The Land: Kartakass is a heavily forested domain with very few settlements in the rugged foothills of the Balinoks. The hills are riddled with caverns, both small and large. Fog is common in low areas, rising from the soil as the afternoon sun begins to wane. The brush is dense, the ground is rocky, and the way through the trees is twisted. When straying from a road or clearing, riders on horseback barely move faster than a man on foot. When fog sets in, riding off-trail becomes impossible; riders must lead their mounts, while clearing the branches aside with an outstretched hand. The wolves in Kartakass are unusually bold. They often wander the streets of the towns at night, and they can breach any gate not securely fastened.
The town of Skald, near the center of Kartakass, is home to nearly two thousand people. The place is known for its sheep, which have particularly fine wool. The houses are almost all one story, with wooden frames and steep, densely thatched roofs. The homes have many small, arched windows, each with heavy, blue or green shutters that can be locked and barred from inside. Villagers must labor continuously to maintain the thatched roofs because night birds pick mercilessly at the straw. To avoid the problem, a few wealthy men have capped their homes with imported red tiie.
The village of Harmonia, in the south, shelters about fifteen hundred people. They claim to have the finest singing voices in Ravenloft, and only the people of Skald dispute this. Harmonian architecture matches the description above, but the houses are larger. Villagers harbor livestock under their own roofs, in separate quarters at the rear of the house. Despite such precautions, their animals still fall prey to foxes and wolves.
Kartakans clear the land around each settlement for farming. Vegetables with bulbous roots thrive in the black Kartakan soil; beets grow to be ten pounds or more apiece. These dark red bulbs and their green leafy tops are staples in the local cuisine.
Berries called meekulbern grow in wild, thorny thickets in the Kartakan hills. Natives distill the berries into meekulbrau. Reputedly, the bitter brew relaxes the throat and sweetens the voice. This acquired taste is despised by most foreigners.
Cultural Level: Medieval.
The Folk: Most Kartakans have fair hair, blue-violet eyes, and pale complexions. Occasionally, a raven-haired child is born, with the same ivory skin and startling gaze. They are a lean, graceful breed.
Kartakans have rich, melodious voices - the kind granted to angels or sirens. The people have a melody for every labor, a song for every occasion. Their music drifts through the forests and echoes across the hills. Many tunes seem filled with sorrow, but in general Kartakans are content with life and fear only marauding wolf packs.
The language spoken in Kartakass is similar to that spoken in Hazlan, yet oddly enough, it shares many elements with elvish; foreign heroes who know either of those languages have a 5% chance of understanding any conversation, with an additional 1% added to that chance for each day spent among the populace.
The people of Kartakass love nothing more than a good story. Most can spin yarns easily, due to years of practice. As the wolves prowl outside at night, families gather at the hearth to exchange tall tales. They call these tales feeshkas (meaning "little lies"). A visitor who asks a Kartakan a simple question is likely to hear a believable tall tale that sends him on a wild goose chase. The natives try the same tricks on each other and are good natured about being the victims of such a ruse. No one, however, deliberately sends a friend on a chase that may very well strand him in the wilderness at night.
Native Player Characters: All allowable Ravenloft classes are permitted to Kartakan natives. Every Kartakan hero gains the singing nonweapon proficiency for free.
Personalities of Note: Harkon Lukas, Meistersinger of Skald, is the domain's most famous bard and greatest expert in traditional and divine songs. The people of Kartakass revere him for his talent and his stoicism in the face of personal suffering. Many songs have been written about Akriel Lukas's attempt to slay her father and Harkon's own attempt to establish a relationship with his illegitimate son, Casimir. Harkon never performs these songs himself.
The Law: Kartakass has no central government. Each village has a Meistersinger - a kind of singing mayor - who sets rules and arbitrates any and all disputes in that village and its surroundings.
The Meistersinger also instructs the children in music. Kartakans believe that the gods handed down many of their songs. These divine songs, called mora, teach lessons about morality, goodness, and happiness. The Meistersinger nurtures order and harmony in the village by passing on these moral lessons. Knowledge of mora, and the ability to interpret and sing them well, determine his stature in Kartakass. Each village holds an annual singing and storytelling contest to determine who will be Meistersinger, but incumbents usually retain their positions for many years.
