Collodi
Culture level: Chivalric
Ecology:Full
Climate & Terrain: Temperate on the coast, continental on the interior, Collines, Swamps and Forrests.
Languages:Collodian (Italian), Mordentish, Paridonian.
Religions: Church of Andral of the Morniglord, Cult of Hala, Divinity of Mankind.
Races:Human (Collodian) 88%, Vistani 9%, Elves 2% Other 1%.
Governement:Monarchy.
Ruler:Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare.
Darklord:The Coachman (Stefano Barbagallo.)
Analog: Pinocchio/Tuscany early 1800
Capital City: Acchiappacitrulli (N/E, Standard, 11,000 ab.)
Important towns:
Busy Bees Town (L/N, standard 3,000 in), Collodi (N/G, Standard, 8000 in)
Pleasure Island (L/E non standard, 500 in.)
Borders: West, Sea of Sorrows; North, Mordent; East, Valachan; South, Mists.
Domain Overview
Collodi is a land of cultivate hills and thick forrests; a long river, the Narno River flows in the middle of the nation. It touch all the main towns, the old Capital, on the hills, which gave the Princedom its name, the new capital, Acchiappacitrulli, in a vale, in the center of the nation, and it's main port, BusyBees Town, in the mouth of the river. In front of Busy Bees Town we have the infamous Pleasure Island, home of the Core's greatest carnival.
The old town of Collodi it's renowned in the Core for his wood-artisans, it's clock-makers, and it's leather workers.
The Dome of Light, in Collodi, it's the Domain most ancient Temple dedicated to Andral.
A little forest, Hala's Wood, grows neatby Collodi; It's the most ancient shrine of Hala in the region.
The best Inn of the town is The Red Shrimp's Inn.
The much bigger and thicker Fairy's Forest surround the hills on which Collodi lays; it reach the mountain on the norhern borders, and there lives the Elves.
when the forest fade, and the river enlarge, you enter in the territory of the Capital, Acchiappacitrulli; The name means catcher of fools, and the city is so full of brothels, bisques, inns and markets, that many fools are indeed catched.
The Cathedral of the Raven here, is the seat of the head of Andralian Faith.
The New Castle is the current house of Prince Gian Domenico, and it is opulent, extravagant and excessive.
On the South, lie the insidious Assassin's Forrest, dotted of little hamlets and villages;
The Narno River then goes west, towards the sea, were lay Busy Bees Town; A Thriving port and market town, it house a Monastery of the Divinity of Mankind, Hard Work Home.
On the south the assassin's forrest gave way to the Fever Swamp;
a few miles in front of Busy Bee Town we found Pleasure Island; It's the most notorious carnival in the Core, and house Barbagallo Estate, home of the richest man of the domain. The island is notorious also for breeding a race of very intelligent, long living, hightly resistent donkeys.
The People
Collodians are hard working, practical and with a dry humor, and an ever present ironic streak. Generous and pragmatic, they distrust strangers, but don't shun them; Collodians are traders, so, they don't judge a possible customer by his race; (any outcast ranking drop by one, with the exception of Vistani; theyrs increase by one.) The only exception from Collodians hospitality are Vistani; Vistani are thieves, kidnappers, con artists and a lazy lot; They can be fun, but all in all, better keep them out the cities. This is the common attitude of Collodians on Vistani.
All Collodians, even nobility, are expected to have a trade of sort; Even the Prince is a banker, at least in name.
Beggers are seen as pariah, (+1 Outcast ranking) by all save the Church of Andral.
Every Collodian Kid needs to learn his letters, and three years of school is mandatory for every kid from 6 to 9. Many collodians know how write, read and count.
Collodians have a rich oral traditions, and they gather after dark fell, to share stories together.
Collodians do not forget easily, neither kindness, nor wrong; If slandered, they can goto extremes to prove the slanderer wrong; The story of Matteo has became popular in the whole Core: Matteo was an homeless, which leaved helping women with heavy choirs, and changing often farm; One day he complained about the quantity of food he got from a family; The family head invite him at dinner, and gave him a rich feast; however, whem Matteo was full, and ready to go, the family head took out his crossbow, and forced him to keep eating until he exploded.
All in all, Collodians are a good folk, but they do tend to be hightly proud in theyr community achievements; bitter rivalries exist between neighbouring communities, and they can even erupt in small scale wars.
The Famed and the Infamous:
Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare:
(Male Middleaged Human, N/E, Aristocratic 3/ Courtier 2.)
Gian Domenico is a buffoon; everything he does is excessive, and he spend enormous quantities of moneys; Luckily for his country, someone fill back his coffers any time he empties them. This means however, that theyr whole country belong, in practice, to one singleperson, Stefano Barbagallo.
The Prince is married, and he has three legitimate kids, and many illegitimate ones; Thanks to his passion for fencing and hunting, he stay fit in spite of his overindulging in food and alcohol.
He call himself a banker, but, as greed as he is, hemakes very little money; but he is always ready to finance people who claims to be able toenrich him, even if he will try to take advantage from them in a very evident and poor fashion.
Giuseppe Geppetto
(Male old Human, N/G, Expert 10)
One of the most skilled carpenters in Collodi, and one of the more renowned Artisans of the Core,
Giuseppe Geppetto is a toymaker, a clock-maker, and a carpenter of growing fame; He is on friendly terms with the Blue Fairy and the Elves of Fairy Forest, which give to him only theyr wonderous wood. A widower, and childless, back when Collodi wasn't part of Ravenloft, his generosity towards kids gained him the friendship of the Blue Fairy, which transformed a puppet he carved with the wood of her forest in aliving puppet; He called the puppet boy Milegno, a portmanteau between the name Mileno and the word Legno, collodian for wood. Right before Collodi was swept in the Mist, Milegno achieved humanity, and a real human body; he took the name Mileno, from there on; Instead, his Pupped body stayed as puppet, a memory of what he was. To Giuseppe eternal costernation once Collodi become a domain, the Dark Powers granted a soul to the wooden body of puppet-Milegno; born from the worst facets of Mileno's character, burning with jelousy, he tried to kill his human "brother", only to be stopped by Giuseppe;
Giuseppe does not hate Milegno, who now calls himself Maligno, he still loves him as a son, but, to protect his son, he called for the help of the Blue Fairy, which, while weakened in Ravenloft, is still a powerfull force of good; she suggested him to give Mileno brothers and sisters to help him, and he created fifteen more puppets; Three earned theyr humanity, three are still puppets, and are trying to do the same; The other six, however fell under the malevolent power of Maligno, and joined him as his companions; Giuseppe mourns the loss of each of those "children" but he still believe they can be saved. He will gladily pay people to capture his wayfadrd sons and bring them to him; He will repair every of them if asked to, even if they then betray him. (Note that Geppetto's Puppets are not Carrionettes, but uniques constructs)
His children are: Mileno, 13 years old, N/G Rogue 3/Expert 1; Caterina, C/G, 12 years old, Sorcerer 3/Expert 1; Francesco 11 years old N/G, Fighter 2/Expert 1; Giovanni 10 years old L/G Paladin 1/Expert 1; Carlo, Unique Construct,C/G, look as a ten years old human boy, excepted for pointed nose; Maria, Unique Construct, C/G look as a ten year old human girl, except for chicks and nose; Anna, Unique Construct N/G, innocent, look as a ten year old human girl, except for her hair. For the Lost Children, look at Maligno Entry.
