Tristen ApBlanc

Tristen ApBlanc is the darklord of Forlorn, the second domain to join the Demiplane after Barovia. During the day, he is an living vampyre and at night a powerful ghost. He resides at Castle Tristenoira in the northern part of his tiny domain.

Background

Tristen was born to Flora ApBlanc and Rivalin ApTosh several hundreds of years ago. Rivalin became a vampire after a battle, but could not bring himself to abandon his wife even in undeath, and his wife could not bear to turn him away. She allowed him to feed on her while she was pregnant with Tristen, which tainted him in the womb to become a vampire. When the townspeople found out, they killed and beheaded Rivalin and lynched Flora on the tree in the sacred grove, but not before she gave Tristen to a druid named Rual to raise.

Rual knew of Tristen's tainted being and researched ways to spare him from this fate. One day, she caught the 15-year old Tristen drinking the blood of a slain forest animal. In fear, Tristen attempted to murder her at the same tree his mother was lynched at, and in the process drank her blood - but not before she had drank holy water, which turned out to be poison for him. As both laid there, with Rual dying, she cursed him to never leave the sacred grove (that is, no more than 100 feet from the same tree.)

As it turns out, the holy water-infused blood that he drank turned out to affect a cure of sorts for his vampirism, instead turning him into a living vampire, or a vampyre. The curse Rual laid on him, however slayed him that evening and to rise as a ghost -- only to rise as a vampyre again the next morning. This day-and-night cycle would rule his existence for the rest of his days.

Over the years, and through theft and murder, Tristen built himself castle and a noble name on where the grove once stood. He also married Isolt and had three children: Gilan ApBlanc, Morholt ApBlanc, and Brangain ApBlanc. Everyone in Tristen's immediate family met their tragic end and became resident ghosts due to Tristen's evil ways, with the exception of Brangain who escaped through the veil of time and survived, and currently resides somewhere in the Demiplane.

Although Rual's curse had started a chain of events that would link Forfar to the Land of Mists, none of Tristen's transgressions were not quite great enough to bid the Dark Powers to play their full hand. That took years of bloody war and strife as Tristen sought not only to usurp the ApFittle Family's power over Forfar but totally wipe the clan out. unjust execution of the last ApFittle was at last the seminal event that brought the formation of Forlorn after hundreds of years of Tristen's terror.

Current Sketch

Tristen lives by himself in the castle, commanding the goblyns to deforest the domain and, to that end, capturing any remaining druids who survive in his domain. He also seeks the destruction of Rual's ghost. Tristen believes achieving either one of these goals will be enough to end his curse. To the exact degree Tristen recognizes and appreciates his status as a darklord is uncertain. He seems to have some basic awareness of it, as he may try to convince adventurers that Rual is the true lord of Forlorn given the right circumstances.

As intruders to Castle Tristenoira experience its time shifts, so will they encounter the Tristens of different eras. Tristen does not experience the time shifts himself; a Tristen met by adventurers in a given time period is Tristen as he existed in that era. Thus, encounters with Tristen in a later time period are not remembered by those in an earlier time peroid. However, any experiences he encounters may carry over to "later' time periods they encounter him in.

Statistics

• 2nd Edition:

Vampyre/Fourth Magnitude Ghost; 11 HD; Neutral Evil

• 3rd Edition:
  

Vampyre / Fourth Magnitude Ghost, Bard 6 / Fighter 4, Neutral Evil

Data from the Ravenloft Catalogue

		Domains of Dread Castles Forlorn Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I
		Domains of Dread - p66 The Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - p48 Castles Forlorn: Eve of Sorrows - p13 Castles Forlorn: The Weeping Lands - p10 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I - p131
		Domains of Dread - p66 The Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - p47 Castles Forlorn: The Weeping Lands - pp16-23 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I - pp128-133
		Secrets of the Dread Realms - p7 Domains of Dread - p66 Ravenloft Campaign Setting:Domains and Denizens - pp16-17,47-49 Castles Forlorn: The Weeping Lands - throughout Castles Forlorn: Eve of Sorrows - p8 Ravenloft Gazetteer Volume I - pp128-133 I, Strahd, The War Against Azalin - p213
		The Solleyder