life a mirror,as unique and impossible
to get rid of as his shadow.
- W.H. Auden, The Dyer's Hand
The domain of Aggarath, realm of Chardath Spulzeer, is unique in Ravenloft. Its most singular aspect, to be sure, is its size: Aggarath is roughty an inch across. This diminutive stature, however, does not lessen the evil that the domain contains.
Aggarath was created in the year 751 as the end result of a chain of events that began on the distant world of Faerun. Details of the years leading up to the formation of this realm can be found in the character description of Chardath Spulzeer, demilord of this floating domain (see Appendix Two).
The Land
In form, Aggarath is unlike any other domain in Ravenloft. From the outside, this domain appears to be nothing more than a blood-red ruby cut into the shape of a dodecahedron one inch in diameter. This stone is in turn set in the hilt of a magical dagger from which the domain draws its name. (See "The Dagger Aggarath" below, for more details about the weapon.)
The actual gemstone universe that is now the domain of Aggarath has existed for several hundred years. Prior to the recent entry of Chardath into that crystal, however, it was an empty place in which the life energy absorbed by the dagger was stored. When Chardath and Marble were draw into the gem, a mysterious transformation swept the place. Although no one knows why this happened, the most logical explanation involves the influences of the mysterious dark powers said to rule the Demiplane of Dread. Almost certainly it was their will that reshaped this place and made it into Chardath's current home.
Those who are trapped in the gem see the world very differently from those who are outside it. To the prisoners, Aggarath is made up of twelve different regions, each known as a facet. These areas are independent of each other and very distinctive in their nature.
The Facets
The facets are constructed from Chardath's psyche, mostly from memories of his past. Some are accurate depictions while others are twisted creations of his broken mind. Only the First and Twelfth Facets, which are the inner- and outermost ones when the stone is secured to the hilt of the weapon, do not reflect some aspect of Chardath's life, memory, or personality.
The First Facet: The First Facet forms the gateway into Aggarath from the outside world. All those drawn into the crystal as prey of the magical dagger (or other means) appear here. More information on the weapon can be found in "The Dagger Aggarath" section later in this appendix.
To those trapped here, the First Facet is a barren expanse of ruby crystal. Utterly featureless, it seems to extend endlessly in all directions. No amount of travel reveals any manner of structure, variation in terrain, or other interesting features. The empty black sky of this place is constantly shattered by crimson strokes of lightning. In the wake of each fork, a great thunderclap hammers the surface of the world. Apart from this, however, the First Facet never experiences any wind or weather.
The Second Facet: A memory from Chardath's childhood, perhaps the first time that he witnessed the gambling and other debauched "entertainments" through which his mother financed their extravagant lifestyle, sets the tone of the Second Facet. Travelers who explore it see the darker side of life, one in which everything appears evil and threatening. All the fear and apprehension that the young Chardath felt upon initially entering this jaded, seamy world falls on visitors to this facet.
Physically, this place looks like a great gambling hall. As the characters mill about, they find any number of activities, ranging from the roulette wheel and dice tables to card games and tests of skill. The reflections who inhabit this facet are exaggerated representations of the folk who commonly frequent such places. These include lascivious women, violent men, and all manner of real and imagined dangers.
Rogue characters find themselves especially endangered here. Chardath's hatred of gamblers, scoundrels, and brigands finds a focus on anyone who reminds him of them.
The Third Facet: This realm is fashioned from Chardath's perceptions of his own physicality. The master of Aggarath always pictured himself a mighty warrior. In truth, however, his lack of discipline on the training field rendered his skills and abilities substandard.
The Third Facet resembles a great coliseum where gladiators and myrmidons test their skills against each other. People exploring this region are called upon to do battle with many monstrous adversaries.
As targets of the demilord's Jealousy, warriors find that this facet holds more danger for them than for other characters. Chardath sees in their skills the mastery that he longs for but can never attain. As such, the perils and hazards of this land focus upon them.
The Fourth Facet: A storybook memory from Chardath's childhood forms the basis of the Fourth Facet. As a lad, the master of Aggarath heard a story that left him terrified. Those who enter this facet experience the nightmare world of a frightened child.
This facet represents the twisting labyrinths of the dragon's cave in which the story took place. Here, travelers confront a dragon, something not found anywhere else in Ravenloft. The beast, however, is not a real dragon, but one created from the fearful imaginings of a child. Because of this nature, the dragon is far more terrible than any real dragon would be.
Bards, gypsies, and similar characters, as storytellers in a land formed from stories, find themselves especially targeted by this place.
The Fifth Facet: This facet demonstrates Chardath's love for his sister and hatred of all other women. Here, travelers encounter a reflection of the domain lord's first true love, who scorned him and broke his heart. Now, she appears as a savage and terrible creature.
