lfred Timothy, the rogue son of werewolf riverboat baron Nathan Timothy, is the Darklord of Arkandale. Alfred has "gone savage", living among the other true werewolves in the woodlands, most of whom are of Ohatchee blood. Indeed, the young man has become their leader, a dark medicine man whose visions provide a direction for the lycanthropes' violent tendencies. Alfred has no way of directly enforcing his will on the Arkandalens, but the fear his minions inspire dominates their lives. Indeed, few if any Arkandalens know of Nathan Timothy's missing son, but all know of the silver shaman-wolf that leads the werewolves on their bloody rampages.
Day-to-day life in Arkandale is overseen by Governor Leslie Meriwether. Meriwether is a raffish gentleman whose family plantation lies just outside Gillsburg. His rule is characterized by the same laid-back warmth and veiled suspicion that permeates all of Arkandale life. There is no standing Arkandale military force as such. Most male Arkandalens are reasonably familiar with combat and firearms, however, and thus Arkandale maintains something of a domain-wide civilian militia. Almost every household keeps a snaplock musket on hand. Limited communication across the domain prevents much centralization of authority. Most of the real decisions get made at the town or village level. A mayor governs civic affairs in most villages, while a head constable upholds the law. Towns of any size will have a large group of deputies under the constable's command. These will usually be 2nd-level fighters dressed in the equivalent of padded armor and wielding snaplock belt pistols. Unfortunately, corruption is rampant, and village concerns usually bow to the desires of the most prominent local plantation families.
Alfred Timothy
6th-Level Lowland Loup-Garou, Priest of Odanaula, Lawful Evil
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Armor Class 10 or 5 Movement 12 or 15 or 18 Level/Hit Dice 6 Hit Points 35 THAC0 18 or 15 No. of Attacks 1 or 3 Damage/Attack By Weapon or 1d4/1d4/2d4 or 2d4 Special Attacks Surprise, Spells (5/5/3) Special Defenses Hit Only By +1 or Silver Magic Resistance 25% |
Str 10 (18/00) Dex 12 (16) Con 14 (18) Int 12 Wis 18 Cha 14 |
In human aspect, Alfred appears to be a thin young Arkandalen of about 18. He should be an middle-aged man by now, but the Dark Powers have apparently halted his aging entirely. He has brown hair of medium length and bright blue eyes. His pale, freckled skin is perpetually sunburned. Alfred may have had a sweet, boyish face at one time, but now he constantly wears an evil sneer. He is normally dressed in the manner of an Ohatchee medicine man. A white circle painted on his forehead signifies his priestly station. Mysteriously, Alfred casts no shadow, a trait that the other werewolves regard as a sign of Odanaula's favor. In wolf aspect, Alfred is a huge silvery-white wolf with rusty-red highlights.
Background: Alfred is the son of Nathan Timothy, the loup-garou riverboat baron and former darklord of Arkandale. Alfred grew up on his father's boat on Arkandale's rivers, longing to run through the green forests in search of prey. He was an insecure youth, plagued with strange dreams and primal urges he could not fathom. Nathan was primarily concerned with running his shipping business, however, and paid little attention to his son. Gradually, Alfred's resentment towards his father turned to jealousy and hatred. When he was sixteen, Alfred slipped overboard one night and fled into the darkness.
The young werewolf roamed Arkandale for a time, traveling from village to village in search of his destiny. Though Alfred was uncomfortable around humans, he was drawn to their towns by their fantastic stories. In his travels, Alfred spent many muggy Arkandale nights listening to folktales spun by lantern-light. He was particularly interested in the stories of the Ohatchee wolf-men that lived in the forest. He was immediately attracted to their bizarre barbarian ways and their bloodthirsty practices. He yearned to run with these red savages and taste their unholy freedom, but at the same time he feared them.
One night, Alfred satiated his hunger in a poor farmer's chicken coop. Carelessly, he fell asleep and was captured by a frenzied mob of townsfolk. The terrified young lycanthrope was about to be burned alive by the mob when a group of Vistani appeared and offered to buy the "unseemly shapeshifter" for a handsome price. The townsfolk hesitantly agreed. The Vistani immediately offered to set Alfred free on one condition: that he would grant safe passage to any Vistani he encountered in his lifetime. Alfred consented, but was so confused and enraged that he attacked the Vistani leader. However, the Vistani had known of the boy's dark significance, and they vanished in a cloud of mist.
