Frantisek Markov
Encyclopedia
Frantisek Markov is a fictional character; one of the domain lords of the Ravenloft
campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons
fantasy
role-playing game
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. He married a young woman from the village and they opened a butcher shop there. Out of either curosity or sadism, Frantisek began to experiment with the animals, performing surgical amputations, grafts, and glandular injections. The animals invariably died within a few days, but his gruesome hobby cost him nothing, since he could still sell the meat. When his wife discovered his ghastly pastime, she was revolted and threatened to leave him and tell the villagers about the meat they were buying. Furious, Frantisek made her his next experiment, and she lived for three days. When her body was first discovered, the villagers thought it was the body of a horrible beast. At this point, Ravenloft sent its rolling mists to claim him, where he became the darklord of Markovia.
Markov was given the ability to transform his body into that of any animal, although always retaining his human head. Due to the nature of his curse, he is completely unable to return to human form. He usually chooses to keep the shape of a gorilla, in order to make use of its primate hands in his experiments and surgeries. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to fall into Markov's clutches becomes fodder for his experiments, where they are converted into beastmen through a series of agonizing surgical procedures. Markov is frantically trying to find the key to human transformation in an effort to regain his form. He is unaware that he labors under a curse and is thus always doomed to failure. The beastmen he creates view Markov as a god, and worship him out of fear.
In the Grand Conjunction of 735 BC (Barovian Calendar), Markovia disappeared from the centre of the Core and reappeared in the Sea of Sorrows, west of Lamordia, thus cutting Markov off from a ready supply of experimental subjects. He now relies on shipwrecks, castaways, and unwary visitors to his island, and several colonization attempts have resulted in entire villages disappearing and a resulting surge in the beastmen population.
The character is based on the title character of the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr Moreau.
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called domains brought together by a mysterious force known only as "The Dark...
campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
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Fictional character biography
Frantisek grew up on a small pig farm outside the village of Vallaki in BaroviaBarovia
Barovia is the oldest domain in Ravenloft.It was formed from a part of the ancestral lands of Strahd von Zarovich at the time when he murdered his brother Sergei to win the hand of the beautiful Tatyana in the year 351 of the Barovian Calendar....
. He married a young woman from the village and they opened a butcher shop there. Out of either curosity or sadism, Frantisek began to experiment with the animals, performing surgical amputations, grafts, and glandular injections. The animals invariably died within a few days, but his gruesome hobby cost him nothing, since he could still sell the meat. When his wife discovered his ghastly pastime, she was revolted and threatened to leave him and tell the villagers about the meat they were buying. Furious, Frantisek made her his next experiment, and she lived for three days. When her body was first discovered, the villagers thought it was the body of a horrible beast. At this point, Ravenloft sent its rolling mists to claim him, where he became the darklord of Markovia.
Markov was given the ability to transform his body into that of any animal, although always retaining his human head. Due to the nature of his curse, he is completely unable to return to human form. He usually chooses to keep the shape of a gorilla, in order to make use of its primate hands in his experiments and surgeries. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to fall into Markov's clutches becomes fodder for his experiments, where they are converted into beastmen through a series of agonizing surgical procedures. Markov is frantically trying to find the key to human transformation in an effort to regain his form. He is unaware that he labors under a curse and is thus always doomed to failure. The beastmen he creates view Markov as a god, and worship him out of fear.
In the Grand Conjunction of 735 BC (Barovian Calendar), Markovia disappeared from the centre of the Core and reappeared in the Sea of Sorrows, west of Lamordia, thus cutting Markov off from a ready supply of experimental subjects. He now relies on shipwrecks, castaways, and unwary visitors to his island, and several colonization attempts have resulted in entire villages disappearing and a resulting surge in the beastmen population.
The character is based on the title character of the H.G. Wells novel The Island of Dr Moreau.