The Fifth Facet is a place inhabited by Chardath's impressions of women. With but a single exception, he sees all members of the fairer sex as scheming temptresses- Their spiteful cruelty is apparent at every turn.
Marble's body, or a reflection of it, lies here. In all this terrible land, only the memory of Marble is innocent and pure. She rests on a plush bed in a comforting, safe region.
Females who travel into this land become the victims of Chardath's hate and insecurity. In his mind, only Marble is sweet and pure; all other women are monsters who must be destroyed.
The Sixth Facet: The Sixth Facet is a realm based upon Chardath's spirit. It reflects his piety (or lack thereof) and takes the form of a great cathedral. However, because his spirit has been corrupted by evil and madness, the temple holds hidden danger.
Travelers may at first find this facet a safe haven where they can restore their strength and health. However, the gods of Chardath's universe are wrathful gods, and woe betide anyone unfortunate enough to cross them.
Clerics, priests, and paladins especially find their faith-and their skills-put to a deadly test in this facet.
The Seventh Facet: Like the first and twelfth, the Seventh Facet is not drawn from Chardath's past. Instead, it forms the nexus of the crystal's many lines of force.
This place looks much like the First Facet, consisting primarily of a great plain of ruby stretched out beneath an ebon sky. A continual torrent of crimson lightning streaks across the sky. A great forest of ruby monoliths rises in neat rows from the surface of the plane, making the place look like a vast cemetery. Trapped inside each of these monoliths is the spirit of someone whose life has been absorbed by the gemstone universe. The figures' torment is visible to any who gaze upon them.
The Eighth Facet: This facet is the realm where Chardath remembers the night he killed his sister. It is a dreadful place of guilt, blood, and knives. Here, Chardath's madness twists his remorse and self-loathing into a macabre scene of terror that only slightly resembles events as thy really happened. In fact, visitors find themselves in danger of actually drowning in Chardath's torment.
The Ninth Facet: This realm is patterned after Chardath's intellect, a repository for every memory he holds. Its physical form is that of a large library, with each volume holding a particular memory.
Here, characters have an opportunity to learn more about the master of Aggarath-virtually any of his memories are available to them. They must take care, however, not to delve too deeply into Chardath's past, for in doing so they risk their own sanity.
The Tenth Facet: This facet not only has been influenced by Chardath's madness, as have the other facets in varying degrees, but it actually embodies his insanity. The Tenth Facet is a place of shifting reality and changing shapes. Its nature thus grants it a fluid form.
Here, Chardath's fears and doubts take the form of strange, dangerous creatures that try to project some of Chardath's phobias onto visitors. Characters must fight hard to escape the grasping tentacles of madness.
The Eleventh Facet: This is the realm of Chardath's "whole self." Here, characters face the mad demilord in his own lair.
Though he rules the domain, Chardath cannot leave the Eleventh Facet. This limitation derives from Chardath's position as the center of his universe. He therefore must remain in a fixed position, as the entire domain is constructed around him.
Note that no character can leave Aggarath without meeting Chardath, as he holds (literally) the key to their escape. Visitors may have to battle him for it, or may find it handed to them- depending on the domain lord's mood at a particular moment and the sharpness of the party's negotiating skills.
The Twelfth Facet: Similar in appearance to the First and Seventh Facets, the Twelfth Facet stretches out as a great expanse of ruby crystal. A lightning-torn black sky overlooks a large assemblage of monoliths similar to those found on the Seventh Facet.
In all of Aggarath, this is the one place that holds a gate to the outside world. If a prisoner reaches this facet with Chardath's silver key and at least three of the enchanted rubies scattered throughout the domain, he can open a portal and leave behind the gemstone universe.
The Conduits
Each of Aggarath's facets is connected to five others by a series of magical conduits. How and where one finds these portals varies from facet to facet, as do the means by which they open.
Within a conduit, the corridor feels like glass, although it is impervious to harm. Any character exploring this region experiences a tingle of energy across his entire body until he leaves. Passing through a conduit has a detrimental effect on living things, however.
Each character must roll a saving throw vs. spell. A failed saving throw indicates that the character loses one level (per the level-draining ability of a vampire or other undead creature) for the duration of the adventure. Thus, a 10th-level bard who enters one of the conduits will emerge from the other end as 9th-level. Should a character drop to 0-level, his form breaks up and he is absorbed by the domain. Such a character is now an integral part of Aggarath and cannot be rescued by any means short of a wish spell.
Because the level drain is temporary, Dungeon Masters may want to keep copies of players' original character sheets on hand, or discourage players from erasing (and therefore losing alt record of) spells, hit points, etc. lost with the level drain.
