Ancient tombs, a vast desert, and mummies await you in Har'Akir, the Domain of the Ancient Dead found in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Here, players will discover secrets from lost civilizations that have remained hidden for generations and will need to survive an unrelenting environment controlled by the domain's Darklord, Pharaoh Ankhtepot.

This article offers vital lore for Har'Akir, as well as adventure hooks for Dungeon Masters and tips for players ready to explore the domain. Beware: Spoilers lie ahead.

• Exploring Har'Akir
• Ankhtepot: Har'Akir's Darklord
• Adventure Hooks in Har'Akir
• Dangers Found in Har'Akir
• Playing a Character in Har'Akir

Exploring Har'Akir

Settlements in Har'Akir surround four oases: the Muhar Oasis, the Red Oasis, Sek's Tears, and the White Oasis. Areas beyond these oases are harsh, with few sources of water and food and deadly sandstorms that rage at the Darklord's whim. Creatures such as giant scorpions and murderous cultists who follow the disloyal Children of Ankhtepot wander the deserts.

Those who reside in Har'Akir are known as Akirrans, and they have a rich culture of music and are a durable people considering the harsh environment in which they dwell. As they all worship false gods created by Ankhtepot, Akirrans have death rituals that involve wrapping the remains of the dead after exsanguination. These dead are used by the Darklord for his own needs.

Hallmarks of this Domain of Dread include:

• Pyramids and other ancient monuments
• Extreme heat, quicksand, and blinding sandstorms
• A hidden and vast underground labyrinth

Notable Landmarks in Har'Akir

• Muhar: Sharing its name with the oasis, the mud-brick city of Muhar is the largest settlement in Har'Akir, with a population of around 3,000. The limestone-walled Temple of Ese towers over the city. High Priest Isu Rehkotep rules over the city and divvies out food and heals ailments. She enacts justice by ordering criminals be thrown into a vast pit known as the Mouth of Oru.
• The Labyrinth: Countless tombs from lost golden ages decorate Har'Akir's desert landscape. Each are interconnected and form a vast underground network known as the Labyrinth.
• Sands of Sute: The largest stretch of desert in Har'Akir is the inhospitable Sands of Sute. This region is battered by two magical sandstorms controlled by Ankhtepot and leads to the City of the Dead.
• City of the Dead: This vast canyon is decorated with monuments and tombs and rises to Pharaoh's Rest, a pyramid where Ankhtepot can watch over much of his domain.  

Ankhtepot: Har'Akir's Darklord

Wrapped in black linens and decorated in gold, the lithe pharaoh Ankhtepot sits forward in his bejeweled throne, his eyes studying treasures brought to him by throngs of loyal priests. The tall, sandstone hall in Pharaoh's Rest from where Ankhtepot presides over Har'Akir is decorated with gold-lined banners that sway in a dry wind. Mummies stand guard, their eyes dimly glowing red.

One by one, the priests present their gifts to the pharaoh and whisper words of praise. Ankhtepot lazily waves his hand to each of them and mutters false blessings, his eyes ever searching the growing pile of treasures. At last, his patience wanes and the pharaoh leaps to his feet, shouting, "WHERE IS IT? WHERE IS MY KA?"

The priests cower before the pharaoh and pray for mercy. But they have failed him. And Ankhtepot demands justice.

Becoming a Darklord

In ancient times, Ankhtepot served as high priest for pharaohs in the Land of Reeds and Lotuses. But he was an arrogant man and came to believe that he would make a great ruler. When a new pharaoh was bound to be consecrated, Ankhtepot rallied his loyal priests to kill them and took his place as pharaoh.

But the people turned on him and his priests, and they were executed. Yet, a worse fate awaited Ankhtepot. Damned by his gods, a part of Ankhtepot's soul — his ka — was stripped from him, and he was cast into his buried, mummified body to lie trapped for eons.

When Ankhtepot's name was forgotten, the Dark Powers came to the high priest and offered him dominion over his own land. He agreed and emerged from his crypt onto Har'Akir as a god-king pharaoh. 

Ankhtepot's Goal

When Ankhtepot emerged from his crypt, he discovered the people in his Domain of Dread worshipped the same gods who had punished him. He brought his loyal priests back to life as powerful mummifies and replaced their heads with those of animals. Ankhtepot conquered Har'Akir and replaced the people's gods with false gods, which he claims only he can speak for.

But those years of conquest are long past for the pharaoh, and he is now tormented by boredom. Ankhtepot and his minions now search Har'Akir for Ankhtepot's ka, which lies hidden somewhere in the vast desert. The pharaoh hopes to become mortal again using his ka, and to be judged once more by his gods. Any fate would be a reprieve for the pharaoh. 

Ankhtepot's Power and Dominion

Ankhtepot has similar statistics to a mummy lord. As his sole goal is to recover his ka, Ankhtepot uses his loyal priests to maintain order in Har'Akir. The Children of Ankhtepot, the animal-headed mummies and mummy lords that served the Darklord in life, are emissaries to the false gods. While some remain loyal to Ankhtepot, most either pursue their own interests or have returned to their crypts to lie in a dream-like state.