Encounters: Each day, characters have a 50% chance for an incidental encounter. Each hour during the night, they have a 25% chance for an encounter. At least half of these encounters will involve wolves - normal wolves, dire wolves, werewolves, wolfweres, and (in winter) winter wolves.
Further Reading: Harkon Lukas's conflict with his daughter Akriel is detailed in the adventure Feast of Goblins. Harkon and his son Casimir are featured in the novel Heart of Midnight, while the Meistersinger's attempt to escape the Misty bounds of Ravenloft is detailed in Death of a Darklord.
Harkon Lukas
7th-Level Wolfwere Bard, Neutral Evil
| Armor Class | 8 (3) | Str | 14 (18) | ||||
| Movement | 12, Fl 18(C) | Dex | 16 | ||||
| Level/ Hit Dice | 16/12 | Con | 15 (18) | ||||
| Hit Points | 62 | Int | 16 | ||||
| THAC0 | 10 | Wis | 10 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 (2) | Cha | 18 | ||||
| Damage/ Attack | By weapon or 2d6/2d6 | ||||||
| Special Attacks | Singing, spells (3/2/1) | ||||||
| Special Defences | Iron or +1 weapon to hit | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | 10% | ||||||
As a wolfwere Lukas can assume three different shapes at will: humanoid, half wolf, and dire wolf (each transformation takes one round). Dire wolf is his natural form, but Harkon does not favor it as do other wolfweres. As a humanoid, he can choose which race to imitate and can assume both male and female forms. His appearance in each race and gender is always similar, however. In the stat description above, the numbers in parentheses reflect his half-wolf state unless otherwise noted.
In human male form, Harkon is a bard of exceptional charisma and physical beauty. He stands six feet two inches tall, and he is well muscled with perfect proportions. He has thick, wavy black hair, a finely trimmed black beard, and a long, pointy mustache. He frequently wears a fine costume of azure silk trousers, a white ruffled shirt, and a gold coat. A wide-brimmed, blue hat with a white feather tops the costume. The baggy trousers are tucked into shiny, black leather riding boots. Bits of small jewelry - rings, necklaces, etc. - and a wide, black leather belt with silver buckle complete his dress. He may be encountered wearing almost any fancy costume, however. The only constants are a monocle (for which he has a strange affection), an elaborately carved harp, and a sword with a finely crafted basket hilt.
As a human female, Lukas has dark brown eyes, a bewitching smile, and gleaming black hair that falls to the waist. Her feminine beauty is breathtaking. She wears loose scarlet pantaloons tucked in boots, a white flowing blouse, and a short open vest of gold brocade.
In half-wolf form Harkon stands seven feet tall. His clothes, which fit his human form loosely, can accommodate the change. His head becomes that of a wolf, and his body remains human, though covered with fur. He sprouts no claws, but sharp, canine fangs offset the loss.
Background: Lukas grew up in Cormyr, where he was a misfit among wolfweres. He asked too many questions and hated solitude, which was unnatural for his species. Also, unlike his chaotic brethren, he made long-range plans. Larger and stronger than most of his kind, he was left to himself more and more - precisely the opposite of what he desired. When he reached adulthood, Lukas attempted to unify a group of wolfweres into a small tribe. Of course, the solitary creatures shunned him.
Lukas seethed with rage and embarked on a killing spree through the farmlands of Cormyr, venting his wrath on the innocent. When his rage cooled, he decided to enter the world of men, for these extremely expressive creatures fascinated him. He traveled as a wandering minstrel for many years, killing mostly farm animals and vagrants. He felt superior to his kind, but he lacked purpose or significance.
One fog-filled night in a small village, Lukas was strolling the streets making evil plans. He was destined for greatness - of that he was sure. If he could not command his fellow wolfweres, he would become a ruler of men in Cormyr. Lost in thoughts of tyranny, he failed to notice when the village faded away and the landscape of Barovia took its place. The year was 610 on the Barovian calendar.
Lukas felt that the fates had cursed him. Had they not swept him to this strange place in an attempt to rob him of his destiny? He was angry and desperate, and only the warm, familiar taste of blood seemed to calm him. For a long time, he hunted and killed the wolves and werewolves that infested the mountainous landscape. Then, one night, he came face to face with Barovia's vampire lord, and Harkon Lukas barely escaped with his life, fleeing into the Mists. When he emerged, he was the lord of Kartakass.