Maligno
Unique Construct, C/E Rogue 6;
Maligno looks like a human boy of ten years, except for his pointy nose, and pointy feet and armpits. He is moody, cruel, lazy, disloyal, greed and untrustworhty, hates adults and those he calls goody-two-shoes, kids which actually mind adults. Maligno wants to destroy adults, but as the darklord of Collodi is a children-hating adult, his plan are doomed to fail; He commands a band of six other puupts, his "siblings" whiche he corrupted; Of them, only three share is whicknedness thought: Devil, Brute and Nera (Giuseppe actually christened them Davide, Bruno and Rosa); Devil is a red skinned L/E unique construct, Wizard 4 ; He is cunning and methodic, and has had another carpenter reworked his boysh appaereance in that of a devil-child.
Brute is almost medium sized, and is painted of green; slow-witted, but surprisingly powerfull, is a C/E Barbarian 4 Unique Construct.
Nera paint his lips and nails black, but still look as a ten years old girl, if a disturbing one; she is an Unique Construct N/E Bard 4.
Lorenzo, Beatrice and Luigi are the more recent puppets to join Maligno; They are not corrupted yet;
Lorenzo is L/N, and was Devil's twin, they were carved out the same log; Before his brother had himself reworked they were identical;
Beatrice is the N twin of Rosa, while C/N Luigi is the youngest of them all, and heis very disturbed by the cruelty of his siblings; He could ran back home, if given the possibility.
The Cat and the Fox
Gideon and John Fowlfellows are a couple of theves and con-artist, in league with Barbagallo;
as a reminding of his power and a token of his generousity, he twisted the nature of the two:
Gideon is a Catwere, is true form is that of a grey, scrawny cat; John is a Foxwere, is true form that of a red fox; They can take an hybrid form too, but they must spend at least 8 hours every day in theyr animal forms; Both are Third level N/E Rogues; Gideon is mute, leaving the talking to the very silver-tongued John; They often works as propaganda agents for Pleasure Island.
Stromboli
Male Caliban N/E, Large size. Sorcerer 3/ Rogue 3
Stromboli is not a Vistani even if he dresses like one; His father was cursed by a vistana, a Witch named Magda, but his mother appeased her; She rose Stromboli as one of her children; His curse give him an ogrish fearsome aspect, and his face his,covered by a thick, black beard, impossible to shave; Everytime he is enraged, he spits fire; He have a small cadre of puppets, who hi stole from Giuseppe Geppeto before he could animate them; The Dark Powers animated them for him, and they obey him, but they fear and shun him; anytime someone shows him some form ofkindness andbarevery, he burst in sneezes, and he felt compelled to kindness; The sad thing is that almost all shun him as they see him as a freakish Vistani; If more people showed him goodness at least towards other, he could probably redeem himself; His Great Puppet Theater is quite a famous show in all the domain of Collodi, and he did exibit in Borca, too.
The Green Fisherman
Male Skrag Ranger 1, Large Giant C/E
Once an a brutish henchman of the Coachman, named Gastone, he was punished for a failure, since he let a child escape from Pleasur Island; He was twisted in a Sea-Troll, and since then he hunts both for fish and sailors, on the coast near Busy Bee Town.
The Judge Antonio Scimmione
Corrupted and dumb, Antonio Scimmione is the head magistrate in Acchiappacitrulli, and, insted to apply the law, he use his power to amuse the prince, arrest Barbagallo's enemies, and enrich himselfwith bribes. In truth, he hides a secret, he is not a human; he is a polymorphed awakened Ape, whiche Barbagallo made his own trusted judge. (Awakened Ape in human shape, Male Expert N/E)
Jiminy Cricket
Fine magical beast, (Shapeshifter) Sorcerer 1, L/G
Jiminy Cricket is a Wise Cricket, a magical race of crickets which helps the Blue Fairy to keep children on the right path; Jiminy was Milegno and then Mileno conscience; He take his duties very seriously, and he is always on watch against the machinations of Maligno, the Coachman, and theyr minions. He can offer himself to guide and help any person who he judges trustworty.
The Blue Fairy
Unique Fairy (Shapeshifter) L/G Sorcerer 10
A powerful Fairy lady, she has protected children in the Princedom of Collodi since many centuries; In Ravenloft, she avoided corruption by the Dark Powers, and she became something else: a Light Lord; As the Lightlord, she has the power to balance Barbagallo's evilness, but she can't leave her forest if she isn't summoned by someone during the monthly night the Star of Wishes is visible in the sky, or by someone who have earned one of tokens. She is burdened by the necessity of let people earn theyr happiness, and she must correct her protects, when they stray from the right path. This leave her unable to ease the sufferings of many people, and to impose punishment and quests to those who needs to reddem themselfs; Still she is Barbagallo greatest thorn in the side. (The concept of Lightlord is an idea of mine; while Darklords are cursed, Lightlords have a burden, a self imposed limitation, and they can pass the burden to very good people ready and willing to make the sacrifice.)
Lampwick
(Male Magical Beast, Shapeshifter, C/N, Rogue 3.)
A victim of the Coachaman before the Mist came, he was aided by his old friend Milegno (Maligno ) and the Blue Fairy to cash on the curse of the Coachman,and gain his humanity back; His true form is still that of a Pleasure Island Donkey, but he can take human form and retain it as long as he behaves; When he misbehaves,he is forced in Donkey form for a maximum to 24 hours and a minimum of 1 hour.
Lampwick lives with the Geppetto family.
Monstro
Colossal Awaken Animal; L/E 20 HD.
The unholy cross of a Shark and a Sperm Whale, Monstro is the Guardian of Pleasure Island; He swallow whole any who trys to arrive on the island or leave it without Barbagallo's permission.
This fearsome sea monster is Barbagallo's ultimate weapon against any sea-faring enemy or merchant rival; He can create more, should the current one be slayed.
The Ringmaster
Achille Malestri ,Male Ranger (Beastmaster) 4 N/E, is one of Barbagallo's key henchmen; his circus feature many of Pleasure Island Donkeys, and it's a traveling propaganda for the luctous trade; Malestri is also Barbagallo's personal body-hunter, and he pursue anyone who manages to escape from Pleasure Island.
The Darklord
Stefano Barbagallo (The Coachman)
Male old Human N/E Transmutator 13 (108 HP)
Speed:30
Initaitive:+2 (+7 on Pleasure Island)
Armor Class:30 (35 on Pleasure Island) (+2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor Amulet, +5 Ring of Protection, +8 Braciers of Armor)
Space/Reach:5/ 5 (15 with his whip.)
Combat Manouver Defense/Combat Manouver Bonus:+19/+8
Str:14, Dex:10 (12), Con:16 (20), Int:20 (26), Wis:15, Cha 16.
Saving Throws: Tem:+9, Ref:+5, Wil:+10 (15 on Pleasure Island)
Special Qualities: Speak with Animals (Continous); Benign Face, Limitless Resources, D.R. 15/ Feywood,
S.R. 25, Curse of the Darklord, Acane Bond, School Specialization
Special Attacks: Children Hater, True Polimorph, Harsh Punishment, Charme on Person, Closing Borders, Baleful Polymopher.
Attack: Melee: +3 Strangler Barbed Whip +11/+6, reach 15; Crit. 19/20 x2; Damage 1d4+5 and Grappled (+15 CMB, 35 CMD), slashing .
Distance: +2 Poisoned Heavy Crossbow +9, Reach 24, Crit.19/20x2; Damage 1d10+2 and Poisoned (Tem 18 Negate, 1d4 Str every roundx10 rounds, 3 saves Cure).
