare Lands:The Rules of Dreams and Nightmares]]'' - p43 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - pp54-63 [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_map.gif]]
|
''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover, 133 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - p77 
''[[The Nightmare Lands]]'' - poster map 
''[[Ship of Horror]]'' - back cover, poster map [http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Download Now! ]
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_alias.gif]]
|
Nebligtode
Nocturnal Sea, The
Nocturnal Sea
|-valign="top"
|}

File:Nocturnal Sea.png

2010-06-05T18:39:49Z

Nerit: {{MCS}} Category:Map

{{MCS}}
[[Category:Map]]

Mistipedia talk:Categorization Guidelines

2010-05-26T18:38:05Z

Nerit: /* Category Names */

==Let's hash out the Categorization Guidelines once and for all==

OK, we've all been working for a while here, let's see if we've come to any conclusions on Categorization. There are some questions on [[Category_talk:The_Twisting]], [[Category_talk:Ethnic_Group]], and elsewhere that need to be resolved. Strap in. This will get deep, nitpicky and bumpy... -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 19:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

=== types of categories ===
First, let's look at how wikipedia does things, ([[w:Categorization]]) for a bit of comparison:
They break up their categories into "'''Set'''" and "'''Topic'''" categories:
'''Topic''' categories are named after a topic (usually sharing a name with the Wikipedia article on that topic).
For example, Category:France contains articles relating to the topic France.

'''Set''' categories are named after a class (usually in the plural). For example, Category:Cities in France
contains articles whose subjects are cities in France.

Also, there is another layer, "content" and "project" categories:

'''content''' categories, intended as part of the encyclopedia, to help readers find articles, based on
features of the subjects of those articles;

'''project''' categories, intended for use by editors or by automated tools, based on features of the current
state of articles, or used to categorize non-article pages.

Thus far we haven't really made much use of "'''project'''" categories here at Mistipedia. There are some like [[:Category:Disambiguation_pages]], but they are mainly automatically inserted by templates that we've copied from elsewhere. So let's restrict the discussion to "'''content'''" categories for now. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 19:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

=== Subcategories ===
You can look at categories as either a "box" to put pages in. (or folder, or directory, choose your metaphor). Or you can look at them like a "label" you put on pages. (or tag, or somesuch). In the software, they are implemented as labels. By which I mean: you can put any categories on a page that you want. You aren't bound by boxes. ([[Azalin]] can be a [[:Category:Wizard]] and a [[:Category:Human]] and a [[:Category:Lich]], even though those three categories are distinct. A real piece of paper can't be in multiple boxes, but a wiki page can.)

:(This means you can even create loops if you want. We've seen that if you want to make NPCs into categories, you could put [[:Category:Senmet]] into [[:Category:Anhktepot]] and ALSO put [[:Category:Anhktepot]] into[[:Category:Senmet]]. But consensus seems to be that's a bad idea, and Wikipedia agrees: "Category chains formed by parent-child relationships should never form closed loops.")

It seems to me that the "box" metaphor applies better to "'''set'''" categories and the "label" metaphor applies better to "'''topic'''" categories. (Feel free to disagree). This brings me to what I'm mainly getting at, which is Cure's comment on [[Category_talk:The_Twisting]] regarding the "containment rules", and also the somewhat controversial idea to combine categories and pages.

[[:Category:Monster]] is a box of lots of boxes (of boxes of boxes...). [[Beryl Silvertress]] and [[Axrock]] go in the [[:Category:Dwarven Vampire]] box. The [[:Category:Dwarven Vampire]] box goes in the [[:Category:Vampire]] box (along with all the other vampires). The [[:Category:Vampire]] box goes nicely in the [[:Category:Undead]] box, which is in the [[:Category:Monster]] box. All is well. Beryl and Axrock are Dwarven Vampires, they are Vampires, they are Undead, and they are Monsters. In this simple case, the following "containment rule" applies: "X is in Category:Y if and only if X is a Y. Category:Y is in Category:Z if and only if all Y's are Z's."

Now, what of [[:Category:Vampirism]]? that's more of a label (or a '''topic'''), isn't it? You can slap it on lots of boxes or pages, anything that's related to Vampirism. But that doesn't mean everything in with that label IS "A Vampirism". For example, [[Vorlog]]s are ''not'' vampires, but they are ''related'' to vampirism. Like [[:Category:Demonology]], it doesn't have a "containment rule." And that's OK, IMHO. The rule for a '''topic'''/label is "X is in '''topic''' Category:Y if and only if X is related to Y. '''Set''' Category:Y is in '''Topic''' Category:Z if and only if all Y's are related to Z."

so far so good? maybe?

Here's where things break down: What of "'''Set'''" categories where the Box itself fits in a set, but not everything in the box: [[Meredoth]] is a [[:Category:Necromancer]]. All [[Necromancer]]s are [[Wizard]]s. But [[Wizard]] is in [[:Category:Class]], which is in [[:Category:Game Rule]]. Clearly, Meredoth is a Necromancer and a Wizard. But he's not a class, nor is he a Game Rule. Is this OK? If so, how can we codify it clearly?

Here things get even worse: What about categories that are both "'''sets'''" and "'''topics'''"? Here I'm thinking about [[:Category:Gundarakite]]. [[:Category:Society]] was originally entirely full of "boxes" of NPCs. ([[:Category:The_Keepers_of_the_Black_Feather]], for example.) But since the software doesn't discriminate over what can go in a "box," people started using the Societies as "labels" as well. So [[:Category:Gundarakite]] is not a box
of NPCs. It's a "box" of things related to Gundarak and/or Gundarkites. (this problem surfaced on [[:Category_talk:Ethnic_Group]].) It makes my head hurt.

