Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

Cool ... does Koschei have an origin story? Where did he come from -- was he originally human, or was he a supernatural being from the beginning?

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

I've revised information and can say that he is much like Witch-King by Tolkien. He is not only powerful wizard but also mighty knight-style warrior with some Russian traditional "bogatyr'" (epic hero) features.

Also he acquires some evil trickster features.

Originally, he was pagan god-like supernatural creature with Chthonic features but sometimes related to water.

But in later epics he appeared as Witch-King.

His magic includes chtonic and fairy features, usually all kind of transmutations: himself to lich, maidens to firebirds or frogs or even entire cities to stone.

Also he acquires some features of European Dragons like kidnapping of beautiful maidens, terrorizing villages and so on (but this is also prerogative of Russian Zmey Gorynych Dragon).

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

The wikipedia page isn't to bad for him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaschei
It does lack an origin... The bad part about most Russian/Slavic names though is the hugely variable spellings in translation... Makes it a pain to find them using searches... Wikipedia has at least 6 spellings. xD

Btw he appears in GURPS Classics: Russia on page 100...

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

You know, original Russian page is much more informative and in Russian there are only two spellings ("Ko" and "Ka"), the rest is about "sch" and "j" transliterations.

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

That would require I could adequately speak Russian however... xD

I have enough problems with french, some japanese, and some Mandarian...

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

Very interesting, thanks! I'd heard about his soul being in an egg in a goose in a hare in a chest buried under a tree on a remote island (or something like that), and about him generally having a thing for tormenting young maidens, but I'd never heard of him as a trickster or warrior-king.

You should update the English Wikipedia page about Koschei!

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

And again about Koschej and undead in Slavish Fantasy.

So, technically, he is much like lich but he isn't undead. His lichdom is much like Witch-King or Voldemort. Moreover, there are a little fantasy-undead creatures in Slavish folklore. Instead, it often calls fairy-folk (like mermaids, nature sprites and so on) "The Undead" as they don't live but just supernaturally exist (much like as in e.g. C. Simak fairy-fantasy: "Enchanted Pilgrimage", "The Fellowship of the Talisman" and so on). Though in later legends some undead "upyr'" (ghoul) creatures appeared, but it seems that it was because of European influence and they weren't always undead (again like Voldemort in spirit form in first book, where he drank Unicorn's blood).

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

And some thoughts about setting at all.

Slavish folklore may be subdivided to pagan and Christian periods.

At pagan period "folklore" was much more a myth rather than fairy-tale or superstition. Koschej was demi-god, there was a panteon of pagan gods and plenty of lesser spirits or sprites. Pagan clerics were much like druids or wizards and also wisemen, healers and so on.

At Christian period (from the end of 10th century, but better from about 12th century), such creatures moved to field of children fairy-tales and superstitions. There were no god-like creatures, but some lesser sprites were appropriate, especially trading: water sprites (usually for rivers: "vodyanoj" or "nix") for fishermen, forest sprites ("leshij" or "wood goblin") for hunters, swamp sprites ("kikimora" or "fagot") for berry/musroom-gatherers and so on. Wizards and witches seemed bizzare, sinister but at country weren't something unusual, though they seldom were hunted by fanatical clerics but that was unusual. Such wizards and witches used to know herb lore, some sort of alchemy (usually rough potion-brewing, not scientific one) and other esoteric druid/shaman-like skills.
Folklore creatures were much like epic characters: legendary warriors, mighty antagonists and other characters from heroic fantasy.

So, you should choose what you would like to see there.

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

Hmm... If I were GMing a game in either setting, I'd probably treat the supernatural elements the same. It wouldn't be the creatures that change, but instead humans' relationships with them. Koschej and the other pagan "gods" would be powerful spirits or beings (not sure if they're corporeal or incorporeal), who are revered in pagan times but largely discounted by the Christians. I'd build them with a combination of traits from all the various myths, whatever seems the most interesting.

Re: Dark Fantasy and Magic
 

In fact the difference in perspective is a theme in the campaign as I intend it to be... In general folklore provides a era of perspective change when 'pagan' beliefs on the supernatural clash with 'christian' beliefs which make most pagan supernatural folklore into demonic trappings... So the 'water diety' that has 'protected your village' for centuries is slowly changed in perception into a demon who haunts the water and probably eats small children...