Azalin Reviews: Darklord Gregor Zolnik
Domain: Vorostokov Domain Formation: 731 BC Power Level:💀💀💀 ⚫⚫ Sources: Domains of Dread (2e), Dark of the Moon (2e), Darklords (2e)
Gregor Zolnik, the Darklord of Vorostokov, is a classic example of the hero’s fall and why I will forever question the motives of one who ‘does good’ especially when they constantly seek recognition for these so-called good deeds.
Vorostokov was originally located within the northern provinces of Cerilia within the world of Aebrynis. Once a temporal land, within the Mists, Vorostokov is now a land of perpetual winter. The people struggle for survival, only the bravest venturing into the wilds to hunt for dwindling resources.
When winter came early in Gregor’s homeworld, it decimated Vorostokov’s crops and without the aid of hunters, the entire village would have died of starvation. Gregor was one of those hunters and continually set forth to into the wilderness to provide for his family. During yet another fruitless hunt, he encountered an injured wolf. Watching the beast, he yearned for its keen senses and strength. For if he had them, he could sneak up on his prey and feed his mother and sisters for the winter.
As he watched the dying wolf, he recalled a tale his grandfather had told him of people who could change into wolves by donning their hides and calling upon the magic of the night. Desperate for that power, Gregor decided to see if there was any truth to the tale. I do not recommend attempting to see if magic based on folktale works without research, but Gregor isn’t known for his intellect.
Once the moon rose, he killed the wolf and drew a circle in the snow with its blood. He then skinned the beast and placed its hide upon his back. Lastly, he ate it’s brain for its cunning and its hearth for its strength. I wonder if Gregor thought about what he would do if his made up ritual didn’t work…he would have wasted likely the only food he would have found for his family for some time.
Regardless, it worked and Gregor took on a very painful transformation, his limbs bending and snapping as they reshaped into the form of a wolf. In his new form, Gregor easily took down a caribou and dragged it back to his mother’s house. He transformed in secret in a nearby cave then informed his mother where he had left the carcass.
While he slept, his mother shared the caribou with the entire village. At first, this angered her son, but then as the villagers regarded him as a hero, he decided to use the wolf pelt to continually provide for the people.
After the winter thawed, the Duke of Vorostokov praised Gregor and named him the hero of the village. While visiting, he met the Duke’s daughter Ireena. The two fell in love and married shortly after. The lure of the wolf, however, was not easily ignored and Gregor fell to sneaking out at night so he could experience the power of this animal. Ireena thought he was being unfaithful and decided to be unfaithful herself. This, as you imagine, did not turn out well. Gregor, in his wolf form, discovered his wife in bed with another and gave into his savage nature. He killed everyone in the Duke’s household that night and enjoyed the slaughter. This act brought Gregor and Volrostokov into Ravenloft and an endless winter. In Vorostokov, Gregor became a powerful loup du noir, donning his wolf skin pelt to force his change from man to beast almost on a nightly basis. He rules the land as Boyar and created werewolves under his control to serve him under his Boyarsky. Among the Boyarsky are his own sons as well, the only other loup du noir of the pack. Gregor and his Boyarsky continue to provide for the village of Vorostokov, often hunting humans from other villages when food in the wilderness is scarce. The people are fed, but often turn a blind eye to the source of their meat or remain in blissful ignorance. Gregor is a skilled ranger, fighter, and unless one has access to powerful magic and weapons of pure silver, nearly invulnerable when in his wolf form. If one does manage to defeat him, his body disappears and he finds himself by his wolf skin pelt in a protected cave. The only way to really defeat him would be to destroy his pelt, then deal with the man himself. Not an easy feat when protected by his Boyarsky.