TEXT: 1
  Guide to the Mists
  Credits
  Authors::
  Carla Hollar and Rucht Lilavivat
  Developers::
  Jackie Cassada and Nicky Rea
  Editor:
  Dale Donovan
  Sword & Sorcery Managing Editor:
  Stewart Wieck
  Layout and Typesetting:
  Ron Thompson
  Additional Thanks
  Based on the Original Dungeons & Dragons
  ® rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave
  Arneson and the new Dungeons & Dragons
  game designed by Johnathan Tweet, Monte
  Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker and
  Peter Adkison.
  ©2005 Wizards of the Coast, Inc. Ravenloft, Van Richten’s Guide to the Mists, D&D, Dungeons and Dragons
  and its logo, the d20 System logo, and Wizards of the Coast and its logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc.,
  a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc., in the USA and other countries, and are used by Arthaus under license.
  Arthaus and its logo are trademarks of Arthaus Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Sword and Sorcery and
  its logo are trademarks of White Wolf Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
  Special Acknowledgements
  Andria Hayday (1st ed. design)
  Bruce Nesmith (1st ed. design)
  Tracy & Laura Hickman (original
  concept)
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
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  2
  Introduction
  Table of Contents
  Introduction
  3
  Chapter One: Veiled Origins
  8
  Chapter Two: Hidden Compositions
  18
  Chapter Three: Extraordinary Powers of Mist Creatures
  28
  Chapter Four: Vulnerabilities of Mist Creatures
  46
  Chapter Five: Those Who Dwell Within
  54
  Chapter Six: Traveling Through the Mists: Byways
  64
  Chapter Seven:
  Wanderers in the Mist: Vistani and Outlanders
  72
  Chapter Eight: Secret Places of the Mists
  80
  Chapter Nine:
  Hunting Those Who Dwell Within the Mists
  87
  DM’s Appendix
  97
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Van Richten’s
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
  Guide to the Mists
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  3
  Guide to the Mists
  Introduction
  Introduction
  Fear death? — to feel the fog in my throat,
   The mist in my face,
   When the snows begin, and the blasts denote
   I am nearing the place,
   The power of the night, the press of the storm,
   The post of the foe;
   Where he stands, the Arch Fear in a visible form;
   Yet the strong man must go….”
  —Robert Browning, “Prospice”
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  4
  Introduction
  elcome Dear Reader,
  My name is Laurie Weathermay-
  Foxgrove.
  Many of you are already familiar
  with the dread creatures that roam this land. The
  vampire, the lycanthrope, the created —  most of
  these are known to our readers, either through the
  works of our mentor, Rudolph Van Richten, or
  through unfortunate personal experience. What
  many people do not know about are the creatures of
  the Mists, beings that exist within those mysterious
  borders that cordon off our land and, from time to
  time, intrude upon it.
  What we propose in this book is that these
  beings are far more common than previously be-
  lieved. Indeed, we are daring to make that claim
  that these creatures surround us— all the time.
  Furthermore, numerous properties of the Mists
  themselves have never been considered by others
  in the field. In this volume, we attempt to delve
  into the nature of these unspoken powers.
  As you know, the year is 758, eight years past
  the date in which the acclaimed Rudolph Van
  Richten disappeared from the face of the land.
  Since that time my sister and I have carried on his
  work to the best of our ability, exploring the nature
  of the dead that walk and the mysterious inhabit-
  ants of the Shadow Rift.
  This latest publication, however, takes a new
  turn, for not only does it branch out into new,
  unpenned territory, it treads through the very
  ground that we were warned not to explore. The
  Mists have ever been a source of both mystery and
  fear. They seem to come and go for no reason that
  we are aware of and only the wandering Vistani
  traverse them with any degree of surety or safety.
  So, understand, by merely reading this book,
  you subject yourself to new and unheard of dangers.
  Therefore, be warned.
  From Small Beginnings
  The creation of this manual began just a year
  before the disappearance of the great Dr. Van
  Richten, when my sister and I were at the impetu-
  ous age of seventeen. We were tending his herbalist
  shop in Mordent, already interested in the study of
  the strange and peculiar. To this end, we had begun
  writing our first text together. At that time, it was
  entitled, “Weathermay-Foxgrove’s Inclusive Guide
  to the Curious Properties of the Mists.”
  Indeed, I showed the text to Uncle Rudolph
  himself, a proud seventeen-year old basking what
  she believed was a true accomplishment. Van
  Richten carefully studied our script and gently laid
  it upon the herbalist counter in front of him. It was
  then that he turned and peered at me, cocking a
  brow in my direction.
  “What is the meaning of this?” he asked.
  “Uncle Rudolph, I present to you a publica-
  tion that we…” I paused and corrected myself, “…a
  proposed work that we have been working on.”
  Van Richten rubbed the bridge of his nose
  with a sigh. His voice dropped to a low hiss. “What
  you two have written, what I see here is quite
  brilliant,” Van Richten nodded his gray head,
  sighing. “Yes, what you have set before me is well
  researched, backed up with evidence and corrobo-
  rated by witnesses. Your writing even has a certain
  style that appeals to me.”
  For a rare moment in my life, I was without
  words.
  “But what you are writing,” said Van Richten,
  “is dangerous. It can only lead to sorrow, not only for
  you and your sister, Laurie, but for everyone that
  you hold dear.”
  I stood back for a moment and crossed my
  arms, beginning to feel a tingling curiosity. “How
  can writing a simple book be dangerous, Uncle?”
  “You, of all people should know about books
  and the inherent danger that they — no, wait, that
  was Gennifer that found—”
  Before the good doctor could finish his thought,
  a large man came bursting into the herbalist shop.
  Instantly, I recognized the tri-cornered hat, the
  iron lantern and the alert eyes that darted with
  caution.
  “A lamplighter,” I whispered.
  “Dr. Van Richten,” said the lamplighter, his
  voice bellowing from his bearded face. “They told
  me to come get you. There is need for you at the
  Halloway House.”
  Van Richten looked back at me. We read each
  others’ thoughts. The Halloway House was well-
  known to us, for it had once belonged to one of the
  great ruling families of Mordent. Each of its mem-
  bers had been found murdered, or had disappeared
  without a trace over the years. Each time a family
  member vanished, the incident had always been
  accompanied with a night of thick, viscous fog.
  Now, the house stood completely empty, its vacant
  windows staring hollowly over an unoccupied town
  — a testament to the loneliness and sadness that
  consumed the Halloway family in its final years.
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  5
  Guide to the Mists
  “Make ready, Laurie,” said Dr. Van Richten.
  “We have work to do.”
  A Glimpse of Darkness
  We rode out from the herbalist shop as fast as
  our carriage horses would take us. Tamsin, the
  lamplighter, rode out ahead of us, illuminating the
  way through the moors and dense forests.
  When we finally arrived at the Halloway house,
  we saw a small crowd of people assembled outside
  of that dreaded place. Tiny flickers of torchlight
  played upon the splintering walls of the mansion.
  The large porch, sagging from the weight of age,
  grinned at our approach, as if sardonically noting
  our arrival. As we drew nearer, I was startled to find
  the house looming towards me, as if trying to peer
  into the carriage that I was riding. It was only later
  that I discovered that the house was naturally
  tilting forward in the earth, leaning due to the
  weight of age. The slanted angle of the house made
  it look as if it were crouching like some great cat,
  patiently watching for its prey as it crept ever
  closer.
  “What news?” cried Van Richten, opening the
  door to the carriage and hopping out even before
  the horses had stopped.
  I saw now that a number of lamplighters stood
  at the scene. Beside them stood a weeping woman
  dressed in a plain cotton dress. A balding man with
  long jowls stood beside her, his head bowed. Be-
  hind them stood a number of wide-eyed children.
  “Two boys,” said one of the lamplighters. “A
  number of playmates decided to explore Steadwall.
  They wandered too close to Halloway House. Two
  of the children fell into the root cellar — there.”
  With his hand, he indicated a direction a little
  distance away. “When their playmates called for
  them, there was no answer. We wanted to know if
  there was anything that could be done.”
  Van Richten slowly crossed over the weed-
  strangled hill and looked at what everyone was
  gathered around. Sure enough, a massive hole
  peered out from the now broken door to the root
  cellar. A cold, wet draft wafted up from the dark-
  ness within.
  “Please,” said Van Richten, would one of you
  gentlemen lower a lamp through the hole?”
  It was Tamsin who obliged. He tied a rope to
  his own lantern and carefully slid the light down
  through the jagged hole. The sputtering flame
  illuminated a dusty atmosphere.
  “I hate this,” I muttered under my breath.
  “I thought you wanted to accompany me on
  my missions,” said Van Richten.
  “I do,” I replied, abashed at my mentor’s sharp
  hearing. “I simply have a…trepidation where root
  cellars are concerned.”
  Soon, we could see that not only had the door
  to the root cellar shattered, but the stairs beneath
  the cellar doors had given way as well. Down
  below, the lantern shone upon a mass of broken
  boards, splinters and rusted nails. Past the scattered
  remains of the door and stairs, I could see a mass of
  footprints. Dozens of tiny prints made their marks
  upon the dusty floor.
  “What is it?” I wondered aloud with the faint-
  est whisper.
  The lantern swung back and forth. As the light
  swayed through the room, the shadows reached
  first to the left and then to the right — and there,
  I saw it, that terrible detail that not only bewildered
  me, but left me with a cold feeling of dread.
  “You see it, too?” whispered Van Richten,
  noting my swift intake of breath. “You note the
  same thing?”
  I nodded in silence. Hooves. All of the small
  footprints were actually marks where miniature
  hooves had tread upon the ground as if a herd of
  miniature goats had tromped back and forth in that
  spot. Van Richten tilted the rope that dropped
  down into the cellar. The lantern rocked further
  into the empty cellar, swinging its pool of light
  deeper into the darkness. For a moment, I thought
  a saw something — a form of some sort waiting
  down there in the damp darkness.
  The good doctor saw it as well and tilted the
  swaying lantern just a bit further. At first I caught
  only a glimpse, but then saw plainly what chilled
  me to the bone.
  Words had been assembled out of the splinters
  and broken planks.
  we keep what we take
  Van Richten signaled for Tamsin to pull the
  lantern up from the depths. He turned and walked
  toward the woman, who now looked at the doctor
  with a mixture of terror and hope. Her face was red
  from crying, her eyes completely blood-shot. Ev-
  erything was silent but for the ragged breath of that
  poor woman.
  I saw the doctor lean in close and whisper to
  her. He took her hands and held them tightly. The
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  6
  Introduction
  woman trembled for but a moment and then
  crumpled, fainting. The tall, balding man that had
  stood beside her all this time swiftly caught her
  limp body. He buried his face into her neck and
  began to sob.
  Van Richten glanced at me over his shoulder.
  His eyes shimmered in the gathering lights. I knew
  what was on his mind, I knew exactly who he was
  thinking about at that moment. For the first time,
  I truly understood why he sought so assiduously to
  protect my sister and me.
  Unexpected Returnings
  Greetings Gentle Reader,
  My name is Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove.
  As one might deduce, we dropped the idea of
  our then-titled, “Weathermay-Foxgrove’s Inclu-
  sive Guide to the Curious Properties of Mists.”
  When Laurie told me of what happened and what
  Dr. Van Richten had said, we both decided that it
  was not the time to pursue our own, independent
  research.
  Of course, the disappearance of Van Richten
  reinvigorated us, but it also made us forget all about
  our personal work. We instead saw fit to bring to
  light Uncle Rudolph’s unpublished work.
  As you might have guessed, however, circum-
  stances forced us to explore old territory. Something
  gave us cause to reexamine that ground which even
  Dr. Van Richten warned not to explore.
  Not three months before we began work on
  this tome, I had reason to go back to Halloway
  House. The reason for my venture there was en-
  tirely different from my sister’s, however. Instead of
  an emergency summons, I was called by Smythe,
  the local ferryman.
  It had been nine years since the great Dr. Van
  Richten had been called there to investigate the
  disappearance of the poor Freidlin boys. Symthe
  had sent a message, claiming that he had seen
  something curious and, knowing that I was a pur-
  veyor of the unusual, requested my presence. I met
  my summoner by the shores of the river where he
  worked, not far at all from the accursed Steadwall.
  As always, I regarded Smythe with a bit of caution.
  While mostly harmless, Symthe was known to us to
  be a bit of a liar.
  “I’m glad you could make it out this eve,
  ma’am,” said Smythe, grinning his toothless grin.
  “I knew that you in particular would take an
  interest in what I saw up on the hill.”
  I bowed my head in the affirmative, “Indeed,
  what is it, Smythe? I do hope this is not one of your
  wild stories.”
  “No, ma’am,” croaked Smythe, putting a
  gnarled hand upon his sunken chest. For a mo-
  ment, he looked genuinely hurt. “You of all people
  know what an honest soul I am.”
  I sighed, waving away his protestations. “I
  have not come here to debate your ‘boundless
  integrity.’ If there is nothing further….”
  “There’s something further all right,” said
  Smythe. With a speed that belied his age and
  decrepit form, he grabbed my arm with surprising
  strength. “There’s something further indeed. Just
  look up that hill right now. You’ll see what I’m
  talking about.”
  I struggled in his iron grasp for a moment,
  angered by his audacity. As I did, however, I noted
  that Smythe no longer looked at me. His eyes were
  cast past my shoulder, and they were full of loath-
  ing. His lips quivered with genuine fear. The face
  of the liar had gone.
  Slowly, I turned to peer up the hill as he
  indicated. Halloway House stood as it always had,
  leaning down from the top of the hill, but around
  the corner of the house came a long column of mist.
  Pouring from that bank of mist came a gathering of
  small, white figures. Dozens upon dozens of tiny,
  naked forms sprang out, their skin white and lumi-
  nous as moonlight. Their legs tapered down to end
  in hooves and their gaunt arms were as thin as
  spindles. Strangest of all, however, were their ter-
  rible faces, with wide, staring eyes and mouths
  caught in a perpetual “O”.
  The forms began running down the hill to-
  wards us. Instantly Smythe recoiled, releasing my
  arm and retreating back to his raft.
  “I told you! They’ve been haunting me! Haunt-
  ing me!” Without looking back, Smythe leapt onto
  his river ferry and pushed away from the shore.
  I called out to Smythe, but he did not even
  slow his pace. Within the span of a heartbeat, I saw
  the ferry plow forward into the waters of the river.
  I felt the cold, slimy hands of the creatures
  upon my ankles and upon my skin. I called out
  again to him, but the ferry kept drifting farther into
  the river. As I watched, the fog swallowed up both
  Smythe and his ferry.
  I could feel the tugging of a dozen little arms
  upon my dress, actions accompanied by the sounds
  of a hundred tiny whispers. As I turned back toward
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  7
  Guide to the Mists
  the house, I saw that the creatures had gathered all
  around me. I heard their chatter. Their incessant
  chant:
  we keep what we take
  As the creatures closed in around me, I saw
  what could only have been a vision. Behind the
  tiny beings stood what appeared to be a pair of small
  boys. Their hands were linked together, and they
  were staring straight at me with blank, shining
  eyes.
  I felt the slippery hands of the creatures tug-
  ging at my arms. Something was crawling through
  my hair, tangling its fingers in my locks. Through
  the blanket of noise around me, through the hum
  and din of the collected speech that threatened to
  overwhelm me completely, I thought I could hear
  a tiny voice. “Look upon them,” it said, “look upon
  them and know that they are the Lost.”
  I felt a quivering mass of hands swarm over my
  body. I stepped back to try to regain my balance,
  but in that moment, a wave of maggot-white flesh
  pressed against me. Little fingers clutched my face.
  Little arms pulled me back and I tumbled into the
  cold, dark river.
  When I awoke, I was on Smythe’s ferry. His
  back was to me, and I saw that he was examining
  my pistol.
  “This all you have on you?” he muttered.
  “Yes,” I gasped, suddenly realizing how cold I
  was.
  Smythe stood up and spoke gruffly, never
  turning around to face me. “Mm,” he snorted,
  “always thought you carried a bit more on you.”
  Thus began a second time our quest to inves-
  tigate the Mists. Instantly, a mystery lay before us.
  Who exactly were “the Lost” that the horde of
  creatures spoke of? Were they the missing boys that
  Van Richten had been called to save so long ago?
  How were we to find these lost beings, and where
  could we find them? Why had I been allowed to see
  them? What was the nature of the strange creatures
  that tried to drown me?
  These are the questions that we explored in
  this tome. As it is in the nature of science, each
  uncovered answer bred more questions. We hope
  that as you explore these words, you will uncover
  more answers than we did. But remember, dear
  reader, you have been warned.
  Chapter Overview
  Our Introduction makes plain enough our
  desires and reason for completing this text.
  Chapter One: Veiled Origins makes the case
  for Mist creatures and speculates upon their ori-
  gins. It also reviews the known properties of the
  Mists themselves, as well as discusses properties of
  the Mists that have thus far been undiscovered.
  Chapter Two: Hidden Compositions explains
  the physiology, psychology and common powers of
  the denizens of the Mists.
  Chapter Three: Extraordinary Powers re-
  veals the myriad salient abilities that Mist creatures
  might sometimes exhibit.
  Chapter Four: Those Who Dwell Within
  covers the sad plight of the mistlorn — those
  hapless souls who have been captured and taken in
  by the Mists.
  Chapter Five: Hidden Places discusses a new
  discovery — the dread oubliettes, those dark and
  chilling places which act as pockets of dread within
  the rolling Mists.
  Chapter Six: Traveling Through the Mists
  reveals the properties and nature of the mysterious
  Mistways, paths within the Mists themselves.
  Chapter Seven: The Vistani covers the great
  navigators of the Mists, the enigmatic gypsies who
  travel through the Mist as sailors do an ocean.
  How to Use this Book
  This book is a new addition to the series of Van
  Richten Guides. As in the books before it, informa-
  tion regarding game rules and rules-related
  commentaries on the topics appear in sidebars.
  The Appendix at the end of the guide includes
  descriptions for new monsters as well as a creature
  creation laboratory which explains how the DM
  might create his own Mist terrors. Finally, the stats
  and backgrounds of specific characters that appear
  in this guide can be found in the Appendix as well.
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  8
  Chapter One
  I have my own views about Nature’s methods, though I feel
  that it is rather like a beetle giving his opinions upon the Milky
  Way.
  —Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Stark Munro Letters
  Chapter One:
  Veiled Origin<
  Chapter One:
  Veiled Origin<
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  9
  Veiled Origins
  reetings one and all,
  Allow me, Laurie Weathermay-
  Foxgrove, to delve now into the origins
  of those that dwell within the Mists.
  Creatures such as the savage lycan-
  thrope, the walking dead, the spectral ghost and
  other foul entities are all subjects of intense study
  around the core. These are the beings of dread that
  plague our land. Allow us, however, to make a
  supposition. Presume, for a moment, that there
  exists another category of creature that roams the
  land. These creatures are just as deadly, just as
  insidious and just as terrible as their better known
  counterparts.
  The question arises: how could such a class of
  heretofore unknown creatures exist? Would we
  have not heard of such beings by now? Surely some
  evidence of these undiscovered creatures must
  exist. But then let us make another supposition—
  that these creatures constantly surround us, hiding in
  plain sight.
  Here lies the very premise that this tome
  boldly states — that this unspoken class of monster
  has been with us for centuries, but has remain
  undetected by us.
  Of course, with such dramatic claims as these,
  the burden of proof lies upon us to produce a proper
  case. And here is our second controversial asser-
  tion: many of the creatures of dread, many of those
  sinister monsters that we battle are, in fact, beings
  that belong to this undiscovered category. Many of
  these day-hating fiends are creatures of the Mists.
  The Case for Mist Creatures
  Imagine the lone vampire that preys upon the
  small hamlet in the middle of the wilds. What if
  that creature was not acting of its own accord, but
  was instead doing so because of a curse from the
  Mists? Could such a thing be possible? My sister
  and I state emphatically that it must be so.
  What led us to this outrageous idea? It was
  simply this: as youngsters, we could not travel
  throughout the core with Van Richten. We were
  confined to the library, where the study of other
  lands occurred through the pages of books. Through
  our constant reading, we both noticed one thing —
  that numerous domains claimed similar, if not
  identical folklore.
  For example, the legendry of numerous lands
  claimed the tale of the Hitchhiker. This legend is
  known to many in the land and is especially popu-
  lar among children. The legend goes thusly:
  A carriage driver traveling down a road late at
  night happens upon a sad-looking woman while
  crossing a bridge.
  Being kind-hearted, the carriage driver picks
  up the young woman and offert to carry her to the
  destination of her choice. With a forlorn sigh, the
  woman asks to be taken to her father’s house,
  providing directions from the bridge.
  Following the woman’s instructions, the driver
  approaches a small cottage. As the driver of the
  carriage looks over to the woman to tell her that
  they have arrived, he finds that she has vanished.
  Perplexed, he knocks upon the door of the cottage,
  Dread Possibility: Introducing New Threats To Your Campaign
  Introducing a brand new monster or villain into your Ravenloft campaign is sometimes
  difficult because of the existing power structure of the realm. If you place a dragon in the middle
  of a domain, that dragon would eventually contend with the Darklord for power. A coven of
  vampires in a major city might take it over after just a few months. While such power struggles
  can make for great campaigning, sometimes you may want a simpler plot where the Darklord of
  the domain doesn’t figure into the picture. Other times, you may want to bring in a challenge
  to your players without shaking up the political boundaries of your campaign world with the
  threat that you introduce.
  By making your favorite monster or villain a creature of the Mists, it can be wherever you
  want it to be without disrupting the structure of the setting. For instance, your vampires could
  show up for a short story arc, conflict with the campaign’s heroes and then disappear into the
  Mists when the conflict was over.
  This allows the DM to explore the use of more powerful creatures in Ravenloft if they so
  wish. Simply have the creature arrive via the Mists, encounter the heroes, and then leave once
  the clash is over.
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  10
  Chapter One
  wondering if she has already entered unseen by
  him.
  The door opens, and out steps a wizened, old
  man. To the driver’s surprise, the old man is not at
  all shocked or concerned but quietly explains that
  his daughter died long ago when the bridge was
  washed out. Even though the bridge has since been
  repaired, the young woman’s spirit continually
  haunts it, trying to get home so that her dear father
  will not worry. Sadly, her spirit is doomed never to
  make it to the doorstep of her cottage.
  While most in the realm have dismissed this
  story as a mere myth, we have spoken with numer-
  ous subjects who have all had the same experience.
  They each claim to have picked up a strange
  woman on a bridge and taken her to a cottage only
  to discover her missing upon arrival.
  At first, this seems to be a typical haunting,
  with a phantom doomed to attempt to repeat an
  unfinished task from its life. However, we found
  numerous curious details concerning this tale. Each
  of the individuals we spoke to described the same
  house and the same old man, even though each
  person we spoke to lived in a different domain.
  As we studied this case, we wondered how a
  phantom could travel so freely from realm to realm.
  It is well known that phantoms or ghosts are tied to
  a particular 
  area, that by their very nature, they do not
  roam. And what of the old man and the cottage?
  How could they be in several places at once?
  The answer is deceptively simple: the woman,
  the old man and even the cottage are properties of
  the Mists. The haunting moves to where the Mists
  see fit.
  Concluding the Case for Mist
  Creatures
  As a result of our exhaustive investigations, we
  believe that beings we now refer to as “creatures of
  the Mists” exist in this realm. Many of these crea-
  tures are haplessly possessed by the Mists, which
  keep them in a “temporal vault” until such time as
  they are needed. Others — fen hounds, ferrymen
  and the like — are created by the Mists themselves.
  All of them, however, exist for a reason.
  We cannot stress this point enough: all crea-
  tures of the Mists serve a particular purpose. The
  intent designated for the creature in question might
  be enigmatic, but ultimately all fulfill some larger
  Dread Possibilities –
  The Urban Legend
  I’ve heard the story a thousand times. Bloody
  Mary is supposed to be the ghost of a girl who died while
  looking into a mirror. To see her, they say you have to
  go into your bathroom and turn out your lights. Then,
  when everything is totally quiet, you spin around
  thirteen times. You have to chant the words, ‘Bloody
  Mary’ each time you spin. When you open your eyes,
  Bloody Mary will be standing there.
  We didn’t think anything was going to happen.
  We were just going to see if it was true, I promise.
  We didn’t think it was actually true…
  Urban legends have existed for as long as people
  have gathered together in communities, whether
  cities, towns or villages. Urban legends began as
  simple ghost stories that people told around the fire
  to while away the long nights. Many of the old “ghost
  stories” known throughout the world arise from
  popular urban legends that have been continually
  updated for the current age and modified to fit  their
  culture and locale.
  Imagine that you live in a world where each
  and every “urban legend” is true. Visualize a
  land haunted by ghosts, stalked by malformed
  horrors and inhabited by creatures of night-
  mare. Welcome to Ravenloft.
  Urban legends serve as great templates of
  gothic horror, because they often reveal the
  flaws in the characters of the tale or bring to
  light some flaw within us.
  So many of Ravenloft’s themes and ideas
  come from the ghost stories of old. Since urban
  legends are merely ghost stories with a modern
  twist, why not de-modernize urban legends and
  make them something you can draw from for
  your Ravenloft campaign?
  How does this book allow you recreate
  these ideas in a roleplaying game? Simple. Most
  creatures in a fantasy adventure can only be in
  one place at one time. But through the Mists,
  your Ravenloft creatures can now travel the
  realms at your convenience. Better yet, you’ll
  have a context that explains why your particu-
  lar creature makes its home in so many places.
  Van Richten’s Guide to the Mists pro-
  vides the methods and the vehicles you can use
  to create the spirit of “Bloody Mary,” the unfor-
  tunate creature who lives within all mirrors.
  Sword & Sorcery http://www.swordsorcery.com
  
  11
  Veiled Origins
  function. For instance, the Mists often make “ex-
  amples” of individuals who fall into sin. In the case
  of Halton Becks, the Mists provide us with an
  example of why we should be careful not to be
  foolishly led into danger. In the case of Artemis
  Petrovich, the message for us might be to be careful
  what we wish for, because dark desires, even well-
  hidden, can surface at any time. More about these
  individuals appears later in this volume.
  Mist creatures may also come into being for
  the purpose of punishing others. For example, the
  vile Telling Man is transported from town to town,
  assaulting those who are too possessed of their own
  vanity.
  Finally, some categories of Mist creatures might
  bear a curse. The famed wight, Leaster Nich, roams
  the core perpetually, seeking as much gold as he
  can find. Ironically, he is cursed to only be able to
  keep the gold he can carry when the Mists trans-
  port him away.
  The Origins of Mists Creatures
  This brings us to the origins of Mist creatures
  and all those who dwell within that misty curtain.
  Mist creatures are singularly cursed by this land.
  Their curse irrevocably binds them both to the
  Mists and to the land itself, so that their position in
  the world may change from one location to an-
  other, as the Mists desire. This seems to be the case
  both for those created within the Mists, such as
  Mist elementals, or creatures “adopted” by the
  Mists, like the unfortunate beings referred to by
  name in the previous passage.
  Thus, Mist creatures have two origins — ei-
  ther they are spawned from the murky veil
  themselves or they are drawn in by them.
  As for those who are pulled into the foggy
  depths, one might ask why them and not others?
  Are these beings so much more evil than other
  occupants of the land who are bound to it as well?
  They do not seem to be more evil or vile than any
  other cursed being in the land. Why are only
  certain beings moved around by the whims of the
  Mists?
  The answer seems to be simply this: those who
  are shifted about from place to place suffer more for
  it since they seek nothing more than to settle in
  one location and put down roots. They seek a
  home, a symbol of permanence, but they are for-
  ever denied anything familiar. Doomed to wander
  the land, they have no control over where they go
  next.
  Can you imagine the torture of such an exist-
  ence — to have no way to choose where one will be
  from one moment to the next? Most terrible of all,
  perhaps, would be the knowledge that each time
  you appeared in your new environment, you would
  know the Mists had placed you there for a reason,
  and that you have no choice but to fulfill your
  obligation.
  Editor’s Note: Could it not be possible that these
  tortured beings, who are moved about so relentlessly,
  fulfill their destiny through some perverse compulsion?
  Gennifer’s encounter with the Telling Man seems to
  point toward this theory.
  The beings drawn away by the Mists are possessed
  by a strange Craving, one that leads them to do the
  Mists’s work whether they realize it or not. I fully
  believe that those specially cursed by the Mists to
  wander the realms do have a choice in what they do, but
  they choose to fulfill their dark desires, even though they
  know that these desires cursed them in the first place. It
  is, in fact, my bellief that these beings no longer care.
  And that is what makes them so dangerous.
  —GWF
  Known Properties of the Mists
  Before we continue with our conjectures, let
  us look at the properties of the Mists that we do
  know. Some of these observations, such as the first
  one, are common knowledge. Others are more
  obscure bits of knowledge gained from research
  and, where possible, experience in the field (though
  not within the Mists themselves).
  Fact: The Mists Border Our Lands.
  Though this statement seems obvious, it needs
  to be declared. Most of the citizens of our land
  accept that a barrier of dense fog borders the Core
  realms on all sides. A majority of these people also
  believe that Mordent has always been this way.
  Some learned and experienced individuals,
  however, know that our land was not always so.
  Elder Mordent history speaks of a time in which the
  Mists did not border the world as they do now.
  Indeed, many researchers have seen maps of dis-
  tant lands where no misty borders exist at all, where
  whole continents are bordered by endless oceans
  instead of a veil of vapor.
  Sword & Sorcery http://www.swordsorcery.com
  
  12
  Chapter One
  This very barrier has a peculiar property in and
  of itself. It keeps those in this land from leaving.
  Editor’s Note: I must here express my disagree-
  ment with my sister. I have come across several
  prophecies that talk of portals that lead to exits from this
  world. It has also been documented that several indi-
  viduals from this land have left its confines to visit other
  worlds, albeit briefly. During the Grand Conjunction,
  for example, the wizard Hazlik was said to have left his
  demesne of Hazlan for a short period of time. Where
  he went is anyone’s guess, but the journey greatly
  changed him, causing him to lift the ban on magic in his
  domain when he returned.
  —GWF
  Fact: The Mists Transport Beings or
  Lands From Place to Place
  Those who step within the Mists are subject to
  its whims. The most common effect the Mists have
  is to transport people or creatures from one place to
  another. They can, however, transport entire places,
  evidenced by the Grand Conjunction in 735-740
  BC. The Mists have an almost unlimited capacity
  to change the environment. The power to rear-
  range whole continents overnight does not seem to
  be out of their scope.
  Though it is quite rare for the Mists to trans-
  port its occupants, most people in our land avoid
  the Mists when they can due to their fear of
  becoming the rare person grabbed up and taken to
  another place entirely. Those who see a cloud of
  Mist along the road usually try to circumvent it.
  Many travelers even halt their journey and wait for
  a fog bank to clear rather than try to penetrate it.
  Of course, numerous circumstances make com-
  plete avoidance of fog in our land impossible.
  Because total escape from the Mists is not only
  unfeasible but impractical, the sale of charms and
  talismans designed to ward of fog and haze is
  popular within our realm. I daresay that I have yet
  to see a single one of these items truly function as
  their creators claim. However, superstition runs
  rampant through the Core, and it shall be a cold
  day in the abyss when no peasant carries some
  trinket to ward off the dreaded White Curtain.
  Fact: The Mists Capture Beings or
  Lands
  According to our history, Mordent was taken
  into the realm from a distant place. As we look
  deeper, we find this historical theme repeated in
  other domain histories.
  Falkovnians report that their land was once a
  part of another world. Many Barovians, too, talk of
  a distant past when their land was part of a greater
  country, though they speak of this only in hushed
  whispers.
  The capture of solitary beings, or outlanders, by
  the Mists is well documented throughout the land.
  Strangely, these outlanders all hold a common trait
  — they possess a great capacity for either good or
  evil. Those who follow the “middle road” are rare.
  This ability to seize individuals is yet another
  reason most people steer clear of the Mists. Though
  still a rare occurrance, many people claim to know
  someone who heard of a person who wandered into
  the Mist and “was never seen again.” In our inves-
  tigations, a majority of these cases turn out to have
  less supernatural origins. Overwhelming evidence
  by numerous authorities indicates that individuals
  who “disappear” are usually runaways who simply
  relocate under another name or else they are vic-
  tims of accidents or foul play.
  Fact: The Mists Distort Time.
  Several places in the land experience a kind of
  “temporal fugue.” The Shadow Rift, for example,
  seems to exist in a place where time is warped.
  Those claiming to have traveled there say that time
  travels faster within its depths than in the rest of
  the realm. Some scholars speculate that the Mists
  that surround that realm bring about this temporal
  effect.
  The Shadow Rift is not the only place subject
  to this temporal instability. The domain of Forlorn
  is said to be a place where time changes like the
  inconstant wind. Explorers of that sad land claim
  that the Mists can bend time back upon itself,
  transporting one through the past.
  Rumors abound claiming that the Mists grant
  longevity to those who frequently visit their wispy
  embrace. Indeed, the Vistani of the Zarovan tribe
  possess unnaturally long lives, and many tales docu-
  ment how they are able to manipulate time.
  A few critics claim that the Mists do not bring
  about the effects we have mentioned here. These
  same scholars believe, instead, that this temporal
  distortion is due to a mystical property of the land
  in these areas. However, we strongly believe that
  the Mists are responsible for these curious occur-
  rences.
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  13
  Veiled Origins
  Proposed Properties of the Mists
  Now, if all three of these facts hold true, could
  it not be possible for the Mists to capture places or
  beings for extended periods of time, releasing them
  when the time is ripe? Could the Mists, then, be a
  vault, storing pieces of various lands, assorted
  peoples, collecting them like a vast library of frozen
  cultures?
  We would propose to our readers that this is
  indeed the case. In fact, we would propose that the
  Mists have more properties than previously imag-
  ined. Here, we make our proposal, adding to the
  Mists’ capacities.
  The Mists Act as a Vault
  In 747 BC, the strange case of Halton Becks
  became the raging topic of gossipers and
  rumormongers around the land. Halton Becks was
  a simple farmer who worked as a plowman for his
  father. His story begins with his engagement to a
  young woman he had courted for several years. To
  celebrate his forthcoming marriage, his friends
  took Halton to a local tavern. As the story goes, all
  of Halton’s friends fell asleep at their seats in a
  drunken stupor. Halton left them to their slumbers
  and set off for home on his own. His path took him
  down a road now covered with thick fog.
  As Halton wandered through the fog, he be-
  held a magnificent sight — a long procession of
  faeries, making a slow march into the nearby forest.
  Entranced by the beauty of the vision and
  emboldened by copious drafts of ale, he tried to
  follow the faerie procession, but no matter how fast
  he ran, the faerie host was always just ahead of him,
  fading away into the distant Mist.
  Halton ran until he grew too tired to go any
  further. He fell asleep upon the ground, surrounded
  by layers of white fog. When he awoke, the fog had
  disappeared. He made his way back home only to
  find that 30 years had gone by. Believing him dead,
  his fiancé had married someone else. Halton’s
  father had long since died of grief, and the farm
  where young Halton had worked was gone,  torn
  down to make way for a mill.
  The sad tale of Halton Becks indicates that the
  Mists are capable of not just capturing something
  and physically transporting it, but placing it tempo-
  rally, as well.
  Unfortunately, the story of Halton Becks is
  not an isolated tale, but we shall delve into the
  subject of “The Lost” later.
  The Mists Assume the Likenesses of
  Other People or Places
  The story of the Hitchhiker lends credence to
  the idea that beings can be replicated by the Mists,
  recurring as time wears on. Other findings point to
  this idea as well.
  Take, for instance, the case of Artemis
  Petrovich — a quiet moneylender who was prone
  to talk to himself on lonely nights. According to
  the tales, Artemis would occasionally whisper dark
  desires to himself, living out perverted fantasies in
  his mind.
  Much to his horror, many of his twisted fanta-
  sies began to happen, as each of his sick fantasies
  came to horrid life after he vocalized it, as if
  someone were listening to him and acting upon his
  whispered secrets. It began with a maid who was
  found at the bottom of a well, her naked body
  strangled to death. The incidents escalated as one
  of Artemis’s associates was boiled alive in a vat of
  oil. The culmination of these fantasies was the
  poisoning of Artemis’s estranged family.
  Investigators were able to find numerous wit-
  nesses that placed Artemis at the scene of each of
  the crimes. Artemis, of course, claimed innocence.
  It was only after that the crimes continued to
  happen while Artemis was in prison that the local
  constable began to believe him.
  Finally, investigators documented reports that
  several “beings” exactly resembling Artemis were
  causing these crimes. In a bizarre turn of events,
  Artemis Petrovich escaped prison, chased into the
  Mists by five physical duplicates of himself.
  Editor’s Note: For a while, we did not believe
  this story, since the people of our realm are not usually
  cursed for their dark dreamings. Even the most saintly
  person has an occasional menacing thought. The con-
  scious choice not to act upon those thoughts, in fact,
  distinguishes the good person from the bad. Upon
  further investigation, however, we believe that Artemis
  Petrovich committed the first crime himself. This first
  evil deed, therefore, opened the floodgates of a curse
  that brought to life a host of other misdeeds that he had
  long been dreaming.
  — GWF
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  14
  Chapter One
  The Mists Infuse Themselves Into
  Places.
  All who dwell here know that the Mists infuse
  the land itself. Documentation of the claiming of
  lands by the Mists also indicates that the Mists can
  infuse themselves into additional lands as they
  wish. What people do not consider, however, is
  that the Mists may infuse themselves into a particu-
  lar place, such as a house or garden.
  Take for instance, the De Boistribue House of
  our native Mordent. The folk who live near the
  woods surrounding the house know that it has a
  habit of interposing itself in a traveler’s path. Many
  attribute its shifting location to a terrible curse.
  While this may be true, we believe that the Mists
  are involved in the De Boistribue House’s bizarre
  method of travel.
  The Mists Infuse themselves into
  Creatures.
  In the most bizarre of cases, we have seen cases
  where particular beings can become possessed by
  the vaporous wardens of our land. Such is the tragic
  case of the Black Skald, who roams the land doomed
  to appear before any great tragedy strikes. The
  Black Skald has been seen throughout history
  before the White Plauge in Darkon and the Octo-
  ber Flood that killed dozens of families in Kartakass.
  Each time, the Black Skald has stepped from a bank
  of fog, transported there by the Mists themselves.
  He is renowned for speaking in cryptic messages,
  giving hints or clues about what is to come. Sadly,
  the accursed man can never tell any audience
  exactly what is about to transpire. He can only
  speak of it indirectly; thus his warnings are either
  misconstrued or simply ignored.
  The Mists Create Both Creatures and
  Lands.
  The wildest claim that we dare make is that
  the Mists can create entire realities. They need not
  capture places from other lands. Rather, they can
  produce a house or forest, placing it where they
  like. While many have believed this for years,
  many scholars refuse to give credence to this idea.
  Doing so, they claim, would ascribe to the Mists a
  power heretofore associated only with divine be-
  ings. Here we must emphasize that this assertion of
  the Mists’ creative powers is merely a hypothesis;
  we have very little evidence to support it.
  Documentation, however, does uphold the
  existence of creatures that seem to work solely for
  the purposes of the Mists. Reliable witnesses have
  attested to the appearance of the Mist ferrymen
  who drift upon the night currents of lonely rivers,
  or the mysterious fen hounds that only approach
  from a bank of haze to dole out their savage justice.
  These creatures seem to from out of the Mists
  themselves, to serve their whims.
  If the Mists can create whole ranges of crea-
  tures, could not they also create entire individuals —
  people with false but detailed histories and memo-
  ries? Such occurrences are not outside the range of
  possibility for the Mists.
  On the Origins of the Mists
  Mist creatures originate in one of two ways:
  they are either caught up by the Mists or created by
  them. In either case, these creatures seem to serve
  specific functions. A Mist creature’s purpose may
  be good or evil in nature. We have seen or heard of
  instances of both.
  In an attempt to understand Mist creatures, we
  have turned our attention to the Mists themselves.
  Why do the Mists continually create or ensnare
  creatures, places and people? Why are the Mists
  apparent servants of both good and evil?
  If the Mists acted as a force for evil, then only
  evil would come forth from their substance. This is
  clearly not the case. Mist creatures like the Black
  Skald try to prevent disaster, while the fen hounds
  punish those who commit wrongs. On the other
  hand, the Mists are not forces solely for good, since
  their machinations have brought such sorrow for
  countless people.
  When we look to the origins of the Mists, we
  must pose several questions. From whence do these
  potent forces come? Why are they here? What is
  their purpose?
  The answers to these questions vary widely
  from person to person and from domain to domain.
  Ask this simple question in any tavern or univer-
  sity room and you will receive a dozen answers.
  Quite simply — no one really knows the origins of the
  Mists or their true purpose. Or rather, no one has yet
  to form an opinion that is more popular than any
  other. In this text, however, we shall highlight the
  most popular theories of our day and discuss both
  their merits and flaws.
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  15
  Veiled Origins
  Speculation upon these matters is difficult
  because few records exist of the early eras of the
  land in which we live. Each time we have at-
  tempted to discover the ancient history of this
  land, we have gotten wildly differing reports. For
  instance, the creation mythos of the domain of
  Lamordia differs vastly from that of Darkon or of
  our own Mordent.
  Looking at Mordent’s history, in fact, reveals
  something fascinating. Documents relate how
  Mordent was long ago surrounded by Mists. This
  entrapment happened only after an incident that
  occurred in Gryphon Manor. Upon delving into
  our family records, we found that an individual
  known as “the Alchemist” moved into Gryphon
  Manor and proceeded to conduct strange experi-
  ments.
  After these experiments occurred, around the
  time of October 579 BC, something unusual hap-
  pened, marking the first time that the Mists
  cordoned off our land. Could it be that these horrid
  alchemical experiments created the Mists?
  The Alchemical Theory
  At first, it was our belief that this could not be
  so. How could the Mists be the by-product of a
  single experiment gone wrong? Such a claim would
  attribute a power akin to godhood to happen-
  stance.
  But our opinion changed once we explored
  the depths of Dr. Van Richten’s notes. In the
  following passage, he makes his own supposition
  about the Mist-related origins of our land.
  I have seen evidence that this land may have been
  created through the misuse of alchemy. While scholars
  and mages may believe that no single process, no
  matter how dark or vile, could be responsible for such
  a cosmic event, I assert that it is indeed possible. For
  nature functions upon a delicately balanced wheel,
  and a single event that tips that wheel can have
  devastating consequences. I now suspect that the lord
  of Darkon works in his tower for this very thing — a
  cataclysm of apocalyptic proportions. I greatly fear for
  the people in this land, for I find that I now cannot
  devote any time to this. My own concerns consume me
  in these encroaching days.
  For those who are reading these hastily scribed
  notes, know this: In the depths of the Heather House,
  where my good friends the Weathermays make their
  abode, I have seen records that refer to an Alchemist.
  These ancient accounts tell of how this Alchemist
  moved into the House on Gryphon Hill and conducted
  unnatural experiments. Not long after, the Mists
  descended upon Mordent and snatched up the land like
  a raptor with its prey. However, of these hypotheses,
  I will only say this — they are only suppositions at this
  point. Without further evidence, I cannot say more
  about what may or may not be.
  Not only does Dr. Van Richten make an
  excellent point, but his hypothesis was correct.
  Not long after his disappearance, the Requiem
  shattered the face of Darkon, turning the entire
  city of Il-Aluk into a seething mass of undead, and
  causing the disappearance of the wizard-king Azalin.
  Furthermore, the text above shows that Van
  Richten had knowledge of the same records we had
  uncovered, and he too, considered the same hy-
  pothesis. However, we have found much evidence
  against this theory of creation.
  The most compelling piece of counter-infor-
  mation we considered was the fact that the Mists
  seem to possess a natural intelligence. There seems
  to be motives and purpose behind their machina-
  tions. They pick and choose which beings they will
  ensnare. They seek out victims to deal out their
  ironic justice. Never have we seen documentation
  of any being picked up by the Mists without due
  cause.
  Look at the sizeable population of outlanders,
  for instance. Most outlanders who stumble into the
  Mists and make their home here are adventurers of
  some sort. Most fight the darkness that we write
  about in these texts. And if these outlanders are not
  chosen as champions, they are chosen because of
  their propensity for violence and evil. It is almost
  as if the Mists recruit people from other lands for
  some inscrutable purpose.
  So, how could an alchemical experiment cre-
  ate a sentient force or entity, purely through chance?
  It would be like saying that life itself evolved from
  a latent chemical reaction, which is, of course,
  preposterous.
  Nor do we believe that the Mists are a natural
  phenomenon. Indeed, the Mists operate outside
  the bounds of nature, arbitrarily bending or break-
  ing nature’s laws. For example, when the nightmare
  land of Bluetspur existed in the center of our realm,
  it was said to be a barren and inhospitable land-
  scape. Yet, it existed right beside the verdant and
  forested realm of Falkovnia for ages. By all ac-
  counts, this should be impossible! The greatest of
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  16
  Chapter One
  Lamordian scholars attest that two such environ-
  ments should not be compatible or so close to each
  other geographically.
  We must then suppose that the Mists to be a
  supernatural phenomenon. But if it is a supernatu-
  ral phenomenon, what supernatural force begat
  them?
  The Dead God Theory
  One theory we have heard from several out-
  lander scholars is that this realm consists of the
  remnants of a dead god. These outlanders talk of
  how gods in their worlds have actually died, slain
  by other gods or powerful heroes. What, then,
  happens to a god when it dies? There is no ground
  in that otherland where gods roam. A god cannot
  be “buried” like a mortal. Perhaps the Mists were
  created by the broken essence of a fallen god?
  Again, there is evidence against this theory as
  well. If this land was formed from the broken
  essence of a god, then why have not the other gods
  said anything about this? Clerics, priests, prophets
  and acolytes all speak to their various gods on a
  regular basis, but none of them have ever reported
  anything to this effect. One popular proponent of
  the Dead God Theory, Nathan the Atheist, make
  this claim in his text The Case for Atheists in the
  Misty Land:
  I propose to you that there are no gods within our
  foggy borders. That the edicts and visions received by
  clerics are not the voices of the gods, but machinations
  of the Mists themselves. I propose to you that it is the
  Mists that speak to these believers, not any sort of
  divine being…
  As compelling as this theory is, there is counter
  evidence to this claim as well. This information
  comes from outlander clerics, who hail from realms
  where the Mists do not exist. According to them,
  their gods speak with the same voices as they did
  before, albeit “fainter and more distant” as if they
  were separated from their divine patrons by some
  veil. To be fair, there are some outlander clerics
  who actually agree with Nathan the Atheist’s
  theory, saying that their gods’ voices are entirely
  different in our world.
  However, there is one more piece of evidence
  that speaks against the Dead God Theory — the
  existence and effect of paladins. Paladins, although
  rare, are a righteous sting upon the land. If there
  were no gods, and the Mists were merely playing
  that role for everyone, why would Paladins who
  worship righteous deities produce such anguish for
  the realm?
  The Prison Theory
  This theory is perhaps one of the most compel-
  ling and controversial of them all. We stumbled
  upon this idea only after various interpretations of
  the prophet Hyskosas’s writings. According to this
  theory, our land is a prison for numerous evil and
  malign beings.
  Yet, if this is the case, why are there so many
  innocents in the land? While there can be no doubt
  that our world is populated by iniquitous beings,
  there are also good people like our dear Rudolph
  Van Richten or our Uncle George Weathermay.
  According to those that follow this theory, all
  innocents and righteous folk are merely pawns
  placed in the land to torture the malevolent or to
  become victims to the depravities of a land’s most
  evil residents.
  This last theory is disturbing in the extreme,
  claiming that the entire realm is a darkened stage
  where all who dwell within it enact some great
  drama. Most chilling of all is the observation that
  those who are most wicked play the central roles.
  While this seems to be the most popular theory
  about the Mists and the land, there little evidence
  to back it up.
  Many people point to the idea that this place
  must be a holding cell for the evil, yet we hear
  accounts from outlanders of vile entities and hor-
  rific beings that do not dwell in our land. There are
  stories of great tyrants who have slaughtered mil-
  lions, and demons who have corrupted entire worlds.
  Yet none of these beings have been claimed by the
  Mists. If our tiny land were a prison for evil, why
  haven’t these creatures of vile darkness been cap-
  tured by the Mists?
  Others claim that the land shows signs of a
  design or architecture. These people state that
  each domain seems to be fixated upon one particu-
  lar kind of fear or depravity. For example, the land
  of Falkovnia seems to be focused on oppression and
  imprisonment, while the land of Richemulot seems
  to be focused on back-biting and spite.
  Yet, we say that this is an excuse, rather than
  an explanation. Falkovnia is an oppressive state
  because of all of the people who run that backwards
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  17
  Veiled Origins
  domain. If all of the military leaders were to sud-
  denly put aside their bigoted and oppressive ways,
  then the land would cease to be a tyranny, despite
  the desires of the despot who leads that state. If all
  the sycophants in Richemulot were to suddenly
  stop clambering for the top of the social ladder,
  then would not the entire realm reform? People
  make a land evil, not some outside design.
  In the end, we can only be certain about what
  the Mists are not. They are no mere accident. No
  mere phenomenon. They are not an unthinking
  force. As to their definitive nature — we fear that
  no one may ever know the answer to this final
  equation.
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  18
  Chapter Two
  You must love the light so well
  That no darkness will seem fell.
  Love it so you could accost
  Fellowly a livid ghost.
  —George Meredith, “The Woods of Westermain”
  Chapter Two:
  Hidden
  Compo<ition<
  Chapter Two:
  Hidden
  Compo<ition<
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  19
  Hidden Compositions
  wo Species
   In this chapter, I, Laurie
  Weathermay-Foxgrove, will seek to
  unearth the physiology, psychology, and
  common powers of Mist creatures. Mist creatures
  are specially cursed by this land. This special form
  of curse irrevocably binds that being to the Mists
  and to the land itself, so that its position in the
  world may be shifted about to wherever the Mists
  desire. This seems to be the case for those who are
  created within the Mists, like Mist elementals, or
  for those who are “adopted” by the Mists, like the
  many cursed beings we have referred to above.
  Thus, Mist creatures have two origins – either
  they are spawned from the murky veil themselves,
  or they are drawn in by them.
  Hereafter, creatures that are actually spawned
  by the Mists will be referred to as the Mistborn.
  Those who are adopted by the Mists will be referred
  to as the Fugued.
  The Mistborn
  Those beings created by the Mists come from
  places that we cannot understand, nor can we even
  speculate as to their origins. To date, no one has
  actually seen a Mistborn creature being “born” or
  spawned. Numerous legends and accounts exist of
  such perverted creations, but all these supposed
  accounts cannot be corroborated in any way. They
  remain stories that might be legend, truth or some-
  thing in between.
  One account, told in the Journey of Phillipe the
  Shining, speaks of a young squire who sees the
  formations of mist horrors right before his very
  eyes.
  As I gazed, so did I see them coming through the
  fog. The curling clouds gave way as if something was
  pushing through them; as if a great predator was
  parting its path through the weeds. Yet, no form
  marched forth from the haze. No body made itself
  present. It was only then that realization began to
  dawn upon me, that my mind began to manifest the
  slightest inkling of what was going on before my very
  eyes.