Skills:Animal Handling +19 (+24 on Pleasure Island), Appraise:+24, Deceit:+19 (+24 as the Coachman), Diplomacy: +19 (+24 as the Coachman), Intimidate +19(+24 on Pleasure Island), Intuition:+18, Knowledge (Arcane)+24, Knowledge (Dungeon)+24, Knowledge (Geography)+24, Knowledge (Local)+24 (+30 on Collodi), Knowledge (Nature)+30, Perception +18, Spellcraft+24, Using Magical Device:+19, Profession (Merchant) +23.
Feats:Combat Casting, Distanced Spell, Excluding Components, Extended Spell,, Maximized Spell, Piercieng Spell, Quickened Spell, Scribe Scrolls, Spell Focus (Transmutation), Spell Specialized (Transmutation) Superior Combat Casting, Superior Spell Focus (Transmutation), Superior Spell Specialized (Transmutation),Superior Unstoppable Spell, Unstoppable Spell, .
Spells:4/6/6/6/6/4/3/2 SL:13 (15 Transmutation), DC Saving Throws :18+Spell Level (+2 Trasmutation). Concentration:+27 (+32 on Pleasure Island).
Forbidden Schools: Divination and Conjuration (in Red), Specialized School (Trasmutation (In Yellow)
Tipical Prepared Spells: 0.Detect Magic, Magic Hand, Prestidigitation.
1:Burning Hands, Enlarge Person, Magic Fang, Magic Missile, Reduce Person, Vanish.
2:Bull's Strenght, Charme Person, Disguise Self, Distanced Shocking Grasp (30 feet), Eagle's Splendor,, Invisibility.
3:Dispel Magic, Monstruous Extremities,Spiked Pit, Stunning Barrier,Greater, Suggestion.
4: Charm Monster, Earth Glide, Mnemonic Enhancer, Phantom Chariot, Reduce Person,Mass, True Form.
5: Baleful Polymorph (Quickened, Piercieng), Break Enchantement, Dominate Person, Telekinesis.
6:Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone,, Mage's Elucubration.
7:Piercieng Disintegrate, Limited Wish.
Challenge Rating: 17
Proprieties: Intelligent +3 Strangling Whip, N/E, Int 20, Wis 15, Cha 16, Ego 25, +8 Braciers of Armor, Ring of Protection+5, Practical Rackpack, Boots of Grace +2, Band of Intellect +6, Amulet of Natural Armor +5. 1 scroll of every wizard spell existing from level 0 up to four.
Background:
Stefano Barbagallo was born in Busy Bees Town, 70 years before Collodi was sucked by the Mist, the first son in a numberous family; His father Giovanni Barbagallo, was a coachman, and he had to forfait his childhood to help his father; He grow up resentfull of his younger siblings, which enjoyed , and he started to loathe children in general; When he was already a young adult, he was apprenticed by a wizard, who recognized his hidden talents for Trasmutation; Barbagallo stusied many years, and became a powerfull wizard; When he emerged from hestusies, however his youth was gone; Bitter and enraged, Barbagallo sworn to regain what he had lost, and decided to achieve that destroying children's life; First, he worked to enrich himself, becoming the richest man in Collodi; Than, he endepted Prince Giandomenico with himself obtaining many privileges, first of all, total autonomy of the little island in front of Busy Bees Town, which he renamed Pleasure Island; Here he builded a great permanent carnival, and started to lure in that children of all Collodi, with promises of studyfree and dutyfree life; He enjoyed doing that on person, getting known as the Caochman, driver of the Carriage whiche collected willing children; on pleasure Islands kids were free to enjoyany kind of entertainment, for a while; than, the magic of Barbagallo kicked in, turning the kids in a magical race of Donkeys; Barbagallo sold the Donkeys to circuses, mines, fams and other hard works, and used the energy collected from the kids youth to restore his own; One day, the parents of missing kids traveled to Pleasure Island, in serch of them; Barbagallo hosted them in his estate, appearing willing to help them, and sincerly moved from theyr worrying; But it was a ruse; the sadistic man offered the kid's parents theyr own kids in the form of roast, for eating; Then he mocked them reavealing them the truth in front of Prince Giandomenico and other debauched guests; finally, he turned the broken parents in dogs, and had them tossed to Monstro to eat them. This final cruelty, endorsed by the rulingclass of Collodi made the entire Princedom getting swallowed by the Mists.
Current Sketches
Barbagallo continues is activities, and he is now one of the richest man in the core; however, now there are splinters in his wheel; is pleasure island dosen't work perfectly like before any more; kids which are not really wicked often don't fell for the spell, or even if, not completly; they often manages to escape, and warn off kids from him; Plus, for three days, every year, the spell wear off; if the children manage to reach Pleasure Island, and drink from Barbagallo's own Spring of Youth, before midnight of the third day, they get freed from the curse (on various degree, from completly to partially, like Lampwhick), and Barbagallo became a donkey himself for a month; He hates this humiliation, but he is almost unable to prehent it, as his most powerfull magic do not work on those children, he is phisically hampered from damaging them, and his henchmen fell to a magical stasis in those three days, and are forced to act as the were lawful/good in the month following; they stays loyal to Barbagallo, however, so his empire do not crumble when he is incapacitated. Pluse, while his body is still youthfull, thanks to his spring, he still look as an old man; nothing can disguise his age for more than thirteen minutes, every day.;
Combat
Barbagallo usually leave dirty work to his henchmen; in the three days he must face his curse,
he retain his Child Hater and Harsh punishment ability, even if he can do only non-letal damage;
Special Abilities:
Benign Face: When posing as the harmless Coachman, collecting kids, every children (or child-like creature, included puppets and Halflings) starting attitude towards him is friendly, and he got +5 bonus to Diplomacy and Deceit attempts.
Children Hater: +2 Hit, Damage, Spell Saving Throws DCs Special Ability's DC, against Children and Childlike creature (Included puppets and Halflings)
Harsh Punishment: Using his Whip, he can use Intimidate Bonus for a single attack, which inflict damage as usual, against any children, childlike-being, henchman, or animal in his reach, once for encounter. If the victim fail a Will Save against DC 30 Barbagallo can inflict upon it on of this condition: Shaken, Frightened, Confused or Paralized (for 13 minutes).
Baleful Polymorpher: Barbagallo can forget any prepared spellslot (for a total of five level, or more) to cast Baleful Polymorph; If he prepares the spell regularly, he can modify it with any Metamagic feat he has, without changing his effective slot level; On Pleasure Island he can ignore immunities to the spell.
True Polymorph: 8 time a Day, on any creature, he can change everyone in every other creature; DC 30 Will Save negate, at will on Pleasure Island, and he can ignore immunities.
Charme on Person, at will, works on any childlike creature, included Halflings and Puppets. Will Negate DC 25, 30 on Pleasure Island.
Limitless Resources: Thanks to his riches Barbagallo has access on any item given reasonable time. (reflected on his properties)
Lair:
Pleasure Island is a perpetual carnival, holding great stables, a market, a palace, inns, and an harbour; Barbagallo knows every hidden passage and shortcut in the island, and in it's building.
On The Island he has a bonus of 5 on any Charisma based check, +5 to in initiative, +5 to AC, +5 to will saves.
It's a Sinkole of Evil Rank 3 With the oblivion and fear taint.
Closing the Border:
If someone tries to leave or enter Collodi when the Borders are closed the person start to laught and can only retreat from the border. Only totally mindless creature are immune to the effect.