Is there a way to keep the Societies to just groups of people? Or am I being too limiting? Does [[The Grim Fastness]] have as much right to be in [[:Category:The Kargat]] as [[Lady Kazandra]] does? -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 19:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

=== Pages vs. Categories ===
Yes, we've confronted this before, notably here: [[Category_talk:Goblin]]. But now let's revisit it in terms of [[Category_talk:The_Twisting]], and the [[:Category:Har'Akir]] experiment. Personally, I feel that [[The Twisting]] should be a page, not a category. It's a single thing, unlike "vampires", which is a group of things. But how does that mesh with the whole '''set''' vs. '''topic''' categorization thing? In wikipedia terms, [[:Category:The Twisting]] is a fine '''topic''' category, a way to link together things that relate to The Twisting. But in the same way that merging [[:Category:Goblin]] with [[Goblin]] grates on [[User:ChrisNichols]], merging [[:Category:The Twisting]] with [[The Twisting]] grates on me, and I think I finally realize why: because it's a '''topic''' category and not a '''set''' category.

I still think there's value in the the merged category/pages. But can we limit them to only "'''Set'''" categories? Does that make sense to anyone but me?

:(to follow the metaphor, it's ok to staple the page about goblins to outside of the goblin box, but we don't want the page on [[The Twisting]] copied onto every "The Twisting" label stuck on things related to "The Twisting", do we?)

Is this also perhaps part of the problem with the Societies that I mentioned above. By forcing [[The Kargat]] to be [[:Category:The Kargat]] are we messing up the distinction that wikipedia would make between the '''topic''' category [[:Category:The Kargat]] and the '''set''' category [[:Category:Members of the Kargat]]? -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 19:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Your metaphor lost me, but if I'm reading you right, you're saying that combined category/pages should be restricted to set-categories where what's said in the category is true of any page in the category. (And that, by extension, the text in [[:Category:Church of Ezra]] and stuff like that would be separated into its own page, yes?) Because that makes sense to me. [[User:D'Ysmaul|d'Ysmaul]] 22:51, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

=== Subcategorization levels ===
Wikipedia says:

Pages are not placed directly into every possible category, only into the most specific one in any branch.
This means that if a page belongs to a subcategory of C (or a subcategory of a subcategory of C, and so on)
then it is not normally placed directly into C. For exceptions to this rule, see Eponymous categories and
Non-diffusing subcategories below.

We have thus far been a bit inconsistent on this point. I think the key is in the exceptions here, specifically "non-diffusing subcategories. The general idea, as I understand it, of a "diffusing" subcategory is that if Category A is diffused into subcategories A1, A2, A3... then ''every'' item in A fits in one of A1, A2, A3... i.e. there are no pages just sitting in A that don't fit into A1, A2, A3...

So the consensus for NPCs and Monsters so far as been to give them every category up to their top-level monster category. (see [[Axrock]] example above.) This somewhat contradicts the wikipedia guideline, (depending on if the monster types are diffusing or not. [[:Category:Lycanthrope|Some]] are, [[:Category:Lich|some]] aren't.), but I think it's the right way to go for Mistipedia. I think that someone looking for a list of Lycanthrope would expect [[Angel Pajaro]] to show up, even though [[:Category:Lycanthrope]] is completely diffused into were-___ phenotypes.

What of other categories, though? For example: [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]] and the like. Which of the following categories should [[Blood_o'_the_Vine_Inn]] be in: [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]], [[:Category:Locations in the Village of Barovia]], and/or [[:Category:Location]]? Theoretically, if we have a [[:Category:Locations in _____]] for every domain, then [[:Category:Location]] would be completely diffused, and thus, by the wikipedia guidelines [[:Category:Location]] shouldn't have any pages in it, only subcategories. Is the same true of [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]]? Is it completely diffused by [[:Category:Locations in <Barovian Town X>]]? If so, should there be any pages in [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]]? or only subcategories?

I submit that from a usability perspective, I would expect to see the inn listed under both [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]] '''AND''' [[:Category:Locations in the Village of Barovia]]. I'm not sure about [[:Category:Location]]. It's so broad that the full list is not so usable, IMHO. Thoughts?

:As the person who's been doing the most with the wiki in the last week or so, my sort-of convention working with [[:Category:Location]] was to get things off of the main [[:Category:Location]] page. When categories break across multiple pages, the subcategories break too, which makes using them to search by a PITA.

:Once stuff's in a subcategory, I'm fine with seeing [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]] '''and''' [[:Category:Locations in the Village of Barovia]], because everything in the former set is going to be in the subset. Not sure what my thoughts are on diffusing [[:Category:Locations in _____]], though, so I'll stop here. [[User:D'Ysmaul|D'Ysmaul]] 21:10, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Most importantly: Do we have to go through this thought process for each major category in [[:Category:Contents]]? Or can we find a broad and useful guideline that covers everything?

-- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 16:31, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

=== Category Names ===
We've been using singular names for categories. I think I started it. But now I'm not sure if it's correct. Wikipedia uses plurals. Using singulars creates an inconsistency in stuff like [[:Category:Locations in Barovia]] vs. [[:Category:Location]] (why "Location" for one, but "Location'''''s'''''" for the other?). It would be painful to change, but maybe we should. Thoughts? -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 19:42, 24 May 2010 (UTC)
:Hoooo, boy. My head right now? Stuck in a [[w:Matryoshka doll| Matryoshka doll]]. I remember getting confused on plurals/singulars when working on other wikis. I wonder, does it have to do with the set/topic issue? Barovia is A Location, yes? But Barovia also belongs in a box with All Locations. Hmm. We must assume that all Categories are ''made'' to fit more than one sub-category or page, yes? So perhaps plural is the way to go? --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 18:38, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

==Category order==
On [[Mistipedia_talk:Guidelines]], [[User:D'Ysmaul]] asks:
"Given the categorization guidelines, are there any conventions about category ''order'' that I should know about?"

[[User:Cure]] had mentioned an order he was using for the NPC categories somewhere, but I can't find it. What was it? and does anyone else have thoughts on this subject? -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 15:17, 24 May 2010 (UTC)

Talk:Main Page

2010-05-05T17:40:11Z

Nerit:

Anyone else find it kinda funny and interesting to see where everyone is focusing in there edits? My first task was an exhaustive listing of all the sources (since they didn't exist in the Catalogue due to the way it was organized), then working out the disambigs and redirects to minimize the redlinks. Meanwhile, Nerit's working on getting all the domains and darklords looking decent. DeepShadow's all about the plants. Delyuns sorting darklords. CplEthane's tackling other npcs. And Cure is the guy to talk to if you're planning a trip to Nova Vassa and need to know the history and geography in excruciating detail. :D All good and necessary work, mind you. The different directions are just amusing to me for some reason. Keep it up, everyone!! --[[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 03:02, 22 January 2010 (UTC)
: Yes! I've noticed, and it excites me too. Unfortunately my "decent" work is just porting over GNU licensed work that got deleted from Wikipedia. Some info is mispelled, in correct, or mi s ng. (<-- teehee) --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 03:19, 22 January 2010 (UTC)
:: I've noticed, too. Interesting. We just need a few more OCD people in here....[[User:DeepShadow|DeepShadow]] 03:35, 22 January 2010 (UTC)

==Awesome==
This place is looking better and better. I'm sorry I haven't been able to contribute in a million years, but I'm watching it grow. You guys are awesome (and nuts). --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 17:40, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Talk:Coal

2010-03-22T17:20:11Z

Nerit:

huh? are going to document every mundane object? Iron? Sock? Spoon? :) -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 12:47, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

Coal is actually very important for several reason. It is the leading industry and export of Nosos, underwriting the wealth of the darklord there. Hence it plays a significant role in unravelling the economy of the Core and beyond, and in destroying the enviroment in Nosos. In an evidently related vane, it is a leading type of mine, and mines are always of interest in a world with few dungeons. Finally, we have primative steam engines in Ravenloft, and in particular paddlewheelers, and most of them are going to burn coal. Coal then is the energy of future in Ravenloft's leading lands. It is their oil.

And while on the related topic, salt is great consequence in a world without refrigeration. No plans for pepper. But spicies generally might get a mention eventually.[[User:Cure|Cure]] 16:28, 21 March 2010 (UTC)
: You do not need a separate page for every object, especially when its definition is the same as real world. Make a page listing industrial components or the like, and have a paragraph on the importance of coal to Nosos and steam power. It simply does not merit its own page. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 21:28, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

::I would agree.. Important to [[Nosos]], definitely. Important to the world.. sure. Important to the ''wiki''... I don't think so. What's the page going to say that one couldn't find at wikipedia? If someone wants to know all about coal in Ravenloft, they can search for it and Nosos, etc, will turn up in the search results. I don't think they need to land on this page and then navigate to all those places. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 01:55, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

::: This is part of the problem with organizing information for a wiki. Another example is [[Church of Hala]] and [[Hala]]. What needs to be said for Hala that merits its own page? We hardly know anything about the goddess ''outside of the faith following her'', thus all information on her is relevant to [[Church of Hala]] and can be contained therein. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 08:03, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

::: Hrm... you may have a point there. But something in the back my mind is saying there's merit to keeping the religions and deities separate. I can't really articulate it, though. For the sake of reference, note that wikipedia has [[w:Islam]] and [[w:Allah]] and [[w:Buddha]] and [[w:Buddhism]], but granted, since those are real religions, much more source material will exist on them than any fictional faith. As another reference point, the FR wikia is a little inconsistent. All the deities seem to have their own pages, with a section on their worshippers, but some (Cyric for example) have a Church of ___ page as well, and some have a catgory for their worshippers. Not sure which is best for us, especially considering so much more has been written on FR's pantheon than RL's. (How cool would a "Faiths and Pantheons of the Mists" book have been?) -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 14:40, 22 March 2010 (UTC)
:::: True, hummm. It's just that Ezra and Hala are both so mysterious and don't have precedence outside the religions, you know? There isn't much to say on their own page. They belong on a list of gods (so-called god in Ezra's case?), but what can we put on their pages? In real religions there's a lot to say about the nature of each god, religious references, interpretations.... At this point it seems easier to have Hala's story on the Church of Hala page for easy info access? The same could be said for Ezra. Page splitting should happen when it's so long it becomes hard to read. Oh, well. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 17:20, 22 March 2010 (UTC)

Category:Caliban

2010-03-22T17:13:51Z

Nerit:

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_monster.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p30
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp30-31
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp30-31
|-valign="top"
|}

[[Category:humanoid]]

[[Category:Ethnicity]]

Category:Caliban

2010-03-22T17:13:28Z

Nerit:

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_monster.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p30
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp30-31
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp30-31
|-valign="top"
|}

[[Category:humanoid]][[Category:Ethnicity]]

Talk:Coal

2010-03-22T08:10:38Z

Nerit:

Talk:Coal

2010-03-22T08:03:55Z

Nerit:

Talk:Coal

2010-03-21T21:28:35Z

Nerit:

Category:Church of Ezra

2010-03-21T02:15:41Z

Nerit:

'''WIKISEED FROM CATALOGUE :''' Main headquarters in [[Borca]], [[Mordent]], [[Dementlieu]], and [[Darkon]]''(Please edit freely, then remove this note and WIKISEED label)''

[[Image:Ezran_shield.png|thumb|100px|right|The symbol of Ezran faith.]]
The '''Church of Ezra''' is an institution that follows the messianic figure Ezra, who may or may not have existed as a human or a goddess. Its symbol is a silver longsword on a kite shield with a sprig of belladonna.

