This section contains information on the Sea of Sorrows and some of its major islands, including Markovia.
The Sea of Sorrows
The Land: The Sea of Sorrows is a mist-haunted body of water to the west of the Core. These dark waves are traveled by Captain Pieter van Riese in the ghost ship Relentless.
The waters of the Sea of Sorrows are bitter, stormy, and cold. Dense fogs constantly shroud the surface, and terrifying nor'westers can materialize without warning. It is a rare day when a lockout can see more than a mile ahead of the ship, and none can truthfully say that they have seen the sun or stars while sailing on this haunted body of water.
The fogs of the Sea are extraordinarily thick and clammy. When a ship sails into a fog bank, time seems to stop. An unnerving silence sets in as the Mist deadens all sound and chills voyagers to the bone. Visibility is reduced to a few yards, forcing all sailing vessels to drift helplessly at the mercy of the winds and currents.
Efforts by mariners and explorers to chart the Sea of Sorrows are hampered by the fact that most of the sea is hidden by eternal fog banks. No two captains have been able to chart a consistent course to the lands that are rumored to exist there. One captain who holds a course through the Mists will reach the island of Dominia, while another (or even the same captain) will find himself running aground on the barren shores of Bluetspur when trying to plot the same course. (Note: This is because the Sea of Sorrows actually gives way to the Misty Border.)
The Sea of Sorrows is one of the Demiplane's largest domains. It is so large, in fact, that at least six other darklords have domains within it.
A few scattered islands lie hidden in the Mists of the Sea of Sorrows. Few landings have been recorded on any of these isles, and it is extremely unusual to encounter the same island twice, no matter how long one searches. Most seafarers keep the coasts of the Core in sight when sailing this sea.
Cultural Level: Varies by island or ship encountered.
The Folk: The Sea of Sorrows itself has no native human inhabitants, but mariners from Lamordia, Necropolis, Dementlieu, and Mordent often brave its dangerous waters. Fishermen, sealers, and traders ply the sea between those realms in small numbers. Martira Bay is home to a shipyard that builds some of the finest vessels of the Core, while Port-a-Lucine, Ludendorf, and Mordentshire serve as major ports.
Many of the scattered islands in the ocean are inhabited, however. The most prominent of those (except for Markovia, which is described later) include the following:
Blaustein - This small island is ruled by the iron fist of a madman. Known as Bluebeard, this handsome, graybearded fiend dwells in a castle perched over the island's single village like a vicious guard dog. Those ships that have landed here have been either chased off by club-wielding villagers or have been commanded to appear before Bluebeard. The villagers are fanatically loyal to their lord, although the gallows on the edge of town always have at least one fresh corpse swinging on them. Strangely enough, the citizens of the village do not seem to recall that the executed person was once one of their neighbors.Native Player Characters: No locations in the Sea of Sorrows lend themselves to the creation of player characters. Still, a hero can easily be from one of the mainland port towns in Mordent, Dementlieu, or Lamordia.One visit to Blaustein is generally all any crew needs before deciding never to go back.
Cultural Level: Early medieval.
The Darklord: Bluebeard.
Further Reading: For more information on Bluebeard and his island, see the Darklords accessory.
Demise - One of two sizable island in the Lamordian island chain called the Finger, Demise is home to a tragic creature known as Althea. This medusa is trapped within the confines of an extensive labyrinth made from white stone, and she has been driven insane by loneliness.
The Darklord: Althea.
Further Reading: Althea and Demise are described in the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II.
Dominia - Dr. Daclaud Heinfroth's Asylum for the Mentally Disturbed is the only settlement on this tiny island, which is located about fifty miles west-south-west of Markovia. Originally from Gundarak, Dr. Heinfroth is recognized as Ravenloft's leading expert on mental disorders.
The Darklord: Dr. Daclaud Heinfroth (also known as Dr. Dominiani).
Further Reading: For full details on the asylum and the horrible experiments Dr. Heinfroth performs on his patients, see the boxed campaign Bleak House.
Ghastria - The island of Ghastria is home only to the village of East Riding. The settlement lies four miles inland along a well-marked road that leads from a natural harbor. Roughly six hundred people live here, and they are all the tenants of Marquis Stezen D'Polarno, whom merchants say rules the island with a benevolent hand.
Crops on Ghastria grow healthy and plentiful, but ships who carry victuals and foodstuffs to the island will find eager customers. Those who have spent any length of time on Ghastria understand why: Although the produce and meat here appears wholesome and smells delectable when prepared, it is, in fact, utterly tasteless. Only food imported from the mainland has any flavor.
The Darklord: Stezen D'Polarno.
Further Reading: For more information on East Riding and Stezen D'Polarno, see the Darklords accessory.
Isle of Agony - The second of two sizable islands in the Lamordian island chain is reportedly home to either a man-eating sea monster or the devil himself. Though it is the location of one of the few dimensional gates that will allow heroes to travel beyond the boundaries of the Demiplane, no one with any sense lands upon this island willingly.
The Darklord: Adam (as this island is actually part of the domain of Lamordia).
Further Reading: The Isle of Agony is described in the adventure Adam's Wrath.
Personalities of Note: Each inhabited island features its own cast of chilling characters.
