Her fervent prayers still echo through the mists, but they fall upon deaf ears. Only fragments of guidance return to her – phantom whispers and unsettling visions that fuel her twisted crusade. She sees malice in every fearful glance, conspiracy in every heated word, and monstrous evil in even the most passionate expressions of love.
The domain shudders under her righteous zeal. Those who defy her are swiftly branded as heretics, consumed by the fires of her misguided justice. Fear is the coin of her realm, and despair its harvest. Yet, even as she casts down any whiff of corruption, her own shadow grows long and monstrous. Each act of cruelty reinforces her delusion, drawing her ever further into the clutches of darkness.
Some whisper that within the tyrant's heart, a flicker of doubt still smolders. Perhaps her shattered faith can be mended, or her paranoia turned against the true architects of her misery. Yet such a path is fraught with peril – for to awaken Elena Faith-hold to the truth may be to unleash a despair that consumes her utterly.
In the dread realm of Ravenloft, Elena Faith-hold, once a Paladin of great virtue and strength, is afflicted with a unique and tragic curse that reflects her innermost fears and failings. Unlike her would-be peers who understand that the ability to detect evil is often thwarted in this land, Elena clings to the belief that her divine powers remain intact and functional, a delusion wholly her own making.
Nature of the Curse: Elena has no true ability to detect evil—such powers are notoriously unreliable in Ravenloft, a fact known to other paladins who often find their divine abilities compromised by the land itself. However, Elena, driven by pride and a profound sense of isolation, refuses to accept this reality. She believes herself uniquely favored by her god, blessed with an unerring ability to discern evil where others fail.
Manifestation of the Curse: This belief is entirely a product of her own psyche, not an imposition by the Dark Powers of Ravenloft. Her actions are guided by her delusions of persecution and righteousness. Elena sees malevolence and corruption in the innocent actions of her subjects, interpreting fear, respect, or even love as signs of evil intent. Her judgments are harsh and often final, leading to a reign of terror cloaked in the guise of holy crusade.
Impact on Her Realm: The citizens of her domain are ensnared in a tragic paradox; the very emotions—fear, respect, affection—they feel towards their ruler are the ones that may condemn them. As Elena's delusions drive her to purge her land of perceived evils, her subjects learn to mask their emotions, living in a state of suppressed dread and cautious interaction.
Tragic Irony: Elena's romantic nature and her yearning for a pure, untainted companion only deepen her tragedy. Her delusion ensures that anyone expressing genuine emotion towards her risks being perceived as evil, making true connection impossible. Ironically, only those who feel nothing for her—typically the most self-serving and manipulative—can safely engage with her, appearing 'innocent' in her skewed perception.
Elena Faith-hold remains a zealous crusader against what she perceives as the rampant evil besieging her land. From her formidable stronghold atop Mount Malcredo, she devises strategies she believes will purify her realm. Misguided by her delusion of possessing an infallible ability to detect evil—a power that, unbeknownst to her, has never manifested—Elena views the often innocuous or simply emotional reactions of her subjects as signs of malevolent intent. Convinced of the righteousness of her cause, Elena has instituted a series of harsh "rehabilitative" programs aimed at correcting what she sees as the wayward and heretical tendencies of her peasants. These programs, rooted in her tragically flawed judgments, typically involve detaining and subjecting the so-called disobedient to severe interrogations and tortures until they renounce their supposed evil ways. Far from restoring order and piety, these actions only fuel further dissent and unrest among her populace, intensifying the cycle of fear and resentment throughout her domain. The more her efforts seem to fail, the deeper Elena’s grief becomes, as she cannot fathom why her attempts to cleanse her lands of evil only lead to greater discord. This failure, perceived through the lens of her delusions, only serves to reinforce her belief in a widespread conspiracy of evil against her, trapping her in a relentless pursuit of an enemy that does not exist, and driving her further into isolation and despair.
