Sithicus

Domain of Soth’s Legacy

Darklord: Inza Kulchevich

Genres: Gothic Horror and Dark
Fantasy
Hallmarks: A crumbling kingdom,
conflict and manipulative spirits.
Mist Talismans: A black rose, a
kender charm, a silver tipped lance.

Noteworthy Features…………………………………………………………...

● Sithicus is a river valley of rugged hills covered in mist shrouded forests.

The only end to the trees is where they give way to the dead skeletal trunks
of fallen trees around the Great Chasm. This pitch black rift seems to absorb
light surrounding a jagged peak on which rests the ruins of Nedragaard
Keep. It’s population is predominantly elven, the “Silvanesti” high elves and
“Kagonesti” wood elves.

● All but the truly innocent who enter Sithicus begin to slowly become filled
with guilt over their past misdeeds. This manifests as a creeping unease on
the first day. In the days following the guilt grows more pronounced until
every stray moment is spent dwelling on the past. The native population
suffers this same guilt though they've become “used to it”.
 ● The night skies of the domain have strange constellations seen nowhere else
in the Domains of Dread. Stranger still is the moon, named Nuitari by
natives. To most it’s presence is only noticed by the stars blocked by it’s
darkness. Those with evil hearts however can see the black moon and hear
it’s whispered secrets.

● The domain has gone through recent cataclysmic events. According to

locals, a group of adventurers went into Nedragaard Keep and stopped
whatever doom awaited the land. Now there are rumors that the castle is
empty and the throne awaits a new lord.

Settlements and Sites…………………………………………………………..

Damp fog and massive trees shroud the domain of Sithicus in perpetual gloom.
Sunlight almost never penetrates the thick boughs of the ancient forests, tangled
with mottled ivy and gray ferns.
The cities of Sithicus are all of elven make, A series of concentric stone walls
separating the lofty towers of the various castes. All of which are slowly eroding,
the structures of elven wood and crystal now choked with ivy and moss or falling
apart to the touch. The outermost walls of each settlement are covered by brambles
so thick and overgrown that they both offer a form of protection and conceal the
cities from the unobservant.

Hroth
The population of Hroth has been increasingly human and half-elven for the last
decade. A cult formed around a shrine in the swamps outside the settlement and the
populace worships the five-headed dragon goddess, Takhisis. Recently a woman
with dark curls calling herself Kitiara, has led troops into the city and become
popular among the citizens. She has brought with her draconians (see notes) and
promises of conquest.

Har-Thelen
The largest city and unofficial capital of Sithicus, Har-Thelen has well maintained
docks which attract merchants and travelers alike. Despite its size much of the city
has been left abandoned due to a low population. Recently however an increasing
number of warbands and mercenaries have begun making camp in the empty city
blocks. They send soldiers to recruit or make bargains as tensions escalate within
the city's walls. The spectre of coming war whispers through the streets.

Iron Hills
The forests of the Iron Hills are even more wild and untouched than other parts of
Sithicus. This is because of the wild haired Kagonesti tribes dwelling in the caves
and gullies there. These elves wander in small groups almost like wolf packs and
are extremely territorial. They appear suddenly from the trees and rocks in a hail of
spears and arrows to attack those strangers they find in their lands.

Fume Wood
As one heads northeast into the forests of Sithicus the carpets of ivy grow thicker
and dense stands of nettles make travel even more difficult. Small caves, gullies
and crevasses become more common and the birds seem to occasionally giggle
from the shadows. These are the Bitterkinder (see notes), unique undead that attack
any approaching their hidden village.

Veidrava Salt Mines

In the south-east beyond the Endless River scattered overgrown foundations hint at
the ruins of Veidrava. The pitch dark salt mines twisting beneath those hills still
beckon to the brave and foolish. If it’s ancient elevators can be moved, the old
engine house grants access to the depths. Somewhere in the dark is the Lake of
Sounds, it’s black waters reflecting the glow of strange fungus and whispering the
land’s secrets. Further still is the Black Chapel, a place considered so evil that only
the Vistani dare speak of it.

