Lamordia

Bite of the Darklord. After gaining a measure of the party's confidence or singling out a character as a useful favorite, Harkon Lukas asks his eccentric signature question: "May I bite you?" He does this while removing his wolf tooth necklace and offering to place it around a character's neck. By doing so, he marks the character as his protege. If the character refuses, Harkon respects their decision but hopes they will reconsider. If the character accepts, the Darklord gives them Harkon's Bite (see the description below). Harkon acknowledges that the necklace carries minor magic to bless the wearer's performances. However, he doesn't mention that it also curses the wearer with lycanthropy. The Darklord can create one new necklace every week.

The Darklord's Pack. Harkon curses proteges with lycanthropy to force them into a circle of confidence. During the first full moon after a character receives Harkon's Bite, the Darklord lingers nearby to "discover" their transformation. He promises to keep this secret and reveals his own lycanthropy. The Darklord then uses this shared secret to gain leverage over the character and pushes them to embrace the curse. Harkon is initially patient with those who refuse his aid but manufactures perils that push the character to rely on him.

The Darklord's Betrayal. Inevitably, the Darklord grows tired of his proteges. Harkon begins treating them as minions or expendables to be used in his schemes. Those who resist find their reputations destroyed, their secrets revealed, and wolves dogging their steps. The only recourse is to flee Kartakass, upstage the Darklord, or somehow reveal Harkon Lukas as a monster. HARKON'S BITE

Wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement) A dire wolf tooth dangles from this simple cord necklace. While you wear it, the necklace grants you a + 1 bonus to ability checks and saving throws.

Curse. Attuning to Harkon's Bite curses you until either Harkon Lukas removes the necklace from you or you are targeted by a remove curse spell or similar magic. As long as you remain cursed, you cannot remove the necklace. Upon donning or removing the necklace, whether you are attuned to it or not, you are afflicted with werewolf lycanthropy as detailed in the Monster Manual. The curse lasts until the dawn after the next full moon. If you are still wearing the necklace at this time, you are afflicted with the lycanthropy again.

Domain of Snow and Stitched Flesh Darklord: Viktra Mordenheim Genres: Body horror and gothic horror Hallmarks: Amoral science, bizarre constructs, frigid wilderness, mutagenic radiation Mist Talismans: Animate fi nger, glowing minerals, preserved limb Life is cheap in Lamordia. As far as the land's esteemed scholars are concerned, the spark that animates flesh is merely the result of chemical accidents and the proper formulas. Golems, homunculi, and other constructed beings groan to life to support a populace desperate to survive in this frigid realm. Frozen bogs and glacial expanses surround Lamordia's smog- and machinery-filled cities. Unpredictable blizzards plague the long winters, and the chill summers last only a few weeks. Those who brave the wilds must contend with starving predators, from wolf packs and giant owls to isolated Humanoid clans struggling to subsist outside the domain's iron-walled cities. The cruel environment and populace threatened by starvation make Lamordia a crucible of desperate innovations. Claiming to work for the greater good, innovators and scholars push beyond the limits of morality. Their scalpels turn scientific pursuits into butchery, as their experiments reach beyond what is necessary for health to grasp after the secrets of existence. Flesh is Lamordia's most abundant natural resource, exploited for both desperate purposes and vain ambitions. And no ambitions have led to greater evils than the work of the domain's Darklord, Dr. Viktra Mordenheim. NOTEWORT H Y F E ATURES

Those familiar with Lamordia know these facts: • Lamordia is a frigid land of barren mountains, frozen swamps, and icy seas. Its ruler, Baron von Aubrecker, hasn't left his estate for years, though he issues proclamations and sends agents to collect taxes. • Steam power driven by boiling sewers fuels clockwork inventions and massive cranes in the city of Ludendorf. The necessity of such innovations in fending off starvation and the frigid environment encourages the scientists at Ludendorf University • to push the boundaries of science and morality. The reclusive genius Dr. Viktra Mordenheim cre• ated or inspired Ludendorf's greatest i nnovations. Few voluntarily trek into Lamordia's wilderness, fearing freak blizzards, starving beasts, and creatures warped by strange radiation.

L A M O R D I A N C H A R ACTE R S C h a racters from L a m o r d i a are typic a l l y d i rect, skeptical of s u perstitio n , a n d i n u red to cold. H um a n s a n d g n o m e s a re the d o m a i n 's p r i m a r y res i d e n t s , w i t h white h a i r and s k i n , often t i n ged blue o r gray, being com m o n . G e r m a n conve n t i o n s i n s pire m a n y n ames i n t h e reg i o n . W h e n p l ayers create c h aracters fro m L a m o rd i a , con s i d e r a s k i n g t h e m t h e fol lowin g q uestion s .

Where and how were you raised i n Lamordia? Were you a w h al e r, c l e r k , o r factory owner in L u d e n dorf? Were you a m in e r, h unter, or prospector in N eufurchte n b u rg? O r if you lived o u t s i d e these com m u n ities' w a l l s , how did you r fa m i ly s urvive?

What is your relationship with Ludendorf U niversity? Were you e d ucated t h e re ? H ave you used too l s created by its scientists? Were you h i re d to participate in a doctor's o r s t u d e nt ' s expe r i m e n t s ? Did you sell them the flesh rights to your body?

How has the land scarred you? H ave you s u ffered fro m frostbite in the w i l de r n e s s ? Do c h e m i c a l o r r a d i ation b u r n s scar your body? D i d you s e l l a body part for coi n ? D i d someone steal a n organ from you w h i l e y o u s lept?

SETTLEM E NT S AND S I T E S

The bulk o f Lamordia's population i s divided between two smoke-belching communities, Ludendorf and Neufurchtenburg. Few dwell outside these settlements, since life is short in the frigid wilderness. LUD E N D OR F

The city o f Ludendorf is a morass o f steam-powered factories operating at the behest of morally bankrupt barons. Boiling sewers and steam tunnels thread the city's foundations, heating cramped tenements and powering the cranes needed by the city's fleet. These ironclad, ice-breaking whaling vessels dare the Sea of Secrets to bring back massive beasts that provide vital food and fuel for the city.

Ensconced in the city's heart, Ludendorf University supports many local industries. Funded by corrupt entrepreneurs and wealthy but immoral benefactors, the university's vast curriculum boasts esoteric programs such as alchemical combustion, chemical sentience, and speculative anatomy. The sciences reign here, and students and faculty alike push to discover technologies that will net lucrative contracts from the city's wealthy overlords. The university continually needs new subjects for experiments and hires volunteers or pays individuals for "flesh rights"-ownership of their cadavers once they die. A secret society within Ludendorf University idolizes Dr. Mordenheim and follows the reckless paths laid by her lesser-known early works. NEUF U RC HT E N B U RG

Neufurchtenburg is a hardy town of bent-backed miners and desperate fortune-seekers. Tapped-out mines provide shelter for the residents, while the