THE BOOK OF SHADOWS A Netbook for the Ravenloft and Gothic Earth Settings Edited by the Kargatane: Joe Bardales ! Andrew Cermak ! Andrew Hackard John W. Mangrum ! Stuart Turner! Andrew Wyatt Articles Contributed by: Christopher Adams ! Daniel Bandera ! Eldred Black ! Timothy S. Brannan ! Andrew Cermak ! James “The Madman” Dalton ! Eric Daniel ! Luis Fernando De Pippo ! Dion Fernandez ! Robert A. Gombach ! Friedrich Gothe ! Mark “Mortavius” Graydon ! Andrew Hackard ! Jaleigh Johnson ! Stefan MAC ! John W. Mangrum ! Ari & George Marmell ! Michael Massey ! Hugo Viegas Nascimento ! Ryan Naylor ! Luiz Eduardo Neves Peret ! Dustin “Grigg Deadbreaker” Rathbun ! Wes Schneider ! Andy “Socko” Snow ! Mike S.W. ! Stuart Turner ! Andrew Wyatt Notes from the Kargatane: All submissions have been edited to use Americanized spelling. This was done simply to give THE BOOK OF SHADOWS a more coherent appearance, and should not be meant as a slight against our Anglicized authors. THE BOOK OF SHADOWS Release Date: October 31, 2000 (taking the gremlins into account). Legal Notice: AD&D, DUNGEONS &DRAGONS, D&D, DUNGEON MASTER, RAVENLOFT, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, and DARK SUN are registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This book does not represent a challenge to any Wizards-held trademarks. Wizards of the Coast is not officially affiliated with the content of this book in any way. All articles are copyright 2000 by their respective creators unless otherwise noted. This netbook may be reproduced for personal use, but may not be used to generate revenue. Visit the Secrets of the Kargatane at http://www.kargatane.com, the Official Home of Ravenloft on the Net! 1 THE BOOK OF SECRETS RAVENLOFT Preface 004. Places Tsuu-Y-Teke 096. Introduction 005. By Luiz Eduardo Neves Peret Vultharesk 104. Running Ravenloft By Ari Marmell with George Marmell Even More Fun & Games 013. Mictlan 110. By Andrew Hackard By Ryan Naylor Terrible Transformations 017. By the Kargatane and the Ravenloft-L List Things ! Fear and Loathing in Third Edition 029. New Monsters for Nosos 117. By John W. Mangrum By Luis Fernando De Pippo Owlmay 120. People By Hugo Viegas Nascimento The Tale of the Lady of the Lake 040. ! Children of the Nightless Land 123. By Ryan Naylor By Andrew Wyatt Father Guran 046 Skeleton, Hive 134. By Christopher Adams By Dustin “Grigg Deadbreaker” Rathbun Eduard Duvoir 049. ! Under the Hands of Hags 136. By Stefan MAC By Wes Schneider ! Dr. Henry Wollcote 052. Wereglutton 140. By Friedrich Gothe By Michael Massey Umbran, the Shadow Lich 055. ! Patchwork Folk 142. By Eric Daniel By Andrew Wyatt ! Sir William Canifax 058. Elemental Corruption 144. By Andrew Cermak By Mark “Mortavius” Graydon The Interpretation of Dreams 063. Spitting Cobra 152. By Friedrich Gothe By Robert A. Gombach The Red Wolf 074. Infestation 154. By Andy “Socko” Snow By Wes Schneider The Society of Huntsmen 078. Witch Ritual Tools 158. By Dustin “Grigg Deadbreaker” Rathbun By Timothy S. Brannan The Order of Twilight 084. The Mask of Sorrowful Beauty 161. By James “The Madman” Dalton By Luiz Eduardo Neves Peret ! The New Guys in Vallaki 092. By Andrew Wyatt & Andrew Cermak Player Character Rules ! The Vocalist 165. By Wes Schneider Interlude 167. Articles marked with ! utilize DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, Third Edition rules. For in and out, above, about, below, ‘Tis nothing but a Magic Shadow-show, Play’d in a Box whose Candle is the Sun, Round which we Phantom Figures come and go. —Edward Fitzgerald “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám” (1859). 2 THE BOOK OF SECRETS MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH Bogotá 207. Running Gothic Earth By Daniel Bandera Shadows of Blue and Gray 176. Manila 209. By Jaleigh Johnson By Dion Fernandez Rapa Nui 211. People By Hugo Viegas Nascimento Danylo Denisovich Známia 183. By Daniel Bandera Things Sir Andrew Sinclair 185. H.M.S. Erebus 216. By Luis De Pippo By Luiz Eduardo Neves Peret Dame Alice Kyteler 189. Wang-Chi 220. By Hugo Viegas Nascimento By Luiz Eduardo Neves Peret The Katipunan 195. By Dion Fernandez Player Character Rules The Loçolico 198. Mortician 225. By Andrew Wyatt By Eldred Black Places Conclusion 227. Caracas 203. By Daniel Bandera The Lights (Credits) 228. Minnesota 205. By Mike S.W. Old age & youth, manhood & infancy, Mixed in one mighty torrent did appear, Some flying from the thing they feared & some Seeking the object of another’s fear, And others as with steps towards the tomb Pored on the trodden worms that crawled beneath, And others mournfully within the gloom Of their own shadow walked, and called it death . And some fled from it as it were a