Inza Magdova Kulchevich…………………………………………………...

Before Inza Magdova Kulchvich was even born her mother had encountered true
darkness. Magda Kulchevich traveled as a guide to Lord Soth and escaped from
Castle Ravenloft and Count Strahd with the death knight. Perhaps it was her
mother’s time among these dread forces, her father’s death before she was born or
that her birth occurred as a domain collapsed. Whatever the reason, Inza was born
with a darkness within.
Inza’s mother was raunie to the Wanderers, a caravan of Vistani.Magda may have
been blinded to her daughter’s malignant spirit, but not so for the rest of the tribe.
By the time the girl was sixteen the other Wanderers considered her a monster or a
jinx. Even animals seemed to sense a wrongness and often reacted with fear or
aggression. This caused the girl to hate animals, especially dogs.

Inza was incredibly smart and manipulative from the moment she could talk. As
such over the years she was able to learn much through false promises or feigned
innocence. The older men in the caravan were happy to teach an attractive young
woman and from them she learned a variety of roguish skills. Though it is
unknown who or what she manipulated to learn her magical skills. Some claimed
she had traded her soul to some dark entity.

The Wanderers by accident made their way to Sithicus. Lord Soth gave the caravan
full run of the domain, but closed the borders anytime they attempted to leave. Inza
for her part manipulated Soth’s seneschal, Azrael Dak into an alliance.

Inza Kulchevich then set into motion the destruction of her own people. First the
Wanderers were attacked by shadows under the control of Azrael. These horrors
and Inza’s sabotage resulted in the death of her own mother. She then arranged an
ambush of ogres to trick Lord Soth into rescuing her, only three of her caravan
members surviving. What came next would be known as “the Night of Screaming
Shadows”.

After Soth and Inza returned to the Dark Lord’s keep, Inza told Soth of Azrael
Dak's rituals at the Lake of Sounds which and his plans of betrayal. Safe within
Nedragaard Keep, Inza erected a ward around the fortress that protected her from
the magic Azrael used to steal the shadow of every other being in Sithicus. In
addition, Inza's magic hedged out Soth's undead servants as she opened the gates of
the keep to others seeking Soth’s overthrow.

Despite Inza's apparent success, a complex chain of events led to her downfall.
Soth became alerted to Inza's betrayal. Consumed by rage, he returned to his keep
and assaulted the wards. Soth's rage enabled him to break through the magic,
allowing his skeleton warriors and banshees to enter and massacre the invaders.
Azrael lost control of his ritual. The now freed shadows proceeded to coalesce and
descend upon Nedragaard Keep. The ball of shadows detonated on impact, the
shadows ripping the keep apart before returning to their owners.

Although Inza escaped the destruction physically unscathed, she was chased by
those she had betrayed and manipulated. To escape punishment, she leapt into the
Great Chasm. The darkness of the pit however reached out and pulled Inza into the
depths to become the domain’s new Dark Lord.

Inza’s Power and Dominion

Inza’s true physical form was destroyed during the events of the Night of
Screaming Shadows. She is now a creature of pure shadow, the darkness that has
always been in her finally given form. She has stats similar to an archmage with
the Incorporeal Movement, Light Sensitivity and Shadow Stealth of a shadow
demon. She can appear in her mortal form at will, a beautiful green eyed Vistana
of seventeen years. The skills she picked up from more roguish Vistani give her
proficiency in sleight of hand and thieve’s tools.

Secret Darklord. Inza now dwells within the Great Chasm and other dark
and lonely places within her realm. It is from the shadows she prefers to operate.
She uses a crystal ball of telepathy and her various minions to manipulate those
within her domain. Only a very few individuals know of her and none suspect her
role as Dark Lord. In fact many believe that Lord Soth still holds power over the
land, a fact that Inza has found useful though more and more grating in recent
years.