Barbagallo can't close the border when turned in a Donkey.
Feedback would be very appreciated.
Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
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Mistmaster
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 1141
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Last edited by Mistmaster on Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Conceptually fine, although the spelling and sentence structure is a bit iffy in places. Mind if I have a go at copyediting it?
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Mistmaster
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 1141
- Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:27 pm
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
English is not my native language, so, be my guest and many thanks.
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
That's fine. I kind of figured some colloqualisms hadn't translated well: "Butter Face" has a very different meaning in English slang, for example...
Here's what I have so far. I tried to standardize abbreviations and the like. Formatting got stripped when I copied the post to my own computer to edit.
My comments are in square brackets.
Collodi
Cultural level: Chivalric (8)
Ecology: Full
Climate & Terrain: Temperate on the coast, continental on the interior, Hills, Swamps and Forests.
Races: Human 88%, Vistani 9%, Elves 2% Other 1%. [I upped the elven population to get 100%.]
Government: Monarchy.
Languages: Collodian (Italian), Mordentish, Paridonian.
Religions: Church of Andral of the Morninglord, Cult of Hala, Divinity of Mankind.
Ruler: Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare.
Darklord: The Coachman (Stefano Barbagallo).
Analog: 19th-century Tuscany by way of the story Pinocchio.
Important towns:
Capital City: Acchiappacitrulli (NE, Standard, 11, 000 ab.)
Busy Bees Town (LN, standard 3,000 ab), Collodi (NG, Standard, 8000 ab), Pleasure Island (LE nonstandard, 500 ab.) [What does "ab." stand for?]
Borders: West, Sea of Sorrows; North, Mordent; East, Valachan; South, Mists.
Domain Overview
Collodi is a land of cultivate hills and thick forests; a long river, the Narno, flows in the middle of the nation. The Narno touches all the main towns: the old capital on the hills, which gave the princedom its name; the new capital, Acchiappacitrulli, in a vale in the center of the nation; and its main port, Busy Bees Town, at the mouth of the river. In front of Busy Bees Town is the infamous Pleasure Island, home of the Core's greatest carnival.
The old town of Collodi is renowned in the Core for its wood artisans, its clockmakers, and its leather workers. The best inn of the town is The Red Shrimp's Inn. The Dome of Light, in Collodi, is the Domain most ancient Temple dedicated to Andral. A little forest, Hala's Wood, grows near Collodi; it's the most ancient shrine of Hala in the region. The much bigger and thicker Fairy's Forest surround the hills on which Collodi lays; it reaches the mountain on the northern borders, and there live the Elves.
As the forest fades, and the river widens, you enter the territory of Acchiappacitrulli. The name means “catcher of fools”, and the city is so full of brothels, bistros, inns and markets, that many fools are indeed caught. The Cathedral of the Raven here is the seat of the head of the Andralian Faith. The New Castle is the current house of Prince Gian Domenico; it is opulent, extravagant and excessive. On the South lies the insidious Assassin's Forest, dotted with little hamlets and villages. On the south the Assassin's Forest gives way to the Fever Swamp.
The Narno River then goes west, towards the sea, where lies Busy Bees Town, a thriving port and market town. It houses a Monastery of the Divinity of Mankind, the Hard Work Home. A few miles in front of Busy Bee Town is Pleasure Island, the most notorious carnival in the Core, and Barbagallo Estate, home of the richest man of the domain. The island is notorious also for breeding a race of very intelligent, long-lived, tough and resilient donkeys.
The People
Collodians are hardworking and practical, with a dry humor and an ever-present ironic streak. Generous and pragmatic, they distrust strangers but don't shun them; Collodians are traders and won't judge a possible customer by his race. The only exception to Collodian hospitality are the Vistani, who are seen as thieves, kidnappers, con artists and a lazy lot (though they can be good entertainers). Any Outcast Ranking drops by one, with the exception of Vistani, whose OR increases by one.
All Collodians, even nobility, are expected to have a trade of some sort; even the Prince is a banker, at least in name. Beggars are seen as pariahs (+1 OR) by all save the Church of Andral.
Every Collodian child needs to learn their letters, and three years of school is mandatory for every child from the ages of six to nine. Many Collodians are literate and know some arithmetic. Collodians have a rich oral tradition, and they gather after nightfall to share stories together.
Collodians do not forget kindnesses or wrongs easily; if slandered, they can go to extremes to prove the slanderer wrong and have no compunction about inflicting heavy punishments on those who they think have wronged them. The Collodian story of Matteo has become popular in the whole Core. Matteo was a beggar, who lived by going frm farm to farm helping the families with heavy chores. One day he complained about the quantity of food he got from a family. The family head invited him to dinner, and gave him a rich feast; however, when Matteo was full, and ready to depart, the family head took out his crossbow, and forced Matteo to keep eating until he burst.
All in all, Collodians are a good folk, but they do tend to be overly prideful of their community achievements; bitter rivalries exist between neighboring communities, and they can even erupt into small-scale wars.
The Famous and the Infamous:
Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare (NE male middle-aged human Ari3/Court2)
Gian Domenico is a buffoon; everything he does is excessive, and he spends enormous quantities of money; luckily for his country, someone refills his coffers any time he empties them. This means, however, that the whole realm in practice belongs to one single person: Stefano Barbagallo.
The Prince is married with three legitimate children (and many illegitimate ones). Thanks to his passion for fencing and hunting, he stays fit in spite of his overindulging in food and alcohol.
He call himself a banker, but his greediness and spendthrift ways makes his business unprofitable. That said, he is always ready to finance people who claim to be able to enrich him, though he will try to take advantage of them in a clumsily obvious fashion.
Giuseppe Geppetto (male old human NG Exp10)
One of the most skilled carpenters in Collodi, and one of the more renowned artisans of the Core, Giuseppe Geppetto is a toymaker, a clockmaker, and a carpenter of growing fame. He is on friendly terms with the Blue Fairy and the Elves of Fairy Forest, who give him sole access to their wondrous wood. A widower and childless before Collodi entered the Mists, his generosity towards children gained him the friendship of the Blue Fairy, who transformed a puppet he carved with the wood of her forest into a living puppet. He called the puppet boy Milegno, a portmanteau between the name Mileno and the word legno, Collodian for wood. Before Collodi was swept into the Mist, Milegno achieved humanity, and a real human body; he took the name Mileno from there on. His old puppet body remained, a memory of what he was. To Giuseppe’s eternal consternation, once Collodi become a domain, the Dark Powers granted a soul to the wooden body of puppet Milegno; born from the worst facets of Mileno's character, burning with jealousy, he tried to kill his human "brother", only to be stopped by Giuseppe.
Giuseppe does not hate Milegno (who now calls himself Maligno) and still considers him his son, but to protect his human son, he called for the help of the Blue Fairy, who while weaker in Ravenloft is still a powerful force of good. She suggested he give Mileno brothers and sisters to help him, and Gepetto created fifteen more puppets; Three earned their humanity; three are still puppets, and are trying to do the same. The other six, however fell under the malevolent power of Maligno and joined him as his companions. Giuseppe mourns the loss of each of those "children" but he still believe they can be saved. He will gladly pay people to capture his wayward children and bring them to him and he will repair any of them if asked to, even if they betray him. (Note that Geppetto's puppets are not Carrionettes, but unique constructs.)
