Death Knights are an iconic part of D&D, and no one Death Knight is as iconic as the original Death Knight, Lord Soth.
You have to work pretty hard to become an iconic villain in two different campaign settings. And yet, that’s exactly what one Loren Soth did, reigning supreme as a blackhearted villain in both Dragonlance and Ravenloft. Lord Soth was so evil that he was plucked from Krynn by the mists of Ravenloft, and even from the demiplane of dread did his infamy spread.
But who is Lord Soth, anyway? What’s the story behind the glowing eyes peering out from a helm of utter darkness? Well, as it turns out, Lord Soth might be a little bit more relatable. Because his fall from grace all starts when he gets horny for an el,f and that ruins his whole life. Admittedly, a lot of that was a Lord Soth problem, as you’ll see. But hey, he’s only human. Right up until he became an undead monstrosity.
Lord Soth – Life Before Death (Knight)
Back when he was alive, Lord Soth was a formidable warrior. In fact, he was a member of the Knights of Solamnia. Ironically enough, before his fall and corruption, he was seen as a just and good exemplar of the order. However, pride goeth before a fall, as they often say. And Soth was proud. And hungry for glory and the accolades of his peers. That ambition helped him achieve the rank of Knight of the Rose, the highest rank in the order. But it all comes crashing down after Soth falls in love with an elf, probably murders his wife (though nobody can prove it), and betrays his order.
For a while, things work out surprisingly well. Probably because nobody can prove he killed his wife to be with his new lover, Isolde. However, Isolde receives a vision of a looming cataclysm and pleads with her husband to do what he can to avert the wrath of the gods. At this point, Lord Soth, still a human knight, sets out on a quest and is going great right up until he meets some other elves that ruin his whole life. They do so by telling him he’s on a fool’s errand and that his wife is betraying him. Lord Soth responds reasonably by murdering everyone and then going back to his castle and murdering his second wife (this time it’s very provable) and leaving his son to die.
Cursed To Be A Badass Villain
Understandably, Isolde curses Soth as she dies. Turns out, the wrath of the gods is made manifest as they transform him into a Death Knight, making him one of the most powerful evil beings in Krynn. Now, mayyyybe the best punishment for someone doing evil acts is to give them immense power and immortality, but what do I know?
In his punishment, Lord Soth became a true tyrant on Krynn. He joins up with Kitiara and fights in the many wars of the Dragonlance. Ironically enough, his villainy in these wars (and not the actual betrayals beforehand) is what makes him a perfect candidate for the Mists of Ravenloft. Before he could carry out an evil scheme on Krynn, he was drawn to Ravenloft where Soth comes into conflict with Strahd von Zarovich himself.
Lord Soth carves a bloody path through the Land of Mists, and in his search for a way out, finds himself swept into a recreation of Solamnia, where he is once again given a test – a chance to earn redemption. At the border of the Mists, Soth comes into a recreation of his final moments of life. In the throne room of his keep, he once again finds himself coming face to face with his wife, Isolde, as well as an idealized version of Lord Soth as he was in life.
Now Lord Soth, faced with a chance to atone for his past, refuses, attempting to strike down his wife and son, and becomes the darklord of a new realm, Sithicus. In Sithicus, Soth is eternally tormented, ruling a kingdom of elves (whom he blames for his betrayal and death) and there he remained until Ravenloft itself came under attack.
Torment, kin-slaying, and unimaginable power; seems like the perfect recipe for an arch-villain.
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