#i guess you COULD add freemen and divination space wizards tripping on purple worm juice

[darklordazalin]

Azalin Reviews: Darklord Hazlik

Domain: Hazlan Domain Formation: 714 BC Power Level: 💀💀💀💀⚫ Sources: Ravenloft Gazetteer Vol 1 (3e), Ravenloft 3.0, Secrets of the Dread Realms (3e), Realm of Terror (2e), Domains and Denizens (2e) CW: Genocide, homophobic hate crimes

Disclaimer: I have been reviewing the Darklords in order of Domain Formation and Hazlik coming up during pride month feels wrong to me but then again hate crimes are real and those in the queer community face them far too often. The older material on Hazlik was questionable, at best, but who can blame the man for wanting revenge against those who hated him because he was talented and gay?

Hazlik, the aging chaotic little "Red Wizard” and Darklord of Hazlan, is a man of many contradictions ruling over a land riddled with ancient magics and straggled with oppression.

Hazlan is an arid land of cliffs and canyons with sparse vegetation where landslides and tornadoes are common hazards. The populace is severely divided with the Rashemani barely having enough to survive on, while the Mulan lavish themselves in luxury. Keeping the oppressed oppressed is the only way the Mulan maintain rule over the Rashemani as they are severely outnumbered.

It should come as little surprise, given his moniker, that Hazlik comes from the world of Toril and was once a Red Wizard of Thay. Typically having a malevolent nature, these “Red Wizards” devoted themselves to the mastery of a particular school of magic. Hazlik’s chosen school is evocation.

Hazlik’s downfall came from his own ambitious nature. He rose too fast amongst the ranks of his fellows and made too many enemies in doing so. One such rival and enemy, the necromancer Thantosya, became his undoing. Though Hazlik attempted to hide his desire for Thantosya’s lover (Ordiab), the two must have found him out.

Ordiab seduced Hazlik and when discovered amidst their passion, Hazlik’s enemies (lead by Thantosya) accused him of assaulting Ordiab. They captured the little evocator, tattooed his head and chest with arcane symbols of femininity (which Hazlik viewed as humiliating) and cast him out of their order then burnt down his estate. They were quite thorough and one wonders why they did not simply kill Hazlik and be done with it.

It’s always curious who our Tormentors single out as Darklords. Thantosya and Ordiab’s crimes were far greater than Hazlik’s, but I wager that having an obsessive nature has something to do with it and Hazlik’s obsession with revenge must have drawn them in.

He spent his forced seclusion on magical experimentation and research in hopes of finding a way to utterly destroy those who ostracized him. I’m not one to hold much weight on chance, but call it what you will, one day Hazlik came upon Thantosya and Ordiab in a small glade while he was gathering ingredients.

He ambushed the lovers, killed Ordiab and forced Thantosya to drink his blood before killing her as well. And with this act of vengeance, the Mists took Hazlik into the Nightmare Lands. There he found himself once more tormented and powerless by those that had tattooed him. He fled back into the Mists and Hazlan formed.

Before the Grand Conjunction, Hazlik was obsessed with escaping Hazlan so he could obtain revenge against those who humiliated him. The death of Thantosya and Ordiab were never enough, he wanted vengeance against them all. Because of his hatred of the wizards who humiliated him, he forbade the practice of the arcane arts in Hazlan, except for himself, of course. Blinded by his hatred for the necromancer that led to his downfall, he has a severe disdain for undead servants and necromancy in general. Well, there’s no accounting for taste…

After the Grand Conjunction and Hazlik's near escape of these misty realms, Hazlik’s views changed significantly. For one, he opened the Red Academy to teach the arcane arts. It is rumored that he saw a glimpse of Toril and his enemies thriving there before the Mists took him once more. Being taken a second time, Hazlik convinced himself that he would never escape the Mists. That’s all it took? Quitter.

Hazlik’s views of magic are in direct opposition to the Church of the Lawgiver which thrives amongst the Hazlani. This church’s doctrine views the practice of the arcane arts as blasphemous. Ridiculous. I will always put more faith in my own knowledge than some ‘greater’ and mysterious power these so called priests worship. Especially in these lands where the gods are clearly absent.

Mostly, Hazlik ignores the church. Perhaps for his own purposes in that their suppression of magical practices by all but Hazlik’s chosen apprentices allows him to study his art in peace and without fear of an ambitious mage attempting to overthrow him? Or perhaps I am giving him too much credit here…

Hazlik sees the Rashemani as being beneath his notice and believes the all Mulan deserve absolute suffering for what they did to him in Toril. Yet, he appoints Mulan leaders to rule settlements in his steed as he ignores the demands that rulership placed upon his shoulders.

Hazlik’s current plans revolve around his favored apprentice, Eleni. For without a new body and his refusal to use Necromancy, he will eventually die of old age and considering he is already in his 80s, well…He plans on taking control of Eleni’s body before that happens so he may carry out his rather elaborate plan for revenge. No longer is he satisfied by destroying those that humiliated him, but he seeks to slay every single Mulan in existence. He spends countless hours researching rituals that will allow him to do just that, targeting the Mulan in Hazlan and in any realm they exist. A bit extreme for a few tattoos and a broken heart…

Hazlik is still tormented by nightmares of his enemies. So frightened by these visions, he spends much of his energy attempting to find magical means of staying awake, but he never succeeds for long and the longer he stays awake he begins to experience waking nightmares, seeing enemies and rivals everywhere.

Despite his misguided disdain for Necromancy, Hazlik is one of the most powerful wizards in Ravenloft and through constant experimentation has created some unique items such as the vat of living clay that allows the creation of a monster sculped from clay every day. He can sense any spell cast within his borders and in most cases identify it. Additionally, our Tormentors were so kind to gift him with an amulet that, upon his destruction, will store his soul within so he is not easily defeated.