Novgor. Inza wields the dagger once belonging to the Vistani hero Kulchek,
her ancestor. The minor artifact came into her possession before she betrayed her
people and was instrumental in her mother’s death. It functions as a +4 dagger of
wounding that does not dull, scratch or scuff. A full blooded vistani can use the
dagger as thieve’s tools. Descendants of Kulchek (including Inza) can cast Color
Spray at will as long as a light source is available, even a candle flame. Once per
week a descendant may cast Major Image with a duration of 1 hour/lvl., this ability
gives the user a level of exhaustion. All abilities of the dagger function as if cast at
12th level and have a DC:16 Wisdom save.
 Salt Shadows. Deep within the darkened tunnels of the Veidrava salt mines
are shadows of an unusual nature. Their touch causes salt burns but otherwise
functions normally. These spirits also have the ability to slither into an individual’s
body through their mouth. This allows the shadow to possess the target as if using
Magic Jar except it does not require a receptacle, the victim gets a DC:11 Wisdom
save to resist this effect. Treat Salt Shadows as having a CR of 1.

Legacy of Soth. Even with the disappearance of its former Dark Lord,
Sithicus has continued to feel Lord Soth’s influence. Azrael Dak claims position of
seneschal to the Black Rose, the werebadger operating like a bandit lord from the
hills. In Hroth the “Blue Lady, Kitiara '' is growing in power, those once loyal to
Soth seeing her as true heir to Nedragaard. Mercenary companies are born around
Soth’s former commanders. Inza has used all this to her advantage so far, but now
things seem to be taking on a life of their own. As rumors spread of a “Blessed
Knight” protecting travelers near the Great Rift control of Sithicus seems
uncertain.

Closing the Borders. Inza closes the borders of her domain at will as
detailed in “The Mists” section of the VRGtR. She does this by reciting her sins.
As she catalogues her crimes, all the inhabitants of Sithicus stop whatever they are
doing to add their voices and their own list of sins to hers. The resulting sound
flows to the border and forms a wall of tangled flowerless rose stems, their thorns
dripping with corruption. When the recitation is finished, the inhabitants of
Sithicus recall every crime and misdeed they confessed. They do not remember the
sins confessed by their neighbors, but are aware they were not alone.

Inza’s Torment

Inza Kulchevich exists tormented by the following circumstances:

● Inza has lived a life of betrayal, corruption, and treachery based on the
presumption that everyone else held the same evil in their hearts as she did.
However, in the face of undeniably benevolent individuals, Inza's beliefs
have been shaken to their very core. The presence of good and especially
innocence disrupts her cold self control causing her to become anxious even
to the point of panic.
 ● Considering herself a master manipulator, Inza believed she could use
anything to her advantage. Events in her domain however keep spinning
further and further away from her plans. She becomes more and more fearful
that someone will claim Nedragaard and take her power from her.
● Like all Vistani, Inza is compelled to stay mobile. As the direct descendant
of Kulchek the Wanderer, she must sleep in a different location every night
and never in the same place twice, or she faces dire consequences. After her
mother’s death, Inza ordered the survivors of her caravan to stay in the same
location two nights in a row, where she had arranged for ogres to attack
them. This was fatal for most of the Wanderers. She now fears that the
Blessed Knight may be an agent of supernatural retribution and is terrified to
break the taboo again.
● Inza has a vague recollection of some cataclysm which swept through her
domain. Those living in Sithicus talk of adventurers who prevented the
land's destruction by entering into Nedragaard Keep. But details are
impossible to recall or come by, seeming dreamlike. This fills Inza with
unease and she worries it may be related to other events in her domain.

Roleplaying Inza Magdova Kulchevich

Inza Magdova Kulchevich appears to be a beautiful young Vistana woman in her

late teens. Those who knew her mother, the famous Magda Ilyanova Kulchevich,
swear that Inza is almost her mirror image: slender figure, raven-black hair,
gorgeous green eyes. The likeness, though, ends there. Whereas Magda was always
blunt, even brazen, Inza is manipulative and secretive.

She convinces strangers that she is a sweet young thing, more prone to singing than
scheming. Inza’s beauty hides a heart of darkness, however. Although she prefers
to maintain her human form whenever possible, her true form is a seething,
formless wave of semi-liquid shadow. All that remains of Inza are her bright green
eyes, glinting out from the darkness. Inza must focus to retain her humanity. She
visibly darkens when angered, and her blood is inky black.
 Personality Trait. “I am surrounded by easily corrupted fools. Their only
value is as pawns.”