Truly frightened now, Alfred ran blindly through the wilderness in his hybrid aspect. Eventually he stumbled upon a clearing where a dark hill surrounded by menhirs rose up before him. Overcome with exhaustion, he slept there amid the stones, and was visited by a potent vision. A gigantic wolf with hypnotic eyes and scorching breath approached him, calling itself Odanaula, Slayer of the Moon. The wolf told him that he, Alfred Timothy, was to be an agent of elemental savagery. He was to lead Arkandale's werewolves in a holy war against the human rot that had infested Odanaula's homeland. Alfred's vision was broken by a group of Ohatchee werewolves who had discovered him. With a clarity of purpose that he had never possessed, Alfred spoke to the werewolves in the Ohatchee language, telling them of the vision Odanaula had sent him. Stunned and awed, the werewolves adopted the young lycanthrope into their numbers. Astonishingly, Alfred quickly assumed the leadership of all of Arkandale's werewolves, using his nightly fever-dreams as a source of inspiration.
Since Alfred's elevation to shaman-chief of the werewolves, the lycanthropes have become much more aggressive and bloody in their attacks on human settlements. In Barovian Year 730, the Dark Powers saw fit to transfer the lordship of Arkandale from apathetic Nathan Timothy to his demented son. Nathan, for his part, preferred to be free to traverse the waterways of Ravenloft.
Current Sketch: Alfred has adjusted well to his status as a darklord. With time he has become ruthless, confidant, and, if anything, more deranged than ever. He is haunted by vivid nightmares that he interprets as visions from Odanaula. From these "visions" Alfred has cultivated a boundless hatred of humans and their works. His goal is nothing less than the complete annihilation of "normal" human civilization within Arkandale and a return to what he views as the primitive purity of the Ohatchee past. Of course, his plans for the realization of this goal mostly involve the slaughter of innocent townfolk, but it is only a matter of time until Alfred's evil mind develops something more far-reaching.
The Dark Powers have drastically slowed—or perhaps halted—Alfred's aging, although remarkably Alfred hasn't noticed. He should be a middle-aged adult by now, but physically he remains a skinny adolescent. Alfred greatly fears the Vistani, and tolerates them alone among all other intelligent beings. The gypsies are not frequently encountered in Arkandale, but because of Alfred's debt and oath to their race, the domain is something of a safe haven where a vardo may linger for a time.
Closing the Borders: Alfred cannot seal his domain in any absolute, supernatural manner. When he wishes, however, numerous wolves emerge from the woodlands to patrol the borders.
Combat: Despite his position as a shamanistic leader of the Arkandale werewolves, Alfred does not lurk in the background during combat, casting spells for support. In battle he becomes a raging beast, even more bloodthirsty than his greatest warriors. This shocks many who encounter him as a unassuming boy or an otherworldly priest. Alfred is not stupid, however. He has an uncanny ability for spotting the most dangerous or significant opponents, uncovering their weaknesses, and exploiting their conscience and emotions. He also has no compunctions about ordering his pack to retreat if a battle goes badly, usually with the intent to return in greater numbers.
Alfred has all the normal powers of a lowland loup-garou, but also has several other special abilities. He is 25% resistant to all magic. He may, at will, use any shadow cast by moonlight as a dimension door to any other moonshadow in Arkandale. He is also a 6th level priest of Odanaula, with the ability to command undead and cast spells.
Spheres: All, Animal, Combat, Divination, Elemental, Plant, Weather
Common Spells: 1st Level animal friendship, curse, detect magic, entangle, locate animals or plants, pass without trace, shillelagh; 2nd Level augury, chant, charm person or mammal, obscurement, produce flame, speak with animals, trip; 3rd Level call lightning, locate object, meld into stone, plant growth, prayer, spike growth, stone shape, summon insects, water breathing, water walk.