  The creatures that were stepping through the
  milky haze could not be seen, because they as yet had
  no form. But soon, very soon did I see them donning
  the veil of mist like a layer of skin. I saw them pulling
  the vapors across their invisible bodies, giving them-
  selves form and substance. As the process was so
  terrible, so maddening to see, my entire being wanted
  to scream out. And yet, as I could not, I bit down upon
  my wrist and wept silently as the strange process of
  birth continued…
  While the squire’s account makes for interest-
  ing storytelling around the fire, it cannot be
  substantiated in any way. It is widely believed that
  The Journey of Phillipe the Shining is a work of fiction.
  Did the lost author once see something in the Mist
  and decide to put it down in his great epic, or did
  this image of Mistborn creation come strictly from
  his imagination? We leave it to our devoted audi-
  ence to decide.
  It is rather disturbing to us that to date, there
  is no evidence about where Mistborn creature
  originate, or how it is they come into being. This is
  most troubling, since almost every other kind of
  monster in our realm has some recognizable origin.
  We even have solid theories on the origins of the
  mysterious fiends, whose very presence defies the
  physical and magical laws of the land.
  Yet no single theory stands out as to the origin
  of the Mistborn. Our only observation is that
  creatures spawned by the Mists seem to have been
  created by some intelligent design for a singular
  purpose.
  Editor’s Note: As you may see in future nota-
  tions, my sister and I staunchly disagree on the origins
  of the Mistborn. While Laurie sees them as the product
  of some sort of “intelligent design,” I see Mistborn
  creatures as beings who have adapted to their life in the
  Mists. Over the centuries their life within the Mists has
  made them specialize in one particular aspect of exist-
  ence.
  Why do these creatures specialize? They do so
  because existence in the Mists causes them to be
  cursed. Their long sojourn within the foggy borders has
  warped their bodies and minds so much as to make
  them suitable only for a particular goal. I would,
  however, argue that the goal-oriented lifestyle is a
  product of a random curse, not an intelligent design.
  It is my belief that Mistborn creatures reproduce
  like any other being of their kind. Living Mistborn (like
  fen hounds) give birth; undead Mistborn (the kalij, for
  example) bring more into their ranks from their living
  victims. Elemental creatures (such as Mist elementals)
  are spawned from the pure essence of the realm. Just
  because no one has actually seen mistlings giving birth
  to their young does not mean that these creatures arise
  spontaneously. The reason no one has seen how the
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  20
  Chapter Two
  Mistborn propagate is that no one has dared to linger
  long enough in the Mists to find out — and with good
  reason. – GWF
  The Fugued
  One might ask the simple question: why are
  certain creatures adopted by the Mists, while oth-
  ers are not? Are these beings so much more evil
  than other occupants bound to the land? They do
  not seem to be viledr or more evil than any other
  cursed being in the land. Why are only certain
  beings moved around by the whim of the Mists,
  then?
  The answer seems to be simple — those that
  are shifted about suffer more for it. These beings
  want nothing more than roots with which to settle
  down. They seek out a home, a place of perma-
  nence, but they are forever denied anything familiar,
  doomed to wander the land without any control
  over where they go next.
  Can you imagine the torture of such an exist-
  ence? Most terrible of all would be the knowledge
  that each time you appear in your new environ-
  ment, the Mists have placed you there for a reason,
  and you have no choice but to fulfill your obliga-
  tion.
  Editor’s Note: Could it not be possible that these
  tortured beings, who are moved about so regularly,
  fulfill their destiny through some perverse compulsion?
  My own encounter with the Telling Man seems to
  point towards this theory.
  The beings that are drawn away by the Mists are
  possessed by a strange craving, one that leads them to
  do the work of the Mists, whether they realize it or not.
  I fully believe that those specially cursed by the mists to
  wander the realms do have a choice in what they do, but
  they choose to fulfill their dark desires, even though
  they know that these desires brought a curse upon them
  in the first place. I believe that these beings no longer
  care, and that is what makes them dangerous. —
  GWF
  The Body Mysterious:
  General Physiology
  In brief, the physiology of Mist creatures might
  be divided into two categories: vaporous and con-
  crete. Vaporous Mist creatures have the appearance
  of swirling mist or cloud, though even a vaporous
  being can be as solid as a stone. Concrete Mist
  creatures appear to be more “natural” or “mun-
  dane” at first appearance, though closer inspection
  might reveal otherwise.
  Vaporous Beings
  Most researchers of monsters are familiar with
  vaporous beings. Monsters like the Mist elemental,
  invisible stalker, crimson death or the kalij seem to
  be completely comprised of haze, able to dart in and
  out of the fog at will.
  Before we begin to understand even the sim-
  plest physiology of those that wear the form of the
  Mists, however, we must understand that even
  these creatures, which seem so similar, are legion in
  their forms and compositions.
  A gaseous creature, of course, is a being com-
  prised completely of vapor and wisp.  Picture this
  now, if you will. Such a being lives and thrives
  without the need of organs or humours. It perceives
  the world, but without the sensory organs neces-
  sary to do so. How can this be? How can such things
  exist in the world? Do their spirits live within the
  Mist, wearing the curling clouds like a second skin?
  Or are the vapors shaped and crafted into shape by
  some malign will?
  Incorporeal creatures, naturally, possess no
  mass at all. Unlike gaseous creatures, they may pass
  straight through solid objects, in complete defi-
  ance of the laws of science. These beings are even
  more enigmatic, for it is difficult to describe their
  physiology and composition at all. Most of their
  body mass indeed exists on another plane entirely.
  Keep in mind that while vaporous beings seem
  to have no substance, they are subject to attack, so
  long as it is from the correct source. Remember that
  any being in vaporous form is still hedged out by
  magical force. Even a novice mage possesses spells
  of this nature. Also encouraging is that a being in
  mist form can be assailed by enchanted weapons,
  not a hard feat for experienced clerics or wizards.
  Spells cast at a creature that is in mist form also
  harm the creature. Never forget this, for your
  spellcaster may be your best ally against an enemy
  that lacks a solid body.
  It is important to note that there are clear
  differences between the gaseous and the incorpo-
  real menace. Gaseous creatures are always
  vulnerable to the blows of enchanted weapons and
  the power of magic. Incorporeal creatures can
  avoid such strikes about half of the time. Further-
  more, gaseous beings actually possess mass, albeit
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  21
  Hidden Compositions
  very little. This means they can be affected by
  things such as strong winds, or trapped inside air-
  tight containers.
  There are some vaporous creatures that actu-
  ally possess substance. Such beings, like the Mist
  elemental, are quite rare. These denizens of the fog
  possess a great deal of mass — enough mass to
  pound a man’s bone into pulp or overturn a small
  cart. Thrusting a weapon into a Mist elemental is
  like plunging a stick into water. There is definite
  resistance, and the elemental is rarely pleased in
  this event. Magical weapons and spells always
  harm a solid vaporous being, but precision combat-
  ants should take note that this type of creatures
  never possess vital organs or systems, so that it is
  impossible to maximize your damage by hitting one
  location instead of another.
  Concrete Creatures
  Creatures of the Mist that fall into the con-
  crete category seem to be solid enough at first
  glance. Like the fen hound, mistling or pale rider,
  these beings appear to be comprised of bone and
  muscle. Strangely enough, when struck down, these
  creatures break up into fog and mist.
  This same rule applies to creatures who have
  been adopted by the Mists. Any being that has
  been claimed by the foggy shepherds of our land
  similarly dissolves into white vapor once they have
  been defeated or “killed.” This raises a serious
  question. How can any creature be made from flesh
  and ether all at once? Furthermore, how can a
  creature progress from being made entirely from
  mortal matter to being made from both Mist and
  bone?
  Two Most Vivid Dissections
  In our pursuit of knowledge, we examined
  various mist creatures by means of vivisection. To
  our great fortune, we were able to analyze carefully
  the physiological differences between a mistborn
  creature and one that is fugued.
  Mistborn Physiology
  First we examined three different bodies of
  mistlings, which are discussed further in the Ap-
  pendix of this book. The use of resonance fluid,
  which is discussed later in this chapter, greatly
  aided our investigations.
  Mistlings are mysterious, fey-like creatures that
  seem to serve the Mists directly, capturing those
  the Mists desire and hauling them into the folds of
  the fog, never to be seen again. Mistlings are the
  very creatures that my sister, Gennifer, faced at the
  edge of Halloway House on that fateful night.
  Vaporous Beings
  Vaporous beings are Mist creatures that are misty or hazy in quality and form. These might
  include incorporeal beings like the crimson mist (see Monster Manual II), or the substantive and
  solid Mist elemental (see Denizens of Dread). Whether these creatures are solid in form or
  insubstantial, they all possess forms that mimic the appearance of mist.
  Vaporous beings are naturally camouflaged for dwelling in the Mists. To discern such a
  creature from natural fog requires a DC 15 Spot check.  Vaporous creatures can only be spotted
  in fog so easily when they are not actively attempting to hide.
  If a vaporous being actively attempts to hide in fog, it gains a +20 bonus to its roll. These
  rules are covered in more detail in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
  If the creature has the Mist subtype, these bonuses stack, giving the creature a total of +24
  to Hide checks while in mist of any kind. Keep in mind that incorporeal and gaseous beings
  are naturally silent and not subject to Listen checks.
  Vaporous beings that are not gaseous or incorporeal, like Mist elementals can still squeeze
  through small cracks or openings. They may squeeze through any crack that water could
  penetrate. Medium-sized or smaller creatures can squeeze their entire body through such a
  crack with a full-round action. Large or bigger creatures need two full rounds to squeeze through
  such an opening.
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  22
  Chapter Two
  The mistlings we examined appeared to be just
  like any other being, with internal organs, veins,
  arteries and a nervous system. Their skin, not
  surprisingly, was very cold and clammy to the
  touch. In fact, the skin of a mistling seemed made
  to possess adhesive qualities, so that it could latch
  onto its prey better. Their fingers displayed an
  extra joint, allowing them to get a good grip on a
  victim’s hair or limb. Finally, the tips of their
  hideous fingers had small suckers from which were
  delivered a potent poison. Indeed, these creatures
  appeared intended for a singular purpose — to
  spirit away the unwary into the Mists from which
  they, themselves, had sprung.
  Think on this for a moment, if you would;
  mistlings are actually designed by some indefinite
  force. Is this not the sign of some terrible intelli-
  gence within the fog or part of the fog itself? Does
  this not suggest that the white vapors that are
  replete throughout the land possess a chilling con-
  sciousness and purpose? Oh, dear Uncle, I see too
  plainly now the meaning of your warning. I wish
  that I had never come to these hideous specula-
  tions, that I and all those that I love might merely
  be pawns of some greater scheme to which not even
  the gods are privy.
  After long experimentation with the mistling
  bodies, we ascertained that they were highly resil-
  ient to different forms of energy.
  While the resistances of Mist creatures seems
  to vary from creature to creature, no Mist creature
  we have investigated has been immune to fire.
  Thus, fire might serve as a weapon against those
  who populate the Mists.
  Toxins or poisons are another form of defense
  that warrants attention. Since substantial crea-
  tures of the Mist possess vital systems like our own,
  those systems might be as susceptible to toxins as
  ours is. Solutions that render the victim paralyzed
  or unconscious can be a great help to the hunters
  who wish to capture their quarry alive.
  On the subject of capture, let us utter a word to
  the wary; no Mist creature, whether vaporous or
  substantial, can be kept in captivity for long. In our
  experience, if one of these creatures is confined for
  a long period of time, it collapses into mist. The
  mistlings we dissected dissolved into white clouds
  after a while. The fen hound, of course, dissolves in
  the moment that it dies.
  Editor’s Note: While my sister staunchly believes
  that these mistlings are creatures designed by the Mists
  of our land, I disagree. From my notes and observa-
  tion, these creatures enjoy a symbiotic relationship
  with the fog in our land. They dwell with the rolling
  Mist, allowing it to transport them from place to place.
  Whenever they arrive, they attack other, larger crea-
  tures for sustenance. If pursued, they rely upon the
  Mists to carry them or their quarry away. I do not
  believe that any one power crafted these organisms.
  Rather, I believe these creatures have adapted them-
  selves to dwell within the vaporous folds of the Mist in
  which they thrive. – GWF
  Fugued Physiology
  In our research, we also observed the dissec-
  tion of Gryshin Skullhollow, a monster which had
  plagued all of the Southern Core for decades.
  Those who have followed his exploits know that
  Gryshin Skullhollow was a particularly insidious
  creature that reportedly subsisted on the brains of
  his victims. The monster made it a practice to
  pierce his victim’s eye with a long metal tube from
  which he carefully sucked their brains from their
  skulls. Most horrible was the fact that his victims
  often lived long enough to realize what was hap-
  pening.
  In any event, we believe that Gryshin was a
  creature that had been adopted by the Mists, rather
  than created by them. For all intents and purposes,
  Gryshin’s body appeared to be that of a normal
  ogre. During the examination of his body, how-
  ever, we saw that, even in death, his corpse displayed
  an unnatural resistance to certain forms of energy.
  Neither could his body be shaped by the forces of
  magic. It remained immune to attempts at magical
  alteration. Finally, in the brief hour in which we
  could observe it, Gryshin’s eyes appeared to have
  changed in a very subtle way, perhaps revealing
  that his eyesight had adapted for peering through
  the fog.
  After an hour of thorough examination,
  Gryshin’s body began to break up into mist. The
  resonance fluid we had used had finally worn off.
  The dissection of Gryshin Skullhollow proved
  most enlightening. First of all, it informed us that
  those adopted by the Mists actually go through a
  physical change, becoming something more they
  were before. Furthermore, the very chemical com-
  position of the body changes, for anything adopted
  by the Mists breaks down into white wisps when it
  perishes. Finally, the dissection proved one very
  vital piece of information — that indeed there are
  many denizens of the land that have been adopted
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  23
  Hidden Compositions
  by the Mists, as we proposed at the beginning of
  this book. We simply have not found and discov-
  ered all of them. How many more creatures out
  there have been subtly embraced by the Mists of
  the land? How many legends out there are actually
  truths, harbored by the mysterious fog that per-
  vades the very air we breathe?
  Common Powers
  Now that we have reviewed the physiology
  and composition of Mist creatures, we will discuss
  the powers most common to them. The powers of
  the Mists are myriad, as discussed earlier in this
  tome. However, the powers of the denizens of the
  Mists are even more diverse and varied, making
  them difficult to categorize. Herein, we shall re-
  view the extraordinary capacities that these
  creatures share in common.
  Exceptional Vision
  All Mist creatures have the ability to peer into
  fog and haze. Thick vapor does not impede the
  sight of a Mist creature, though even the most
  perceptive of these creatures cannot see completely
  through a foggy bank. Furthermore, we have noted
  that many Mist creatures, such as the pale rider,
  have shown remarkably keen eyesight in the dark.
  When facing one of these beings, understand that
  its vision will always be clearer than yours should
  you be facing it in the fog or the dark.
  Energy Resistance
  Mist creatures typically possess a high resis-
  tance to various forms of energy. Whether it be acid
  or electricity or cold, these beings seem to be able
  to withstand a great deal of damage from a number
  of sources. The exact source, however, seems to
  vary among the various Mist-species. The one
  substance that Mist creatures are not resistant to,
  however, is flame or heat. Fire, therefore, seems to
  be a universal weakness of theirs.
  Immune to the Crafting of their Shape
  While Mist creatures are resistant to some
  forms of damage, they seem to be completely im-
  mune to any attempt to change their form. Spells
  that transform  bodies from one thing to another
  always fail against a Mist creature. Why they should
  be immune to form-changing magic is most curi-
  ous. Because the Mists seem to own these creatures’
  bodies, perhaps no other force can alter their shape.
  Mental Fortitude
  Those that dwell with the Mists have com-
  plete protection from magic that affects the mind.
  In every encounter we have researched, mental
  magics or effects simply fail against these creatures.
  My hypothesis is that Mist creatures have already
  submitted their minds to the will of the Mists that
  surround our land, and therefore cannot surrender
  their minds to anyone else.
  Editor’s Note: Again, I submit that the Mists do
  not control or “own” any of creatures of the Mists, any
  more than the Mists control the mortal mind. Rather,
  I believe that Mist creatures’ mental immunities are a
  side-effect of dwelling for long periods within the
  mysterious curtain that pervades our land. - GWF
  Ageless
  We have strong reason to suspect that Mist
  creatures are immune to aging and the march of
  time. The encounters we have had with the Lost
  indicate this. In addition, none of the reports we
  have collected ever discuss the existence of elder
  Mist creatures, implying that there is no tangible
  evidence of aging.
  If these beings are truly immortal, however,
  why is not our land overpopulated by them? Why
  is not the land crawling with these horrific mon-
  sters? The only answer I can offer is this: the Mists
  themselves curb the numbers of those creatures
  that dwell within them.
  A Mind Most Alien:
  General Psychology
  At last, we come to perhaps the most impor-
  tant part of this chapter. Here we discuss the
  mental processes of Mist creatures, so that our loyal
  readership might understand their motives and
  designs.
  The first thing to understand about the gen-
  eral psychology of these beings is that each and
  every creature is an individual. The statements we
  make here are broad generalities, and the denizens
  of the Mists follow the tendencies that we prescribe
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  24
  Chapter Two
  here. Occasional creatures, however, defy the mold
  that we cast.
  As we look deeply into the mind of a creature
  of the Mists, our readers must understand this —
  when delving into its way of thought and percep-
  tion, one is delving into a mind most alien.
  The denizens of the Mists do not think in the
  same fashion as most organisms of the natural
  world. The normal fauna of the land are led by
  baser instincts such as the need for food, safety and
  the procreative imperative.
  Even many of the darker inhabitants of the
  land are still directed by these basic needs. The
  vampire, for instance, hunts mortal blood out of a
  need to feed. The werewolf congregates in a pack
  out of need for safety. But a creature of the Mists has
  no such compelling need.
  A creature of the mists, rather, is directed
  towards a singular purpose. The kalij seeks to take
  the lives of babies in their cribs, nothing more,
  nothing less. The pale rider races across the land
  with a particular mission driving it forward. The
  best comparison we can call to mind is the Craving
  that we encountered in our treatise on the walking
  dead.
  Singular Purpose
  Understanding an organism that is driven by a
  singular purpose is not that hard to understand at
  first. After all, many mundane and everyday crea-
  tures are propelled by one over-riding reason at
  some point in their lives. A mother who is suddenly
  compelled to protect her child is driven toward
  that one goal with nothing else upon her mind.
  Should that moment pass, that mother’s concerns
  shift to other things such as feeding her child and
  herself, caring for other members of her family or a
  dozen other worries.
  Imagine, then, a creature who has such a
  purpose and that this purpose never changes. For-
  ever it is consumed by this one goal. In the mortal
  world, we have descriptions for such beings; we
  refer to them as obsessed or insane. Indeed, this is
  what you will be facing should you confront any
  creature of the Mists.
  Most Mist creatures are tasked to a single
  purpose, and doggedly pursue that purpose to an
  extent that makes fearful even the most stalwart of
  souls.
  Mist Subtype
  Creatures with the Mist subtype are
  either created by the Mists (Mistborn) or
  creatures captured by the Mists (Fugued).
  Once a creature has been captured by the
  Mists, it belongs to the Mists forever. No
  magic or other process can reverse this trans-
  formation. Mist subtype creatures gain the
  following traits:
  — Mist Peering (Ex): As the feat (see
  Chapter Five).
  — Low-light vision.
  — Resistance to any two: acid 10, cold
  10, electricity 10, sonic 10.
  — +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move
  Silently checks while in fog or mist.
  — Immunity to all mind-affecting ef-
  fects (charm, domination, sleep and similar
  powers).
  — Immunity to shape altering magic
  such as polymorph or petrification.
  — Immunity to aging effects. This may
  mean that the Mist creature has perpetual
  youth, or that it may grow older, staying
  vital, but losing its youthful appearance.
  The following is a list of possible mon-
  sters that you might use in your campaign as
  mist creatures. If they are made into beings
  that are called forth by the Mists of Ravenolft
  themselves, simply add the Mist subtype to
  them. This is by no means a complete list;
  feel free to add other monsters as you see fit.
  Allip*
  Belker*
  Breathdrinker**
  Crimson Death**
  Djinni*
  Invisible Stalker*
  Phasm*
  Will o’ the Wisp*
  * Monster Manual
  ** Monster Manual II
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  25
  Hidden Compositions
  Cursed to a Task: The Mistborn
   Like the Craving which we observed in the
  walking dead, the Mistborn are always consumed
  with fulfilling their one goal. Indeed, we must keep
  in mind that the Mistborn have been created for to
  accomplish a single task. Because of this, their
  minds are focused upon that solitary subject like a
  magnifying lens is fixed on its focus. Unlike the
  Cravings of the walking dead, however, the fixa-
  tions of the creatures of the Mists are diverse and
  prolific.
  Those who have read our previous works will
  recall that the walking dead are burdened with the
  Craving to serve, feed or take revenge, gut a Mist
  creature’s Craving might be for any number of
  things.
  The aforementioned kalij is gripped by its
  need to take the lives of mortal infants. The leg-
  endary and dreadful Mist claimer, however, is
  infused with the singular need to destroy its worldly
  double. Mist weirds doggedly pursue the art of
  prophecy and oracle. Pale riders eternally seek to
  grant justice to others. These obsessions are the
  goal of Mistborn creatures’ existence.
  In some cases, these Cravings limit the think-
  ing of Mist creatures. For instance, in a rare interview
  with a group of pale riders, one adventurer de-
  scribes the dialogue as being decidedly one-sided.
  This famous interview, which has been historically
  substantiated, appears in the Litany of the Ellefolk.
  In the Litany the adventurer describes how the pale
  riders he speaks to can only talk about things in
  terms of justice or vengeance.
  So it was that I said to them, “It is true that my
  brother seeks fell vengeance. Yet, my heart is clean of
  murder’s stain. I do not seek the same as he does.”
  And unto me they said, “Yea, but you shall be
  wanting. For all who walk this land yet grieve. Re-
  venge and satisfaction can be their only reprieve.”
  Yet I beseeched them a third time, and plied them
  verily with gifts of gold and silver. But it was all for
  naught. The coins held no lure for them. The gold
  lacked all luster for their dead eyes. I dared to speak
  again. “Then, tell me from where you hail. Or are you
  spirits of fog and shadow, with no true voice?”
  And in return, I received my cold answer. They
  stared at me with eyes empty. “Questions we do not
  answer. Coins we do not take. Your brother’s ven-
  geance do we stoke. And his justice shall give us slake.”
  While much of the dialogue is buried within
  the prose of the text, further research corroborates
  this fascinating story. Numerous accounts of con-
  versations with pale riders describe them as
  one-dimensional beings who only think of justice
  and satisfaction.
  It is important to note that this type of Craving
  seems to be limited to the Mistborn only. Those
  Mist creatures who are not native to the pallid
  curtain are both similar yet completely different in
  mentality.
  Consumed by a Task
  Mist creatures who become embraced by the
  Mists are often taken because they have a desire or
  thirst that borders on obsession. Take, for example,
  the Telling Man, who is driven by his need to claim
  a victim’s vanity, or Gryshin Skullhollow, de-
  scribed above, addicted to the taste of cerebral
  flesh. These unfortunates were infused by the Mists
  because of their preoccupations. They had their
  Cravings long before their brush with the mysteri-
  ous powers of the land.
  In a way, this form of Craving makes these
  beings far more dangerous. Non-native Mist crea-
  tures have had to live with their own self-crafted
  Cravings in the midst of society. They have learned
  how appear “normal.”
  Yet beneath the façade of a Mist creature lies
  a fanatical being, whose singular goals dominate
  the being’s every thought. The careful investigator
  must be ready to spot signs of this Craving and
  exploit it when need be.
  During one of our investigations, we came
  across this very phenomenon. We were research-
  ing the supposed appearance of an alchemist in a
  number of Kartakass villages. This alchemist was
  reported to appear when the Mist rose in the
  morning or evening.
  Each time this strange individual appeared,
  she would attempt to peddle her wares. Her offer-
  ings were vast and myriad, but they all had one
  thing in common — each of her potions and salves
  would lead to ruin.
  Thus, a love potion brought by a hopeful
  romantic might work for a short time, but ulti-
  mately end in tragedy. A potion of heroism might
  protect the imbiber for a fixed period of time but
  would render the would-be hero weak at the most
  inopportune moment.
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  26
  Chapter Two
  Though general warnings were given to the
  populace advising them to beware of this indi-
  vidual, those we interviewed who had survived her
  mercantilism reported that she had a “beguiling
  way” about her and that few could resist buying her
  insidious concoctions.
  We managed to find the alchemist, and be-
  cause of our thorough research, we were able to
  ward ourselves against her mystic charms. When
  we interviewed the culprit, she was at first alarmed
  that her influence had no apparent effect upon us.
  “Lookin’ for a cure fer that lycanthropy are
  ye?” she grinned to Gennifer, rubbing her hands
  together. It was then that I noticed that she had
  one yellow eye that seemed to transfix itself upon
  us, steadily gleaming like a candle’s flame.
  “Pity, I have no such need,” said my sister,
  cocking a brow at the alchemist. “Indeed, we have
  no need for any of your offerings.”
  Immediately, the alchemist’s stance changed.
  She drew herself up and her good eye went round
  and wide. “Oh. Very well. Only offerin’ somethin’
  fer a bit of trade. Just came across it, ye know. Not
  really even sure if it is a curative. Not much of an
  alchemist…”
  “Not much of an alchemist?” I said, crossing
  my arms. “That’s not what the people around here
  say. We were hoping to find one.”
  She fiddled with her fingers and glanced all
  around. Her eye continually wandered towards my
  Parthian rapier and to Gennifer’s spell pouch.
  “Er…don’t know where you could find one.”
  “A tragedy,” said Gennifer, producing a hand-
  ful of gold, “because we did have so much to spend.
  We were hoping to buy…just a few wares.” She
  stared solidly at the old alchemist and began pour-
  ing the coins from one hand to the other.
  Upon seeing the coins, the alchemist’s mouth
  began to quiver. A small string of saliva escaped her
  lips and dribbled upon her knotted chin. It was
  then that she revealed herself, producing all man-
  ner of potions, oils and salves. Gennifer took a few
  of these and began to analyze them on the spot.
  The moment my sister’s arcane analysis began,
  the alchemist immediately bolted down the street,
  attempting to run into the fog. Fortunately for us,
  our allies in the alleys around us sprang upon her in
  that moment, and pinned her down. Without a
  doubt, we had captured our villain.
  Here is a classic example of how a creature’s
  Craving might be used against them. In this case,
  the alchemist’s singular need to sell her corrupted
  potions for money overwhelmed her, forcing her to
  reveal herself in full. Remember this, intrepid
  investigators, should you wish to pursue a creature
  of the Mists.
  The Craving
  Similar to the Craving possessed by
  the restless dead discussed in Van
  Richten’s Guide to the Walking Dead, all
  Mist creatures are obsessed with a par-
  ticular goal.
  The specific goal of a mist creature
  may be predetermined by the creature’s
  species. For example, the kalij are de-
  cidedly bent upon consuming the souls
  of babies, particularly those who are still
  in the crib. A Mist creature’s particular
  Craving may be determined by the DM
  instead. The Telling Man is an example
  of a mist creature with a DM-crafted
  craving.
  When confronted with the object
  of their Craving, all Mist creatures are
  compelled to fulfill it. A Mist creatures
  must make a Will save in order to stop
  itself from fulfilling its Craving. The
  DC is equal to 10 + + the creature’s HD
  — the more powerful the Mist creature,
  the more powerful the Craving.
  A successful save for a Mistborn
  creature means that it has mastered its
  compulsion for one minute. Each addi-
  tional minute the Mistborn is confronted
  with its Craving increases the save DC
  by 2.
  A successful save for a Fugued crea-
  ture means that it has mastered its
  compulsion for a whole hour. Each ad-
  ditional hour the Fugued is confronted
  with its Craving increases the save DC
  by 2.
  Unlike the walking dead, Mist crea-
  tures do not gain any bonus to attack,
  damage or saves when engaging in com-
  bat in order to complete its task. Mist
  creatures simply are not consumed by
  the same undying hatred that the rest-
  less dead possess.
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  27
  Hidden Compositions
  A Final Note
  During our research, my sister and I ran into
  numerous complications. For one, many of the
  Mist creatures we encountered on our field expedi-
  tions eluded capture. As one might suspect, a large
  number of them simply stepped away into the fog
  and vanished.
  Numerous other creatures we encountered
  simply broke apart into vapor when they perished,
  making it impossible to observe any kind of body or
  make a viable dissection. We were finally able to
  make some headway into our research, however,
  through the careful application of resonance fluid.
  Before you determine to acquire some of this
  miraculous solution, be warned. It can be found in
  only two places, the Necropolis of Darkon and
  Marbh-Cathair, two places almost entirely popu-
  lated by undead. Should you choose to make the
  journey to either of these places, we wish you well,
  and advise you that you should notify your next of
  kin.
  Resonance Fluid
  Resonance fluid is a substance formed from the distillation of well-water from either
  Necropolis or Marbh-Cathair. Well-water from either these two places must be boiled over
  a fire, and the resulting steam must be condensed and collected in a receptacle.
  Resonance fluid has a nasty habit of disappearing, even when placed in a carefully sealed
  container. Each day after its creation, resonance fluid has a 5% cumulative chance of simply
  vanishing into thin air.
  Resonance fluid can be used to solidify beings that are normally ethereal or incorporeal.
  The liquid exists both on the material and the ethereal plane, and thus can be thrown or
  poured upon creatures in either plane.
  Any ethereal or incorporeal creature doused with the liquid must make a DC 18 Will
  save or become solid to the touch for one hour. The DC is fixed and not ability-based.
  Should the save succeed, it means that creature is immune to the effects of resonance fluid
  for 24 hours. After this time period, someone may attempt to affect it again with resonance
  fluid.
  Failure against the Will save means that the creature in question loses its ethereal or
  incorporeal qualities, as well as all benefits and hindrances associated with those qualities.
  In the case of ethereal creatures, this means that they now exist on both the material and
  ethereal planes, can interact with objects on either plane, and can be attacked from either
  plane. In the case of incorporeal beings. it means they become substantial and are now able
  to touch and manipulate objects.
  Both incorporeal and ethereal beings lose the 50% chance to avoid damage from a
  physical source.
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  28
  Chapter Three
  Chapter Three:
  Extraordinary
  Power< of Mi<t
  Creature<
  Chapter Three:
  Extraordinary
  Power< of Mi<t
  Creature<
  Heaven-invading hills are drowned
   In wide moving waves of mist
  —Sara Teasdale, “White Fog”
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  29
  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  hile my sister has already spoken on the
  common powers of those who dwell
  within the pallid curtain, I now turn our
  attention to the uncommon powers of
  such creatures. To be clear, these pow-
  ers are legion.
  The myriad powers of the fugued are so di-
  verse, so innumerable, as to make one’s mind reel
  with the dread possibilities. What makes these
  powers different from the common faculties of Mist
  creatures is that not every Mist creature has the
  abilities we describe below. We can only say this:
  they may have these powers or they may not. It is
  best that you find out before pursing any hunt.
  We must also pause for a moment and explain
  that the extraordinary abilities listed here are not
  limited to Mist creatures. Indeed, the powers we
  describe below can be attributed to any creature —
  so long as it has had a meeting with the Mists.
  For a long while, we believed these strange
  powers to be the result of aberrations or curses.
  However, further investigation has given us reason
  to believe that these powers arise when a creature
  or being has an encounter with the Mists of some
  kind. What makes us suspect such a thing? Our
  extensive research reveals that only creatures that
  dwell in the Mists, or appear when the Mists are
  nearby possess the powers that we speak of here.
  Note that when we say this, we are speaking of
  a wide variety of creatures. We have seen skeletons
  that can collapse their bones into a vaporous form
  and dire wolves that can command columns of fog
  at their whim. Yet, neither skeletons nor dire
  wolves would normally be considered Mist crea-
  tures — hence, our assertion that these creatures
  are touched in some way by the murky borders of
  our land.
  Salient Abilities
  Salient ablities are powers that you can add to your Ravenloft creatures at your
  option. The powers listed in this book are created for the express purpose of enhancing
  preexisting monsters or terrors of your creation.
  Every ability carries its own CR Adjustment, so that you may enhance the creature
  as  you wish and still keep it fair for the PCs in your game. Not all Mist creatures possess
  salient abilities.
  Unlike those detailed in other Van Richten’s Guides, the salient abilities described
  here can apply to any creature. They need not be added  only to Mist creatures. A creature
  can gain a salient Mist ability by simply having a brush with the Mists or through the
  receiving of a special “gift” from the Mists.
  The Mists, however, do not give out powers for free. Any creature possessing a Mist
  salient ability is almost always cursed in some way. Therefore, any creature possessing a
  Mist salient ability must also possess a Mist salient weakness. For more information, see
  Chapter Four.
  When a salient ability calls for a saving throw, the DC is always equal to 10 + +
  creature’s HD + creature’s Charisma bonus unless otherwise noted. The saving throw is
  Charisma-based.
  The creature’s HD is used as the caster level of a salient ability, unless otherwise
  noted. Salient abilities of Mist creatures are always considered as if cast by a sorcerer,
  cleric, or druid caster of the creature’s level or HD when using their power.
  A Note on Controlling the Mists
  A number of abilities contained herein allow creatures to control mists or fog.
  Powers like mist calling or animate fog allow creatures to call or move mists. Please note
  that these powers only apply to non-magical haze which abounds in the Dread Realm.
  In truth, with the exception of the Vistani, no being can exert even a modicum of control
  over the Mists of Ravenloft.
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  30
  Chapter Three
  Salient Abilities of Mist
  Creatures
  Strangely, we might not have been able to gain
  such a comprehensive list as we have here if it were
  not for our investigations into a childhood myth.
  All too often, we find that the myths of our youth
  turn into the truths of our elder years.
  “The Telling Man” is a creature well known in
  the Northern Core. According to folklore, he is
  supposed to visit those who are particularly vain so
  that he might take away those attributes in which
  one takes too much pride. For example, in some
  stories, the Telling Man takes a vain woman’s
  beauty by turning her into a gruesome hag. In more
  lurid variants of the tale, the Telling Man cuts the
  thing that a person prides the most from his body,
  so that he might collect it.
  The earliest legends of the Telling Man stretch
  back to a man named Myrus Tell, who grew up as
  a hermit in the Northern Core. Myrus was known
  to covet “pretty things” and would often trade
  goods for items he found attractive. One day, he
  found the shining hair of a passerby to be extremely
  beautiful. Entranced, he offered the passing lady a
  bar of gold for a simple lock of her hair. However,
  as the story goes, the vain woman turned up her
  nose at Myrus’s offer, believing that a mangy her-
  mit had no business possessing a lock of her hair.
  Myrus repaid her unkindness by clubbing her
  to death and scalping her. He wore her hair upon
  his head until the authorities caught up with him.
  As the constabulary pursued him, he fled into the
  fog. The folktales say that Myrus Tell, the “Telling
  Man,” is doomed to roam the land forever, seeking
  out those who possess great vanity and removing
  the thing from them that makes them vain.
  The fact that the Telling Man legend appears
  all over the land alerted me to the possibility that
  if this creature were indeed real, it might be a Mist
  creature of some kind. Its appearance in various
  lands and in different legends could be attributed
  to a roving creature imprisoned within the Mists.
  I made inquiries to various sources and, after a
  month, I received a most curious letter in response:
  Dear Miss Weathermay-Foxgrove,
  We have never met. Nonetheless, your letter was
  passed on to me. It intrigues me, for I now face
  something that defies my reason, and your letter is the
  only thing that I have seen in these past weeks that puts
  sanity to the events I have witnessed. In the simplest
  terms, two people have died horribly, while one still
  clings to life. At each scene of the crime, a single
  statement is written: I take what I keep.
  I will not speak of the crimes here. It pains me even
  to think of them now. All I know is that Ludendorf
  needs your help.
  Yours,
  Marcus Ruscheider
  The first thing that intrigued me was the name
  upon the letter. Marcus Ruscheider was none other
  than the son of one of Van Richten’s contemporar-
  ies, Dr. Harmon Ruscheider. What next caught
  and held my interest were those fateful words,
  repeated by Marcus himself: I take what I keep.
  A few days later, I met Dr. Ruscheider in
  Ludendorf at the Breaking Wave Inn. There, he
  explained to me that he had been witness to three
  separate, hideous crimes. In each case, a person was
  assaulted and mutilated in some fashion.
  As we began to discuss the matter further, a
  messenger boy ran into the tavern. The lad told Dr.
  Ruscheider that several neighbors of the Widow
  Viller had heard screaming come from her house.
  We left at once.
  Both of us arrived to find Ursula Viller’s house
  standing tall and dark, each gaping window a
  separate mouth crying out. The door to the manor
  stood wide open. From the yawning portal came a
  moist, oppressive smell not unlike the smell of a
  house when all within have caught a fever.
  Dr. Ruscheider and I carefully stepped inside,
  holding up lanterns to light our way. A long smear
  stretched away from our feet and into the darkness.
  Something had been dragged along the floor. We
  followed the trail up the stairs. It was then that I
  realized that the dark smear was a gristly mixture of
  blood and dirt. As I knelt down to examine these
  stains, I could see palm prints ground into the dirt
  and grime. Someone had been trying to crawl
  upstairs in a hurry.
  At the top of the stairs, my light shone upon a
  pale face. It was a portrait. The painting portrayed
  Mrs. Viller, the owner of the estate. The haunting
  image of Ursula Viller looked out upon the world
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  31
  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  with magnificent eyes, brilliant even in the wan
  light of the lantern.
  We progressed past the painting and down the
  upstairs hall. The smear of dirt and blood swerved
  into the bedroom. I paused, then quickly entered
  the room, ready with a defensive spell.
  The room was cold enough that I could see my
  own breath, and the strange odor that we had
  detected at the door was more pronounced here.
  The pool of my lantern light fell across something
  that shuffled in the corner. I swept the lantern’s
  glow toward the movement and saw what was left
  of Urusla Viller — shockingly, still alive.
  The monster had taken her eyes. Where once
  demure eyes of brilliant blue had looked out upon
  the world, nothing more than ruined sockets re-
  mained, gaping holes as haunted as the empty
  windows of the now-cursed house. The widow sat
  hunched over in the corner, a poor creature whose
  sanity was completely shattered. Long streams of
  dried blood ran from her sockets down her cheeks.
  In the pale light, the trails of blood looked like
  muddy tears.
  “I think I’ll go for a walk,” whispered Ursula
  Viller. “Yes, yes. Go for a walk. Go for a walk.”
  I knelt down to help her up and saw that she sat
  in a massive puddle of her own blood. I realized
  then why she had crawled the entire way to her
  room. The monster had taken her feet as well.
  The Power to Alter Form
  It was after discovering poor Widow Viller
  that I began serious investigations into the legend
  of the Telling Man. I started with a thorough
  interview of every citizen or farmer who lived near
  her. Most of her neighbors reported seeing some-
  one visit the widow around the time of the incident.
  Each person that I interviewed described a strange
  person stalking Mrs. Viller’s house on the eve of the
  crime. Everyone who spoke with us, however, gave
  a wildly different description. Some interviewees
  saw an ancient man whose skin was so dry and
  wrinkled that it looked like the bark of a tree.
  Others told us of a young man with large, disturbing
  eyes and who walked with a limp. From these
  disparities, I suspected that the creature we were
  tracking had the power to change its appearance, if
  not its entire form.
  These suspicions grew when a hired tracker
  was initially unable to find any tracks other than
  our own upon the grass around Mrs. Viller’s house.
  After much searching, he found an odd series of
  tracks that circled around the house, but never
  approached it. I asked the tracker to look for a trail
  of moisture, which he found. From his account, a
  thin path of dew led right up to her door. This
  indicated another property of our quarry — not
  only could it change forms, but it could take the
  form of mist as well.
  My suspicions were not completely without
  basis. The only reason I knew to look for these
  things was because of previous investigations by my
  sister and me. Our research uncovered accounts
  from numerous peasants in southern Kartakass
  who confronted Mist creatures on a regular basis at
  the misty border. Their oral accounts, now re-
  corded by scholars, tell of creatures that shift forms
  or become part of the fog. The most frightening
  accounts relay stories of beings that can alter their
  shape almost instantaneously, becoming incorpo-
  real long enough to allow the passage of an arrow
  but immediately afterward assuming enough solid-
  ity to strike down a man.
  It is our belief that these beings are infused
  with a piece of the Mists. The Mists themselves
  grant the being in question the tiniest portion of
  their power. This explains the ability to change
  shape or bodily consistency. Since the Mists seem
  to craft the land at will, a being infused with some
  of their power may, therefore, craft its own body at
  will. I surmise that the crafting and shaping of one’s
  body as a Mist creature would take learning and
  practice, and that any such creature could gain
  access to new powers simply by studying.
  As terrible as these salient powers may sound,
  there are even worse tales documented by observ-
  ers. In Hazlan, a group of creatures known as the
  kalij, are able to turn into clouds of choking fog.
  The kalij are blamed for crib deaths among the
  Rashemani, stealing into the rooms of tiny babies
  at night and flowing into their nostrils while their
  mothers are asleep. This is why Rashemani families
  customarily have relatives take turns watching
  over a newborn for the first two weeks of its life.
  Another documented power is the ability to
  assume “the shape terrible” as it is called in Vistani
  bands. It is said that if one does not keep up with a
  Vistani caravan while traveling with them in the
  Mists, one can be lost forever within their folds.
  These bereft souls often appear later in other lands
  or along the same Mist-routes. However, when
  they are encountered again, they are transformed
  by the dread barrier that surrounds them. The
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  32
  Chapter Three
  Mists cause them to be able to take on a terrible
  form, say the Vistani — the shape of a glowing
  apparition that sheds an awful light that burns the
  image of the woeful beings into one’s mind forever.
  Form Based Powers
  Mist-creatures may possess any or all of the
  following powers. The DM may use different com-
  binations of these powers to vary the natures and
  abilities of monsters that originate in or are changed
  by the Mists.
  Mist Form (Sp): As a full round action, the
  creature may assume gaseous form as per the spell.
  While in this form, the creature has a fly speed of
  20, with perfect maneuverability. The Mist crea-
  ture with this ability may remain in gaseous form
  indefinitely.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Strangling Form (Su): Once the creature
  with this salient ability assumes mist form, it can
  choke its victims by forcing its way into their lungs
  (provided the target has lungs and needs to breathe).
  The creature must make a special grapple attack
  against its intended target. This attack is special
  since a creature in gaseous form cannot normally
  attack.
  The Mist creature must first move into its
  opponent’s space since it has not equipment or
  appendages to reach with, evoking an attack of
  opportunity. To make the initial touch attack for
  the grapple, the Mist creature uses its base to hit
  bonus for its attack roll modified by its Dexterity.
  Feats or abilities that help the creature make grapple
  checks also apply here.
  If the Mist creature successfully starts the
  grapple, then it makes a special grapple check using
  its base attack bonus modified by its Dexterity, not
  its Strength. Size modifiers do not count for the
  Mist creature’s grapple check.
  The Mist creature cannot damage its oppo-
  nent while grappling unless it successfully pins its
  opponent. Once it pins its opponent, it begins
  forcing its way down the victim’s throat and nose,
  cutting off its oxygen. The pinned victim must
  then make a DC 10 Constitution check, just as if it
  had run out of air. Each round, the DC increases by
  1.
  If the Constitution check is ever failed, the
  victim begins to suffocate. On the first round of
  suffocation, the victim falls to 0 hit points. On the
  next round, they are at –1 hit points and dying. On
  the third round, the victim perishes.
  Other characters can assist a victim who is
  being grappled by a creature with the strangling form
  power. Assistance functions exactly as it is de-
  scribed in the PHB.
  Just like mist form, a creature who can assume
  a strangling form can remain in this form indefi-
  nitely.
  Prerequisite: Mist Form
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Acidic Form (Su): While in mist form, a
  creature is acidic to the touch. Anyone sharing a
  square with the creature takes 2d6 points of acid
  damage each round, no saving throw. Objects are
  also damaged by sharing a space with the creature.
  The creature need only move into others’ spaces or
  squares to damage them. Moving into another
  creature’s space does evoke an attack of opportu-
  nity. Feats or abilities that aid a creature against
  attacks of opportunity do apply here.
  Just like mist form, a creature who can assume
  acidic form can remain in this form indefinitely.
  Prerequisite: Mist Form
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Masque of the Form (Sp): The creature has
  been granted the ability to disguise itself, as per
  disguise self. It may alter its appearance as a standard
  action. It can maintain its guise indefinitely.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Glowing Form (Sp): A trait possessed by
  many Mist creatures, this power allows a creature
  to assume a glowing, white form that is slightly
  translucent. While in this form, the creature is not
  incorporeal, but is immune to the following at-
  tacks:
  · Immune to critical hits, nonlethal damage,
  ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion or
  energy drain.
  · Immune to paralysis, stunning, disease, death
  effects and necromancy effects.
  · Immune to electrical and fire attacks.
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  If the creature is suffering from any of the
  above effects when it assumes this form, the effects
  are suppressed until the creature returns to its
  natural state. For example, a creature that suffers
  ability damage has that ability damage removed
  while it assumes glowing form but gains the damage
  back as soon as it returns to normal.
  While in glowing form this creature cannot
  heal damage through any means.
  Finally, when assuming this form, this creature
  may induce Horror checks from any witnesses. The
  DM has the final say on whether or not a character
  should make a Horror check in this instance.
  A creature with this power may remain in
  glowing form only for the duration of the encounter.
  It may assume this form only once per day.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  There Not There (Su): The creature can
  appear and disappear in combat by shifting into the
  Ethereal Plane as the blink spell. Doing so is a
  standard action, and lasts for as long as the creature
  wishes. Each time this power is used, however,
  there is a 5% chance that the creature will fade out
  of existence to reappear in a place of the Mists’
  choosing.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Vaporous Quickling (Su): The creature can
  transform into vapor and resolidify in an instant.
  Assuming or changing back from mist form is a free
  action.
  This allows the creature while in mist form to
  solidify, attack and fall back into mist form. Those
  fighting such a creature need to ready actions in
  order to attack it unless they can also attack in mist
  form or have the ability to attack creatures in mist
  form.
  Each time the creature assumes mist form,
  however, there is a 5% chance that the creature
  will be stuck in mist form until the Mists release it.
  Legends speak of creatures that have tried to escape
  justice through this power, only to be turned into
  mist for decades or even centuries.
  Prerequisite: Mist Form
  CR Adjustment: +3/4
  Hazy Form (Su): With this power, the crea-
  ture can becomes vaporous and hard to distinguish.
  Its form turns blurry and hazy, and it appears as a
  creature of its size and shape but with no discernable
  features. The creature is impossible to distinguish
  from others of its kind. Sex, identity and other
  specifics cannot be determined by sight, though
  they may be determined by signs left by the crea-
  ture (such as tracks). Hazy form also provides
  concealment, so that all attacks against the crea-
  ture suffer a 20% miss chance.
  A creature with this power can remain in this
  form indefinitely.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Trackless Step (Su): The creature leaves no
  tracks or any incidental sign of its passing. Any
  attempts to track it using Survival fail, as well as
  attempts to find clues of its passing using Search.
  Creatures with this ability, however, may still leave
  evidence through ethereal resonance. One can
  still follow, scry or spy upon the creature unless it
  is protected through some other means. Purposeful
  signs made intentionally by the creature remain
  and may be found through normal means.
  CR Adjustment: +0
   After a week of careful investigation, neither
  Dr. Ruscheider nor I turned up anything. Then,
  Marcus received a letter from nearby Dementlieu.
  It appeared that a contemporary of his was report-
  ing similar incidents of mutilation and murder.
  Thanks to Marcus’s network of information, we
  had once again picked up the trail.
  Our passage to Chateuxfaux was made swift
  with a pair of Marcus’s prize horses. These purebred
  stallions poured on their strength as they trudged
  along the road leading us closer to our next desti-
  nation.
  Our discussion was interrupted, however, when
  our carriage rocked with the force of a sudden blow.
  We were thrown about the wide interior, landing
  on top of one another. Quickly, I recovered, pull-
  ing myself up to see what had hit us.
  As I peered out of the window, I noted that my
  entire body felt strange. Everything now moved
  slowly, as if beneath the surface of a pond. I could
  hear Marcus shouting something to me, but his
  voice was far and distant, as if he were part of a
  castaway dream.
  Suddenly, a savage ripping sound erupted into
  the air. Splinters flew by me like slow butterflies,
  caught in a strange effect that surrounded us. A
  hand burst through the carriage door opposite me.
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  34
  Chapter Three
  It grabbed Marcus’s shoulder and hauled him out
  into the fog. The hand was like a pauper’s puppet,
  stitched together with recycled string and wire, its
  multicolored fingers differing lengths and arranged
  like a child’s collage.
  Without thinking, I reached down and pressed
  the lid of the pocketwatch given to me a scant year
  ago by the ellefolk. Suddenly, I could hear again. I
  felt the shower of splinters sting my face. Marcus
  was struggling outside. I heard him free himself and
  flee from his assailant. The strange fugue that we
  had been caught in was gone.
  Though I got out of the carriage quickly,
  whatever attacked us was already fading into the
  haze. I could see the long figure loping away, its
  arms swinging as it walked. Marcus lay not too far
  away, collapsed upon the ground.
  I rushed over to Marcus and helped him to his
  feet.
  Though he was unharmed, Marcus would not
  meet my eyes. Instead, he pointed at the carriage.
  “Jacques,” he whispered, “you always did love your
  horses.”
  We gazed upon the sight, stunned. Even now,
  as I write these words, I feel my heart go numb at the
  thought of it. Our carriage driver, Jacques, lay near
  his horses, where he had fought to the death to
  defend them. His throat was slit wide, his lifeblood
  still sinking into the upturned earth. The horses
  stood perfectly still, their sleek muscles frozen into
  position. The carriage lanterns swung, still rocking
  from the blow that had wrecked the carriage. As
  the dim light fell across the stallions’ bodies, I saw
  for myself what had happened.
  Something had made a long peel of the stal-
  lions’ faces. All of the skin along their heads had
  been rolled away, revealing a shining white skull
  that still gleamed with moisture, catching their
  once proud faces in a permanent, skeletal leer. As
  I gazed long and hard, I knew that we had encoun-
  tered our quarry once again. For their eyes had not
  been taken. No, their large, terrified pupils still
  stared from their bony sockets, caught forever in
  the last expression they would ever have. After all,
  the Telling Man already had a pair of eyes.
  The Power to Alter Time
  Dr. Ruscheider and I spoke at length about our
  close encounter with the Telling Man, coming to
  the final conclusion that we had both been sub-
  jected to some sort of temporal fugue when it
  attacked us. Such a phenomenon would certainly
  explain why the supernatural effect was dispelled
  by my wielding of the pocket watch given me by the
  fey. I always suspected that it had some kind of
  supernatural quality to it.
  If our theory proves correct, we have stumbled
  across something monumental in the field of occult
  study, for few creatures of the realm have the power
  to alter time itself. This possibility, however, fits
  the design of the Mists, for do not the Mists alter
  time at their whim? Why should not creatures
  infused with their essence do the same?
