The Land: The small island of Veneficium is roughly (to use a comparison) half the size of Manhattan Island in New York City. The outer rim of the island is sandy beaches with rocky outcroppings on a few hundred feet inland. The interior of the island is a dense forest, with a few formerly well-maintained paths that have decayed from disuse. At the center of the island is the Palace, where the darklord of this domain lives. To the west, there is a small watery inlet which flows to a small lake, at the center of which is the only other man-made structure on the island, a gazebo covering a reflecting pool. To the north of the Palace, there is a river, which flows by a volcano- an incongruous feature but there nonetheless- to the aforementioned small lake. The entire remainder of the island is covered in the forest.

Cultural Level: Classical.

The Folk: There is no one living in Veneficium, save its darklord, his two servants, the geists of his victims, and anyone who is brave (or foolish) enough to set foot on his isle.

The Law: The law is dictated by the darklord, although there are few living beings around to obey his laws.

Native Player Characters: There are no native player characters from Veneficium.

Personalities of Note: The only notable personalities in Veneficium are the darklord, his two servants, Demona and MacBeth, and the geists of former residents of the isle, including Princess Katherine, Tom the Guardian, the Magus, the Weird Sisters, King Arthur, and the gargoyle clan that dwelled on this island.

Encounters: Encounters here include those of the geists of the darklord's slaughtered enemies, the (very) rare normal forest or sea animal, the occasional magical creation of the darklord, and Demona and/or MacBeth, whom the darklord sends to investigate all visitors to his domain.

Lord of Veneficium

The Archmage
30th-Level Human Mage, Neutral Evil

The Archmage is an intimidating figure, clad in dark blue and black robes, standing nearly seven feet in height, and with a harsh-featured countenance. He seems to wear two decorative objects- a tiny pendant on his skullcapped forehead (a blue gem in a golden frame resembling an eye), and a small shield colored gold on a blue background, with the gold in the shape of a flaming bird, or a phoenix.

The Archmage can present himself as friendly enough, but his temper is terrible. It was bad enough before his imprisonment in Ravenloft, but the almost-total isolation on this Island of Terror has embittered the Archmage even further. In reality, he is an angry, vengeful man, and any transgression the visitors enact against him, intentional or no, will bring the truth of his personality to the fore.

Background: The Archmage was the court wizard of one Prince Malcolm of Castle Wyvern, in Scotland on an Earth in an alternate Prime Material Plane. He plotted against the Prince, coveting his throne. He attempted to use sorcery to take the Prince's throne, but he was found out and banished for his crimes. In retaliation, the Archmage used a poison, made more deadly than normal by a spell in his spellbook, the Grimorum Arcanorum, in an attempt to assassinate Malcolm. The Prince was saved by 3 gargoyles, who battled the Archmage in his lair and retrieved the Grimorum. The Archmage attempted to stab the gargoyle who had the book with a broken stalagmite, but the gargoyle sidestepped, and the Archmage fell into a chasm, seemingly to his demise.

This was not so. He was saved by a future version of himself, who set him on his path- he made an alliance with three fae, collectively named the Weird Sisters, and gained the possession of three artifacts- the Eye of Odin, which increased his mystical skills; the Phoenix Gate, which enables him to travel anywhere in space or time with a thought; and the Grimorum Arcanorum, which, since he could not bring it onto Avalon, he consumed, absorbing all its knowledge and power into himself. He also had the Weird Sisters change a gargoyle named Demona, and a human named MacBeth, so that they were immortal and linked. The Archmage planned to conquer Avalon, and turn the mystically concealed isle into a base from which to launch his plans for world domination. He and his forces attacked and slaughtered the inhabitants of the isle, 3 humans, and 36 gargoyles. This massacre attracted the attention of the Dark Powers. Then, the Weird Sisters told him of the sleeping King Arthur in his Hollow Hill. The Archmage killed him while he slumbered, causing the Dark Powers to extend misty tendrils on the outskirts of Avalon. With the Archmage's last murders- that of his "allies" the Weird Sisters using two animated iron suits of armor from the Hollow Hill- the Mists covered Avalon, and pulled it into Ravenloft, where it became the domain of Veneficium.

Current Sketch: The Archmage alternates between raging against being imprisoned and held back indefinitely from his dream of world conquest, and coolly trying to find a means of escape from the Demiplane of Dread. Whenever visitors set foot on Veneficium, the Archmage sends his soldiers Demona and MacBeth to take them to his Palace, willingly or not. The Archmage will first act friendly, trying to learn if the strangers possess the means of escape he seeks. If they claim they do not know any way, he brands them liars, and attempts to attack and imprison them, then using torture to try to force the answer out of the visitors. On nights of the full moon, the geists of his slain victims appear in his palace, and silently try to torment him, but he usually uses his powers to shunt them elsewhere.

Closing the Borders: Whenever the Archmage wants to seal his borders (which he often does), a wall of lightning bolts (as per the wizard spell) surround the edges of his domain, inflicting damage on any who try to cross the wall as per the spell, and continuing to inflict the damage anew every round that the interloper spends in the wall. The lightning bolts will not cease until the victim is dead or has returned within the boundaries of Veneficium.

Combat: The Archmage has the spellcasting capabilities of a 30th-level wizard, as found in Dungeon Master's Option: High-Level Campaigns. If that book is not used, then here is his spell usage per day:

Level 1 Spells - 7 per day
Level 2 Spells - 7 per day
Level 3 Spells - 7 per day
Level 4 Spells - 7 per day
Level 5 Spells - 7 per day
Level 6 Spells - 7 per day
Level 7 Spells - 7 per day
Level 8 Spells - 6 per day
Level 9 Spells - 6 per day
Level 10 Spells* - 4 per day

*True Dweomers, as found in High-Level Campaigns. Ignore if this book is not used.

He holds all the spells from the Player's Handbook, Tome of Magic, and/or The Complete Wizard's Handbook in his memory, and can cast any of these spells up to his daily limit. If High-Level Campaigns is used, he can also use all the True Dweomers from that book. All of his spells do not require material components.

However, this is where his curse from the Dark Powers comes in- he has great mystical power, but he is unable to fully control it. Every spell he casts, no matter how major or minor, creates a Wild Surge effect, as per the table in the Tome of Magic.

As if his spell-casting abilities weren't enough of a challenge, he also possesses an artifact called the Phoenix Gate, which can, at the will of the Archmage, teleport him anywhere within Veneficium, and only within Veneficium, in space and time. He can also use it to create the effect of a teleport without error spell, again limited by the boundaries of the domain.

(Some portions of Veneficium created by Dracandros.)
(Veneficium copyright 1998 JEB and Dracandros.)