His children are: Mileno (13 years old, NG Rog3/Exp1); Caterina, (12 years old, CG Sor3/Exp1); Francesco (11 years old, NG Ftr2/Exp1); Giovanni (10 years old, LG Pal1/Exp1; Carlo (CG unique construct), looks like a ten-year old human boy, except for his pointed nose; Maria (CG unique construct) looks like a ten-year old human girl, except for cheeks and nose; Anna (NG unique construct Innocent), looks like a ten-year old human girl, except for her hair. For the Lost Children, see the entry for Maligno.
Maligno (unique construct CE Rog6)
Maligno looks like a human boy ten years of age, except for his pointed nose and feet and his obviously jointed limbs. He is moody, cruel, lazy, disloyal, greedy and untrustworthy, hates adults and “goody-two-shoes” (children who actually mind adults). Maligno wants to destroy adults, but as the darklord of Collodi is a children-hating adult, his plans are doomed to fail. He commands a band of six other puppets, his "siblings" which he corrupted. Of them, only three share his wickedness: Devil, Brute and Nera (Giuseppe actually christened them Davide, Bruno and Rosa). Devil (male unique construct LE Wiz4) is cunning and methodic, and had another carpenter rework his boyish appearance into that of a red-skinned devil-child. Brute (male unique construct LE Bbn4) is almost medium sized, and is painted green; he is slow-witted, but surprisingly powerful. Nera (female unique construct NE Brd 4) looks like a puppet of a ten-year old girl, with her lips and nails painted black.
Lorenzo, Beatrice and Luigi are the more recent puppets to join Maligno. They are not corrupted yet. Lorenzo (male unique construct LN) was Devil's twin, carved from the same log, and looks like Devil did before he had himself altered. Beatrice (female unique construct LN) is Rosa’s twin sister. Luigi (male unique construct CN) is the youngest of them all, and very disturbed by the cruelty of his siblings; he would try to return home, if given the opportunity.
The Cat and the Fox
Gideon (male catwere NE Rog3) and John Foulfellow (male foxwere NE Rog3) are a couple of thieves and con artists, in league with Barbagallo; as a reminder of his power and a token of his generosity, he altered the nature of the two. Gideon’s true form is that of a grey, scrawny cat; John’s true form is a red fox. They have hybrid forms too, but they must spend at least eight hours every day in their animal forms. Both are third-level neutral evil Rogues. Gideon is mute, leaving the talking to the silver-tongued John. They often works as propaganda agents for Pleasure Island.
Stromboli (male caliban NE Sor3/Rog3, Large size)
Stromboli is not a Vistani, though he dresses like one. His father was cursed by a Vistana witch named Magda, but his mother appeased her and she raised Stromboli as one of her children. [Did Magda raise Stromboli, or his mother? What would the curse have been if Magda wasn't appeased?] His curse give him a fearsome ogreish aspect, and his face is covered by a thick, black beard, impossible to shave. Every time he is enraged, he spits fire. He has a small cadre of puppets, which he stole from Giuseppe Geppeto before he could animate them. The Dark Powers animated them for him, and they obey him, but they fear and shun him. Anytime someone Stromboli shows him some form of kindness and bravery, he burst in sneezes, but he feels compelled to kindness afterward. Sadly, the Collodians shun him as they see him as a freak and a Vistani; if more people showed him kindness, he could probably redeem himself. His Great Puppet Theater is quite a famous show in all the domain of Collodi, and has performed in Borca as well.
The Green Fisherman (male skrag CE Ranger 1)
Once Gastone, a brutish henchman of the Coachman, he was punished for letting a child escape from Pleasure Island by being twisted into a sea troll. Since then he hunts both for fish and sailors on the coast near Busy Bee Town.
Judge Antonio Scimmione (male awakened ape NE Exp1) [I gave Antonio a level in Expert. Should he have a few more?]
Corrupt and dumb, Antonio Scimmione is the head magistrate in Acchiappacitrulli, who uses his power to amuse the prince, arrest Barbagallo's enemies, and enrich himself with bribes. He hides a secret: he is not a human but a polymorphed awakened Ape, which Barbagallo made his own trusted judge.
Jiminy Cricket (male magical beast LG Sor1, Fine-sized shapeshifter)
Jiminy Cricket is a Wise Cricket, a magical race of crickets which helps the Blue Fairy to keep children on the right path; Jiminy was Milegno and then Mileno conscience; He take his duties very seriously, and he is always on watch against the machinations of Maligno, the Coachman, and their minions. He can offer himself to guide and help any person who he judges trustworthy.
The Blue Fairy (female unique fae Shapeshifter, LG Sor10)
A powerful Fae, she has protected children in the Princedom of Collodi since many centuries; In Ravenloft, she avoided corruption by the Dark Powers, and she became something else: a Lightlord. As the Lightlord, she has the power to counter Barbagallo's evil, but she can't leave her forest if she isn't summoned by someone during the monthly night the Star of Wishes is visible in the sky, or by someone who have earned one of her tokens. She is burdened by the necessity of letting people earn their happiness, and she must correct those she protects when they stray from the right path. This leave her unable to ease the sufferings of many people or to impose punishment and quests to those who needs to redeem themselves; Still she is the greatest thorn in Barbagallo’s side. (The concept of Lightlord is an idea of mine; while Darklords are cursed, Lightlords have a burden, a self-imposed limitation; they can pass the burden to very good people ready and willing to make the sacrifice.)
Lampwick (male magical beast CN Rog3, Shapeshifter.)
A victim of the Coachman before the Mists came, he was aided by his old friend Milegno and the Blue Fairy to free himself from the curse of the Coachman and gain his humanity back. His true form is still that of a Pleasure Island donkey, but he can take human form and retain it as long as he behaves; When he misbehaves, he is forced into donkey form for a minimum of 1 hours (maximum 24 hours). Lampwick lives with the Geppetto family.
Monstro (LE male awakened animal 20 HD, Colossal Size)
An unholy cross between a shark and a sperm whale, Monstro is the Guardian of Pleasure Island. He swallows whole any who tries to arrive on the island or leave it without Barbagallo's permission. This fearsome sea monster is also Barbagallo's ultimate weapon against any seafaring enemy or merchant rival. He can create another, should the current one be slayed.
The Ringmaster
Achille Malestri (male human NE Rgr4 (Beastmaster)), is one of Barbagallo's key henchmen. His circus features many of Pleasure Island’s donkeys, and is a traveling propaganda for the livestock trade. Malestri is also Barbagallo's personal bodyguard and tracker, who pursues anyone who manages to escape from Pleasure Island.
The Darklord
Stefano Barbagallo (The Coachman)
Old male human NE Tra13 (108 HP)
Speed: 30
Initiative: +2 (+7 on Pleasure Island)
Armor Class: 30 (35 on Pleasure Island) (+2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor Amulet, +5 Ring of Protection, +8 Bracers of Armor)
Space/Reach: 5/5 (15 with his whip.)
Combat Maneuver Defense/Combat Maneuver Bonus: +19/+8
Str 14, Dex 10 (12), Con 16 (20), Int 20 (26), Wis 15, Cha 16.
Saving Throws: For +9, Ref +5, Will +10 (15 on Pleasure Island)
Special Qualities: Speak with Animals (Continuous); Benign Face, Limitless Resources, DR 15/Feywood, SR 25, Curse of the Darklord, Arcane Bond, School Specialization
Special Attacks: Child Hater, True Polymorph, Harsh Punishment, Charm Person, Closing Borders, Baleful Polymorpher.
Attack: Melee: +3 Strangler Barbed Whip +11/+6, reach 15; Crit. 19/20 x2; Damage 1d4+5 and Grappled (+15 CMB, 35 CMD), slashing .