ghost, Half fainting in the affliction of vain breath. —Percy Bysshe Shelley “The Triumph of Life” (1824) 3 BOOK OF SECRETS: PREFACE “And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted—nevermore!” —E. A. Poe, “The Raven” A shadow is a stab of darkness in the heart of the light. It is the eternal affirmation of night’s dominance over the day. The brighter the radiance becomes, the murkier the shadow. And when that light fades, the shadows come out to take over, their sharp edges blurring into mist. Shadows can be your friends. A renegade soldier, pursued by Drakov’s Talons, takes refuge in a stand of trees. A small child hides in a closet, as alcohol turns his father into a monster. The cool shade of a boulder greets a lost traveler in the desert, and a few precious drops of water cling to the dark side of the stone. Shadows can be your enemies. A frightened woman hurries home through the twilight, her pursuer’s unseen footsteps echoing from the dark alley where he parallels her path. A vampire billows from his hiding place, awaiting the end of sunlight. A party of pious priests walks though the Svalich woods, oblivious to the wolves which lie in wait beneath the trees ahead of them. In the end, however, shadows simply are. Whether refuge or ambush, shadows hide the dark from the light. You have reached into the shadows and brought forth wisdom and learning. You have reached into the shadows and brought forth terror and evil. And, as day fades, and the fire burns down to embers, the shadows are reaching for you as well. Welcome to the night, weary traveler. Andrew Hackard Kargatane October 31, 2000 4 BOOK OF SECRETS: INTRODUCTION October 31st, 754. NIDALA. hadows flickered against the roughhewn priestesses nodded back to the guards, then quickly stones of the chamber, dancing in time to the stepped to either side of the door to admit the third in S sputtering torches on the walls. Ponderous their party. arches supported the low ceiling, This third member strode into the room, a knight motionlessly crushing the life from the room. The clad in brightly polished full plate. Reflected torches prisoner waiting in this chamber might have felt those glittered on the armor like stars, but their light could not walls pressing the very breath from his lungs, had he match the glory of the golden sunburst emblazoned on any concern for breath. the knight’s breastplate. No prisoner’s journey to this chamber had ever Unlike the guards, the knight wore no helm. Her been kind, and this prisoner’s journey had been less raven hair framed a face that was surely beautiful and kind than most. The prisoner’s teeth were cracked, his vital, but worn by a life of endless struggle. Her eyes ribs broken. One cheekbone was smashed, causing the still reflected the countless horrors they had faced. eye above to bulge strangely. But none of this The knight gripped the hilt of the bastard sword at concerned the prisoner. He was as content as he had her hip, while her free hand swept across the scene. ever been. He had traveled far to reach this chamber. Without hesitation, the ring of guards parted before her, He was the first of his kind to complete the journey. and the knight stepped closer to the prisoner. She glared The prisoner knelt in the center of the chamber, down at him, making no attempt to hide her disgust. anchored to the floor by the collar of thick chains The prisoner peered up at the knight with his black, hanging from his neck, and by the heavy manacles lifeless eyes and grinned, his battered and lipless jaws binding his hands and feet. full of broken fangs. A long, pointed tongue slipped Beyond the curtain of chains another ring from the prisoner’s maw and idly licked the leathery surrounded the prisoner—a ring of men and women gray flesh stretched tightly across his smashed cheek. with broad shoulders and leathery hands. Each guard “I am told,” began the knight, “that you have held a heavy battleaxe and wore well-tended scale mail. requested an audience with me.” Her voice filled the Ornate helmets hid the guards’ faces, but the torchlight room, and even the prisoner could not help but flinch danced on the scowling eyes peering out from their from its quiet strength. dark visors. “You are the knight?” hissed the ghoulish prisoner. The guards stood silent, glaring down at the “You are the paladin?” prisoner. Beyond the ring of guards stood instruments The knight nodded. of pain. Beyond these machines, with their blades and “You are Elena Faith-hold, yess? You are the lasst straps, a series of small doors lined three walls of the knight of the Ssircle?” room. The doors were almost lost in the shadows, but a “I am,” replied the knight, her voice cold and cruel.