  Some evidence exists that causes me to be-
  lieve this theory. As discussed later in this book,
  the Zarovan gypsies can command time. But from
  whence came this extraordinary capability? Per-
  haps the Zarovan people are Mist-fused in some
  way. Likewise, the mysterious will o’ the wisps seem
  to move faster than whoever pursues them. Could
  it be that the wisps slow down time for their
  opponents or else speed up their own time?
  This hypothesis leads to even more intriguing
  questions. If the Mists can infuse something with
  the power to alter time, how much control do the
  Mists have over the element of time? Could the
  Mists roll back the past or alter the future?  The
  ability to control time so deftly would indeed
  explain the existence of the fugued and the oubli-
  ettes that exist in the Mists.
  Temporal Powers
  Mist-creatures may possess any or all of the
  following time-based powers. The DM should feel
  free to mix these powers as needed to vary the
  natures and abilities of monsters that originate in
  or are changed by the Mists.
  Temporal Manipulation (Sp): The Mists have
  given a creature with this ability the gift to reach
  into time, slowing it down or speeding it up. The
  creature may now use haste or slow as a spell-like
  ability. It may use this ability 3 times per day, so
  that the creature may either use haste three times,
  slow three times or any combination of the two that
  equals three.
  CR Adjustment: +1
  Past Sight (Su): This temporal power, be-
  stowed by the Mists, allows a creature to look into
  the past up to 1 year per HD of the creature. The
  creature merely specifies the date it wishes to view
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  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  and sees the events as they unfold. The creature
  must be present at the site of the event it wishes to
  view. For example, if it wishes to see a bloody
  murder that took place years ago, it must be at the
  site of the murder in order to view it.
  Once the creature looks into the past, it watches
  events unfold as if it were present during the
  events. The creature cannot take part in the events;
  he or she is simply an invisible phantom observing
  the goings-on. The creature cannot manipulate
  objects in the past either. It would not be able to
  read the contents of a closed book, for instance.
  The creature may move around for as long as the
  ability functions, allowing it to look in multiple
  rooms or follow the images of people as they move
  about.
  The present stays real for the creature with this
  power. So, for example, if a creature with this
  power trails an ancient lord up the stairs of a tower
  that has now crumbled apart, it will not be able to
  follow the past, since in the present the tower no
  longer exists.
  This power is extremely potent, and has the
  possibility of spoiling the mystery of an adventure.
  DMs should remember that when giving this power
  to a creature, since crafty adventuring parties might
  be able to coerce a creature to use this power on
  their behalf. Only creature who have some sort of
  madness can have this power.
  The creature may view the past for a number
  of minutes equal to its HD. The creature may look
  into the past only once a day.
  Prerequisite: A creature with this power must
  also have some form of madness.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  Temporal Barrier (Sp): By stopping time in a
  specific area, a creature can create a force-like wall
  within which time is frozen. This barrier acts as a
  wall of force except that anything touching the wall
  must make a DC 18 Will save or be stuck fast to the
  area of frozen time.
  Once a creature is stuck, it can make either a
  DC 20 Strength check or DC 25 Escape Artist
  check to escape each round as a full round action.
  Objects hurled, shot or touched to the tempo-
  ral barrier are caught fast. Only a DC 20 Strength
  check can free an object from the barrier; an Escape
  Artist check may not be used to free an object.
  Anyone making a Strength check to free an object
  must also make a Break check against the object to
  see if the object breaks while it is being pulled out
  of the temporal barrier. Once the temporal barrier
  falls, all objects are freed as well. Missiles in flight
  such as arrows and grenades resume their course.
  Spells directed against a temporal barrier stop
  at the point of contact. When the temporal barrier
  falls, the spells resume their course, striking their
  intended targets if they are still within range. Spells
  that require a touch attack or ranged touch attack
  on the part of the caster, (such as ray spells) resume
  their course, only striking their targets if they are
  still in the position they were in at the time the
  spell was cast.
  A temporal barrier lasts 1 round per creature
  HD.
  CR Adjustment: +3/4
  Time Wrinkle (Su): A creature with this
  ability can transport itself ahead in time. With a
  standard action, the creature winks out of exist-
  ence, to appear later in the same spot in the same
  condition. The creature can disappear for 1d6
  rounds, 1d6 minutes, 1d6 days, 1d6 months or even
  1d6 years. The longer it disappears for, however,
  the greater the chance that it will become lost in
  time — disappearing from Ravenloft forever. If it
  disappears for minutes at a time there is a 5 %
  chance that it will vanish forever; disappearing for
  days  carries a 10% chance; and months or years
  carries a 15% chance.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Our next meeting would take place in
  Richemulot, in the town of Ste. Ronges. We had
  received more reports of gruesome murders, tipped
  off by a local swordsmith by the name of Sicart the
  Scratch. Dr. Ruscheider and I stopped for the night
  at the Inn of the Last Breath.
  I do not know how, but the creature knew that
  we were coming. That night, after I had gone to
  sleep, I awoke with a start, realizing that someone
  or something was  strangling my with the intent to
  kill. I scraped at my throat, gasping, but no air came
  to my lungs.
  Through the illumination of the silver moon,
  I could see drifting palettes of fog all around me,
  floating like frozen blades through the air. With a
  monumental effort, I rolled out of my bed and
  scrambled up against a wall. At last, a burst of air
  filled my chest, and I found I could breathe again.
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  36
  Chapter Three
  I now saw that the entire room was filling up
  with a flowing fog, which was pouring through the
  window. As the fog rose upwards, it drew the air
  from my lips again. I suddenly realized that as long
  as I was covered by the fog, I would not be able to
  breathe.
  I grabbed my belt, from which slung my pistol
  and spell components, flung open my door and
  stumbled into the hallway. I heard a strange music
  filling the halls of the inn. The discordant hum-
  ming drifted through the air, making me strangely
  drowsy through some inexplicable power.
  The music came from Dr. Ruscheider’s room.
  Not losing an instant, I ran towards the door. In
  one motion, I put my palm to the door handle and
  uttered the arcane word I knew that would set my
  hand alight. As my arcane fire punched a scorching
  hole in the door, I shouldered the door open and
  stepped back.
  There, standing over Marcus’s bed was the
  creature. It stood very tall, and its arms seemed
  over-long, like those of a beast. In the darkness, I
  thought at first it was wearing some sort of hood
  over its face. But then I realized that the sagging
  hood was its face. It was wearing the stallion’s face
  as its own, despite its ill-fit.
  It glanced at me, and for a moment, I was taken
  aback by its haunting, beautiful eyes that started at
  me through the punched holes of its flesh-mask. Its
  inharmonious song filled my ears. I tried to sum-
  mon another spell, but I found myself in the grasp
  of its jigsaw tune.
  “Pity,” it sang, each note grating and disso-
  nant, “not vain enough…”
  Taking advantage of my momentary fascina-
  tion, the creature moved with blinding speed,
  crashing through the window of Marcus’s room and
  diving towards the street below. I moved to the
  gaping window and saw a pool of mist on the
  cobblestones below. Already, it pooled into the
  sewers. I turned to poor Marcus and hoped that the
  thing had not killed him for the trouble.
  Vaporous Powers
  To our good fortune, Marcus was unscathed,
  though a moment longer and he might have suffo-
  cated as I almost did. We compared our experiences
  and came to the conclusion that the Telling Man
  was controlling the fog in some way, compelling
  the vapors to draw away all breathable air from the
  rooms.
  This theory would agree with what we have
  previously seen in our research. The Bannick Fog
  of Valachan plagued that land for over a decade by
  choking those within it, causing them to rise as
  zombies. If such a phenomenon was created by a
  creature, are all such choking fogs created by sen-
  tient beings? Is the choking fog that manifests in
  Barovia a product of some malign force?
  Mist creatures are not limited to creating a
  strangling mist, however. If you note my account
  above, the Telling Man was able to control the
  vapors as well, causing them to pour up into our inn
  rooms. Indeed, the Black Skald is said to be able to
  call forth columns of mist when needed. This
  supposition also fits the accounts of the Mist ferry-
  men who travel in and out of foggy rivers and are
  said to shape the Mists as weavers fashion a tapes-
  try.
  Darker tales speak of even darker powers. The
  Red Bride of Nova Vaasa is said to be accompanied
  by a bank of bloody fog that contains the voices of
  all those she has claimed in vengeance. Anyone
  listening to the whispers for too long goes mad and
  flees into the red mists, never to be seen again.
  While these powers are rare, it is important to
  note that they are on the rise. For the longest time,
  it was assumed that the Mists were a dangerous
  place to travel, because of their tendency to move
  those who tread within. Now, it seems that the
  vapors of our land are becoming even more deadly.
  We have heard recent tales of Mist banks that
  drank the life from those who touched them or
  drained the blood of those who drew too near.
  However, we were unable to find any witnesses to
  legitimize these tales.
  On the rise, too, are the reports of creatures
  who can control the fog around them. According
  to the reports our correspondents have given us, a
  number of beings have reportedly been able to
  direct banks of fog, moving or shifting them at their
  will. We would actually contest these claims and
  speculate that perhaps the Mists move themselves
  in a manner that is convenient for them. Neither
  Laurie not I believe that the Mists are anyone’s
  servant. More likely, they serve the beings they
  court for as long as is convenient for them.
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  37
  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  Vapor Based Powers
  Mist dwelling creatures may have some or all
  of the following powers. The DM may want to use
  these special qualities to customize monsters to suit
  his campaign or to create new monsters based on
  these powers.
  Mist Call (Su): A creature with this power can
  create a patch of fog with a 20 foot radius and 20
  feet high. It can summon this patch of fog up to 100
  feet +10 feet per HD in distance. In all other
  respects, this effect resembles fog cloud. The patch
  of fog lingers for 10 minutes per HD of the creature,
  though the creature may dissolve the fog at will
  before the duration runs out.
  Creatures that use this power risk the ill favor
  of the Mists which do not relish being summoned
  too often. Each time this power is used, there is a
  5% cumulative chance per encounter that the fog
  called for does not come at all. If a “00” is ever rolled
  for the creature, this power completely backfires,
  creating a patch of mist in the worst possible area
  for the encounter. For example, if a creature were
  trying to escape a group of adventurers, a “00” on
  the percentile dice might create a patch of mist at
  the edge of a precipice, causing the creature to run
  into the mist and over the edge of the cliff.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Animate Fog (Su): A creature with this power
  can move a 20 foot radius, 20 feet tall bank of fog
  in the direction it desires as a standard action. The
  fog bank moves at a rate of 20 feet per round.
  Because fog is heavy, it always flows along the
  ground. It cannot travel horizontally. It may flow
  over barriers that are shorter than the fog bank is
  tall. The fog bank must flow around barriers that
  are taller than it.
  Using this power is risky since the Mists are
  dangerous if tampered with too often. Each time
  this power is used, there is a 5% cumulative chance
  per encounter that the fog does not move. If a “00”
  is ever rolled for the creature, this power backfires,
  moving the fog into the worst possible area for the
  encounter. For example, if a creature desired to
  obscuring itself from ranged attacks, a “00” roll
  might mean that the fog patch moves over the
  creature’s opponents, obscuring them from the
  creatures attacks and giving them cover.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Trapping Fog (Su): A creature with this power
  may cause a bank of fog to solidify, as if using solid
  fog. Note that the creature cannot summon its own
  cloud, it must use a bank of preexisting mist. It may
  solidify a patch of fog summoned through the mist
  call power, however.
  This power affects a bank of fog with a 20 foot
  radius and 20 feet tall. This solid fog is so thick that
  any creature attempting to move through it
  progresses at a speed of 5 feet, regardless of its
  normal speed. Such beings also suffer a –2 to
  penalty to all melee attack and damage rolls. The
  viscous mist also prevents effective ranged weapon
  attacks, though magical rays and similar attacks
  still function. Any creature falling into solid fog is
  slowed, so that each 10 feet of vapor that it falls
  through reduces the falling damage by 1d6. A
  creature can’t take a 5 foot step while in trapping fog.
  Unlike normal fog, only a severe wind (31 + mph)
  will disperse this enchanted fog, doing so in 1
  round.
  Note that the creature that creates trapping fog
  cannot move it or manipulate it unless it also has
  the animate fog salient ability. Trapping fog lingers
  for 1 minute per HD of the creature.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Choking Fog (Su): The creature with this
  ability can create a zone of fog that is devoid of all
  oxygen. Note that the creature cannot summon its
  own cloud, it must use a bank of preexisting mist.
  It may affect a patch of fog summoned through the
  mist call power, however.
  This power affects a bank of fog with a 20 foot
  radius and 20 feet tall. The choking fog is not solid
  and is like normal fog in every other way except
  that creatures that need to breathe cannot do so
  while standing within it. Of course, a creature can
  hold its breath before entering the fog. See the
  Dungeon Masters Guide for rules for holding one’s
  breath.
  The choking fog effect lasts for 10 minutes per
  HD of the creature using this power.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Maddening Fog (Su): This horrific power
  allows a creature to cause a bank of preexisting fog
  to become alive with the sound of whispers. It may
  affect a patch of fog summoned through the mist call
  power.
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  Chapter Three
  This power affects a bank of fog 20 feet in
  radius and 20 feet high. The whispers originate
  from the vapors and emanate from there. These
  maddening whispers cause all who hear them to
  make a Madness save. Failure indicates that the
  hapless creature contracts a Moderate Madness
  from the madness table (see Chapter Three of the
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook). Follow the guide-
  lines on Listen checks found in the Player’s
  Handbook to determine whether or not people can
  hear the whispering.
  The maddening fog effect lasts for 10 minutes
  per HD of the creature using this power.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Death Fog (Su): This potent ability allows a
  creature to cause a bank of preexisting fog to
  become not only viscous, but acidic as well. It may
  affect a patch of fog summoned through the mist call
  power.
  Mist affected by this ability becomes an acid
  fog, as per the spell. Just like acid fog, these insidious
  vapors do 2d6 points of acid damage to each crea-
  ture or object within them, in addition to slowing
  creatures down.
  The death fog effect lasts for 1 round per HD of
  the creature.
  CR Adjustment: +3/4
  Mist Fading (Su): While standing within the
  mist, a creature with this ability can remain totally
  unseen. As long as the creature has any conceal-
  ment from fog or mist, it is considered to have total
  concealment. Thus, as long as it is in any way
  concealed by the mists or fog, it is essentially
  invisible and is able to attack other creatures with
  all the benefits and adjustments that invisibility
  bestows. Attacking does not cause the creature to
  appear, though stepping out the mist certainly
  does. Any effect that dispels the mist that the
  creature is standing in also dispels the invisibility.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Mist Walking (Su): When gifted with this
  power, the Mist creature with this ability can travel
  between patches of fog as if using dimension door.
  The creature must begin and end its travel in an
  area occupied by mist or fog. It can travel in this
  fashion up to a total of 10 feet per HD per day. For
  instance, a 10 HD creature could transport itself up
  to 100 feet per day in this fashion. It may split up
  the distance in any fashion that it wishes. For
  example, it could make two jumps of 50 feet or five
  jumps of 20 feet. While this amount can be split up
  between multiple jumps, each transport, no matter
  how small, counts as a10 foot increment at least.
  Thus, 10 one foot jumps per day count as much as
  ten 10 foot jumps per day for a 10HD creature.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  So far, our investigations revealed nothing
  more than a sad litany of ghastly mutilations.
  Determined to track down the creature known as
  the Telling Man once and for all, Dr. Ruscheider
  and I developed a plan.
  We knew that the Telling Man attacked people
  possessed of vanity, taking away whatever consti-
  tuted the focus of the vanity. Tracking down each
  and every person in the Core who suffered from the
  sin of vanity would be folly. Instead, I devised a way
  to bring many of those people to us.
  Drawing upon some of the family funds, I
  arranged to hold a large ball at Heather House, the
  Weathermay ancestral home. Dr. Ruscheider, my
  sister Laurie and I wrote numerous invitations to
  particular individuals. Specifically, we called upon
  people whose reputation for humility was sub-
  merged by their more memorable traits. I realize
  that this might seem callous to some of our readers,
  but let me be clear — we were hoping to protect
  these guests, not use them as bait.
  The celebration we arranged would consist of
  a week of festivities. Security at the Heather House
  was stringent. During the final evening of the
  lengthy celebration, I finally met our quarry.
  I was standing in the balcony overlooking a
  large ball being held for our final night of celebra-
  tion. From that vantage, I hoped to get a glimpse of
  anything suspicious.
  To my surprise, I saw a strange, patchwork doll
  floating through in the air, dancing in front of me.
  It only took me a moment to realize that the doll
  was suspended from a very thin string. I glanced up
  and saw that the near-invisible string was attached
  to a long, thin pole — a fishing rod — and that the
  person holding the rod was standing behind me.
  I whirled around and found that my pistol had
  been liberated from me. I felt a powerful hand latch
  around my forearm. I was drawn close to a towering
  figure and looked up into a jigsaw face. The stallion’s
  mask was gone, replaced by a collage of human skin
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  39
  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  stretched far too tight over a large skull. Upon the
  thing’s head was a long ream of burgundy hair. It so
  ill-fitted its head that I would have avowed it was
  a wig, but I knew all too well that it was the scalp
  of some poor victim. Like its body, the thing’s voice
  was stolen. It spoke with a raw amalgam of tones, all
  robbed from innumerable hosts.
  “Do you like it?” the thing crooned, touching
  its hair. “I devised a new look for you,” it whispered
  to me with the intimacy of a paramour, murmuring
  in an almost song-like tone. “Now, to consider. To
  think. Which part of you to take, hm?”
  As I recovered from my shock, I tried to
  summon the words of power that would throw
  down my enemy in a smoldering pile of ash and
  bone. In that instant, however, it began its insidi-
  ous song again, locking my mind within the throes
  of its musical lure.  As it sang, it clasped its piece-
  meal fingers around my throat. I felt the stitching
  of its hand scraping the veins of my neck.
  “We’re almost tempted to ravish you right
  here before the crowd,” sang the Telling Man, “but
  you’ve been so good. Besides, we simply must know.
  How ever did you come to know so much about us?”
  As its thumb pressed into my throat, I felt the
  enchantment of its song break. I grabbed at one of
  the wires that held its hand together, attempting to
  unloose it from the arm. It was then that my vision
  fogged and my heart fluttered. I felt my mind whirl
  and spin. The creature was sorting through my
  mind as I would have sorted through the pages of a
  book.
  Mental Powers
  From my encounter with the Telling Man at
  our own Heather House, I made the painful discov-
  ered that the creature had some psychic ability.
  Fortunately, not every Mist creature has psychic
  capacity. These are, however, the abilities that the
  careful hunter must fear the most. The body can
  heal from wounds. But scars of the mind never fade.
  To my great fortune, the Telling Man may
  have been able to read my mind, but it could not
  alter it. There is documentation of creatures that
  have the ability to modify the memories of others.
  The Quivering Watchman, for instance, was known
  for its ability to make people forget how to get to
  the foggy tower that he protected.  Numerous tales
  of Mist ferryman tell of their ability to make their
  passengers forget which channels they took down
  dark streams and rivers.
  Some creatures have the ability to add memo-
  ries to one’s mind. In Barovia, there exist such
  creatures called the shalkala. These beings are said
  to be fey creatures who tempt men into following
  them into the woods. Those that heed their sum-
  mons are commanded to dance with these fey
  beings in a circle of mushrooms or moss. Those who
  do so have their memories rewritten to believe that
  they are the shalkala’s companions. These poor
  souls are then doomed to be the shalkala’s protec-
  tors for life.
  There is also evidence that many Mist crea-
  tures possess a limited form of telepathy. Several
  Vistani accounts tell of facing Mist elementals that
  moved in unison or coordinated their attacks,
  though neither creature was in visual range of the
  other.
  One of the most dreaded psychic powers that
  we have documented thus far is the power to cause
  others to lose their bearings. The will o’ the wisps
  that live out in the Mordent moors are known to
  lure travelers into the hills and then cause them to
  lose their way entirely. Numerous accounts exist of
  travelers that wander in circles for days, only to fall
  into some miry pit, or to be assaulted at last by the
  will o’ the wisps as their strength waned.
  Finally, there are rumors that potent Mist
  beings can toy with a person’s sanity. The Wander-
  ing Highwayman of Borca is said to cause his
  victims to go mad just by speaking with them. Woe
  to those who meet such a creature. Such people
  come away from their encounter forever the bear-
  ing the mark given to them by the Mist being they
  have crossed.
  Mental Powers
  Mist creatures may possess some or all of the
  following powers. The DM may use these special
  qualities to tailor creatures suitable for their own
  Ravenloft campaigns or to add variety to existing
  monsters.
  Modify Memory (Sp): This ability is similar to
  modify memory, except that the creature with this
  ability can modify up to an hour of memory. Just as
  for the spell, the creature must spend an equal time
  visualizing the memory to be changed. Thus, if a
  peasant failed his save against this power, up to an
  hour’s worth of memory could be altered, but the
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  creature would have to spend an hour visualizing
  that memory after its target failed its saving throw.
  CR Adjustment: +3/4
  Mental Scan (Su): The creature is able to
  detect thoughts as per the spell. It may use this ability
  at will, whenever it wishes, though it is limited to
  the spell’s restrictions as outlined in Chapter Three
  of the Ravenloft Player’s Handbook.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Mindlink (Su): A creature with this power
  can send telepathic messages to  others of its kind.
  The creature’s “kind” is defined when the creature
  first receives the ability. Thus, the creature might
  be able to communicate only with others of its own
  species or with those who have failed a powers
  check or with a particular group of its own choos-
  ing, such as members of a cult.
  This power only enables the creature to send
  messages. The recipient of the communication
  must have some way of responding in order to reply.
  Often groups of Mist creatures will have this abil-
  ity, creating networks of denizens that can
  communicate with each other in apparent silence.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Haunting Call (Su): With this dread ability,
  the Mist creature creates a sonic effect that lures all
  who hear it towards the caller. The effect may take
  the form of a song, chant or howl — whatever is
  most appropriate to the creature. Anyone who
  hears the haunting call must make a DC 18 Will save
  or be compelled to approach the creature. Those so
  compelled must attempt to approach the creature
  each round, doing nothing but moving towards the
  caller. A compelled individual may run toward the
  creature if she wishes.
  Creatures prevented from moving to the source
  of the haunting call still move as close as they can.
  They will try to overcome any obstruction by any
  means necessary, including attack. They will con-
  tinue in this fashion until the sonic effect ceases, or
  until they can no longer hear it. If the lured target
  is completely prevented from reaching her goal,
  such as being put in a prison cell or being otherwise
  confined or restrained, she simply stands and lis-
  tens to the sonic effect until it ends or can no longer
  be heard.
  The target will always use whatever natural
  movement is necessary to approach a creature with
  haunting call, though it is not compelled to use
  alternative forms of travel. Thus, a mage won’t
  necessarily use a fly spell to approach the summon-
  ing creature, though a gargoyle certainly would.
  A creature lured by the sonic effect can be
  compelled into traveling a route that would cause
  its destruction. For instance, a man could be lured
  off of the side of a cliff or through a fire. If the target
  of this power is confronted with a path that will
  obviously lead to its endangerment, however, it
  receives a new Will save. If it succeeds, the call is
  broken. If it fails, the creature proceeds despite the
  danger. This includes engaging in combat to get to
  the source of the haunting call.
  If the target reaches her goal, she simply stands
  and listens to the sonic effect, trying to stand as
  close as possible to the source of the call. If the
  caller attacks the summoned individual, that per-
  son gets a new Will save to resisit. Failure means
  that the poor target takes the damage and is counted
  as helpless.
  CR Adjustment: +1
  Wandering Mind (Su): Many a lonely trav-
  eler has met his doom through the use of this dread
  power. A creature with this ability may target any
  individual within its line of sight. A targeted indi-
  vidual must make a DC 18 Will save or  become
  hopelessly lost. He may travel up to a mile away
  while under the influence of this power, but will
  always come back to the same point of origin. The
  point of origin is always the place where the target
  started moving after it failed its initial Will save.
  A ranger might wander through a moor only to
  find that over the next hill, he’s back at the tree
  where he started his journey. A merchant might
  walk through a city, carefully keeping track of
  every street that he crosses, but somehow, when he
  rounds the bend, he’s back in the plaza where he
  began.
  As long as the victim is under the effect of this
  power, there is no escaping being lost. Those who
  use Survival to maintain their direction end up
  back at square one, even if they are sure of their
  bearings.
  Magic provides no help; any magic used to
  attempt to foil wandering mind fails. For example,
  someone who uses magic to teleport or dimension
  door out of the wandering mind effect ends up back
  at his point of origin, because his confused mind
  directs him back to that place. Someone who uses
  fly to gain a high vantage point so that he can find
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  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  a new direction discovers himself mysteriously
  back where he started, hovering over a familiar
  spot. Even divination magic such as find the path
  leads the victim back to his starting point because
  his mind cannot understand what his spells are
  trying to tell them. Only a successful dispel magic or
  break enchantment can free someone from wander-
  ing mind.
  Any outside observer watching the hapless
  target sees the person wander around aimlessly,
  eventually ending up back where he started. Some-
  one unaffected by the wandering mind ability can
  guide a confused victim out of the area of his
  confusion. As soon as the victim is more than a
  mile away from his point of origin, the power of the
  wandering mind breaks, and the victim is no longer
  lost.
  Wandering mind is a phantasmal effect that
  exists within the mind of its target. Any creature
  immune to a phantasm is also immune to wandering
  mind.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Seductive (Ex): The Mists may grant a crea-
  ture glibness of tongue, enabling the creature to
  read the psychological cues of anyone or anything
  it talks to and
  predict how that being might respond to vari-
  ous actions. A creature with this ability receives a
  +10 profane bonus to all Bluff checks. The creature
  gains this bonus as long as it can spend one full
  round observing its audience. If new people arrive
  on the scene, the creature still needs a full-round to
  get the Bluff check bonus for the newcomers. The
  creature may engage in other actions like talking,
  cooking or anything that requires only a minimal
  amount of attention. It cannot observe targets
  while doing things that require a great deal of
  concentration, like combat, picking a lock or cast-
  ing a spell.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  Rapid Gaslighting (Ex): This creature has the
  ability to gaslight another creature within an hour
  of conversation. Full details for gaslighting can be
  found in Chapter Three of the Ravenloft Player’s
  Handbook.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  After the Telling Man’s assault upon me, I
  found myself looking up into the faces of both a
  hellish hound and some great steel-plated bull. I
  blinked once and realized that I was upstairs in the
  trophy room of Heather House. Above me hung
  my Uncle George’s numerous trophies, a menag-
  erie of exotic and strange creatures whose heads
  now adorned his walls.
  I discovered that I was lying upon a divan. I
  fought to rise to my feet, but my body would not
  respond. Indeed, the most I could attempt was to
  raise one of my arms a few inches before I had to
  lower it again. As I peered around, I found that my
  mind was clouded as well.
  “She wakes, she wakes,” the sing-song voice
  intoned, “the bratling-niece of that troublesome
  Rudolph fellow.”
  I rolled my eyes in the direction of the voice.
  There stood the Telling Man, leaning over a
  chirugeon’s kit, daintily trying to pick one of his
  gleaming utensils, like a child choosing the next
  candy from a box.
  “I will be missed…at the…party,” I breathed,
  though my tired words were futile. Both my captor
  and I both knew that the manor was large and vast.
  The trophy room lay far away from the ballroom in
  a secluded corner of the mansion. Even if I could
  scream, such a sound would be largely muffled.
  “Yes, you are right,” sang the Telling Man.
  “Missed you most certainly will be.”
  I tried to get up, but my limbs flailed helplessly
  like worms stuck fast to a needle. At least both arms
  were working.
  “Now, now, my sweet, don’t struggle. The
  poisons in your system are still working their way
  through your blood.” The creature stood up straight
  and shuffled over to me. I could feel it looming over
  my body and I could sense its sad, blue eyes gazing
  at my flesh longingly, hungrily. Through my foggy
  vision, I could see that it held a long, curved blade
  in one hand. The strange utensil gleamed softly in
  the dim light of the room. I had seen such an
  instrument used before in Lamordia — for loboto-
  mies.
  “We know what you’re looking for,” whis-
  pered the creature. “We know that you’re looking
  for the Lost. But what you don’t know…is who is
  counted among their number.”
  At this point, I had punched a hole through
  the cobwebs that covered my mind. I began to
  assemble sigils in my poison-riddled brain, recall-
  ing with difficulty the ancient words of arcane
  power.
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  Chapter Three
  “Your so-called Uncle — where do you think
  he has been all of this time? Why do you think that
  your quest to find him has been so futile?” he
  taunted me.
  My eyes blurred, as the room spun.
  My heart burned in despair. “Where…is he?”
  The Telling Man hummed softly as he pulled
  my hair upward, raising my head off the divan
  where I lay.  The edge of the curved blade dangled
  in front of my face. My skin tingled with a giddy fear
  at its approach.
  “You will never know,” the thing said with a
  final sigh of sadness. “You know, there is so much
  of you that is perfectly tasty. But your brain? That
  is most certainly what you covet most.”
  “A pity,” I breathed, as the cold blade was
  placed upon my scalp. “You’ll never attain what
  you seek, either.”
  Before he reacted, I screamed out words that
  had been with me since I first learn to pierce the air
  with eldritch power. It was a simple enough
  dweomer, but it took years to hone and could be
  deadly in its application.
  Four motes of force, light and fury erupted into
  the air and swarmed around the Telling Man. The
  thing screamed as the wisps darted about it, burn-
  ing into its borrowed flesh. It sprang back, swatting
  at the swarming missiles that assailed it from every
  direction.
  While it was distracted, I used my remaining
  strength to roll off of the divan. I closed my eyes and
  heaved out my next enchantment, feeling a cold
  chill pass over my skin. With every bit of effort I
  could muster, I clutched at the carpet with my
  fingertips and pulled myself underneath the divan,
  blessing every time that Uncle George had ever
  called me “his little waif.”
  The creature ran through the room, looking
  for me. It overturned furniture and pulled down
  shelves. Its feet passed once, twice, by my face as it
  scrambled about in a desperate search. Then, the
  creature stopped and knelt down beside the divan.
  It peered down under the couch and put its face
  next to mine, but its pale blue eyes did not see me,
  did not note my face caught in an expression of
  horror and fascination. Despite all of the Telling
  Man’s many abilities, it could not penetrate the
  enchantment of invisibility I had placed upon my-
  self.
  Within the span of a heartbeat, I could hear
  the thunder of footsteps storming down the hall.
  Even with the remoteness of the room, the as-
  sembled guards heard the cacophony of the Telling
  Man’s fury. There was a crash of glass and a long
  wail that went high into the air as the creature
  leapt through the window.
  I was not so easy a victim as the Telling Man
  had suspected. Had it fully realized my abilities, I
  doubt I would be writing these words now. Clearly,
  my opponent was superior to me in a physical sense.
  Surprise and quick wit were the only things that
  saved me.
  After its failed attempt to extract my brain, the
  creature fled Heather House. No doubt the crea-
  ture feared the combined force of the summoned
  household rather than one lone wizard. I wish that
  we could report to you that the creature has been
  vanquished and will plague the land no more, but
  that is not always the way in our line of work.
  Therefore, reader, beware. For if you should possess
  a vanity, such I as did unknowingly, it may already
  by stalking you, waiting to stitch your pride to its
  ever-changing body.
  — GWF
  Other Powers
  While Gennifer did most of the work on
  discovering the nature of Mist creatures and their
  salient abilities, I too, contributed to some of the
  research here. My name, of course, is Dr. Marcus
  Rushchieder. Many of you know of my father, Dr.
  Harmon Rushchieder, who worked with the fa-
  mous Dr. Van Richten on his guide to the lich. My
  father was a captive of an Invidian lich for a long
  while, but managed to escape her grasp before
  relating to Dr. Van Richten vital information
  about lichdom. Thereafter, my father died in the
  arms of his good friend, a tragic end to a great man.
  Since that time, I have striven to continue my
  father’s work. In the spirit of the research that he
  undertook, I will relate to you here the salient
  powers that I have discovered. Much of our re-
  search has been crafted to arm the capable hunter
  against the malign. However, there is another side
  to the Mists that surround our land. The Mists are
  not always an agent of woe, as in the case of the
  Telling Man. There are times in which the Mists
  act on the behalf of justice.
  Take, for instance, the fen hounds that live
  within the folds of the Mists. These creatures hunt
  down those that have spread suffering through the
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  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  land. The furies, also, find and destroy beings of
  evil.
  To this end, there are a number of salient
  powers that these spirits of vengeance and retribu-
  tion possess. We have seen some of these powers at
  work first hand. Other powers have been docu-
  mented by witnesses and correspondents. The
  striders of Valachan, for example, appear as emaci-
  ated horses in the Mists, standing near places
  where an injustice has occurred. If a soul is brave
  enough to mount one, it will allow someone to ride,
  granting the rider combat prowess and turning
  away any blade that tries to strike him. Striders
  often lead their rider towards those who are deserv-
  ing of justice as well. However, it is said that if the
  rider perishes during his quest, he rises again on the
  next night as a revenant.
  There are more tales of people being helped by
  the Mists, but in almost every case where someone
  has received aid from a Mist creature it has always
  been in the name of vengeance. There are no
  reported cases of Mist creatures stepping in to save
  someone’s life, cure an individual of a curse or
  alleviate suffering.
  Another example can be found in the Quiver-
  ing Watchman that Gennifer refers to previously
  in this chapter. The Watchman grants those who
  brave its tower a weapon of great power, but that
  weapon’s enchantment only first comes into play
  when used to exact retribution.
  We must pause, then, to wonder at the designs
  of the Mists. Why would the Mists grant certain
  creatures the power to wreak havok while granting
  others the power to exact vengeance? It is as if the
  Mists are trying to perpetuate a cycle of sorrow and
  retaliation.
  Most of the salient powers that we have seen
  focus on granting someone else’s need for justice. It
  is rare that the Mists themselves intercede on the
  behalf of the innocent. Only in the rare cases of fen
  hounds and the furies have we seen this happen.
  Powers of Justice
  The following powers may be applied to Mist
  creatures or beings touched by the Mists. DMs may
  find these abilities useful in designing creatures for
  their campaigns.
  Grant Vengeance (Sp): The creature with
  this ability can grant another being the power of
  vengeance. The creature must touch its intended
  target for one full round. If the target accepts the
  power from the creature, she gains a +2 to hit,
  damage and to all saves when the target fights the
  object of its vengeance. This Mist-blessing lasts for
  24 hours.
  Note that these bonuses only last while the
  target is fighting the object of its vengeance. If it is
  fighting a minion or making a save from a spell cast
  by a minion, the target does not receive these
  bonuses.
  A creature with this ability cannot use the
  power upon itself.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Curse Bonus (Su): Any creature with this
  ability gains a bonus to all curse checks that it
  makes. The bonus is determined by the DM, but
  typically ranges from +2 to +5. It is highly recom-
  mended that the bonus never exceed +5. See
  information on curses in Chapter Three of the
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  Create Revenant (Sp): As a full-round action,
  a creature with this Mist power can cause another
  to rise as a Dread Revenant (see Van Richten’s
  Guide to the Walking Dead). The target must first
  be dead, obviously, but must also have a reason for
  revenge. This ability would fail, for instance, if
  granted to a farmer who died in his sleep and had
  no enemies. The ability always fails when used
  upon the body of True Innocents, even if they have
  just cause for revenge. Any creature who adheres to
  a specific faith gets a posthumous DC 18 Will save
  against this power. Targets who succeed in this
  save do not rise as revenants.
  The creature that creates the revenant does
  not retain control over it. Ironically, many Mist-
  creatures have perished at the hands of their own
  creations. It takes one-full round for a creature with
  this ability to create a revenant.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Refuel the Fire (Sp): A creature with this
  ability can assist others who have been wronged.
  The intended target first receives the benefits of a
  heal spell. If the target is undead, it receives the
  benefits of a harm spell instead. The target also
  gains the benefits of a bless and a prayer spell as well
  as a +4 to an ability score of its choice. Addition-
  ally, the target becomes immune to damage from a
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  Chapter Three
  single energy type. While under the effects of refuel
  the fire, the target creature is immune to all poisons.
  These benefits last for 24 hours.
  In order to receive this vengeful blessing, the
  target must willingly sacrifice a permanent point of
  Charisma. This Charisma point may never be
  recovered, even through restoration or other restor-
  ative magics.
  In order to use this power on another, the
  creature must touch its target for one full round. A
  creature with this ability cannot use the power
  upon itself.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Sign of Weakness (Su): This power often
  manifests itself in beings such as fen hounds that
  deliver justice. This power allows the creature to
  drain its target of its greatest strength as a standard
  action. The target must be within 30 feet of the
  creature using this ability and there must be a line
  of effect between the creature possessing this power
  and the target. The target receives a DC 20 Will
  save against this power.
  If the target fails, the target temporarily loses
  4 points from its highest ability score. The creature
  using sign of weakness  receives a +4 to the same
  ability score. Both bonus and lost ability score
  points fade at the rate of one per day.
  For example, if a Mist creature targets a blood-
  thirsty fighter, the fighter might take 4 points of
  Strength damage, while the creature receives a +4
  bonus to its Strength score.
  If two or more of the target’s ability scores
  qualify as the highest, then the creature using sign
  of weakness chooses which ability is drained.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Granting the Bane (Sp): In the name of
  justice, a creature with this power can grant an-
  other individual a bane weapon (see Chapter 7 of
  the Dungeon Master’s Guide). By touching the
  target weapon, it immediately becomes a +1 bane
  weapon. The weapon remains so enchanted for 24
  hours. While the creature may touch the weapon
  enchanted with this power, it cannot actually
  wield the weapon that it enchants in combat. If it
  does so, the weapon immediately loses its enchant-
  ment. Only one weapon may be enchanted by the
  creature at a time.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Instill Aura (Sp): By extending its blessing, a
  Mist creature with this power can cause another to
  assume an “aura of vengeance.” While cloaked in
  this aura, the target is surrounded by a tangible
  sensation of wrath and violence. When the target
  next meets the object of its vengeance, its oppo-
  nent must make a Will save or become shaken. The
  Will save is always equal to 10 + + the target’s HD
  + the target’s Charisma Modifier.
  A creature with this ability cannot use the
  power upon itself.
  CR Adjustment: +1/2
  Other Powers
  The following powers may belong to Mist
  creatures or Mist-touched creatures in any combi-
  nation appropriate for the creature. DM’s may use
  these powers to create  variant Mist creatures for
  their own campaign.
  Corruptive Presence (Su): Because the Mists
  have touched this creature, it becomes a corrupting
  presence in the land. All powers checks made
  within 100 feet of its presence are at +5%. This
  ability may be taken twice. If it is taken again, all
  powers checks made within 200 feet of its presence
  are at +10%.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  Haunting Sound (Su): A creature that pos-
  sesses this power causes all who hear its haunting
  call to become shaken if they fail a DC 18 Will save.
  Anyone who is within 100-200 feet may be af-
  fected, the exact range of the power is determined
  once the creature takes the power. Other creatures
  with the haunting sound salient ability are unaf-
  fected by this power. Thus, whole packs of creatures
  with this power may roam about, scaring those they
  encounter.
  Anyone who succeeds in a DC 20 Will save
  against one creature’s haunting call is immune to
  that creature’s call for 24 hours. Another creature’s
  haunting call may affect the target, however, if he
  fails his save versus that creature. Each new call
  requires a new save.
  This ability may be taken twice. If it is taken
  twice, then targets that fail their Will save against
  this power become panicked, instead of shaken.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
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  Extraordinary Pwers of Mist Creatures
  Dire Emnity (Ex): A creature with this qual-
  ity feels enmity for a particular type of person. The
  type may be determined by character class (i.e.,
  aristocrats, fighters, rogues), profession (i.e. car-
  penters, merchants, musicians), or appearance (i.e.
  young, blond women, tall men). Whenever en-
  countering a target of the designated type, the
  creature’s enmity gives it a +2 bonus to attack and
  damage rolls when facing that opponent and that
  opponent only. If the creature with this power has
  a specific enemy, meaning a specifically named
  character, the creature’s bonus to attack and dam-
  age rolls rises to +3.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
  Unerring Hunter (Su): A creature with this
  power possesses an uncanny ability to track its prey.
  The creature always knows the direction it must go
  to find its enemy, but it does not know how far it
  must travel. Some creatures that possess this power
  may switch targets at will. Other creatures have
  this power affixed to a single person or monster.
  This power does function across domain borders.
  CR Adjustment: +0
  Undying (Su): The Mists will not allow a
  creature with this power to die. If it is vanquished,
  it simply steps forth from the Mists again on the
  following night. Even if the creature’s body is
  burned, disintegrated or hidden away, the creature
  eventually returns, always coming forth from the
  Mists. If the creature’s body is watched, it eventu-
  ally dissipates into harmless vapor before it reappears
  again. Some creatures with this ability have a
  specific weakness or finally rest when some specific
  task has been completed.
  CR Adjustment: +1/4
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  46
  Chapter Four
  “Fear death?
  — to feel the fog in my throat,
  The 
  mist 
  in 
  my 
  face.”
  — Robert Browning, “Prospice”
  Chapter Four :
  Vulnerabilitie< of
  Mi<t Creature<
  Chapter Four :
  Vulnerabilitie< of
  Mi<t Creature<
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  47
  Vulnerabilities of Mist Creatures
  entle Reader:
  As my sister, Gennifer, spoke in the
  last chapter of the myriad powers of Mist
  creatures, with this chapter I seek to bring
  hope to the near-overwhelming awe and
  despair at the arcane abilities of these inhabitants of the
  Mists. Such beings, whether born of the Mists or
  distorted and changed by their wanderings in the Mists,
  are not omnipotent. Most, if not all, have weaknesses
  that provide any rational prey with the chance to
  survive and possibly defeat these terrible foes. In fact,
  it is my belief that for most gifts given by the Mists to
  those creatures within — and in this I include both the
  Lost and Mistlorn —there is a corresponding vulner-
  ability.
  To defeat such a horror as the Telling Man, and
  I still shudder at her closeness to death or mutilation,
  Gennifer used her keen intelligence against his greatest
  weaknesses — his own hubris and lack of true rational-
  ity. Other beings within the Mists exhibit more arcane
  vulnerabilities. Some seemed marked with evil and can
  thus be damaged by holy water or the prayers and
  chants of priests. Some show weaknesses to the most
  mundane objects and elements, but an intelligent
  hunter will find these normal items sufficiently deadly
  to Mist beings. Some of the more unusual creatures
  have weaknesses unknowable unless by chance.
  One warning I must make, however; no theory is
  truly proven unless by its exceptions. No matter how
  likely it is that a Mist-touched creature has one of these
  weaknesses, you may find one with some arcane
  vulnerability unheard of by any researcher or a being
  who seems to have no weakness at all. The list I present
  in this chapter was researched through interview,
  journals and personal experience.
  An Early Excursion to the Edge
  This leads me to an anecdote from one of my
  journals many years ago, which provides an ex-
  ample of how often such discoveries are a matter of
  luck and not perseverance. When I was not yet
  eighteen, I sometimes wished for independence
  from my esteemed uncle, who seemed to me at the
  time to look upon my sister and I as creatures to be
  protected and coddled. I feared that our mentor
  wished to keep us from all that is interesting in the
  world, like flowers pressed between the pages of a
  book to preserve them. I also struggled to keep my
  own sense of identity, a problem that I have since
  learned plagues many twins, though my sister did
  not seem to suffer as greatly from it.
  One evening, I took it upon myself to go
  exploring.  Gennifer had fallen asleep with her
  books and I was determined to have my own
  experience! With much struggle, I climbed down
  the tree outside our library window, snagging my
  clothes on a few branches in the process. This time,
  I wished to do something other than study the
  adventures of others. I did not even want to share
  this foray into the unknown with my twin. I hoped
  to make Uncle Rudolph proud of me so that he
  would notice how grown up I had become, though
  from my perspective now, I only proved I still
  lacked a great deal of maturity.  Carrying along a
  small knife and a pistol I could not yet use effec-
  tively, I set out from our home in the growing
  evening chill.
  Few people were out in the dank foggy twi-
  light, but I did not feel afraid, only excited to be on
  my own. I had not traveled far, no more than a few
  miles from our dwelling place, when the fog grew
  thicker around me, rising to the tops of the trees
  and beyond. I realized I could see no more than an
  arm’s reach in front of me. The distant sounds of
  carriages rumbling along the nearby road grew
  more muffled, then faded completely into silence,
  lost within the fog.
  The unfamiliar weight of my knife and pistol
  were a great comfort to me, for as I walked through
  the swirling white silence I thought I heard a pit-
  pattering echo to my step. The soft noise stopped
  each time I hesitated, so I could not tell if what I
  heard was real or just a figment of my apprehension.
  I shifted to a quick walk and then to a run, but
  Iseemed to go nowhere. I felt a cold chill as a drift
  of the Mists caressed my face. Beads of sweat warred
  with droplets of condensation on my forehead and
  cheeks as I frantically struggled to pull the knife
  from its sheath, whirling in circles to spot who or
  whatever was following me.
  A soft child’s voice whispered, “Tagged, I’ve
  got you!” then giggled with a high sweet laugh that
  seemed to come from every direction at once.
  With a great tug I finally pulled my knife from
  its sheath, my heart pounding wildly, and called
  out to what I hoped was a child lost in the Mists.
  “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I
  said, making it a child’s game of hide and seek.
  There was another giggle, again echoing weirdly
  through the fog. I was startled to feel cold, damp
  little fingers grasp my unarmed hand.
  “Here I am,” she said, stepping toward me. She
  was a pale little girl with wisps of white-blond hair
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  48
  Chapter Four
  and sad, world-weary blue eyes that belied her gap-
  toothed grin. “Do you want to play?” she asked, her
  voice guardedly hopeful.
  “Hello little one,” I replied, feeling somewhat
  relieved. “Are you lost?”
  Her face crumpled at my words, and she began
  sobbing with the singularly high-pitched wail at
  which little girls excel. Without thinking, I gath-
  ered her up in my arms, dropping the knife to the
  ground. She snuggled against my neck, her tears —
  oddly cold — dampening my shirt. For a moment,
  I held her, considering how we could both find our
  way back, smelling a faint scent of peppermint
  wafting from her clothing. Then she wrapped her
  arms in a stranglehold around my neck. I felt the
  sharp sting of her teeth and realized that the cold
  tears staining my blouse were dark droplets of
  blood. Almost reflexively, I pulled her away from
  my throat before her teeth could settle deeper,
  peeled myself out of her embrace and flung her to
  the ground. I stared at my knife, now lying next to
  her, and considered how I could grab the weapon
  or, failing that, pull the pistol forth, load it and
  shoot before the fiend was able to kill me.
  A moment passed, then another and another.
  The pale child lay very still, her eyes focused upon
  my gleaming blade no more than a few inches from
  her nose. She did not move — in fact, I saw that she
  did not even breathe. There was no sign of aware-
  ness as she sprawled like a broken doll on the
  ground, except for the shining sadness in her eyes
  that gazed so intently on her reflection in the
  metal.
  Slowly, I gathered my thoughts. Surely she was
  a vampire, but none I had ever read about react in
  such a fashion to their reflection. Still, no matter
  how odd she seemed, it was my duty to destroy her
  and end her tormented existence as one of the
  undead. From my readings I knew I should place a
  stake in her heart or remove her head with a sword.
  I did not have either tool and, frankly, felt more
  sympathy than anger at the poor lost thing. I
  whispered goodbye to her, hoping not to break her
  fascination, and headed on through the Mists,
  listening to every imagined echo with my loaded
  pistol heavy in my hand. After what seemed like
  hours I found the fog clearing around me as the sun
  rose over my home in Mordentshire. As the last of
  the mists faded into the trees and I ran to the back
  door of the house, I fancied that I heard another
  soft giggle.
  “Tag, you’re it!”
  Weaknesses
  By chance, I was able to extract myself from
  my “great adventure.” Knowledge of the vulner-
  abilities of creatures such as the one I encountered,
  would have led to a more sure and simple victory
  and muted the sadness and fright of the meeting.
  Such information I might have gained from more
  enthusiastic perusal of the tomes within our li-
  brary, yet I was able to add something to the lore
  contained upon our shelves. I felt that Uncle
  Rudolph was actually proud of me, even if his
  manner was stern and forbidding. I remember his
  half-smile, quickly hidden, as he asked for a report
  of my experience, writing it down even as I spoke
  — something that made me happier than all the
  fine dresses or leather-bound books in all the land.
  For others who might find the answer through
  diligent study instead of luck, I have divided the
  known weaknesses of Mistborn creatures and the
  Fugued into two main categories: common vulner-
  abilities and those salient weaknesses which are
  unusual or, in some few instances, seemingly unique.
  Many of the experiences listed below have
  been taken from interviews with Dr. Penarrow, a
  gentleman of our acquaintance who you will be-
  come more familiar with in later chapters. With
  only minimal commentary from my sister Gennifer,
  Dr. Penarrow’s descriptions of vulnerabilities fol-
  low.
  Common Vulnerabilities
  Common weaknesses are those which curse all
  Mist creatures, in one form or another. These
  vulnerabilities involve simple materials or effects
  that may be invoked through the use of low-level
  spells or other magics. For example, sunlight of any
  sort affects the shadowy undead roaming within
  the Mists, while fire might burn through a Mist
  monster’s Trapping Fog much as fire burns through
  the enveloping strands created by a web spell.
  Fire
  Perhaps the most ubiquitous vulnerability most
  evil creatures have is an aversion to or sensitivity to
  flame. Fire is a destroyer and a purifier, sending
  light through the Mists and sometimes clearing a
  pathway or creating a homing beacon for those lost
  in the fog. Those who must travel for days through
  the Mists would be well-advised to carry enough
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  49
  Vulnerabilities of Mist Creatures
  firewood to allow for a large bonfire to place at the
  center of their camp.
  It seems from several reports that fire is often
  the first thing affected by Mist powers.  Anyone
  who notices fire acting oddly in the Mists should
  ready himself for trouble; creatures with temporal
  powers may be ready to spring their attentions
  upon your party. From my experience unfortu-
  nately, flame can also draw the Mist-mad or cursed.
  Consider carefully your use of fire.
  Reflection
  Oddly enough, creatures of the Mist, both
  Mistborn and Fugued, have a common weakness
  caused by seeing their reflection. If a Mistborn’s
  gaze catches a glimpse of its reflected image, it will
  be transfixed by the sight of its form. I have seen
  such a creature stand perfectly still as one after
  another of us fled past him, leaving a shiny shield
  behind for his perusal. Even one of the Fugued may
  be enraptured by the sight of its own eyes captured
  in a mirror’s reflection. After long discussion we are
  still somewhat puzzled by this reaction, but figure it
  is so very rare a thing for the Mistborn to see
  themselves that they are both puzzled and en-
  chanted by the sight (usually one only a fond
  relative could love). Miss Weathermay-Foxgrove’s
  story seems to show that even one of the powerful
  vampiric undead, if Fugued, is trapped by it.
