A/N: WHAT IS UP MUCKAAAACHUNGAAAAS!? IT'S TRAVEZTY! And I am sorry for the relatively short chapter today. In truth this is just the final chapter of this particular arc in the story. To be brief, I am currently building the Domain of Dread that our characters will be exploring in the following chapters, however, I had been struggling to create it up until now because, and I am ashamed to admit this, I wanted to create a Domain that best reflected the Darklords who will be taking control of it. However, I couldn't figure out where I had wanted to go with the Domain and I was about to give up when I asked my girlfriend, Wolfflight of Shadowclan, for help, and she helped me refine it a little bit to give me a bit of a foundation. So thanks, babe I owe you big time. So after this chapter, until I finish creating the Domain itself, the story will be on hiatus until the Domain itself is done. Sorry for doing this so soon into the story, but trust me, building a Domain of Dread for a Non-Evil Character is much harder than it actually looks, as I originally intended for the Domain to have a Genre of Psychological Horror and Cosmic Horror, but I realized that I have little to no experiences with those genres, and I wouldn't be able to pull them off at all. However, and this is a minor spoiler, the Genres of Gothic Horror, Ghost Stories, and Folk Horror seem far more manageable than the other forms of horror that were listed in Van Richtens Guide to Ravenloft for a bunch of reason, both from a personal and writing standpoint, which I will explain.
However, I must make something clear to you guys: I freaking HATE the Horror Genre! Ever since I was a kid, my sister has had a thing for the Horror Genre, and whenever we rented movies at Blockbuster, she would ALWAYS go for the Horror Movies, and I'd have nightmares for weeks. Not only that, I played a little bit of Resident Evil 1 and 2 as a little kid, and that freaking gave me nightmares as a child! So yeah, I hate the Horror Genre with an undying passion! However, I can now hear you guys asking: "But Travezty, if you hate the Horror Genre so much, why are you setting your story in the Shadowfell, let alone the Domains of Dread!?" That is a Good Question, and that is actually simple to explain for me! You see, I originally got Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft for the Lineages, Classes, and Backgrounds. However, last Halloween, my sister actually invited me to watch the Five Nights at Freddy's movie with her, and I have actually taken a liking to Horror Games thanks to IGP on YouTube, and playing a bit of Dead Space thanks to my brother in law. Thanks to all of these factors, I've actually developed a tolerance for Horror, and I've been reading through VRGtR carefully to find the Horror Genres that I think I can best handle.
First up, Gothic Horror: As it is written in VRGtR, "Gothic stories include intense, even exaggerated, emotions. Romances, rivalries, and life-changing events are common in these adventures." Personally, I can get behind this, while the exaggerated part is a bit much, themes of romance and rivalry are something I absolutely enjoy in fanfictions. Hell I think most of the fanfictions I've favorited and am following have the Romance Genre in them! Plus the fact that I… Wait that's spoilers… Simply put, while I don't remember if I've read any Gothic Horror Stories, but I do remember quite a few Gothic Games that I really love: Legacy of Kain Series, Medievil 1, the Devil May Cry Series, Dante's Inferno, hell even TES V: Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC had plenty of Gothic themes to it! So yeah, I have plenty of inspiration to draw from!
Secondly, Ghost Stories: Okay, out of all 3 of the Genres of Horror from Van Richten's, this is the one that comes most naturally for me. You see, most of the Horror Games I watched IGP play, or the ones I've interacted with, Ghost Stories are the second most common themes I've interacted with. Ghost Stories are also, in my opinion, the ones that tickle my fancy when it comes to the Horror Genre, mostly because it has themes that allow me to make it that the monsters in this genre don't have to be evil, they can be good people who ended up as the undead against their will! Not only that, one of the monster types I hate most are the freaking undead, especially zombies (thanks a lot Resident Evil), and Ghosts are a close second cuz they are essentially spectral Zombies. However, thanks to Wolfy saying it has a Halloween theme, and it is the season of fear right now, I think it is perfect for this season. Plus, I am hoping to have Halloween off to go trick-or-treating with the family, so this is perfect! So yeah, Gothic and Ghost Stories are by far the most tolerable of Horror Genres.
