Castle Ravenloft's Main Hallways

(click image to enlarge)

The first drawings of what became the main hallways of Castle Ravenloft.  There are 6 drawings here:  the first floor (top left), what became the second half of the first floor - or final part of the zone (bottom left), the parapets - which were never created (middle), a repeating-room void - which was never created (top right), and conceptual entrances to the chapel and spire (red, bottom middle/right).

The items drawn in blue were a first draft, later refined in red, and again in black.  The "parapets" section was never realized, nor was the repeating void area.  Instead of the void, which would have existed at the top of one tower, I decided to go with the obyrith grid in the past and future on the tops of two towers.  The void would have just been a repeating grid going downwards, while I think the Zionyn grids were much scarier.  The first draft was going to have players acquire 4 shards - to get a key to Strahd's chamber.  That was awfully close to Tharnadian Rifts quest, however, and instead went with a more thematic quest for the Dayheart and the Idol of Ravenloft to get the key, preceded by the two essences from the Zionyn/Obyrith grids to reach the Dayheart.

Another cool thing of note on here are some bonus mini-zones that I conceptualized for the Archives/Ravenloft Library (seen on the left side of the first floor hallway/top left).  Here's what they say:

1. Ferrick Bloodyfist Chronicles
2. The Fall of Waterdeep
3. The Fall of Leuthispar
4. The Reign of Kezyr-Dryn
5. The Legendary Tarrasque
6. The Barbarian Horde (Boadwyn)
7. The Might of Khildarak Strongstone
8. The Trials of Shinjin
9. The Trials of Maelborg
10. The Search for the Hammer
11. The Gift of Selune
12. The Wizards Duel
13. The Grell Hive
14. Tree Top Town
15. (blank)
16. (blank)

These were to be the titles of books that would be rareload teleporters in the Library/Archives, which on average 2-3 would load per boot allowing players to access small mini-zones that were thematic to legendary pieces of Duris lore and equipment to match.  15. and 16. were left blank here, but one that I actually did name was "Awaken, Mustakrakish!" - a reference to the popular cartoon Metalocalypse.  By the time I had finished the actual content of the zone, players were looking at ~3 hours at least to complete it and I put these on the backburner, where they've been since.  I do plan on finishing them, however!

I also think it is neat to see how the drafts progressed from blue to red, so did the different variables of the zone.  Like "vault" became "vault-false" with a secret entrance to "real vault", and the extra exit/servant's access entrance to the chapel alcove.

Castle Ravenloft In The Realm of Barovia

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Castle Ravenloft, sitting atop Mount Ravenloft, the foreboding mountain range that dominates the northern reaches of the realm of Barovia.  The city of Barovia, seen on the bottom of the drawing, leads into the wilderness of Barovia2, which eventually leads to the outer gates of Castle Ravenloft.

This above drawing was a conceptual image drawn to better understand where some of the featured portions of Barovia2 will be and be in relation to each other.  The Ivlis Marsh to the west of Ravenloft Chasm, the crossing marked between them.  The Tser Falls and Lysaga Hill topped with the ruined tower of the Mountain Fane.  Crystal and red dragons added later to create additional areas of interest.

Castle Ravenloft has two little blips at the ends of lines above it, to suggest it had two towers that take you to separate segments.  (Had conceptualized a part of this to be similar movement-initiated group teleporting.. like inTransparent Tower.)

Barovia2 is pretty direct.. kill the mobs, get the keys.  It retains the style of Barovia1 but is led much differently.  For example, Barovia1 has some specific segments that one can choose to do for certain equipment, or only epics.  And rooms are simple streets/intersections with wandering mobs and clumps at the cross-roads.  Barovia2 is a wide-open set of grids with wandering aggros and a couple quest mobs, much more like Jotunheim.

Ando, the Gnome Wildmage

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Ando, the Gnome Wildmage, circa 2003.  This image was actually created for another frequent character name of mine, Voivod, but was not a Duris character.  It originally started as a World of Warcraft character.  There is an entry on the WoW Armoury page, although due to inactivity there is no currently-available profile page for WoW-Voivod.  However the Gnome Mage on WoW image translates very nicely to the Gnome Wildmage on Duris that would later adopt the notorious name of Ando.