  Sunlight
  More certain than any element, the light of
  the sun is anathema to any creature born of the
  Mists. Even the fenhound, a being of vengeance
  which leaps forth from the Mists to destroy those
  on the path of evil, must fade away with the light
  of the morning sun. Sunlight is alien to the Mistborn
  and also turns away those cursed creatures who
  have been touched by the Mists. I theorize that the
  power of the sun has been a deterrent for many
  years, keeping the terrible inhabitants of the Mists
  from emerging to dominate the lands around them.
  It is ironic that the light of the sun provides a
  barrier for the Mistborn, much as the Mists do for
  us. Only at night do the Mist creatures sometimes
  roam. Only rarely do they find a place to hide from
  the sun to continue their wanderings for more than
  one evening. Instead they call upon the Mists to
  take them home when the blazing light of dawn
  might cause them harm. Within the Mists, undead
  who laugh at a cleric’s turning power often cringe
  and run away as they burn from a well placed spell
  from the clerical Sun domain.
  Editor’s note: Oddly enough, such spells do not
  affect fenhounds.
  —GWF
  Salient Vulnerabilities
  While explorers in the Mists can depend upon
  such common weaknesses as have been described
  above, salient weaknesses — those peculiar to
  certain creatures — are in general more deadly, if
  near to impossible to discover except through trial
  and error. Editor’s note: Or through diligent study of
  old lore for those willing to do so—GWF Such vulner-
  abilities are far rarer but quite effective if discovered.
  Below is a list of various salient weaknesses which
  are most often noted by those traveling through
  the Mists. Such lists can be dangerous, however, for
  no salient weakness is a certainty. The Mists warp
  those who live within them, much as the swirling
  patterns in a bank of fog may change.
  Magic and Turning
  Both divine and arcane spells can be particu-
  larly useful against Mist-dwelling creatures.
  Warding spells, protections and turning are all
  quite useful, just as they are for undead outside the
  Mists, but since so many of the Mist creatures, even
  the non-undead are evil and incorporeal, an intel-
  ligent and experienced adventurer in the Mists
  quickly develops a list of spells to carry at all times
  when traveling the byways. Some of the Mistborn,
  sensitive to their common weakness to reflections,
  can actually be turned by clerics, as though undead,
  by using mirrors or other reflective surfaces.
  Elemental Weaknesses
  Within the Mists, the most basic elements of
  our world grow dim or near non-existent. Rarely
  does a wanderer see a lake or mountains, feel the
  warmth of a fire or a breath of breeze fluttering
  along the edge of a cloak. Such things are alien to
  the Mists; hence, they seem to provide some pro-
  tection and defense against Mist creatures. Spells
  which mimic or control an element should be
  effective. When working with the actual element,
  such as a water bottle, a flaming torch or a dirt-
  filled bucket) the bane must be pure and unsullied
  to be effective. Do not expect wine to work as well
  as water —although wine might be a salient weak-
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  50
  Chapter Four
  Common Vulnerabilities
  Listed below are the weaknesses common to all creatures of the Mist, both Mistborn
  and Fugued. Remember that creatures born of the Mists may react differently from those
  who have had touch with the world outside the Mists. Such reactions may be more or less
  dramatic depending upon how Mist-tainted one of the Fugued may be.
  Fire: Fire is both a deterrent and an attraction to Mist creatures. Non-intelligent
  beings (those with an intelligence rating of 4 or below) including undead are usually
  repelled by fire, requiring a Will save (DC 10+1 per HD of the creature) to come within
  the circle of light created by a large bonfire. Intelligent undead and living creatures,
  particularly those pitiable wanderers lost in the Mists will be attracted to large fires,
  increasing the chances of an encounter for any who might linger along the Mistways. There
  is a cumulative 5% chance per hour the bonfire is alight.
  DMs who wish to give their players a chill may also wish to foreshadow an attack by
  a being with temporal powers by causing the movement of torches to still or bonfires to
  suddenly burn to ash in an instant just before the monster strikes. Allow a DC 15 Spot check
  to notice the change. Any character noticing the effect will not be caught flat-footed at the
  start of an attack.
  CR Adjustment: -1/2
  Reflection: Any shiny object—a pool of still clear water, a gleaming breastplate, or a
  simple mirror can defend against the Mistborn and Fugued. Such reflective surfaces provide
  these creatures the chance to gain sight of their own image, which fascinates them as
  though under the effect of hypnotism, although without the suggestibility. Remember that
  a creature must have the ability to see. Blind creatures are immune to this effect. Also, the
  fascination is destroyed if the reflecting surface is covered, their gaze is broken or they are
  attacked in any way. Intelligent creatures may attempt to break this fascination with a Will
  save at DC 10+1 per the creature’s HD.
  CR Adjustment: – 1/4
  Sunlight: As one might guess, sunlight is a strong deterrent to Mist creatures,
  particularly the Mistborn, who do not know of the power of its bright rays until they wander
  forth from the Mists or are driven out of the Mists into daylight. Any Mistborn creature
  caught in true sunlight takes 1d4 points of damage per round until it can dive back into the
  Mists, call mist to it or find a place in complete darkness to hide until night. Mistborn
  undead suffer worse fates; their skin boils under the sun, and they suffer 1d6 damage per
  round. If these undead cannot find their way back into the Mists or call mist or fog to them,
  even the deepest shadows afford no protection.
  Fugued do not suffer damage from sunlight. Their connection to the Mists, however,
  makes returning to a bright sunny world difficult and uncomfortable. Any time they are in
  a clear area outside the Mists, they suffer –2 to all attack rolls, saving throws and skill checks
  from the disorientation.
  Spells which mimic the effect of sunlight, such as searing light and sunbeam, are also
  useful against Mistborn creatures, since all of them are particularly vulnerable to light.
  Such spells used against the Fugued do normal damage for their type, but may also disorient
  them for the length of the spell’s duration (see above for effects).
  CR Adjustment: – 1/2
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  51
  Vulnerabilities of Mist Creatures
  ness to certain creatures — or hot coals to drive
  back a fen hound as a bonfire might.
  Air: Although air seems innocuous to most of
  us and is, in fact, vital for our continued existence,
  for Mist creatures caught in gaseous or mist form,
  air in the form of wind is a particularly valuable
  weapon and ward. A steady breeze may allow
  enough visibility to make ranged combat possible
  in a confusing and Mist-filled area (although noth-
  ing can completely clear the Mists), while strong
  gusts can blow Mist creatures back or, if powerful
  enough, damage them. I have watched as mad-
  dened Mist skeletons attempted again and again to
  attack a group of priests of Ezra while a sorcerer sent
  a strong breeze to blow them back as the priests
  readied their holy symbols to drive back and de-
  stroy the abominations.
  Earth: Earth does not seem, at first, to be a
  particularly strong defensive weapon against crea-
  tures touched by the Mists, but there are rumors
  and some confirmed facts to the contrary. Earth,
  particularly soil taken from a Mist-touched
  creature’s original home, can be a powerful deter-
  rent — sometimes even a bane to drive them away.
  The solid reality of earth, the familiar scent of rich
  loam, has driven many Mist creatures to flight.  A
  fine dust or handfuls of sand can sometimes outline
  a near-to-invisible creature, while other Mist be-
  ings may be locked in place by a well-tossed stone.
  The Phantom Highwayman, a specter only
  found in the Mists near Richemulot, is a deadly
  sight. His bloody sword has drained the spirit from
  more than one unlucky traveler. Thankfully, trav-
  elers armed with knowledge carry a small bag
  containing a few copper rumors and lined with soil
  from the banks of the Musarde River. When the
  Highwayman asks for your coin purse, this bag can,
  with luck, banish him back to the Mists. Legend
  has it that the Phantom Highwayman was tortured
  and drowned there many years ago; subsequently,
  the Mists rose to take his murderers away.
  Water: To be truly accurate in describing the
  uses of water against Mist monsters involves divid-
  ing the element into three categories: pure
  elemental water, alchemical water or quintessence
  (see Van Richten’s Arsenal) and holy water. Any
  one of the three types is useful against the vicious
  and terrible Mist creature known as the blood
  elemental, which, although itself a warped and
  twisted version of the water elemental, may not
  cross a pool of water larger than its own shape
  without suffering great harm.
  Oddly enough, creatures native to the Mists
  rarely see water in its natural state. As I described
  in my experiences above, rivulets of water running
  along the ground may fascinate or frighten some
  Mist creatures, providing you with a defensive
  advantage. Pure water, if clear and clean enough to
  leave a reflection, can frighten or fascinate them
  long enough for you to attack or take your leave
  along the nearest Mistway.
  Quintessence was created to enhance the natu-
  ral abilities of water and to work in a fashion similar
  to holy water, but with a lasting effect on both
  weapons and the foe. Although primarily useful
  against the undead who stalk the lands within the
  Mists (see Van Richten’s Guide to the Walking
  Dead for further information), it can also be help-
  ful against some Mist creatures, particularly
  Keeping a Balance
  Any creature who has gained a Mist
  ability, whether or not it is a Mistborn crea-
  ture, should also acquire one of the Mist
  weaknesses. Such weaknesses should be ap-
  propriate for the corresponding ability and of
  a similar strength. For example, a creature
  with the ability mist form with a CR adjust-
  ment of +1/2 would most fittingly have the
  common weakness to the element of air. The
  gust of wind spell, therefore, provides an effec-
  tive defense against that creature. These
  limitations provide balance for enhanced
  monsters or creatures created by the DM.
  As each ability carries its own CR adjust-
  ment, the weaknesses may lower CR ratings
  somewhat. This allows powerful Mist crea-
  tures to possess a chink in their armor so that
  lower level player characters have a chance to
  defeat them. As is the case regarding extraor-
  dinary powers, these weaknesses apply to any
  creature that has suffered a brush with the
  Mists.
  Salient weaknesses, however, usually al-
  low a save versus the item, spell or element
  used against the Mist being. Consider the
  creatures’ HD and typical saves, plus their
  enhancements, when calculating saves against
  their common weaknesses.
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  Chapter Four
  constructs and undead who were brought into
  being through divine or arcane magic. Golems,
  zombies and other corporeal undead caught in the
  Mists are often more damaged by weapons coated
  by alchemical water. Rumor tells of animated limbs,
  torn from the bodies of the undead, that still their
  attacks if stabbed with a blade anointed with quin-
  tessence.
  Holy water, while always useful against the
  undead, is less so within the confines of the Mists,
  at least when attempting to douse a target with
  blessed liquid. Throwing a vial of holy water at a
  shambling undead in the Mists is an unsure busi-
  ness, since the Mists obscure sight and provide the
  creature with such concealment as to make the
  chances of hitting the target unlikely. One of the
  most innovative and certain ways to damage one of
  the Mist-roaming undead requires soaking a cloak
  or blanket in holy water and throwing it over the
  creature’s head to entangle it in the folds. Experi-
  enced Mist explorers quickly learn to carry extra
  cloaks or blankets, for the item is rarely useable
  afterwards.
  Metals
  Few adventurers can deny the efficacy of a
  keen-edge steel sword, yet in the Mists a gold coin
  or a sliver of iron, if aimed correctly, can sometimes
  do far more good than a blade. As the Mists are
  mutable, constantly shifting and never entirely of
  the earth, creatures born of the Mists are often
  strongly affected by the purest form of rock —
  metal.
  Gold: In the language of alchemy, one object
  may symbolize another. So, too, in the sunless
  space of the Mists, gold sometimes serves as a
  symbolic substitute for the sun. If a gold object is
  infused with the brilliant light of day, it facilitates
  clerical turning when used by a cleric in good
  standing. Some Mist creatures are fascinated by
  gold’s inner gleam and may chase a thrown coin or
  stop to pick up gold pieces scattered along a byway.
  Silver: Most seekers after adventure know
  that those unlucky, accursed creatures known as
  lycanthropes have a strong aversion to silver. Few
  things injure them so severely that they cannot
  easily heal, but a silver needle will pierce their flesh
  more surely than the longest and sharpest blade.
  While in the Mists, you may find tiny pale figures
  with large eyes, burned by the touch of silver.
  These beings are particularly vulnerable to shiny,
  reflective silver shields or swords. Carrying a silver
  mirror is of great help against intelligent undead as
  well as against some dangerous creatures with the
  ability to mask their shape. While in the Mists, it
  is possible to catch a creature’s reflection when it is
  using its masking ability and see the true form
  hidden deep within the image. Be certain to allow
  the Mists to condense on the surface of your mirror
  first.
  Editor’s note: I believe the tiny large-eyed crea-
  tures Dr. Penarrow speaks of in the preceding passage
  are known as mistlings.—GWF.
  Iron: Those who have studied our guide to the
  shadow fey have learned that iron is a powerful weapon
  against the Arak, burning them at a touch. Evil fey
  consider this substance anathema and cannot stand to
  be in its presence. Fey who find themselves in the Mist
  are just as affected, but iron has other properties as well
  in the Mists. Few but the most observant take note of
  the small dark metal bar carried by experienced navi-
  gators through the Mists. Although the tradition started
  in Mordent, it has spread through the Mists along the
  byways and to other lands. These iron bars make
  navigation through the Mists easier. Clutched tightly
  while searching for a byway, a small piece of iron
  provides an anchor to the lands beyond the Mists. If a
  Mist creature uses a power that would normally make
  tracking it more difficult, iron acts as a touchstone to
  clear the mind and make hunting the Mist creature
  easier.
  Salient Vulnerabilities
  The addition of various arcane weaknesses to
  Mist monsters — changing as the Mists warp and
  alter the beings within — can provide unmatched
  challenges. The list below is by no means compre-
  hensive and DM’s may create other uses and effects
  for the various elements listed below. Remember to
  reward those players who have taken the time to do
  their research, but remind them that nothing is
  certain within the Mists.
  Air: Those spells which mimic natural weather
  such as gust of wind and lightning bolt can change the
  level of concealment within the Mists in the spell’s
  area of effect, reducing Mist creatures with full
  concealment to 50% concealment, and lessening
  by one half those with half concealment. Nothing
  can completely clear the Mists unless player char-
  acters find themselves in the small pockets called
  oubliettes (see Chapter XX). Treat any creature
  using mist form as though under the effects of
  gaseous form, including its vulnerability to gust of
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  Vulnerabilities of Mist Creatures
  wind. Air may also lessen the effects of animate fog
  or other defensive powers that attempt to control
  the Mists.
  CR Adjustment: -1/2
  Earth: Although soil is most efficacious against
  creatures not originally from the Mists, it is still
  useful in lessening the advantage of invisibility for
  any Mist creature, including Mist elementals. Scat-
  tering fine dust, much like a glitterdust spell, can
  outline beings concealed by the Mists. Other crea-
  tures consider the soil of their homeland as a bane
  and may be driven away by something from a home
  they may no longer know. Such creatures must
  make a DC 15 Will save or be forced back into the
  Mists as though turned.
  CR Adjustment: -1/4
  Gold: Undead in the Mists are sometimes
  sensitive to sun-infused gold. Clerics who place
  golden holy symbols in the sun from sunrise to
  sunset have an increased chance of turning these
  beings from the sunless Mists. Such creatures are
  considered 2 HD lower than their actual levels
  when turned by such holy symbols.
  CR Adjustment: -1/2
  Iron: The presence of iron is painful to the
  shadow fey. For Mist creatures, iron is generally
  debilitating in a different fashion — it can lessen or
  neutralize their powers. Such mind-affecting abili-
  ties as wandering mind, haunting call and rapid
  gaslighting must work against the victim’s iron touch-
  stone, which give a +2 to Will saves. Damage
  reduction can be negated for some Mist creatures,
  particularly those who manipulate the Mists to
  confuse or conceal themselves, if they are hit by
  iron weapons or caught in nets or snares made with
  iron.
  CR Adjustment: -1/2
  Magic and Turning: Spells, both divine and
  arcane, work as normal against the Mistborn and
  Fugued. Such spells that manifest a creature’s el-
  emental bane are particularly effective.
  Oddly enough, some Mistborn creatures can
  be turned — even if not undead — by presenting a
  reflection of their image. Treat as normal turning,
  substituting the HD of the Mistborn for the HD of
  the undead. This can only be performed, however,
  by a cleric with turning abilities. Regular turning of
  undead works as usual, although concealment rules
  may effect the cleric’s vision.
  CR Adjustment: -1/2
  Silver: For Fugued creatures normally affected
  by the touch of silver, the presence of light re-
  flected from a silver surface is painful, repulsing
  such creatures. The light must be strongly pre-
  sented to have an effect. The targeted creature
  must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per Cha
  modifier of the person presenting it) to stay within
  15 feet of the item reflecting the light. Creatures
  who have the Mist ability masque of the form have
  their true form reflected in any shiny metal that has
  been coated by condensation from the Mists. Player
  characters should make a Spot check (DC 10 +1
  per HD of the creature to be unmasked) to catch
  sight of the creature’s true image.
  CR Adjustment: -1/4
  Water: Pure plain water — something that all
  adventurers should carry — is a useful weapon
  against some Mist creatures, particularly those that
  rarely or never leave the Mists. These beings are
  fascinated by their reflections in small pools, driven
  back by flowing water or even damaged by the fluid
  itself. Both alchemical water and holy water have
  definite damaging effects. Holy water gives more
  damage to evil creatures, and alchemical water
  (quintessence) is useful against creatures harmed by
  edged or piercing weapons. Allow fascinated crea-
  tures a Will save (DC 10 + 1 per HD of the
  creature). If the creature failes its save, it is enrap-
  tured by its reflection for 1d4 rounds or until
  attacked or until something disrupts the reflection.
  If the weakness involves alchemical or holy water,
  use standard extra damage as listed in Van Richten’s
  Arsenal or the Player’s Handbook.
  CR Adjustment:-1/-2
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  54
  Chapter Five
  You ask me, why, tho’ ill at ease,
  Within this region I subsist,
  Whose spirits falter in the mist,
  And languish for the purple seas.
  —Alfred Lord Tennyson, “You Ask Me, Why, Tho’ Ill at Ease”
  Chapter Five:
  Tho<e Who Dwell
  Within
  Chapter Five:
  Tho<e Who Dwell
  Within
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  55
  Those Who Dwell Within
  ear Readers,
  As Laurie gave descriptions of the
  basic weaknesses of the varied creatures
  of the Mists, I have taken it upon myself
  to provide something of a menagerie,
  listing of those beings you might confront, along
  with some experiences other adventurers have had
  dealing with them. This list of the inhabitants of
  the Mist is by no means comprehensive. It is my
  belief that the Mists create beings as needed or
  perhaps for amusement.
  Editor’s Note: Or summon them from out-
  side—LWF
  As something of an arbitrary division we have
  two separate groups, the Fugued and those born of
  the Mists — or the Mistborn. The Fugued are those
  unlucky souls who have in some fashion been
  touched by the Mists and changed. The Mistborn
  are those creatures who seem to have been created
  by the Mists, born whole cloth from the Mists,
  conjured through the Mists, or cursed to wander
  the Mists as undead, perhaps from dying within the
  fog. We begin with those beings who could be any
  one of us, the Fugued, who by some mischance
  have been influenced by their time in the Mists —
  and in some cases have never returned to their
  former lives. Following these sections is our Mist
  menagerie with all those Mistborn creatures that
  we have discovered or heard of.
   Taken By The Mists:
  The Fugued
  Whether by chance or choice some people
  find themselves changed by their connection to
  the Mists. Metamorphosis is slow, in some cases
  undetectable by the unfortunate person involved,
  and usually provides them with abilities that they
  would otherwise never have had. These abilities
  make it easier to travel through the Mists or live
  within them. Although it is not our purpose to
  judge such things, the Fugued remind me in some
  ways of people on a path to corruption. And I
  wonder how many of the tormented monsters we
  meet in the Mists began their lives as the Fugued,
  Lost or Mist-cursed. Take warning from the plight
  of those listed below, and look hard at the terrifying
  creatures listed in the section beyond — for some-
  day the unwary might find themselves on the other
  side of the spyglass.
  The Fugued
  Very little information is available about the
  Fugued. The term was first used, I believe, by a
  mesmerist from Invidia named Eligio Ruchielli —
  a physician of the mind who worked directly with
  patients whose memories had been damaged by
  their time in the Mists. These people, whether
  traumatized by the horrors met within or damaged
  by the Mists themselves, were often changed in
  other ways by their experience. Although his theo-
  ries may be biased — he is from Invidia where the
  Mist-wandering Vistani are to be killed on sight —
  much of what he says bears the ring of truth. Most
  of the information below is taken from his experi-
  ences or the experiences of those he treated.  A
  synopsis of his work— and it is quite extensive —
  cannot entirely do it justice, but I shall attempt to
  provide you with the most important points.
  No one undeserving is ever caught by the
  Mists. The Mists judge those who invade our foggy
  borders. It may not be the first time an explorer
  enters the Mists. No one can understand why one
  person is caught by the Mists while a companion
  standing next to her returns safely from the jour-
  ney.  Much of our reading suggests that the Fugued
  are driven by obsession, yet stories speak of naughty
  children caught by the Mists while wandering
  when told to stay inside. Cowards who run from
  monstrous beings, leaving friends or family to die in
  terrible ways, find themselves lost in the Mists in
  places far worse than those they left. A vicious
  murderer may seek escape and find it after what
  seems like years, only to ejected from the Mists in
  the midst of his pursuers only minutes after the
  Mists first took him. The Fugued may have been
  confused and Mist-led, drawn into the Mists and
  captured by some creature there, or they may have
  been cursed to be so connected to the Mists that
  they entirely free themselves from its grasp.  Such
  beings, no matter how bad their experiences, are
  drawn to the Mists as though addicted to the
  clammy vapors. Some speak of voices calling to
  them or giving them orders. Others see ghosts
  within the Mists — phantoms of those they have
  lost. No matter the attraction, they live one step
  closer to madness. One wonders how changed the
  Vistani might be by their constant travels within
  the Mists.
  The Lost
  One of the most eerie sights I have ever witnessed
  occurred at the edges of a Mistway near Barovia. A
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  Chapter Five
  young woman, her hair a shining curtain of black,
  stood looking back in mid-flight, one foot raised, a
  hand to her mouth as she screamed in terror. She was
  still, caught in a moment from which I could not break
  her. She did not seem to see me and I could not move
  her. In fact there was some sort of shield — made, I
  believe, of time itself — which kept me from reaching
  her. I finally left the lass, marking the location in my
  mind in the hopes of returning one day. More than a
  year passed before I was able to find my way back. She
  was still there. I believe her foot had moved an inch, but
  now her arm was bleeding from great scratches. No
  pursuer was in evidence. There was nothing I could
  do. Alas, I fear returning again.
  —Dr. Alexander Penarrow, Mist explorer and
  scholar
  Few beings have a more misfortunate fate than
  the Lost. These Fugued seem caught by the various
  confusions within the Mists, truly unable to return.
  Pale, sad, existing only through what they find
  along byways, steal from travelers or scavenge from
  oubliettes, the Lost literally cannot find their way
  out. Even those which are taken bodily from the
  Mists seem confused and blind to the world out-
  side. These soon return to the Mists. Many believe
  the Mists take these Lost as sacrifices and do not
  allow them to leave until they die and their life
  force becomes a part of the Mists themselves.
  Other Lost individuals are caught in a distor-
  tion of time. These Fugued may travel for months
  down a short path or find themselves grown old
  after a few moments journey. Although it is pos-
  sible for those Lost in time to leave the Mists, they
  always return as if searching for their missing hours,
  days or years. In fact, some of them crumble into
  dust if they leave their fog-bound world, caught
  again in a world grown too fast for them. I wonder
  at times if there might not be some of the Lost
  moving so quickly that the human eye can not
  discern their passage. Perhaps the many whisper-
  ing sounds within the Mists are nothing more or
  less than such lost souls attempting to make touch
  with us, captured by a swirling eddy of years.
  The Mist-Cursed
  I would not even speak of these accursed
  beings except as warning to those who might come
  in contact with them. We believe most of the Mist-
  cursed are Vistani or influenced by them. All have
  been caught in some dreadful and disabling curse
  invoked through the Mists or while they were
  inside the Mists. None of those so afflicted may
  leave the Mists for long. No one knows of a way to
  break such a curse, at least to my knowledge. All
  the Mist-cursed that I have witnessed have been
  horribly maimed in some fashion; some were miss-
  ing mouths, others had large patches of skin peeling
  from their bodies. One man seemed perfectly nor-
  mal until he fled; as he ran, I noticed that the top
  of his head was a rotting nest of maggots. As
  untrustworthy as the Vistani are said to be, these
  Mist-cursed Vistani are doubly so and should be
  killed on sight, as much out of pity as in caution.
  Editor’s Note: As noted in other chapters, we do
  not feel the same hatred for the Vistani as Mr. Ruchielli.
  If such a curse cannot be lifted, however, and the Mist-
  cursed are suffering or insane, then a quick, clean
  death might be the only final cure for their misery — if
  the Mists would allow it.—LWF
  Mist Feats
  The Mists play an integral part in the world of
  Ravenloft. They influence travel, serve as prisons
  or escape routes and surround the player characters
  with mystery and secrets. Sometimes, the Mists
  bring heroes from other worlds to a land far darker
  than any they have traveled before.  The Mists
  influence the inhabitants of the Dread Realm in
  other ways, seeping deep into the minds and hearts
  of those who wander within, tainting and empow-
  ering them with its own unknowable needs. Any
  player character who has been touched by the
  Mists in some way (i.e., fought a battle against a
  Mist creature, had a significant encounter while
  wandering through the Mists, or was born in the
  Mists to a mother driven mad…) may choose any
  one of the following Mist feats.  If a character takes
  three or more Mist-related feats, that character has
  become Fugued and must take one obsession. DMs
  should feel free to insist that Fugued player charac-
  ters role play their obsession as a condition for
  keeping their Mist feats. DMs may also assign Mist
  feats to NPCs, including intelligent undead.
  Misted Ability
  Your character has had all or part of her
  memory wiped away by the Mists. As time passes,
  however, more and more of your “missing” memory
  comes back to you, possibility aiding you in certain
  situations.
  Prerequisite: This feat must be taken at 1st
  level.
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  57
  Those Who Dwell Within
  Benefit: This feat has no true benefit other
  than as a role-playing aid. At any point during a
  game, however, you may choose to trade out this
  feat for another one which you qualify for and
  which is appropriate to your character’s back-
  ground and skills. This may be done spontaneously
  as a free action as your character suddenly realizes
  that she has a special feat-related capability.
  Mist Courting
  Due to your heritage or to special training from
  the Vistani, you are adept at using mists and fog as
  hiding places. Once you learn how to court the
  Mists, you find that the strange vapors of the land
  are attracted to you.
  Prerequisite: This feat can only be taken by a
  half-Vistani. It may be taught, on rare instances, to
  a non-Vistani character by a true Vistana.
  Benefit: As long as you are within 30 feet of
  mist and fog, you have a +4 circumstance bonus to
  Hide and a +2 bonus to Move Silently. Once you
  learn this feat, the Mists feel especially attracted to
  you. You gain a +2% bonus to any and all powers
  checks that you make. Furthermore, fog within 60
  feet of you is “attracted” to you, always rolling
  towards you like a magnet. Fog attracted in this
  manner approaches at the rate of 5 feet per round.
  If this is noticed by anyone, you Outcast Rating
  increases by +2.
  Mist Dowsing
  The Mists do not confuse you when you search.
  Your character has a special ability to sense certain
  things within the Mist and find your way to them.
  Once you have discovered your method of dows-
  ing, you are more capable than most others of
  hunting through the Mists to find a certain crea-
  ture, being or object.
  Prerequisite: Mist Peering, 6+ ranks in Search
  Benefit: While within the Mists, your charac-
  ter may search for creatures or objects as though
  under the effect of locate creature or locate object.
  Some sort of focus must be used for the effect, either
  the forked twig usually used for locate object spell or
  another form of divinatory tool. Your character
  must concentrate for the length of the search. The
  spell duration is 10 minutes per level of the charac-
  ter — whether the character is capable of casting
  spells or not. This does not work against Mists
  actively controlled by darklords.
  Mist Peering
  Your character has received the gift of mist-
  sight, a rare talent in the realm of Ravenloft. She
  is especially adept at navigating through fog or mist
  and facing opponents within it.
  Benefit: Your character can see three times
  the normal distance in fog or mist. Creatures five
  feet away from you in fog or mist are considered to
  have no concealment. Creatures further away than
  five feet have concealment, and creatures fifteen
  feat away have total concealment.
  All miss chances for concealment due to fog or
  mist are halved for your character. For instance,
  you now only have a 25% chance to miss a creature
  in total concealment due to fog. Keep in mind that
  a creature with total concealment still cannot be
  seen by you, and must be pinpointed first.
  Normal: Normally, all vision, including
  darkvision is limited to 5 feet in heavy fog or mist.
  A creature five feet away in heavy fog or mist has
  concealment (20% miss chance) while creatures
  farther away have total concealment (50% miss
  chance).
  Mist Sense
  Due to a close brush with the Mists, you have
  absorbed some of their essence. You can sense
  when you have been affected by the Mists. Further-
  more, you can sense Mist creatures nearby. At the
  same time, the Mists are constantly calling you
  “home.”
  Prerequisite: At least 2 ranks in Listen.
  Benefit: You immediately sense when you
  have been transported by the Mists. You gain no
  control over where you go; you simply realize
  instantaneously when and if you have been trans-
  ported.
  You can also sense the presence of Mist crea-
  tures within 60 feet. You cannot, however, pinpoint
  the Mist creatures. Their exact location is not
  revealed. You can, however, discern the number of
  such creatures within your area.
  Your character constantly hears whispering
  coming from the mists — all mists and fog —
  whether natural or supernatural. Because of this,
  you suffer a –1 penalty to Fear, Horror and Madness
  checks when dealing with Mist creatures. Half-
  Vistani are particularly likely to have this feat.
  Special: Your character must travel in the
  Mists regularly. Much like the wanderlust of the
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  Chapter Five
  Vistani you become weak if you do not make a
  journey of at least a day’s length once a month.
  Take off one point of Constitution for each day
  that passes after a month’s time has ended without
  a visit to the Mists. Your Constitution returns at a
  rate of one per day after you have entered the Mists
  again from one sunrise to the next.
  Mist Shaping
  You have gained a kinship with the Mists.
  Because of your intimate relationship with them,
  you have the ability to twist and mould natural mist
  or fog into shapes of your desire.
  Prerequisite: The ability to cast 3rd level
  spells. You must have previously failed a powers
  check.
  Benefit: By succeeding in a DC 15 Concen-
  tration check (DC 15), you may shape a 30 X 30
  bank of fog or mist into the form you desire as a full
  round action. You might craft it into a wall, a
  sphere or even the vague form of a creature. You
  can also move a bank of fog 30 feet per round in any
  direction. Moving, but not shaping, fog counts as a
  move action. Fog or mist that you manipulate may
  still be blown away by strong winds or dissolved by
  sunlight.
  Because fog is heavy, it flows along the ground
  and cannot travel vertically. It may flow over
  barriers that are shorter than the fog bank is tall,
  but it must flow around any barrier that is taller
  than it is.
  Combat Casting does not help in the use of
  this feat.
  If two casters both have this feat and are
  attempting to control the same bank of mist, they
  must make opposed Concentration checks. The
  winner maintains control of the fog cloud.
  Turning the mist you control into vaguely
  scary shapes may or may not induce a Horror check
  for those viewing it. The DM has the final say as to
  which witnesses must make a Horror check. If
  anyone witnesses you using this feat for the first
  time, it raises your Outcast Rating by +3.
  You can control mist or fog that has been
  magically created by you or someone else. For
  example, this feat effects stinking cloud, cloudkill,
  obscuring mist and mind fog.
  You cannot control mist that is being directed
  or created by the dark powers, a darklord, or some-
  one who has failed more powers checks than you
  have. For instance, if you have only failed one
  powers check, you cannot affect the cloudkill spell
  of a necromancer who has failed three.
  Once you have taken this feat, you gain a +2%
  bonus on any and all powers checks.
  Misted Magic
  You have an enhanced ability to shape mist
  and fog.
  Prerequisite: The ability to cast obscuring mist,
  fog cloud or any other cloud-creating spell.
  Benefit: Whenever your character casts a fog-
  like or cloud-creating spell, its range, area of effect
  and duration is doubled. It applies only when your
  character is casting spells such as obscuring mist, fog
  cloud, stinking cloud, cloudkill, solid fog, acid fog, mind
  fog or similar spells in which the creation of a cloud
  or vapors is the primary element in the spell effect.
  If you prepare spells, you may choose to en-
  hance an appropriate spell with this feat. Enhancing
  a spell with this feat does not increase the level of
  the spell when you prepare it.
  Special: Whenever you do cast a spell en-
  hanced with this feat, there is a 1% chance per
  level of the spell that the Mists will come and
  transport you to a location of their choosing.
  Misted Memory
  Your character has had part of her skill-related
  memory wiped away by the Mists. As time passes,
  however, more and more of this missing informa-
  tion comes back to you, possibly aiding you in
  specific skill-related situations.
  Prerequisite: This feat must be taken at 1st
  level.
  Benefit: Your character gets 1 additional skill
  point at first level and an extra skill point each
  level thereafter. These extra skill points are not
  assigned to any skill but are kept in reserve, and
  assigned spontaneously throughout the campaign.
  For example, your character may uncover an
  ancient text in some unknown language. At this
  point, you might assign a skill point to add that
  language to your list of known languages as you
  suddenly “remember” how to read the text. At
  another point, you might encounter a locked door
  and decide to assign points to Open Locks as you
  suddenly recall that you’ve had experience with
  locks. Each time you spontaneously assign skill
  points, you must justify your new skill with a
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  Those Who Dwell Within
  memory of some kind. In the examples above, you
  might suddenly recall that you were taught how to
  read the text by a long lost mentor, or that you
  learned how to pick a lock while spending time in
  Karg prison. The player is encouraged to work with
  the DM when making up newly discovered memo-
  ries.
  Cross-class costs for skills apply to these extra
  skill points. Only the extra skill points attained
  from this feat may be kept in reserve. Once skill
  points are assigned to a specific skill they are
  permanent and may not be reassigned.
  Recalling and assigning skill points is a free
  action.
  Piercing Gaze
  You have a greater ability to see through the
  Mists and fog, as well as an increased chance to
  capture the gaze of someone you wish to enchant.
  Prerequisite: Wis 12+, Cha 12+.  This feat
  must be taken at 1st level.
  Benefit: Your gaze is both strange and intense.
  Often your eyes seem to glow in the dark, reflecting
  any ambient light. When caught in the Mists, you
  have a +3 bonus to Spot checks when looking for
  a Mistway. Your oddly piercing gaze also increases
  the save DC by +2 for spells that require victims to
  look at you.
  Special: Because of the weirdness of your
  gaze,you have a +1 Outcast bonus with strangers.
  Spatial Fugue
  The Mists have gifted you with the ability to
  cross long distances with great speed. While trav-
  eling, time passes normally for you, but strangely,
  the trip is simply not as far as you remember.
  Prerequisite: The character must possess the
  Run feat.
  Benefit: While traveling overland on foot,
  your movement rate is doubled. This only applies
  when traveling distances of 1 mile or greater.
  Special: By taking this feat, your character
  condemns himself to becoming a wanderer. If he
  stays within 1000 feet of any single point for longer
  than a week, the Mists transport him to a place of
  their choosing.
  Temporal Fugue
  Your character’s contact with the Mists has
  affected your temporal relationship with the world.
  Time moves much differently for you than it does
  for other people. For you, the world never seems to
  change, while others see you rapidly aging right
  before their eyes.
  Prerequisite: You must have been in contact
  with the Mists at some point in your past. Young
  characters (younger than the adult age category)
  cannot take this feat.
  Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls, a
  +1 dodge bonus to your AC and a +2 bonus to your
  initiative. Your dodge bonus stacks with other
  dodge bonuses including the Dodge feat. However,
  if you are caught flat-footed or denied your Dexter-
  ity bonus you loose this bonus. Your Initiative
  bonus also stacks with other feats that enhance
  your Initiative rolls. These bonuses do not include
  the penalties incurred with aging; those must be
  factored in separately.
  Special: While you gain great benefits from
  this gift, the Mists also exact a high price. By taking
  this feat, your character instantly shifts one age
  category older. Thus, if you are an adult, you
  become middle-aged; if you are middle-aged, you
  become old. You now age at an accelerated rate,
  aging ten times the normal rate. In a single year,
  you will age a decade. For elves and dwarves, the
  effect is worse. Elves and dwarves age at 100 times
  the normal rate, aging a century within the span of
  a single year.  If some magic or cure is found for the
  rapid aging, you lose the benefit of this feat.
  Finally, if the haste spell is ever cast upon you,
  you must make a saving throw against the DC of
  the spellcaster or instantly rot into dust.
  Monsters and Mad
  Things: Those Created By
  The Mists
  Attempting to categorize creatures born of the
  Mists is nearly impossible. As amorphous as the
  Mists themselves, the Mistborn change, mutate,
  grow and disappear like clouds in the sky. Some few
  categories, however, reappear time and again in
  the experiences of those who travel through the
  Mists. Having said as much, I must modify my
  statement: some of these beings come from the
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  Chapter Five
  Mists into our lands and are usually seen outside of
  their birthplace. Within the list of creatures are
  those who live for a purpose, perhaps created by the
  Mists for one certain task. Others may be echoes of
  those who have been lost or who have died within
  the Mists and who now skulk in the billowing fog
  to bring misery to anyone who rouses their envy or
  ill-feeling — an easy task for most travelers. All
  Mistborn seem to have a purpose, an obsession or
  a need that leads them to do the mysterious work of
  the Mists.
  The Living
  The definition “living” may be erroneous when
  describing any creature born from a womb of swirl-
  ing fog, but the beings listed below breathe and can
  be harmed as normal creatures. Although odd and
  driven by some inner instinct, they are also sen-
  tient or at the very least guided to a task by the
  Mists themselves, such as undead and elemental
  creatures rarely are.
  Fen Hounds
  My first experience with the fen hounds involved
  a young man whose behavior had grown more and
  more erratic over the course of months. No one was
  certain as to the nature of his problem, but we sus-
  pected him first of stealing from his neighbors. Later,
  after many other petty crimes, we believed him guilty
  of the savage beating and rape of the loveliest girl in the
  village. When she awoke from healing and made our
  suspicions a certainty, we went to his cottage seeking
  to bring him to justice. Such was not to be, for we
  noticed his home adrift in a bank of fog. Leaping from
  the Mists was a pack of large brown dogs, their fur
  glowing in the pre-dawn shadows. First one bayed, and
  then another. Our quarry attempted to flee, bolting for
  the Mists. The hounds followed. The sound of growls
  and crunching bone convinced us not to enter. The
  golden ring he had stolen from his victim gleamed in the
  dewy grass as the sun rose and the Mists faded away.
  We never found a trace of his body.
  —Taken from the journal of Lamplighter
  Edwin Makepeace
  Little else needs to be said about these canines.
  Although seeming to live and breathe, they appear
  and disappear from the Mists, dispersing as a cloud
  of vapor if killed. They rarely form inside the Mists,
  but when they do, their hunt is relentless. Usually
  they appear in places of fen and swamp when
  evildoers attempt to escape justice. Why the fen
  hounds do as they do is a mystery. Could the Mists
  work to punish those who stray from the side of
  good?
  Furies
  While fen hounds strive to reform those caught
  in corruption’s web, the Furies work to encourage
  their doom. More than one foolish person has
  listened to the advice of a wizened ancient crone
  and discovered to his dismay that doing so led him,
  tainted and falling, down the path to corruption.
  Those that do not heed the furies are ripped apart
  by a mad mixture of vulture and beautiful woman
  carrying a terrible scourge meant to destroy mind
  and body. Only three of these creatures have ever
  been recorded — Alecto, Tisiphone and Megarea,
  perhaps sisters, definitely working together. A leg-
  end from Nova Vaasa tells of three vain daughters
  who wandered into the Mists looking for some land
  where their beauty and grace would be appreciated.
  Each was hurt or betrayed and called upon the
  Mists for justice. In some twisted fashion they
  received it. Their humanity was warped and twisted
  so that now they crave such corruption and twist-
  ing for any with the slightest touch of shadow on
  their souls.
  Mistlings
  Mistlings, although humanoid, possess few
  other qualities that might convince me that they
  are anything other than a pale imitation of sentient
  creatures. These pale, bizarre, whispering little
  things remind me of albino frogs with long sticky
  fingers that exude poison. As terrible as that sounds,
  the real problem they pose lies in their large num-
  bers. They emerge from the Mists as though each
  droplet of water there has grown arms and eyes.
  Their stench takes the strength from your arms,
  while their poisonous touch brings you to your
  knees. If they catch you they will eat you. There is
  little anyone can do against them. Recently I have
  heard that since they have a swarm mentality, if
  you can convince one to flee, the rest will follow.
  The Vanished
  Such weird, strange, sad beings! If the fey
  could be cursed I would suppose that all of one sort
  had been so. These creatures live only within the
  Mists. They have no home except for occasional
  oubliettes and do not stay in such places for long.
  Although the Vanished have graceful humanoid
  form, their necks serve as a gross wrist to support a
  grotesque human hand instead of a head. The first
  time I saw them, I wondered how they could see.
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  61
  Those Who Dwell Within
  Upon a closer look, I was horrified to notice a face
  pushed up against the inside wall of the being’s
  chest, lips moving in words of entreaty. Eyes opened
  through the skin, just at the creature’s stomach, but
  its words — whatever they might have been —
  were distorted and muffled by the thin membrane
  keeping the face from pushing its way forth. I was
  quite grateful I could not understand it and soon
  put it out of its misery when it attacked me with its
  awkward head-hand. I believe it wanted to die, for
  it did not struggle long.
  Elementals
  Those beings that seem to have never had
  another living form, yet become in some way
  substantial as part of the Mists have been placed
  together in a category I call elemental — meaning
  fully made from the Mists. For these creatures, I
  cannot imagine any sort of beginning that might
  have placed them outside the Mists. They are, in
  general, insubstantial as the Mists. They work for
  the Mists, as if obsessed with performing their
  mission. As hard to analyze as a wisp of the Mists,
  I have categorized them after a fashion that makes
  sense to me. Do not consider the entries below,
  however, as incontrovertible truths. In some cases,
  my observations may not be accurate in the slight-
  est. The Mists keep their mysteries as they will, and
  so do those born from those sentient vapors.
  Changeling Fog
  Of all the odd things within the Mists, change-
  ling fog is one of the strangest.  It rolls in, twisting
  with amorphous shapes. From within it,  familiar
  voices  ring in your mind, leaving you with ques-
  tions: is this the voice of someone I should know?
  Is it someone I have lost? Sadly, there is little way
  to tell the difference between these phantom temp-
  tations of the changeling fog and someone familiar
  to you who has been led astray and desperately
  seeks your aid. Choose well, and you may bring
  home someone you thought vanished in the Mists.
  Make a mistake, however, and you shall find your-
  self caught in acidic vapors which burn and blind,
  causing your flesh to rot away from your bones.  An
  old legend tells of one of these elemental beings
  whose victim did not succumb. The changeling fog
  began following, not in pursuit, but as a protector.
  It subsequently engulfed a pack of Mistlings, melt-
  ing them into a mass of rotting flesh before they
  could attack. It continued to follow its former prey
  until the person left the Mists at the end of the
  byway.
   Editor’s Note: My suspicion is that somehow
  these creatures were once people lost in the fog, now
  confused and dispersed into the Mist’s vapors.—
  GWF
  Goblin Fog
  Legends speak of the Mists engulfing a pleas-
  ant grove and changing it into a nightmare forest
  filled with caliban and other horrific monsters.
  Such is the work of goblin fog. Perhaps the Mists
  feel the need to bring more terrors to a realm;
  perhaps the goblin fog works at random. Regard-
  less, if you feel too attached to a certain area
  wreathed in dewy mist, consider it carefully, then
  run for any place a bit less alluring.
  Grim Reaper
  For one to see a grim reaper is to face death and
  know that it comes for you.  Drawn to the dying,
  they are invisible except to their intended prey or
  to those who can use arcane sight to view the
  unseen. If the grim reaper is slain, its energies
  revive the creature it came to collect, bringing that
  individual back from the brink of death. Some
  believe the reapers work for the Mists, bringing the
  near dying to them as sacrifices.
  Hearth Fiend
  The hearth fiend is considered by some to be
  a creature of the Mists. Fire spells, especially those
  cast in the Mists, can create these sentient flames
  which whisper and crackle out tempting invita-
  tions to draw beings to them, then tell them to
  perform evil acts. In Nova Vaasa, a man boasted of
  his fireplace; its roaring fire would never extinguish
  and it did not need any fuel. Many came to see this
  marvel and wondered at the miracle, figuring he
  had some trick or that it might be a magical fire.
  Only when he locked them all within his great
  room and burned them all, including himself, did
  someone realize what truly rested in his hearth.
  When the rest of the conflagration was drenched,
  a small twisting ember remained. Only through a
  cleric’s touch did that small fire die…the last death
  among twenty that day.
  Mist Claimer
  Very few people ever meet a Mist claimer.
  Those that encounter one rarely speak of it, since
  it gains its power from their darkest thoughts.
  Speculation exists that a Mist claimer is a Mist-
  spawned variant of the evil tenebris — a being that
  takes over the bodies of those with dark thoughts
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  62
  Chapter Five
  and uses their dreaming forms to carry out their
  most arcane wishes. The Mist claimer reads all that
  is ill and twisted within those that enter the Mists
  and builds a double similar to a doppelganger. This
  Mist-engendered copy seeks first to humiliate and
  destroy its shadow’s reputation through evil deeds,
  then to kill the original person. No one knows its
  motives, but perhaps the Mists bring out our hid-
  den evils even as it hides its own.
  Editor’s Note: Dr. Penarrow wished to add this
  disclaimer after seeing Ruchielli’s entry on the Mist
  claimer: If this is true, then I am far darker in my
  subconscious than my conscious thoughts allow. I
  cannot believe this to be true. These creatures must do
  evil for their own sake — or perhaps for the Mists’s
  purposes. Such acts as the Mist claimer did in my image
  are beyond any sadistic fantasy I would ever allow
  myself to have.
  —AP
  Mist Elementals
  Very little information about these creatures
  exists. We are still not entirely certain if the stories
  about them are true, but we have heard tales of
  good people caught in banks of the Mists who
  suddenly show a darker side. One village in Barovia
  allegedly became so twisted by this terror that later
  travelers to the town found all the people within
  murdered by their own hands. Mothers had killed
  sons, neighbor slew neighbor, until no one was left.
  Mist Weird
  The Mist weird is a being interested in justice.
  Those who seek the aid of this whirling storm
  within the Mists find help, guidance and pity. Yet
  do take care of voices speaking of justice within a
  swirling mass of the Mists. Mist weirds are not the
  only vaporous beings hidden with the Mists. Most
  of the others, however, seek your corruption or
  death.
  The Undead
  Undead in the Mists are extremely dangerous
  — far more so than any normal undead — for they
  do not fear the sun within the Mists’ coils and so
  may attack at any time. Incorporeal undead, such
  as ghosts and specters, have the advantage of con-
  cealment as they may shift and hide within the
  vapors, coming forth from above or quickly from
  the side to attack their most deadly threat, usually
  any cleric who might turn them or burn them with
  those spells that mimic the sun’s rays. There are
  many sorts of undead who are specially attuned to
  the Mists, yet others quickly learn the value of
  never facing the sun’s wrath. This adaptation leads
  to such horrors as moaning masses of zombies
  caught by a Zombie Fog and never resting until
  destroyed, or a vampire who has no need to sleep in
  the day but uses his new found Mist powers in
  darkness and light.
  The Kalij
  Another ancient hag, similar to a fury in
  disguise, this creature could confuse any scholar.
  She looks like an old woman wrapped in a dark
  shawl. She sucks the life and breath from children,
  much like some Mist elementals suffocate their
  foes, yet she is actually one of the undead. Her
  craving for the death of infants may have been a
  punishment for a terrible crime committed during
  her life, a sin that she must now repeat. One can
  only wonder if she fled into the Mists to escape her
  death and so found it there…forever.
  The Vistani know much lore about the kalij and
  sell tokens meant to ward babies in their cradles. As I
  well know, however, such tokens do not always work.
  My own baby son lost his life in the shadowy darkness
  of late evening soon after the Mists rose. I saw the old
  woman leave our house to vanish into the Mists as my
  wife’s sobs rose behind me in the night. Remember to
  watch your babes when the Mists thicken in the air or
  be prepared to lose them.
  —Gregor Zelinski, a Barovian hunter of Mist
  creatures
  Mist Ferrymen
  Oddly enough some of the creatures born of
  the Mists can be helpful in dire circumstances. The
  Mist ferrymen and pale riders listed (see below)
  each have their duties for the Mists, duties that
  involve “helping” travelers through the Mists. But
  their assistance does not come without a price. The
  Mist ferryman appears as a fearsome, cowled figure
  with skeletal hands and a grin full of sharp teeth.
  Only those desperate to go quickly to another land
  will call this creature and undertake a bloody battle
  with it, taking a chance of dying and rising as
  another Mist ferryman.
  It moves quickly, sharpened fingers flashing out to
  slice again and again, just shallow cuts dripping blood
  to make you weak. You cannot kill it, for your need for
  its assistance is greater than your need to live. You
  watch your comrades dying around you as it sends out
  a terrifying, sobbing scream and grins with sanguine
  teeth. Then you lunge forward, dragging it to the
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  63
  Those Who Dwell Within
  ground and raise your mace, ready to smash in its head
  if it doesn’t do your bidding. For a moment it looks at
  you, black holes glowing with an eerie green light. You
  seem to see resignation on its skeletal face. For a
  moment all goes black, and then you are in another
  place, still surrounded by fog. Those companions
  lucky enough to survive are with you. The Mist
  ferryman nods, its gaze locked upon your own as
  though to remember your face. Then dissipates with its
  shroud of Mists. You heal. Then you continue the
  chase.
  —From the journal of Brother Dubois on a
  hunt for a werewolf killer near the time of the full
  moon.
  Mist Horror
  Many speak of a wish never to find death while
  in the Mists. Such beings as the Mist Horror are a
  very good reason to fear dying within its murky
  folds. During one expedition along a Mistway our
  party was attacked by a savage swarm of Mistlings.
  We fought them off as best we could, but one of our
  group — a young fellow new to fighting and more
  than a bit cocky — was carried off into the Mists
  and we could not track where they had taken him.
  We thought he must have been eaten, but a few
  days later we heard him calling out to us through
  the fog. We saw his familiar shape moving slowly
  through the clouds of roiling vapor. We waited
  happily for him to catch up to our group. Only
  when he came fully into view did we realize the true
  horror. His face was half-eaten away, and his body
  was in tatters; both clothing and flesh dripped in a
  ragged parody of fringe. He smiled, his tongue
  lolling through a hole in his cheek. As we stood in
  stunned amazement, he suddenly gave a throaty
  growl and rose into the air, flying toward us, teeth
  bared and clawed fingers reaching for us, swirling
  into translucent tentacles of Mist as he came. I am
  not ashamed to say most of us fled at first, but our
  cleric stood her ground and turned our damned
  friend, sending his soul to the Morninglord.
