Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: The Mysterious Fate of Azalin Rex

 

Azalin makes an appearance as a group patron in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, which came out May 18th, is a new sourcebook that provides updates to the horror-themed Ravenloft Campaign Setting. The setting of Ravenloft is made up of countless demiplanes known as the Domains of Dread, over 30 of which are detailed in the sourcebook. Each domain is a personal prison intended to contain and torment a Darklord, a unique villain who rules over the realm. Many Darklords have garnered reputations as deadly villains, including the famous vampire Strahd Von Zarovich, who appears as the main antagonist of the Curse of Strahd adventure book.

The book provides updated lore on many of the most iconic Darklords from previous editions, although the infamous lich lord Azalin Rex, ruler of the Domain of Darkon, is notably absent from the book. Azalin has been an iconic character of the Ravenloft setting since his debut in Ravenloft II: The House on Gryphon Hill, which was released in 1986.

Nonetheless, Azalin occaisionally makes appearances in the book's artwork and in the humourous disclaimer at the beginning: Disclaimer: By the sole act of opening this book, you acknowledge your complicity in the domains-spanning conspiracy that denied me, Azalin Rex, Wizard-King of Darkon, my rightful place as both author of and cover model for what could have been so much more than this doubtful collection of lies and slanders. Fortunately, as I’ve recently found my immortality unburdened by the trivialities of rule, I have endless opportunity to pursue thorough vengeances for even the pettiest affronts. Please prepare for my coming. I expect to be quartered in the utmost comfort while we personalize your redefinition of the word “horror.”

Azalin Rex does battle with Strahd von Zarovich.

Azalin Rex was a powerful wizard-king who hailed from the world of Oerth (the Greyhawk campaign setting) and murdered his brother, executed his son, and plunged his nation of Knur into war before being claimed by the Mists of Ravenloft. Initially arriving in the domain of Barovia, he introduced himself to the locals as "Azal'Lan", which meant "wizard king" in his native language.

Azalin was well-known for his bitter rivalry with the vampire Strahd Von Zarovich and his multiple attempts to escape his prison of Darkon, which have had lasting consequences for the world of Ravenloft as a whole. His most recent attempt, triggering a magical event called the "Hour of Ascension", resulted in the lich's disappearance and the explosion of his castle, leaving behind many characters an adventuring party might interact with, such as Skeever, his Imp familiar, and Ebbasheyth, a Black Shadow Dragon who served as his advisor.

Currently, Darkon is on the verge of destruction. Several new leaders vie for control of the realm, even as the Mists that make up Ravenloft's borders begin to creep in on it. A strange new star called the King's Tear hangs in the sky and Azalin's fortress, castle Avernus, is frozen in time at the moment of its destruction, its rooms and passages suspended in midair in the midst of a terrible explosion.

The sourcebook offers several ideas for DMs who want to run an adventure in Darkon, such as suggestions that Azalin was destroyed or returned to his homeworld of Greyhawk. The "Mist Wanderers" section at the end of chapter three, however, suggests another possibility that may be the canon one. One of the so-called Mist Wanderers detailed in the book is a mysterious wizard named Firan Zal'Honan (which long-time fans will recognize as Azalin's true name). This wandering mage claims to be of noble birth and boasts that he could have served as a "wizard-king" in a previous life. Firan Zal'Honan's only goal is to escape Ravenloft and visit the "True Realities" beyond and he is afraid to enter the Mists unguided, insisting that he would become trapped forever.

In the guidelines for incorporating him into a campaign, Firan Zal'Honan is described as an arrogant and pragmatic archwizard with an Imp familiar named Skeever. One of the suggested quests featuring him involves a thief stealing his prized possession-a golden dragon skull (resembling a miniature version of his phylactery). Until he gets the skull back, Firan is "uncharacteristically agitated" and offers any knowledge he possesses in exchange for its return.

It's strange that the Wizards of the Coast design team would go to such lengths to keep this hidden, although in such a way that Azalin's identity is clear to older fans. Perhaps a new wizards of the coast product is on the horizon-a d&d story featuring Azalin Rex.