Shucks howdy all! I’ve been lurking in here for several months now, and I figured it was time to come out of the shadows. Coincidentially, the time to come out of the shadows is related to a question that I cannot find answered. Maybe you guys can help me…
The 3rd Edition of Dungeons and Dragons has been pretty popular since it’s release and they’ve updated some of the old 2nd Edition books to work with the D20 system. I just purchased one such book, the Ravenloft corebook. And much to my shock, there was no mention of Lord Soth anywhere in the book. A search on teh Intarnet quickly proved that he wasn’t included in the book, possibly due to some copyright problem. I’m trying to learn exactly why he wasn’t included in the Ravenloft book, and/or if he’ll be included in any in the future (Perhaps in another Dark Lord sourcebook).
Originally Soth was a Dragonlance character who ended up getting sucked into Ravenloft, and the publisher of the new Ravenloft material (a subsidary of White Wolf) has full rights to all the old Ravenloft material. Was Soth not included because he was also a Dragonlance IP? If so, would he be included in any D20 Dragonlance material? Or was it a move just to straighten up the realm of Ravenloft (game wise), and provide material for a later expansion book?
That’s a mouthful. 
But indeed, I appreciate the help in answering this burning question. And hell, maybe I’ll be knowledgeable enough to contribute in the future.