Eastern Gothic – Creatures of Slavic Folklore (Part 2)

“You understand the risks of joining our hunting team, yes?  There are many things in the woods that would stop our enterprise, but we’re among the most elite in the lands.  Our skills are legendary.  Some angered spirits don’t threaten us!” – The last words of a foolish trespasser

The forest holds many mysteries beyond the fabled Grandmother of the Witches.  Life grabbing wolves, tree-like giant men, three headed dragons!  Such terrors and more lie over the mountain side and into the forest.  Travel with caution and tact.  And of course, show respect to the spirits around you.

Author’s Note: My exploration into Slavic folklore creatures continues.  Also, I’m gonna cover some weaker monsters for lower tier adventures later.  So far, all of these have been at least pretty strong.

Eastern Gothic – Creatures of Slavic Folklore (Part 1)

Looks friendly enough.

 

Behold, the mother of hags! And with her, a cadre of mythical companions and foes.  As the autumn months roll on and witches gather, the foul mother of them all beckons you to her door.  Seek out the dancing hut and experience the horror of Baba Yaga!  And joining her, a cadre of creatures both benign and truly vicious!  And there are more where that came from, as always.

Author’s Note: Here is something long overdue! The folklore of Eastern Europe and beyond hasn’t been represented in media too much. So, let’s fix that. Speaking of fixing, here’s my new take on Baba Yaga and her magical dancing hut!  More creatures based on Slavic folklore will soon follow.  Also, both the Dancing Hut and Baba Yaga are extremely strong creatures!  As a rule of thumb though, don’t mess with Baba Yaga!

November 2019 RPG Blog Carnival – Electronic Terrors

From thresholds and barriers, many terrible things break free to cause mayhem. Among them are things from a digitized and electronic world. These monsters may have strange origins, but the evils they unleash are no less dangerous.

Welcome to the realms of electronic terrors, creatures that originate from incredible devices known to some as “video games”. These creatures hail from a variety of supposedly fictional universes and realities, where they do all in their capacity to torture brave and cunning protagonists within a digital landscape. These tales may just be works of fiction, but they could very well be alternate worlds held back by a pixelated veil. Perhaps this could mean an expansive frontier within the Prime or perhaps a demiplane of its own.

Author’s Note: Another blog carnival post! This time, it’s a bunch of monsters from horror (or at least suspenseful/horror-related) video games! Yes, the Zombie Dog is a repost…

Bizarre Bazaar – Items of Castlevania (November 2019 Blog Carnival)

As the fog begins to roll in, a comforting light barely breaches the blanket dead ahead.  A vardo wagon sits idly, alongside a crackling fire pit.  One lone man clad in ornate robes and a ceramic plate covering his head beckons you over.  His body language seems friendly, but he is clearly interested in business.  A quick wave of an arm showcases all means of strange and wondrous trinkets to behold.  The cloaked humanoid shape picks itself up, addressing the party, “Ah, well met!  All of you seek to fight off the legions of the damned?  Surely, you are in need of proper supplies.  You are fortunate to stumble upon this traveling merchant!”, hoarsely croaks the muffled shape through his sculpted helmet.

Author’s Note: While Castlevania is more action-horror, it’s still very much part of the history of horror gaming.  One could argue the early entries are a proto-survival horror too!  Plus, there’s the classic fiasco of Konami supposedly taking from TSR for their box art.  In general, Konami sucks and will probably always suck (unless some day they magically don’t), but we can still appreciate the classic franchise.  While this one focuses on the first game, fourth game and Symphony (because those are my favorites, I know… original); I might come back and do some items based on other titles at some point… not just the most popular ones.  So with that, here are a couple of items that pay homage to the franchise!  Enjoy and happy vampire hunting!  Also, I’m aware I reposted the solomon seal.

Domains of Dread: Dawnsveil (now available on DM’s Guild)

Enter a Domain of Dread born from paranoia and fearmongering, where your neighbor conspires against you and practices wicked sorcery… at least, by your observations.

Ruled by a once-beloved governor, now fear is there ruling force! The colony still expands and progresses, even as its appointed ruler acts from the background. However, his control is far stronger than most realize. Face an endless battle between a crazed governor and the dark witch that haunts the lands.

Domains of Dread – Dawnsveil is an expansion for the Ravenloft Campaign Setting.  However, it is fully compatible with the Curse of Strahd adventure.  Inside, you’ll find a history of a fallen trade colony, dark tales of a dark witch taken form and terrifying creatures that dwell in the darkness.

You can find this product here.  Happy Halloween!

Wretches of Ravenloft – Mordent

Mordent, considerably more progressive than other domains by a distance.  Curiously, its presence in the Mists is the fault of Strahd and Azalin.  They devised a scheme to exploit an apparatus within the realm to free themselves from their imprisoned domains.  This failed, sealing Mordent’s fate as well.

A fair share of oddities drift in and around the domain.  The Darklord himself, Lord Wilfred Godefrey, certainly counts.  Once a backstabbing aristocrat, he slew his own wife and daughter.  He covered the incident up as it were an accident.  But, their vengeful spirits drove him to suicide, forcing him into the ironic fate of a trapped spirit too.  Since then, he has collected the souls that are beckoned to his house on Gryphon Hill.  He has even used the trapped souls to his advantage at times, creating networks of informants and spies within his domain.

But, what is beyond the house?  The Great Moors risk dense moss and trees to get lost in, while ghost towns just beyond prove to be less than salvation.  The river ways and moors are mucky and thick, the perfect predatory grounds of the bog hound.  A ways off the path was an off beat enclave of artists, creatives and non-establishment people who failed to fit in with the norm.  Save for the waxworks, there is no more life here.  No true life.  Despite much of it burning down, wonders of art are mixed with the macabre to unveil an art show unlike anything before.

Author’s Note:  Yet another double-feature!  This time, the Domain of Mordent as the theme.  The first creature is based off the Howls of the Night adventure, prominently featuring the Bog Hound.  The second is from a homebrew pocket domain within the domain itself.  It’s a meshing of wax museum horror tropes.  And for added creepiness, some extra homage to one of my favorite parts of BioShock!

October 2019 RPG Blog Carnival – Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard!

For most people, the cemetery is a place to reflect and remember.  But, dark powers have other plans for these resting places.  Thus, the safe haven for the dead becomes a grounds for corruption.  Dare you see what wicked deeds taint once sacred memorials?

Author’s Note: What do Tom Waits and cemetery-themed monsters have to do with each other?  I’m not sure.  But, here are an assortment of higher level foes to fill your boneyards with.  A few of these critters make nods to editions past as well as other media.  In this case, I wanted to give some pretty powerful undead to face off against.  Also, I won’t lie, the recent Joker movie inspired my take on the Wheep to take shape.