The Land: Forlorn, one of the Core's oldest and smallest domains, is nestled between Barovia, Kartakass, and Hazlan in the Balinok Mountains. The land is forested and lush, but few normal animals live here. Forlorn has no villages, and the only obvious sign of civilization is the decaying, seemingly abandoned Castle Tristenoira. This structure stands perched upon the red-granite cliffs that surround the Lake of Red Tears.
Those who have visited the domain tell tales of sea monsters lurking in the lake's impenetrable depths and of a vampyre called Tristen ApBlanc, who rules Forlorn from the castle. Some also claim he can alter the appearance of Castle Tristenoira, changing it from a decayed ruin to a bustling, elegant home in the blink of an eye. Still, most of these tales are dismissed as the ravings of mad men.
Cultural Level: Iron age, although Castle Tristenoira is evidence that a more advanced society once existed here.
The Folk: Forlorn is largely populated by goblyns (see the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendices I & II), who systematically raze the forests and play strange, violent games. A few tiny conclaves of human druids vainly attempt to deliver the land from evil, but the goblyns hunt them. Fearing for their lives, these druids are careful to remain hidden from sight most of the time.
Native Player Characters: There are no native player characters from Forlorn.
Encounters: Zombie wolves (see the Castles Forlorn box) and gremishkas (see the Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III) may occasionally attack travelers, but goblyns are the main threat and most common creatures found throughout this domain.
Further Reading: For more information on this domain and the tragic history of its lord, see the Castles Forlorn boxed campaign adventure.
Tristen ApBlanc
Fourth-Magnitude Ghost/Vampyre,
Neutral Evil
| Armor Class | 0 | Str | 18/76 | ||||
| Movement | 9 (ghost); 12 (vampire) | Dex | 16 | ||||
| Level/ Hit Dice | 11 | Con | 12 | ||||
| Hit Points | 88 | Int | 16 | ||||
| THAC0 | 11 | Wis | 8 | ||||
| No. of Attacks | 1 (ghost) or 3 (vampyre) | Cha | 19 | ||||
| Damage/ Attack | Age 1d4x20 years (ghost) or 1d4/1d4/1d6 (vampyre) | ||||||
| Special Attacks | See below | ||||||
| Special Defences | See below | ||||||
| Magic Resistance | 40% (ghost) or nil (vampyre) | ||||||
Tristen ApBlanc himself is far from legend. He rules Forlorn from Castle Tristenoira, but he is trapped there by several unusual circumstances. Primarily, the castle exists at an unstable point in time. Castle Tristenoira and its inhabitants constantly shift back and forth across temporal reality, reliving the same events over and over. Further, due to an unusual curse placed on him by a druid who was killed by Tristen after attempting to cure him of vampirism, he exists as a highly charismatic vampyre during the day, but as a ghost by night.
Background: Tristen's father, Rivalin was killed by a scavenging vampire, who drained his life away after he was injured in battle. Rivalin died with his wife's name on his lips. When he arose as a vampire, he immediately flew to her, but his conflicting feelings of love and hunger maddened him. He fed on his wife, but he could not bring himself to kill her. Thus, Tristen was born with vampirism in his veins.
Eventually, Tristen's parents were killed by a mob, and he was reared by druids. At the age of fifteen, Tristen began to exhibit signs of vampirism. He determined that he must actually be a vampyre (not a vampire), since he was still alive. Tristen become obsessed with this obscure race of living bloodsuckers, learning everything he could about them.
When his adoptive mother discovered his secret, Tristen killed her and drank her blood. As she died, she cursed him to never leave the sacred grove and to live eternally to rue his evil. By coincidence, she had just imbibed holy water, so Tristen died alongside her.
Tristen's curse caused him to rise that night as a ghost anchored to the grove of sacred trees around the murder scene. Strangely, he regained mortal form the next morning, though now he was a true vampyre. During the day he walks the halls of his castle (built on the site of the sacred grove) as a vampyre, but each night he dies a searing death and becomes a ghost once again.
Current Sketch: For over five hundred years, Tristen has been trying to break the curse that binds him to his castle, but nothing has worked. As darklord, he has even mentally commanded the goblyns to destroy the forest and slay the druids as revenge for what has happened to him.
Closing the Borders: Rumors claim that those trying to leave Forlorn without the darklord's approval find themselves paralyzed, unable to move even through the aid of a remove paralysis spell.
Combat: Tristen's battle capabilities depend on his current form. As a fourth-magnitude ghost (see Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts), he has the following abilities: He can accelerate aging in mortals who meet his gaze; he can keen twice per night (forty-foot radius, -1 penalty to saving throw vs. death); he can cause revulsion in those he touches (successfully save vs. paralysis or suffer a -6 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and proficiency checks for one week); and he can dominate victims as they sleep, taking control of their bodies until dawn if he chooses (negated by a successful saving throw vs. paralysis with a -2 penalty). All attempts to turn him are made with a -4 penalty. As a ghost he may be struck only by weapons of +3 or better enchantment, although ethereal foes need only +1 weapons. At night, Tristen can also rejuvenate to full hit points in one round, but he must have complete rest for two full turns after doing so. While resting, he is completely helpless.
As a vampyre, Tristen's main ability is to charm (as per the spell) victims of his bite. The victim's saving throw is modified by -1 for every 2 points of damage his bite inflicts, During the day, Tristen also enjoys a few vampiric abilities, inherited from his father: He receives a +2 bonus on attacks and a +4 damage bonus due to Strength; weapons of at least +1 enchantment are required to hit him; he can summon 2d6 wolves or worgs three times per day (they arrive ii 1d6 rounds and remain under his control for 2d4 rounds); and he can take the form of a worg at will.
Tristen's worg form: AC 2; MV 18; #AT 1; Dmg 3d12; SZ L; ML 16. (All other stats are as a vampyre. In this form, Tristen cannot charm with his eyes.)