  Zombie Fog
  No one who has ever seen a zombie fog can
  forget the experience. Nearly invisible except for a
  faint greenish tinge melding with the Mists, when
  this horror drifts over a graveyard or into the midst
  of a battlefield, it becomes a mass of stinking
  lurching zombies tearing loose from the ground
  with only one focus, taking the life energy away
  from anything living and making that person one
  of its own. Very few things work against them;
  nevertheless, knowledgeable fighters, if positioned
  correctly, will work to shove the animated bodies
  out of the greenish fog, at which point the zombies
  will collapse back into lifeless corpses. Daylight
  does not harm the fog, but temporarily drains it of
  its harmful power. The fog floats, powerless and
  unguided, until dark. Some say flame burns away
  zombie fog, but in my experience, little damages it
  but magic or magical fires. Some writings point to
  a necromancer’s experiment to collect undead for
  his armies as the origin of this phenomenon. If that
  is so, the fog has broken free of its creator, for the
  zombie fog does not move in any purposeful direc-
  tion but searches out the closest of the dead or near
  dead to add to its collection.
  Pale Rider
  Clerics say that the temptations of evil draw us
  into corruption. Pale riders scent those seeking
  vengeance and offer them hope and damnation.
  Anyone who enters the Mist with revenge on his
  mind may encounter a pale rider. As skeletal as any
  Mist ferryman, these white cloaked undead ride
  emaciated steeds with wild eyes and flaring nostrils
  that drip puss and blood. Such a sight should be an
  immediate warning not to deal with them except
  with the edge of a blade, but then they speak, their
  cold voices echoing through the Mists, offering the
  power to hunt down the enemy you seek. Their
  assistance comes with a price: if you do not succeed
  in slaying your quarry between the rising of one sun
  and the next, you, too, join the ranks of pale riders.
  There are enough foolish and crazed vigilantes to
  ensure that the supply of pale riders need never
  end.
  Editor’s Note: I begin to believe one must learn
  the wisdom to turn away from obsession or vengeance,
  for the price to reach one’s goal is far higher than we
  should be willing to pay.
  —GWF
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  64
  Chapter Six
   There is a way out of every dark mist…
  —Virginia Woolf
  Chapter Six:
  Traveling
  Through the
  Mi<t<: Byway<
  Chapter Six:
  Traveling
  Through the
  Mi<t<: Byway<
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  65
  Byways Through the Mist
  uch speculation has occurred through-
  out our history and many lives have
  been lost while attempting to map or
  even understand the mysterious laby-
  rinthine Mistways. Some, like the
  Vistani, have some ability to wend their way through
  them; they, however, never give away the secret of
  their success. Others, such as the priests of Ezra say
  they are given such understanding as a gift from
  their god and, as such, cannot assist others in being
  so blessed. Yet, Most Esteemed Reader, we all must
  find a way through the Mists at one time or another
  if we have the need — perhaps scientific curiosity
  is an appropriate phrase — to make our way from
  one far distant locale to another in our quests.
  Others also must travel for more “practical” pur-
  poses, perhaps to sail along to a new port where
  treasures await, or seeking a criminal who may
  have fled through the Mists to a predetermined
  place.
  And so, we, Gennifer and Laurie Weathermay-
  Foxgrove, have taken it upon ourselves to attempt
  to identify the various sorts of Mistways that ex-
  plorers of the Mists have discovered over time. We
  hope to provide an extensive, if not comprehen-
  sive, list. Throughout this chapter I, Gennifer will
  also provide some pertinent journal entries of vari-
  ous travelers through the Mists which should be
  helpful for those who wish to do their own explo-
  rations. However I must supply one caveat to any
  eager to find a new way — the dangers can far
  outweigh any benefit for those who go seeking idly.
  No matter the legend of wealth, of a place where
  monsters do not dwell, or perhaps a world where
  the Mists do not exist at all, lives are forfeit when
  you do not respect the Mists and its byways, and
  particularly those creatures who hunt along them.
  Gathering the Mists
  From the Journal of Explorer Harrington
  Ferrill, Volume Twelve, (Spring, 742 BC)
  The Mists are not always banks of fog. I discov-
  ered this to my peril while climbing to the peak of
  fabled Mount Frost in Rokushima Táíyoo along a
  trail my previously respected guide told me was safe
  and direct to the top. Perhaps I chose a time a bit
  late in the season? My guide did speak of snow-
  storms rising without warning along the mountain’s
  windy crown — an apparent factor of the many
  ancient and twisted shrines dotting its sides — but
  I am an experienced adventurer and prepared my-
  self for the possibility with heavy warm clothing
  and appropriate gear.
  When the slowly drifting white became a
  blinding scream of wind and ice, I decided to
  plunge onward toward a small abandoned ruin I
  spotted before the weather hit. My journey seemed
  to take hours, and for a time I thought I might have
  wandered past the broken walls and become lost
  amid the snowdrifts. Then I began to grow very
  warm and nearly found myself in a faint. When my
  eyes cleared I realized my predicament. I was no
  longer traveling through icy mounds of snow. In-
  stead, I was nearly up to my waist in whirling sand!
  I later discovered that I had somehow traveled a
  Mistway to the fabled ruined city of Anhalla in
  Sebua. I say it was a Mistway, because the feral
  children there were convinced to show me, through
  astonishing animal grunts and gestures, the be-
  longings of what I recognized was a luckless native
  from Rokushima, who obviously did not make the
  strange journey alive. Although I was not able to
  follow the Mistway back to Mount Frost — leaving
  me with a long and difficult journey to continue my
  explorations — I later came to the conclusion that
  the way would only open at times that the Mists
  rose as sandstorms in Sebua at the same time
  snowstorms arose upon Mount Frost.
  Hidden Paths:
  Mistways Without Mist
  Although Ravenloft is a world surrounded
  by the Mists, they do not always manifest as the
  translucent chilling billows of white we think
  of when we picture the misty borders of do-
  mains. Rarely would a native of a desert terrain
  see vast clouds of roiling fog, but shimmering
  heat mirages of water or strange cities might
  lead adventurers into danger, while blizzards or
  great gouts of smoke might engulf a mountain
  top or volcano. Any natural phenomenon that
  may fool the eye can be the entryway into the
  Mists, making more advanced explorers ex-
  tremely cautious of unusual weather or clouds
  drifting low among the trees.  Such Mistways
  might lead to legends of strange ruins which
  adventurers can only find if traveling through a
  sandstorm along a worn stone road or a way to
  an ever-distant shore by diving into a danger-
  ous whirlpool along the edge of a reef.
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  66
  Chapter Six
  Guidance Through the Mists:
  Traveling on Mistways
  Dearest Diary, I must confess to feeling rather
  smug, for I believe I have discerned the secret of the
  Mists and have — three times now! — made my way
  successfully along a path never before traveled without
  the assistance of the Vistani. Please, Dear Diary, do
  not give up my secret. Travel along the Mistways does
  not require sight, but intuition, and an almost mystical
  sense of the path to follow. In fact, sight may be more
  of a hindrance than a help with roiling fog confusing the
  senses and clouding the mind to what is needed to find
  one’s way. For the last two trips along the Mistway
  near my home, I have entered the Mists and blind-
  folded myself as soon as the Mists engulfed me in a
  moist embrace.
   — From the Diary of Imara Solinista, Lady,
  Scholar and Bon Vivant, dated Year 750, discov-
  ered on a Mistway, marred with sanguine splashes
  and scored with claw marks, by another traveler in
  the year 753
  Gentle Reader, although a Mistway provides
  as reliable a passage through the Mists as is possible
  without the guidance of a Vistana, such travel is
  Shooting at Shadows: Combat and Movement in the Mists
  The confusing nature of the Mists provides a challenge for those attempting to move through them or,
  worse yet, used ranged weapons within them. All persons moving through the Mistways should consider
  themselves in light concealment (10% miss chance) during combat or when performing Spot or Search
  checks per the rules in the Player’s Handbook. If in the Mists outside the Mistways, the concealment rating
  provides a 20% miss chance. DMs who wish to emphasize the horrific uncertainty inherent in attempting
  to maneuver in the Mists may also apply the random modifiers listed in Table 6-1 by rolling a d20 before
  each round:
  Table 6-1: Random Modifiers in Mist Combat and Maneuvers
  d20 Roll
          Effect
  1
  PC combat initiatives at -5
  2
  PC combat initiatives at +5
  3
  Concealment from fog grows greater (30% miss chance)
  4
  Monster/NPC combat initiatives at -5
  5
  Monster/NPC combat initiatives at +5
  6
  PCs effectively under a silence spell for next 5 rounds. DC 20 Will save negates.
  7
  PC speed slowed to one-half normal. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  8
  PC speed increased to twice normal. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  9
  Concealment becomes near total (40% miss chance)
  10
  Voices come from random directions as though under a ventriloquism spell, for 5 rounds. DC 20 Will
  Save negates.
  11
  Ranged attacks (if successful) hit a random target
  12
  Random PC paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  13
  Random Monster/NPC paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  14
  Random PC slowed for 1d4 rounds. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  15
  Random PC hasted for 1d4 rounds. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  16
  Random Monster/NPC slowed for 1d4 rounds. DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  17
  Random Monster/NPC hasted for 1d4 rounds DC 20 Fortitude save negates.
  18
  Random PC moved 20’ in a random direction as per dimension door. DC 20 Spot check to catch sight
  of others.
  19
  Random Monster/NPC moved in 20’ in a random direction as per dimension door. DC 20 Spot check
  to see others.
  20
  Monster/NPC or PC leaves the Mists for a random destination predetermined by the DM, or roll again.
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  67
  Byways Through the Mist
  still quite fraught with dangers. Even careful pro-
  jection of one’s path does not protect a traveler
  from various blood thirsty Mist creatures, madmen
  or the odd choking gas. For some reason also, all
  Mistways are obscured, usually by the Mists them-
  selves, but occasionally by other weather
  phenomenon. If distracted or pursued by a foe it is
  always possible for a traveler to lose his connection
  to the Mistway and become Mist-led.
  Battle along a Mistway is both frustrating and
  difficult. Creatures use the concealment of the fog
  to appear from nowhere, with the more intelligent
  ones seeming to mark certain Mistways as their
  preferred game trails. Attempting to shoot a pistol
  or use a bow in the midst of the fog is perilous to
  other travelers —even those seemingly outside the
  range or aim of the shooter. The Mists are confus-
  ing; the Mistways sometimes wind about
  themselves, curling like a giant snake in a twisting
  pathway certain only to the Vistani.
  Blood on the Moon
  Perhaps one of the most elusive and dangerous
  types of pathways through the Mist is the situ-
  ational Mistway. Some might argue that the Vistani
  conjure up situational Mistways through rites
  known only to them whenever they have need of
  passage through the Mists, yet other byways appear
  for reasons unexplainable to all, and others only at
  proscribed times or seasons.
  Perhaps the most gruesome of these is a Mistway
  my sister and I discovered beneath the trees on a
  foggy and dew-dappled morning in Invidia. The
  evening before, we had been investigating a legend
  of demons supposedly drawn to Invidia, when an
  outcry led us to rush from the comfort of the local
  inn’s hearth. Our guide there, a gentleman mer-
  chant named Lichmelor, was the unlucky soul to
  find what was left of a child on the ground near the
  edge of the woods. If it were not for the chill of the
  evening blocking the smell and the darkness we
  might have found the body sooner, for it was torn
  into many many pieces, the young boy’s seemingly
  sleeping face and tousled hair hung upon a tree
  branch, the only recognizable part. Our first
  thought, after taking a moment to settle our stom-
  achs, was that some sort of bloody wolf or
  lycanthrope might have been the cause. Laurie
  theorized that the child may have fallen victim of
  the demon for which we had been searching. After
  examination our horror grew, for we realized that
  the only part of the corpse truly missing was his
  heart.
  Gathering torches we left with our guide,
  following splashes of blood on the dewy ground and
  dripping, cobweb-bedecked bushes. Every rustle in
  the cold foggy air led us to shudder and wonder if we
  would be next, but our trail ended just at the
  beginning of dawn’s light—at a twisted oak with a
  large gaping hollow in its side, much like a tooth-
  less and malformed mouth. As we watched, the last
  wisps of Mist rose and faded among its branches.
  When Lichmelor saw the tree he grabbed each of
  us by an arm and pulled us back, his face as white
  as his linen tunic. “You cannot follow now,” he
  whispered looking up at the fading full moon low in
  the sky, “the Mists will take you.” When the sky
  was fully light he finally deigned to explain. “This
  tree is called the Oak of Screams. For those who are
  willing to fill its mouth with the blood of inno-
  cence at peak of the full moon there is a pathway
  out of this place to wherever you wish through the
  Mists. This is the legend. Few are desperate enough
  to try it, but any that have disappear and do not
  return. As you can see, the oak has withstood
  burning and attempts to chop it down. The many
  scars prove that. Those that try to harm it soon
  come to a terrible end.” We took a moment,
  considering that it would be safe enough in the
  morning sunlight, to look more closely at the
  warped and bloodied oak. Although a pool of blood
  lay still clotting within its horrid maw, the heart
  was gone. Perhaps it was imagination, but as the
  wind whispered through its branches I thought I
  heard the sound of children’s voices whimpering
  from deep inside.
  A Guidebook to the Charted
  Mistways
  …and then it came, merely a flicker, a whisper of
  wind sending the Mists drifting. A mutter and rustle of
  air caressed my face, then suddenly screamed past me
  to envelop my brother in a whirling storm of scarlet
  death. My last contact with him was the spray of blood
  against my face. All was quiet for a moment, but soon
  I felt a moist breath of air lift the hair on the back of my
  neck and knew the storm had come back for me…
  —Dr. Alexander Penarrow, Mist Navigator
  and Explorer
  There are some, Dearest Reader, who eschew
  the use of the Vistani altogether and make it their
  life’s work — through dedication, happenstance or
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  68
  Chapter Six
  There But a Moment: Situational Mistways
  There are several types of Situational Mistways — those which only appear under the
  correct conditions or at certain times and in certain places, as well as those which only
  appear when summoned through need or ritual. In all cases these Mistways cannot be
  summoned to a new location. They may lead to more than one place, but the entryway is
  always in the same area, or appears in a certain location when all is as it needs to be for it
  to incorporate. Some Mistways which travelers believe to have drifted, or changed their
  destined exits, are actually temporal or conditional Mistways which, if analyzed over a
  period of time, may follow some discernable pattern.
  Temporal Mistways: Openings to the Mistways can be dependent upon certain
  months of the year; in fact, some Mistways may lead to one place in a summer season and
  another place in the autumn. Other, more elusive openings have connections to lunar
  cycles or beams of light — moon or sun — focusing on a bank of Mists in a particular hour
  or minute or even second of time, making the chance to enter such places more than
  challenging. The DM’s choice of DC should depend upon the amount of time available to
  cross with mere seconds requiring a DC of 25 or better. Remember that any travelers who
  link hands or otherwise make physical connections will travel to the same destination as
  long as the connection is not broken. If it is, and the time available has ended, others may
  end up Mist-led or at another destination domains away.
  Conditional Mistways: While a temporal Mistway can also be called a conditional
  Mistway, there are many other sorts of conditional Mistways in Ravenloft. Conditions
  favorable to a coalescing Mistway may be as random and arbitrary as having a gray cat
  traveling with a group or three red-headed children singing as they enter. Most, however,
  are brought into being by more eerie or unusual events. Perhaps one path opens whenever
  a murderer with blood on her hands enters the Mists in a certain place. Another might
  always make way for fleeing victims of werewolves at the full moon. Such Mistways may lead
  to sanctuary or hell — and no one can fathom why the Mists choose either. DM’s should
  find fitting destinations for such pathways and interesting Mist creatures to add to the
  torment along the road. In any case the situations which cause the Mistways to open and
  go to their predetermined destination are nearly impossible for most to detect and so are
  rarely duplicated by others, although some realms may have legends of lovers lost in the
  Mists on one high hill or stories of a pathway to a strange and mystical place through the
  Mists which may only be found by the very old or a swaddling babe dressed in a white shroud.
  DMs may create old stories for their players to discover containing poems with descriptions
  of times and rules to follow for such Mistways, although these should be much less elaborate
  than those used to find or call the Mistways listed below.
  Ritual Mistways: The most insidious and terrifying of situational Mistways is one
  formed by ritual. Although powerful mages, clerics, sages and scholars may believe they
  have found ways to control the Mists, ritual Mistways only work if the Mists wish them to.
  Invariably, the opening rituals include some blood sacrifice. The least evil of these require
  the blood of the ritualist (powers check at 5%), but the most reliable involve the death of
  an innocent. For such Mistways, a powers check at 16% for the premeditated murder of a
  pure soul and for evil ritualistic magic is required. Even shedding the blood of many
  innocents will not increase the chance of success, but a way of sorts will open if the methods
  are grizzly enough, often leading to a new pocket realm prison created just for the ritualist.
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  69
  Byways Through the Mist
  need — the exploration of the Mistways of our
  world and the discovery of the many hidden roads
  to other lands. Such brave folk risk life and sanity
  for their cause and give the rest of us a chance to
  travel to exotic, far off places without fear (al-
  though Laurie would say having no fear in the
  Mists is foolishness, no matter how reliable the
  byway).
  We met Dr. Penarrow during a recent journey
  to Tepest, where we hoped to find a certain clever
  device for use against evil fey. An elegant gentle-
  man with a mane of deep red hair streaked with
  white, the good doctor came forth from the swirl-
  ing Mists, his eyes glowing silver through the fog,
  soon after the Vistani brought us to our destination
  near Briggdarrow. Laurie drew her pistol at the
  sight, expecting, I believe, one of the undead. He
  smiled, revealing perfectly normal teeth, and asked
  us if we needed an escort into the village. We later
  discovered that he had known our Uncle and
  traveled with him along many Mistways when the
  Vistani could not be found, or chose not to be.
  Laurie was the first to take note of his halting
  gate and the ornate silver-headed cane he leaned so
  heavily upon. Being the curious sort, she asked him
  if he had been injured, and if so, what had hap-
  pened. Looking about at the thick fog still curling
  along the ground, he offered to buy us a meal at the
  inn and discuss it there, obviously uncomfortable
  in the evening shadows. Soon we found ourselves
  seated at a quiet table near the hearth. Only then
  did we notice the terrible scarring which distorted
  and scored Dr. Penarrow’s face and hands — all
  that we could see of him, as he disdained to remove
  his heavy coat, even in the warm firelight.
  After a lovely dinner and some good wine, the
  doctor became relaxed enough to begin speaking of
  his many adventures in the Mists. Some of them
  were near-unbelievable. He spoke of beginning his
  explorations more than one hundred years ago
  visiting lands long vanished from the world.
  Soon his reminiscences turned toward the
  various Mistways he has traveled and the terrifying
  creatures he has seen and fought within the Mists.
  During his musings, we learned that his disfigure-
  ment was caused by an elusive and terrifying creature
  called a scarlet storm. It kills its victims by flaying
  flesh from their bones with corrosive sand, acid or
  ice depending upon its type, and nearly destroyed
  him after slaying his brother Nikolai and feeding
  upon him in a writhing mist of blood.
  Such horror might have driven a lesser being
  from the Mists forever, but Dr. Penarrow made a
  vow at that time to discover all he could of the
  many Mistways and the creatures within the Mists.
  Once he knew of our relation to his old friend,
  he grew more open to reminiscence and became
  sentimental about siblings working together to
  explore and examine the world. Thus, we were
  regaled with much useful information and a listing
  of some of the many Mistways he has explored over
  the decades.
  Mistways: a Brief Overview
  The following Mistways were described to us
  by Dr. Penarrow and were accurate at the time of
  his exploration of them. We have, for the most
  part, left his comments unaltered. Where we were
  tempted to insert our own observations, we did so
  in the form of an Editor’s Note.
  The Bleak Road: Southern Barovia — North-
  ern Vorostokov
  (Poor Reliability, Two-way)
  Ah yes, this is a treacherous byway. Not only
  will you rarely arrive where you seek to go — and
  few sane people wish to go to Vorostokov — but
  this is one of the places where the scarlet storm
  stalks its victims, in this case as a vicious blizzard at
  its exit near snowy Oneka.
  The Emerald Stream: Northern Sea of Sor-
  rows — Eastern Sri Raji
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-way)
  Many experienced sailors fear the Sea of Sor-
  rows, yet this road is one of the more reliable
  methods of moving from our Core realms to the
  exotic land of Sri Raji. The Mists here are awash
  with ghostly ships as well as that sorrowful and
  terrifying phenomenon known as the “Mist Weird.”
  My first experience with it was when I heard
  Nikolai’s voice calling out to me from the Mists as
  I traveled along the Mistway and would have
  wandered forth off the path if my companions
  hadn’t physically detained me. It was a terrible
  time, and I still occasionally wonder if I might have
  met my brother’s spirit if I had only been given the
  opportunity.
  The Heretic’s Egress: Southwestern
  G’Henna — North-Central Darkon
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-way)
  Although this byway may be fairly steady, it is
  one of the least pleasant passages I have ever had
  the misfortune to travel along. Both the whirling
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  70
  Chapter Six
  flux of Darkon’s Mistlands and the horrific winds of
  G’henna provide a channel for scarlet storms to
  feed, and one of the Mist ferrymen has been known
  to wander along its length.
  The Jackal’s Ruse: East-Central Nocturnal
  Sea — Western Har’Akir
  (Moderate Reliability, One-way)
  Sailors curse the accidental entering of this
  Mistway. More than one ship has been left high
  and dry, caught in the drifts of sand dunes in
  Har’Akir. Although somewhat peaceful in relation
  to other byways I have traveled, the occasional
  drifting patch of goblyn fog has led to crazed
  boatloads of caliban set loose upon the Amber
  Wastes, as time slows within its passage and few can
  stay out of the goblyn fog’s reach long enough to
  escape this fate.
  Leviathan’s Clutches: West-Central Sea of
  Sorrows — Saragoss
  (Excellent Reliability, One-Way)
  No one seeks this path unless he is desperate to
  find a way to Sri Raji and is willing to sacrifice a
  ship in the process. Saragoss is a rotting graveyard
  of lost ships, and the Leviathan’s Clutches Mistway
  provides no escape. Oddly enough, travel along
  this Mistway goes very quickly, with most voyages
  taking less than a day. In fact, after studying my
  journals for hours, by my calculations one of these
  journeys brought our ship to its destination before
  we had left the Sea of Sorrows!
  The Outlander’s Gate: “Outside” — South-
  ern Barovia
  (Poor Reliability, One-Way)
  One of the least understood of the Mistways, I
  hesitate to call it such, except for a continuing
  phenomenon which seems to bring outlanders to
  our world. The Outlander’s Gate is a byway untrav-
  eled by any resident of our lands. Seemingly at
  random, but far too regularly to call it chance, the
  Mists around Barovia spring forth with strange and
  confused beings who believe they have come from
  beyond the Mists. Such people, some oddly warped,
  I am certain, by the various transforming creatures
  in the Mists, find themselves at odds with some of
  the most powerful people within our realms —
  often to their deaths, but rarely, rarely providing a
  true and abiding positive change.
  After interviewing some of these outlanders, I
  have taken note of a few details that lead me to
  believe this to be a conditional Mistway, quite
  possibly also temporal, but most definitely pur-
  poseful. Most new arrivals tell a similar story of fog
  rising along their paths. After some harrowing
  attacks from creatures in the Mists, they arrive in
  Barovia, disoriented and not a little dismayed.
  Although this is only conjecture, I believe the
  Mists capture them as a catalyst for change in our
  lands — whether for good or ill.
  Editor’s Note: I was frankly unsure about includ-
  ing this passage in our listing, but Laurie encouraged
  me to add it as a Mistway virtually unknown or
  explored. Such musings, I believe are one of the things
  that our dear Uncle warned us about. Trying to “see
  through” the Mists can be more than perilous. Also,
  although he does not list them, there are other areas
  where outlanders seem more likely to appear although
  no Mistways have as yet been detected —GWF
  The Path of Innocence: Southern
  Valachan—Northern Odiare
  (Poor Reliability, One-Way)
  Such a sad and terrible road, the Path of
  Innocence is guarded by fenhounds — one of the
  few creatures in the Mists that seem to punish evil
  and protect the good. Unfortunately, this path is
  also riddled with Mist changelings and other such
  dark beings. Some wonder if the children in Odiare
  might be some of these changelings which have
  fully become a part of that world. I shudder at the
  thought.
  The Road of a Thousand Secrets: Southern
  Hazlan — Southeastern Pharazia
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-Way)
  Philosophers from Hazlan sometimes travel
  along this byway seeking one of the most insidious
  monsters found in the Mists — the Mist Claimer.
  They believe if a shadow version of themselves is
  created and they can destroy it, they will have
  purified their souls and sent their darkness to
  dissipate in the Mists. Perhaps their theory is true,
  but such creatures can destroy a man’s reputation
  and resolve. Rarely can one detect its existence
  until it has already poisoned its victim’s  life. I was
  lucky enough to catch sight of a mirror image of
  myself as I stepped through the Mists into Pharazia
  and was certain for a moment that I had lost my
  mind. Only after I had killed the monster did I
  learn that it had slaughtered several people in a
  nearby village, leaving me to make amends as I
  could.
  The Serpent’s Coils: Eastern Nova Vaasa —
  Central Zherisia
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-Way)
  This twisting byway should only be navigated
  by those experienced with travel through the Mists.
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  71
  Byways Through the Mist
  The entrances may only be found at the dark of the
  moon on a foggy night. Once within the Mists’
  embrace, travelers find themselves caught in a
  sensory nightmare of echoing voices and extremely
  thick fog which obscures all outside of arm’s reach.
  Fenhounds bay, and amorphous undead moan along
  the path, as many creatures from Zherisia find
  themselves lost on the twisting road and have no
  compunction against destroying anything or any-
  one they find along the way. I suggest preparing a
  goodly supply of torches.
  The Shrouded Way: Northwestern
  Darkon—Southern Paridon
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-Way)
  Perhaps the most dangerous predator along
  the Shrouded Way is the human one. Vicious
  killers such as Bloody Jack have learned to disap-
  pear from Paridon by fleeing to Darkon. I have
  hunted more than one of these twisted murderers
  through the Mistway in the hope of saving the
  denizens of Darkon from becoming their prey.
  Thankfully the fenhounds also hunt this path; I
  have followed their cries like hunting dogs to more
  than one pitiable bloodthirsty madman.
  Via Corona: Northeastern Darkon — East-
  ern Nidala
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-Way)
  Much as the Shrouded Way, this byway begins
  in the Mistlands of Darkon; thankfully, it does not
  reach its end at such a cursed place as Paridon, but
  in the more pleasant climate of Nidala. Still, its
  reliability is suspect, with most people only finding
  it when they are desperately in need of a way out of
  danger. Still the byway is not without its own
  perils. Some say the dragon from Nidala hunts
  along its length on occasion, although it has never
  to my knowledge been seen in Darkon.
  The Wake of the Loa: Northwestern Noc-
  turnal Sea — Northern Souragne
  (Moderate Reliability, Two-Way)
  Always a tempting path for intelligent undead,
  this Mistway is home to more than one Mist
  ferryman and other horrific creatures coiled about
  with the shadows and ultimate gray of the Mists. Its
  entrance at the Nocturnal Sea is again home to
  scarlet storms whirling about in water spouts.  Dan-
  gerous undertows work to pull ships beneath the
  surface. It is also difficult to gauge time along its
  path; depending upon the phases of the moon at
  either end, it may send you along your way quickly
  or keep you within its coils for days or weeks. I have
  also noted the ghostly outlines of tall mansions
  with white-pillared porches appearing just off the
  path. Such dwellings disappear as quickly as they
  appear when you are foolish enough to go for a
  closer look, leaving you Mist-led for certain.
  The Way of Venomous Tears: Southwest-
  ern Sea of Sorrows — Northeastern Rokushima
  Táiyoo
  (Poor Reliability, Two-Way)
  Drifting from land on one end to sea on the
  other, the Way of the Venomous Tears is hard to
  travel and misleading to many who choose its path
  only to be caught with their ship high and dry upon
  Mount Frost in Rokushima Táiyoo or drowning in
  the waters off Ghastria. Although one of the less
  harrowing byways, it seems to be a path for one of
  the most deadly of undead, the akikage, a creature
  sometimes known as the “shadow assassin.” Ven-
  geance ghosts of the worst sort, these evil beings
  allow nothing to stand in the way of their missions
  — including other travelers along the Mistway.
  Destroying one is nigh impossible since they van-
  ish at will and use the Mists as their hunting
  ground. If you notice a figure dressed in dark
  clothing with its face covered, its eyes the only
  discernable feature, turn aside and allow it to pass
  unless you are supremely confident in your abilities
  to deal with undead.
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  72
  Chapter Seven
  The Mists provide, with an almost uncanny sentience,
  those odd invaders, the Outlanders, at a time when assistance
  is needed, or sometimes when punishment must be meted out
  to those who sin against common decency in some terrible
  fashion. This leads to the conjecture that the Mists are another
  form of Afterlife, bringing tormented souls to their reward
  within our borders.
  —From the papers of High Priestess of Ezra, Diona
  Von Alwecht, one week before her disappearance
  Chapter Seven:
  Wanderer< in the
  Mi<t: Vi<tani
  and Outlander<
  Chapter Seven:
  Wanderer< in the
  Mi<t: Vi<tani
  and Outlander<
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  73
  Vistani and Outsiders
  ithin this chapter,Gennifer and I hope
  to provide some theories and conjec-
  tures about two of the greatest mysteries
  of our lands. Considering our Uncle
  Rudolph’s stern warnings and our own
  previous experiences, it did not seem prudent to
  continue our young foolishness in an examination
  of the Mists. So many other mysteries — no less
  harmful or horrifying, yet still more easily identi-
  fied and studied — have kept us busy in our
  continuing effort to build upon the great body of
  work that is Van Richten’s. Still, there are some
  hidden layers of the Mist which can be explored by
  interview and discussion with those who have
  seemingly been birthed by the Mist themselves —
  the Outlanders — and also those who travel the
  Mistways with ease — the Vistani.
  The Vistani
  Dearest Reader, as Gennifer and I continued
  to peruse the few tomes which gave us another
  mysterious glimpse through the Mists, we realized
  that to make a true study of such an amorphous
  subject, we must speak to the only beings who truly
  seem to be comfortable or, possibly, in control of
  that eldritch border which surrounds and invades
  our land. In general, our curiosity has always been
  great about the mysterious Vistani and their con-
  nection to the Mists, yet our attempts to convince
  one of them to speak of such has always been
  unsuccessful until now. Our dear uncle’s writings
  about the Vistani, much of it provided by the
  Vistani Arturi Radanavich, lead to much specula-
  tion about their possible control over the Mists, as
  well as their powers, which mirror the strange
  effects of the Mists on wanderers within.  It has
  been our theory for many years that the Vistani’s
  gifts of prophecy lead them to be where they are
  truly needed at the right time. Perhaps this might
  explain the capitulation of our Vistani guide at this
  time when we were most needful of information.
  Tevye Calvanov, erstwhile captain of a Vistani
  caravan and one of our respected guides, was per-
  suaded, perhaps even encouraged by Gennifer — a
  shocking sight — to give us more understanding of
  the symbiosis between the Vistani and the Mists.
  Sadly, he did not live long after our discussion.
  Settling back on the seat of his colorful vardo,
  this gray-haired fellow with wise ebony eyes and a
  bushy mustache decorated at the tips with silver
  beads seemed more than willing to speak of the
  Mists, a subject Vistani rarely discuss. Still, a slight
  twinkle in his eye led me to believe, Gentle Reader,
  that the validity of anything he said must be taken
  with some caution. No Vistani ever explains some-
  thing without reason — particularly when that
  explanation might clear some of the mystery sur-
  rounding them. Perhaps Gennifer went too far in
  her encouragement? Well, no matter, I allowed
  him to provide what he would — it is up to all of us
  to ascertain the truth in his telling.
  “So you would ask a Vistana to tell you all the
  secrets of the Mists? How much can you pay me to
  do such a thing? Still, it has been many moons since
  I have told the doroq to my people. Perhaps you will
  appreciate my tales.
  Mist Abilities of the Vistani
  All Vistani have some control over
  the Mists, if only in their understanding of
  the Mistways. Any Vistana can enter the
  Mists and exit where he wishes a few
  moments later, no matter the distance or
  the obstacles in between, without limits
  and at will. Such impermanent Mist ris-
  ings may lead to creatures from the Mists
  wandering in places where they have never
  before been seen and may also lead to more
  permanent intrusions from the Mists if the
  Mists are called to the same area more
  than once. When a caravan needs to travel
  to a new place, the tribe’s raunie calls the
  Mists to rise as the captain trustingly sends
  the vardos  through a blinding fog and
  across the world. Such Mist navigation does
  not mean that the travelers have only
  spent those few moments within the Mists,
  however. The Vistani manipulate time
  and may spend hours or days within and
  still arrive outside within a few minutes of
  their having entered the Mists.
  Not even the Vistani, however, have
  perfected this ability. Anytime a Vistana
  enters the Mists, there is a 2% chance that
  his control is slightly flawed. This rises to
  a 3% chance if an entire caravan is travel-
  ing through the Mists, while the chance
  rises to 5% if a giorgio is traveling with a
  Vistana guide
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  74
  Chapter Seven
  The Mists exist, much like my people, sur-
  rounded by and enshrouded in mystery. You cannot
  define us or close us in — we will merely slip away,
  disappearing through cracks in the walls or among
  the shadows in the night. Still, I can tell you many
  tales of what others have said about us. Some of
  them may be true; others — well, we have our
  secrets, and many things are distorted within the
  Mists.
  First, I will speak of the Mists as our compan-
  ion or, perhaps, tool. Some say we do nothing
  without reason, provide no favor without benefit
  to ourselves, give nothing without payment. I do
  not say this is true, but you might ask, if the Mists
  are truly sentient, what do we do for it and why?
  Some believe the creatures in the Mists do not
  harm us. This I can tell you is false. We have much
  experience fighting such monsters and so know
  how to avoid many and kill or divert what we
  cannot avoid. Yes, we travel through the Mists as
  no giorgio can and take those we favor with us, but
  not all are equally gifted to the task, and the wise
  raunie will choose her captain well.
  “Do not believe that you can call all Vistani
  the same. I am of the Boem tasque. We are the ones
  who feel the lack of home most keenly, the ones
  who carry the darkness of the world within our
  hearts. You know something of us from your uncle,
  do you not? We understand the tragedy of life and
  our fate as no others do. Each tasque has its strength,
  you must understand, yet we have no weaknesses
  except the shadow on our souls from sorrow.”
  Specific Powers of the Vistani
  Tasques
  While all Vistani have some control, most
  tasques have a special ability connected to the
  Mists. These special abilities give the DM many
  ways to manipulate plots through time and dis-
  tance, past, future and across worlds.
  The Kaldresh: Timeless Viewers
  The Kaldresh, generally the least mystical of
  the Vistani tasques, have one extremely powerful
  ability — to see the past, present and future as one.
  Since all time is no time to them, they may look
  along the time stream and bring themselves through
  the Mists to any era or to whatever event they feel
  the need to influence. Because they specialize in
  weaponsmithing and other crafts of war, they often
  seek places where conflict or all out war rages and
  profit by providing what each side needs. DMs
  might encourage mercenary characters to seek out
  the Kaldresh and follow them through the Mists to
  battle.
  The Manusa: Manipulators of Time and
  Mist
  The Manusa tasque, and particularly the most
  mystical and powerful of the tribes, the Zarovan,
  exhibit seemingly unlimited abilities to manipu-
  late the Mists and time. Able to bend moments and
  years at will, they may walk through the Mists to
  any time, and even take giorgios along with them if
  it suits their mysterious purposes. The Zarovan also
  have the ability to manipulate the Mists by open-
  ing ways to other worlds beyond Ravenloft and to
  see what is happening within those other realms.
  For a long-running campaign involving Outland-
  ers, rumors of this ability may lead desperate player
  characters to seek out the Vistani and perform
  whatever tasks are set upon them for the opportu-
  nity to go home — or provide reasons for PCs to
  wish to return home when Zarovan visions tell of
  tragedy for those left behind. Adding to that power,
  the women of the Manusa tasque also have the
  ability to cast spells from the Mist Domain as
  clerics of their character level, regardless of whether
  they have the Wisdom score to cast those spells or
  not. These women can only cast a Mist spell if a
  cleric of equal level to their character level would
  also be able to do so.”
  The Boem: Fatalists
  The Vistani of the Boemian tasque have a
  different philosophy of time. They believe that fate
  and time is fixed, and none can escape life’s course.
  This rigid belief may have something to do with the
  fact that they are the only Vistani who have no
  special gift —they believe that they cannot ma-
  nipulate and so are denied their powers. Still, even
  they can travel the Mistways with ease and call
  upon the Mists when the road beckons. The Boem
  would be the most likely to help a criminal escape
  through the Mists, for the right price, and to then
  bring her pursuers along behind in exchange for
  some future favor.
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  75
  Vistani and Outsiders
  “It is said that we sacrifice those who anger us
  to the Mists — that all of the Vistani do so. Would
  you believe it to be true? Do you think we take
  those seeking passage and leave them within the
  Mists for their blood to provide power? Such
  thoughts are ludicrous! Others believe there are
  mighty and magical beings living within the Mists,
  and we are but minions and pawns of those arcane
  creatures, traveling where we will at their bidding.
  Again, this is nonsense. The Vistani are free. We
  may not have a land that is our own, but we go
  where we will — it is our fate.
  Maybe we were born of the Mists and are the
  Mists’ children. Would that not explain our ease
  within it? Have you ever seen a caravan disappear,
  lost in a rising fog? It is possible we do not merely
  ride through, but become as ghosts, one with the
  vapor mixing with the Mists as part of them.”
  A teasing smile appeared on his face as he
  patted my arm indulgently. “You would not believe
  such silliness. You are a smart girl. It is more likely
  that we hold power over the Mists because we own
  them. Maybe we have no home here because we
  live within the Mists in great castles with many
  riches and fine horses.” He sighed deeply, “Even
  the Vistani are not immune to the powers of the
  Mists.  Believe me, young ones, the Mists are
  nothing to be taken lightly. Any of our kind can
  tell you tales of Mist-led travelers lost for all time.
  These forlorn wanderers are cursed by the Mists to
  live decades in a day, or an hour in ten years.  My
  story is different, a shadowy terrible tale of a family
  of the Vistani turned away from their heritage,
  their honor and their pacts.” For a moment, his
  eyes lost their twinkle, and I swear his face paled to
  ashen gray. He clutched at his heart and looked at
  me with a shadowed glance of pain, then waving
  away my attempt at succor, continued with his
  narrative.
  “The folk of the laughing crow, called the
  Simiuka clan, are a handsome family, I say are
  although no one has seen them for over 40 years
  except in the dark line of the past. When the
  shadows of that tree,” and here our guide pointed to
  a magnificent tree that towered above the hilltop
  on which it stood, its broad limbs cloaking the
  ground beneath in darkness, “were no wider than a
  finger — at a time when the magic of the world and
  all its glory in and around the Mists seemed mine —
  when I was still a young man, my heart was taken
  by one of the Simiuka, a sharp-featured, funny
  young woman named Annalysnya. We are of the
  same tasque, but not clan, and I knew one day we
  would meet and she would become my wife.
  As you should know, we Vistani wander where
  we will, and when our hearts melded at a gathering
  during the full moon, we promised that when our
  paths merged again I would have many creatures to
  use as a bride price (she is of the Naiat) and her
  father would allow us to wed. Many times I joked
  with her that I would come and carry her away if my
  longing for her became too much, but we believed
  fate would bring us together through the Mists as
  our paths would certainly join to become one.”
  Many were the months that passed as I gath-
  ered my price for her, proud horses for wealth and
  bright woven scarves for her hair. When a year had
  come and gone I believed the Fates must soon bring
  us together and asked for our wise woman to
  consult the tarokka and tell me when we would
  meet again.”
  Darkness crossed our guide’s face, and as I
  watched, the gleam in his eye became a wash of
  tears. He lowered his head, breathing harshly, then
  gruffly cleared his throat. “Our raunie, Marta, per-
  formed the reading and cried out as cards of ill
  omen spread across the table.  Betrayal, death and
  worst of all, banishment were woven through the
  images, as distinctively as the scent of rotting blood
  or the cry of an abandoned child. I did not believe
  — I could not believe — and fled camp on horse-
  back seeking my Annalys in the gathering Mists.”
  Master Tevye gave a rough sigh, and for a
  moment his lips moved soundlessly. Although it
  may have seemed forward, Gennifer leaned for-
  ward and patted him gently on the knee — her
  gesture a physical sign of our concern for him. As
  though his mind had wandered a thousand miles
  away, he looked up at us and smiled, just a quirk of
  the lip, his dark eyes lost in distant sadness and
  remembered horror, tears on his cheeks.
  “The Mists enfolded me, a welcoming cloak as
  I reached out in my mind toward my Annalysnya,
  knowing I could find my way through the shadows
  and the gray to the one I loved. In the beginning I
  was sure. My heart called to her and nothing would
  stop me. Galloping on trails known to me since I
  was a small boy I thundered forward for hours…and
  hours…and days. My horse fell and died gasping,
  his breath a bellow of agonized steam. He was a fine
  animal whose heart was broken as surely as my own.
  I took what I could from his back and continued
  onward. The Mists no longer seemed my compan-
  ion but my enemy — keeping me from her. In
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  76
  Chapter Seven
  despair I cried out her name, and I was answered. A
  screaming cry, a ragged sob, and then my name in
  a whisper so low it, too, seemed muffled and lost in
  the roiling fog. I called again and again heard my
  name, her voice closer now; the Mists had brought
  her to me. A silhouette formed in the darkness, her
  welcome shape coming to my open arms. And then
  I saw her gentle funny face smiling — but it was the
  grimace of a mouth rotted away, her bloody teeth
  bared. Behind her, I saw the rest of her family. All
  came forward; their mouths open holes filled with
  blood.
  I staggered back as she cried out for me. Do not
  forsake me! she gurgled as gouts of crimson poured
  forth from her mouth. Again, she reached for me,
  pleading. I could not go to her, could not stay or
  bring her from the Mists, for I knew that she and
  her family were accursed, and the Mists were wit-
  ness to their shame. I fled then, but I know my fate.
  I will be with her again.”
  Curséd Folk of the Mists
  Very little is known of these most horribly afflicted
  wanderers in the Mists. According to our sources — as
  reticent as they can be to speak of such shameful and
  terrible situations — the cursed are those who have
  betrayed the Vistani in such a fashion as to attract all
  the terrors the Mists conceal upon themselves. Rarely
  do any survive and none that we know of have ever
  returned, at least not sound of either mind or body.
  —Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove
  Unfortunately, Gentle Reader, we never dis-
  covered what Tevye Calvanov’s betrothed and her
  family had done. He began crying again and then,
  with a faraway look in his eye, told Laurie and I to
  get down off his vardo and go quickly away. Our last
  sight of him, illuminated by the lights on back of
  his wagon as he headed into a thick cloud of fog
  rising among the trees, has remained imprinted in
  my memory. We have not seen him again, but
  fervently hope he has found his Annalysnya and
  broken her curse. Most importantly, we hope he
  does not share in their curse for telling us about the
  Mists.
  We have heard stories of other such luckless
  wanderers; they can be a danger to those within the
  Mists, for most of them are violently insane. For his
  sake I hope she and her family are not.
  Strangers from the Mists:
  Outlanders
  ”My god’s voice is no longer strong. His gifted
  powers grow weak in this accursed place. Still, I must
  destroy these unliving, shambling horrors that sur-
  round us…Turn to dust, you abominations! In the
  name of Pe—”
  —Last words of Regin Shadowbane, priest of
  an unknown deity.
  If we are to consider the Mists and the many
  mysteries engulfed by and surrounding these Mists,
  we must examine closely some of the most baffling
  and disturbing creatures to come from the Mists —
  Curses in the Mists
  While any curse performed by a Vistani is a powerful and terrible thing, when such curses are
  performed while within the Mists or the Mists are invoked as part of the curse itself, the power and
  terror of the curse increases by one level (i.e., embarrassing becoming frustrating, etc.). While
  normal curses may be broken by the curse’s own escape clause or by revoking the curse (as in the case
  of Vistani curses), if such curses are invoked within the coils of the Mists or if the Mists are named
  within the wording of the curse, they become more powerful than the wording might make them
  seem. For instance, a Vistani curse worded: “You will find no rest under any roof until such time as
  you have healed the hearts of seven others,” might portend sleepless nights even under a cloudy sky
  or a forest’s canopy; while a simple embarrassing curse, “may your eyes cross and your tongue drip from
  your mouth whenever you seek to tell a lie,” would become constant double vision and the victim’s
  tongue would literally rot out of his mouth.
  The Vistani know of this effect and rarely cast a curse upon someone while within the Mists,
  but may ask the Mists to call witness to such curses, particularly when the curse is invoked for revenge
  over the death of another Vistana.
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  77
  Vistani and Outsiders
  Outlanders. Terrorized and confused by their time
  in the Mists, these unfortunates wander into our
  lands, relating wild stories, or perhaps truths, of
  places never seen by any inhabitant of our world.
  Such places tempt us with a need to explore.
  Unfortunately, through all of our studies, in-
  cluding searching through many of our dear uncle’s
  journals, we have found little evidence that any of
  these Outlanders have “returned” to their alleged
  homes or that any explorers of the Mists have ever
  found countries unknown to our experience.  Nev-
  ertheless, their words carry much conviction and it
  is hard to disbelieve them. Outlanders invariably
  describe such alien places in depth, discussing
  powers beyond mortal ability, strange customs,
  even stranger deities, and other bizarre facets of
  their imaginary world in such great detail as to
  bedazzle the mind and make even the most cynical
  scholar doubt his understanding of the universe.
  Philosophers, theologians and scholars of all
  degrees of learning have postulated theories as to
  the origins of Outlanders and their tales of chang-
  ing worlds and shifting powers.
  Laurie and I spent considerable time searching
  through various tombs and speaking to those whose
  lives have been spent in study of the Outlanders, as
  well as speaking to some who consider themselves
  to be Outlanders. After a lengthy and somewhat
  fiery “discussion,” we decided to limit ourselves to
  a few of the most diametrically-opposed ideas in
  the hopes that you who read these pages may seek
  your own answers and conclusions from them.
  Madness and Phantoms of the
  Mind : the Philosophy of Denial
   Forgive those whose minds are twisted and dam-
  aged by their time in the Mists, for they have lost their
  way mentally and spiritually in a labyrinthine journey
  within their own dreams.  Insanity is a sadly typical
  reaction to being long Mist-led. The uncertainty and
  fear of never returning leads poor souls to create their
  own realities within the Mists, such realities are noth-
  ing more than mental distortions, illusions and shad-
  ows masquerading as truth.
  —from Dr. Viktor Von Manheim, sanitarium
  physician, in his treatise Manifestations of Mental
  Dementia, Their Causes and Treatment
  The least disturbing and, as my sister Laurie
  claims, least interesting of the Outlander theories
  denies the possibility of worlds beyond the Mists.
  Outlandish (and yes, I do see the wordplay) tales of
  god magic turning undead to dust, of wizards able to
  travel beyond their own planes of existence — and
  back — raise eyebrows at the least, and convince
  the listener that an Outlander is deluded, perhaps
  beyond the ability of anyone to heal. Are they born
  insane, living in a world of their own twisted
  making? Or worse, have they been so shattered by
  horror or melancholy that they must create a new
  place to live, where they are powerful and truly in
  control of their destiny?
  Asylums for the insane often have wards filled
  with such unlucky souls. Priests and scientists work
  daily to bring them back to sanity with little
  success, often they are forced to perform memory
  obliteration through magic or provide radical
  therapy to reverse the patient’s beliefs. This is all
  well and good, if the patients are truly insane. If
  not, such procedures must work to create an insan-
  ity of denial so that Outlanders might live in this
  world peacefully, a sad, yet sometimes necessary
  step for their renewed mental stability.
  Many good healers and priests believe such
  treatments to be detrimental to health, yet neces-
  sary. The methods of treatment include the
  relatively painless casting of a healing spell as well
  as such therapies as burying the patient in darkness
  for days with no more than enough water to keep
  one alive or using herbal remedies which cloud and
  befuddle the mind in the hopes of forcing the
  deluded beyond his fantasies. Some physicians
  prescribe a more drastic treatment for the stubborn
  or violently adamant — physical pain to break the
  patient so that he is able to deny his delusions and
  begin the journey toward sanity.
  A Dark Journey
  Although it is perhaps cowardly of me, when
  my sister proposed a trip to visit one such Out-
  lander in the depths of his madness at the Asylum
  of the Shadowed Heart in Barovia, I demurred and
  delayed for several weeks, finding other work to
  occupy me. Few things disturb me more than the
  thought of my intellect damaged or destroyed,
  whether by my own lack of mental stability or by
  hostile magic. Although I am certain many sad
  souls lost to despair or warped by Evil have been
  assisted by the attendants of the asylum, I was not
  eager to see one who might be truly sane, caught in
  such a place.
  When we arrived at the grim asylum, I was not
  at all surprised to find it a dark rocky fortress with
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  78
  Chapter Seven
  miniscule cracks for windows, barred with iron as
  was the heavy oaken door. The attendant assigned
  to assist us was a delicate young woman dressed
  only in a white shift. Her autumn-colored hair was
  quite wild and uncut and we could see the scars of
  manacles on her slender wrists and ankles. I was
  about to call for a healer, assuming that she was an
  escaped patient, when I saw the calm serenity of
  her face and the intelligence in her eyes. She led us
  inside and I must admit I shuddered at the faint
  whispering moans and muted screams that echoed
  deep beneath our feet. She introduced herself as
  Lady Arieth and said that she had once believed
  herself to come from another world, but now worked
  with other such deluded souls in an attempt to save
  them from such treatment as was necessary to
  restore her own sanity.
  As she led us downward, I caught glimpses of
  such sad and tormented folk. Children lost in
  misery were screaming, rocking and hugging them-
  selves; the elderly, nails wild and sharp, clawed and
  raked at their own flesh or ran, near-naked, as the
  white-clad attendants moved about like specters
  attempting to keep the damned from harming
  themselves. Somehow the worst were the quietest
  — those with eyes glazed, mouths open in a terrible
  silent cry, scenes obviously still playing in their
  minds, caught in catatonia. Unable to control the
  cold chill that crept up my spine, I shuddered —
  and was a bit surprised to feel Laurie’s icy hand in
  mine, gripping tightly as Lady Arieth took us ever
  deeper through the cage of tormented souls.
  After what seemed like years we finally reached
  the hallway of delusions, in general a much less
  violent area than many we had traveled through to
  find it, yet the air of sadness mixed with anger and
  frustration charged the place with an intense need,
  at least on my part, to leave the premises. Fortu-
  nately Laurie’s grip kept me from the embarrassment
  of flight. Stopping at a massive door, our guide took
  one key from a ring tied at her waist, unlocked and
  opened the way.
  Inside I saw a large man dressed in little more
  than loose leggings, chest and arms heavily muscled
  and scarred, his dark hair streaked with white. He
  was manacled to his cot. Against the back wall a
  curious symbol was awkwardly drawn — seemingly
  in blood — of the sun. I thought perhaps he might
  be a priest or paladin of the Morninglord, and my
  sympathy grew as I considered the fate of such a
  person trapped in darkness. Lady Arieth spoke
  quietly.
