Ravenloft: The Horrors Within Announced, Release Date Scheduled for June 2026

[Parmandur]

The hand is cadaverous and long nailed, and the grip is tight, not friendly, as if to assert control over Soth.

• The obvious person is Strahd, but if they are both dark lords, they can never meet.
• It raises the suspicion of being an AI artefact, it’s badly drawn, and so are Soth’s other hands. However, plenty of human artists are bad at hands, so I think innocent until proved guilty applies.
• It may be cropped from an older piece, anyone recognise it?
• On the balance of probability, I have to conclude that it is Emperor Palpatine.
• Star Wars crossover confirmed!!!

Google Image search suggests thst it is new art: the only hits are this schedule or definitely different Lord Soth pieces, as the helmet is distinctive.

Is thst hand really cadaverous...or campily draconic...?

 

[bedir than]

The hand on Soth could be the Dark Power pulling him into Ravenloft to become a trapped dark lord no longer able to corrupt reality?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Google Image search suggests thst it is new art: the only hits are this schedule or definitely different Lord Soth pieces, as the helmet is distinctive.

Is thst hand really cadaverous...or campily draconic...?

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I think Takhisis would have a better manicure.

If this is new art the timescale does make it seem more likely that it’s for Ravenloft.

 

[Parmandur]

I think Takhisis would have a better manicure.

If this is new art the timescale does make it seem more likely that it’s for Ravenloft.

Not based on those images.

The art would be mostly ready for any book released this year.

 

[Parmandur]

Worth noting, beyond what is on the full schedule, this is the image in the email Beyond sent out:

So whatever this is about, Lord Soth seems to be prominently featured in some way...

 

[Kurotowa]

Okay, just a quick sanity check. I was never the biggest DL lore nerd, so cross check me on this. Is there anything about the art image that's definitively Lord Soth? Or is it just a generic looking Death Knight, and we all assumed it was Soth because he's one of the only named Death Knights and has a prior connection to Ravenloft?

Because the same way that VRG updated several Dark Lords, I could easily see them introducing a brand new Death Knight Dark Lord that's not actually Soth himself. I don't know if that armored crown or the armor design is a "Yep that's Lord Soth" or not.

Edit: With some searching, older Lord Soth art is just the generic MM profile. But the newer Shadow of the Dragon Queen art has a more distinctive helm that seems a pretty close match to this art. So maybe it is him. But I don't want us jumping to conclusions when that could still just be a generic "Death Knight" style figure.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Is there anything about the art image that's definitively Lord Soth

Yes, his helmet is very distinctive.

 

[Parmandur]

Okay, just a quick sanity check. I was never the biggest DL lore nerd, so cross check me on this. Is there anything about the art image that's definitively Lord Soth? Or is it just a generic looking Death Knight, and we all assumed it was Soth because he's one of the only named Death Knights and has a prior connection to Ravenloft?

Because the same way that VRG updated several Dark Lords, I could easily see them introducing a brand new Death Knight Dark Lord that's not actually Soth himself. I don't know if that armored crown or the armor design is a "Yep that's Lord Soth" or not.

Edit: With some searching, older Lord Soth art is just the generic MM profile. But the newer Shadow of the Dragon Queen art has a more distinctive helm that seems a pretty close match to this art. So maybe it is him. But I don't want us jumping to conclusions when that could still just be a generic "Death Knight" style figure.

Keep in mind that the MM art piece for a Death Knight in 2014 was explicitly Lord Soth.

I'm no expert myself, but having done an extensive reverse Google image search just this afternoon...tjia is distinctly Lord Soth as he has been depicted since like 1985-86 at least.

 

[Kurotowa]

Alright, I'll take you folk's word and accept it as "very likely Lord Soth". I just wanted to be sure. I've seen some hasty and unhinged fan theories over the years.

 

[Parmandur]

Alright, I'll take you folk's word and accept it as "very likely Lord Soth". I just wanted to be sure. I've seen some hasty and unhinged fan theories over the years.

Yup, for sure. Probably making too much of this, but his inclusion, given what was revealed, is odd. But distinctive.