Ideal. “I will be powerful enough that even gods will fear me.”

Bond. “I am the lord of Sithicus and all within it belong to me.”

Flaw. “No power is greater than my own.”

Adventures in Sithicus..………………………………………………………..

The horrors of Sithicus are the legacy of another world. The decaying grandeur of
the elven cities and crumbling statues of its former Dark Lord act as a reminder of
the past. While the banditry and skirmishes of mercenaries and masterless soldiers
grow ever more common. War for an empty throne is the only certainty the future
of Sithicus presents. Goblins, ogres and undead come out of the hills in the night
adding to the chaos. Adventures focused on the consequence of ambition, cruel
oppressors or themes of difficult choices play well to the domain’s flavor.

Sithicus Adventures
d6 Adventure

1. Cultists in the bogs near Hroth found the corpse of a five headed hydra
preserved in the muck. Taking it as a blessing from Takhisis they plan to
raise it as an undead monstrosity and control trade to the area.
2. A knight that formerly served Lord Soth has taken control of the village of
Mal-Erek. He has a group of bandits and ogres under his command, but has
further plans. He has sent out word for mercenaries.
3. The players have been secretly hired by count Strahd. He seeks the journal
of a scholar known as “S” rumored to contain details of Soth’s escape from
Sithicus. However the merchant that was selling the book lost it on the road
through Fume Wood.
4. Two groups of soldiers have turned one of the districts of Har-Thelen into
their own personal battlefield. Daily more warriors are drawn to each side.
The city's nobles are desperate to find anyone that can end the conflict.
5. A mad man on the streets of Har-Thelen ranting of an apocalypse that has
already occurred. He claims that all in Sithicus exist within a mere reflection
and of a journey to the Black Chapel that revealed the truth. While clearly
insane he possesses a strange polyhedral stone that is clearly of unusual
origin.
6. A logging camp was recently raided by a group of soldiers looking to
resupply. Cruel and immoral, they slaughtered the camp's twenty some odd
workers. These dead have risen and as they come out the hills they slaughter
any living being in their path. Locals beg the party to stop the mob of
undead.
Some notes on the Sithicus.
Sithicus exists in a weird spot as domains go. Pulling Lord Soth from Dragonlance
into Ravenloft was a cool idea that makes a lot of sense narratively given the
character’s history. Also it sort of nods to Weis & Hickman creating Castle
Ravenloft in the first place. However it was always intended that Soth only be a
darklord for a time, leaving Sithicus without it’s most compelling aspect.

In my reworking of the domain I’ve tried to emphasize a bit more certain elements
to make it more Dragonlance. I wanted the domain to reflect the world it came
from and still have Soth’s presence stamped on it. Otherwise I feel it ends up being
just another basic fantasy domain.

Inza as a Dark Lord comes as the results of the arch created in the two novels
‘Knight of the Black Rose’ and ‘Spectre of the Black Rose’. They are worth a read
if you can track ‘em down. I tried to stay near the continuity of those books and
take in consideration the mention of Soth’s tower in the synopsis for Klorr.

DM’s wishing to run Sithicus with Soth still the Dark Lord could use stats for the
death knight as he was the original. Read on further details of the former Dark
Lord, Lord Soth - Mistipedia (fraternityofshadows.com)

Finally in regards to the specific notes...

Kender as of 3rd edition had been reduced to their undead form as a presence in the
domain. This was due to contract issues regarding White Wolf producing Ravenloft
Materials and Dragonlance properties being produced by Weirs and Hickman. I
suggest having them secretly living in Fume Wood protected by the “Bitterkinder”.
Unless of course you don’t want them, then simply have the bitterkinder as all that
remains. For details on the race's behavior I’ve basically used the Dragonlance
wiki synopsis. Bitterkinder as a name comes from 3rd edition, 2nd edition have
them as “kender vampires”, however they weren’t very “vampire” so I chose to use
the later name.

