Creating a Domain

hold the key to righting the Darklord's wrongs. For each character, consider whether they were important to the Darklord and how that relationship changed. Irredeemable. Once the Dark Powers take an evil person, that individual's fate is sealed. Before the final corruption, a person can atone-but only if they take genuine responsibility, heal the harm caused, and reform to prevent future harm. Once an evildoer becomes a Darklord, it is fa r too late. Consider whether your Darklord had a chance to redeem themself and the decision that led to their current fate. D EV E L O P I NG A DARKLORD

Darklords are villains because o f what they choose to do, not because of who they were. As you refine your idea for a Darklord, determine what deeds a Darklord committed, who was harmed, how the Dark Powers encouraged them, and the price the Darklord paid. Describe why they chose to commit these evil acts, including their ideals, flaws, and bonds. Consider these questions when creating your Darklord's backstory: • What was the first depraved act the Darklord chose to commit, and how did their ideal encour• age them down this path? Was the Darklord rewarded or celebrated for their evil? Did that reaction encourage greater crimes? • Were these rewards earned or justified? Did the Darklord repeat or escalate their wicked• ness to obtain something they selfishly desired? Did the future Darklord realize that they were losing any hope of redemption, yet choose to commit • other heinous acts in keeping with their flaw? What evil act was so atrocious that the future

Darklord's friends and family rejected them? Did the Darklord think this was warranted or an un• reasonable judgment? How did they react? When and how did these acts attract the attention of the Dark Powers? • How did the Dark Powers use these acts to craft the perfect prison domain for the Darklord? M O N STROUS TRA N S F O RM ATION

Some Darklords have features that make them similar to familiar monsters. The Darklord might have been a supernatural creature to begin with, or perhaps they gained their form and related powers through their deeds or a curse. Maybe they even gained supernatural abilities via a pact with the Dark Powers or upon arriving in their domain. Consider whether or not your Darklord has a monstrous form. If so, in a few sentences, describe how the Darklord gained this form. You might also roll or choose an option from the Monstrous Transformations table to provide a twist on a Darklord's monstrousness. The Dark Gifts in chapter 1 serve as examples of the sorts of forms and powers a Darklord might possess. In any case, consider how this transformation embodies the Darklord's evil.

M O N ST R O U S TRA N S FO R M AT I O N S dlO Transformation

The D a r k l o rd loses t h e i r voice; t h e i r words now carve t h e m selves on t h e i r s k i n as l i n ge r i n g scars. 2 S o m ethi n g the D a r k l o rd stole or u sed in a ter r i b l e c r i m e b e c o m e s p a rt of t h e i r body-per h a p s a s i z a b l e jewel, e m b l e m of r u l e r s h i p , o r s u i t of a rm o r. 3 T h e D ar k l ord's eyes d iste n d from t h e i r sockets l i ke a s lug's tentacl e s , i n t h e mouths of serpents, or o n metal l ic c a b l e s . 4 T h e D arklord's most p a inful m e mories v i s u a l l y repeat i n reflection s a ro u n d them o r a m i d i l lu s o ry projectio n s . 5 T h e D a r k lord g a i n s an i d e a lized for m , t h o u g h it's made of a n i norgan i c mater i a l o r others react a s if it were terrify i n g. 6 T h e D arklord's body d i s integrates, l eavin g o n l y a n a n i m ate h e a rt, h a n d , gory ooze, o r n e rvous system that m ust attach to new, tem porary b o d i e s . 7 C l o u d s of i ncense, i nsects, poison gas, or s moke leak from t h e D a r k lord's m o u t h , fi n ge r s , o r pores. 8 T h e D a r k l o rd appears as s o m e o n e they wronged, and t h e i r true a p pearance i s reve a l e d at particul a r h o u r s , i n reflectio n s , o r u n d e r certai n lights. 9 T h e D ar k l o rd s p l its i nto m u lt i p l e creatures, each representin g them at a d i fferent time i n their l ife. 1 0 T h e D a r k l o rd retai n s t h e i r m e mories a n d i nt e l l ect b u t i s oth e rwise a ny m o n ster from c h a pter 5 o r the Monster Manual.

B I RTH OF A DARKLORD

Upon t h e completion of t h e Darklord's greatest irredeemable act, the Mists drag them-and perhaps the lands around them-into the Domains of Dread. At this point, you should have an idea of who your Darklord is, what they did, what form their evil takes, and how they came to the attention of the Dark Powers. Flesh out these details, referring back to how the Darklord reflects your players' characters and the section on creating nonplayer characters in the Dungeon Master's Guide as you desire. Now, everything the Darklord knew changes and they find themself a prisoner within a domain of their own.