Distance: +2 Poisoned Heavy Crossbow +9, Reach 24, Crit.19/20x2; Damage 1d10+2 and Poisoned (Tem 18 Negate, 1d4 Str every roundx10 rounds, 3 saves Cure).
Skills: Animal Handling +19 (+24 on Pleasure Island), Appraise: +24, Deceit: +19 (+24 as the Coachman), Diplomacy: +19 (+24 as the Coachman), Intimidate +19(+24 on Pleasure Island), Intuition: +18, Knowledge (Arcane)+24, Knowledge (Dungeon)+24, Knowledge (Geography)+24, Knowledge (Local)+24 (+30 for the city of Collodi), Knowledge (Nature)+30, Perception +18, Spellcraft+24, Use Magical Device: +19, Profession (Merchant) +23.
Feats: Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Extended Spell, Focus Spell (Transmutation), Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Reach Spell, Spell Penetration, Specialized Spell (Transmutation), Superior Combat Casting, Superior Spell Focus (Transmutation), Superior Specialized Spell (Transmutation), Unstoppable Spell, Write Scroll.
Spells: 4/6/6/6/6/4/3/2 SL: 13 (15 Transmutation), DC Saving Throws: 18+Spell Level (+2 Trasmutation). Concentration: +27 (+32 on Pleasure Island).
Forbidden Schools: Divination and Conjuration, Specialized School Transmutation
Typical Prepared Spells: 0.Detect Magic, Magic Hand, Prestidigitation.
1: Burning Hands, Enlarge Person, Magic Fang, Magic Missile, Reduce Person, Vanish.
2: Bull's Strength, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Distanced Shocking Grasp (30 feet), Eagle's Splendor, Invisibility.
3: Dispel Magic, Monstrous Extremities, Spiked Pit, Stunning Barrier, Greater Suggestion.
4: Charm Monster, Earth Glide, Mnemonic Enhancer, Phantom Chariot, Reduce Person, Mass, True Form.
5: Baleful Polymorph (Quickened, Piercing), Break Enchantment, Dominate Person, Telekinesis.
6: Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone, , Mage's Elucubration.
7: Piercing Disintegrate, Limited Wish.
Challenge Rating: 17
Possessions: Intelligent +3 Strangling Whip, NE, Int 20, Wis 15, Cha 16, Ego 25, +8 Bracers of Armor, Ring of Protection+5, Practical Backpack, Boots of Grace +2, Band of Intellect +6, Amulet of Natural Armor +5. 1 scroll of every wizard spell existing from level 0 up to four.
Background:
Stefano Barbagallo was born in Busy Bees Town, 70 years before Collodi was taken by the Mists, the first son in a numerous family. His father Giovanni Barbagallo was a coachman, and Stefano had to forfeit his childhood to help his father. He grew up resentful of his younger siblings, who were spared his hardships, and started to loathe children in general. As a young adult he was apprenticed by a wizard who recognized his hidden talents for transmutation. Barbagallo studied many years, and became a powerful wizard; however when he emerged from his studies, his youth was gone. Bitter and enraged, Barbagallo swore to regain what he had lost, or failing that, destroy children’s lives. First, he worked to enrich himself, becoming the richest man in Collodi; then, by indebting Prince Giandomenico to himself he obtained total autonomy of the little island in front of Busy Bees Town, which he renamed Pleasure Island. Here he built a great permanent carnival, and started to lure in the children of all Collodi with promises of study-free and duty-free life. He especially enjoyed doing that in person, becoming known as the Coachman, driver of the Carriage which collected willing children. On Pleasure Island children were free to enjoy any kind of entertainment for a while, then the magic of Barbagallo kicked in, turning the children into donkeys. Barbagallo sold the donkeys to circuses, mines, farms and other places of hard labor, and used the energy collected from the children’s youth to restore his own. One day, the parents of some missing children traveled to Pleasure Island in search of them. Barbagallo hosted them at his estate, appearing willing to help them and sincerely moved by their worry. But it was a ruse; the sadistic man offered the parents their own children as a banquet roast, then mocked them by revealing the truth in front of Prince Giandomenico and other debauched guests. Finally, he transformed the broken parents into dogs and had them tossed to Monstro to eat them. This final cruelty, endorsed by the ruling class of Collodi, caused the entire princedom to be swallowed by the Mists.
Current Sketch
Barbagallo continues his activities, and is now one of the richest man in the Core; however, his victories are hollow. Pleasure Island doesn’t work as well anymore: children which are not really wicked often don't succumb to his spells, or do so incompletely; they often manage to escape and warn other children about him. What’s more, for three days every year his transmutation powers are suspended; if the donkey-children manage to reach Pleasure Island and drink from Barbagallo's own spring of youth before midnight of the third day, they are freed from the curse (some, like Lampwick, only partially), and Barbagallo becomes a donkey himself for a month. He hates this humiliation, but he is unable to prevent it, as his most powerful magics do not work on those children and he is physically hampered from damaging them. His henchmen fall into a magical stasis during those three days, and are forced to act as they were lawful good during the month of Barbagello’s transformation, though they stay loyal to him. Furthermore, while he maintains physical youth thanks to his spring, he once again looks like an old man; nothing can disguise his age for more than thirteen minutes every day.
Combat
Barbagallo usually leaves the dirty work to his henchmen; during the three days his powers cease, he retains his Child Hater and Harsh Punishment abilities, but can do only non-lethal damage.
Special Abilities:
Benign Face: When posing as the harmless Coachman, collecting children, every child’s (or childlike creature, including puppets and halflings) starting attitude towards him is friendly, giving him a +5 bonus to Diplomacy and Deceit attempts. [Changed from "Butter Face", for reasons given above]
Child Hater: +2 Hit, Damage, Spell Saving Throws DCs Special Ability's DC, against Children and Childlike creatures (including puppets and halflings)
Harsh Punishment: Using his whip, he can use his Intimidate Bonus for a single attack, which inflicts damage as usual, against any children, childlike being, henchman, or animal in his reach, once per encounter. If the victim fail a Will Save against DC 30 Barbagallo can inflict one of these conditions: Shaken, Frightened, Confused or Paralyzed (duration 13 minutes).
Baleful Polymorpher: Barbagallo can forget any prepared spell slot (for a total of five levels or more) to cast Baleful Polymorph. If he prepares the spell regularly, he can modify it with any Metamagic feat he has, without changing his effective slot level. On Pleasure Island he can ignore immunities to the spell.
True Polymorph: 8 times/day; DC 30; Will Save negates. Barbagello can cast this at will on Pleasure Island, and ignores immunities.
Charm Person, at will, works on any childlike creature, included Halflings and Puppets. Will Negate DC 25, 30 on Pleasure Island.
Limitless Resources: Thanks to his riches Barbagallo has access on any item given reasonable time. (reflected on his properties)
Lair:
Pleasure Island is a perpetual carnival, holding great stables, a market, a palace, inns, and a harbor; Barbagallo knows every hidden passage and shortcut on the island and its buildings.
On the island he has a bonus of +5 on any Charisma based check, +5 to initiative, and +5 to Will saves.
Closing the Borders:
If someone tries to leave or enter Collodi when the borders are closed, the person convulses with laughter (as per the hideous laughter spell), stopping only when they retreat from the border. Only totally mindless creatures are immune to the effect. Barbagallo can't close the border when he is a donkey.
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Those who are more familiar with current D&D skills and feats may want to update those for me. I haven't played since 3.x...
