• Overview
  • Map
  • Areas
  • Points of Interest
  • Characters
  • Races
  • Classes
  • Factions
  • Monsters
  • Items
  • Spells
  • Feats
  • Quests
  • One-Shots
  • Game Master
  1. Into the Mists: A Ravenloft World
  3. Lore

Dark Powers

Unfathomable, hidden forces manipulate life, death, and reality within Ravenloft. These mysterious, deathless beings are the architects of the Domains of Dread, and have secreted these pockets of terror deep within the Plane of Shadow. The Dark Powers watch and influence events within their dominion. When their gaze drifts, they reach into other planes to collect heroes and villains to add to their terrifying menagerie. To what end, no one knows.

The Dark Powers don't move in the shadows of Ravenloft; they are the shadows. They're @The Mists and the darkness. They're the reason water manifests as rivers and stars appear in skies divorced from universes. They are the wardens that hold the Darklords prisoner. Ever-present and inscrutable, the Dark Powers are akin to gods in Ravenloft, but they are unknown to mortals and desire no worship.

Despite the control the Dark Powers exert, these beings remain distant from the domains they manipulate. Although some of their names whisper through sinister lore—names like Osybus, Shami-Amourae, and Tenebrous—domain inhabitants know almost nothing of the Dark Powers. While some Darklords realize they're imprisoned by antagonistic entities, discourse regarding the Dark Powers remains the province of soothsayers, obsessed scholars, and otherworldly beings. Anyone who spreads tales of sinister forces manipulating reality is ignored or worse. For residents of Ravenloft, ignorance provides a well-defended shelter against unfathomable truths.

The Secret of the Dark Powers

The true nature of the Dark Powers is for the DM to decide. How they perceive these forces can influence their view of their actions and agendas, who they abduct into Ravenloft and why. Through the adventures, the DM might reveal these mysteries and use them to hint at ways to escape the Domains of Dread. The DM should consider the following possibilities when developing their perspective on the Dark Powers or create their own:

  • Amoral Guardians. The Dark Powers are a group of powerful beings who believe they're beyond morality. They identify dangerous individuals and imprison them within the Domains of Dread, where they ostensibly do less harm than they would if they were free. Those trapped along with the Darklords are acceptable sacrifices.

  • Evil Architects. The Dark Powers are embodiments of evil, mysterious entities of the Plane of Shadow, or a conspiracy of wicked gods. They treat the denizens of the Domains of Dread as their playthings, sowing fears and fomenting despair. This pleases or sustains them, or perhaps they're searching for individuals worthy of joining their ranks.

  • Undying Remnants. The Dark Powers are all that remain of a multitude of vanquished evil deities and demigods. Traces of their power linger in amber sarcophagi scattered throughout the Domains of Dread. These diminished vestiges manipulate their realm to create negative forces that sustain their essence and build toward renewed apotheosis.