Geography In most campaign settings, the features of the physical world are not unlike those of our own Earth, though there are elements of the fantastic to be considered. The magical world of Krynn, for example, has been tremendously altered by the great dragons who rule it. For all these changes, however, the world is still more or less Earthlike. Rivers flow from the mountains to the seas, the distant horizon limits the line of sight, and mountains form where tectonic plates crash together. These and many other absolutes govern the geography of Krynn, Faerun, Oerth, and most other known worlds. The Demiplane of Dread, on the other hand, is not subject to such concerns. The Land of Mists is an artificial place created for an unknown purpose. No one knows who or what dictates reality in Ravenloft. The Demiplane of Dread comprises several distinct regions. The most obvious of these are the Mists. It is from these vaporous swirls that the dark powers draw forth the prisons in which they confine the various domain lords. In this section, we shall examine those prisons and the macabre properties common to them all. Individual realms are described in Chapters Two, Three, and Four. Realms of Horror The domains of Ravenloft fall into four general categories: Pockets, Islands of Terror, Clusters, and the Core. Pockets are simply domains within other domains, while Islands are single realms completely surrounded by the Mists. The Clusters usually contain two to four domains and also float freely in the Mists. The Core is a continent of over twenty domains and two seas. It is by far the largest landmass in the Demiplane. The Pockets Pockets are the most minor of Ravenloft's terrible prisons. When a creature is first awarded a realm of its own, it is almost always a Pocket domain. While there are no set rules for establishing the physical boundaries of such a place, the Pockets share many similar characteristics. A Pocket domain lies completely within the borders of another, larger domain. (However, the islands in the Sea of Sorrows and the Nocturnal Sea do not follow this rule. Those islands with independent darklords count as Core domains.) Further, a Pocket domain will always be ruled by a demilord. More powerful creatures will command larger regions like Islands or Core domains. Examples of fixed Pocket domains include Davion and the House of Lament. Many Pockets are fleeting in nature. They appear from time to time, linger long enough to torment a handful of explorers, and then change again. If the demilord that rules the domain is slain, the Pocket domain breaks up and disintegrates. Those who were trapped there along with the demilord are generally returned to the region where they were prior to entering the Pocket domain. Some Pocket domains are not even physically rooted to a geographical location. Those domains that move about are called Floating domains. Floating domains are always within the borders of another domain, but they do not necessarily conform to the laws of that domain. Examples of Floating domains include The Nightmare Lands and Scaena. The Islands Though larger than Pockets, Islands of Terror are still ringed on all sides by the Mists. Islands are also far more stable than Pockets, often lasting for years or decades before either breaking up or becoming part of a Cluster. An Island realm is generally composed of a lair, which may once have been a Pocket domain, and the surrounding geographical region. In most cases, Islands are fairly small, but some are massive. The Island of Sri Raji, before becoming a part of the Steaming Lands Cluster, was nearly as large as some Core domains. Examples of Islands include Bluetspur, Souragne, and Vorostokov. The Clusters In the wake of the Grand Conjunction, many a mysterious change has swept through the Demiplane of Dread. None is more fascinating, perhaps, than the appearance of Clusters. A Cluster is a gathering of domains which, on their own, would probably be classified as Islands of Terror. To be sure, most of the currently identified Clusters have been forged out of fragments that were previously Islands. To date, there are five known Clusters and perhaps a good many more waiting to be discovered and explored. The identified Clusters are the Shadowborn, the Steaming Lands, the Amber Wastes, the Burning Peaks, and Zherisia. The Core The Core domains are the darkest of the dark. Indeed, when anyone speaks of the Demiplane of Dread, he is almost certainly thinking of the Core. The vast majority of the Core domains have a temperate climate and a more or less rugged, forested geography. Some scholars, in light of the recent formations of the Clusters, insist that the Core itself is little more than a giant Cluster. However, the fact that this region is dominated by the darklords, the most powerful of all the prisoners of the Mists, indicates that the Core is more sinister than the Clusters or Islands of Terror. Further evidence that the Core is unique can be found in the fact that it appears to center around the domain of Barovia, home of Strahd von Zarovich and the first realm to rise from the Mists. Domain Evolution Sometimes, if a domain lord has proven his evil nature, his powers might even increase. Alternatively, domain lords have also been known to decrease in power. When either of these circumstances occur, the domain is transformed as well. A perfect example of this evolution can be found in Daclaud Heinfroth (Dr. Dominiani). After the death of Gundar, former darklord of Gundarak, Dr. Dominiani took control of the domain. However, after the Grand Conjunction, he was not made darklord of Gundarak. Instead, he was rewarded with his own Island of Terror. The vile Dr. Dominiani found himself a lord, master of Dominia. At that time, his power extended only to the edge of his private sanitorium grounds. With the continuation of his work, however, he eventually became a darklord; his domain settled in the Sea of Sorrows, becoming one of the Core domains. It is worth noting that his domain was never a Pocket or part of any Cluster. Thus, it is obvious that no rigid progression exists from one type of lord to another. The most recent domain evolution was the formation of Clusters, which began during the Grand Conjunction. Many of the Islands of Terror joined to form these Clusters. Exactly what force can draw two or more Islands together is not yet known. So far, it seems that all Clusters are composed of realms with a similar geography and climate. The exception to this, however, appears to be the Shadowborn Cluster, which was drawn together by the curse hanging over the Shadowborn bloodline.

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