Draconians have never previously been part of the domain, but they have always
been very “Dragonlance” to me and with the existence of dragonborn as a race
makes more sense. My notes on them are very abbreviated, I may make changes to
this when I get to making revisions.

Kender…..……………………………………………………………………...

When allowing players to stat up a kender, treat them as a halfling subrace.

Ability Score Increase: Your Charisma score increases by 1

Handling: You have advantage on Sleight of Hand rolls.

Kender appear to be small Human children—slight of build, beardless, about three

and half to four feet tall. Kender generally live for 100 years (or until their
curiosity kills them).

Wanderlust is a distinct kender trait, it is the fever which possesses young kender
and causes them to travel the world over. Kender wander for years, settling down
after they feel they have wandered down all the roads their heart desires.
Wanderlust usually lasts for about 10 years.

In regard to personal belongings, kender have a relatively loose definition of what

is "theirs." In a kender home, a relic is anything that hasn't disappeared after three
weeks. Kender have the unique 'handling' ability which allows them to "find"
objects unconsciously. If a kender were to walk through a crowd of people, it
would be unlikely if the kender's pouches were not bulging with the belongings of
at least half the people there. If anyone cornered him and asked him about it, the
kender would truthfully reply that "it must have fallen into my pouch. It's a good
thing that I found it or somebody else might have taken it."

Because of their naivete in regards to personal belongings (especially how they

come to possess those items which belong to other people), the worst name you
may call a kender is either a 'cutpurse' or a 'thief,' for they believe that they are
neither—it was an accident, remember?

Kender also appear entirely fearless. While the rest of the party shies away from
the edge of the bottomless gorge, the kender will skip merrily along the edge, cross
the rotting footbridge and stop to smell the roses on the other side while being
charged by an enraged minotaur. Everything is an adventure, including death,
which is the last great adventure. This fearlessness might be interpreted as
stupidity, but kender are fiendishly clever in a child-like sort of way.

There are certain situations where a kender has been observed to get a "strange"
feeling. This generally happens in the presence of something so evil that most
rational people would have run away screaming by this point (Tasslehoff Burrfoot
made it all the way to the edge of the Shoikan Grove before turning back). The best
example of the kender's cavalier attitude is perhaps Tanis Half-Elven's warning to
Tasslehoff: ask yourself if this action will be conducive to long life (it saved Tas
several times).

Bitterkinder...…………………………………………………………………..

Bitterkinder are the twisted undead creations of Lord Soth. He used dark rituals to
bring a village of kender to the Demi-plane of dread and then experimented on
them to create these undead horrors. Most of the village either died horribly or
were turned into these tragic mockeries. They appear as kender with dried and
almost mummified flesh, glowing red eyes and long clawed hands. Speaking is
painful, making them sound raspy and quiet. When Lord Soth still ruled, the
bitterkinder were forced to serve him despite their hatred. After the death knight’s
escape they were freed of control. Discovering that those that had escaped Soth’s
experiments lived in hiding in Fume Wood, the bitterkinder became their
guardians. Now they take the misery of their existence out on any that would
trespass in the forest. Bitterkinder have stats similar to a ghast but without the
stench ability. When they are destroyed their spirit is not and flees into the woods
to reform later.
Draconians....…………………………………………………………………..

Draconians are presented in ‘Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons’. However, for those of

us that don’t currently have access to that book, here's my work around. This is a
rough idea of how to use them and is not a full write up. I’m just not fond of the
idea of writing up something that has existing stats.

First off consider them basically dragonborn, this is even mentioned in the race’s
entry in the ‘Player’s Handbook’. So anything you would use to represent an NPC
dragonborn works just as well for a draconian. With some minor tweaks depending
on kind.

Draconians do not have breath weapons, instead they all have something that
occurs during their death throes. I suggest a Dexterity save with a DC:15-20 to
avoid the effects of their death throes.

Aurak: created from gold dragon eggs, Auraks are intelligent and skilled at magic.
They act as the leaders and spellcasters in a group of draconians. They are 7 feet
tall and wingless.