The guidelines i n this section help you create your own unique Domain of Dread. This setting's details should reflect the Darklord of the domain, being a reflection of that villain's evil and torment. Use the "Genres of Horror" section later in this chapter or your own grim imaginings to inspire the details of your nightmare domain. DARKL O R D ' S S H A D OWS

A Darklord lurks a t t h e heart o f every Domain of Dread. Everything in their realm is inspired by or personalized to them in some way. Some domains might be dismal ruins reflective of past glories, others might be cheery realms where the Darklord is forever an outsider, and still others might embody everything a Darklord once strove for and be awful nonetheless. A Darklord's domain often includes sights, sounds, and smells that serve as constant painful reminders of the Darklord's wicked past. To start creating your domain, choose three of the evil acts your Darklord committed. Consider selecting those that best complement the players' characters and that don't conflict with any boundaries discussed in your group's session zero (see "Preparing for Horror" in chapter 4). For each evil act, imagine the scene where it took place, and then answer the following questions: • What does the act sound like from a distance or to someone in the next room? • • How does the act, or its consequences, smell? What colors demand attention from the surround• • • ings, decor, or aftermath? What shapes, symbols, or decorations stand out? What does the light or darkness hide or reveal? Are there any sudden or subtle movements one's • eyes are drawn to? Who is there? • • How are they breathing? What are they feeling or thinking? Is it about this • scene or something else entirely? Are words spoken? Are they relevant to the scene or unrelated? • Where does this take place? • When the scene is over, what evidence remains? Before this unfortunate scene happens, what warnings were missed or foreshadowed? Once you've considered these questions, write down your answers and review them. Mark or highlight the words that resonate or feel creepily evocative. As you proceed through domain creation, refer back to these details for inspiration. In every domain, instruments of suffering from the Darklord's past ensure their greatest desire remains in view but ever out of reach. Even though a Darklord is effectively immortal, their psychology never changes and their wounds never heal. Consider the following reasons why a Darklord's torment remains unignorable and central to a domain's story: Deathless Returns. Those who die in a domain return reincarnated, fated to repeat a version of their former lives. Endless Cycles. The Darklord shepherds another individual down a path of corruption in hopes of crafting a successor or recreating someone they lost. Despite the Darklord's perceived care and tutelage, the object of their attention never satisfies their expectations. Last Gasp. An impending threat is on the cusp of overwhelming the Darklord and their domain. They can never look away as they are endlessly assaulted by cascading catastrophes, ever stemming from past choices. Obstinate Ignorance. The Darklord is cursed to be unable to learn from past mistakes or perceive their own failings, though they're convinced that this time will be different. Shocking Reminders. The domain is drowning in symbolic reminders of the Darklord's inadequacies. When symbolism is too subtle, the literal specters from the Darklord's past return to haunt them. Unpleasant Hope. The Darklord's desire-commonly their bond-is present and obvious, but still unattainable. This instills hope in the Darklord that they are unable to deny, resist, or ignore. Furthermore, they are overcome by their desire's presence, spurring them to act irrationally. D OM A I N OVERVIEW

The domain's buildings, natural elements, and landmarks all represent the Darklord's vile past. When developing these features, follow these steps: Specify Locations. Choose locations similar to settings that appear in your Darklord's past, or take inspiration from the Settings tables in the "Genres of Horror" section later in this chapter. Combine Locations and Visceral Details. In a few sentences, describe how the domain's most prominent locations are twisted with suggestions that arose from answering the questions in the " Darklord's Shadows" section. Pair opposites together, something creepy with something cute, dead with alive, threatening with welcoming. M i x details together in unexpected ways, the more unnatural or off-putting the better.

Rationalize and Normalize. Outline the justifications inhabitants use to pretend nothing is wrong. What could reasonably explain their surreal experiences? They claim rivers of blood are crimson due to natural clay deposits, the devilish lights in the swamp are nothing but swamp gas, and the current reclusive count is the descendant of the region's original reclusive count. Many of the domain's inhabitants are l ikely creations of the Dark Powers and the domain is the only reality they know, but what logical and psychological leaps might an outsider need to make to sleep at night? C U LTURAL S PE C I F I C S

As you develop your domain, consider the culture and how it emerges from this tragic setting. What might be most unsettling for the Darklord: i f the culture is one with familiar strictures, one they opposed or were an outsider in, or something completely unknown or alien to them? While a domain's culture might take inspirations from fantastical or historical examples, remember that a domain isn't a functional or even logical construction. Domains are glimpses into the Darklord's static and often exaggerated or flawed perception of a time, place, or situation. A domain's inhabitants never develop, and they never reach their goals. A domain's oppressive inquisition is no closer to rooting out evil today than it was a thousand years ago. This isn't remarkable; it merely is as it has always been, and forces within a domain contort to maintain this status quo. For inspiration into your domain's culture, consider the following questions: • What does the culture fear? • What does the culture consider taboo? • What is scarce, and how do inhabitants compen• • sate for this scarcity? Who or what does the culture inflict harm How does the culture treat outsiders? upon? • What values does the culture hold that not every• one abides by? How is the culture exaggerated, a parody, or otherwise unrealistic? • • How does the culture prevent change? What is the general attitude toward the Darklord? Don't get bogged down with the particulars of a working society. It doesn't matter how a village in a domain of endless night grows crops, but it does matter that the supplies are about to run out. These details can fade into the background as your adventures focus on more exciting threats, or you can highlight the cosmic dread that declares, yes, this place doesn't make sense at all, yet it persists.