==History==
The religion originated through the prophecies of one man, [[Yakov Dilisnya]]. At the age of 25 a horseback riding accident left him delerious for five days, at the end of which he recovered and penned the [[First Book of Ezra]]. Over the next few years he displayed increasingly miraculous powers, but gained few followers until he left his native [[Mordent]] for the newly formed [[Borca]]. There he convinced his young half-sister [[Camille Dilisnya|Camille]] to help finance the construction of the [[The Great Cathedral | Great Cathedral]], and set about making many more converts.

When one of Camille's tantrums led to Yakov's death, it led to a schism in the church. Camille's fear of fanatic reprisal led to an apology in the form of a statue of Yakov for the cathedral, but she privately demanded that the church avoid fomenting rebellion. The question as to whether the Church ought to accept demands from an earthly ruler--and a corrupt one at that--caused [[Felix Wachter]] to separate himself with a small group of like-minded faithful and return to Mordent. There he penned the [[Second Book of Ezra]].

The rift between the two sects eventually healed, but when wandering anchorite [[Joan Secousse]] entered the new domain of Dementlieu, another rift occured, eventually leading to another book. Secousse had discovered [[Ste. Mere des Larmes]], an abandoned cathedral dedicated to Ezra that nevertheless predated the entire church to date. Secousse penned the revelations she received from her study of the cathedral, and a new sect was born.

Years later, in the wake of the [[Grand Conjunction]], a Darkonese anchorite named [[Bastion Teodorus Raines|Teodorus Raines]] had a series of apocalyptic revelations about a [[Time of Unparallelled Darkness]], and the desperate state of the faithful beset on all sides by the duplicitous Legions of the Night. Raines penned the Fourth Book of Ezra, passed the Rite of Revelation, and created the fourth sect.

===Timeline===
666 [[Yakov Dilisnya]] pens the [[First Book of Ezra]].

684 Yakov moves to Borca, and convinces Camille to support the church.

695 First services in the unfinished Grand Cathedral.

698 Camille kills Yakov; the first Schism starts.

698 [[Felix Wachter]] and four anchorites take the Church back to Mordent.

707 Dementlieu appears; [[Joan Secousse]] finds [[Ste. Mere des Larmes]].

709 [[Joan Secousse]] pens the Second Book and a new sect is started.

745 The Grand Cathedral is finished.

751 [[Teodorus Raines]] passes the [[Rite of Revelation]].

==Sects==

There are four sects of the Ezran religion, though some followers expect a final fifth.
The four sects are the [[The Home Faith | Home Faith]] in Borca, the pure hearts in Mordentshire, the Erudites in Dementilieu and the Zealots in Darkon.

==The Book of Ezra==
<blockquote>[[Image:I.png|left|80px]]n the time before, in a land cloaked in [[Mists]], there was a woman, and She was Ezra.

Ezra was a [[healer]] of the sick and protector of the weak. Such was Her lot in life. Such was Her role in the grand scheme. Ezra took pride in the role Fate had given Her. Her duty was Her joy.

For many years, Ezra healed the lame and watched over Her people. Yet as time went on, Ezra began to see the Hollow. From the Mists of Death came horrors of the night. They were the drinker of blood and the stealer of breath and the beast that rends. Many were their legions. Many were the roles played by darkness in the Grand Scheme.

Ezra knew that Death would come for Her, as it comes to all in time. When Ezra entered the Gray Land, there would be no guardian to fill Her role. There would be no one to stand between Her people and the Legions of the Night.

Ezra set forth on a quest to find a guardian for Her people. She sought the One Pure Heart who would assume Her role. Ezra sought for the One Pure Heart in many lands, but ever did She seek in vain.

In time, Her quest brought Ezra to the end of all things. Behind Ezra stretched all the lands of the world. Before Ezra rose only the Mists of Death.

Ezra spoke to the Mists. Asked She, “The world is yours. You set its shape. Why do you allow its people to wander, lost and afraid?” But the Mists did not answer.

Again Ezra spoke. “Why have you filled your world with the Legions of the Night?” Yet the Mists would not answer.

A third time did Ezra speak. “All things have their role in the Grand Scheme. The Legions of the Night have their place, but Guardians and Guides have their roles in turn.” Still the Mists offered no reply.

Ezra spoke once more. “I have searched all the vastness of your lands, but I have found no Guardians for My people. I have found no Guides for the lost.” Again the Mists were silent.

For the last time did Ezra speak. “You have failed the Grand Scheme. You have created a Hollow that must be filled. If you will not watch over your people, then that task falls to me.” Upon the fifth entreaty did the Mists of Death reply.

From the Mists came a Voice, and the Voice spoke, saying, “Turn back, Mortal. You know nothing of the Grand Scheme. You know nothing of the Mists. You have reached the end of Your world. Continue and You shall find only Your destruction, nothing more.”