Thirdly, Folk Horror: Now I am not one for horror, but Folklore stories, especially ones that involve scary monsters, I truly find fascinating! Now hear me out! I live on an Island in the Southern Half of the 49th State, Alaska, and there are plenty of monsters in our local folklore that I can take inspiration from! Not only that, I have a Kodiak Native as my stepfather, so that gives me more than enough inspiration for me to use local legends and folk stories to give me ideas for this story going forward. Plus, Wolfy said that Folk Stories were among the least intense Horror Genres that she could pick, so I will be sprinkling this into the Domain here and there!
So as I said, I'm going to take a break to build out the Domain of Dread, but if you guys would like it and as long as I don't get in trouble for it, once I finish the Domain and this story, I can post it as a bonus chapter as the final upload, and you guys can take run your own games with it as you like! IF you decide to create D Storys with my Domain of Dread, then I would love it if you guys would invite me to read them, give me my deserved credit, and, most importantly, show me your interpretation of the Domain itself! However if I am going to get in trouble for doing this PLEASE warn me, either in a Review or PM, before I do so cuz I don't want to get into deep shit with the Devs of this site.
Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough. Please be sure to Follow, Favorite, Review, and Share this story with anyone and everyone you know who likes Dungeons and Dragons Content! Catch ya on the Flipside! NAT 20!
Chapter 3: In the Darkness Bind Them
"Murderer…" A Voice speaks into the darkness of his mind, "Traitor…" Klauthiym struggles as he tries to break out of the chains that he is being held by, but then sees a mirror slowly appear from the darkness, revealing a young man with olive skin, black hair, brown eyes, and is obese, familiar yet foreign to him… However, Nevermore's words ring in his mind, remembering something.
"...She gave your souls the choice of either reincarnating into new forms, or being sent to the afterlife for judgment, you both decided to reincarnate and be given a second chance." Klauthiym, recalling those words, realizes this person in front of him might actually be him, though he recalls nothing of that life. However… He stands up and strains against the chains holding him down, using the weight of his body to pull at them. The metal holding him down strains under his strength and weight as his brown eyes gain a slit for a pupil as he roars at the top of his lungs. Soon the chains give way and he stands there, rubbing his wrists and neck, he then looks at himself in the mirror one last time and places his hand upon the glass, and takes a deep breath. The memories of that life flood back into his mind, but Klauthiym rests his forehead against the glass.
"I'll take it from here… Go now… Be at Peace…" Klauthiym says, "Traves Omar Medina…"
"Thank you…" His reflection says before fading. That is when Klauthiym wakes up, sitting up in a bed whose frame is carved out of black stone with a mattress made of raven feathers and with thin black sheets and blankets over him as he sits up. He sees a mirror nearby and looks upon his chest, seeing the scar that the necrotic energy had left him upon the center of his chest, which had tarnished his beautiful bronze scales with a layer of patina to form in the shape of the creature that attacked him. He rubs the scar, the verdigris stinging at the slightest touch, but, at the very least it isn't a terribly painful stinging, just an annoying one. Pressing harder, the stinging does get worse but only enough to make him grit his teeth.
'Alright, that is good to know… Now…' That is when he feels a pair of arms wrap around him from behind, and turns his head to see Clarity there. "Clarity! You're alri-" That is when she slaps him directly in the face, causing Klauthiym to fall to the floor.
"Stupid little brother!" Clarity says, jumping onto him and pulling him up to her before slapping him silly multiple times, Klauthiym speaking gibberish as she does so. "Why must you always be so reckless!?"
"Clarity…" He looks at her, ashamed, "I have no excuse. I just don't want to see you hurt!"
"But you getting hurt hurts me, don't you get that!?" Clarity says, looking at him. "You can't be so reckless! We're going into a Domain of Dread, we don't know what we will be facing, and I only have so many healing spells each time we rest! Plus I have to try and spread out the healing to the rest of the party! We don't have a dedicated healer among us!" The tears flowing down her cheeks cause Klauthiym to sit up and hold her in his arms, his head resting between her breasts.
"I'm so sorry, Clarity… I just… I don't want to lose you too, I know we already reunited with Nalath, but I still have nightmares of not being able to save him, and I have the same nightmares about you dying too. I can't let you suffer as you do in my dreams." Clarity hugs him back as she starts crying, as does Klauthiym. It takes them several minutes to let it all out, but Clarity looks into his eyes.