  “This is Sol. He gives no other name, but tells
  us he is a paladin of a god whose name is unfamiliar
  to us. He says that he has wandered the Mists for
  months or even years and now knows himself to be
  trapped in some place he calls the Abyss.” At that
  the fellow raised his head, showing plainly the
  gleam of madness in his eyes. “Begone, you foul
  temptresses,” he screamed, lunging at us to the
  limits of his chains, “you will not take me or destroy
  my faith or my mind!” Laurie murmured to him,
  attempting to calm him so that we might ask
  questions, but to no avail. He seemed driven to the
  brink of incoherence, and Lady Arieth soon left us
  to find a healer or assistant to administer some-
  thing to bring him some peace.
  While she was gone, he broke down, scream-
  ing to his god to take him away, to forgive him.
  Moving to his side I laid a light hand on his
  shoulder hoping to give him some comfort, and
  ‘accidentally’ dropped a small piece of chalk near
  him so that he might find succor in his drawings
  without the terrible need to use blood for ink. Our
  guide soon returned with a salve which she rubbed
  upon his skin, dodging his flailing limbs as she did
  so. Quickly a sort of sanity returned to his eyes,
  although their brilliance dimmed to cloudy gray.
  She ushered us from his cell to the sound of rough
  sobs and his words, I believe, to Lady Arieth. “Ari,
  do you not remember me? Please return my holy
  symbol and my weapons. Please help me!” Lady
  Arieth shook her head, obviously troubled by his
  words, then calmly led us from his prison and shut
  the door, solidly, firmly, as though to shut out the
  possibility that she were the one insane.
  Creations of Power: Outlanders
  as Experiments
  It’s alive!
  —Dr. Aldous Donnengard, necromancer-sci-
  entist, upon observing the first shambling step of
  his flesh golem.
  As terrible and horrifying as it might be to
  follow this branch of speculation, one possible
  origin for Outlanders places them as pawns or
  victims in someone’s experiments. Brought into
  existence by evil magic-users and scientists, this
  theory postulates that the Outlander exists to serve
  someone’s yearning for control and creation. Some
  texts provide information on the creation of golems
  and other such magical creatures whose existence
  mimics life itself. Perhaps some of the Outlanders
  might be such, built by insane experimenters seek-
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  79
  Vistani and Outsiders
  ing not only to build new beings, but also to
  convince these poor, sad things that they belong to
  some completely different dimension.
  Secrets and Insanity: Outlanders
  as the Remade
  Seek not in the shadows, for there ye shall find
  secrets too terrible for mortal man to bear.
  —Mordentish proverb
  According to other theorists the Outlanders
  may exist as the deluded victims of a spell or a curse
  placed upon them by an angry mage or by one of the
  Vistani. Perhaps these people learned a secret they
  were never meant to know and a powerful sorcerer
  “took pity” on them and sent them away, memories
  destroyed and remade, yet still alive. Sending such
  through the Mists would make it likely that they
  would reach journey’s end far from home — if they
  ever reached it at all. Madness might either be an
  intrinsic part of the magic, or an unusual symptom
  of those forced to wander in the Mists with no
  guarantee of return, particularly those whose minds
  had been torn apart and wiped clean or recreated.
  Travelers From Beyond: The
  Theory of Other Dimensions
  It has been forty days since we walked through
  that swirling bank of fog. Frederic, our guide, is just as
  confused as the rest of us, his ranger skills confounded
  by the lack of recognizable landmarks. The others of
  my band grow restless while my nightmares continue
  each evening, leaving me with little true sleep. They
  are angry and confused while I merely regret. Our
  orders were clear, destroy the rebellious village; leave
  none, neither the youngest babe nor the most elderly
  grandmother, alive. Blood ran like new wine through
  the streets as cries for mercy gradually fell to a bitter
  stinking iron silence. We left in a rising mist near dawn
  and have not seen sign of our barracks again. The
  others have yet to realize what I now know. Somehow,
  we are dead. As ghosts we wander in a realm of
  shadows. Finally the balanced tipped too far.
  —From the campaign book of Commander
  Josef Vreelund, late of the King’s fifth infantry
  division, discovered on the ground below his hang-
  ing body, in the forests in Barovia.
  There is little reason to believe that the Land
  of the Mists is the only place in existence. Regions
  have shifted and changed throughout history in
  our dread realm, undergoing a metamorphosis as
  the Mists swirl along our borders. Perhaps some
  lands have been so lost in the Mists that their
  people have been changed beyond our reckoning.
  Such travelers who speak of places unhampered by
  our ethereal boundaries may yet be surrounded by
  borders unseen or in such places where the Mists
  are so far away as to seem unreal. Even in the most
  isolated center of a community, the Mists may rise
  to take those caught within them into other realms,
  Some, in fact, believe the Vistani have the ability
  to call the Mists to themselves so that any place
  may be the beginning of a journey along the
  Mistways.
  What if there were lands beyond the Mists
  unbound by the laws of magic, faith and the dark-
  ness that dwells within the heart of our world?
  Would such places create such folk as those miser-
  able, confused and yet sometimes heroic people we
  call Outlanders? I remember Uncle Rudolph shak-
  ing his head and yet listening with an open and
  curious mind to their tales of god powers easily
  turning undead to dust and magic spells cast with
  no thought for consequences. Perhaps the gods
  bring them to us to show that there are other places
  and other ways. Perhaps their gods have sent them
  here to learn the same. Laurie theorizes that the
  gods, or perhaps the Mists themselves have brought
  Outlanders to this world for punishment, since
  many show arrogance and a disbelief in the realities
  of our realm.
  Still others seem to be decent people, some of
  them even heroes that have done much to help
  against great evil. Not all could be here as punish-
  ment — in fact, our lands can be quite pleasant. Yet
  if this is not so and they are from other worlds, why
  are they here? If all is fated, as some Vistani believe,
  then perhaps the Outlanders are meant to come to
  this world, whether by the hands of the gods or not,
  to influence our lives in some fashion. Perhaps it is
  all by chance. Maybe we are all surrounded in Mists
  of our own making and the Outlanders find some
  way to break through their own boundaries and
  enter ours.
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  80
  Chapter Eight
  It is a stage set before the play is written, these
  areas known as oubliettes.
  —From the travel journal of Victoria Louisa
  DeNoir, Mist explorer
  Chapter Eight:
  Secret Place< of
  the Mi<t<
  Chapter Eight:
  Secret Place< of
  the Mi<t<
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  81
  Secret Places of the Mists
  earest Gennifer,
  In answer to your inquiry I have
  traveled with our esteemed explorer of the
  Mists, Dr. Penarrow, to seek out those
  ephemeral and interesting, but sometimes
  horrifying locations within the Mists known as oubli-
  ettes. The good doctor took me along several byways
  during our days of travel, and I wish to chronicle for
  you a certain exciting, if terrifying, time in the midst of
  our journey, one which has delayed the itinerary of our
  trip.
   On day five of our exploration, I had already
  found myself in several oddly deserted clearings within
  the Mists. I wished that you had been here to sketch
  some of the eerily beautiful flowers in one small glade,
  a lovely meadow surrounded by silver birch trees where
  everything seemed normal. Nevertheless, I could not
  get out of my head the thought that something was
  suddenly going to attack at any moment! (I have a
  bluebell with oddly serrated petals that I plucked for
  you to press in one of your books later. Although it
  didn’t attack me, at the time I was certain that it
  would.)
  Another oubliette was nothing more than a free-
  standing rock wall, its top still shrouded in the Mists.
  We were able to get around it easily; unfortunately,
  there were Mist skeletons hanging from chains on the
  other side above a scarlet pool of blood. I must admit
  that Dr. Penarrow is quite the warrior with his silver-
  topped cane. Still, it was more than a bit hazardous
  when they turned into fog and slipped out of their
  manacles, solidifying once more to surround us.
  By day’s end, we were in no convenient place to
  leave the Mists. Dr. Penarrow finished off the last of
  the skeletons with a well-placed burst of daylight, after
  which he suggested we might wish to spend the night in
  a small cabin he had noticed during another journey,
  when there had been no time for side expeditions. After
  a couple of healing potions mended our flesh, I anointed
  the skeletal remains with some of my alchemical fire.
  Finally, we started toward the cabin.
  Leaving the Mistway at a point only he was able
  to recognize as different from any other, we trekked
  through the roiling fog as shadows mixed with the
  Mists, making our line of sight almost nonexistent.
  After what seemed like hours, I heard a rhythmic
  thunder rolling through the vapors and scented the
  unmistakable odor of the sea in a place where no sea
  should be. Soon I saw a dark shape through the fog and
  a glimmer of golden firelight. Just ahead of us lay a
  small whitewashed cabin set upon a low cliff of massive
  gray boulders. Although all of my senses said that we
  should have been below this place along the shores of
  whatever hidden sea, the fog opened along an inviting
  path set with colored marbles and odd stones. These
  intermixed with what looked like crushed shell just
  before the cabin’s dark red door.
  After calling out, knocking upon the door and
  waiting for few minutes, we ascertained that no one
  was inside — not an unusual thing in an oubliette —
  and entered. The one room cottage was warm and
  inviting, with a well-stoked fire, two comfortable
  chairs draped with colorful woolen blankets and a soft
  featherbed in one corner. The scent of some sort of fish
  chowder wafted from a pot over the hearth, and a loaf
  of bread, still warm, sat waiting on a small carved table
  against one window. Perceiving no harm in the food or
  furniture, we settled in for the evening, enjoyed a long
  and satisfying game of chess from a clever traveling set
  Dr. Penarrow had in his pack before retiring for the
  night. Dr. Penarrow settled down in his bedroll near
  the fire, while I made use of the featherbed. The sound
  of the ocean soon sent me off to sleep. My last thought
  as I went under was that perhaps I was a little too
  comfortable in such a strange location…
  A touch on my hand awakened me. I felt some-
  thing cool and leathery against my skin. What was it?
  And what was that hissing sound? Slowly I opened my
  eyes and looked down. Eyes…many yellow eyes with
  slit pupils glittered in the slowly lowering flames of the
  fire. A serpent, black with patterned markings of deep
  red, sat coiled upon my chest. Its slowly moving tail
  brushed once more lightly along my upturned palm as
  I tried not to move or scream. I glanced over at the
  floor, and realized it was writhing — covered in
  snakes. At least fifteen of the same black vipers slith-
  ered along the natural rock floor, some basking in the
  heat along the hearth, others still wiggling up from
  cracks in the stone. Dr. Penarrow lay far too still in his
  bedroll, two puncture wounds oozing blood,  and drops
  of venom marred his face.
  Thinking quickly, I grabbed the edge of my cover-
  let and flipped it up over the snake on my chest,
  wrapping it in the blanket’s folds. Reaching for my gun
  I put a shot into the squirming bundle and then grabbed
  my sword and boots from the side of the bed. Checking
  carefully to be certain there was nothing inside my
  shoes, I slipped them on and took another look at Dr.
  Penarrow. He moaned and shifted, disturbing another
  of those horrid creatures, this one so warmed by the
  heat of the stone that it did nothing more than take a
  desultory snap at him and then settle more firmly along
  the length of his leg.
  A sour odor rose from their bodies, their fumes
  sickening me as I calculated my plan for his rescue.
  Finally I rolled off the featherbed and, pulling it from
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  its frame, dropped it on top of the vipers and landed on
  it near the unconscious Dr. Penarrow. Stabbing his
  overly-friendly bedmate with my sword and flinging its
  body into the fire, I rolled the good doctor over onto the
  feathered pad and dragged him across the room toward
  the front door. A keening noise rose behind me, shrill
  and terrible. Pulling him through the door, I slammed
  it shut and reached for one of the stones along the path
  to jam it tight. It was a moment before I realized that
  the oddly shaped rock was a small skull, its eye sockets
  and mouth packed with dirt, dried hanks of skin and
  hair. Those white objects decorating the path were not
  crushed shell at all, but fragments of bone.
  Quickly I pulled Dr. Penarrow away from the
  cottage, trying not to think of the creatures whose
  remains decorated the deceptively pleasant path to this
  place. After I treated his wound using a salve meant to
  detoxify the poisonous venom, he soon awakened. We
  decided to wait until what passed for morning to see if
  the snakes slithered back into their holes beneath the
  house. Then, my dearest sister, the true nightmare of
  this oubliette began. Plumes of smoke rose, streaming
  forth from those formerly inviting windows. As we
  watched, the house itself seemed to twist and warp as
  more and more snakes boiled from every crevice, each
  of them a writhing skeletal whip, still hissing and
  keening as they burned.
  We fled quickly, leaving most of our supplies
  behind. I do believe we will be cutting this portion of our
  expedition short to spend time recovering in some place
  well known to both of us as entirely snake-free. I shall
  most certainly contact you again as soon as we resume
  our travels.
  With affection, your sister,
  Laurie
  Have you ever traveled down a certain street,
  one you travel quite often while shopping or just
  strolling in the sunshine on your way to some other
  destination, when suddenly you see a door, scarred
  and worn with time, in a space between two build-
  ings where nothing existed before? Dear readers, I
  believe we have all experienced this sense of the
  strange wrapped in the familiar. Yet few realize that
  such places may have come from the rising Mists.
  In this chapter we examine those uncanny and
  ever-changing places called dread oubliettes. We
  believe these glades, towers, tiny shops and great
  mansions are born of or taken by the Mists, much
  as the creatures described in earlier chapters. They
  may bring forth monsters or draw folk in to trap or
  warp them. They may hold erstwhile travelers
  imprisoned in time until the world outside has
  changed beyond recognition.
  First we discuss what differentiates the oubli-
  ette from sinkholes of evil, or from lands brought
  forth through conjunctions. Next we detail the
  differences within oubliettes — temporal irregu-
  larities, variations in magic use and other changes
  that make oubliettes such terrifying places.  Fi-
  nally, we explore what happens when the Mists
  seep into our lands, leaving oubliettes on this side
  of the foggy barrier to warp our familiar landscape,
  if only for a time.
  What Is An Oubliette?
  Defining a dread oubliette is quite simple. It is
  also terribly complex. In the plainest of terms, an
  oubliette is a space within the Mists with its own
  solid reality, but normally uninhabited except by
  those creatures who roam the Mists — or the
  occasional misfortunate Mist-led or Fugued being.
  Such places are not necessarily corrupted, such as
  those horrifying areas known as sinkholes of evil.
  Although surrounded by the Mists, they are nei-
  ther difficult to enter, nor usually to leave. They are
  places of sanctuary for some, holding cells for those
  unfortunates caught in a time fugue within the
  Mists or temporary homes for others.
  Our best understanding is that they exist within
  the Mists except at certain times and places, when
  they may be left by the Mists in odd locations
  within our lands. Much like the Mist byways, some
  of which only appear under special conditions,
  dread oubliettes appear and disappear seemingly at
  random — or else with a pattern known only by
  whatever intelligence controls the Mists.
  Oubliette Salient Conditions
  Mutable conditions inside oubliettes
  provide extra challenges for adventurers
  who explore them or who must engage in
  combat inside them. Either claimed or
  created by the Mists, dread oubliettes add
  to the CR for most actions within depend-
  ing upon the salient effects. Below is a list
  of salient conditions. A DM may choose at
  random by rolling 1d6. Each oubliette will
  have at least one of these effects, adding
  extra effects will; of course, increase the
  CR.
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  Table 8-1: Oubliette Salient Effects
  Die Roll
           Effect
  1
  Oubliettes have spell resistance 5
  against any spell or magic item used to attempt to damage or
  change them. Creatures using one as a refuge for more than
  a week will also gain this effect until they have spent at least
  one consecutive week away from the oubliette, at which point
  the resistance fades away. This spell resistance stacks with
  any other natural spell resistance. CR +1/2
  2.
  Oubliettes have a Menacing Atmo-
  sphere (Su): Any creature entering the oubliette must make
  a Will save at DC 10 + 1/2 the calculated CR of the encounter.
  If they fail they have a -2 on all attacks, saves, ability checks
  and skill checks for 24 hours or until they leave the oubliette,
  from a sense of paranoia. If they make their save they are
  immune from any further effects from the dread atmosphere
  for the next 24 hours. If still inside the oubliette at the end of
  the next 24 hour period they must again attempt a Will save,
  this time at a +1. Paladins are not immune. CR+1/2
  3
  Raging Heart (Su): The oubliette has
  an aura of violence. Everyone is under a constant rage effect
  as per the spell emotion. This effect ends only when creatures
  leave the oubliette. There is no change to CR.
  4
  Inside a Nightmare (Su): Anyone en-
  tering an oubliette must make a Will save at DC 10 + 1/2 the
  calculated CR of the encounter or lose their sense of direc-
  tion. Recognizing the door a PC has come through from others
  in the room requires an Intelligence check at DC 15. After a
  combat or other distraction the DC rises to 20. Those with the
  Tracking Feat may attempt to follow tracks with a +5 to their
  normal DC. PCs may attempt another Will save after resting
  or sleeping for at least 4 hours. PCs who have saved against
  the nightmarish effect may lead their confused companions.
  A find the path spell negates the effect, as well as other
  directional divinatory spells such as locate object or locate
  creature.  CR +1/2
  5
  Paranoia abounds. All PCs inside the
  oubliette should be treated as though under the fear affect
  “shaken,” taking a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws,
  skill checks and ability checks. A Will saving throw at DC 15
  negates this affect. CR +1/4
  6
  Twisted Perceptions (Su): PCs must
  make a Fortitude save at DC 10 +1/2 the calculated CR of the
  encounter or be dizzy and uncertain of their depth percep-
  tion. This affect creates a miss chance for all attacks of 20%.
  Skill checks involving sight have a +5 to the DC as well. Blind
  creatures are immune to this effect.
  Oubliettes: Beginnings and
  Endings
  Those who travel the Mists expound as many
  theories about oubliettes as there are ideas about
  the Mists themselves. Some feel that oubliettes are
  merely odd bits of land engulfed and kept by the
  Mists — perhaps an odd section left from a con-
  junction or a corner wiped out in another world
  and accidentally caught in the swirling eddy of the
  Mists. Others feel such places are born within the
  Mists and that they have a purpose in beginning
  and will disappear when that purpose is complete.
  The most radical, to my mind, theory states
  that each oubliette is an open and unfinished
  creation of the Mists. Such ideas lead to the belief
  that the Mists have not only created our lands, but
  continue to grow and build new ones surrounded
  and hidden by the Mists. Such ideas, considering
  some of the places we discovered in our explora-
  tions, are enough to give one nightmares — which
  some say is another explanation for the dread
  oubliette. They may be nothing more or less than
  the stuff of dreams made real by the Mists them-
  selves.
  No matter what their beginnings, however,
  they seem to appear and disappear with alarming
  regularity within the Mists — sometimes making
  their way to our lands, sometimes carrying Mist
  creatures to harm and despoil. At other times,
  these places  bring forth those Mist-led individuals
  lucky enough to find shelter within such a place
  before the Mists abandon it — or place it in its
  intended setting in another land.
  Captured Darkness
  Although oubliettes are rarely inhabited, they
  may contain a certain atmospheric darkness dis-
  turbing to sensitive clerics or those with mental
  powers. Such places evoke that almost instinctive
  sense of danger so well known by the experienced
  adventurer, yet rarely is that sense of danger real-
  ized in any fashion. Unfortunately, if there is some
  sort of danger within, many travelers may be so
  distracted by their fears that they do not notice the
  real peril until too late.
  Such was the instance in a small oubliette near
  the byway called the Path of Innocence. A flash of
  color in the midst of the Mists led us to leave the
  Mistway to see what might be there. Within a span
  of a few minutes, I discovered a lovely meadow
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  84
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  completely encircled and domed by the Mists al-
  though it seemed lit with a soft twilight glow.
  The longer we stayed within what should have
  been a peaceful glade, the more uneasy we felt and
  the less stable our tempers. It occurred to me how
  unlikely this was when I spoke in anger over
  nothing, and Dr. Penarrow swung his cane at my
  head. His completely abnormal action cleared my
  mind for one crucial moment. I ran from the
  clearing back into the Mists, drawing Dr. Penarrow
  with me. Once outside the oubliette, we realized
  the danger we had so narrowly escaped. We de-
  cided to mark (as well as it is possible to do so) its
  presence near the byway and leave it alone.
  —from the journal of Laurie Weathermay-
  Foxgrove, 758 BC
  Cages and Sanctuaries
  Perhaps the most eerie and dangerous oubli-
  ettes are those used by Mist creatures as their
  sanctuaries and temporary hideaways in the Mists.
  Thinking creatures caught in the Mists have no
  permanent haven, yet they sometimes take over an
  oubliette for a time before their home is taken from
  them or, worse yet, deposited somewhere as a new
  dwelling in our lands — along with its inhabitant.
  Some of the largest oubliettes consist of entire
  streets or, in one instance, a small village — com-
  pletely deserted and quite eerie, but a sometime
  home to the Mist-led or Fugued who have little or
  no hope of ever returning from the Mists.
  Strangest of any I have seen was the odd stone
  room we found in an out of the way place far from
  any known byway. Its entrance was a tall iron door,
  rusted and pitted as though by acid. The doorway
  and walls stretched out into the Mists as far as I
  could see. Entering was difficult, as the atmosphere
  inside was icy cold and more than a bit dark and
  confusing. For a moment after our entrance, my
  head whirled and I was afraid I was going to black
  out from the twisting shadows along the high
  ceiling above us.
  The room was large and smelled much of warm
  blood. The first thing we noticed was the strangely
  neat and uniform script covering a major portion of
  the battered rock walls. Such sayings as Beauty is as
  Beauty Does and Once I was Vain, Now I am Sad
  swirled in patterns to confuse the eye. Worst of all
  was the bizarre collection of mannequins, wig forms
  and marionettes hung about the room. Dark shad-
  ows from these things gave the illusion that a crowd
  was there, caught on strings, chained to walls and
  hanging from silken twine attached to torches set
  about the room. Some few were placed in iron cages
  as though someone were afraid they would walk
  away. Shards of broken mirrors on the walls and
  suspended from the ceiling added to the confusing
  light and shadow effect.
  Yet the true horror of this place was what
  decorated these strange forms. The first I examined
  was a life-sized marionette draped in a tangle on a
  couch near the entrance. I thought its features were
  carved, and then I looked closer. Its fall of rich
  auburn hair dragged the ground, while an incon-
  gruous yet luxurious beard of blond coiled about its
  neck. It was a patchwork of pieces, each obviously
  taken from a different person. Although the figure
  lay limp as death, I could see the lips move, the
  eyelids flutter and the hands twitch as though the
  creature were caught in a dream.
  We looked at the others. Each was a tatterde-
  malion of body parts, tacked to these forms in a
  bizarre fashion. Each part was warm and seemingly
  alive. Eyes moved. One entire row of wooden heads
  beseeched us with living gazes in beautiful shades
  of amber, violet and green. Mouths framed by
  shapely, rosebud lips whispered words no one could
  hear. The occasional mask of cat skin or horse hide
  stretched upon a wig form moved restlessly as we
  came near, ears flicking and rotating to the sound
  of our footfalls.
  Finally our sickness at the sight was enough to
  send us from the room. Dr. Penarrow sent a blast of
  fire from his fingertips in an attempt to destroy this
  terrible wardrobe or artwork of flesh but no flame
  would touch anything inside. The blaze rolled over
  the mannequins and lit the mirrors with flashes of
  amber and crimson, but nothing burned. At last we
  left, closing the iron door tightly behind us, hoping
  never to meet the twisted being who decorated his
  abattoir with trophies. Sadly we later realized whose
  hideaway it might be.
  —from the journal of Laurie Weathermay-
  Foxgrove, 758 BC
  Strange Worlds Within
  Considering that such terrifying places exist
  within the Mists, believing they might someday
  become a part of the lands outside takes on the
  aspects of a nightmare. Yet we have all taken note
  of places that later we could not find or heard
  legends of strange islands appearing and disappear-
  ing with the movement of the Mists. Within the
  pages of our many tomes are hundreds of stories of
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  85
  Secret Places of the Mists
  these ephemeral locations, some caught in the
  throes of an ancient curse, others doomed to rise
  outside the Mists only when a certain condition is
  met. These dread oubliettes are some of the most
  dangerous — for they intrude upon our lands and
  do not always show their darkness until far, far too
  late.
  One tale related by a bard from the Curriculo
  in Invídía told of a little shop found at the end of a
  nearly-deserted street. It would only appear when
  the Mists were thick, and there was never a light on
  inside the building, except for what looked like a
  candle flame far in the back. On a dark and ex-
  tremely foggy night a harried and forgetful man
  sought a gift for his baby daughter whose first
  birthday had almost gone unnoticed. He saw that
  the shop’s window held a number of toys, including
  a brightly painted baby doll that looked much like
  his beloved child. Although the shop looked closed
  he noticed the flickering candlelight and began
  banging on the door — which obligingly swung
  open. For a moment he hesitated, or at least that is
  how the story goes, but then he entered the shop.
  It was very cold inside, a fact that left him feeling
  frightened and certain that something was watch-
  ing him, yet all was utterly silent and still. After
  calling out and receiving no answer, he quickly
  grabbed the doll from where it lay on a velvet
  cushion, threw a silver sweetpiece down and gave
  in to his urgent need to leave as quickly as he had
  come.
  His daughter was asleep when he returned and
  he placed the sweet-faced baby doll beside her in
  the bed, round-cheeked face to round-cheeked
  face. In the morning he awoke to a wavering
  scream from his wife. Rolling out of bed and grab-
  bing a sword he ran into his daughter’s room where
  his wife stood, now crying. Where once a child and
  doll had lain now there were two small wooden
  figures, glassy painted eyes wide open, one with a
  rosin tear along its cheek.
  The man grabbed both dolls and rushed out of
  the house in terrible anger — in the typical Invídían
  fashion — to find the owners of the mysterious
  little shop and force them to return to him his
  beautiful little girl. When he came to the end of the
  street where he had gone the night before, he found
  only an old ruin, long since burned and fallen.
  They say he has taken to wandering the streets on
  any night in which the Mists drift through the
  town of Curriculo, still seeking that shop, and that
  he always has two baby dolls cradled in his arms.
  The shop has never been seen again.
  Temptations
  Dread oubliettes invading our lands often seem
  to contain something meant to tempt or trick us. A
  comfortable cabin, a lush oasis in the midst of the
  desert or a small deserted peddler’s wagon may all
  contain treasures or cursed items meant to attract
  and destroy those who give in to the temptation.
  Another version of the story above states that
  others, who did not leave some payment, found
  instead of a painted figure, tattered remains and his
  gift lying in a pool of crimson. Some have seen
  weapon shops or smithies with amazing swords and
  daggers — all of which are cursed in some fashion,
  such as causing their new owners to kill the first
  people they see after taking up the weapon. Need-
  less to say, if one finds a treasure in a strange place
  and is tempted to take it, the safest thing to do is
  leave it be, or better yet, find some way to destroy
  it to save others from a similar fate!
  Adventure Vignettes Anywhere
  Oubliettes are an amazingly flexible addition
  to a DM’s creative repertoire in Ravenloft. No
  matter where your PCs travel or where they stay
  the night, a clever DM can use the dread oubliette
  to give them a chance at something completely
  unique. Oubliettes can be as small as a single tree
  with a hangman’s noose suspended from its branches
  to as large as an uninhabited castle or small village.
  What makes the oubliette different from any
  of the other dark pockets in Ravenloft? Well, first
  of all, these places are not regularly inhabited by
  intelligent beings— no villagers or no dread villain
  on the parapets of the castle. Yet these places have
  their own personalities and may be the temporary
  home of any Mist creature, whether born of the
  Mists, Lost or Mist-led and desperate to get out.
  Secondly the oubliettes are never permanent. For
  example, you can bring a ancient manor house to
  the empty pasture at the end of a street during a
  fogbound night and panic the town as they remem-
  ber a vicious killer a hundred years ago coming
  from this same “ghost” house. Add a small shop
  where a trickster fey has created a business. In a
  week, the shop is gone, and the fey moves on,
  leaving sorrow and horror in her wake.
  Oubliettes are different in other ways as well.
  Just as a Mistway may change perception, twist
  time or transport those caught in it to another
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  Chapter Eight
  place entirely, the oubliette may have a differing
  magic ratings or its rating may fluctuate from room
  to room. Entering an oubliette may send the PCs
  through an adventure that lasts for a month, yet
  they return to the outside world only moments
  after they left — or even before! Consider places
  where no ranger can find his way, because every
  Table 8–2: Oubliette Extraordinary Effects
  d10 Roll
           Effect
  1
  Magic ratings drop, roll 1d4 to see what the magic rating will be.
  Minimum is zero. Check the Ravenloft Player’s Handbook
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook for information on the how this affects spellcasting
  and magic items. CR +1/4
  2
  Temporal fugue occurs. Time passes differently within the oubliette. An hour becomes
  a day or a day within the oubliette lasts only a minute outside, as the DM chooses. All beings moving inside the
  oubliette within one minute will find themselves in the same “temporal plane.” Haste and slow spells do not
  change this effect. CR +1/3
  3
  All sounds within distort. Speech becomes impossible to understand without a compre-
  hend language or tongues spell, and spells with a verbal component cannot be cast unless the spellcaster
  succeeds at a DC 15 Concentration check to make the syllables come out correctly. CR +1/2
  4
  Dark Energy (Su): All undead within the oubliette add +4 to their turn resistance, or
  turn resistance +4 if they did already possess the quality. +1 CR to all encounters with undead.
  5
  When confronted with danger, all PCs inside the oubliette should be treated as though
  under the Fear affect panicked, taking a -2 moral penalty on skill and ability checks. The characters must flee,
  choosing a path at random as long as it leads away from the immediate danger. They must drop what they are
  holding and flee any other dangers that confront them. A DC 20 Fear save negates this affect. CR +1/2
  6
  All creatures inside the oubliette temporarily lose one point of Intelligence per hour
  down to a minimum of 1. Intelligence levels return at a rate of one point per hour once a creature leave the
  oubliette. Restoration or greater restoration restores the intelligence immediately. CR +1/2 to all encounters.
  7
  All creatures within the oubliette are weakened, losing 4 points from their Strength
  score. Strength returns at a rate of one point per hour once stricken characters are outside the oubliette or
  may be restored immediately with restoration. +1/2 CR to all encounters.
  8
  A Shadow of Madness (Su): All creatures within the oubliette must make a DC 15
  Madness saving throw for each day they spend in the oubliette. Failure to save leads to a minor Madness effect.
  See the section on Madness in the Ravenloft Player’s Handbook 
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook 
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook 
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook 
  Ravenloft Player’s Handbook to choose randomly the Madness effect. +1/
  2 CR.
  9
  Anyone coming into the oubliette receives a compulsion to take at least one item from
  it as his own. Compelled creatures will be angered as though by a failed Diplomacy check by attempts to take
  the item away or by being asked to leave the item behind. A DC 20 Will save negates this compulsion. CR +1/
  4
  10
  The dread atmosphere of the oubliette halves the effectiveness of magical healing
  while within its confines. +1 CR
  move circles back to the same room. Imagine a
  place where intuitive PCs might realize a body lies
  hidden, waiting for rest or revenge. Below is a list
  of some of the extraordinary changes that might
  take place within an oubliette. DMs can certainly
  come up with other creative and maddening ideas.
  Such effects may be chosen at random by rolling
  1d10.
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  87
  Hunting in the Mists
  When we two parted
   In silence and tears,
   Half broken-hearted,
   To sever for years,
   Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
   Colder thy kiss;
   Truly that hour foretold
   Sorrow to this…
  —Lord Byron, “When We Two Parted”
  Chapter Nine:
  Hunting Tho<e
  Who Dwell
  Within the
  Mi<t<
  Chapter Nine:
  Hunting Tho<e
  Who Dwell
  Within the
  Mi<t<
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  88
  Chapter  Nine
  n completing this text, I am forced to
  admit that my life has undergone a pro-
  found change.
  Fog on the rise is a familiar sight in
  this land. Each evening the slow, white
  veil thickens upon the ground in its customary
  fashion. Alas, I can no longer look upon this
  constant guest in the same way. It is no longer
  familiar to me, knowing what I know now. Each
  night, I dread its inevitable coming.
  Those of you who have read our other two
  volumes already know that we divide all our inves-
  tigations into different segments. Each of these
  segments serves a different purpose.
  · Discovery
  · Confirmation
  · Commitment
  · Reconnaissance
  · The Hunt
  · The End Game
  Discovery
  I first became aware of the case that would
  change my life through our long-time friend Nikolas
  Amthor, who has aided us so often in our investi-
  gations in the past. Our loyal compatriot sent us
  post asking for aid in his own adventure. According
  to his correspondence, the people of Valachan
  were besieged by a strange creature that “rose up
  from below.”
  For two weeks, an alarming number of
  vanishings had taken place in the small town of
  Rotwald. The people were now so on edge as to be
  paranoid. The entire town had shut down for a
  week, and few dared to leave their homes.
  Undaunted, Nikolas and a group of concerned
  citizens combed the streets at night, looking for
  signs of what might have happened to the missing
  people. Apparently, the normal law enforcement
  — the Black Leopards — saw the attacks as a just
  end to “a traitorous people.”
  On the third night of his vigil, Nikolas was
  patrolling the main street of Rotwald with a wood-
  cutter, one of the few citizens brave enough to
  venture out with him.
  In the darkness, Nikolas distinctly heard the
  faintest breath behind him, a sudden drawing in of
  air.
  Nikolas spun about just in time to see some-
  thing both sudden and terrifying.
  The attack began with a flash.  From a nearby
  sewer sluice, an arm lashed out and grabbed his
  partner by the ankle. Then, the woodcutter’s whole
  leg was yanked into the sluice down to the thigh.
  His other leg was bent at a strange angle because it
  would not fit down the narrow gap. Finally, with a
  third tug, the free leg broke as the body was forced
  to fit through the iron opening by whatever was
  pulling from within the depths.
  As Nikolas put it, “His body flailed like an
  abused doll pulled by a careless child. Throughout
  the entire scene, the air resounded with the crush
  of bone and marrow. Too small, too small, his body
  was too small.”
  Our dear friend and compatriot asked for our
  aid. It appeared that we now had a case upon our
  hands.
  Confirmation
  The first thing we did to aid our beloved
  associate was to delve into research. As always,
  research was our opening move to any investiga-
  tion.
  Our findings showed that Rotwald was not the
  only city to see such peculiar crimes. Indeed, for the
  past ten years, other cities had reported similar
  disappearances, all attributed to a being that “came
  from below.”
  In the city of Karg in Darkon, it was widely
  believed that a creature called Old Scrabbling
  Sally was responsible for causing people to disap-
  pear. Meanwhile, in the city of Pont-a-Museau in
  Richemulot, claimed its culprit to be Little Hollow
  Ivil. Even our own Mordentshire had its version of
  the lurking dweller, called Cellar Bones.
  Strangely, the dates of the attacks in each of
  these cities never coincided. Was it possible, then,
  that the vanishings were committed by the same
  being? And there was another strange phenom-
  enon we encountered while researching these
  crimes: they seemed very similar to the stories of
  the Sewer Bogeyman of Il-Aluk, a city that had
  been wiped out fifteen years ago. Could the Bogey-
  man of Il-Aluk somehow have survived the
  disastrous Requiem?
  What struck us as equally fascinating was the
  fact that all of these crimes came from below. That
  told us that creature we were dealing with had some
  sort of aversion to the light. Possibly, it was a
  weakness of his.
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  Clearly, we needed more information. For
  that, my sister and I would have to travel to
  Rotwald.
  Our journey took much longer than it should
  have, as the local militia continually harassed us.
  These Black Leopards, as they were called, repeat-
  edly stopped our progress, flaunting themselves in
  their black chain mail armor.
  Fortunately, I was able to make a suggestion to
  one Leopard lieutenant that he take a swim in the
  river, after which his bemused captain told his
  soldiers to give us a wide berth.
  We finally arrived in Rotwald on a cold au-
  tumn afternoon. The sky was clear and the land
  eerily quiet. As we rode up to the town, we noted
  that every house was darkened, every door sealed
  shut.The famous Black Leopards, normally so abun-
  dant in Rotwald, were conspicuously missing.
  At long last, we found Nikolas at the Inn of the
  Singing Bone, where we were refreshingly treated
  like proper guests by the boisterous mayor of the
  town, Oleg Halffen. We learned that the disap-
  pearances had stopped recently but that the people
  of the town were still very much afraid. To make
  matters worse, numerous people remained unac-
  counted for.
  Most of the people of the town were unwilling
  to talk to us. According to them, the vanishings
  were some new devilment created by the feared
  tyrant Von Kharkov and aiding our investigation
  might cast them in the light of treason.
  Only one person dared to speak to us, a young
  girl of only sixteen summers. As she answered the
  door, I could not help but be impressed with her
  exotic beauty. Her dusky skin shone softly in the
  sun, and her dark eyes were as full and as deep as
  ink.
  “My mother’s not here,” she whispered to me
  through the crack of the door. “I can’t talk long.”
  I nodded quietly, sadly observing the raw fear
  that consumed her mahogany face. “Say what you
  can, child.”
  “A number of us have been talking. A number
  of us have seen it!”
  I waited, not wanting to press her, yet I could
  feel myself leaning closer.
  “It wears the form of a bent, old woman. Its
  hair is long and greasy. Its skin is covered with
  sores. Its body is like that of…a leper.”
  I opened my mouth to ask but a single ques-
  tion, but even this gesture was too much. The door
  slammed instantly. I cursed myself for my over-
  eagerness, but from these simple words we were
  able to gain another victory. In the tomes that we
  brought with us, we were able to see that Old
  Scrabbling Sally, Cellar Bones, and even Little
  Hollow Ivil had similar traits. Each of these horrors
  was described as small and bent. All accounts told
  of greasy hair. But most importantly, every one of
  these creatures was said to be incurably diseased.
  We now had reason to believe that the being
  we were hunting was the same creature that had
  plagued Darkon, Richemulot and Mordent. Each
  of its haunting grounds was very far apart, but we
  suspected the method it was using to transport itself
  between each of these cites. It was now our belief
  that the thing we were after was a creature of the
  Mists. Even so, we were on our own. Nikolas,
  Laurie and I had to track the creature by ourselves.
  Commitment
  Logically, the first place we needed to start was
  in the sewers. There was nothing to do but roll up
  our sleeves, steel our senses and delve down into
  the depths.
  The sewers below Rotwald were sewers in
  name only. They had been constructed by hand
  and had clearly stood for centuries. It was evident
  even in our initial explorations that these tunnels
  originally served some other purpose.
  Crowds of man-figures carved in bas relief
  stood along the walls. Their forms were stunted and
  misshapen. These tiny crowds of men hunched
  over in the dankness, their bodies covered with
  lichen and moss. Their gazing eyes glared unflinch-
  ingly at us as we walked by.
  As the light of our torches flickered, it seemed
  as if the carvings upon the damp walls were alive —
  crawling and writhing within the wan light.
  All about us, the passages warbled and echoed
  with the sound of splashing water. We had no
  choice but to wade through the mire, which was
  thigh-deep.
  From time to time, we found indication of our
  quarry — a lone footprint here, a hand print there.
  Judging from the size of the prints, we were looking
  for something that was about four feet tall. It was
  ironic that such a little creature could cause so
  much grief. After about half an hour of searching,
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  it was Nikolas who spotted further sign of our
  nemesis.
  “Look there,” he whispered to us, his wooden
  hand gently touching Laurie’s arm.
  I strained to see what our friend was indicating
  but I could not quite make it out. “It’s a trick of the
  eye,” I hissed up at him. “Our unsteady light makes
  this entire place look as if it’s moving.”
  Nikolas looked back at me. “It’s not the light,”
  he replied simply.
  As we crept closer, I could see it. Indeed, it was
  not a stone figure made to dance through an
  illusion of shadow and flame. It was a man. His arms
  and legs had been cemented to the wall, bent at
  such odd angles that the pose could only be accom-
  plished by breaking the offending limbs. His glazed
  eyes flicked over towards us and then suddenly
  away. A low moan escaped his lips.
  “It’s all right,” I said immediately. “We’re here
  to help you. Can you tell us….”
  Laurie shook her head at me. “His mind,
  dearest, it’s gone.” She gently waved her torch in
  front of his face. His eyes followed the lure of the
  light for a while before wandering around the rest
  of the tunnel. No doubt his mind had broken, along
  with his limbs, to save itself from the horrors to
  which it had been subjected.
  “Look at his face,” growled Laurie, her teeth
  clenching in outrage.
  As I saw what she was pointing at, I had to
  immediately turn my head. The man’s face was
  crawling with tiny, white worms. Flies and insects
  had taken up residence inside his half-living body.
  Their offspring were now covering his diseased
  flesh.
  Nikolas jerked his head, motioning further
  down the passage. There, we saw that this poor
  man was not the only victim of abject torture. All
  along the ceiling and walls were various bodies,
  sealed within a hive of stone and flesh, all garishly
  decorating the molding tunnels that we traversed.
  “What madness is this?” I whispered to myself.
  As if in answer to my question, a chorus of
  whispers sprang up. The hissing buzz of voices now
  filled the dim tunnel. The myriad sounds echoed
  off of the sewer water, warping until it was incom-
  prehensible.
  Laurie looked at me and held up two fingers. I
  understood her signal, and with one smooth mo-
  tion, I quickly uttered a single arcane word and
  passed her a pen-sized arrow attached to my belt. In
  the very moment that I handed it off, Laurie had
  the bolt loaded into a hand crossbow and fired off
  it down the passage. The tiny missile lit up with
  mystical light. I saw the orb of illumination sail
  along the darkened corridor and pass over some-
  thing small and gnarled, hunched in the water.
  I reached into my spell pouch and felt for my
  next components.
  “Dost thou like our good works?”
  “Like it? Like our work?”
  “Do you like wat ye see, lass?”
  Three separate voices resonated from the dark-
  ness.
  “We know you’re there,” said Nikolas. He
  handed his torch to Laurie while switching out his
  wooden hand for a large, iron hook. “There’s no
  point in hiding.”
  “Thou hast seen us, verily,” said one of the
  voices.
  “Sure ye have seen us, aye,” said another.
  “’Course you’ve seen us,” said the last voice.
  “Wanted you to see us. Been so long since we’ve
  had company. Only have the Mists to talk to down
  here.”
  Laurie stepped forward. She and Nikolas locked
  eyes for a moment, and then he gave her a nod. She
  slipped by him in the tunnel and slowly approached
  the trio of voices.
  “Only the Mists to talk to? Poor creature. It
  must be terribly lonely here by yourself.”
  “In days of olde we sought to squeeze the
  breath from those thou seekest.” Again, that strange
  voice with the archaic Darkonese tongue. It was
  definitely feminine. And it spoke with the stilt of
  education.
  “Aye, but with the breath squeezed out ‘o their
  wee bodies, we ha’ nary a soul ta talk to.” Now, a
  distinctly male voice. It was older and clearly from
  Forlorn.
  “Came up with this, then. Leaving some alive.
  Leaving some dead. Have a few to talk to. Very
  lonely, when it’s just us.” The last voice sounded
  definitely Mordentish. It was a younger voice than
  the other two.
  I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on the
  voices. I let their tongue settle in my ear. It was
  then that I knew. I understood exactly what we
  were facing.
  Nikolas faded back and whispered in my ear.
  “Three voices. Three languages. I only saw one
  creature. Perhaps the other two are hiding?”
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  I shook my head. “No, Nikolas,” I said aloud.
  “The others aren’t hiding.”
  On cue, Laurie completed my thought. “In-
  deed, there is only one being down that passage.
  One being that speaks with three voices.”
  “So smart. Need the voices, see? Keeps us
  company. Keeps us thinking. Need to keep think-
  ing. Especially with our home gone.”
  Laurie was continuing to make her way into
  the darkness, as she spoke. Her hands were raised to
  show that they held no weapons, though she was far
  from disarmed.
  “Your home is gone? What happened to it?”
  Then, it happened. As I heard it, my skin stood
  still and cold. My heart paused. For a moment, even
  the rippling water seemed frozen.
  “Mists took it.” All of the voices spoke. And as
  they spoke, they spoke as one.
  “Gennifer,” said Nikolas, “you said there was
  only….”
  “I know, I know! There is only one.”
  “Laurie! Look out!”
  “Nikolas! Don’t!”
  But it was too late. In a dark splashing of water
  and grime, Nikolas charged ahead. In the dark, we
  could hear the two clash. In the glint of the torches,
  Nikolas’s hooked hand flashed twice. Then, we
  heard him cry out in pain.
  I gripped onto another tiny arrow and pre-
  pared to illuminate the gloom. Before I could, there
  was a flash in the tunnel as Laurie’s fired off the
  chamber of her Parthian Rapier. We heard a chorus
  of screams and saw something retreating into the
  darkness.
  “Go,” gasped Nikolas. “After it.” And with
  that, he slumped over onto the wall. His chest was
  coated in a long, dark stain.
  Reconnaissance
  Unwilling to leave our friend Nikolas behind,
  we hauled him up to the safety of the town.
  He might have died, too, had it not been for
  unexpected aid from a most unlikely source. No
  sooner had we breathed fresh air than we found
  ourselves hauled up into the open. To all sides of us
  stood a contingent of Black Leopards, armed and at
  the ready. Above them all loomed a single figure,
  who sat atop a smoke-colored stallion. His ebony
  skin shone in the moonlight.
  “A pity,” said Baron Von Kharkov. “Your hunt
  has failed. I was really hoping to meet this villain,
  living or dead.” His baritone voice resonated over
  the assembled crowd. His handsome face was ac-
  centuated with a collected smile that seemed
  surprisingly genuine for a renowned tyrant.
  “It’s not certain that he’s gone,” I breathed,
  still caught in the thrill of the fight we had just left.
  “I am certain,” said the Baron with dead seri-
  ousness. He tugged at the reins of his horse, marching
  it back and forth in front of us. He looked over our
  tiny party for a moment and then grinned again.
  “But it is no matter. My purpose here has been
  served. It will be clear to the people of Rotwald that
  they need me. They need my Leopards. For without
  them, who shall battle the things that lurk below?”
  He chuckled to himself and sighed, dusting off his
  gloved hands.
  Laurie knelt down upon both knees, in com-
  plete supplication. “Your wisdom is as great as your
  strength, my lord. Now we humbly ask that you
  allow us…”
  The great Baron exploded into a gust of pow-
  erful laughter. “Humbly! Humbly? I doubt that the
  Weathermay twins do anything humbly. But fear
  not. I have no interest in activities of amateurs this
  night. Indeed, I come for reasons that are entirely
  selfish.”
  With that, the grinning tyrant gestured. Where
  he pointed, we saw a pair of Black Leopards hauling
  a young girl from a nearby cottage. It was the girl
  who had given us that small bit of essential infor-
  mation. Her dark eyes were wide with terror and
  her mouth caught wide open, but no scream emerged
  from her lips. The quiet scuffle of her feet was the
  only sound in that crowded square.
  “Tonight, I take my bride,” said the Baron. His
  smiling face now grew cold and grim. He looked
  down upon us with a granite stare. “My men will see
  to your wounds. After that you may leave.”
  We did not argue with Von Kharkov. To do so
  would have been useless. All we could do was
  watch that rare beauty hauled away by the Black
  Leopards. And in all of her struggles, never once
  did she scream. To do so would have been useless.
  The Hunt
  For a long time, the image of that poor girl
  being dragged up to Von Kharkov’s castle did not
  leave me. It struck me that even as we were hunting
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  this creature who had tortured and killed so many,
  there were even greater forces of darkness in the
  world today. But now was not the time for self-pity.
  We had to act, for to linger but a moment might
  cost another life.
  We had but one recourse. To trail something
  that constantly transported itself through the Mists
  was daunting, but in this land, there is one group of
  people who can accomplish this impossible task —
  the Vistani.
  Not long after our trip to Rotwald, we traveled
  back north to our home in Mordentshire. From
  there, we made our customary inquiries, attempt-
  ing to locate the vardo band of Tevye Calvanov.
  When we at last found his band, we learned
  that our former contact was no longer with them.
  We met instead with the band’s matriarch — their
  raunie.
  “What do you seek now, you who have brought
  us such ill fortune?” said the raunie. “Since we last
  saw you, we lost our captain. He has suffered the
  White Fate and wandered into the fog, never to be
  seen again.”
  I bowed my head low, knowing full-well that
  the raunie held all the cards in this particular game.
  “That he stepped into the Mists was a fate of his
  choosing,” I said quietly. “He is, in fact, fortunate.
  Few are able to choose their method of passing.”
  “Wisely spoken,” said the raunie, with wide,
  taunting eyes. “Very well. We will take you on your
  hunt. But know this. There is a price.”
  Laurie frowned and sighed. She immediately
  stood. “Then we shall be on our way. We thank you
  for lending us your ear and your counsel.”
  I watched Laurie for a moment. Instantly, her
  gaze pierced my thoughts. She quickly rasped to
  me, “Don’t even think about it. Whenever a Vistani
  mentions a price, it is never worth paying.”
  “Your sister,” called the raunie, “is already
  aware of the price. Yes?” She tilted her head, gazing
  at me, now.
  I flicked my eyes down at my watch, and read
  the dread inscription that trickled across it: Bor-
  rowed Time. I raised my head to lock eyes with the
  Vistani who had called me out. “You’re right,” I
  said. “We’ll take the price then, I suppose.”
  “Gennifer,” protested Laurie. “Are you mad?”
  I fixed my stare upon the raunie for a moment.
  “Not at all. As I said before, few are fortunate
  enough to choose their method of passing.” Then,
  I turned fully to face my beloved sister. I took her
  hands into my own. “Laurie. We both knew that
  this day would come. Better now that we face it
  head on, knowing that it approaches. So many
  things in our life strike hard in our moments of joy.
  Let us dictate the time and place of our own
  tragedy.”
  In the end, Laurie knew that I was right. But
  that did not stop her hot tears, which dripped from
  both anger and sorrow.
  With nothing else to do or say, Nikolas, Laurie
  and I followed the Vistani band into the Mists as
  the world around us faded. The once distinct fea-
  tures of the land melted into a bone-white palette.
  Soon, we could not see the land beneath our feet.
  After that, the sensation of walking upon solid
  ground faded as well. We might well have been
  treading the waters of a deep, dark lake.
  Eventually, I was able to make out the features
  of a house. The tall rooftops peered out of the layers
  of fog, like the peaks of a distant mountain on the
  horizon. I looked about me to alert both Laurie and
  Nikolas to what I saw. It was then that I realized
  that I was totally alone. Though my companions
  had not been more than five paces away, they were
  now nowhere to be seen. Apparently, I was the
  only one the Mists had decided to take.
  With no choice in the matter, I pressed on
  through the haze toward the house. Soon, I per-
  ceived a long wall that blocked my passage through
  the Mist. The wall was very old and covered with
  a great deal of lichen, moss and creepers. In some
  places, the brush was so thick that the ancient wall
  looked more like a steep hill rather than a barrier.
  As I walked the length of the stone partition, I
  came across a set of broad oaken gates.