Yet Ezra held fast against the Mists, saying, “You cannot bid Me enter, yet I cannot turn away. I offer Myself to you so that you may know the suffering of My People. If I must be destroyed for them, then that is what must be.” The Mists of Death fell silent.

Then the Voice spoke once more. “Enter the Mists if You must, Mortal, but not as You are. Your kind has no place here. To enter the Mists, You must become as one with the Mists. Never again shall You leave them. Will You forever sacrifice Yourself to watch over these few mortals?”

Spoke Ezra, “Such is My role in the Grand Scheme. So must it be.” And with these words did Ezra become Our Guardian in the Mists.

-''The Book of Ezra, I:i-xv''<ref>[[Book of Secrets]]</ref></blockquote>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_society.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Heroes of Light]]'' 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p51 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - p32
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p54 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' pp 265-266 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - p31
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp14,17,51,115 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' pp 134-135, 265-266 
''[[Heroes of Light]]'' - pp52-56 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - pp30-32
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_alias.gif]]
|
Our Guardian in the Mists 
The Anchorites
|-valign="top"
|}

Template:Spec

2010-03-21T00:02:18Z

Nerit:

<noinclude>
This template should be used to label any sort of Speculation (inference, observation, extrapolation, questions, musings, etc) that are the personal thoughts of the editor, not directly mentioned in the source material. It is encouraged to separate this sort of thing into a different section, but when it makes more sense to be inline with other information, use this template to label it.

==Sample Usage==
<nowiki>{{Spec|I think the [[God-Brain]] is a child of the [[Gentleman Caller]].}}</nowiki>

==Sample Result==
{{Spec|I think the [[God-Brain]] is a child of the [[Gentleman Caller]].}}

==Ignore the code below==
</noinclude>
[[File:Speculation.png|text-bottom|60px]] {{{1}}}

Template:Spec

2010-03-21T00:01:07Z

Nerit: Testing new image. Feel free to change back!

<noinclude>
This template should be used to label any sort of Speculation (inference, observation, extrapolation, questions, musings, etc) that are the personal thoughts of the editor, not directly mentioned in the source material. It is encouraged to separate this sort of thing into a different section, but when it makes more sense to be inline with other information, use this template to label it.

==Sample Usage==
<nowiki>{{Spec|I think the [[God-Brain]] is a child of the [[Gentleman Caller]].}}</nowiki>

==Sample Result==
{{Spec|I think the [[God-Brain]] is a child of the [[Gentleman Caller]].}}

==Ignore the code below==
</noinclude>
[[File:Spec.png|text-bottom|60px]] {{{1}}}

File:Spec.png

2010-03-20T23:58:56Z

Nerit: New test for legibility

New test for legibility

Kara's Daughters

2010-02-22T16:58:00Z

Nerit:

#REDIRECT [[:Category:Kara's Daughters]]

Category:Kara's Daughters

2010-02-22T16:58:00Z

Nerit:

{{Homebrew non-canon}}

Kara's Daughters is a semi-secret society started by [[Vlad Drakov]]'s oldest daughter, Kara. This women's organization was fan-made by DeepShadow of the Fraternity, and plays a central role in his [[Kara's Daughters (campaign)|campaign of the same name]].

== History ==

Over two decades ago, Drakov's oldest daughter Kara appealed to her father to let her create an elite staff of female servant-guards for noblewomen of the country. While he scoffed at the idea of female soldiers, Drakov agreed because it freed up men for more important tasks and Kara insisted she would handle everything after his initial approval.

For a few years the group was little more than a club for brutish women, but slowly things began to change. Retired mercenary women from other realms approached Kara to become trainers, and some of them also brought culture and refinement. Women with talent and intelligence were sought out from among the downtrodden masses, and a few shrewd women saw this as one of the few chances they or their daughters would get to better their lives. At great personal expense, Kara sent to schools in [[Dementlieu]] and [[Richemulot]] for tutors who could make her "Daughters" desirable lady servants in those countries. "Kara's Daughters" is becoming a powerful secret society in Ravenloft, equally able to negotiate battlefields or courtly intrigues on behalf of their patrons.

[[Category:Society]]

Hallowed Witch

2010-02-21T08:33:28Z

Nerit: persecution, not prosecution. Prosecution implies fair pursuit by govt justice system

Hallowed witches are subject to persecution: [[Hallowed Witch Hunting]] & [[Witch Hunting]]

[[Category:Prestige Class]][[Category:Witch]]

User talk:Gonzoron

2010-02-17T18:25:06Z

Nerit: /* The Great Page-to-Category Conversion */

==Interwiki Linking?==
Hi! I have a request because my wiki knowledge ends here and I don't know how to reproduce the concept. Would it be possible to make an interwiki link template? That is, when one wants to link to a wiki article on Wikipedia, all one has to do is something like <nowiki>[[w:Ravenloft]]</nowiki> or the longer <nowiki>[[en:Wikipedia:Ravenloft]]</nowiki>. It makes things a lot easier for other templates that need to link to Wikipedia, as well (instead of having <nowiki>[http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]</nowiki> every time). I've seen it done on Wikia, and I had thought it was a standard part of Mediawiki. Mediawiki discusses it here: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Interwiki_link . Thanks! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 01:58, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

:Ask and ye shall receive. At least this time.... :) <nowiki>[[w:foo]]</nowiki> now works. See? [[w:Ravenloft]] -- [[User:Admin|Admin]] 02:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)
:: Yay, thank you! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 05:45, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

==The Great Page-to-Category Conversion==
Eeeeeep! Look at all them new category pages. When/why did you decide to make everything a category? --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 08:15, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

:Try not to be alarmed. :) Not ''everything''. Just the things that ''are'' categories. Namely, monster types and societies. See [[Talk:Elsepeth]],[[Talk:Dread Plant]] & [[Category Talk:Hiregaard Family]] for discussions.