The pharaoh holds power over the Domain of Dread in the following ways:

• He controls the sandstorms in the Sands of Sute: Ankhtepot can start and stop the two sandstorms — known as the Breath of the False and the Breath of the Forgotten — that rage in the Sands of Sute.
• He can close the border to the Mists: Like other Darklords, Ankhtepot can close the border to the Mists. However, the Darklord possesses a power that can kill those who try to leave. He can create sandstorms at the edges of his domain that deal slashing damage each round to creatures that remain in them.   

Adventure Hooks in Har'Akir

This Domain of Dread is great for players who enjoy delving into tombs to encounter traps and undead, or surviving a desert whose extreme weather is as deadly as the creatures that roam it. As with other Domains of Dread, player characters can be pulled into Har'Akir by the Mists, which sometimes trespass into the Material Plane.

Once in Har'Akir, you can call your player characters to adventure using the hooks provided in Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. However, you might also use one of these to kickstart your adventure:

• A treacherous hunt for Ankhtepot's ka: The player characters are discovered by cultists who are searching for the ka. They serve one of the Children of Ankhtepot, who wishes to use the ka to control the pharaoh for their own nefarious needs.
• Sentenced to the Labyrinth: An undead priestess who serves Ankhtepot believes that only those who are dead can be trusted in Har'Akir. She sets a trap that drops the player characters into the Labyrinth, where they must find their way out before succumbing to the creatures that dwell there. Should they fail, the priestess will search the Labyrinth for their remains and have them resurrected as undead who are loyal to the pharaoh. 

Dangers Found in Har'Akir

Environmental Hazards

Har'Akir is an unforgiving place for adventurers. It has few places to find food and drink, and high temperatures and strong winds threaten to disorient and kill those who wander far from the few settlements found in this Domain of Dread.

If your player characters journey to Har'Akir, dehydration and starvation can be persistent threats as long as they are outside of a settlement. The Player's Handbook specifies that special conditions such as starvation and extreme weather can lead to exhaustion. 

The Dungeon Master's Guide outlines the downsides to traveling in extreme heat and strong winds:

Extreme Heat

When the temperature is at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a creature exposed to the heat and without access to drinkable water must succeed on a Constitution saving throw at the end of each hour or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is 5 for the first hour and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Creatures wearing medium or heavy armor, or who are clad in heavy clothing, have disadvantage on the saving throw. Creatures with resistance or immunity to fire damage automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do creatures naturally adapted to hot climates.

Strong Wind

A strong wind imposes disadvantage on ranged weapon attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing. A strong wind also extinguishes open flames, disperses fog, and makes flying by nonmagical means nearly impossible. A flying creature in a strong wind must land at the end of its turn or fall.

A strong wind in a desert can create a sandstorm that imposes disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Source: Dungeon Master's Guide

Creatures Found in Har'Akir

All manner of undead can be found in Har'Akir, as Ankhtepot has taught his people to mummify the dead so that he might command them. But you will also find cultists who serve the Children of Ankhtepot and wild monsters throughout the domain.

Near the Red Oasis, for example, lion prides hunt those who dare wander near the watering hole where they wash their kills and drink. The Muhar Oasis attracts predators such as crocodiles and even chimeras. 

Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes includes a helpful table of creatures that are typical to desert regions:

Desert Creatures

Playing a Character in Har'Akir

Characters from Har'Akir have survived the extreme weather characteristic of this Domain of Dread. Proficiency in Survival can help you find food and water and navigate Har'Akir when venturing outside of a settlement.

If your Dungeon Master allows it, the reborn lineage can spare you from needing to eat or drink, though the extreme heat will still post a threat. You might have been brought back by Ankhtepot to help him find his ka. He might even serve as a patron if you choose to be a warlock.

The anthropologist and archaeologist backgrounds are great for adventurers and Akirrans alike, with built-in reasons for your character to explore the domain. If you wish to be from Har'Akir, consider picking up or creating a background that offers proficiency in a musical instrument, as music is important to Akirrans. You might choose to be bard who has been called to venture across the domain in order to write a song that will entertain even the fastidious pharaoh. Or you could be a cleric who was chosen by a god to pass on the message that Har'Akir's pantheon is made up of false gods.  

Whether you choose to be an outsider who has been thrust into Har'Akir or be among the Akirrans who oppose the Darklord, many treasures lie buried in the sands of this Domain of Dread. But you will first need to survive a harsh landscape and deadlier cultists and monstrosities.

Michael Galvis (@michaelgalvis) is a tabletop content producer for D&D Beyond. He is a longtime Dungeon Master who enjoys horror films and all things fantasy and sci-fi. When he isn’t in the DM’s seat or rolling dice as his anxious halfling sorcerer, he’s playing League of Legends and Magic: The Gathering with his husband. They live together in Los Angeles with their adorable dog, Quentin.