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Requires the use of the Dungeons G Dragons' Players nandbook, Cbird Edition, publisbed by aizards of the Coast

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ISBN 1 -58846-086-X WW15022 $24.9d U.S.

www.swordwrcery.com

Sam

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Sam

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Sam

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Sam

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have now dedicated a full year of toil to the Doomsday Gazetteer project. By my estimation, this survey will require yet another two years to complete. As such, this anniversary strikes me as a prime

More than six years ago, as the patron of these well knows, Azalin Rex all but destroyed

If in the cataclysmic Requiem, plunging Darkon into a desperate age. I spent five years following this disaster engaged in an independent study of the Slain City of Necropolis, uncovering countless occult truths about the origins of the Requiem and the nature of our world. My success- ful research should have more than proved my ability to obtain results in the face of unending peril and dangers that dragged down many folk less capable than myself.

opportunity to review my progress to date.

Indeed, when Azalin forced his way back into the mortal realm in the summer of 755 EC and set about reestablishing control over his kingdom, my research must have drawn his attention. Late that following winter, Azalin sought me out and commis- sioned my services for an epic undertaking - a thorough survey of all the lands of the Core. O f course, much of this information was withheld from me at the time. My obstinate patron has consistently placed his own petty interests above the expedient completion of my labors, demonstrating a profound and disappointing lack of trust in my abilities. Com- poundingmy frustration, my patronshroudedhimself in anonymity and used witless thugs as intermediar- ies. Even when my patron finally acknowledged his identity a mere three months ago, he would not deign to face me in person.

Having accepted my patron’s challenge, I was unceremoniously shipped off to Barovia last spring and spent the next six months compiling reports on the lands of the southeastern Core. Presumably, these first surveys served to demonstrate my com- petence and earned my patron’s confidence. As autumn fell across the land, my patron abruptly summoned me back home to Darkon, and I spent this past winter surveying the varied realms of the northern Core: Darkon, Necropolis, Lamordia and

The winter snows have now retreated, and I pen these words from the safety and comfort of a cozy inn in Chateaufaux. My patron should thus be pleased to learn that I have passed through the gauntlet of Falkovnia without drawing the atten- tion of Azalin’s foes or exposing myself to harm. As if I would be so foolish! A troubling new concern has come to my attention, however - but more on that in a moment.

The next leg of my journey will take me through the enlightened lands of the westerncore. I spent several years of my adolescence here in Dementlieu, and I look forward to reacquainting myself with my old haunts after an absence of more than twenty years. My mother died in giving birth to me, and my father - a cold and distant man - long suspected that his wife had been unfaithful. He never forgave me for my role in her death. Thus, he was more than happy to ship his little “cuckoo’s egg” off to distant academies, and I was more than happy to go. After beginning my elementary edu- cation in Nartok, I concluded my studies in the boarding schools of Dementlieu before returning home to attend university. O f course, my frivolous school days are well behind me now.

I have wasted enough words on idle reminisc- ing. Allow me to add merely this: despite my recent hopes for improved relations between us, I remain as disappointed by my patron’s conduct as my father was disappointed by my existence. By any reasonable measure, my competence and dedica- tion should have thoroughly earned my patron’s respect by now, yet establishing an amenable rap- port has proven as vexing as slaying the multi-headed hydra of myth. No sooner is one obstacle cut down than another rises to take its place.

Thus I return to the focus of my new concerns. I draw my patron’s attention to the bracer that Azalin’s walking corpses ordered me to don as I left Darkon this past midwinter. At the time, my pa- tron assured me that the black leather and cold onyx now wrapped around my left wrist contained protective magics that would keep me safe as I passed through the lands of my patron’s sworn foes. This claim may well be true, but it is now beside the point.

I have now worn this bracer without com- plaint for three months and have yet to see any sign of the magical protection it supposedly offers. Rest assured that my successful passage through Falkovnia was due entirelv to my own discretion.

Sam

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these enchantments have been deliber- scated. atron forgets how well I know him. I am

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patron’s ongoing refusal simply to tell seeks from my work. re nf thece uamec A m l i n I cnent the

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me what he a .-....-.. A uy--.. _..-

past year convincing you that I was not to be treated as a petty lackey. I do not intend to spend the next year being treated as a laboratory rat.

Yet I ti,, .,. .I.,-I -...

These sidebars present natural wildlife ..-1..--- ‘-*--l-^^^c^..^ *L-c :- .. l.....l*.

1-suited for adventures in the do y are not exhaustive lists of all the

ures to be found. Creature lists are div o “Wildlife” (common, natural animals)

“Monsters” (uncommon, unnatural . * Y

quickly easier, creatures are listed in order of ascending Challenge Ratings. Any creatures in italics are under the influence of the 1---:-,- 1--1.1--1 I^- - IlE--L--*---*,, -c

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and I can even grant him his petty mysteries. I am perfectly willing to continue with this project merely to satisfv mv own intellectual curiositv. imoring mv

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fects in Chapter Three of the Ravenloft Campaign Setting). Unless noted otherwise, all creatures can be found in the Monster

ue to the overall time required to com- plete this project, I shall preface each volume of the Doomsday Gazetteers with a summary of my standard practices and formatting. I shall continue to uphold

the regular travel schedule I have maintained this past year, allotting roughly six weeks to study each country, taking more or less time as required. I shall then immediately relay each report back to Darkon upon its completion. When so-called “local color” proves intriguing, I will provide direct excerpts of my interviews with the native populace. For clarity’s sake, I shall present these anecdotes in sidebars.

Now that I am closer to home, I believe I can safely rely on the region’s reliable postal services, saving my patron the bother of sending his loath- some toadies to collect my folios. To avoid

As this letter marks the opening of a new Doomsday Gazetteer, I should once again address the frustrations of historical study. Objectively speaking, many lands in our world have existed for only a very short time, Indeed, Dementlieu is scarcely older than I am. On those occasions when the Mists have parted, however, the lands they revealed have typically appeared fully formed and fully populated. The inhabitants of these new lands have full memories of lives well before the emer- gence of their home. In addition, their historical records often stretch back centuries. In short, dear patron, these folk believe themselves to be as real

you or 1, and in truth I cannot disprove the claim. Common wisdom holds that these new lands

weresimp1y“revealed” to the world, havingexisted

ual. Creatures marked with an asterisk be found in Denizens of Darkness

eatures marked with a page number ncluded in the Attached Notes.

Sam

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