"Just promise me that you'll start thinking before you act…"
"I promise." Klauthiym says, "I love you, Clarity."
"I love you too, Klauthiym."
"No… I love you more than an adopted sibling… I have for years…" Klauthiym says, in which Clarity blushes bright red, looking at him in shock.
"Cloth… I…" Clarity says, but then Klauthiym puts a finger on her lips.
"I know I caught you off guard, so-" Klauthiym says, but then Clarity pulls him into a kiss, shedding tears.
"What took you so long, you idiot?" Clarity asks, smiling. Klauthiym then snuggles up to her, purring like a cat while wagging his tail like a dog.
Meanwhile…
Sitting in a large throne room, the Raven Queen sees Nevermore walking in and kneels before her. "Your Majesty…"
"Nevermore… You had cheated on me with another god…" The Raven Queen says.
"I have no excuses, your grace, I was caught up in the moment of the song with Clarity and Klauthiym… I do not ask for mercy, for I have committed a grave sin."
"That temple you discovered…" The Raven Queen says, "It was one of the temples to an older deity… The Lady of the Morningstar, a Deity of Fate and Time, she is one of the older deities of that Material Realm. However, of all the others that you could have found, that deity is one of the few who doesn't actively antagonize me, she's more of an annoying adopted mother who likes to mess with me as much as dote on me." The Raven Queen explains, "It was she who convinced the other Greater Deities to not destroy me and give me Dominion over the Shadowfell. She was my patron Goddess when I was mortal, and she considered me her Favored Daughter even after the crimes I committed to stop Nerull from taking over the divine realms. It was thanks to her I have the power I do now, so you are forgiven… But be mindful of where you pray, for I will be watching you closely from now on."
"I thank you, it will not happen again unless I know the deity in question is an ally or close associate of yours!" Nevermore says, to which he is passed a book. "What is this?"
"A list of deities whom I have positive relation
ships with, their domains, among other things, as well as those whom I am against. Study it carefully."
"Yes, your grace!" Nevermore says as a Shadar-Kai handmaiden walks over to the queen and whispers in her ear. "It seems our other guests are awake… Gather them and meet us in the War Room."
"Yes, your Highness!" Nevermore says, walking off.
20 minutes(?) Later…
Following Nevermore's lead, Klauthiym and the others slowly make their way towards what appears to be a great black door engraved with a mural depicting something historically important. The entire group isn't given enough time to take a good look at the mural as the doors are opened by Nevermore, who bows to the Raven Queen, and three robed individuals with skeletal masks over their faces. "Everyone, allow me to introduce the Raven Queen, and, who I assume, are the Dark Powers."
"You assume correctly…" one of the individuals says, their voice a menacing whisper. "We are the Dark Powers, though it annoys us that we must reduce ourselves to these corporeal forms."
"My realm, my rules…" The Raven Queen says, looking at the Dark Powers. "Now, let us get down to business… I am sure Nevermore has given you as much of the details as he was allowed." Everyone nods at this, looking as the Raven Queen brings them over. "So you know the Domain has settled itself literally over the top of my winter home, Letherna, the Palace of Black Ice. That place is especially important to me as it was my original Domain when I first moved to the Shadowfell… I must reclaim it, but if that is impossible, I need to find a way to reclaim it from within the Domain of Dread."
"What can you tell us about the Domain, your grace?" Klauthiym asks, being respectful to the Queen and showing his deference to her authority as the Ruler of the Shadowfell.
"Unfortunately, as much as I am loath to admit it, you know about as much as I do. My Ravens who have been able to enter into the Domain have yet to return with any news, the Mists surrounding it are closed off, and, despite being the ones who first developed the Domains of Dread, they know next to nothing about this one." The Raven Queen says. To this the party begins muttering, but then Clarity walks over and curtsies to the Dark Powers.
"Great Ones, I am Clarity Ravenwing of the Darkwood, my people have spoken of you in terrifying tales. I am honored to be able to speak with you face to face, relatively speaking." Clarity says, "Can you give us some clarification as to how the Domains are created?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I believe that if we know more of the Origins of the Domains, and how they are created, we might be able to come up with a solution as to how to fix this." Clarity explains her thought process. The three primeval deities look at her with discerning looks, two of them thinking that it couldn't hurt, afterall, humans could not achieve the powers of a deity except through rituals that were kept safe, so they couldn't achieve the same results as a Dark Power, while the Third, who possesses a mask that has tear-stain shaped streaks flowing down from it's eyesholes looking at her, reading her carefully, before discerning she is telling the truth, and agrees with his fellows.