Current Sketch: Harkon's greatest desire is to rule. He is clever, persistent, calculating, and quite capable of making long-range plans. The dark powers gave him an entire domain to rule, yet it has nothing of consequence for him to control. Kartakass has only a few small villages, and the forests are filled with normal wildlife. In his eyes, being the darklord of Kartakass is a pale shadow of what true rulership means.
Most wolfweres are chaotic, but Harkon's alignment is neutral. Perhaps some vestige of normalcy remains, however, because his personality is subject to change. Usually
Harkon is a jovial creature with an evil twinkle in his eye. Insults and sabre-rattling leave him unperturbed. If thwarted, however, he is subject to extreme mood swings. His fits of rage result in horrible violence that can last for days. He is always quiet and reclusive after such a fit, however. During these periods of calm, he produces his most audacious plans.
Harkon has an abiding hatred of werewolves and vampires. He has been known to hunt and destroy these creatures, even if the hunt takes years. He has an affinity for humans and elves but gets along well with any of the humanoid races. (Still, he never lets such emotions get in the way of a good meal.)
Closing the Borders: When Lukas wants to seal his domain, those who try to leave hear a sweet song that lulls them to sleep. No spell or saving throw can prevent this, though player characters often try. The characters awaken 1d6 turns later, but if they try to move toward the border, they will simply fall back asleep. (In the meantime, however, a pack of wolves may come upon them.)
Combat: Harkon Lukas has all of the normal abilities of a 7th-level bard and a wolfwere (see the Player's Handbook and the MONSTROUS MANUAL tome for full details). Only weapons of +1 or greater enchantment, or weapons of iron, can harm wolfweres.
The dark powers have given Lukas one additional ability. If he dies in combat, his spirit enters the body of the nearest dire wolf. The wolf immediately gains all of Harkon's abilities and attributes, including total hit points. Harkon inherits the current state of the wolf's body, including injuries and spell effects. No one knows if Harkon can die of old age. It has not happened yet, and he is almost two hundred years old.
Lukas can command any normal animal in his land, but he usually reserves this ability for the wolves, which are his favorites.
He carries an elixir of madness, which he brews himself. It is a weaker form of the normal potion, and its effects can be countered with a neutralize poison spell or the equivalent. His favorite tactic is to trick or entice a person to drink it. Once the victim is mad and confused, the wolfwere slowly eats him, trying to keep his victim conscious as long as possible.
The sword he carries is a cursed berserker +1 that came from the land itself when Kartakass was born. When faced by enemies in melee, the sword forces its wielder to fight to the death, attaching itself to his hand. When Harkon is not in combat, he can drop the sword and even leave it miles behind. When he faces an enemy, however, the sword instantly appears in his hand, and he is forced to fight to the death. The sword only functions this way if Lukas is in human or half-wolf form; in wolf form, he has no hand to hold the sword. If Harkon is using the weapon, he cannot change to wolf form until the fight is over.
Harkon has learned to live with this curse and has developed strategies to make it work for him. For instance, when he dies and his life force inhabits the body of the nearest dire wolf, he can run away, leaving the blade behind. It will appear when he needs it again.
Lukas often uses the sword to play an evil trick: When he first meets a group of wanderers, he volunteers to leave his sword in the branches of a tree at least one hundred yards away (as a sign of his good will and peaceful intentions). If that does not calm his victims, he offers to let them hold the sword. He knows that if a fight begins - even if he starts it - the sword will appear instantly in his hand.
The harp he carries has a simple magical property. When Lukas plays certain melodies of his own composition upon the harp, the music draws 3d4 dire wolves from the outlying area. The beasts arrive in 2d6 rounds. Once they are within sixty feet of the wolfwere, the dire wolves recognize his scent and obey his commands. Some of these melodies he has composed will sumon 1d6 dire wolves even without the magical harp. As a twisted joke, Lukas sometimes teaches these melodies to innocent travelers and lets them summon their own fate.
As a bard, Lukas has the following abilities: climb walls, 80%; detect noise, 50%; pick pockets, 30%; and read languages, 35%. He also can cast a few simple spells, which are listed below. The mix appears random and unplanned; he acquires spells as the winds of fortune place them before him.
Spell List: 1st level - enlarge,
grease, magic missile,
phantasmal force, Tenser's floating disc.
2nd level - darkness 15-foot radius, knock,
spectral hand.
3rd level - gust of wind, vampiric touch.