Mistmaster: Do you have plans for the really finicky details of the domain, such as Local Animals and Native Horrors, a skill/feat set for native heroes, coinage names, and so on?
Here's what I have so far. I tried to standardize abbreviations and the like. Formatting got stripped when I copied the post to my own computer to edit.
My comments are in square brackets.
Collodi
Cultural level: Chivalric (8)
Ecology: Full
Climate & Terrain: Temperate on the coast, continental on the interior, Hills, Swamps and Forests.
Races: Human 88%, Vistani 9%, Elves 2% Other 1%. [I upped the elven population to get 100%.]
Government: Monarchy.
Languages: Collodian (Italian), Mordentish, Paridonian.
Religions: Church of Andral of the Morninglord, Cult of Hala, Divinity of Mankind.
Ruler: Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare.
Darklord: The Coachman (Stefano Barbagallo).
Analog: 19th-century Tuscany by way of the story Pinocchio.
Important towns:
Capital City: Acchiappacitrulli (NE, Standard, 11, 000 ab.)
Busy Bees Town (LN, standard 3,000 ab), Collodi (NG, Standard, 8000 ab), Pleasure Island (LE nonstandard, 500 ab.) [What does "ab." stand for?]
Borders: West, Sea of Sorrows; North, Mordent; East, Valachan; South, Mists.
Domain Overview
Collodi is a land of cultivate hills and thick forests; a long river, the Narno, flows in the middle of the nation. The Narno touches all the main towns: the old capital on the hills, which gave the princedom its name; the new capital, Acchiappacitrulli, in a vale in the center of the nation; and its main port, Busy Bees Town, at the mouth of the river. In front of Busy Bees Town is the infamous Pleasure Island, home of the Core's greatest carnival.
The old town of Collodi is renowned in the Core for its wood artisans, its clockmakers, and its leather workers. The best inn of the town is The Red Shrimp's Inn. The Dome of Light, in Collodi, is the Domain most ancient Temple dedicated to Andral. A little forest, Hala's Wood, grows near Collodi; it's the most ancient shrine of Hala in the region. The much bigger and thicker Fairy's Forest surround the hills on which Collodi lays; it reaches the mountain on the northern borders, and there live the Elves.
As the forest fades, and the river widens, you enter the territory of Acchiappacitrulli. The name means “catcher of fools”, and the city is so full of brothels, bistros, inns and markets, that many fools are indeed caught. The Cathedral of the Raven here is the seat of the head of the Andralian Faith. The New Castle is the current house of Prince Gian Domenico; it is opulent, extravagant and excessive. On the South lies the insidious Assassin's Forest, dotted with little hamlets and villages. On the south the Assassin's Forest gives way to the Fever Swamp.
The Narno River then goes west, towards the sea, where lies Busy Bees Town, a thriving port and market town. It houses a Monastery of the Divinity of Mankind, the Hard Work Home. A few miles in front of Busy Bee Town is Pleasure Island, the most notorious carnival in the Core, and Barbagallo Estate, home of the richest man of the domain. The island is notorious also for breeding a race of very intelligent, long-lived, tough and resilient donkeys.
The People
Collodians are hardworking and practical, with a dry humor and an ever-present ironic streak. Generous and pragmatic, they distrust strangers but don't shun them; Collodians are traders and won't judge a possible customer by his race. The only exception to Collodian hospitality are the Vistani, who are seen as thieves, kidnappers, con artists and a lazy lot (though they can be good entertainers). Any Outcast Ranking drops by one, with the exception of Vistani, whose OR increases by one.
All Collodians, even nobility, are expected to have a trade of some sort; even the Prince is a banker, at least in name. Beggars are seen as pariahs (+1 OR) by all save the Church of Andral.
Every Collodian child needs to learn their letters, and three years of school is mandatory for every child from the ages of six to nine. Many Collodians are literate and know some arithmetic. Collodians have a rich oral tradition, and they gather after nightfall to share stories together.
Collodians do not forget kindnesses or wrongs easily; if slandered, they can go to extremes to prove the slanderer wrong and have no compunction about inflicting heavy punishments on those who they think have wronged them. The Collodian story of Matteo has become popular in the whole Core. Matteo was a beggar, who lived by going frm farm to farm helping the families with heavy chores. One day he complained about the quantity of food he got from a family. The family head invited him to dinner, and gave him a rich feast; however, when Matteo was full, and ready to depart, the family head took out his crossbow, and forced Matteo to keep eating until he burst.
All in all, Collodians are a good folk, but they do tend to be overly prideful of their community achievements; bitter rivalries exist between neighboring communities, and they can even erupt into small-scale wars.
The Famous and the Infamous:
Prince Gian Domenico Mazzanti Sorbelloni Viendalmare (NE male middle-aged human Ari3/Court2)
Gian Domenico is a buffoon; everything he does is excessive, and he spends enormous quantities of money; luckily for his country, someone refills his coffers any time he empties them. This means, however, that the whole realm in practice belongs to one single person: Stefano Barbagallo.
The Prince is married with three legitimate children (and many illegitimate ones). Thanks to his passion for fencing and hunting, he stays fit in spite of his overindulging in food and alcohol.
He call himself a banker, but his greediness and spendthrift ways makes his business unprofitable. That said, he is always ready to finance people who claim to be able to enrich him, though he will try to take advantage of them in a clumsily obvious fashion.
Giuseppe Geppetto (male old human NG Exp10)
One of the most skilled carpenters in Collodi, and one of the more renowned artisans of the Core, Giuseppe Geppetto is a toymaker, a clockmaker, and a carpenter of growing fame. He is on friendly terms with the Blue Fairy and the Elves of Fairy Forest, who give him sole access to their wondrous wood. A widower and childless before Collodi entered the Mists, his generosity towards children gained him the friendship of the Blue Fairy, who transformed a puppet he carved with the wood of her forest into a living puppet. He called the puppet boy Milegno, a portmanteau between the name Mileno and the word legno, Collodian for wood. Before Collodi was swept into the Mist, Milegno achieved humanity, and a real human body; he took the name Mileno from there on. His old puppet body remained, a memory of what he was. To Giuseppe’s eternal consternation, once Collodi become a domain, the Dark Powers granted a soul to the wooden body of puppet Milegno; born from the worst facets of Mileno's character, burning with jealousy, he tried to kill his human "brother", only to be stopped by Giuseppe.
Giuseppe does not hate Milegno (who now calls himself Maligno) and still considers him his son, but to protect his human son, he called for the help of the Blue Fairy, who while weaker in Ravenloft is still a powerful force of good. She suggested he give Mileno brothers and sisters to help him, and Gepetto created fifteen more puppets; Three earned their humanity; three are still puppets, and are trying to do the same. The other six, however fell under the malevolent power of Maligno and joined him as his companions. Giuseppe mourns the loss of each of those "children" but he still believe they can be saved. He will gladly pay people to capture his wayward children and bring them to him and he will repair any of them if asked to, even if they betray him. (Note that Geppetto's puppets are not Carrionettes, but unique constructs.)
His children are: Mileno (13 years old, NG Rog3/Exp1); Caterina, (12 years old, CG Sor3/Exp1); Francesco (11 years old, NG Ftr2/Exp1); Giovanni (10 years old, LG Pal1/Exp1; Carlo (CG unique construct), looks like a ten-year old human boy, except for his pointed nose; Maria (CG unique construct) looks like a ten-year old human girl, except for cheeks and nose; Anna (NG unique construct Innocent), looks like a ten-year old human girl, except for her hair. For the Lost Children, see the entry for Maligno.