Encounters: Native creatures of the Sea of Sorrows are scarce. Seals, whales, and schools of cold-water fish are hunted by daring captains. The mariners of the coastal domains have an unwritten code of nonaggression on the sea; all seafarers are brothers in the face of such a treacherous and changeable ocean.
The Sea of Sorrows has several monstrous denizens. Among these are bowlyns, reavers, and sea spawn, all of which are detailed in the three RAVENLOFT Monstrous Compendium Appendices. The most terrifying encounter, however, is a sighting of the Relentless, the ghost ship of Captain Pieter van Riese. It is said that any ship unfortunate enough to meet the Relentless will never again return to port.
Darklord of the Sea of Sorrows
Captain Pieter van Riese
Fifth-Magnitude Ghost, Neutral Evil
Lawful Neutral/Chaotic Evil
| Armor Class | -5/0* | Str | 17 | ||||
| Movement | 12 | Dex | 15 | ||||
| Level/ Hit Dice | 14 | Con | 17 | ||||
| Hit Points | 62 | Int | 14 | ||||
| THAC0 | 7 | Wis | 9 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 | Cha | 16 | ||||
| Damage/ Attack | 1d12 and drains 3 levels | ||||||
| Special Attacks | Ghostly abilities | ||||||
| Special Defences | +4/+2* magical weapon or better to hit | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | 50% | ||||||
* The first number applies when Van Riese is ethereal and his opponent is not; the second number applies when either Van Riese is corporeal or his opponent becomes ethereal.
Pieter van Riese is a powerful apparition who sails the Sea of Sorrows in his spectral ship, the Relentless. He and his ship appear much as they did in life, though they are now translucent wraiths.
Captain van Riese is a tall, broad-shouldered man with a strong jaw, a close-cropped beard of iron gray, and deepset eyes that smolder like coals. He wears a dark, high-collared bridge coat and a battered sealskin cap.
Relentless is a square-rigged brigantine that always appears to be in full sail, regardless of the actual wind conditions. She carries no crew save her captain, who paces the quarterdeck like a caged animal. Van Riese is capable of willing the Relentless into a corporeal state, and when she is solid, she cannot be distinguished from an ordinary vessel.
Background: For almost all of his life, Pieter van Riese sailed the seas of his home world. He stowed away on his first voyage and worked his way up from cabin boy to boatswain's mate. After many years, Van Riese saved enough money to become master of his own ship.
Van Riese had a dream of finding a northern passage from the seas of his home to the exotic, treasure-laden isles of the east, so he searched the arctic waters endlesssly supporting his expeditions with whaling and sealing. Time and time again, he was defeated by the icy seas and treacherous fogs.
Gradually, Van Riese's dream became an obsession. The wealth and fame he would gain in finding a passage meani nothing to him; it became a personal battle against the northern seas. Van Riese drove his crews mercilessly, believing that their weaknesses kept him from reaching his goal.
In his final voyage, Van Riese struggled for more than two months to round the ice-bound northern islands. Relentless was battered savagely by howling gales and mountainous seas. The crew begged their captain to turn back, but Van Riese could not be swayed. He executed the crew's spokesmen and continued his war against the sea.
At the height of the gale, the Relentless herself was finally defeated. Her foremast was lost, and she began taking on water. Captain van Riese's rage was awful. In the moment of his defeat, he promised his life and those of his crew to any being who could help him force the passage. His offer was accepted.
The gale abated, the ship righted herself, and Captain van Riese found himself sailing in the fog-shrouded waters he thought he had sought for so long. However, his crew was gone, and his beloved Relentless had become a spectral apparition.
Current Sketch: Van Riese now sails the Sea of Sorrows, charting the islands he finds there. He wishes to return to his homeworld eventually and prove that the passage he sought for so long is indeed traversable. The mere sight of the Relentless is considered a dire omen for seafarers on the Sea of Sorrows.
Captain van Riese is growing increasingly frustrated, however. It seems that the islands of the Sea of Sorrows keep moving, so his charts are never accurate. The Mists confound him at every turn. He crosses and recrosses the sea, double-checking his charts, forever making corrections.
Captain van Riese believes it is his crew that keeps failing him and that a new crew will enable him to finally escape. He searches for courageous and skillful mariners, luring them aboard the Relentless with promises of far ports and great riches. Those who listen to him vanish when the Relentless resumes her ghostly state, and those who refuse Van Riese's offer provoke his inhuman wrath.
Closing the Borders: Pieter van Riese can close the borders of his domain by causing an impenetrable fog to arise, becalming any vessel trying to leave. Flyers sink slowly into the rough, shark-infested waters.
Combat: Captain Pieter van Riese has a number of unusual powers. His touch does not age his victims, but instead drains life energy (experience levels) from them and causes 1d12 points of chilling damage. Van Riese is also able to dominate any living person who meets his gaze.
The sight of the Relentless forces living characters to make a successful saving throw vs. spell or be paralyzed with fear for as long as she remains in sight. Van Riese can also create fog clouds, shadow monsters, solid fog, or walls of fog at will within five hundred yards of the Relentless. In addition, he can summon 2d4 bowlyns to aid him.
Van Riese's weakness is his bond with the Relentless. Should the vessel ever be destroyed, Van Riese would be destroyed as well. Of course, it is not easy to sink a ghost ship.
Note: The islands in the Sea of Sorrows are domains of other darklords. Van Riese has no control over those territories since he cannot set foot on land.
