Darklord, Redeemed (5e Background)

Design Note: This background is best detailed with the help of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft for more specifics on building your former Domain of Dread and Darklord persona.

Darklord, Redeemed

Gauvin REMY

You are perhaps the most unique being ever trapped in the Domains of Dread. You are one of few, if not the only, Darklord to ever be successfully released from your prison by the Dark Powers that rule the Lands of the Mists. While you have no way of speaking with them, if you are even aware of your former captors, they must be stunned that one of their prisoners was able to successfully realize the error of their ways and sufficiently and consistently work to rectify them where you could and compensate for them where you couldn’t. Thus, they’ve released you from your personal hell, though not without stripping you of most of your powers as an exit tax. You are a Darklord no longer. Now you are free to continue your path of redemption, or perhaps wander off it back into the mist.

Skill Proficiencies: See Horror Genre

Tool Proficiencies: See Horror Genre

Languages: See Horror Genre

Equipment: A memento of your past evils and a mist talisman to your former domain (choose two or roll for trinkets from the Horror Trinkets table), a book detailing the history of your domain before it was sent to the Shadowfell, a dark cloak, a set of fine clothes, and a black pouch containing 13gp.

Horror Genre

While each Domain of Dread is a bespoke experience specifically constructed to maximize the torture of its Darklord, they also tend to fall into specific modes of horror. When you select this background, select one horror genre your Domain of Dread was primarily associated with, even if you don’t want to go into the details of how it operated. The horror genre selected determines your Former Darklord’s skill, tool, and language proficiency.

d10	Genre	Skill 1	Skill 2	Tools	Languages	Description
1	Body Horror	Acrobatics	Medicine	Alchemist's Supplies, Tinker’s Tools	None	A land where anatomy is fluid, both metaphorically and literally, as flesh rots, corrupts, grows, and can never be considered sacred.
2	Cosmic Horror	Arcana	Intimidation	None	Celestial, Deep Speech	A land where the mortal has no significance in the face of evils so vast their minds would break upon contact and the stars whisper even darker truths.
3	Dark Fantasy	Arcana	Athletics	None	Dwarvish, Elvish	A land of magic and darkness where damsels are not always saved, monsters are slain only with sacrifice, and the armor of knights doesn’t shine.
4	Disaster Horror	Athletics	Survival	Brewer's Supplies Cook's Utensils	None	A land where the end is imminent, if not already past, causing a collapse of society and humanity as the survivors, present or future, must do whatever they can to survive.
5	Folk Horror	Religion	Survival	Herbalism Kit	Sylvan	A land where tradition rules and while those rules might be solid, they are rarely fair, those that step outside them are easy prey.
6	Ghost Story	History	Persuasion	Land and Water Vehicles	None	A land of many tragedies where the dead, and their secrets, rarely stay buried for long. Everyone is haunted, both by ghosts and their own pasts.
7	Gothic Horror	Animal Handling	Deception	Calligrapher's Supplies, Painter's Supplies	None	A land where refinement and class are a paper-thing veneer over the horrible, bestial instincts lurking in the hearts of every mortal.
8	Occult Detective	Insight	Investigation	None	Thieves’ Cant, Undercommon	A land where mysteries are as plentiful as a dames in a dime factory, yet these enigmas hide more questions than answers for any that try to plunge their depths to salvage some logic.
9	Psychological Horror	Perception	Performance	Disguise Kit, Forgery Kit	None	A land where the torture comes not from external threats, but internal anxieties and terrors that stretch the psyche to its breaking point, and often beyond.
10	Slasher Horror	Investigation	Stealth	Poisoner's Kit, Thieves' Tools	None	A land where killers, both mundane and fantastical, are always lurking in the shadows, looking for an opportunity to satisfy their bloodlust. There are things that go bump in the night, and they are armed.