:Cure did some experimental work on making ''everything'' a category. See [[Category Talk:Osiris]],[[Category Talk:Har'Akir]],[[Category Talk:Anhktepot's_Tomb]] & [[Category Talk:Nidalan]] for details. I don't mind the nationality ones, but both DeepShadow and I were against the Har'Akir experiment.

:Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. With so few active contributors, it's easy to mistake silence for assent. :) There's nothing that can't be un-done, if there's a compelling argument to do so. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 12:34, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

I think it needs refining, but we're getting closer: IMO anything that is unique is an entry; anything there can be more than one of is a category. You can't have multiple Borcas, but you can have multiple domains. There are many fiends, but only one Gentleman Caller. So far the only possible exception I've found is thrall clasps. There are multiple little suckers, but they are so interchangeable that an individual (NPC) is not possible. But then I guess the same could be said of plants, no? [[User:DeepShadow|DeepShadow]] 20:26, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

:the same could be said of lots of the mindless or animal creatures. Are we really likely to have an individual [[Scavyt]] or [[Carrion Stalker]] as an NPC? no, but I like the consistency of saying that every species is a category. It removes the guesswork and judgement calls that we'd have if only those species that contain distinct individuals were categories. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 20:32, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

::PS - Here's one to keep us all up at night pondering... [[Toben the Many]]: Individual entry or Category? :) -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 20:32, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

::: Am I misunderstanding? Because ''Borca'' CAN be a category. A category contains derivatives, not always something of the same type and never a "multiple" (multiple things ''belong'' in a category, not ''as'' a category). So Category:Borca could have the Boritsis listed in it, as example. Think of it as a container. ''Vampire'' should be a category, because there are types and members of a race. One NPC, no, not a category in itself (it should be categorized, of course, otherwise it is an "orphan"). Should every SPECIFIC species be a category? Somehow I find that unnecessary when there's no person/character that needs to be listed within, but it is consistent and I suppose we'll see how it looks after the conversion finishes. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 06:21, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

::::I think that domains as Categories make a lot of sense. That to me seemed to be the one thing that I felt entirely happy with from by Har'Akir experiment.[[User:Cure|Cure]] 14:06, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

::: Oh, and to the Toben the Many joke: I would assume not unless his distinct personas need separate pages to be described. It's a practical thing :P. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 06:22, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

::::No, you're right, there's nothing stopping Borca from being a category. (See Cure's [[:Category:Har'Akir]] experiment), but as I said in one of those Talk pages, personally, I find that a little weird. I'd prefer a page for Borca itself, and perhaps a [[:Category:Borca Related]] for all the things that belong to Borca. (Note that nothing in the wiki software stops us from having BOTH a Borca page and a Category:Borca. I just would prefer to keep the category named clearly differently.) But I am willing to be swayed.

::::As I mentioned above, the category for each species may seem unnecessary, but a) it's consistent, and b) You'd be surprised what species have named NPCs in them. Think all [[Goblyn]]s are the same? [[Herrd ApKie]] disagrees. Also keep in mind, that we are allowing non-canon additions to the wiki, and you never know what some crazy DM has done. If I ever felt like putting in PCs and NPCs from my campaign, I'd probably put [http://themistway.com/Leif.html "Kukri"] in [[:Category:Wolf]], even though to most people, a wolf is a wolf. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 14:14, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

::::: I suppose that's where I was stumbling on the conversion logic :). It's really hard to determine whether something should have a page, a category, or BOTH. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 18:25, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

User talk:Gonzoron

2010-02-17T06:22:56Z

Nerit: /* The Great Page-to-Category Conversion */

==Interwiki Linking?==
Hi! I have a request because my wiki knowledge ends here and I don't know how to reproduce the concept. Would it be possible to make an interwiki link template? That is, when one wants to link to a wiki article on Wikipedia, all one has to do is something like <nowiki>[[w:Ravenloft]]</nowiki> or the longer <nowiki>[[en:Wikipedia:Ravenloft]]</nowiki>. It makes things a lot easier for other templates that need to link to Wikipedia, as well (instead of having <nowiki>[http://en.wikipedia.org/ Wikipedia]</nowiki> every time). I've seen it done on Wikia, and I had thought it was a standard part of Mediawiki. Mediawiki discusses it here: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Interwiki_link . Thanks! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 01:58, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

:Ask and ye shall receive. At least this time.... :) <nowiki>[[w:foo]]</nowiki> now works. See? [[w:Ravenloft]] -- [[User:Admin|Admin]] 02:48, 16 January 2010 (UTC)
:: Yay, thank you! --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 05:45, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

==The Great Page-to-Category Conversion==
Eeeeeep! Look at all them new category pages. When/why did you decide to make everything a category? --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 08:15, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

:Try not to be alarmed. :) Not ''everything''. Just the things that ''are'' categories. Namely, monster types and societies. See [[Talk:Elsepeth]],[[Talk:Dread Plant]] & [[Category Talk:Hiregaard Family]] for discussions.

:Cure did some experimental work on making ''everything'' a category. See [[Category Talk:Osiris]],[[Category Talk:Har'Akir]],[[Category Talk:Anhktepot's_Tomb]] & [[Category Talk:Nidalan]] for details. I don't mind the nationality ones, but both DeepShadow and I were against the Har'Akir experiment.

