I've been having thoughts about a Carcosa-based cluster for Ravenloft. I've already got a rough map done:
Queen Mora, Lady-in-iron, Slayer of Old Ones
Lawful Evil Blue woman Fighter 12
Darklord of (the realm with crater lake)
Appearance: Mora is middle-aged, attractive but with stern demeanor. She keeps her hair cropped short and has a scar that runs along the right side of her jaw. She usually wears her armor or simple robes; if she is somehow glimpsed nude there will be many more scars, wounds, and acid burns visible.
Background: On Carcosa, Lawful people oppose the Old Ones. For some, this is a reactive position, fighting those Old Ones they happen upon; for others, it is a proactive position involving hunting down Old Ones and spawn. Some advocate that even that isn't enough, that all sorcerers must also be hunted. And a small and unsuccessful fringe advocates awakening the Old Ones to kill them, for is it not better to strike on Man's terms than wait until the stars are right? For the current generation to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their descendants? the Mora was the leader of a small cell of like-minded Lawful hunters who fooled a coven of sorcerers into summoning forth The Haunter of The Moon's Dark, a massive horror who would have not awakened for another millennia. Mora and her followers killed the sorcerers then engaged in a running battle with the eldritch thing using their arsenal of alien technology. The day-long battle ended with the Old One dead, the land irradiated, and possibly thousands dead. Mora lay sprawled on the ground, questioning whether it was all worth it. She decided it was, and that she would do it again if she had the chance. The smoke around her seemed to thicken into a fog . . .
Curse: Mora and all the domain natives are sterile. She rules over a dying stretch of land without a future. She still questions herself but always resolves that she was in the right. Her curse will be broken if she admits she was in the wrong and the evil she did outweighs the good.
Special Powers: When Mora wishes to close the borders, a disorienting, jale-colored fog suddenly appears. The fog disorients those fleeing, forcing them back into the domain. She is also immune to aging but has not realize this yet.
Stats: S 10, D 11, C 15, I 12, W 10, Ch 16
HD 9+9, MV 9, AC 2 (battle armor), Atks: 1 astatine-pulse pistol (300', 1d8 or 2d8 vs Green Men), 1 radio-beam rifle (1000' line, 2d8), 1 infrared-beam bazooka (3000' cone, 3d8), and/or 1 two-handed sword (1d10), AL LE
Equipment: Mora has a unique suit of Battle Armor
- provides AC 2
- Back-mounted infrared-ray bazooka (3000' cone, 3d8 damage) which can swing down over her left shoulder, 25 charges
- An integrated radio-beam rifle on her right arm (1000' line, 2d8 damage), 50 charges
- An integrated astatine-pulse pistol on her left arm (300' range, 1d8 damage or 2d8 damage against Green Men)
She also carries two power cells for each weapon in the armor's thigh storage and a two-handed sword strapped to her back.
Prince K'nath
Neutral Evil White man ex-Sorcerer (Fighter) 7
Darklord of (tiny swamp)
Appearance: K'nath is a White male in his mid-20s. His hair is unruly and he has a wild beard. His eyes are bloodshot and he has dark circles under his eyes. His robes were high quality but are stained, frayed, and damaged. He fluctuates between extremely chatty and almost non-verbal.
Background: Finally, Prince K'nath and his younger sister/apprentice Princess K'nara would have their revenge on "King" Valtan. K'nath would summon the Amphibious Ones using a horrific rite to summon an army. But the most sublime, most ironic, most delicious part of the whole affair was that Valtan's own daughter would be the sacrifice. K'nath would be sure to let Valtan know every pain his daughter suffered in excruciating detail. But disaster struck. A mixed band of adventurers took the would-be victim. K'nath was panicking: He could not stop their escape but Valtan's fury would be inescapable and implacable. Then he realized that K'nara was also a White girl, long-haired, eleven years old, and a virgin. She pleaded with him; he tried arguing then used his strength instead. She was dead a few hours later and he had an army of 100 Amphibious Ones. After a moment composing himself, he left her body on the crude altar, leading his army forth through the thick fog to claim his kingship.
Curse: Although his domain is small, K'nath has totally lost all sense of direction and all his magic powers. He thus endlessly wanders the swamp, looping on his own path and getting stranded in patch of fog. His curse will be broken if he gives up on his quest for the crown and/or properly buries K'nara.
Special Powers: All Amphibious Ones in the domain obey K'nath without question, though only up 100 will accompany him at any given time. He is immune to aging and automatically resurrects within 1-6 hours at a random point in the domain with no memory of the past 24 hours and all his possessions intact. If he ever wished to close the borders, the domain would be surround by impenetrable and impassable fog.
Stats: S 9, D 11, C 12, I 16, W 8, Ch 11
HD 7, MV 12, AC 9, Atks: 1 gamma radiation-pulse pistol (300',
2d8) and/or 1 longsword (1d8), AL NE
Equipment: K'nath carries a gamma radiation-pulse pistol, a gold signet ring depicting Cthulhu (worth 100-200 gp), two power cells, and a longsword.