Emancipation

Darklords don’t exactly walk out of their prisons every century. The Domains of Dread are supposed to get a life, or unlife, sentence and the types of people that get their own usually aren’t big on self-reflection or character development. How did you manage to convince your jailors to give you early, as in any, release?

d8	Reason
1	I was tricked into drawing from the Deck of Many Things by a Vistani fortuneteller. I drew the Balance card and underwent an immediate and dramatic personality shift.
2	After they exploited my weaknesses to defeat my evil, a group of adventures from beyond the mists helped me see the error of my ways. They also stole all my stuff.
3	The Dark Powers ran a lottery to let one lucky Darkord out of their domain. I won, but I suspect this freedom is some other sort of torture to see when I break.
4	During a visit to Carnival that travels across the Shadowfell, I took a long look in the funhouse mirrors and didn’t like what I saw.
5	I actually managed to escape on my own with powerful magics, but once I was out I realized how hollow my victory was and reentered of my own will.
6	My fervent prayers were answered by my deity. They showed me the way out of the mists, but it was a path I had to walk alone.
7	After a run-in with the escaped Darklord Azalin Rex, I got to see what real evil looks like and how much I resembled it, scaring me straight.
8	Honestly, I just got bored of being the bad guy and decided to try being kind for once. I haven’t concluded whether it’s something I’ll stick with.

Feature: Fallen Kingdom

While you were released from your prison, the Dark Powers ominously decided to keep it around in case they have need of it in the future. They will even allow you, and only you, to come and go from it whenever you wish with a simple walk through any magical fog. Sounds useful, right? Perhaps, but also tempting. Whenever you are in your former Domain of Dread, you will be reminded of your past sins and compelled to repeat them, trapping you once more. Even if you can ignore those enticements, you will still have to deal with the residents of your little pocket of the Shadowfell, still trapped while you walk free. Will they continue to recognize you as their sovereign, or maybe just another soul trapped in the mists. Worst still, perhaps a new Darklord may arise and see you as competition. Only one thing is certain; You no longer enjoy the invincibility you once did inside those grey walls.

Alternate Feature: Punished Peer

While you may be a Darklord no longer, you still carry a certain aspect of the position on your penitent shoulders. When you encounter other Darklords still trapped in their own prisons, they will take special notice of you and view you in higher esteem than a normal adventurer. Depending on their disposition and knowledge of the mists, they may be more likely to consider your words and take your advice. Alternatively, some may see you as a greater threat, especially if they learn that you have accomplished what they could not. You will also be granted greater respect from the Vistani and they will be more likely to aid you, but probably not for free.

Suggested Characteristics

d8	Personality Trait
1	I’ve spent so long in the Shadowfell that now every other planes seems overly vivid in color and atmosphere to me.
2	I prefer to dress in very drab colors like browns, greys, and black.
3	My past wrongs still haunt me, and probably always will, but I won’t let them define me.
4	I am far older than I appear. I just wish that meant I was wiser.
5	Whenever a meet someone new, I have to gauge whether they are just an automata fulfilling their rote role or have some actual spirit.
6	While thinking deeply, others have noted I tend to end up brooding atop tall structures. I don’t see why not.
7	Our worst decisions do not not define us unless we let them.
8	I am naïve to the customs and mannerisms of those outside my domain, leading me to social awkwardness at times.

d6	Ideal
1	Achievement. While I might have done some bad things, its better than the small little lives most people live. That would be true torture to me. (Neutral)
2	Code. I must rigidly adhere to the set of rules I used to redeem myself, else I risk falling off the morality wagon. (Lawful)
3	Freedom. I refuse to be confined again, whether by geography or systems. (Chaotic)
4	Improvement. Anyone can better themselves if they put the work in. Some people do need more work than others though. (Good)
5	Power. I will regain the might I had stripped from me in exchange for freedom. I want it back, but without the strings attached. (Evil)
6	Repentance. Everyone should be given the option to make up for their past transgressions. Those that don’t take that chance should be pitied, not hated. (Good)

d6	Bond
1	I fear for the fates of the people in my former domain, but there is little I can do to help them.
2	I cling to the last relic of my life before my fall and imprisonment.
3	The Dark Powers send me visions of other Domains of Dread. I don’t know if they are being sadistic or helpful.
4	I miss the luxuries and treasures my previous position afforded me.
5	Both Dr. Van Richten and The Fraternity of Shadows have tried to convince me to join their fight against the monsters of the mists.
6	During my incarceration, I learned as much as could about the Dark Powers. Now, more avenues of investigation are open to me.

d6	Flaw
1	I have homichlophobia, a fear of fog.
2	I still resist admitting when I am wrong unless absolutely forced to.
3	I deserve a medal for not killing everyone who annoys me. What’s the point of being nice without positive reinforcement?
4	I still feel compelled to hurt others whenever I am in distress. The worse the anguish, the worse the temptation becomes.
5	I think I’m the most tortured person in the universe. Acknowledge my pain!
6	I can’t shake the suspicion that someone is always watching me with ill intent.

0.00

(0 votes)

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Backgrounds