Confronting Elena
Elena Faith-hold (10th-level fighter): AC- 1; MV 12; HD 10; hp 90; Str 18/00; Dex
15; Con 15; Int 11; Wis 14; Cha 18; #AT 5/2; Dmg 2d4 + 10; SA +2 bastard sword, comersion attempt, turn lawful good opponents as level 10 cleric; SD +2 field plate armor, +2 to all saving throws; MR 30%; AL NE; THACO 5
Elena Faith-hold believes that she possesses the divine ability to detect evil. This conviction is deeply ingrained, forming the bedrock of her moral and judicial actions. She even views the inability of other spellcasters in Ravenloft to detect evil as a clear indication of their spiritual impurity and lack of true divine connection, reinforcing her belief in her own unique righteousness. In reality, however, Elena's so-called "Detect Evil" is a product of her own paranoia and delusions, and her own conviction that she has retained the inherent ability of the Paladin class that she has long ago proven herself completely unworthy of.
There is no supernatural alteration of her abilities; rather, her mind interprets ordinary interactions, expressions of emotion, and even the natural fear or respect shown by her subjects as manifestations of evil. This misinterpretation is not the result of detecting actual emotions per se but is a flawed mental process wherein she sees malevolent intent where none exists. Tragically, this delusion means that Elena may perceive a range of normal, everyday behaviors as evil—whether it's a peasant's hesitance in answering her questions, a courtier's overly fervent praise, or a suitor's gaze. She may misinterpret genuine empathy as a form of mockery or hidden malice.
To her, these are all cloaked in the guise of evil. As a result, she reacts harshly, believing herself to be stamping out wickedness, when in fact she is responding to shadows cast by her own broken perceptions. This tragic misinterpretation fuels a cycle of fear and violence in her domain. As she lashes out against those she wrongly accuses, the real consequences of her actions only serve to deepen her isolation and paranoia, further convincing her of the righteousness of her lonely crusade against an evil that only she can 'see.'
Ironically, the only person who might escape her wrath would be one who shows no emotion whatsoever, whose impassivity leaves nothing for her paranoid mind to misinterpret. Yet, such a person is likely to be as manipulative and cold-hearted as Elena is deluded, using her for their own ends without ever truly arousing her suspicions.
Then Elena attempts to use a divine sense-like ability (previously described as "Unholy Sense"), the results are erratic and unreliable. Sometimes, it functions normally, detecting genuine evil. Elena is unfortunately so far gone that she no longer recognizes a genuine detection, a flawed detection, or a detection that comes completely from her own insanity. DMs should use this to create a chilling uncertainty within the player and the character: How much of Elena's perceived "evil" is real external corruption and how much is a projection of her own darkness?
Note - Why the Original Curse doesn't work and had to be changed.
The premise of a Darklord in Ravenloft being cursed to perceive all strong emotions directed at her as evil indeed presents several logical and thematic inconsistencies with the setting. Here are additional points that illustrate why this specific curse might not only be unworkable but also out of sync with the underlying principles of Ravenloft:
Ravenloft's Darklords are typically punished through curses that reflect their own moral failings and original sins. The punishment usually involves a deeply personal irony that makes the Darklord relive or confront their darkest traits. Indeed, the concept of the Dark Powers in Ravenloft manipulating Darklords into committing further evil by directly altering their abilities doesn't quite align with the broader narrative themes and character dynamics that Ravenloft seeks to explore. A curse that indiscriminately forces a Darklord to perceive all strong emotions as evil lacks this personalization. It does not directly correlate with specific moral failings of the Darklord but instead imposes a broad and somewhat arbitrary penalty. The Dark Powers do not typically force Darklords into evil acts; rather, they create circumstances that reveal or amplify the Darklords' inherent flaws. Out of Character for the Dark Powers
The Dark Powers in Ravenloft are enigmatic and do not typically force Darklords into evil acts through direct and overt manipulation. They are more about seducing with power or isolating with fear, crafting personal hells that reflect the Darklords' own natures and choices. This is a crucial distinction because it preserves the Darklords' free will—their decisions to continue on a path of evil are their own, not the result of direct manipulation or trickery by an external force. By making Elena’s corruption an overt trickery by changing how her ability works, it reduces the Dark Powers to simplistic villains rather than mysterious, cosmic forces that operate through subtlety and implication.
