Hladvora

Hladvora
Details
Race	Shapeshifter
Birthplace	Innistrad
Lifetime	Mending Era

The Hladvora is a nightmarish shapeshifter on Innistrad who tricks its victims into its lair and traps them there, feeding on their fear.

Description

The Hladvora is a malevolent, shape-shifting entity that thrives on fear and despair, manifesting itself within ancient, cursed structures. It has the unsettling ability to invade and manipulate the minds of its victims, drawing upon their deepest fears and memories to torment and weaken them. Physically, the Hladvora can reanimate dead bodies, twisting and altering them to suit its needs. In the case of Brandt, the vampire hunter, it used his corpse to create a grotesque puppet, progressively transforming it with features like bird-like legs and needle-sharp teeth. This being also demonstrates a peculiar mastery over the environment, warping the reality within its domain to trap and disorient its prey.

History

Strefan Maurer, a vampire, was lured into the ruin by Brandt, a vampire hunter, whom he had pursued for years. Brandt cut his own throat, triggering a dark transformation within the ruin. The blood from Brandt’s body mysteriously disappeared into the stones, raising walls around Strefan and revealing a mansion that entrapped him. This mansion was not just a structure; it was the lair of the Hladvora.

Inside, Strefan faced the reanimated corpse of Brandt, now controlled by the Hladvora. The creature tormented him with nightmarish visions and illusions drawn from his past, such as the semblance of his mother. Throughout these encounters, Strefan struggled against the increasingly distorted and deadly environment. Ultimately, he managed to temporarily disable the creature by snapping the neck of Brandt’s animated corpse. However, the Hladvora's essence escaped the corpse, continuing to manipulate the house's reality and ensnaring Strefan deeper into its maze-like domain.

Hladvora, feeding on Strefan's fear and desperation, revealed its name through Brandt's corpse and seemed to grow stronger the more it terrorized him. The story with Strefan recognizing the nature of the trap and the futility of trying to escape his struggle against this ancient and insidious entity, realizing he was now the hunted within a never-ending nightmare orchestrated by the Hladvora. The only way out was to attempt to kill it. Strefan managed to choke the creature until it exploded in a spray of blood, and the illusory walls fell away. But even as he stumbled into the woods, Strefan knew he might still die from his injuries should he fail to find a source of blood.

Trivia

• The Hladvora and its haunted mansion strongly resemble Valgavoth and Duskmourn in concept, and may also be a source of inspiration for that horrific plane.

Story appearances

Title	Author	Publishing date	Set	Setting (plane)	Featuring
The Devouring House	Brian Evenson	2021-11-19	Innistrad: Crimson Vow	Innistrad	Strefan Maurer, Brandt, Hladvora