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Perhaps the Labyrinth of Har’Akir runs beneath all the tombs and pyramids of Nuria and the northern deserts of the Southlands? An ancient doorway in the catacombs beneath the Necropolis of Siwal – or a hidden passage in the Tomb of Tiberesh outside Per-Bastet – could lead to the trap-laden corridors of the Labyrinth, bringing the characters to Ravenloft without their knowledge. The Egyptian-themed dark fantasy domain of Har’Akir is a great fit for Chapter 4 of Empire of the Ghouls, Catacombs of the Ghul King, and with the upcoming Southlands Worldbook. The Hazlan Wild Magic table can also be used to supplement the effects of cursed ley lines and arcane weather described on p. If you’re running a campaign set in western Midgard and don’t want to send your players to Ravenloft, you can easily add the towns and disaster sites of Hazlan, such as the Brew and the Fleshless Forest, to the Wasted West, and use many of the adventure ideas on p. Rather than eyelike golden tattoos, his body is instead covered with dozens of real eyes, some staring, some blinking, which he conceals under his voluminous gold robes. Hazlik’s exposure to the warped ley lines of the Wasted West has changed him and corrupted his new domain, afflicting it with magical disasters similar to those that ravaged the magocracies. The Ninemage Council’s subsequent condemnation of Hazlik and his arrival through the Mists to Ravenloft followed soon after.
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This triggered Hazlik’s capture of Indreficus and the horrific transformation of his rival into a living portal, as described in the Darklord’s backstory in Van Richten’s Guide. Hazlik believed Exarch Vermes was on the verge of appointing Indreifcus to the empty seat on the council held for Allain’s fallen ally Vael Torog. Hazlik and his rival Indreficus fought in the Great Mage Wars, and were involved both in summoning one of the Dread Walkers and also taking part in the ritual to slow time and put the monstrosities into the Great Slumber. Exarch Vermes II took control of the Ninemage Council and laid the ground for the magocracy’s recovery from the wars. As the Great Mage Wars drew to an end, only Allain survived more or less intact. We can change the origins of Hazlik, Hazlan’s Darklord, from Red Wizard of Thay to Midgard, by making him an archmage from Bemmea in the Magocracy of Allain. These nations stopped at nothing to win victory in the Great Mage Wars and gain control of the ley lines, even going as far as opening portals to the void to summon huge alien monstrosities, the Dread Walkers, to destroy their rivals. The magic-ravaged domain of Hazlan has much in common with Midgard’s Wasted West, the twisted lands battled over by nine ancient magocracies around five hundred years ago. But instead of creating new domains, you can adapt some of the Domains of Ravenloft presented in Chapter 3 of Van Richten’s Guide to Midgard. In Part 2 of this series, I offered some new Midgard Darklords and their domains for DMs wanting to add a Ravenloft side trek to the characters’ trips along the shadow roads in Chapters 2 & 4 of Empire of the Ghouls. Read Part 1: Character Options and Part 2: Darklords and Domains
#ICON OF RAVENLOFT SERIES#
This is the third in a series of blog posts offering ideas on how a DM running Empire of the Ghouls (or another Midgard campaign) can steal things from Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft to enhance their game by adding an extra touch of horror.