The Cult of Ezra

Some Barovians are neither wholly satisfied with the faith of the Sorted/Morninglord nor depraved enough to seek the blessings of Mother Night 1. In their eyes, the Sorted/Morninglord is a powerless or craven deity, unable to save his own worshippers or even raise a single sunrise, while Mother Night 1 is a cruel and savage being, too dangerous to acknowledge or worship.

These Barovians walk a middle path, and instead worship Ezra, the Mistwalker: the god of the Mists, or—as some suggest—the embodiment of the Mists themselves. (See Ezra, God of the Mists, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft at p. 64, for more information.)

In Barovia, the followers of Ezra preach that power is an illusion, and suffering life’s only constant. Many believe that tales of the sun are myths, and that Barovia has neither past nor future: only an unceasing present that must be forever endured.

As an aspect of the Seeker, Madam Eva is bound to follow the rules of her divinity. She cannot refuse to read another’s fortune, nor can she share her foretellings with any but those who hear them. Many individuals, both savory and not, have therefore called upon her to see their futures—including, at times, Strahd von Zarovich himself.

Given Madam Eva’s exceptionally long lifespan—far longer than any ordinary human—Strahd strongly suspects that she is more than she appears. However, thus far, Madam Eva has been content to give him the foretellings he seeks—and he, in response, has been content to accept her sly smiles and denials.

However, Madam Eva foresees that Strahd will soon return to her for a final, terrible time—and that the reading she will deliver shall define the fate of all Barovia.

Though she preaches devil-worship to her cult, Lady Fiona Wachter of Vallaki is a quiet worshipper of Ezra. Many turn to Ezra for comfort in times of tragedy, finding it easier to believe that hope is an illusion than to believe that it may be attained and then lost.

Few, however, suspect the horrible truth: that “Ezra” does not, and has never existed—and that her soothing voice is merely a simulacrum conjured by the twisted whispers of the Dark Powers themselves.

Metaphysics & Magic

The land of Barovia is a "demiplane"—a small, self-contained plane of existence. It is one of many Domains of Dread, which together occupy a small corner of the Shadowfell.

Like all of the Domains of Dread, Barovia is entrapped by the mists of Ravenloft, as described in Mists of Ravenloft (p. 23), and ruled by the mysterious Dark Powers. The Dark Powers are nameless, shapeless entities that serve as the jailers of the "Darklords" of the Domains: evil individuals who have committed unspeakable crimes. Strahd von Zarovich is one such Darklord.

Precious few—including only archmages, scholars, and (at times) the Darklords themselves—know that the Dark Powers exist. Fewer still know of their true nature and origins. While the Dark Powers were born from the miasma of evil that dwells within the Amber Temple of Barovia, they are not themselves the vestiges—the non-sapient fragments of dead, malevolent gods—that are sealed within the sarcophagi of the temple. (For more information about the vestiges of the Amber Temple, see The Amber Temple (p. 181).)

The Dark Powers do not necessarily seek to corrupt those they encounter. Instead, for certain individuals, they seek to offer a choice between darkness and light—and to punish and ensnare those who fall to their temptations. In this adventure, two such individuals are Strahd von Zarovich and Ireena Kolyana.

As described in Mists of Ravenloft and Sunlight in Barovia (p. 23-24), the land of Barovia is surrounded by a deadly fog that engulfs any creature that tries to leave, and has not known the light of the sun in centuries.

Spells cast in Barovia function as described in Alterations to Magic and Resurrection Madness, and may be cosmetically modified in gruesome ways as described in Cosmetic Spell Modifications (p. 24). While deities and patrons can still empower clerics and warlocks who make their way to Barovia, their ability to intervene directly—given the limited omnipotence of the Dark Powers within the Domains of Dread—is sorely limited.

What Dark Powers Want

Every villain has a goal. The Dark Powers, I figure, shouldn't be any different. Initially, I made them try to corrupt players "just because." But that honestly made for really poor planning and role-play. Here's something a bit more concrete.

Collecting Souls

Prep Work

PC Interaction

Now that we've established what the Dark Powers actually want, how do we translate that into gameplay? How do we determine how and when a Dark Power will approach a PC to become their champion? We certainly can't just have an oogy-boogy devil come out of the shadows and say, "Join the Dark Side!" Almost every player in their right role-playing mind would refuse.

Instead, we have to make things much more subtle. The Dark Powers are tempting, not forceful. And as DMs role-playing these evil gods, we have to act accordingly. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!

Beast Mode

On Strahd

For what it's worth, this is the process I imagined happened to Strahd when he first came to the valley of Barovia. He would have met Vampyr completely accidentally during one of his initial visits to the Amber Temple. As proud as he was, even then, Strahd would have never seen Vampyr's subtle connection as a threat.

Vampyr would have fostered a connection with Strahd, feeding him the power to destroy his enemies and settle the valley in the name of his parents. And that power would have been hopelessly addictive, especially since it allowed Strahd to save the lives of his men by doing more of the fighting himself.

When Tatyana came along, Vampyr was the one whispering in Strahd's ear, telling Strahd he was too old for her. Vampyr fed Strahd's insecurities, making Strahd more volatile and pushing Tatyana even farther away. I imagine that it might even have been Vampyr himself who somehow guided Sergei to Barovia, knowing it would make Strahd desperate for more power.

And it worked. Strahd finally gave himself completely to Vampyr in order to forsake his own death and earn Tatyana's love. However, Vampyr consistantly keeps Tatyana away from Strahd so that Strahd will keep needing him. Thus creates the endless cycle of misery and power that truly makes up Strahd's curse.

Breaking a Connection with a Dark Power

In most cases, your players will realize that something is up with the gods whispering to them, especially if they reach Stage 3. They'll want to disconnect from the Dark Power.

That's it folks! Those are my notes on running Dark Powers in game. While this is quite detailed, don't fret about it too much. It's unlikely that most players will go very far with a Dark Power, especially once they sense something is up. I'm currently in the last stretch of my game and I've got one Stage 4 player, one Stage 2 player, and one that didn't go past Stage 0. So, while this looks long and complicated, it's more there for the sake of being prepared.

Both everywhere and nowhere, the Dark Powers are not quite a proper faction—their goals are inscrutable, their true agenda concealed. As the nameless jailers of Strahd von Zarovich, they seek only to ensure that his prison remains in place, and his suffering continues.

As part of Strahd’s punishment, however, the Dark Powers quietly work to keep the soul of Tatyana Federovna—now reincarnated as Ireena Kolyana—out of the vampire’s reach.

For all their might, it is against the nature of the Dark Powers to act directly upon the souls within their domains: they can neither destroy her, nor command her spirit. However, as they once did with Strahd, the Dark Powers can always offer a choice—in Ireena’s case, a choice to end her existence, to flee from Strahd’s pursuit, and to find the safety of temporary oblivion. Nearly five hundred years ago, Tatyana Federovna accepted this offer, and leapt from the Pillarstone of Ravenloft to her doom. Two centuries later, Marina Ulrich did the same, and let slip to her father the secret of Strahd’s pursuit.

Time and time again, the women bearing Tatyana’s soul have been offered this choice and, bereft of other options, made the decision to accept it. It is not yet Ireena’s time—but the Dark Powers are patient, and they know that, alone, she will inevitably fall once more into their grasp.

Powered by Forestry.md