  To the right of the gates stood a tall gatehouse,
  built to receive guests. Sensing no immediate threat,
  I carefully made my way past the gate.
  Just inside the entrance, I saw that the
  gatehouse was still very much in use. At the door to
  the two-story building I saw a pair of work boots,
  still covered with dark clods of mud.
  It was now that my soul became filled with
  dread and foreboding. Even in the simplest ar-
  rangement of things, I found disquietude. The
  gates behind me seemed too neat in their construc-
  tion. I found it disturbing how they had been left
  open just enough to allow a single person inside.
  The work boots, innocent enough in appearance,
  seemed too picturesque. They appeared to me not
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  as daily objects, but images peeled from a still-life
  painting.
  Indeed, everything around me resembled a
  display— an erected backdrop of some lurid play
  upon whose stage I had somehow stumbled.
  Beyond the gatehouse was a large stable and a
  dirt road that led further into what appeared to be
  the grounds of an estate. I proceeded down the
  path, gazing at everything around me.
  Familiarity tugged at me. The cultivated trees
  were not unlike the groves of my own home,
  Heather House. The manicured lawns reminded
  me of the places where my sister and I played as
  children. For something to seem so familiar and yet
  so “constructed” made me ill. Had something
  reached inside me and assembled the fragments of
  my earliest memories?
  The road curved around to my left, and soon
  the neatened trees gave way to a clearing. In the
  center of that clearing, located on a broad, gentle
  hill stood a cemetery.
  Silent, round head stones stood up from the
  clipped grass in painful symmetry. Here and there,
  statues stood upon pedestals, their heads eternally
  frozen in uncompleted prayer. Assembled around
  the entire plot was a wrought iron fence, bordering
  the scene like the frame of a painting.
  It was only then that I saw the entrance gate of
  the graveyard. There, plainly wrought, was the
  family name of the cemetery: Van Richten.
  Revelation struck me like a thunderbolt. My
  knees buckled and I crumpled to the ground. As the
  world spun around me, I could feel hot tears flowing
  down my face. I was at Richten Haus, the ancestral
  estate of the Van Richten family. For as long as Van
  Richten himself had been missing, so too, had his
  familial home.
  The floodgates of recognition opened and
  images began to pour in. I now remembered the
  gate house, the trees and the lawns. Each of these
  things were exactly as Rudolph Van Richten had
  described them to me as a youth. And though my
  sister and I never visited his ancestral home, we
  were intimately familiar with it through his stories.
  Yet, as thrilled as I was that I had stumbled
  upon this long lost place, my very bones overflowed
  with unrest. For how could such a place seem so
  alien?
  “Strange isn’t it, lass,” a voice sounded, shat-
  tering the eerie silence that had kept the place
  frozen in time, “what the Mists can do with a
  place?”
  I looked up through tears to see a small,
  hunched figure. It curled itself atop one of the grave
  stones like a gargoyle, with its long arms wrapped
  about its knobby legs. Wide, yellow eyes blinked at
  me. From behind its knees, I could see an equally
  yellow smile of rasping, glimmering teeth.
  I slowly stood, wiping my face as I did. Drawing
  in a long breath, I composed myself. “So this is
  where you have been. Have you been here the
  entire time?” My voice quivered. In my heart, I
  knew that I was not prepared for this confronta-
  tion.
  In an instant, the creature changed its voice.
  “Been here? The entire time? No, no. We get to
  visit other places. Take on different names. But
  here’s where we end up. In between our hunts.”
  “Visiting, then?” I said, with as much bravado
  as I could muster. “It must be difficult in all this
  light. We know how much you hate it.” I could feel
  the creature’s eye wandering over my body. It was
  appraising me. Noting how I moved. Watching
  how I stood.
  The creature slinked off of the grave upon
  which is sat. The thing poured itself behind one of
  cemetery statues, and peered around it. “We doth
  indeed hate this light. It doth sap our strength and
  gnaw at our brains. We know not why the Mists
  hast taken us to this place so forsaken.” It now
  spoke in its clipped feminine voice. “But we suspect
  that our meeting has been arranged. For clearly,
  this place has some meaning for thee. We also
  suspect something else. What thou seekest lies
  within yonder house.”
  The creature’s finger slowly uncurled, point-
  ing at the distant rooftops of Richten Haus. Its
  scab-riddled hand was purplish and moist. Sores
  covered its knuckles.
  I gritted my teeth. “And why…why do you say
  that?”
  “Someone thou seekest resides there. We can-
  not go into that place. That place does not like us.
  But thou…” It drew in a sharp breath and then
  cackled. “Thou might find purchase within.”
  “Who…is in that house?” I said. I stepped
  back. I could feel my skin growing cold.
  “’Tis a strange place, lass,” said the first voice,
  rattling off in its Forlorn accent. “A place filled
  with living ghosts. And every time we come here,
  he hunts us!”
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  “Who is in the house?” I demanded.
  “So ye see, lass,” said the creature. “The Mists
  chose this place for us as our special torment. For in
  between our hunts, we become the hunted. We are
  stranded here in this terrible place of daylight and
  grass. And all the while, there’s the bloke from the
  house. He comes. He comes to hunt us. There’s
  never a moment to rest, never a moment to hide!”
  My hands filled with mystic energy. I could
  feel both spell and rune rolling within my blood.
  With every fiber in my being I wanted to hurt this
  thing. The creature had dared to defile his home. It
  had gotten to roam the grounds, uncover its secrets.
  Such a beast did not deserve access to such myster-
  ies. It did not deserve to know that I did not. “I shall
  ask you just once more,” I said with all the calm that
  I could muster. “Who is in the house, Salissar...?” I
  let the name hang in the air.
  The creature leapt out from behind the grave,
  its wide mouth gnashing. “Who told you that
  name?” the creature spat.
  “Simple deduction,” I said coldly. “Your work
  was well known in Il-Aluk. And in Karg and
  Mordentshire, you wrote your name upon every
  crime you committed. Your voice and name may
  change. But your work does not.”
  “No! No! We aren’t Salissar! He died! He
  died!” With tremendous strength a creature per-
  haps half my size took up one of the granite
  tombstones and flung it against the wrought iron
  fence. The iron crumpled and snapped, further
  defiling this place.
  My heart boiled with rage. I wanted so badly to
  hurt him. “I don’t know how you survived the
  Requiem, Salissar. But I suspect that the incident
  has unhinged your mind. It must have been lonely
  in those foreign sewers, shifted about by the Mists,
  taken to different places all of the time.”
  “No! No! Not us! Not us!” A cacophony of
  different voices struck up from within its single
  throat. Salissar clutched his head and ran about
  madly, screaming like a wounded animal.
  “And then to be here,” I continued, “hunted
  all the time. To be stuck out in the sunlight. It must
  have been very lonely indeed.”
  It continued to scream pounding at the ground,
  making huge welts in the soil.
  “Lonely enough to invent, Salissar, to invent
  people to talk to. They aren’t real!”
  The creature flung itself upon the ground and
  then began to flop over and over. Its limbs flailed
  wildly, each blow strong enough to make huge
  welts in the ground where it struck.
  I drew closer. And then, I felt it. A strange
  turning of the air. A subtle shift in energies stirred
  within the earth. The creature once known as
  Salissar suddenly raised his head. His yellow eyes
  focused upon me with abrupt clarity. Clearly, he
  felt the change as well.
  “They call to usssss,” he said in a new voice. I
  wondered, as I heard it, if this was his true voice all
  along. “Th-h-hey call to ussssss!”
  Immediately, the beast spun upon all fours and
  bolted. My readied spell flew from my fingers.
  Instantly, a thunderbolt pierced his body like a pin
  through a moth. Yet, the thing I called Salissar
  loped on, slowed by my stroke but not stopped.
  Before I knew it, it had leapt the fence around
  the graveyard. It was now fleeing into a large bank
  of fog. I began running after him.
  And from the fog it called to me. “Follow ussss
  if you musssst! But you leave him behind! The
  housssse you leave behind!”
  I glanced behind me. Already the grey roof-
  tops of the house that I spied earlier were beginning
  to fade into the haze. I turned back, only to see the
  thing’s indistinct shape fading into the endless
  white.
  A choice lay before me. If Salissar were aban-
  doned to the Mists, I had no doubt that he would
  reap havoc again. He would murder, torture and
  kidnap. Dozens more innocent lives would be lost
  in distant sewers, their last moments of life spiral-
  ing into madness as his perversions took hold of
  them.
  And yet if I left Richten Haus, I knew in my
  heart that I would be abandoning it forever. I do
  not know how I knew this, but I was certain that it
  was true.
  My choice was clear. I charged headlong into
  the Mists. Despite my passion, I could still see
  Salissar graying out in the fog. Without even think-
  ing, I pulled forth my fey-crafted pocketwatch and
  pressed it.
  The world slowed to a crawl. The wisps of fog
  hung still in the air. And now the land below me
  rushed by. Within a heartbeat, I had passed my
  opponent. I stopped now, letting him run to me.
  The thing called Salissar stopped, churning up
  mud in his wake. Wide, yellow eyes blinked at me
  in astonishment. “How…” was its only word.
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  Hunting in the Mists
  “Who was in that house?” I asked quietly, my
  spell already creeping up upon my palm.
  “Mercccy!” It hissed. “Merccccy! I will take
  you back! Back to the houssse! I will sssshow you!”
  Despite its offers, I knew better than to trust
  this thing. In any case, I already knew that my own
  return to the house was barred. “No,” I said plainly
  to Salissar. “You will not.” And then, I unleashed
  my spell. Flame and sound tore through the fog,
  ripping it apart like crinoline.
  As the wisps of white cleared, I found myself
  back at the Vistani camp from which I had de-
  parted. My sister and Nikolas looked about in
  concern.
  “Smoke and mirrors aside, are we actually
  going to go anywhere?” remarked Nikolas.
  I looked up at Laurie and she completed my
  own thought. “Nikolas,” she said tenderly, taking
  his arm. “The journey has already been completed.”
  End Game
  My life has changed remarkably. Some days,
  when I awaken, I do not even recognize myself.
  I have seen it. I have seen where Rudolph Van
  Richten might yet reside. I had my chance to go
  there, to unlock its mysteries. But I could have not
  done so and held true to the principles that the dear
  Doctor instilled in me.
  Many readers might ask, “Why not ask the
  Vistani to take me back to the house that I saw?” Of
  course, we have attempted this very thing, but our
  efforts have yielded nothing. The only thing we
  have accomplished since my fateful encounter is
  aimless Mist-wandering. I strongly suspect that I
  am destined never to see that place again.
  And why have I faced such a siege perilous?
  Why have I encountered so final a choice? I met
  Salissar in the very place that I wanted to see for so
  long. Why?
  I can only imagine that my encounter was by
  design. Some great and powerful force tugged me to
  that inevitable encounter, forced me to make that
  terrible choice. This, gentle reader, is why my life
  has been changed so remarkably. For I now realize
  that my own life may not be under my control.
  Perhaps I am a simple pawn in some great game,
  whose constituent pieces I cannot yet see.
  For a long while, I was tempted to quit the
  game. Simply refuse to play, and one cannot lose.
  Yet, that would render another kind of victory to
  my unseen opponents.
  Even now, as I write this, the fog drifts by my
  window, leaving the slightest film upon the glass.
  And within each one of those tiny droplets, I feel
  a separate eye gazing upon me.
  No, I can no longer look upon the Mists as I
  once did. Things are different. Even my hand, as I
  now write this, is altered. My once pale fingers have
  grown dark. My palm, once alive and warm is as
  cold and as hardened as stone. Indeed, everything
  has changed.
  Research
  Before going off into the Mists in search of a
  foe, wise player characters will spend time doing
  research in the hopes that they can learn enough
  about their enemy to defeat it. This section lists
  two methods of research.
  Using a Library
  Adventurers pursuing a monster in the world
  of Ravenloft may seek to research their quarry,
  looking for the weakness, habits or capabilities of
  their particular foe. A character engaged in re-
  search must make a simple Knowledge skill check,
  using the appropriate Knowledge.
  Knowledge: Arcana
  In most cases, Knowledge: Arcana is the ap-
  propriate skill to use when researching the
  capabilities or weaknesses of certain species of
  monster. For example, looking up the weaknesses
  of vampires or werewolves would be a
  Knowledge: Arcana skill check (the DC varies
  according to the DM’s assessment of the situation).
  Knowledge: History
  Knowledge: History is more appropriate when
  searching for the weaknesses or capabilities of a
  particular creature. For example, searching for the
  weaknesses of the Red Bride of Nova Vaasa would
  call for a Knowledge: History check.
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  Gather Information
  A Gather Information check is most appropri-
  ate when trying to gather raw facts and data about
  an event or creature. Does the creature operate at
  night or during the day? What does it look like?
  What have eye witnesses seen as its capabilities?
  All of these questions are best answered through a
  Gather Information check (DC varies).
  A raw Knowledge skill check simply means
  that the character in question is trying to recall
  information from her memory. If the character
  actually uses a library or other research facility,
  then there is a bonus to this check. The bonus
  depends upon the quality of the library.
  In all cases, the DM should set the DC for the
  particular knowledge sought for before the roll.
  Occasionally the knowledge sought may simply
  not be available (the location of Azalin’s phylac-
  tery, for example). The DM always has final say as
  to what information is or is not available via
  research.
  Obviously, to get the research bonuses listed
  below, the researcher must be able to read the
  books in the library where he is studying.
  Research Time
  Researching for an hour in a library grants a +2
  bonus to a researcher’s Knowledge skill check.
  Researching for three hours grants the seeker a +3
  bonus to his check. Five hours grant a +4 bonus,
  seven hours grant a +5 bonus, and researching for
  a total of nine hours grants a +6 bonus to the
  Knowledge skill check.
  Keep in mind that no matter how much some-
  one studies, they are limited to the maximum
  bonus they can receive by the size of the library,
  which is indicated above.
  Researching Untrained
  Any person seeking knowledge may use a
  library to make an untrained Knowledge skill check.
  They are granted the bonuses listed above to their
  untrained check for use of a library. If researcher
  does use a library to make an untrained check, they
  must double their research time, since they are
  unfamiliar with the knowledge that they are re-
  searching.
  Maintaining Contacts
  In some cases, PCs may retain contacts in
  different cities, as a sort of information gathering
  network. Using contacts to aid in research in easy.
  The character simply sends a message to the con-
  tact asking him or her about the topic at hand.
  Messages can be sent by letter, messenger or spell.
  In Ravenloft, DMs who wish to speed up this
  process can simply rule that the character makes a
  Gather Information check. Then, each NPC the
  character consults performs an aid another action to
  that PC. Thus, an investigator can receive long
  distance aid to a Gather Information check. Keep
  in mind that it takes a while to get this aid.
  Long distance aid can also benefit researchers.
  If an investigator consults an NPC through corre-
  spondence, he may also gain the benefit of the aid
  another action for a Knowledge check.
  A contact should never be allowed to make a
  Knowledge check or Gather Information check on
  behalf of the party. After all, the player characters
  are the central characters of the campaign. It is
  their knowledge and learning that should take
  central stage.
  The time it takes for a message to cross do-
  mains varies greatly. Some domains are far more
  dangerous than others. Also, the distance between
  places in Ravenloft is a matter completely up to the
  DM. Thus, the DM has final say as to how long it
  will take to get information back from a contact.
  However, this time should be stated before the
  player characters state what kind of information is
  sought and the DC is assigned.
  Table 9-1: Libraries and Research
  Library Size
  Maximum Bonus
  Description
  Small
  +2
  A small, personal collection of books.
  Medium
  +3
  A one-room collection of texts that broadly covers a variety of topics.
  Large
  +4
  A larger, one-room collection that has a few specialty books that cover specific
  topics.
  Huge
  +5
  A large, multi-room collection that not only covers a number of broad topics, but has
  numerous specialty books on a variety of topics.
  Gargantuan
  +6
  A massive, multi-room collection that has numerous books on any number of topics,
  numerous specialty books, and includes rare, antiquated tomes.
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  echniques of Terror
  The following section details how a
  DM can use Mist creatures in her cam-
  paign, whether a Ravenloft game or
  otherwise. While the Mists are normally some-
  thing only encountered in Ravenloft-related games,
  it is still possible to use the Mist creatures described
  in this chapter to supplement any game, no matter
  where it is set.
  The Bogeyman
  For as long as humans have told stories around
  the fireplace, there have existed bogeymen.
  Throughout our history, these beings have cap-
  tured our imagination and sent a chill into our
  bones.
  What is a bogeyman? Simply put, a bogeyman
  is a creature of myth that represents the unknown
  Other — that mysterious aspect about ourselves
  that we cannot know.
  The typical person sees crime on television
  every day. On occasion, however, a crime occurs
  that is so horrific it surpasses our understanding.
  We pause to ask: How could someone do such a
  thing? Could I ever be capable of something like
  that?
  When people commit acts that defy our un-
  derstanding, our fear of the Other is triggered. We
  see that the heinous criminal is human, but we
  cannot comprehend how he has come to enact
  such terrible crimes. Such thoughts are totally
  alien to us. We should be able to understand their
  actions, but we can’t. Thus, the criminal and his act
  become even more terrifying.
  The bogeyman, then, is an embodiment of this
  fear of the Other. In stories and legends, the bogey-
  man does things that no human would ever do. The
  bogeyman enacts crimes of the most terrible order.
  The legendary Grendel is a prime example of
  a bogeyman. In the song of Beowulf, this monster
  stalks brave Viking warriors and kills them while
  they are innocently sleeping. Another great ex-
  ample of a bogeyman is the faerie creature  known
  as Rawhead and Bloodybones. This being origi-
  nates in faerie lore and is known for lurking in wells
  or ponds. According to legend, Rawhead has a
  sadistic tendency to grab little children and drown
  them. It is said that he especially likes to drown
  little children who have told lies.
  The Bogey Man and the Mists
  What, then, do bogeymen have to do with the
  Mists of Ravenloft? Simply put, the Mists also
  represent the alien Other. The Mists have some
  sort of motivation, but it is indiscernible. The more
  we try to understand them, the more elusive they
  become. Thus, the Mists represent our fear of the
  Other more than anything else in the Dread Realm.
  They are a symbol of that dark side of us that we can
  never know.
  Creating the Threat
  Any agent of the Mists should be an extension
  of this alien Other. If the Mists of Ravenloft repre-
  sent the ultimate mystery of the setting, then their
  servants should also inherit this same sense of
  mystery. The question is how to instill this sense of
  the unknown in your players?
  A One Dimensional Evil
  Any story will usually want to feature antago-
  nists that are three dimensional. Three dimensional
  characters are more believable, and for that reason,
  are more terrifying in a horror tale.
  This is not the case, however, when dealing
  with a bogeyman character. Monsters or characters
  who represent the alien Other are one dimensional
  by definition. Much of their background or mo-
  tives are covered up and obscured from us. The
  movie monster on the spaceship that stalks the
  crew has no complex motive. It has no multifac-
  eted character development. It has nothing but a
  singular drive to destroy the entire crew of the ship.
  Such films are terrifying to us because we cannot
  understand why the creature is stalking everyone.
  The only thing to understand is the grave danger
  that it poses.
  When creating your own Mist creatures, they
  should also be one dimensional in scope. There is
  no understanding why the pale riders have ap-
  proached the party and offered them vengeance.
  There is no analysis of what the Telling Man does
  in his free time. These creatures are not so much
  characters as they are forces of nature. Their relent-
  lessness is beyond human understanding. That’s
  the terror inherent in the bogeyman.
  The Iceberg Method
  Occasionally, it is interesting to have a glimpse
  into the third dimension of a bogeyman figure. The
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  typical serial killer movie is a prime example. Most
  serial killer movies give us a hint or a clue as to why
  the villain is the way he is. However, we only get a
  glance at the larger picture. The audience may be
  told that the killer has had a tortured childhood or
  that he has an obsession with this mother. Usually,
  however, we are never told exactly why he turned
  to ritualistic murder as a way to solve his problems.
  We never really find out the entire reason why the
  killer acts the way he does.
  This method of character representation is
  called the iceberg method. In it, the audience only
  sees the very tip of the iceberg. They get just a small
  hint of what lies below the surface.
  This technique is extremely chilling because it
  gives your players just enough of a peek into the
  monster’s background to make them wonder. It
  enhances the mystery of your villain.
  Imagine a hulking woodcutter that roams the
  fog, looking for his lost son. Every time he winds up
  in a new place, he looks for someone who reminds
  him of his son. Then, he kidnaps that person, and
  makes his victim dress up like his son, even talk like
  him. No matter how hard his victims try, though,
  they can never approximate the woodcutter’s son
  closely enough. Soon, the woodcutter grows an-
  grier and angrier with his substitute and finally
  slaughters the victim and begins looking for an-
  other hapless soul.
  The woodcutter is a one dimensional charac-
  ter, with a singular, driving goal. His background
  gives us just enough to make us wonder. What did
  happen to his son? Why didn’t the woodcutter
  grieve and move on? Why did the Mists choose to
  move him from place to place?  These questions
  give a normally one dimensional character just a
  hint of a third dimension.
  Becoming What You Most Fear
  The most terrifying aspect of a Mist creature is
  that, despite its alien nature, the player characters
  of your campaign could become creatures of the
  Mists at any time. The Mists often adopt beings
  into their fold. The Telling Man, Salissar, or the
  vanished are all beings that have been adopted by
  the Mists at some time. But what is most chilling
  about these creatures were that they weren’t always
  part of the Mists. Some, like the Telling Man were
  once human.
  This same fate awaits the player characters in
  your campaign if they make the wrong choices.
  Perhaps the only thing more frightening about the
  alien Other is the fear that one might actually
  become that Other.
  How can this happen? Perhaps the character
  uses the Mists as an escape route once too often.
  Perhaps he lingers too long within the vaporous
  folds, despite numerous warnings. Or maybe the
  character has become so single-mindedly bent on
  a goal that the Mists are suddenly attracted to her.
  Whatever the reason, a player character should
  never become fugued unless there is good reason
  and good justification. The Mists never punish some-
  one without due cause.
  Using Mist Creatures in Your
  Campaign
  The Mist creatures of Ravenloft function as an
  all purpose tool for your campaign. They fit any-
  where and can be used for any situation. Need a
  mysterious killer to appear in town? Have the Mists
  import the Telling Man. Need an insidious
  apothecary’s shop? Have an oubliette appear on
  the end of the street, carried there by the Mists
  themselves. When the player characters ask people
  about the shop, they simply shrug and say, “It’s
  always been there.” Mist creatures and oubliettes
  are great vehicles to introduce new and interesting
  threats to the setting. There are a number of ways
  the DM can incorporate these elements into his
  campaign.
  The Visitation
  Obviously, the easiest way to introduce Mist
  creatures or oubliettes into a campaign is to have
  them appear out of the fog one night. This allows
  the DM to have villains make “guest appearances”
  in her campaign.
  By using the Mists in this way, the DM may
  also introduce threats that wouldn’t normally work
  in the domain or area where the adventure takes
  place. For example, it is difficult to conceive of a
  lich other than Azalin living in Darkon. Why
  would Azalin suffer a potential rival to exist in his
  domain, especially one that can learn magics that
  he cannot? But a DM who has a campaign set in
  Darkon who is just burning to have an adventure
  involving a lich (other than Azalin) may now do
  so.
  Keep in mind that even if such threats only
  make temporary appearances, these threats do im-
  pact the land in which they appear. Imagine a
  scenario in which a lich and his tower did appear in
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  Darkon. Would Azalin sit idly by? Or would he be
  curious about the newcomer? Exactly how would
  he react to such a situation?
  Shaking Things Up
  Dangers that emerge from the fog also serve
  another purpose in a campaign. If the DM wants to
  shake things up a bit, the sudden appearance of a
  new danger can certainly change the dynamic of
  the game. Imagine if the Mists transported a Fugued
  dragon into the midst of Borca. Would Ivan and
  Ivana put aside their differences long enough to
  deal with the threat, or would the situation escalate
  into a three-way war?
  Imagine an oubliette in Falkovnia that is a
  repository of ancient weapons. As it appears and
  reappears, various factions try to take hold of it: the
  Hawks, Gondegal and the kobold bandits. Sud-
  denly, the oubliette becomes a flashpoint for a
  series of adventures.
  What’s intriguing about this scenario is that
  the repercussions of the appearance of something
  from the Mists can have lasting effects on a cam-
  paign. After the Fugued dragon appears, who breaks
  the tentative alliance first? Ivan or Ivana? What
  happens if Gondegal finds a mystical greatsword
  within the vanishing armory?
  The Quest
  Mist creatures and oubliettes may also provide
  an incentive for the player characters to travel. If
  the Mists shift an insidious villain around the Core,
  then you now have an impetus for them to journey
  to the various domains in pursuit of him.
  This same technique would work using oubli-
  ettes. Imagine a grotto that appears in various
  woods all around the realm. Each time it appears,
  the grotto gives a clue about how to achieve a
  hidden treasure or how to stop an elusive and
  destructive monster. Perhaps different runes ap-
  pear on the grotto walls each time or perhaps
  various stone work puzzles manifest within its
  depths.
  Beware of Overkill
  The Mists are a great story vehicle for any
  game, but too much of anything is bad. If your
  major villain is carried away by the Mists each time
  he is defeated, then your players will become frus-
  trated and lose interest in the game. Worse, you
  will lose the element of surprise in your campaign.
  The players will come to expect that your villain
  will escape anyway, so why bother going after him?
  It is also a bad idea to have the Mists keep
  bringing in new dangers on a continual basis. Here,
  your campaign runs the risk of becoming like a bad
  TV show, in which the characters face the “mon-
  ster of the week.” Again, your campaign courts
  predictability. In a campaign that focuses on mys-
  tery, what happens next should always be in
  question.
  Keeping it Real
  Even though the Mists can import or export a
  threat to any place of their choosing, you will strain
  your player’s sense of disbelief if you have dangers
  appearing in and out of the fog at random.
  There should always be some set up before
  danger approaches in the campaign. Perhaps the
  Mists turns a strange color the night before your
  Fugued dragon appears. Maybe a number of cattle
  mutilations precede the full-fledged appearance of
  your Fugued serial killer. Remember that horror
  relies on the slow building of tension before the
  climax. Don’t spring the threat from the fog sud-
  denly. Give foreboding hints or clues as to what
  will happen.
  The True Threat
  When using Mist creatures in your campaign,
  always be aware of the true menace. Terrifying
  villains might step forth from the fog, but there is
  always a greater threat behind them: the Mists of
  Ravenloft.
  In the end, the Telling Man and Salissar are
  only tools. They are pawns in a great game played
  at the highest stakes. Remember that the next time
  you pull forth a creature from the Mists. Ulti-
  mately, that creature serves some sort of purpose.
  Consider this each time you have the Mists alter
  something in the campaign. What is the Mists’
  purpose for the moment? Is it to torture the local
  Darklord? To test the convictions of the player
  characters? Explore these questions with your party.
  You might be surprised at what you find out.
  Champions and Villains
  The individuals described here represent some
  of the most prominent Mist-controlled creatures as
  well as a dedicated hunter of those monstrous
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  entities. DMs may use them as written or treat
  them as examples to use when creating individuals
  appropriate to her campaign.
  Dr. Alexander Penarrow
  Male human Sor8/Ftr5: 
  Male human Sor8/Ftr5: 
  Male human Sor8/Ftr5: 
  Male human Sor8/Ftr5: 
  Male human Sor8/Ftr5: Medium humanoid (human) (6 feet
  tall); HD 8d4+8 plus 5d10+5; HP 75; Init +7; Spd; AC 15,
  touch 13, flat-footed 12; Atk +13 melee (1d6+3, silver-headed
  cane) or +13 ranged (1d10+2, pistol); Full Attack: +13/+8
  melee (1d6+3 silver-headed cane) +13 ranged (1d10+2, pis-
  tol); SA spells; SQ—; AL NG; SV Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +9; Str
  12, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 15, Cha 16.
  Skills and Feats:     Bluff +5, Climb +6, Concentration +9, Handle
  Animal +6, Hypnosis +9, Intimidate+7, Jump +6, Knowledge
  (arcana) +10, Knowledge (geography) +9, Knowledge (his-
  tory) +10, Knowledge (Mists) +10, Listen +6, Move Silently
  +7, Ride +6, Search +6, Sense Motive +6, Spellcraft +8, Spot
  +6 (+9 for Mistways); Alertness, Improved Initiative, Mist
  Dowsing, Piercing Gaze, Point Blank Shot, Temporal Fugue,
  Weapon Finesse (cane), Weapon Focus (pistol), Weapon
  Specialization (pistol).
  Languages:     Mordentish,* Balok, Darkonese, Draconic, Vaasi.
  Typical Sorcerer Spells Known (6, 7, 7, 6, 3; save DC 13 +
  spell level)     0 — acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights,
  detect magic, disrupt undead, ghost sound, light, prestidigi-
  tation; 1st — charm person, detect undead, mage armor,
  obscuring mist, true strike; 2nd — detect thoughts, scorch-
  ing ray, see invisibility; 3rd — dispel magic, haste; 4th —
  locate creature.
  Signature Possessions: oak cane with a silver dragon head top
  with amber eyes +2, 2 ivory handled pistols etched with
  Vistani symbols for luck and fate, kept in holsters inside his
  coat.
  Background
  Dr. Alexander Penarrow is an aristocratic look-
  ing gentleman with a mane of dark red hair shot
  with silver strands. His most arresting features are
  his silver gray eyes that seem to glow in the moon-
  light. His skin is pale with a tracery of fine scars
  pitting his face and hands — he keeps the rest of his
  body covered, always dressing in high collars and
  long sleeved coats.
  Few notice his slight limp, since he moves
  with singular grace otherwise. His voice is rich and
  cultured and he understands most all of the lan-
  guages of Ravenloft with fluency. He has spent his
  life exploring the Mists and the creatures and
  oubliettes within them. The weird temporal fluxes
  within the Mists have extended his youth, al-
  though he looks to be a vigorous 40 years old he is
  actually closer to 80 and has lived through the
  forming of several lands from the Mists, including
  the time of the Grand Conjunction.
  Originally from Mordent, he and his brother
  Drake Penarrow decided they wished to explore
  the Mists and map as many of the lands as they
  could find, as well as trace the byways. They met
  Van Richten and the three spent some time to-
  gether discussing the mysteries behind the Mists;
  Unfortunately, soon afterward, a scarlet storm took
  Drake’s life and the life of his familiar and blinded
  and scarred Alexander so severely that he could
  not find his way out of the Mists for what seemed
  like years and turned out to have been more than
  six months.
  When a cleric of Ezra restored his sight, his
  bright blue eyes had changed to a misty gray and
  glowed in the moonlight. He soon discovered that
  his vision in the Mists was far better than average,
  but he could no longer stay outside the Mists for
  long. The Mists had become home, calling to him
  if he stays outside for more than a week. His resolve
  grew to find out as much as he could about the
  Mists, although he knows now how dangerous it is
  for anyone to stay within the Mists for long. He still
  wonders if his brother is Lost in the Mists as some
  sort of undead, and he dreads the day he might
  meet him there.
  Current Sketch
  Recently Dr. Penarrow met the Weathermay-
  Foxgrove twins and discovered their latest interests.
  Remembering their uncle, he feels a fatherly pro-
  tectiveness toward them, although he also finds
  himself admiring Laurie’s courage and Gennifer’s
  analytical mind and would not dream of trying to
  convince them to stop their dangerous explora-
  tions. Although usually a loner since the death of
  his brother, Dr. Penarrow has offered to be a guide
  and companion to Laurie through the Mists and
  will work with anyone whose reasons for traveling
  the Mists are worthwhile.
  Combat
  Alexander is an intelligent fighter. He uses
  spells when he can but is quite good with his silver
  cane if necessary. He will used ranged weapons and
  spells first and always attempts to finish fights
  quickly, since his right leg is weak and he cannot
  fight in melee for more than a few minutes without
  slowing. If he discovers any of the Lost or Fugued
  who he believes might be saved, he will attempt to
  use hypnosis to bring them back to themselves. He
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  is merciful to the mad and may sometimes hesitate
  if he meets undead, fearing to see his brother.
  The Telling Man
  Exp 1/Brd 12 /Brb 3
  Exp 1/Brd 12 /Brb 3
  Exp 1/Brd 12 /Brb 3
  Exp 1/Brd 12 /Brb 3
  Exp 1/Brd 12 /Brb 3: CR 18; Medium humanoid (unknown
  type, aberration)(6’ 9” tall); HD 1d6+4 + 13d6+52 + 3d12+12;
  hp 140; Init +6; Spd 40ft.; AC 22    touch 12, flat-footed 20;
  Atk::::: +16/+11/+6 melee (1d6+6 plus wounding, Taker) or +14
  ranged (1d10/x3, pistol); Full Atk::::: +16/+11/+6 melee (1d6+6
  plus wounding, Taker) and +16/+11 melee (1d6+4 plus poison,
  Keeper) ; or +14 ranged (1d10/x3, pistol); AL     CE; SA Animate
  fog, choking fog, keeping, temporal manipulation; SQ Masque
  of the form, mental scan, mist form; SV Fort +11, Ref +11, Will
  +12, Fr +12, Hor +12, Mad +12; Str 19, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 9,
  Wis 13, Cha 17
  Skills and Feats: Appraise +3, Bluff +10, Concentration +9,
  Craft (Bodyworks) +6, Disguise +8, Hide +14, Intimidate +6,
  Listen +8, Move Silently +14, Perform +18, Sleight of Hand
  +11, Survival +7; Improved Initiative, Improved Disarm, Im-
  proved Grapple, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Quick
  Draw, Rapid Reload, Two-Weapon Fighting
  Languages: Darkonese*, Mordentish
  Typical Bard Spells Known     (3, 4, 4, 4, 2, save DC 13 + spell
  level) 0 — detect magic, ghost sound, light, lullaby, mage
  hand, message; 1st — charm person, expeditious retreat,
  hypnotism, Tasha’s hideous laughter; 2nd — glitterdust,
  mirror image, silence, sound burst; 3rd — blink, confusion,
  deep slumber, scrying; 4th — freedom of movement, domi-
  nate person
  Class Abilities:     Rage 1/day, uncanny dodge, bardic knowl-
  edge, trap sense +1, countersong, fascinate, inspire courage,
  inspire competence, suggestion, inspire greatness, song of
  freedom (as described in the Players Handbook).
  Signature Possessions:     Ring of armor +4, Taker and Keeper:
  These Lamordian chirgeon tools were normally used to lo-
  botomize patients. They function as +2 sickles. Taker, the
  Telling Man’s primary weapon, also has the power of wound-
  ing. Keeper, the Telling Man’s off-hand weapon, delivers
  poison with a successful hit three times a day (poison save DC
  16, Dex 1d6 /Dex 2d4).
  This androgynous monster is a stitch-work
  being, patched together from dozens of other crea-
  tures — male and female, humanoid and otherwise.
  Its exterior changes continuously as the Telling
  Man constantly updates its appearance. Often, its
  face will be made up of various, selected parts that
  invariably do not match at all. Its limbs are rarely
  the same length, and it has a habit of having
  mismatched fingers.
  The Telling Man does realize that its appear-
  ance is unique. Thus, it most commonly goes about
  disguised using its masque of the form power.
  Background
  The Telling Man gets his name from a
  children’s rhyme, meant to warn those who might
  fall prey to the sin of vanity
  Telling Man, Telling Man,
  What do you see?
  I see the people full of vanity.
  Telling Man, Telling Man
  Where do you hide?
  In closets and wardrobes, full of pride.
  Telling Man, Telling Man,
  Will you come for me?
  Look in the mirror and wait and see.
  The Telling Man began his life as a young
  wanderer by the name of Myrus Tell. Myrus wan-
  dered the land of the mists as a tinker, buying and
  selling knick-knacks wherever he could.
  Most who met Myrus immediately found the
  young sojourner to be extremely odd. He coveted
  bright, shiny objects, and pulled a rattling cart full
  of the assembled baubles that he collected. Few
  realized that he stole many of the objects he craved,
  going so far as to break into people’s homes to get
  them.
  One day, the tinker ran into a young noble on
  a quiet walk through the countryside. The young
  woman was enjoying a private stroll before her
  upcoming wedding. After doing a bit a trade,
  Myrus asked if might trade something for a lock of
  the young woman’s hair. The young noblewoman
  turned her nose up at Myrus’s offer, disgusted at the
  idea that a destitute wander would want a piece of
  her hair.
  Myrus repaid her unkindness by beating her to
  death and scalping her. On dark nights, he wore
  her hair upon his head like a wig, touching her soft
  hair to his face. The kill filled Myrus with a secret
  thrill. Soon, he began to collect all sorts of parts
  from people he found beautiful. In those early days,
  Myrus always spoke to his victims beforehand. If he
  found them to be humble in spirit, he left them
  alone. However, if he found his victims vain or
  prideful, he delighted in their torture and mutila-
  tion.
  In one instance, Myrus Tell had the misfor-
  tune of attacking an armed victim. His intended
  target sliced off his ear during the assault, sending
  the young, deranged tinker off into the woods,
  howling.
  There, in the solitude of the forest, Myrus
  attempted to stitch one of his collected ears onto
  his body. It was then that the Dark Powers stepped
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  in, allowing the ear to fuse to his head. Myrus then
  began a reign of terror, attacking people, taking
  parts of them, and stitching them onto his own
  body.
  Today, Myrus Tell has become the dread Tell-
  ing Man, creature of legend. He no longer resembles
  the lonely tinker that he once was. He is com-
  pletely a creature of darkness, carried from land to
  land by the Mists, plaguing those who are prideful
  or arrogant.
  Current Sketch
  Myrus Tell barely remembers his original name,
  so long has it walked under the guise of the Telling
  Man. This obsessed creature now lives only for its
  insane collection. Each time it claims a new vic-
  tim, it tries to improve itself in some way. Ironically,
  the Telling Man is doomed to utter disappoint-
  ment. No modification, no matter how dramatic,
  satisfies this creature for long. It yearns for what it
  can never have — true beauty of the body and soul.
  Strangely, the Telling Man does not need to inter-
  view its potential victims, it simply goes where the
  Mists take it, and instinctively knows if its target is
  possessed of vanity.
  Combat
  The Telling Man never engages in a stand-up
  fight. Instead, it prefers to stalk its prey, waiting for
  the most opportune moment before attack. With
  its dizzying array of powers, the Telling Man can set
  up most encounters to its advantage. It prefers to
  assume an innocuous shape through its masque of
  the form ability, in order to get close. After a few
  attacks, it then uses its mist form to escape into a
  bank of fog. If need be, it covers its trail with its
  choking fog power.
  If force to fight a group of people, it will use its
  temporal manipulation to slow its opponents and
  speed itself up. Then, it picks out a single oppo-
  nent, rapidly taking his victim apart with his many
  attacks and his magical chirgeon tools, Taker and
  Keeper.
  Special Attacks: Temporal Manipulation (Sp):
  The Telling Man may use haste or slow as a spell-
  like ability. It may use either ability three times per
  day. Use of either haste or slow counts towards the
  total number of uses of this ability.
  Animate Fog (Su): As a creature of the Mists,
  the Telling Man can move a 20 ft. radius, 20 ft. high
  bank of fog in the direction it desires. Controlling
  the fog is a standard action. The fog bank moves at
  a rate of 20 feet. Because fog is heavy, it always flows
  along the ground. It cannot travel vertically. It may
  flow over barriers that are shorter than the fog bank
  is tall. The fog bank must flow around barriers that
  are taller than it.
  Using this power is risky. Each time this power
  is used, there is a 5% cumulative chance per en-
  counter that the fog does not move. If a “00” is ever
  rolled, this power completely backfires, moving
  the fog into the worst possible area for the encoun-
  ter.
  Choking Fog (Su): The Telling Man can create
  a zone of fog that is devoid of all oxygen. Note that
  the creature cannot summon its own cloud, it must
  use a bank of pre-existing mist. It may, however,
  affect a patch of fog summoned through the mist call
  power.
  This power affects a bank of fog that is 20 ft. in
  radius and 20 ft. high. The choking fog is not solid;
  it is like normal fog in every way except that
  creatures who need to breathe cannot do so while
  standing within it. Of course, a creature can hold
  its breath before entering the fog. See the rules for
  holding one’s breath in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
  The choking fog effect lasts for 10 minutes per
  HD of the creature using this power.
  Mental Scan (Su): The Telling Man is able to
  detect thoughts, as per the spell. It may use this
  ability at will, whenever it wishes.
  Special Qualities: Mist Form (Sp): As a full
  round action, the Telling Man may assume gaseous
  form as per the spell. While in this form, the
  creature has a fly speed of 20, with perfect ma-
  neuverability. It may remain in gaseous form
  indefinitely.
  Masque of the Form (Sp): This hideous creature
  may disguise itself, as per disguise self. It may alter its
  appearance as a standard action. It can maintain its
  guise indefinitely.
  Keeping (Ex): Through successive failed pow-
  ers checks, the Telling Man has been granted the
  ability to stitch other people’s body parts to its own.
  The Telling Man may also suspend its own bodily
  functions for a day, allowing it to replace limbs,
  eyes, or even internal organs without bleeding to
  death. For example, the Telling Man might replace
  its own heart with heart of someone who fancies
  himself courageous. The Telling Man does not feel
  pain when it replaces parts of its body with pieces
  from other people.
  Because its body is constantly updated, the
  Telling Man never ages, or suffers the effects of
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  aging. It can survive up to one day without the use
  of its vital organs. Since it can survive like this for
  some time, this creature also has the equivalent of
  moderate fortification. Any time the Telling Man
  suffers a critical hit or a sneak attack there is a 75%
  chance that it is negated and damage is instead
  rolled normally.
  Dread Possibilities
  The Telling Man makes a chilling villain for
  any campaign. The heroes might battle the crea-
  ture as it travels from place to place, committing its
  crimes. Or, the Telling Man might haunt a beloved
  NPC, who happens to have the slight flaw of
  vanity. Imagine that the party is hired to protect
  someone who is haunted by the Telling Man, but
  is vain to the point of obnoxiousness. Does the
  party uphold their word and protect their em-
  ployer? He may be arrogant, but does he deserve
  torture and death?
  Salissar
  Meazel /Rog 2 /Reaping Mauler 5
  Meazel /Rog 2 /Reaping Mauler 5
  Meazel /Rog 2 /Reaping Mauler 5
  Meazel /Rog 2 /Reaping Mauler 5
  Meazel /Rog 2 /Reaping Mauler 5; CR 11; Medium humanoid
  (monstrous) (4’ 8” tall); HD 4d8+12 + 2d6+6 + 5d10+15, hp
  85; Init +2; Spd 30ft.; AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 10; Base
  Atk +10; Grp +20; Atk + 14 melee (1d4+4 plus disease, claw);
  Full Attack: +14 melee (1d4+4 plus disease, 2 claws); SA
  sneak attack, disease, adept wrestling, sleeper lock, devas-
  tating grapple; SQ evasion, counter grapple; AL CE; SV Fort
  +8, Ref +13, Will +6, Fr +6, Hor +6, Mad +6; Str 19, Dex 14,
  Con 16, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 6
  Skills and Feats: Hide +9, Move Silently +6, Escape Artist +9,
  Tumble +7, Jump +7; Cleaver Wrestling, Improved Grapple*,
  Improved Initiative, Mobility*, Power Attack, Stunning Fist
  Signature Possessions: None
  *These feats gained as special class abilities.
  **The Clever Wrestling gives Salissar a bonus to escape a
  grapple or grab from larger creatures.
  Like most of his diseased kind, Salissar is a
  squat, wiry creature with greenish-yellow skin. The
  precise color of his skin is difficult to tell since it is
  crawling with disease. Sores swarm over his body,
  and his hide continually oozes various bodily fluids.
  His wide face sports giant, yellow eyes with ophid-
  ian slits. A wide, grinning mouth spreads across his
  face, in complete contradiction to his hideous
  countenance.
  Background
  Salissar is a meazel, a creature from a distant
  land outside of Ravenloft. In his former homeland,
  Salissar dwelled beneath the earth, like many of his
  kin. There, in underground grottos forgotten by
  time itself, he stalked through the darkness killing
  kobolds, dwarves or any other wanderer that crossed
  his path.
  One day, Salissar attacked a lone adventurer
  who wandered into his lair. With expert precision,
  Salissar snuck up behind his victim and attempted
  to strangle him. But the would-be victim put up a
  terrific fight and fled into the darkness. Salissar
  pursued the adventurer into a misty corridor.
  Soon, Salissar found himself in the sewers
  below the city of Il Aluk, just a few years before it
  was claimed by the Requiem. He made those alien
  sewers his home, killing off the kobold clan that
  lived there. In time, Salissar became known as a
  local bogeyman. People knew that to wander in the
  streets after dark meant that one might become
  victim to the infamous “lurker below.”
  When the Requiem struck, Salissar escaped
  the devastation by running into a corridor of mist.
  Salissar then found himself in a truly accursed
  place. He was in a land where the sun shone upon
  his diseased skin, where there grass grew high and
  tall trees swayed in the wind. While most would
  consider such a place a blessing, it was a bane to
  Salissar, who was used to dwelling in miry, under-
  ground pits.
  To make matters worse, Salissar now found
  himself pursued by the spirits of the place where he
  dwelled. Night and day, he was hunted by the
  ghostly spirits of former heroes.
  Eventually, Salissar was scooped up by the
  Mists again. Again, he found himself in a new
  locale — a maze of sewers beneath a brand new
  city. But his respite was not for long. After a few
  months, the Mists took him back to that accursed
  place where the sun purged all shadow, and again
  he was hunted.
  Years of torment continued. The pattern was
  always the same. Salissar would be deposited in the
  sewers of some distant city for a time, only to be
  called back to dwell in the strange place of light,
  grass and spirits of vengeful hunters. Enraged at the
  curse he was under, Salissar took his frustration out
  upon the cities under which he was transported.
  Thus, numerous cities everywhere began to report
  disappearances. Soon, infamous bogeyman “lived”
  all over the Core, sucking their victims down into
  the sewers below.
  Eventually, under this constant torture, Salissar
  began to go mad. To keep himself company under
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  his constant duress, he began talking to himself. He
  made up personalities that talked back to him.
  Soon, in the dark sewers, he had whole conversa-
  tions with a myriad of individuals.
  Strangely, these personalities would always
  match the legends that people made up about him
  in the cities that he visited. Thus, when the legend
  of Scrabbling Sally was first told, Salissar simulta-
  neously began talking to the imagined personality
  of Scrabbling Sally. Such a phenomenon begs the
  question — was it the belief of the people in the
  cities that caused Salissar to go mad? Or did Salissar’s
  madness somehow leak into the legends of the
  people that lived above him?
  Current Sketch
  The current whereabouts of Salissar are un-
  known. It is possible that Salissar survived his
  encounter with Gennifer Weathermay-Foxgrove.
  After all, she did not actually see him die. Salissar
  was cursed to linger in the oubliette of Richten
  Haus, which drifts in the Mists without a Darklord
  to control it. Why precisely this fate was chosen for
  him is anyone’s guess.
  At the time of his last sighting, Salissar had
  several distinct personalities. Unlike most victims
  of a multiple-personality disorder, Salissar is aware
  of all of his personalities. Furthermore, the person-
  alities can talk amongst themselves, which they
  often do.
  Three of his many personalities are:
  Old Scrabbling Sally: This personality is a
  former nun who is riddled with leprosy. When the
  other nuns of her abbey discovered her disease, she
  was cast out and made to live in a cave. There, she
  dwelt for years, scrabbling away at the walls of her
  prison. Now, she longs for company to quench her
  terrible loneliness.
  Little Hollow Ivil: This creature is believed to
  be a demon summoned to plague the wererats of
  Pont-a-Museau. Ivil was supposedly wrought
  through a curse that Claude Renier put upon the
  city at the moment of his death. Hollow Ivil is a
  ravenous, violent creature, driven by an infernal
  desire to eat the flesh of any living victim.
  Cellar Bones: According to Mordent legend,
  Maeve took the marrow from his fey’s bones and
  hid it away within a cellar somewhere within the
  domain. Now, Cellar Bone’s is forever cursed to
  roam people’s cellars at night, searching for the
  marrow of his hollow bones. Cellar Bones is said to
  be a cunning tempter, who tries to enlist others to
  look for his lost marrow. Should these poor victims
  refuse, he kills them and sucks their marrow. Yet, if
  they search for his lost marrow, then these poor
  souls are only doomed to failure. When they finally
  turn up nothing, Cellar Bones always mysteriously
  appears, ready to take his deadly price from them.
  Combat
  Salissar is well-suited for unarmed combat and
  does not hesitate to claw or grapple his opponent.
  His special abilities make him a challenging oppo-
  nent in a one-to-one battle.
  Special Attacks: Sneak attack (Ex): Any time
  Salissar’s opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus or
  is flanked by him, he gains an additional 4d6
  damage to his attack. This ability does not function
  on creatures with no discernable anatomy or who
  do not need their vital organs to function in order
  to live.
  Disease (Su): Wounds inflicted by a meazel
  can transmit a skin disease. A successful claw
  attack causes the victim to make a DC 13 Fortitude
  save. This save is Constitution based. Those who
  fail their save are infected by a putrid disease.
  Incubation: 1d6 days. Damage 1d2 Dex and Con.
  If a character takes ability damage, he must make
  an additional save to see whether 1 point of the
  affected ability was permanently drained.
  Adept Wresting (Ex): While wearing light or
  no armor, Salissar gains a +2 on all grapple checks
  and opposed Strength or Dexterity checks.
  Sleeper Lock (Ex): If Salissar pins an opponent
  while grappling and maintains the pin for 1 full
  round, the opponent must make a DC 16 Fortitude
  save or fall unconscious for 1d3 rounds. This save
  is Wisdom-based. Creatures with no discernable
  anatomy are immune to this effect.
  Devastating Grapple (Ex): If Salissar pins an
  opponent while grapping and maintains the pin for
  3 consecutive rounds, the opponent must make a
  DC 16 Fortitude save at the end of the third round
  or die. This save is Wisdom-based. Creatures with
  no discernable anatomy are immune to this effect.
  Special Qualities: Evasion (Ex): If Salissar
  makes a Reflex save against an effect that would
  normally deal half damage, he avoids that damage
  altogether.
  Counter Grapple (Ex): When grappled or
  pinned, Salissar may make a grapple check or
  Escape Artist check as normal to avoid the grapple.
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  If he fails the check he has chosen, he can imme-
  diately attempt the other check as a free action.
  Dread Possibilities
  Salissar’s story presents a number of possibili-
  ties to the DM. He could be a recurring villain that
  appears to the party with a new personality each
  time. Used in this way, only thorough research and
  investigation would reveal that what appears to be
  a group of villains is, instead, a single malign being.
  Alternatively, Salissar’s story could be a link for the
  party to get involved in the mystery of the Richten
  Haus and for them to discover the last known
  location of Rudolph Van Richten.
  Creatures of the Mists
  The following creatures comprise a sampling
  of the inhabitants spawned by or associated with
  the Mists. No one has, however, made a compre-
  hensive listing of all the beings found within the
  Mists. DMs may find that these monsters can
  suggest ideas for creating their own Mist creatures
  Mistlings (Swarm)
  Tiny Aberration (Mist)
  Tiny Aberration (Mist)
  Tiny Aberration (Mist)
  Tiny Aberration (Mist)
  Tiny Aberration (Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  9d8+9 (49 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +4
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  20 ft. (4 squares), climb 20 ft.