Lost levels are restored when the characters escape Aggarath and their bodies are magically reconstituted.
A successful saving throw indicates that the hero survived his journey through the conduit unscathed-this time.
When someone reaches the wall of light at the far side of the corridor, he discovers that it is indeed ethereal. A hand can easily pass through it. Should someone step through this light, he is instantly transported to one of the other facets.
Cultural Level
Because the domain of Aggarath is not a real- world place (insomuch as that term can be applied to the lands of Ravenloft), and because of its magical nature and unusual history, no single cultural level can be applied to it. Each facet is unique and has its own special environment.
The Folk
Two types of people inhabit the facets of Aggarath: reflections and captives. In some cases, they can be distinguished by their appearances, although someone's actions will almost always reveal him for what he is.
Reflections
Reflections comprise by far the largest percentage of folk in the gemstone domain. These people have been fabricated from Chardath's memories. While all are based on real individuals, their images and personalities have been distorted. In some cases, this effect is caused simply by the imperfections of his memory. In others, however, the domain lord's madness has twisted them into terrible creatures of almost fiendish proportions.
Much of the behavior exhibited by reflections is controlled by the mind and expectations of Chardath. Someone who was cruel and violent to him in life (or, at least, was perceived that way) is cruel and violent in Aggarath. These people always act as Chardath expects them to, although he has no direct control over their specific actions.
Reflections are corporeal and can inflict genuine damage on the player characters and other captives. They cannot, however, move through conduits and have no concept of anything outside of the facet in which they exist.
Captives
Whenever the magical dagger Aggarath slays someone, there is a chance that the victim's life force may be captured by the weapon. Should that occur, a "captive" is created in the First Facet. This being is, in effect, an exact duplicate of the real world victim. The player characters in this adventure are examples of captives.
For all intents, captives are the "real" people of Aggarath. They resemble in all ways the forms that they had in life. Thus, a warrior may wear full plate armor and carry a broad sword. It is even possible for magical items to accompany captives into the world, although they are simply duplicates created from nothingness by the expectation that they will be there.
Captives can find their way out of Aggarath and, in the process, have their lives restored. Such folk are racing against time, however, for the domain of Aggarath gradually absorbs these people into its matrix (as described in "The Conduits").
Native Player Characters
The only natives of Aggarath are the strange reflections of people Chardath has met in his life. As they are tied directly to the memories of the mad lord and cannot leave the facets in which they dwell, they cannot possibly become adventurers. As such, there are no player characters native to the domain of Aggarath.
The Law
Everything that happens in Aggarath originates in Chardath and his insanity. This condition is evident in the fact that every facet has its own set of "natural" laws. Though the entire place might make sense to Chardath, it does not to anyone else.
However, Chardath does not consciously control the things that happen in Aggarath. The domain lord has no ability to actually direct the actions of his domain. Rather, his subconscious mind controls events here.
Encounters
Visitors to this realm find a great variety of encounters as they travel from one facet to another. All of these, however, involve conflicts with various reflections who inhabit this land. Only in the rarest of circumstances might a captive character have an encounter with another outlander.
The events that begin this adventure are unique. Never in the history of this land has a group of captive characters been pulled into it at once. It is unlikely that such an event will be duplicated in the future, so this scenario represents what is potentially a unique period in the history of Aggarath.
The Dagger Aggarath
The domain of Aggarath
takes its name from the
weapon in which it resides as
a hilt-stone. Because the
Dungeon Master may wish to incorporate
the dagger into future adventures (see the
"Epitaph" section for suggestions), information
about the weapon is provided here.
Aggarath is the silver dagger Chardath used to sacrifice Marble (see Chardath's character description in Appendix Two for details of that event). It was made from a single piece of a strange meteoric metal by a master of great skill. A legend in the Twisted Rune society of Faerun recounts that the god Bane himself caused the weapon to be created for use in sacrifices to him. Others, however, such as the Red Wizards of Thay, believe the dagger might be older still.
Aggarath has but one power: to administer justice. Once used for an unjust act, the dagger becomes lethally empowered to avenge the victim(s). When used against someone involved in the crime, Aggarath functions as a sword +2, nine fives stealer. If used against anyone else, it is an ordinary silver dagger.
Aggarath's power comes from the enchanted, blood-red twelve-sided ruby in its pommel. The dagger cannot be used as an instrument of justice unless the hilt-stone is in place.
Few, however, know that the hilt-stone is cursed. When the dagger Aggarath steals a victim's life, it literally steals the person's life: the unfortunate foe's life essence is drawn into the gemstone-the floating Ravenloft domain of Aggarath.