This dilutes the tragic irony that is a hallmark of the Ravenloft setting.
An Unsustainable Rule:
Any ruler's relationships with their subjects is going to be a complex web of emotions and opinions. Even if the ruler was benevolent, their subjects will harbor strong feelings (frustration, admiration, worry, etc).
Under the original scenario, Elena's flawed Detect Strong Emotion abilities would be constantly triggering on the strong feelings that everyone she encountered would be experiencing, essentially rendering her entire domain and every interaction a minefield. Elena would be sentencing every one of her subjects to death or torture, particularly those that are in fact loyal to her, as such feelings would indistinguishable from evil in the eyes of her ability. Elena would immediately decimate her own ranks. Advisors, soldiers, anyone with an ounce of ambition or a strong sense of duty possesses potent feelings towards their leader. She'd be constantly purging the very people necessary to maintain her rule, and thus creating a feedback loop of paranoia as anyone fearing or inwardly questioning her would also be seen as evil.
If Elena is constantly persecuting those around her, it becomes difficult to justify a stable domain. Her story loses impact if she's merely a raving tyrant surrounded by corpses. A curse that would immediately destroys Elena's power base serves little purpose for a cohesive setting.
Unfortunate Implaciations:
How this is out of character for the Dark Powers, and how they craft their curses
Darklords are cursed to perpetuate their own suffering due to their often stubborn personalities. The Dark Powers are above merely altering a single variable, and then watching with amusement as some would-be Paladin cuts loose on a bunch of innocents that they now perceive as evil beings. A slow descent into madness, fueled by self-doubt and isolation, is far more insidious than the immediate self-destruction the original curse would inevitably cause.
Limiting Role-Playing Opportunities
With the original curse, player characters wouldn't be able to exploit or challenge Elena's delusion as her targets are essentially randomized. This limits potential roleplaying and lessens the horror.
In summary, Elena's original curse was simplistic and blatantly dysfunctional, and lacked the depth typically explored in other Ravenloft stories, where curses should reflect a Darklord's personal failings and historical actions rather than being reduced to merely a mechanical malfunction where a single variable has been altered.
Note - Why the Revised version works
Darklord's Responsibility in their Own Continued Damnation
The core idea behind a Darklord in Ravenloft is that they are trapped in their domain as a result of their own choices and actions. They are characters who have committed grave sins or moral failures, and their punishment is uniquely tailored to their own vices and history. In the revised curse, Elena's actions—driven by her delusions of detecting evil—are entirely her own. She is not being tricked by a faulty divine power granted by external forces; instead, she misinterprets the world through a lens clouded by her own mental instability. This makes her directly responsible for her actions, fitting the Ravenloft theme of self-inflicted damnation.
The revised versions place the responsibility for Elena's actions squarely on her own shoulders, even though her sanity is twisted.
How it suits the Character
Elena's belief that she's doing good, even as she commits vile acts, creates a disturbing internal conflict. This is a far more compelling narrative than her merely being a pawn of the Dark Powers.
The Role of the Dark Powers
The revised curse is rooted in psychological horror - the slow erosion of Elena's mind and faith. This is far more insidious than the Dark Powers simply changing how her power works. The potential for a warped redemption arc, where she confronts the truth of her delusion, is more poignant than simply having her realize a magical effect was altered.
Limiting Role-Playing Opportunities
The revised curse provides richer roleplaying opportunities. Player characters encountering Elena can't just "fix" her power. They're faced with a deeply delusional, dangerous ruler who could still hold a sliver of her former goodness. Do they challenge her sanity, risking the collapse of the domain? Do they manipulate her delusion for their own ends? Or do they seek a truly redemptive path amidst the darkness?
In summary, the revised curses make Elena a more tragic, complex, and thematically resonant Darklord. They shift the horror from overt manipulation to a disturbingly believable descent into madness, making her story a compelling echo of reality's darkest corners.