Barovia 2 Segment Conceptualization - Kashtrakis/Chernovog

A page out of a sketchbook conceptualizing "Kashtrakis, the Hall of Chernovog."  The pentagram, at the lower left corner of this image, represents the pentagram at the top of the Tower of the Mountain Fane, aka Baba Zelenna's secluded sanctum residing at the top of Lysaga Hill, part of Barovia2.

Kashtrakis is a fictional hall, housing the evil Devil God of Chaos named Chernovog.  Kashtrakis is described in Barovia2 as a blackrock stronghold, sitting on the top of an unclimbable cliff-face located in the 732nd plane of Hell (contrary to the "666 levels of the Abyss"). 

This drawing was the conceptual start of Kashtrakis, starting with the landing point one reaches when teleporting through Baba Zelenna's pentagram.  The pentagram takes players to the cross of rooms adjacent to it, which leads to a small bone drawbridge and a ledge (which is labeled above with "1" and "2", arrows pointing inwards).  This ledge contains 2 levers - one that releases extra two "HUGE mariliths" and the other that opens the gates to Kashtrakis.  Once inside players battle through a grid and then come across The Well of Corruption, occupied by three [grouped] bebiliths and two murks.  Clearing this room is essential, as it is the landing room of the three Void Prisons.   Directly following the Well of Corruption is Chernovog's throne room, which feeds into the three Void Prisons.  The Void Prisons, depicted as the three floating circles surrounding the throne room, on the upper right corner of the above drawing, are occupied by two tortured souls apiece, and rifts leading back to the Well of Corruption.

Although short, this sub-section of Barovia2 is one of my proudest creations.  Rather than most zones where players charge right up to the end boss and do nuke runs until it is defeated, Chernovog's fight requires players to first clear the Well of Corruption and Void Prisons before attempting Chernovog.  It also forces players to move on their own, out of the Void Prison, and Well of Corruption, back to the throne room when doing runs.  Things also can get interesting when Chernovog moves into a Void Prison - which are only exitable by "entering rift" out of combat.  This sub-section also provides a very interesting, and potentially devastating, PVP encounter as one cannot leave this Kashtrakis sub-section how they entered - only after defeating Chernovog.  Furthermore, none of the mobs in the landing following the pentagram, or in the main foyer of Kashtrakis, require killing to advance to the throne room.  Blocking/skipping mobs here would require a raiding party [or a CR group in the event of a mass] to deal with these mobs and most likely alert others of their presence.

Duris Evermeet

Imagine what Evermeet might look like geographically featuring Duris crosses for landmark areas?

Take a quick look at Forgotten Realms' typical Evermeet...

Some city placements, like Charing and Myrabolus, are obvious.  While others, like Shaledrieth and Fenailne, might be less obvious.  (Maybe those serve another purpose?)

There are some quality elven/centaur zones that can be placed a lot better, like Blackthorn Mountains, Longhollow, and The Haunted Forest, surrounding elven/centaur starting points. 

A Moonshae Island ferry, among others.  A dragon landing, maybe two.  But mainly, put the real cool elven newbie zones near an elven starting point, and don't place any/too many higher level zones, like any other starting-point continent.

San's Gnomeskin Map of the Undead Underdark

The vile and wretched UC UD!  Beware the shadows, for they are unseen on the map and vamp as much damage as they do, which is a lot.  They also shrug a lot.. but are also worth some very massive experience.  Great mobs to do solo runs on as a cleric. 

The red parts are connected with some rotting zombies, and a dark, secret cult of worshippers of Cyric, who reside below the laval itself in an ancient, horrid temple.  The Tunnels of Cyric act as a main junction through the Undead Continent and it's Underdark:

San Bronzebeard, Holyman of Kimordril

56 Dwarf Holyman, One Wipe.. 2005

San's Svirfneblinskin Map of the Underdark

Crudely inked by San during her earlier years as an apothecary of Illith, this svirfneblinskin map reveals some of the secrets of the treacherous Underdark...
 (click to Enlarge)