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  18     (+2 size, +4 Dex, +2 natural), touch
  14, flat-footed 14
  Base Attack / Grapple: 
  Base Attack / Grapple: 
  Base Attack / Grapple: 
  Base Attack / Grapple: 
  Base Attack / Grapple: +6/+11
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Swarm (2d6 plus poison)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Swarm (2d6 plus poison)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  10 ft. / 0 ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Distraction, mass grapple
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Low-light vision, Mist peering*,
  resistance 10/cold and electricity,
  immunities, swarm traits**, Mist sub
  type
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +8
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str 5, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 8, Wis 14,
  Cha 9
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Climb +8, Spot +6, Hide +10, Move
  Silently +10
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Improved Grapple, Improved Disarm,
  Stealthy
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Pack (2-4 swarms), or horde (7-12
  swarms)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  5
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  None
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always neutral evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  None
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  A group of tiny, spindly-limbed creatures spill
  forth from the fog. Their massive, fish-eyes glitter in
  the dark. Their long, long fingers reach up for you.
  Soon you can feel their clammy hands pulling upon
  your clothing, your skin, and your hair. The weight of
  their bodies grows heavy. And you feel yourself being
  pulled down. Whispers from their tiny lips caress your
  ears, “Go to sleep, soon we eat. Go to sleep, soon we
  eat…”
  Mistlings are tiny-sized creatures with pale,
  almost translucent skin. Their huge, lidless eyes are
  open and staring, like those of a fish. Each mistling
  has abnormally long arms and fingers which bear
  an extra joint, allowing them to grab onto their
  victims easier. Strange sucker-like openings sprout
  from their fingertips and are used to deliver their
  poison touch. Mistlings have no noses, but have
  wide, slit like mouths with bright, flashing teeth.
  These gremlin-like creatures spend their en-
  tire lives within the Mists of Ravenloft. They live
  in the dark places of the world: caves, wells or even
  the occasional root cellar. Their presence is always
  accompanied by patches of Mist. As to why fog
  always appears around these creatures, no one
  knows for certain. One folktale speaks of these
  creatures being distantly related to the laminak fey
  of Barovia. When Barovia was first absorbed by the
  mists, a number of laminak clans fled into the Mists
  and dwelled there, slowly turning into mistlings.
  Mistlings are often described in tales as drag-
  ging victims off into the mists, never to be seen
  again. Some mistling stories tell of victims dragged
  off into the mists and served as a live feast for these
  bloodthirsty menaces, who prefer to dine upon
  their meals while they still struggle.
  Mistlings can speak the common language of
  any two domains and sylvan.
  Combat
  Mistlings attack by overwhelming their en-
  emy, dragging them down, and devouring them. If
  near by a patch of fog, they attempt to pull their
  victim into the fog, so as to better dispose of them.
  They always target the weakest looking victims
  first. Multiple swarms often try to overlap an oppo-
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  nent, so as to weaken them while one swarm
  engages in the grapple.
  Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that
  begins its turn with a mistling swarm in its space
  must succeed in a DC 15 Fortitude save or be
  nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitu-
  tion-based.
  Mass Grapple (Ex): Unlike most swarm crea-
  tures, mistlings can grapple opponents, though
  they themselves cannot be grappled. For the pur-
  poses of grappling, mistling swarms are considered
  to be Large creatures. In order to grapple an oppo-
  nent, a mistling swarm has to move into its
  opponent’s space, which provokes an attack of
  opportunity. Note that this particular attack of
  opportunity does not prevent the swarm from pro-
  ceeding with the grapple.
  When grappling an opponent, whether suc-
  cessful or not, the mistling swarm does its swarm
  damage.
  Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 15, initial
  and secondary damage 1d2 Strength. The save DC
  is Constitution-based.
  Skills: A mistling swarm has a +4 bonus to all
  Climb checks and uses its Dexterity modifier in-
  stead of its Strength modifier for Climb checks.
  They also have a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move
  Silent checks while in fog.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or mist reduced to half. Immune to
  charm, domination, sleep, and all other mind-
  affecting magic. Immune to magic that alters their
  form. Immune to the effects of aging.
  **See the swarm traits described in the Mon-
  ster Manual.
  Dread Possibilities
  After a number of cattle mutilations, the PCs
  are called to investigate. As the party tracks the
  attackers, villagers begin to vanish, later turning up
  mutilated beyond recognition. Soon, the party
  tracks the mutilations to a large group of mistlings.
  It turns out that the mistlings were dwelling within
  a nearby cave, but were driven out. But by what?
  Mist Claimer
  From the fog and haze you see the last thing you
  would ever expect — yourself.  As the moonlight
  sweeps briefly over your double’s body, you see its eyes
  glimmer and a silver glow escapes the gaping hole that
  is its mouth. In the brief glimmer of moonlight, you see
  now that your twin is not a being of flesh and blood, but
  a being of the Mists itself.”
  Beings born of fog and haze, these creatures are
  so feared that they are rarely spoken of at all in
  Ravenloft. Each Mist claimer is an exact duplicate
  of an individual within the Dread Realm. This
  precise copy resembles the original in every way —
  except that it seeks to utterly destroy the original’s
  life and relationship with others.
  These Mist-spawned beings remember the same
  history and background as the original. They also
  possess all of the same equipment as the original
  being as well. A Mist claimer does not seek to
  engage in immediate combat with its original.
  Instead, it tries first to humiliate and ruin its
  double’s life. For example, it might commit crimes
  during the daytime, implicating its counterpart for
  its deeds.  he Mist claimer might openly chastise
  the local Darklord, drawing the local Darklord’s ire
  upon its original.
  Once its counterpart is sufficiently humiliated
  or embarrassed, the Mist claimer uses its identity
  for increasingly dark purposes. It might abuse the
  very people who love and trust the original, isolat-
  ing its double from their friends and allies. It may
  lead hordes of monsters towards the original’s loca-
  tion, and then flee the scene, leaving its counterpart
  to deal with the situation.
  Individuals who expresses perverse desires but
  do not act upon them usually create Mist claimers.
  In this case, the Mist claimer is brought about by
  their dark wishes and performs the heinous deeds
  that the originals could not bring themselves to do.
  Often, these poor victims go mad, eventually be-
  lieving that they were indeed responsible for the
  very acts that they were trying to avoid.
  Mist claimers also spring forth when someone
  openly challenges the dark powers. While almost
  no one in the Dread Realms is even aware of the
  dark powers, there are those fools who call out to
  the night itself and beg for a challenge. Such
  victims of hubris find that nothing comes to face
  them. Instead, their lives and reputations are gradu-
  ally ruined. Eventually, such challengers cannot
  even show their faces to their friends or allies, who
  are convinced that their one-time friends have
  gone mad. Only when the challenger is completely
  in despair does the Mist claimer come to battle its
  original in final judgment.
  Mist claimers only reveal their true nature
  under the light of a full moon. If ever under such a
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  light, they appear to have a glowing, silver mist
  swirling in their eyes and mouths. Otherwise, they
  seem exactly like the original being.
  When a Mist claimer dies, it and all of its
  equipment dissipates into mist.
  Sample Mist Claimer
  This example uses a 7th level human Ranger
  as the base creature.
  Mist Claimer 7th-Level Human
  Mist Claimer 7th-Level Human
  Mist Claimer 7th-Level Human
  Mist Claimer 7th-Level Human
  Mist Claimer 7th-Level Human
  Ranger
  Ranger
  Ranger
  Ranger
  Ranger
  Medium Humanoid (Augmented
  Medium Humanoid (Augmented
  Medium Humanoid (Augmented
  Medium Humanoid (Augmented
  Medium Humanoid (Augmented
  Humanoid)(Mist)
  Humanoid)(Mist)
  Humanoid)(Mist)
  Humanoid)(Mist)
  Humanoid)(Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  7d8+7 (42 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +3
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  30 ft. (6 squares)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  19     (+3 Dex, +4 studded leather
  armor, +2 natural armor), touch 13,
  flat-footed 16
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+9
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
       Longsword +11 melee (1d8+4/19-
  20), or frost longbow +12 ranged
  (1d8+1d6+1/x3)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
       Longsword +11/+6 melee (1d8+4/19-
  20), or frost longbow +10/+10/+5
  ranged  (1d8+1d6+1/x3)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  5 ft. /5 ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Improved combat style
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Favored enemy, track, wild empathy,
  animal companion, woodland stride,
  Mist subtype
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +4
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str 14, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 14,
  Cha 8
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  †Bluff +8, †Disguise +8, Hide +13,
  Knowledge
  (Nature) +5, Listen +12, Move
  Silently +13, Ride +8, †Sense Motive
  +12, Spot +12, Survival +12
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Dodge, Endurance*, Many Shot*,
  Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Precise
  Shot, Rapid Shot*, Track*
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  10
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Standard
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Usually chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  None
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  *Bonus feats gained as a class benefit
  **********This Mist claimer’s favored enemies are monstrous human-
  oids and shapechangers, because its double has those favored
  enemies. Against monstrous humanoids, he gains a +4 bonus
  to Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival checks and
  weapon damage rolls. Against shapechangers, his bonuses to
  these rolls is only +2.
  ***Interestingly enough, this Mist claimer’s animal compan-
  ion is still a dread companion, and continues to plague its
  master’s life, in some ways helping out the original.
  †All Mist claimers gain a +10 racial bonus to Bluff, Disguise
  and Sense Motive checks.
  Typical Ranger spells prepared (2 1st-level; save DC 12 + spell
  level) 1st — entangle, longstrider.
  Possessions::::: +1 studded leather armor, +2 longsword, +1 frost
  longbow
  Creating a Mist Claimer
  “Mist claimer” is an acquired template that
  can be added to any creature of any type (hereafter
  referred to as the base creature). However, Mist
  claimers usually only appear as humanoids or mon-
  strous humanoids.
  The Mist claimer retains all the base creature’s
  statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
  Size and Type: The creature gains the Mist
  subtype, described earlier in this book. Size is
  unchanged.
  Armor Class: The base creature’s natural ar-
  mor class increases by +2.
  Special Attacks: The Mist claimer gains the
  following special attacks.
  Modify Memory (Su): This ability works just
  like the modify memory spell, except that the Mist
  claimer can modify up to an hour of memory. Just
  like the spell, the creature must spend an equal
  time visualizing the memory to be changed. Thus,
  if a peasant failed his save against this power, up to
  an hour’s worth of memory could be altered. How-
  ever, the Mist claimer would have to spend an hour
  visualizing that memory after its target failed its
  saving throw.
  Misted Weapons (Su): At will and as a free
  action, a Mist claimer can make its weapons misted.
  Such weapons pass through armor and solid protec-
  tion (such as chain mail or natural armor), allowing
  the Mist claimer to strike its opponents with noth-
  ing more than a touch attack. When a Mist claimer
  attacks with a misted weapon, it does not gain any
  strength bonus to its damage roll. Mist claimers
  may make ranged weapons misted as well, though
  these weapons lose this quality once they land
  upon the ground or connect with their target.
  Special Qualities: The Mist claimer gains the
  following special qualities.
  Mist Form (Su): As a full round action, the
  creature may assume gaseous form as per the spell.
  While in this form, the Mist claimer has a fly speed
  of 40, with perfect maneuverability. This speed is
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  faster than most other Mist creatures with this
  ability. A Mist claimer may remain in Mist form
  indefinitely.
  Trackless Step (Su): The creature in question
  leaves neither tracks nor incidental signs of its
  passing. Any attempts to track it using the Survival
  skill fail, as well as attempts to find clues of its
  passing through Search checks. Creatures with this
  ability may still leave evidence through ethereal
  resonance, however. One can still follow, scry or
  spy upon the creature unless it is protected through
  some other means. Purposeful signs made inten-
  tionally by the creature remain and may be found
  through normal means. A Mist claimer can turn
  this ability on or off at will, allow it to leave tracks
  behind if it so wishes.
  Mist Walking (Su): The Mist claimer can travel
  between patches of fog as if by means of a dimension
  door spell. The creature must begin and end its
  travel in an area occupied by mist or fog. The
  creature can travel in this fashion up to a total of 10
  feet per HD per day. For instance, a 10 HD creature
  could transport itself up to 100 feet per day in this
  fashion. It may split up the distance in any fashion
  that it wishes. For example, it could make two
  jumps of 50 feet, or five jumps of 20 feet. While this
  amount can be split up between multiple jumps,
  each transport, no matter how small, counts as at
  least a 10 foot increment. Thus, a 10HD creature
  could make ten 10 foot jumps per day, or just ten 1
  foot jumps a day.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or Mist are reduced to half. Immune to
  charm, domination, sleep, and all other mind-
  affecting magic. Immune to magic that alters their
  form. Immune to the effects of aging.
  Abilities: Con +2, Int +2, Wis -2, Cha -2. A
  Mist claimer is hardier than the original and some-
  what more intelligent. Its perverse nature, however,
  makes it less patient and personable.
  Skills: Mist claimers gain a +10 racial bonus to
  Bluff, Disguise, and Sense Motive. They also gain
  a +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks
  while in fog.
  Environment: Any land or underground.
  Organization: Same as base creature.
  Challenge Rating: As base creature +3
  Treasure: None
  Alignment: The same as the base creature in
  respects to law and chaos, but always Evil.
  Advancement: Same as base creature
  Dread Possibilities
  A number of murders in a town prompt the
  party to act. All of the clues point to a single person,
  who has a perfect alibi for each crime. As the
  crimes continue, and the clues begin to mount, and
  the accused actually turns himself in to the party.
  The poor victim then explains that while he did
  not commit any of the crimes, in his heart he
  secretly wanted to do them. It soon becomes appar-
  ent that a Mist claimer is committing the crimes.
  However, even if the Mist claimer is destroyed,
  another one arrives for as long as the victim carries
  his dark thoughts. The party is thus faced with a
  dilemma. Do they kill the penitent victim, pre-
  venting the Mist claimers from arising?  Or do they
  try to cleanse his thoughts, a much longer process
  that possibly risks the lives of more innocents? To
  make matters worse, a large mob begins to form,
  demanding the death of the victim.
  Changeling Fog
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  13d8+13 (71 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +7
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Fly 20 ft. (perfect)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  11 (-2 size, +3 Dex), touch 11, flat-
  footed 8
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple: +9/–
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Attack:
  Incorporeal touch +10 (2d6 acid)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  4 incorporeal touches +10 (2d6 acid)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  15 ft. / 10 ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Haunting call, wandering mind
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Blindsight 120 ft., burning body, DR
  10/magic, naturally gaseous, elemen-
  tal traits, mist subtype
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +5, Ref +11, Will +6
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str –, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15,
  Cha 14
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Hide +19*, Listen +18, Bluff +18
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility,
  Multiattack, Spring attack
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Solitary or pack (2-5)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  6
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  None
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Usually neutral evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  14-20 HD (Gargantuan)
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  Deep within the rolling banks of fog, you can
  barely perceive shapes. At first, these forms are vague
  and indistinguishable. Soon, you realize that you
  recognize the silhouettes in front of you. They are
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  people that you know, trapped in the fog. Their flailing
  arms reach out for you; you can hear their plaintive
  calls, begging you for aid, begging you to set them free.
  Dread legends about changeling fog drift all
  over the land, a warning to those who would dare
  to travel alone. These legends always feature a
  traveler who suddenly sees within the fog a long
  lost love, being hurt or tortured. The traveler
  pursues his loved one, who is carried further and
  further into the fog by unknown forces. Too late,
  the traveler looks down and begins to see his own
  flesh rotting, his skin burning. He has been lured
  into a changeling fog, victim to its decomposing
  touch.
  Those who have been able to resist the siren
  call of a changeling fog report that they have
  received unlikely aid from this strange phenom-
  enon. Popular folklore claims that once a person is
  tested by the changeling fog and proven to be
  strong-willed, the fog follows him, protecting him
  from harm.
  Changeling fog is a form of Mist elemental, a
  being shaped out of the primeval substance of the
  realm itself. Scholars theorize that Mist elementals
  of great age might evolve into changeling fog.
  becoming more powerful and mysterious with time.
  Changeling fog is indistinguishable from a
  normal bank of mist. The one thing that makes it
  stand out, of course, is that within the fog bank, one
  can see the silhouettes of loved ones or enemies, all
  calling out to those who behold it.
  This strange form of elemental can actually
  speak if it wishes, though it always uses the images
  of loved ones or enemies to do so. In Ravenloft,
  changeling fog can speak any language in the Core,
  as well as Auran.
  Combat
  Changeling fog prefers to lure its victims into
  its rotting embrace, silently corroding them once
  they have walked right up into the fog. If more than
  one changeling fog is encountered, they try to lure
  victims in different directions, splitting up any
  group that their prey might be in.
  If the changeling fog cannot lure its victims
  into its mass, or is prevented from doing so, it
  attempts to use its wandering mind ability to frus-
  trate its targets, wearing them down psychologically.
  Only after its targets are weary and forlorn does it
  close in for the kill.
  Should someone be strong-minded enough to
  withstand both of these psychic assaults, that per-
  son finds that the changeling fog actually serves as
  a protector to them, watching over them for a
  single night before leaving forever.
  Should changeling fog attack in earnest, this
  insidious elemental creature attacks with vaporous
  tentacles that lash out at its victims, burning the
  skin with but a touch. Changeling fogs love to
  attack and retreat backwards, continually keeping
  their opponents at a distance with their long reach.
  Burning Body (Su): The vaporous body of
  changeling fog is corrosive. As a gaseous being, it
  can occupy the same space as other creatures.
  Anyone sharing mutual space with a changeling
  fog automatically suffers 2d6 acid damage per round.
  Haunting Call (Su): Changeling fog lures its
  prey closer by imitating the calls and cries of people
  known to its victims. Anyone within 100 feet of
  changeling fog hears the calls of people from her
  past, possibly friends or enemies. Those who can
  see the fog also see faint silhouettes of their associ-
  ates within the vapors. This is a phantasmal effect.
  Targets who hear or see the haunting call must
  make a DC 18 Will save or be compelled to
  approach each round. The save DC is Charisma-
  based. Those who make their Will save are immune
  to that changeling fog’s call for 24 hours.
  Creatures who fail their save must move as
  close as they can, trying to overcome any obstruc-
  tion by any means necessary, including attack.
  They continue in this fashion until they cannot
  hear or see the changeling fog.
  A creature lured by the sonic effect can be
  compelled into traveling a route that would cause
  its harm. However, targets led into obvious danger
  receive a new Will save. Targets who reach the
  changeling fog may make an additional Will save.
  If this final save is failed, the hapless victims stands
  and relives an encounter with her associates, while
  the changeling fog slowly burns away her flesh.
  Many a lonely traveler has been seeing in the
  distance, standing in a daze as her very flesh drips
  from her body.
  Wandering Mind (Su): It is well known that
  those who encounter changeling fog are often
  hopelessly lost, for the fog bends their minds in
  such a way that no one can correctly perceive their
  surroundings. Anyone within 100 feet of change-
  ling fog must make a DC 18 Will save. This Will
  save is Charisma-based.
  Those that fail the Will save become hope-
  lessly lost. They may travel up to a mile away while
  under the influence of this power, but they always
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  come back to the same point of origin. The point
  of origin is always the place where the target started
  moving after it failed its initial Will save.
  While the target is walking, he always myste-
  riously ends up back where she started. As long as
  the victim is under the effect of this power, there is
  no escaping being lost. Skill and magic do not foil
  this power, since the victim’s is being mentally
  manipulated back to the point of origin.
  Only a successful dispel magic or break enchant-
  ment can break someone free of wandering mind.
  Any outside observer watching the hapless
  target sees the person wander around aimless for a
  while, eventually ending up at the original starting
  point. Someone unaffected by the wandering mind
  ability can guide a confused victim out of his fugue.
  As soon as the victim is more than a mile away from
  the point of origin, the power of the wandering mind
  breaks, and the victim is no longer lost.
  Wandering mind is a phantasmal effect that
  exists within the mind of those it targets. Any
  creature  immune to a phantasm is also immune to
  wandering mind.
  Gaseous: All changeling fogs exist naturally
  in a gaseous state. Unlike most gaseous beings,
  changeling fog can physically attack other beings,
  since its touch is corrosive. Spells and spell-like
  abilities affect gaseous creatures normally. Its dam-
  age reduction protects it from physical attacks, but
  unlike incorporeal creatures, it does not ignore
  damage from a physical source 50% of the time.
  Changeling fog cannot enter water or other
  liquid. Being comprised of corrosive mist, this
  creature is neither ethereal nor incorporeal.
  Changeling fog can be forcibly moved by wind and
  air currents, but can never be completely dispersed.
  Discerning changeling fog from natural mist re-
  quires a DC 15 Spot check. However, if the
  changeling fog actively hides in an area with mist,
  smoke, or other gas, it gains a +24 bonus. Change-
  ling fog is naturally silent when it moves.
  Elemental Traits: Immune to poison, sleep,
  paralysis and stunning. Not subjects to critical hits
  and flanking. Changeling fogs possess no soul and
  cannot be resurrected. As elementals, changeling
  fogs need not eat, sleep, or breathe.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or mist reduced to half. +4 racial bonus
  to Hide and Move Silently checks while in fog.
  Immune to charm, domination, sleep, and all other
  mind-affecting magic. Immune to magic that alters
  their form. Immune to the effects of aging.
  Dread Possibilities
  A little boy wanders back into town with a
  new “friend.” A changeling fog has followed the
  child back to his home and continues to lurk
  nearby, “protecting” its new ward from harm.
  Goblyn Fog
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Huge Elemental (Air, Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  21d8+13 (178 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +6
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Fly 30 ft. (perfect)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  20 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +20 natural),
  touch 20, flat-footed 18
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple: +15/+30
  Attack: 
  Attack: 
  Attack: 
  Attack: 
  Attack: Slam
  +22 (2d8+7)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  2 slams +22 (2d8+7)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  20 ft. /15 ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Hideous transformation, alluring lair
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction
  10/–, elemental traits, Mist traits
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +10, Ref +14, Will +5
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str 25, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 8,
  Cha 16
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Spot +11, Listen +11
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Alertness, Awesome Blow, Combat
  Reflexes, Flyby Attack, Improved Bull
  Rush, Improved Grapple, Improved
  Initiative, Power Attack
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Solitary
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  9
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Double standard
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  None
  You notice that the Mists this night have a slightly
  greenish tinge to them. Past the curious vapors, you see
  the forest has taken on alien dimensions.  The trees
  have turned a sickly mauve color. Their bark oozes
  with a yellowish substance. Strange birds now sit in the
  trees, their bodies large and tumorous. And beyond all
  of this, you see a small cottage covered in lumpy,
  swelling vines. In the windows, strange shapes wander
  back and forth, shuffling and muttering in unknown
  languages.
   Goblyn fog is said to be a grave curse that
  completely befouls the land where it touches. Ac-
  cording to common folklore, goblyn fog completely
  corrupts any place it drifts, transforming plants
  into strange species and shaping animals into hid-
  eous, mutated forms.
  No one is certain as to the origins of this
  strange phenomenon, however, some sages specu-
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  DM’s Appendix
  late that goblyn fog was a creation by the dark
  priestess Radaga. According to these tales, a mist
  elemental that she was experimenting upon broke
  free in her lab one night, wreaking havoc. The
  priestess drove out the elemental, but not before it
  had been contaminated by the dark energies seeth-
  ing within her ruined laboratory.
  This warped elemental always appears to be a
  low hanging cloud with a greenish tint, immedi-
  ately distinguishing it from normal mist. Despite its
  appearance, goblyn fog is actually a substantial
  being that takes up space, though it is vaporous.
  Goblyn fog is not known to be able to speak,
  though it can understand almost any spoken lan-
  guage.
  Combat
  Goblyn fog usually lingers in an area for a
  while, corrupting it. Then, it moves on, seeking to
  corrupt other places. While it actively changes a
  locale, it always attempts to hide, lying low upon
  the ground. It tries not to engage in direct combat
  unless forced, preferring its mutated landscape to
  do the fighting for it.
  Hideous Transformation: Any living thing
  within a 300 ft. radius of goblyn fog is subject to its
  corrupting presence. After a day of the goblyn fog’s
  presence, all plants in the area grow discolored and
  bloated.
  On the second day of a goblyn fog’s presence,
  all plants in the area move of their own accord.
  Animals show signs of mutation, turning different
  colors and growing large tumors upon their body.
  Upon the third day of a goblyn fog’s presence,
  all plants attack any creature that is not corrupted,
  acting like an entangle spell in the area of effect (DC
  21 Reflex save partial, save is Wisdom-based).
  Furthermore, all animals in the area must make a
  DC 21 Fortitude save or gain the fiendish template
  (see Monster Manual for details). The save is Wis-
  dom-based. Creatures who gain the fiendish
  template through this process do not gain reality-
  wrinkles. Any sentient creature in the area must
  make a similar Fortitude save or become a caliban.
  On the fourth and final day of transformation,
  any sentient creature still in the area must make
  another DC 21 Fortitude save or forever turn into
  a goblyn (see Denizens of Dread for more informa-
  tion).
  Alluring Lair (Su): Whenever goblyn fog
  takes up residence in a specified area, all creatures
  within 300 ft. of its presence must make a DC 19
  Will save or be compelled to linger in that area.
  Any food eaten in the alluring lair seems to be
  delicious to the affected creature. The air in that
  area carries pleasant smells and the corrupted ele-
  ments of the environment appear hypnotically
  beautiful.
  Any creature in the designated zone may exit
  the area freely, but after 30 minutes outside, the
  creature becomes agitated. After an hour, the crea-
  ture must make another Will save or be compelled
  to return to the alluring lair for another 24 hours.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or mist reduced to half. +4 racial bonus
  to Hide and Move Silently checks while in fog.
  Immune to charm, domination, sleep, and all other
  mind-affecting magic. Immune to magic that alters
  their form. Immune to the effects of aging.
  Elemental Traits: Immune to poison, sleep,
  paralysis, and stunning. Not subjects to critical hits
  and flanking. Changeling fogs possess no soul and
  cannot be resurrected. As elementals, changeling
  fogs need not eat, sleep, or breathe.
  Dread Possibilities
  The party is hired to investigate the “poison-
  ing” of the town’s water supply. The people of the
  town are convinced that tampering with the water
  has led to the plant life in the area growing strangely.
  As the party races around following the clues, the
  town becomes more and more corrupted. Soon,
  familiar friends and allies begin to turn into calibans.
  Vanished
  Medium Fey (Mist)
  Medium Fey (Mist)
  Medium Fey (Mist)
  Medium Fey (Mist)
  Medium Fey (Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  4d6+4 (18 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +3
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  30 ft. (6 squares)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13,
  flat-footed 15
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+9
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Slam +4 melee (1d4+2) or soul
  reaping +5 ranged touch attack (1d6
  Con and Wis, DC 14 Fortitude save)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  4 slams +4 melee (1d4+2) or soul
  reaping +5 ranged touch attack (1d6
  Con and Wis, DC 14 Fortitude save)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  5ft. /5ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Sprouting arms, soul drink, soul reaping
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  There not there
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +5
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  DM’s Appendix
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str 14, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 12,
  Cha 15
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Hide +10, Knowledge (mist lore) +3,
  Listen +6, Move Silently +10, Spot
  +8, Survival +6
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Improved Grapple, Track
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Pack (6-11) or horde (50-100)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  4
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Standard
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  5-10 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  In the distance, a gathering of man-shapes can be
  seen. As they draw closer, however, disturbing details
  can be made out through the fog. These beings’ skin is
  a milky-white, the color of some putrid egg sack. And
  beneath their translucent covering, you can see a
  myriad of arms struggling to break free. Indeed, these
  things do not even have a face, only a wriggling mass
  of fingers.
  Long ago, in the early days of the Realm of
  Dread, a group of sylvan fey attempted to leave.
  They took their chances with the fog, hoping that
  somewhere, anywhere, would be better than where
  they dwelled.
  To their woe, this group of fey received their
  wish. They were lifted from the domain in which
  they dwelled. Because of their nomadic life style,
  they were unable to gather the food necessary to
  survive.  At the end, a small handful of them turned
  to cannibalism rather than face the long oblivion
  of starvation.
  These fey became universally shunned by all
  of their kind. They continued to dwell in the Mists,
  the vapors slowly changing their bodies until they
  completely lost their once-noble forms.
  Today, these poor beings are known as the
  vanished. Their bodies have become completely
  transformed by the Mists into a mockery of life.
  Each vanished is humanoid in shape, but the re-
  semblance to anything human ends there. Beneath
  the sickly membrane that passes for skin struggle
  the arms and legs of the souls they have consumed
  as cannibals. These creatures do not even have
  faces, but instead their round heads continually
  sprout hands and fingers as the souls of their con-
  sumed victims yearn to break free.
  The vanished can no longer speak, though
  they can understand sylvan and elvish. They can
  telepathically communicate with their own kind.
  Combat
  Vanished always attack in groups. Their goal is
  to take as many victims as they can, so that their
  gathering may feast upon souls. Once a victim has
  been killed, the vanished descend upon the dying
  person, drinking up her soul upon the moment of
  death.
  A vanished that dies explodes in a huge swarm
  of souls that go spiraling off in different directions.
  Sprouting arms (Su): Anytime a vanished
  fails a grapple check against its opponent, it may
  immediately repeat the grapple attempt. It may
  only make one repeat of the grapple attempt per
  round. When it does this, the vanished sprouts
  another set of arms that attempt to grab its oppo-
  nent.
  Soul Drink (Su): A victim who is killed by a
  vanished cannot be resurrected or brought back to
  the living by any means, unless the specific van-
  ished that killed that person is destroyed.
  Soul Reaping (Su): When engaging in this
  attack, the vanished rips one of the boiling souls
  from its body and to throws it at an opponent. The
  soul returns to the vanished’s body immediately.
  Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a 80 foot
  range and no range increment. Those hit by the
  attack must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or lose
  1d6 points of temporary Constitution and Wis-
  dom, as a piece of their soul is ripped away by the
  attack. The save is Charisma-based.
  There Not There (Su): This creature can
  appear and disappear in combat, by shifting into
  the Ethereal Plane. It is considered to be able to
  blink as per the spell. Doing so is a standard action.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or mist reduced to half. +4 racial bonus
  to Hide and Move Silently checks while in fog.
  Immune to charm, domination, sleep, and all other
  mind-affecting magic. Immune to magic that alters
  their form. Immune to the effects of aging.
  Dread Possibilities
  A group of fey approach the party with an
  unusual request.  They believe that they are part
  the original fey clan to which the vanished once
  belonged. They request that the party travel to an
  oubliette and capture some of the vanished there to
  see if they may be turned back to their former
  selves. This harrowing journey involves several
  problems: finding Vistani willing to take the PCs
  there, surviving the oubliette itself, and capturing
  a number of vanished alive. Undoubtedly, any
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  vanished taken must be either kept unconscious, or
  kept restrained with special ghost touch manacles,
  due to their there not there ability.
  Pale Rider
  Medium Undead (Mist, Incorporeal)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Incorporeal)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Incorporeal)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Incorporeal)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Incorporeal)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  9d12 (58 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +4
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Fly 30 ft. (perfect) or mounted fly 60
  ft. (perfect)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  16 (+4 Dex, +2 deflection) touch 16,
  flat-footed 12
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+4
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Incorporeal touch +8 melee (1d6 Con)
  or incorporeal ranged touch
  (longbow) +8 ranged (1d6 Dex)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  2 incorporeal touches +8 melee (1d6
  Con) or 2 incorporeal ranged touches
  (longbow) +8 ranged (1d6 Dex)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  5ft. /5ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Incorporeal touch, grant vengeance,
  instill aura, refuel the fire, price of
  failure
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Incorporeal traits, undead, ghostly
  mount
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str –, Dex 19, Con –, Int 15, Wis 14,
  Cha 18
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Hide +10(34), Knowledge (Mist lore)
  +14, Knowledge (any one) +14, Listen
  +14, Sense Motive +14, Spot +8, Ride
  +16, Spot +14, Survival +14
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat,
  Ride-By Attack, Track
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Chorus (3, 4, 7 or 13)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  6
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  None
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  10-15 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  Out of the fog step figures robed in white. They sit
  astride emaciated horses, whose bulging eyes bleed red
  tears. The figures’ faces and hands are both skeletal
  and ghostly, radiating an unearthly aura.
  Occasionally, a person’s heart will be con-
  sumed by the desire for retribution. On some dark
  nights, when the fog is right, the Mists will answer
  those desires. Whether deserved or not, the pale
  riders arrive before the vengeance-seeker and strike
  a dark bargain. The pale riders lend the revenge-
  pursuer their aid. But if this person cannot vanquish
  their most hated enemy within three nights, then
  the pale riders turn upon those who have called for
  them.
  Pale riders never intercede directly for the
  person who called for them. Instead, they use their
  powers to bolster their summoner, after which they
  leave the scene and allow the enhanced invidual
  time to act upon his desire for revenge. During the
  next three nights, the pale riders can occasionally
  be seen in the distance, watching their charge. If
  the person who called for revenge cannot fulfill it
  by the end of the third night, at dawn, the pale
  riders come to claim their former charge and haul
  him into the Mists.
  Pale riders can speak any language known to
  mortals.
  Combat:
  Pale riders appear before those who seek jus-
  tice and grant them one or all of their special
  Mist-blessings. The amount of bolstering their
  ward receives varies widely and is subject to a pale
  rider’s whim.
  These chilling creatures never engage in com-
  bat unless it is to destroy those who have failed in
  their promise of vengeance. Should they be at-
  tacked outside of this context, they vanish using
  their teleportation ability.
  When pale riders do attack, they do so with
  incorporeal swords and longbows. They fight their
  targets ruthlessly and without remorse. Anyone
  who aids their intended victim is also subject to
  attack. They never flee when they have initiated
  this combat, though they may use their teleportation
  ability to stay out of reach. Pale riders usually
  bolster each other with their own vengeance abili-
  ties before riding into conflict.
  Grant Vengeance (Sp): A pale rider can grant
  another the power of vengeance. Unlike other
  creatures with this ability, the pale rider need not
  touch its target. If the target accepts the power from
  the creature, then he or she gains a +2 to hit,
  damage and saving throws when the target next
  fights the object of its vengeance. This mist-bless-
  ing lasts for 24 hours.
  Note that these bonuses only last while the
  target is fighting the object of its vengeance. If it is
  fighting a minion, or making a save from a spell cast
  by a minion, the target does not receive these
  bonuses.
  Refuel the Fire (Sp): By using this power, the
  pale rider empowers another in the name of re-
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  DM’s Appendix
  venge. Unlike other creatures with this ability, the
  pale rider need not touch its target. Thereafter, the
  recipient of this power first receives a heal spell. If
  the target is undead, it instead receives the benefits
  of a harm spell. The target also gains the benefits of
  bless and prayer, and a +4 to an ability score of its
  choice. Additionally, the target becomes immune
  to damage from a single energy type. While under
  the effects of refuel the fire the target creature is
  immune to all poisons. These benefits last for 24
  hours.
  In order to receive this vengeful blessing, the
  target must willingly sacrifice a permanent point of
  Charisma. This Charisma point may never be
  recovered, even by means of a restoration or other
  restorative magics.
  Instill Aura (Sp): By extending its blessing,
  the pale rider can cause another to assume an “aura
  of vengeance.” While cloaked in this aura of ven-
  geance, the target is surrounded by a tangible
  sensation of wrath and violence. When the target
  next meets the object of its vengeance, its oppo-
  nent must make a Will save or become shaken. The
  Will save is always equal to 10 + + the target’s HD
  + target’s Charisma modifier.
  Price of Failure (Su): Any being who is
  granted one of the pale rider’s vengeance abilities
  may have it removed from them at any time, by the
  whim of the rider who granted it. Furthermore,
  those who fail in exacting vengeance within three
  nights’ time suffer an ignominious fate. They suffer
  -2 penalty to all ability scores, no saving throw.
  This penalty remains until the pale riders that
  Mist-blessed the target are destroyed. No kind of
  magical or natural healing will repair this ability
  damage. Should the pale riders be destroyed, the
  target immediately regains the lost ability points.
  Ghostly Mount: As long as a pale rider sit
  astride its mount, it gains the following abilities: 2
  /day teleport without error, find the path. A pale rider’s
  mount has the same stats as a light warhorse, except
  that it is undead, incorporeal and has no attacks.
  Undead Traits: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and dis-
  ease.  Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  Incorporeal Traits: Only hit by +1 or better
  weapons, or spells.  50% chance to ignore damage
  from corporeal source such as a physical attack or
  spell.  This does not apply to force-effects such as
  magic missile.  Can pass through solid objects at will,
  ignores natural armor, armor, and shields, but not
  deflection bonuses or force effects.  Always moves
  silently.
  Mist Subtype: All penalties due to conceal-
  ment by fog or mist reduced to half. +4 racial bonus
  to Hide and Move Silently checks while in fog.
  Immune to magic that alters their form.
  Dread Possibilities
  The pale riders present a myriad of possibilities
  for any campaign. If a particular villain has been
  troubling the party, they might be plagued by pale
  riders who constantly tempt them with the possi-
  bility of power and retribution. Another option is
  to have a beloved NPC swear an oath of ven-
  geance, and strike a dark bargain with a group of
  pale riders. Does the party help the revenge-sworn
  NPC? Yet another possibility is encountering an
  NPC who is constantly hunted by pale riders who
  seek to claim his soul after he failed a quest for
  justice. Only by completing the quest for justice
  can the NPC at last rest.
  Mist Weird
  Large Elemental (Mist)
  Large Elemental (Mist)
  Large Elemental (Mist)
  Large Elemental (Mist)
  Large Elemental (Mist)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  15d8+45 (112 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +6
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  30ft. (6 squares), fly 60 ft. (perfect)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  15 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +4 natural), touch
  11, flat-footed 13
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple:
  Base Attack/Grapple: +11/+16
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Slam +15 melee (2d6+7)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Slam +15/+10/+5 melee (2d6+7)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  10 ft. /10 ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Elemental command, elemental
  corruption, mist call, trapping fog,
  spells
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Alien mind, damage reduction 15/
  magic, Mist mastery, Mist pool, Mist
  sense, elemental traits, prescience,
  regeneration 10, spell resistance 25
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +8, Ref +13, Will +11
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str 21, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 20, Wis 23,
  Cha 22
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Bluff +15, Concentration +10,
  Diplomacy +17, Intimidate +15,
  Knowledge (any three) +12, Listen
  +6, Sense Motive +13, Spot +6
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Empower Spell, Improved Initiative,
  Lightning Reflexes, Maximize Spell,
  Misted Magic*, Quicken Spell
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
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  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Solitary, pair, or charm (3-4)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  12
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Double standard
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  7-12 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
  You see an extremely tall, beautiful creature that
  wears a womanly shape. Its transparent body is made
  up of rolling fog, which drifts in hypnotic circles over
  and over. Her wide-eyed gaze is full of madness,
  shining forth with a terrible white light. The lower half
  of her body dissipates into a long flowing tendril of fog
  that oozes back into the mist bank from which she
  flows.
  Elemental weirds are beings of foresight and
  prophecy. Adventurers and scholars who seek
  knowledge that can change the course of history
  search for these mysterious oracles.
  In Ravenloft, Mist weirds are elemental oracles
  that serve the Mists of Ravenloft directly. They are
  perhaps the closest thing anyone in the Dread
  Realms can find to a direct line to the Mists.
  To a mortal mind, a mist weird appears to be
  totally insane. Their service to the Mists means
  that they cannot conceive of things in a mortal
  fashion. They do not perceive time linearly, like
  most creatures. Every being they encounter has
  already come and gone in their minds. Every deci-
  sion that one will make has already been made. The
  realm itself is being born and is dying all at the same
  time. They understand neither logic nor emotion.
  They know only one thing: the will of the Mists.
  If an adventuring party discovers its lair, a mist
  weird is rarely surprised. Of course they discovered
  the lair. The Mists decreed it. If a mist weird utters
  some prophecy that is completely wrong, it is so
  because the Mists decided that the prophecy was
  wrong.
  Seeking advice from a Mist weird is a risky
  proposition. Sometimes the advice is sound. Some-
  times it is completely false. Nevertheless, many
  seek out these cryptic spirits in the hope of gaining
  some gem of knowledge.
  Mist weirds are extremely rare in the Dread
  Realms. Their scarcity is increased by the fact that
  Darklords usually try to trap them as soon as pos-
  sible. Such schemes often end in disaster. There are
  rumors of other Ravenloft elemental weirds such as
  blood weirds, grave weirds, and pyre weirds. How-
  ever, these tales are largely unsubstantiated.
  Mist weirds can speak any language of the
  Core as well as Auran.
  Combat
  Facing a Mist weird is extremely difficult at
  best. Uninvited creatures who enter the fog that
  houses the weird are instantly transported away.
  Even if an opponent gains an invitation into the
  fog, a Mist weird can always use its own Mistway to
  escape a conflict. In times of emergency, the Mist
  weird uses its trapping fog power to slow opponents.
  As a last resort, it summons elementals to fight for
  it. A Mist weird always prefers to flee rather than
  fight.
  Alien Mind (Su): A Mist weird’s mind is a
  strange amalgam of images, prophecy and whis-
  pers. Anyone attempting to read the mind or make
  telepathic contact with a Mist weird must make a
  DC 23 Madness save or contract a moderate mad-
  ness. This save is Charisma-based.
  Elemental Command (Su): A Mist weird can
  attempt to control any elemental within 100 feet
  regardless of that elemental’s type. The elemental
  must make a DC 23 Will save or fall under the Mist
  weird’s control. This save is Charisma-based. An
  elemental that makes its Will save is immune from
  the Mist weird’s yoke for 24 hours. Mist weirds may
  control as many elementals as they wish. Once an
  elemental falls under the influence of a Mist weird,
  its servitude lasts for only 24 hours. It then is
  allowed to make a new Will save.
  Elemental Corruption (Su): A Mist weird
  can corrupt any elemental under its command. As
  a standard action, it may transform a standard
  elemental into a Ravenloft elemental. More infor-
  mation about Ravenloft elementals can be found
  in Denizens of Dread.
  Alternatively, the Mist weird may also bestow
  the Mist subtype upon any elemental that serves it.
  Mist Call (Su): A Mist weird can create a
  patch of fog that is 20 feet in radius and 20 feet high.
  It can summon this patch of fog up to 310 feet away.
  This patch of fog last for as long as the creature
  wishes. In all other respects, this effect resembles
  the fog cloud spell. The patch of fog can linger up to
  150 minutes.
  It is risky to use this ability, since the Mists do
  not like being constantly beckoned. Each time this
  power is used, there is a %5 cumulative chance per
  encounter that the fog called for does not come at
  all. If a “00” is ever rolled, this power completely
  backfires, creating a patch of mist in the worst
  possible area for the encounter.
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  Mist Pool (Su): All Mist weirds are trapped
  within a bank of fog which they may never leave.
  The fog bank is always at least 40 feet across. Their
  Mist banks always contain a Mistway that leads to
  a place of their choosing. While the Mist weird
  cannot leave its Mist bank, it may be transported by
  the Mists themselves. Alternatively, the weird may
  make use of its own Mistway.
  Three times a day, the weird can summon
  guardians from the folds of its Mist bank. It may
  summon 2d4 huge elementals, 1d2 greater
  elementals, or 1 elder elemental. These summoned
  elementals may be of any type. However, they must
  be native Ravenloft elementals. The summoned
  elementals, of course, do not arrive under the
  control of the Mist weird. It must take control of
  each summoned elemental in turn.
  Anyone who dares to enter the foggy pool
  uninvited by the inhabiting Mist weird is instantly
  transported by the Mists. The Mist weird has no
  choice as to where the offending trespasser goes.
  Prescience (Su): At will and as a free action,
  the weird can duplicate the effect any of the follow-
  ing spells: analyze dweomer, clairaudience/
  clairvoyance, commune with nature, dark sentinels*,
  detect thoughts, discern location, find the path, fore-
  sight, greater scrying, identify spoor*, immerse mind*,
  insight*, legend lore, locate creature, locate object, see
  ethereal resonance*, tongues, true seeing, vision. Note
  that many of these spells function differently in
  Ravenloft.
  *Denotes a spell found in Van Richten’s
  Arsenal.
  Trapping Fog (Su): A Mist weird can make a
  bank of fog become solid, as per the spell solid fog.
  This power affects a bank of fog that is 20 ft. in
  radius and 20 ft. high. Solid fog is so thick that any
  creature attempting to move through it progresses
  at a speed of 5 feet, regardless of its normal speed.
  Such beings also suffer a –2 to penalty to all melee
  attack and damage rolls. The viscous Mist also
  prevents effective ranged weapon attacks. Magical
  rays and the like still function. Any creature falling
  into solid fog is slowed, so that each 10 feet of vapor
  that it falls through reduces the falling damage by
  1d6. A creature can’t take a 5 foot step while in
  trapping fog. Unlike normal fog, only a severe wind
  (31 + mph) will disperse this enchanted fog, doing
  so in 1 round.
  The trapping fog lingers for 21 minutes.
  Spells (Su): A Mist weird can cast arcane
  spells and divine spells from the Air and Mist
  domains as an 18th level sorcerer (spells known 9/5/
  5/4/4/4/3/3/2/1; spells/day 6/8/8/7/7/7/7/6/5/3; save
  DC 16 + spell level).
  Mist Mastery (Ex): A Mist weird gains a +1
  bonus to damage rolls while its opponent is in fog.
  Mist Sense (Su): A Mist weird can automati-
  cally pinpoint and sense where any creature is so
  long as it is both within some form of fog and within
  100 feet.
  Dread Possibilities
  Mist weirds present a wide variety of plot
  twists for a campaign. They might be the object of
  a quest in which the party must find the answer to
  a riddle. Alternately, a Mist weird might know of a
  way to break a specific curse on a person or land.
  Also consider how the local Darklord might react
  if he or she knows a Mist weird is nearby? What
  happens when the Vistani try to get rid of a nearby
  Mist weird, because it is muscling in on their
  soothsaying turf?
  In a campaign setting where mystery is para-
  mount, an oracle that might provide answers
  becomes an intriguing plot hook.
  Kalij
  Medium Undead (Mist, Gaseous)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Gaseous)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Gaseous)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Gaseous)
  Medium Undead (Mist, Gaseous)
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  Hit Dice:
  6d12 (39 hp)
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  Initiative:
  +3
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Speed:
  Fly 30 ft. (perfect)
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  Armor Class:
  13 (+3 Dex) touch 13, flat-footed 10
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple:
  Base Attack /Grapple: +3/+10
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Attacks:
  Incorporeal touch +6 melee (1d6 Con)
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Full Attack:
  Incorporeal touch +6 melee (1d6 Con)
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  Space/Reach:
  5ft. /5ft.
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Special Attacks:
  Incorporeal touch, breath stealer
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Special Qualities:
  Gaseous traits, low-light vision,
  resistance to cold and electricity 10,
  undead traits, Mist subtype
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Saves:
  Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +5
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Abilities:
  Str –, Dex 16, Con –, Int 8, Wis 11,
  Cha 15
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Skills:
  Hide +12(36), Listen +6, Search +5,
  Spot +6,
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Feats:
  Dodge, Improved Grapple, Mobility
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Environment:
  Any
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Organization:
  Solitary or coven (2-4)
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  Challenge Rating:
  4
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  Treasure:
  None
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Alignment:
  Always chaotic evil
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  Advancement:
  7-12 HD (Medium)
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  Level Adjustment:
  —
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  You see a slow mist pooling upon the floor. Right
  before your eyes, the vapors rise, taking on hideous
  proportions. The white wisps form into the shapes of
  eyes and a mouth. Soon, you see the countenance of an
  old crone drawn in the fog itself. Its lips move as if to
  speak, but no words come forth from its insubstantial
  mouth.
  The kalij exist for a single purpose — to draw
  the breath from their victims, preferably sleeping
  new born babes. These vaporous terrors are some-
  times created when a grieving mother whispers
  dark prayers to the Mists. Many times, a kalij can be
  formed when a mother in mourning flees into the
  fog, never to be seen again. In Hazlan, some Rashemi
  mothers who have lost their children are known to
  commit this final act out of revenge for their
  murdered child or sometimes out of sheer despera-
  tion and madness.
  These beings are often blamed for crib deaths
  all over the Core, but they exist predominantly in
  Hazlan, where it is a tradition for a family member
  to stay up with a newborn each night, to ward away
  these foul spirits.
  The kalij always appear as wisps of fog. Occa-
  sionally, the features of an old crone can be made
  out in the Mist. Kalij cannot speak any language,
  though they can understand any language they
  spoke in life. They can communicate telepathi-
  cally with their own kind.
  Combat
  The kalij live off of the living breath of their
  victims. If possible, they will pick out an easy
  target, suck out their victim’s breath and flee. If
  pursued or somehow cornered, a kalij fights fiercely,
  first weakening its victim with its incorporeal touch
  and then using its breath stealer attack to deliver the
  final blow.
  Breath Stealer (Su): Once per round, a kalij
  can make a special touch attack. If it succeeds, the
  creature may attempt a special opposed grapple
  check against its opponent. The kalij’s grapple
  bonus uses its Dexterity instead of its strength. If
  the creature wins the grapple, it has wrestled itself
  into its victims nostrils or mouth and drawn out its
  breath.‘
  A victim who has had its breath drawn from it
  can no longer breathe, and immediately begins
  holding its breath. Once the poor victim has run
  out of breath, he begins to suffocate. Rule for
  holding one’s breath and suffocation are found in
  the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
  The only way a victim can get his breath back
  is by destroying the kalij that took it or by receiving
  a remove curse or heal spell.
  Gaseous Traits: Can be affected by spells or
  spell-like effects, as well as magical attacks that
  overcome its damage reduction. Cannot enter water
  or other liquid. This creature is neither ethereal
  nor incorporeal. Can be forcibly moved by wind
  and air currents but can never be completely dis-
  persed. Discerning a kalij from natural mist requires
  a DC 15 Spot check. If it is actively trying to hide
  in fog, it gains a +24 to its Hide check. A kalij is
  naturally silent when it moves.
  Mist Subtype: Has low-light vision. All pen-
  alties due to concealment by fog or mist reduced to
  half. +4 racial bonus to Hide and Move Silently
  checks while in fog. Immune to charm, domina-
  tion, sleep, and all other mind-affecting magic.
  Immune to magic that alters their form. Immune to
  the effects of aging.
  Undead Traits: Immune to mind-influencing
  effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and dis-
  ease.  Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage,
  ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive
  damage.
  Dread Possibilities
  The party befriends a kindly woman who takes
  them into her home. Unfortunately, the woman’s
  child is kidnapped by a local cult and sacrificed. In
  a fit of blind anguish, the woman runs off into the
  fog. As the party hunts down the evil cult, they
  have to deal with a new problem. The spirit of their
  former friend has become a kalij, and now seeks the
  lives of the other children in the village.
  Sword & Sorcery http://www.swordsorcery.com
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/D&D 3rd Edition/Ravenloft/Van Richtens Guide To The Mists.pdf