:Please feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. With so few active contributors, it's easy to mistake silence for assent. :) There's nothing that can't be un-done, if there's a compelling argument to do so. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 12:34, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

I think it needs refining, but we're getting closer: IMO anything that is unique is an entry; anything there can be more than one of is a category. You can't have multiple Borcas, but you can have multiple domains. There are many fiends, but only one Gentleman Caller. So far the only possible exception I've found is thrall clasps. There are multiple little suckers, but they are so interchangeable that an individual (NPC) is not possible. But then I guess the same could be said of plants, no? [[User:DeepShadow|DeepShadow]] 20:26, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

:the same could be said of lots of the mindless or animal creatures. Are we really likely to have an individual [[Scavyt]] or [[Carrion Stalker]] as an NPC? no, but I like the consistency of saying that every species is a category. It removes the guesswork and judgement calls that we'd have if only those species that contain distinct individuals were categories. -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 20:32, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

::PS - Here's one to keep us all up at night pondering... [[Toben the Many]]: Individual entry or Category? :) -- [[User:Gonzoron|Gonzoron]] 20:32, 16 February 2010 (UTC)

::: Am I misunderstanding? Because ''Borca'' CAN be a category. A category contains derivatives, not always something of the same type and never a "multiple" (multiple things ''belong'' in a category, not ''as'' a category). So Category:Borca could have the Boritsis listed in it, as example. Think of it as a container. ''Vampire'' should be a category, because there are types and members of a race. One NPC, no, not a category in itself (it should be categorized, of course, otherwise it is an "orphan"). Should every SPECIFIC species be a category? Somehow I find that unnecessary when there's no person/character that needs to be listed within, but it is consistent and I suppose we'll see how it looks after the conversion finishes. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 06:21, 17 February 2010 (UTC)
::: Oh, and to the Toben the Many joke: I would assume not unless his distinct personas need separate pages to be described. It's a practical thing :P. --[[User:Nerit|Nerit]] 06:22, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

User talk:Gonzoron

2010-02-17T06:21:03Z

Nerit: /* The Great Page-to-Category Conversion */

Church of Hala

2010-02-16T08:29:27Z

Nerit: Needs fact and copyright checking later on

'''The Church of Hala''' worships [[Hala]]. It is a mystical faith loosely based on modern, real-world paganism and witchcraft practices.

==Centers==
The Church of Hala does not actively recruit and thus is not the major religion in any domain. However, it has hospices for the needy and sick sprinkled throughout the [[Core]].

==Beliefs==
The Church's sacred text, the [[Tale of the Ages]], tells of nine gods who created the world from Chaos. The gods then withdrew, intending to allow mortals to fill their world with acts both good and evil. But the mortals lacked wisdom, and the world was soon filled with pain and anguish. Just one of the Nine Gods, the goddess Hala, returned to the world to ease its suffering. She gathered together thirteen women and thirteen men and taught them the secrets of the Weave, forming the first covens.
===The Weave===
The Church of Hala describes magic in a different way, a sort of universal weave. It is not clear if witchcraft or the Weave is something separate from magic powers elsewhere in the multiverse.

==Members==
Clerics of Hala are called witches, both male and female. A witch is usually a magic user with hereditary or innate power.

===Persecution===
The Weave is also known as witchcraft and provokes widespread, superstitious fear. Witchcraft’s wretched reputation is largely due to hags, the most infamous practitioners. Although witchcraft is not inherently evil, it is thought to be rife with occult dangers. Exposure to witchcraft is thought to create calibans, and according to folklore, witches who lose control of their magic may be permanently transformed into monstrous hags. Hala’s witches often face hostility when beyond the doors of their hospices. Any witch of Hala unwise enough to encounter the inquisitors of Tepest, for example, should count herself lucky to escape with her life.

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



{|
|-valign="top"
|[[Image:rldb_society.jpg]]
|[[Image:rldb_primary.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]''
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_art.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_stats.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p54
|-valign="top"
|
|[[Image:rldb_desc.gif]]
|
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - p52
|-valign="top"
|}

[[Category:religion]]

User talk:Gonzoron

2010-02-16T08:15:07Z

Nerit:

Darkon

2010-02-11T09:51:52Z

Nerit:

[[category:The Core]]
{{dombox
|picture=Darkon.png
|culture_lvl=Dark Age to Chivalric
|ecology=Full
|terrain=Temperate forest, hill, plain, swamp
|year_formed=579 BC
|population=~120,000
|races=Humans 75%, Halflings 14%, Gnomes 5%, Elves 3%, Half-Elves 1%, Dwarves 1%, Other 1%
|languages=[[Darkonese]], Halfling, Gnome, Elven, Dwarven, [[Falkovnian]], [[Lamordian]], [[Mordentish]], [[Tepestani]], [[Vaasi]]
|religions=[[The Eternal Order]], [[Ezra]], the [[Overseer]]
|government=Feudal monarchy
|ruler=[[Azalin Rex]]
|darklord=[[Azalin Rex]]
|analog=European High Fantasy
}}
==Emergence and Azalin==
A feudal fantasy nation ruled over by the [[lich]]-king [[Azalin Rex]], '''Darkon''' is the largest domain in [[Ravenloft]]. Physically, it takes up the northern third of the main continent, the [[Core]], and its population easily exceeds that of any other single domain. Politically, Darkon is stable but not very influential, with its various nobles kept in check by Azalin's machinations.

