Často kladené otázky (FAQ)

AD&D,

D&D 3.Xe,

Horor,

II. Prostředí - Jiné záhady mlžné země

1. Co jsou to Temné síly?
2. Kdo jsou to Vistani?
3. Jak se domény vytváří? 4. Co se stane, když temný vládce zemře?
5. Jsou lidé v Ravenloftu skuteční?
6. Když zemřete v Ravenloftu, co se stane s vaší duší?
7. Co je to putování mlhami?
8. Existují v Ravenloftu nějaká náboženství?
9. Co a kdy je Čas Nesmírné temnoty?
10. Liší se mezi jednotlivými doménami hvězdy, měsíc a slunce?
11. Mohu použít čaroplavební loď (z druhoedičníhoprostředí Spelljammer), abych unikl z Ravenloftu?
12. Jaká jsou obecněznámá prolnutí Ravenloftu s ostatními oficiálními D&D světy?

1. Co jsou to Temné síly?

The Dark Powers are the mysterious force that has ?presumably- created the demiplane of Ravenloft and both empowered and cursing the darklords. They It has been declared that the Dark Powers will never be defined by the Kargat or writers of the line. They are provided simply as a rationale for the existence of Ravenloft, and as a tool for DMs to individualise their Ravenloft campaigns. Simply, the Dark Powers are whatever you need them to be for your campaign style. The novel Lord of the Necropolis, saw fit to define the nature of the Dark Powers. However, this act of defining the Dark Powers (and other incongruous aspects of it) greatly contributed to the decision to label the novel non-canon.

2. Kdo jsou to Vistani?

The mysterious Vistani are Ravenloft's version of the gypsies found in Gothic fiction like Bram Stoker's Dracula. They are an exaggeration and interpretation of the gypsies of literature and folklore with the magical powers and shadowy powers. Only full-blooded Vistani are considered Vistani, those with even a drop of mixed blood are considered Giomorgo, or Half-Vistani. Almost all non-Vistani are called Giorgo. Those few Giorgo who prove that they are worthy of the friendship of the Vistani are awarded the title of Giogoto. They are neither friends nor foes to the player characters (but can be both depending, according to their own interests).

The Vistani are in no way intended to be a reflection of the real Romani people. For more information on the Vistani see Van Richten?s Guide to the Vistani (published separately or in the Monster Hunter?s Compendium vol 3. The 3E campaign settings also contain condensed information on the Vistani as well as rules for playing a Half-Vistani character.

3. Jak se domény vytváří?

When a domain is created, it is generally either:

Copied from a prime material location, e.g. Barovia. When Strahd made his pact, a replica of the Prime Material world Barovia was apart of was created in Ravenloft. (We know a Prime Material Castle Ravenloft still exists from Roots of Evil.)
Physically wrenched from the prime material, e.g. Forlorn. Once Castle Tristenoira was taken into Ravenloft it no longer existed in the prime world it came from.
Completely new, e.g. Dementlieu. Its founder was already a resident of Ravenloft when Dementlieu was created, so no Prime Material world was used as a basis. Presumably, all buildings, streets, and even people are created along with the domain (perhaps even with false memories of the history of the domain). Richemulot is another example as the buildings and structures predate its creation although it was not created with people.

4. Co se stane, když temný vládce zemře?

Generally one of three things:

The domain disappears (most likely with smaller Island-type domains).
A nearby domain absorbs the land (as occurred with Gundarak during the Grand Conjunction).
Some other evil being in the domain takes over the Lordship. (as occurred in Richemulot and Invidia). This is not necessarily the most evil or powerful person, but the person with the most potential for evil deeds who has also succumb to temptation

5. Jsou lidé v Ravenloftu skuteční?

The Dark Powers appear to be able to create entire cities' worth of people who seem as real as you or I, and who possess complete memories; this leads to the populations of some domains having "false histories" of events which took place before their land ever existed. This presents one of the deepest metaphysical conundrums of the RAVENLOFT setting: Are the people there real, or just manifestations of the Mists? This mystery becomes even more puzzling when one takes into account that several founders and darklords are also native to the world.

Differing theories have compared the population of the Demiplane of Dread to "dreams within dreams" or "holodeck simulations." Taken to its most extreme, this comparison can lead to the decision that the denizens of Ravenloft are merely illusions; therefore, there should be no more moral compunction in killing them than in killing enemies in a video game. Opposing theories have postulated that all people and places in Ravenloft are drawn in from other worlds. If these people have no memory of a life elsewhere, it is merely because the Dark Powers have altered their memories to suit their purposes.

The ultimate truth has been long debated, but will likely never be known. However, regardless of their origin, the residents of the Demiplane of Dread are as demonstrably "real" as anyone who enters the demiplane from another world (or who has the memory of doing so, at any rate).

6. Když zemřete v Ravenloftu, co se stane s vaší duší?

Since Ravenloft is infamous as a place of imprisonment there is a question whether even the souls of the dead can escape to pass on to their final rest. There is no official answer for this, nor is there any consensus among the Kargat or among the fans. Some believe that the souls of the truly dead are free to drift off to their destinations in the outer planes; others believe the souls of the dead remain trapped in the demiplane, or even worse are devoured by the Dark Powers (or perhaps merely recycled back into the Mists, depending on one's view). The final truth is left to the judgement of the DM.