Z'lgutheb
Lawful Evil Unique Spawn of Shub-Niggurath
Darklord of (sea/island domain)
Appearance: Z'lgutheb is a crustacean the size of a small hut with a crab-shaped, smooth purple hide, a beak, six dolm-colored eyes, and two thick, stumpy legs. Everywhere it steps it leaves puddles of purple slime. It usually behaves overly friendly the first time it encounters people, but tries to browbeat people into worshiping it, finally shifting to murderous rage
Background: On Carcosa, Law is merely the state of opposing the Old Ones. Some oppose the Old Ones because they wish to usurp their privileged status. Z'lgutheb lived on an island. Its six eyes saw the obeisance and worship men gave to its Old One brethren. It grew envious. It slew its brethren. It waited for the men to worship it with songs and offerings as they had done for its brethren. But instead they turned to other gods Z'lgutheb did not know. Furious, he rampaged, killing all the fledgling cults. The mists engulfed it and he found itself on a much smaller, unfamiliar island.
Curse: Z'lgutheb wants to be worshiped "properly" by intelligent creatures but its Big Island is populated by semi-intelligent apes who can't speak. It knows that there are men on the islands of its domain (fires are sometimes visible on other islands and it has seen boats) but they avoid the Big Island due to superstition. Z'lgutheb cannot swim so it cannot reach them. Some shipwrecked sailors and ambitious adventurers have washed ashore but every time their impertinence drove Z'lgutheb to devour them. If it were to finally give its quest for worship (which turn it Neutral on the Law-Chaos axis), its curse would be lifted.
Special Powers: Z'lgutheb cannot be harmed by common weapons, only magic and alien weapons. The mere touch of its body causes living beings to dissolve into purple slime unless a save vs death is made. If it dies and the curse has not been lifted, it will regrow with 2d12 hours from a pool of purple slime somewhere on the isle. If it wishes to close the borders (or is trying to prevent escape from the Big Island), sudden storms break out all throughout the domain.
Stats: HD 7, MV 3, AC 6 (hit only by magic or alien weapons), Atks: 1 bite (1d8 + save vs death or turn into purple slime) or 1 touch (save vs death or turn into purple slime), SZ L (7' tall and 8' broad), AL NE
Equipment: None
Tekeli
Chaotic Evil Bone woman ex-Sorcerer (Fighter) 3
Darklord of (plains domain)
Appearance: Because of her transparent flesh and hair, her only noticeable feature is her skeleton. She is almost always clad in her chrome reflective armor and hauling a backpack. She will always approach strangers with questions about Bone men sightings then quiet down if they do not have news. She smells of stale sweat.
Background: The Red men had finally gone to war. Only Tekeli and a dozen other Bone men had survived the attack. Only two among the group knew the ritual that could wreak vengeance: Tekeli and her lover, Xand. The rampage of the Red men made it impossible for them to retrieve the necessary dozen Bone man sacrifices from elsewhere. Xand and Tekeli acted swiftly and stealthily, disabling their fellows and dragging them to the circle of standing stones. Tekeli volunteered herself to be the 12th victim, pledging loyalty to Xand. The couple set to work of killing the eleven slowly and painfully as the rite required. Tekeli and Xand embraced one last time. Xand did not even have time to realize that he had been stabbed with a poisoned dagger before he collapsed, dead. The rite was not complete: Xand had not died within the circle, nor had his death been painful and slow. Fighting back tears, Tekeli marched off to find a 12th sacrifice, heedless the suddenly materializing fog.
Curse: Tekeli wanders the length and breadth of her domain looking for another Bone man to capture and sacrifice. She is so obsessed with her quest that she doesn't even notice how peaceful her domain is. The only way for her to lift her curse is to abandon her pursuit or to ritually kill herself or another Bone man to complete the ritual.
Special Powers: Tekeli will revive in 1-6 days after death with all her possessions intact unless she was killed as part of the ritual. If she wishes to close the domain's borders then impassable, regenerating, 100' walls of bone spring up around the borders. The walls actively attack, doing 2d10 damage per round to those climbing them.
Stats: S 16, D 12, C 15, I 13, W 10, Ch 6
HD 3+3, MV 12, AC 8 (reflective armor and small shield), Atks: 1 hand axe
(1d6+1) or 1 shortbow (150', 1d6), AL CE
Equipment: Backpack (food, rope, diary, miscellany), belt pouch (14 gp, 35 sp), hand axe, small shield, shortbow, 20 arrows, reflective armor (nullifies all damage from dolm laser, gamma radiation, green laser, jale laser, lanthanum, orange laser, radio, red laser, rhenium, scandium, sulfur, titanium, thorium, ulfire laser, violet laser, and white laser weapons).