Death throes: explodes for 5d6 fire dmg to everything within 5 feet of the Aurak.

Baaz: created from brass dragon eggs, Baaz are the weakest draconians. They are
treated as lesser by their fellows and act as ground troops. When running they can
flap their wings gaining advantage on intimidation checks. They are generally
around 5 feet tall.

Death throes: the baaz turns into stone. Any slashing or piercing weapon used to
kill it becomes stuck. The baaz crumbles into dust after 5 minutes.

Bozak: created from bronze dragon eggs, Bozak have an excellent understanding
of warfare. They make good lieutenants and have minor spellcasting abilities.
(Similar to paladins.) They can glide using their wings. Bozak stand around 6 and a
half feet tall.

Death throes: scales, muscle and organs rot away from the bozak’s skeleton in
seconds. The bones then explode dealing 1d6 slashing dmg to everything within 10
feet.

Kapak: created from copper dragon eggs, Kapak prefer making sneak attacks.
They are able to secrete venom from their mouths. Using this ability to lick a blade
adds the poisoned status to the attack. They are typically around 6 feet tall.

Death throes: the kapak dissolves in a splash into a puddle of acid with a 5 foot
radius. Anything in the puddle takes 1d6 acid dmg. The puddle evaporates in 1d6
rounds.

Sivak: created from silver dragon eggs, Sivak are the largest and most physically
powerful draconians. They are capable of flight with their wings, can change to
appear as the last humanoid they killed, and prefer great swords. They stand
around 8 feet tall.

Death throes: the sivak takes on the appearance of it’s killer. This lasts for 3 days
and then the body crumbles into black soot.

Nuitari and the Gods….………………………………………………………..

The skies of Sithicus have an unusual connection to the people of the land. They
believe that their gods look down from above and watch them. While most of their
gods are said to dwell in constellations, the gods of magic are believed to watch
from three moons. However, in Sithicus only one of these moons exists, Nuitari.

Nuitari
The black moon is only fully visible to those of evil alignment. Those of good
alignment cannot see the moon at all. Those of neutral alignment might make out a
strange but subtle glow in the night sky suggesting a sphere. Only those of evil
alignment can truly see the moon and the horrendous things on its surface.

Nuitari has effects on magic depending on the phase of the moon. This only applies
to arcane spells and not divine. Roll on the table to determine the starting phase of
the moon. For tracking the phases of the moon after, I suggest a calendar.
Regardless of the actual dates, it can be used to give you a marker for changes in
the moon.

Roll Phase New moon: DCs of spells are -1 for

Evil casters, +1 for Good/Neutral.
1. New moon
2. Waxing crescent moon Crescent moons: no effect
3. Waxing half moon
4. Waxing gibbous moon Half moons: DCs of spells are +1 for
5. Full moon Evil casters, -1 for Good/Neutral.
6. Waning gibbous moon Gibbous moons: DCs of spells are +2
7. Waning half moon for Evil casters, -2 for Good/Neutral.
8. Waning crescent moon
Full moon: DCs of spells are +2 for
Evil casters, -2 for Good/Neutral. In
addition, Evil casters cast spells as if
they were 1 level higher.

Takhisis & Paladine

The chief gods of Soth’s homeworld are still remembered in Sithicus. Though
divine followers of the two gods were rare, clerics of Takhisis are becoming more
common.
Paladine is known to other worlds as Bahamut. His portfolio includes order, hope,
light and redemption. Followers of the lawful good deity with divine power are
very rare. However they do exist and among Paladine’s clergy is a deep concern
about Takhisis’s growing influence. His symbol is a silver triangle, suggested
domains are Life and War.

Takhisis is known to other worlds as Tiamat. Her portfolio includes night, hatred,
control, intrigue and chaos. The lawful evil goddess has always had followers with
divine power in Sithicus. While not as rare as Paladine’s, they were still not
common. Now she has a quickly growing cult. Various would-be high priests
gather mercenaries, bandits, ogres or goblins to their cause. Each claiming that
they are the Dark Queen’s chosen. Her symbol is a black crescent, suggested
domains are Trickery and War.