"The Crafting of a Domain of Dread is a lengthy and very time consuming process, as such, we must scout out possible candidates in the multitude of Material Realms from the Material Realms. Granted, there are certain candidates whom we will directly get involved in, albeit subtly, and will influence their darker natures to become more prominent, but we will never make our influence obvious, as we cannot afford to have our Dark Lords fall onto the righteous path if they know of our presence in their lives." The First of the Dark Powers says, the one with a mask that has stripes emanating from the eye holes in different directions, his voice a maniacal laugh. "In any case, the process of crafting a Domain of the Ravenloft is a slow but easy to follow three stage process. Step One is the Primorphosis Stage, where we accumulate our power to generate the Mists of Ravenloft to craft the Domain, for this stage, we have to settle the mists down in a physical location within the Shadowfell and physically craft the boundaries of the Domain, as well as an environment where survival is possible, if difficult to accomplish. Creating a realm where rocks fall and everyone dies every ten seconds is no fun at all to torment a Dark Lord, plus, watching the mortals struggle despite the hopelessness is ultimately far more entertaining!."
"As the Domain is being crafted, we must determine one of two ways we are going to proceed to the next stage, either we drag a physical location within the Material Realm, or do we take our Dark Lord from the Material Realm and build the world around him according to his suffering or wickedness." The Second of the Dark Powers says, his mask having X-shaped marks flowing around his eye holes, his voice a wrathful scream. "The Former Option is by far the simplest, for we will trap the Dark Lord within the domain in which they inflicted their great wicked deeds, or that had caused them deep and terrible pain. The Latter is a much more tedious and time consuming option, as it requires us dragging the Dark Lord into the Mists, placing a curse upon them that, if they do not escape the boundaries of the Ravenloft within a set amount of time, they will be permanently trapped there. As they grow more desperate, they will begin to exude more of what truly makes them a worthy candidate as Dark Lord, and we can trap them inside permanently."
"This Second Stage is known as the Founding Stage, and after it is complete, the Mists lift off the ground and begin to move across the Shadowfell… The Third and Final Stage is known as the Coronation Stage, where the Dark Lord realizes they are forever trapped within the mists, unable to escape, for if they retain the desire to escape should they enter the mists, we will find them and send them back to their Domain. For without a Dark Lord, the Domain will collapse and be destroyed, along with every soul inside it, both real and artificial." The Third, the one with tear stains and a whispering voice, explains, "So… Do you have a solution?"
"I think we might, give me a second to discuss with the group." Clarity says, bringing the party outside the room and closing the door behind them. "So that… Was unexpected…"
"Yes, I knew that the Dark Powers dragged places in the Material Realm into the Shadowfell to create their Domains of Dread, but the fact they can actually craft them to suit the individual is actually quite disturbing." Nevermore explains.
"True, and the fact they can actually make these places is disturbing, though the criteria for each prisoner is very specific, so it's not like we could each ask for our own Domain of Dread as a reward." Fiona says, "Still what would it be like to rule your own Domain?"
"Back on topic, guys!" Damos says, "So, based on the information we have, it looks like our first option is to actually volunteer to become a Dark Lord for a Domain of Dread."
"Wait, are you serious, brother?" Eryna asks, "You know if someone among us becomes a Dark Lord, they can't escape if they have the desire to!"
"Escape, maybe, but what if the Dark Lord, were to volunteer to take control of that Domain of Dread?" Klauthiym says, grasping his chin spikes with his index finger and thumb thoughtfully. "They would surely have to make exceptions to the rules as somebody would be volunteering to take lordship over the Domain, allowing the Dark Lord to be able to visit their home Material Realm for a limited amount of time, before they either go back of their own accord, or being forced back for a set amount of time as punishment for being out past their allotted time limit."
"You're not seriously considering this, are you!?" Clarity asks, looking at Klauthiym incredulously. "If negotiations go wrong you might never return to the Material Realm!"