In a real sense, Darkon's history is Azalin's history. After being driven out of his original homeland and finding himself in Ravenloft, Azal'Lan (originally a title meaning simply "Wizard King") was briefly befriended by [[Strahd von Zarovich]], the darklord of [[Barovia]]. They were experimenting with a few magic spells to help each other escape until eventually Azalin gave up, and wandered into Darkon. After leaving, Azalin found himself the master of a sprawling domain that reflected his cruelty, his obsession with order, his cunning, and his greatest frustration: the inability to learn new magic.

Due to Azalin's desire for unswerving loyalty, Darkon has the most obvious and unique curse in Ravenloft. After spending from one to three months within its borders, anyone not native to Darkon loses all memory of their original homeland, instead believing themselves to have always lived in Darkon. Additionally, they lose all personal desire to leave the country, though some do so anyway out of necessity or circumstance. The memories include a whole new life history and victim often adopt gravestones at the local cemeteries as graves of their ancestors. The lost memories return upon leaving the domain. In [[From the Shadows]], it is shown that their memories are magically recorded in a book in a library in [[Castle Avernus]].

{|border=1
||This feature leads some to believe that Darkon is an unsuitable realm for an outsiders-based campaign. Some players have experimented with campaigns of rediscovery, where the players have no clue as to their "real" histories but can discover them through investigation. (Inspired by the movie ''Memento'' and the video game ''Planescape: Torment''.)

Some possible workarounds exist, but these involve doctoring the books in the Avernus library. As a plot device, it is possible that [[Azalin]] may bargain with powerful outsiders to restore their memories in exchange for a service. For low-level characters, another potential plot device is to have a "finder's agency" investigate their lost memories, which could uncover many events in neighboring Ravenloft domains. Also, the aimless vulnerability of individuals newly mind-wiped lends itself to interesting slavery or gang-related plots.
|}

Azalin's desire to escape Ravenloft led to the disastrous [[Grand Conjunction]] in [[740]] Barovian Calendar, nearly destroying the [[Demiplane of Dread]]. His next escape attempt resulted in the equally catastrophic [[Requiem]], destroying his physical form and turning the capital city of Darkon, [[Il Aluk]], into a city of the undead, now called [[Necropolis]]. For the five years of Azalin's disappearance, Darkon itself was known as Necropolis due to the influence of that city's [[darklord]], Death. Azalin was restored to his body and his throne in time, and now plots a third escape attempt, the details of which are unknown.

Darkon is one of the few domains of Ravenloft to accept demihumans such as elves and dwarves as equal citizens, and one of the few to embrace arcane magic openly. Darkon is often considered decadent by its neighbors, appropriate enough as Azalin encourages his citizens to debase themselves as a means of salving his own ego.

==Things, Creatures & Personnages of Legend==

*[[Azalin Rex]]
*[[Kargat| The Kargat]]
*[[Kargatane]]
*[[Eternal Order]]

==Biology==

===Flora===

===Fauna===

===Native Horrors===

==Geography==

===Weather===

===Terrain===

====Mountains & Hills====
*The [[Mountains of Misery]]
*The [[Forgotten Hills]]

====Forest====

====Lakes====

===Landmarks===
*[[Tempe Falls]]

===Communication===
====Rivers====
*The [[Vuchar River]]
**The [[Tempe River]]
**The

====Roads====
*[[Argenteus Road]]
*[[Tempe Road]]
*[[Strigos Road]] (under construction)

====Mistways====

===Frontiers===
====The [[Shadow Rift]]====

====[[Falkovnia]]====

====[[Lamordia]]====

====[[Sea of Sorrows]]====

====[[Misty Border]]====

====[[Nocturnal Sea]]====

====[[Nova Vaasa]]====

===Population Distrubtion===

====Cities====

====Towns====

====Villages====
*[[Creeana]]
*[[Tidemore]]

==Authority==

===[[Darklord]]===

*[[Azalin Rex]]

===Temporal Ruler===

*[[Azalin Rex]]

===Spiritual Ruler===

===Church and State===

===Government===

===Law===

===Law-Enforcement===

====Extra-Judical====
*[[Kargat]]

===Information Gathering===
*[[Kargat]]
*[[Kargatane]]

===Military Footing===
*Any corpse in the land may rise to fight at the command of [[Azalin Rex]].

===Law-Enforcement===
*Barons
*[[Kargat]]

==Language & Culture==

Darkonese

==Inns & Taverns==

==Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue==



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''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' 
''[[Requiem: The Grim Harvest - Necropolis]]'' 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]''
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''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - pp8-53
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''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp7,17,19-21,24,55 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - pp13,15,16,19,110,116-117 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp33-35 
''[[Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium I]]'' - pp 106-107, 241-242 
''[[Requiem: The Grim Harvest - Necropolis]]'' - pp1-32 
''[[Van Richten's Guide to The Created]]'' - p12,50-51,55 
''[[Van Richten's Guide to Werebeasts]]'' - p5 
''[[The Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens]]'' - pp11-13 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - pp67-68 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - pp8-53 
''[[I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin]]'' - p234, 256
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''[[Secrets of the Dread Realms]]'' - pp8-9 
''[[Ravenloft Third Edition]]'' - inside cover 
''[[Domains of Dread]]'' - pp26-27 
''[[Requiem: The Grim Harvest]]'' - poster map 
''[[The Ravenloft Campaign Setting]]'' - poster map 
''[[Realm of Terror]]'' - poster map 
''[[Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume II]]'' - p12
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[[Category:domain]]