candle   candle
   
Dave Wood's
Ravenloft
Campaign


Ravenloft :
The Dread Realms

PLACES | PEOPLE | LANGUAGES | RELIGIONS | MYTHOLOGY

Places

Known to players, the setting for our gothic horror role playing game is known as Ravenloft. Also known as the Realm of Dread, Ravenloft's inhabitants often call their world the "Land of Mists", and for good reason: it is of indeterminate size and shape. It is largely belived among most scholars that Barovia was the first domain in the Land of Mists. Through long tradition, most lands of the Realm of Dread have adopted the Barovian Calendar (BC) to mark the passing of the years. It is currently the year 740 BC. Branching out from Barovia are neighbouring 'nations', like blood vessels to a beating heart. Grouped together, these domains make up what is known as 'the Core'. The Core is a vast, rolling landscape divided by the forboding Balinok mountains.

Scattered legends of the Realms of Dread have filtered into other worlds. These tales often depicts Ravenloft as a living hell, a realm of unremitting horror and misery, a place where heroes go to die. These legends are woefully inaccurate. Ravenloft is filled with natural beauty, both in its vistas and its people. Although its inhabitants are often slow to offer their trust, many folk are kind and gentle. Ravenloft's horrors lurk just out of sight, and with simple caution many folk can live their entire life without ever encountering these supernatural menaces. Of course, heroes who look for trouble soon find it... 1

Below is a chart outlining all the Places the party has encountered so far:
RegionCultural LevelMajor CitiesLanguages
Scardale Medieval The Free City of Danzig Common, Fĉrûnian dialects
Sourange Chivalric Marias D'Tarascon
Port D'Elhour		 Common, French
Har'Akir Bronze Age Muhar Common, Egyptian
Kartakass Medieval Skald
Harmonia 		Common, Vaasi
Müden Medieval Homloch Common, Brecht
Gunduraak Medieval Teufeldorf Common, Balok
Barovia Medieval Krezk Common, Balok
Richemulot Chivalric Saint Ronges Common, French
Mordent Renaissance Mordentshire-by-the-Sea Low Mordentish, High Mordentish
Dementlieu Renaissance Port-a-Lucine Common, French
Falkovnia Medieval Lekar Common, Falkovnian
Graben Island Medieval Graben Village Common
Todstein n/a n/a n/a

up

People

The natives of the Land of Mists are mostly comprised of humans, although they come from many different cultures and backgrounds. Local tales, superstition and old wives tales are rife with referenes to the supernatural, creatures of the Fey, or even more sinister abominations, to scare little children.

Most of Ravenloft's common inhabitants know nothing of other worlds; many even have trouble comprehending outlander's tales of their distant homelands. Lacking outside references, Ravenloft's folk see nothing unusual about the Misty Border or other eerie features of their little world.2

Vistana

Through the lands of the mists, there is one race who stands out among the others: The Vistani gypsies. They are viewed by most as outcasts, witches and worse, however they are seemingly the least affected by any of the hardships of those in Ravenloft. Enegmatic, these nomadic peoples originally came from Barovia, and know much about the history of the Land of Mists. It is said that some even have the power to navigate through the mists themselves!

Fortune Telling
One thing the gypsies are adept at is fortune telling. The form of fortune telling most used by these roaming vagabonds is Cartomacy: fortune telling with cards. The cards that most Vistani tell with is the Tarokka Deck.

Curses
Woe be to anyone who has a disagreement with the Vistana. It is said they have the power to lay powerful curses on those who they dislike!

'Outlanders'

Ravneloft's insular folk have many equivalent terms for 'outlanders', travellers who hail from foreign domains beyond the Misty Border. On rare occassion, these stragglers may even claim to have come from lands beyond the Realm of Dread. Although no one truly knows why, the Mists sometimes draw other folk into Ravenloft as well, be they hapless bystanders or mighty heroes.3
up

Languages

Below is a table of languages the party has encountered throughout their travels.
LanguageSpokenAlphabetRegion Found
Common Trade tounge English Latin Everywhere
Balok Slavic Cyrllic Barovia, Gundaraak
Church Balok Slavic Mix of Cyrllic and Greek Rare texts
Darkonese Mix of racial languages D'ni Darkon
Low Mordentish Common English Latin Mordent
High Mordentish Old English Latin Mordent
Vaasi Musical Common with Elven influence Devanagari Kartakass
Draconic Arcane Cirth Magical Writings
Patterna Vistani Tralaks Vistana
Elven Quenya Tengwar Sithicus
Français French Latin Dementlieu, Richemulot, Sourange
Falkovnian German Gothic Falkovnia
Egyptian Egyptian Heiroglyphics Har'Akir

up

Known Religions

The table below lists the religions the party has encountered so far in their travels. Sometimes there are religions from other worlds, but these are few and far between. These 'pocket religions' are often acused of occultism and witchcraft. Xenophobic and distrustful, the natives are slow to accept anything new, especially belief systems.
NameAlignmentDomainsRegion Found
The Eternal Order Neutral Evil Death, Evil, Knowledge, Repose Darkon
Ezra Lawful Neutral Mists, Destruction, Healing, Law, Protection North & Western Core
Hala Neutral Healing, Magic, Plant Southern Core
The Morninglord Chaotic Good Good, Luck, Protection, Sun Barovia
Osiris Neutral Good Good, Protection, Repose, Water Har'Akir
Ra Lawful Good Air, Good, Law, Sun Har'Akir
Set Lawful Evil Death, Evil, Trickery Har'Akir

up

Mythology

The Mists
Thick fog blankets the melancholy moor of a Gothic tale, confounding travelers and washing away the world. A film of vapor seeps along the headstones of a graveyard, concealing hidden dangers. In Ravenloft, these Mists assume a life of their own. The Ravenloft Mists act as the claws of the Dark Powers. Every child in Ravenloft knows of the Misty Border, the churning walls of Mist that surround and isolate domains and clusters.
The Mists appear as a bogeyman in countless legends. Ravenloft's folk blame nay bad luck on the meddling of the Mists and often refer to the Misty Border as the World's-End Mists or the Mists of Death. The Misty Border is the legendary home of countless unfathomable horrors.4

Ghosts, Goblins and Calibans

The Dark Powers
Not much is known about the dark powers but many speculate...


up



Footnotes:
1. Ravenloft third edition, Andrew Cermak, et al, ISBN: 1588460754 (pp. 12, 19).
2. ibid, (p. 19).
3. ibid, (p. 10).
4. ibid, (pp. 9-10).


up




Webmaster: David Christoper Wood
Last updated: January 22 2005 03:48:11 PM
Copyright © 2001-2002. All rights reserved.
Ravenloft Items
Buy These Ravenloft Related Items

Enhance your gaming experience!


Listen to these tunes while you're gaming!