"I never said I was going in alone! Besides…" Klauthiym blushes slightly, "I was hoping that maybe you'd like to rule beside me… As… My Dark Lady…" Clarity looks at him with eyes bugging out, but then she pulls him into a kiss.
"You're so getting lucky tonight if we pull this off!" Clarity says, smirking, causing Klauthiym to purr.
"And if you guys are making this domain, what does that leave us to do?" Eryna asks.
"Well we not only need to help build the Domain, but also to explore it, to start setting up settlements for any fools who blunder into the mists that lead to it." Klauthiym says, "So we would be honored if you would join us in exploring the boundaries and helping to set up the locations for the Dark Powers to craft the Domain, as well as help us with any possible problems that might arise."
"Hmmm…" The group thinks as they look at each other before turning to Klauthiym, and they all nod.
"Alright then, you guys! Let's go see if we can convince the Dark Powers of our Plan!" The group returns to the room and there, Eryna slowly walks over to the Dark Powers, bowing respectfully.
"Do you have a plan?"
"We do, and we have decided that it would be wise to have a voluntary Dark Lord Expedite the Process of helping the Domain of Dread take flight." Eryna says. "Our reasoning is that if we manage to expedite the process, then the Raven Queen could regain her Domain of Letherna again, but also you could have someone who volunteers to be a Dark Lord, with a few concessions made for the Dark Lord in question."
"What kind of concessions?" The Wrathful Dark Power asks.
"For one, allowing them to leave their Domain for a limited amount of time, allowing them to explore the outside the World before they either return to their Domain of their own Free Will, or, if they stay beyond their allotted time, they are forced back into their domain and punished for breaking their agreement." Eryna says. The Dark Powers listen and see this isn't too bad of an arrangement."
"Are there any other terms?" the maniacal power asks.
"Well aside from that, there are a few other things that our volunteer has requested. The First is that he has a Dark Lady to rule at his side…"
"And who is the one who volunteered to be a Dark Lord?" The Whispering Dark Power asks, in which Klauthiym steps forward with Clarity holding his hand as they bow to the Dark Powers. "These two have volunteered?"
"Absolutely, my lord!" Eryna says.
"There are two more concessions we would like to make!" Clarity says, "For the children that Klauthiym and I will have, we want them to have the ability to be able to freely travel between our Domain and the Material Realm, as well as sharing in our immortality, but our grandchildren and further descendants will not be granted said immortality, no matter if they are born within the Material Realm or the Domain."
"That sounds reasonable… Too Many Immortals would be way too dangerous for the balance of power." The Maniacal Dark One says, "Plus the Raven Queen despises immortality, so it makes sense!" The Raven Queen nods, hiding her dagger in her robes. "And what is the last concession?"
"Well we would like to have a certain friend of ours be moved into our Domain of Dread!" Clarity says, "One Nalath Silverbough…!"
"Done!" The Dark Powers say, in which the two kneel to the Dark Lords and the Raven Queen.
A Few Days (?) Later…
A Great Procession of Shadar-Kai guides the Raven Queen's Palanquin to the location of Letherna, with Ravens flying through the skies above them, with Klauthiym walking alongside his party while the Dark Lords fly above them. The group sees the great mass of mist that covers the great valley where the Frozen Forests of Letherna were once located. The Mists are thick as the Dark Powers land and slowly touch the mists themselves, examining the composition of the Mist themselves in which they nod and motion for the volunteered Dark Lord and Lady to make their way towards the Mist. "We have never had anyone volunteer to become a Dark Lord and Dark Lady before, so it will be up to you to begin things as it is set to flow…" The Whispering Dark Power says.
"Normally we drag the person into the Mists so their realm can be forged, but you must step in of your own accord…" The Wrathful Dark Power says, annoyed at this prospect.
"And show us what it is that you imagine shall not only torture both of you, but also shall prove a great challenge to those who wander into your home…"
"Our home…" Klauthiym says, looking to Clarity.
"Our Domain…" Clarity says, taking his hand with a smile on her face. With this, the two walk into the mists, hand in hand, and as they pass through, the world begins to build itself square meter by square meter, in which they continue walking… What is it they find there in the Mists? Well…
What happens after that… Is a Story for another Day…