7. Co je to putování mlhami?

Apart from the known Mistways (somewhat reliable paths of travel) any party that intentionally enters the Mists as a way to travel (without a Vistani escort) is dooming itself to wandering for quite a while. Possibly even meeting up with a few nasty creatures, and most-likely running adrift on an Island of Terror. Using the Mists for travel between Core domains is foolish at best; it is faster and safer just to hitch up a wagon and ride, unless you have pressure to quickly cross a domain with closed border. Be careful too, as the mists can sometimes become a passage way through time?

8. Existují v Ravenloftu nějaká náboženství?

Religion in Ravenloft is just as important as in other campaign worlds, but there are marked differences. Given the difficulty that Divine Powers have in reaching the Demiplane of Dread there are a far higher numbers of priests who are unable to cast spells. The gods also do not communicate directly with their followers in Ravenloft; it is unknown if they have truly abandoned their followers or if they cannot penetrate the Mists. Outlanders often feel cut off from their gods or ignored as their prayers go unanswered. Ravenloft Third Edition provides a list of thirteen major deities in the demiplane, including the Church of Ezra and the Cult of the Morninglord. Additional religions have been mentioned in theRavenloft Gazetteers as well as expanded information on the existing faiths.

9. Co a kdy je Čas Nesmírné temnoty?

It has been foreseen that there will come a Time of Unparalleled Darkness to Ravenloft that will reach a climax in the year 775 (on the Barovian calendar). This concept is alluded to in The Evil Eye in relation to the Gentleman Caller as well as in the introduction to Domains of Dread. It is first mentioned by name in one of the endings to Bleak House. Van Richten is clearly going to be involved, but at the moment little else is known about what might occur during this period.

It was rumoured that at one point there was a definite plan among the Kargat for the ToUD, but in reality no one expected the product line to last long enough to reach the year 775. It was always meant to be a shadowing event in the far future. A ToUD module was proposed as the final RAVENLOFT product and was to involve travel through time with the heroes journeying to the year 775 before returning with the foreknowledge and the possibility of changing things. However, this proposal was rejected. Any plans they did have ended with the line as well as the change in publishers and developers.

For now, the Time of Unparalleled Darkness remains a nebulous event in the far future. Like the dark powers and the Gentleman Caller's ultimate plan, the ToUD is a tool for DMs to develop as they see fit.

10. Liší se mezi jednotlivými doménami hvězdy, měsíc a slunce?

Ideally, the sky and celestial bodies remain the same between "groups" of domains in the Mists. That is, the sky above the Core looks the same regardless of what domain you are in, though this may be different to the sky above the Amber Wastes. However, a couple of anomalies do exist. For example, until the events of Spectre of the Black Rose, Sithicus only had the black moon Nuitari, while Nova Vaasa may have five moons (as mentioned in The Awakening, but neither Domains of Dread or Gazetteer V confirm this).

11. Mohu použít čaroplavební loď (z druhoedičníhoprostředí Spelljammer), abych unikl z Ravenloftu?

According to the Complete Spacefarer's Handbook, no. Any spelljammer flying up to the stars quickly enters the Mists. To quote from this book:

?Ravenloft is a demiplane. As such, it is fundamentally different from any spelljamming world. Ravenloft lies within no crystal sphere. It cannot be reached by traveling through the phlogiston. A spell-jamming ship sailing into Ravenloft's night soon enters the mists at the border of the demiplane and is quickly turned back.

Although spelljamming provides no escape from Ravenloft, outside spelljammers are not safe from the Demiplane of Dread. The Mists of Ravenloft can appear even in wildspace, where they take the form of a jet-black cloud that arises before the victim vessel. Ships that sail into Ravenloft through the Mists are as trapped as any other entrant to the demiplane. Only in the phlogiston, which blocks all planar travel, can one remain safe from the reaching tentacles of the Demiplane of Dread.?

12. Jaká jsou obecněznámá prolnutí Ravenloftu s ostatními oficiálními D&D světy?

Ravenloft being a prison at the bottom of the tornado of evils of the multiverse, its domains got many tenants from other D&D settings. Just a few have been developed in their former setting, while most are new inventions for Ravenloft. The following is a short list of the most well-known of these borrowings, for trivia purpose and for possible adventures hooks with outsiders PCs. Most of the sources are from Domains of Dread and/or the Black Box, unless otherwise corrected.

From Greyhawk:
- Ahmi Vanjuka the Golem (see: MCII)
- Azalin - was a king of a Greyhawk area, now wizard-king of Darkon
- Easan ? driven insane by Iuz
- Vecna and Kas ? well known legendary figures of Greyhawk (Vecna is a God, Kas is a legendary evil hero).
From: Dark Sun
- Domain of Kalidnay
- Palik (see: MCII)
- From: Kara-Tur (Forgotten Realms)
- From: Dragonlance
- From: Gothic Earth (MotRD)
- From: Birthright
  - Sir Marcus Malvoy ? from Cerilia (see: COTN:V)
  - Domain of Vorostokov) ? from Cerilia
- From: Mystara
  - Meredoth
- From: Planescape
  - Styrix - from Hades