Maligno (unique construct CE Rog6)
Maligno looks like a human boy ten years of age, except for his pointed nose and feet and his obviously jointed limbs. He is moody, cruel, lazy, disloyal, greedy and untrustworthy, hates adults and “goody-two-shoes” (children who actually mind adults). Maligno wants to destroy adults, but as the darklord of Collodi is a children-hating adult, his plans are doomed to fail. He commands a band of six other puppets, his "siblings" which he corrupted. Of them, only three share his wickedness: Devil, Brute and Nera (Giuseppe actually christened them Davide, Bruno and Rosa). Devil (male unique construct LE Wiz4) is cunning and methodic, and had another carpenter rework his boyish appearance into that of a red-skinned devil-child. Brute (male unique construct LE Bbn4) is almost medium sized, and is painted green; he is slow-witted, but surprisingly powerful. Nera (female unique construct NE Brd 4) looks like a puppet of a ten-year old girl, with her lips and nails painted black.
Lorenzo, Beatrice and Luigi are the more recent puppets to join Maligno. They are not corrupted yet. Lorenzo (male unique construct LN) was Devil's twin, carved from the same log, and looks like Devil did before he had himself altered. Beatrice (female unique construct LN) is Rosa’s twin sister. Luigi (male unique construct CN) is the youngest of them all, and very disturbed by the cruelty of his siblings; he would try to return home, if given the opportunity.
The Cat and the Fox
Gideon (male catwere NE Rog3) and John Foulfellow (male foxwere NE Rog3) are a couple of thieves and con artists, in league with Barbagallo; as a reminder of his power and a token of his generosity, he altered the nature of the two. Gideon’s true form is that of a grey, scrawny cat; John’s true form is a red fox. They have hybrid forms too, but they must spend at least eight hours every day in their animal forms. Both are third-level neutral evil Rogues. Gideon is mute, leaving the talking to the silver-tongued John. They often works as propaganda agents for Pleasure Island.
Stromboli (male caliban NE Sor3/Rog3, Large size)
Stromboli is not a Vistani, though he dresses like one. His father was cursed by a Vistana witch named Magda, but his mother appeased her and she raised Stromboli as one of her children. [Did Magda raise Stromboli, or his mother? What would the curse have been if Magda wasn't appeased?] His curse give him a fearsome ogreish aspect, and his face is covered by a thick, black beard, impossible to shave. Every time he is enraged, he spits fire. He has a small cadre of puppets, which he stole from Giuseppe Geppeto before he could animate them. The Dark Powers animated them for him, and they obey him, but they fear and shun him. Anytime someone Stromboli shows him some form of kindness and bravery, he burst in sneezes, but he feels compelled to kindness afterward. Sadly, the Collodians shun him as they see him as a freak and a Vistani; if more people showed him kindness, he could probably redeem himself. His Great Puppet Theater is quite a famous show in all the domain of Collodi, and has performed in Borca as well.
The Green Fisherman (male skrag CE Ranger 1)
Once Gastone, a brutish henchman of the Coachman, he was punished for letting a child escape from Pleasure Island by being twisted into a sea troll. Since then he hunts both for fish and sailors on the coast near Busy Bee Town.
Judge Antonio Scimmione (male awakened ape NE Exp1) [I gave Antonio a level in Expert. Should he have a few more?]
Corrupt and dumb, Antonio Scimmione is the head magistrate in Acchiappacitrulli, who uses his power to amuse the prince, arrest Barbagallo's enemies, and enrich himself with bribes. He hides a secret: he is not a human but a polymorphed awakened Ape, which Barbagallo made his own trusted judge.
Jiminy Cricket (male magical beast LG Sor1, Fine-sized shapeshifter)
Jiminy Cricket is a Wise Cricket, a magical race of crickets which helps the Blue Fairy to keep children on the right path; Jiminy was Milegno and then Mileno conscience; He take his duties very seriously, and he is always on watch against the machinations of Maligno, the Coachman, and their minions. He can offer himself to guide and help any person who he judges trustworthy.
The Blue Fairy (female unique fae Shapeshifter, LG Sor10)
A powerful Fae, she has protected children in the Princedom of Collodi since many centuries; In Ravenloft, she avoided corruption by the Dark Powers, and she became something else: a Lightlord. As the Lightlord, she has the power to counter Barbagallo's evil, but she can't leave her forest if she isn't summoned by someone during the monthly night the Star of Wishes is visible in the sky, or by someone who have earned one of her tokens. She is burdened by the necessity of letting people earn their happiness, and she must correct those she protects when they stray from the right path. This leave her unable to ease the sufferings of many people or to impose punishment and quests to those who needs to redeem themselves; Still she is the greatest thorn in Barbagallo’s side. (The concept of Lightlord is an idea of mine; while Darklords are cursed, Lightlords have a burden, a self-imposed limitation; they can pass the burden to very good people ready and willing to make the sacrifice.)
Lampwick (male magical beast CN Rog3, Shapeshifter.)
A victim of the Coachman before the Mists came, he was aided by his old friend Milegno and the Blue Fairy to free himself from the curse of the Coachman and gain his humanity back. His true form is still that of a Pleasure Island donkey, but he can take human form and retain it as long as he behaves; When he misbehaves, he is forced into donkey form for a minimum of 1 hours (maximum 24 hours). Lampwick lives with the Geppetto family.
Monstro (LE male awakened animal 20 HD, Colossal Size)
An unholy cross between a shark and a sperm whale, Monstro is the Guardian of Pleasure Island. He swallows whole any who tries to arrive on the island or leave it without Barbagallo's permission. This fearsome sea monster is also Barbagallo's ultimate weapon against any seafaring enemy or merchant rival. He can create another, should the current one be slayed.
The Ringmaster
Achille Malestri (male human NE Rgr4 (Beastmaster)), is one of Barbagallo's key henchmen. His circus features many of Pleasure Island’s donkeys, and is a traveling propaganda for the livestock trade. Malestri is also Barbagallo's personal bodyguard and tracker, who pursues anyone who manages to escape from Pleasure Island.
The Darklord
Stefano Barbagallo (The Coachman)
Old male human NE Tra13 (108 HP)
Speed: 30
Initiative: +2 (+7 on Pleasure Island)
Armor Class: 30 (35 on Pleasure Island) (+2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor Amulet, +5 Ring of Protection, +8 Bracers of Armor)
Space/Reach: 5/5 (15 with his whip.)
Combat Maneuver Defense/Combat Maneuver Bonus: +19/+8
Str 14, Dex 10 (12), Con 16 (20), Int 20 (26), Wis 15, Cha 16.
Saving Throws: For +9, Ref +5, Will +10 (15 on Pleasure Island)
Special Qualities: Speak with Animals (Continuous); Benign Face, Limitless Resources, DR 15/Feywood, SR 25, Curse of the Darklord, Arcane Bond, School Specialization
Special Attacks: Child Hater, True Polymorph, Harsh Punishment, Charm Person, Closing Borders, Baleful Polymorpher.
Attack: Melee: +3 Strangler Barbed Whip +11/+6, reach 15; Crit. 19/20 x2; Damage 1d4+5 and Grappled (+15 CMB, 35 CMD), slashing .
Distance: +2 Poisoned Heavy Crossbow +9, Reach 24, Crit.19/20x2; Damage 1d10+2 and Poisoned (Tem 18 Negate, 1d4 Str every roundx10 rounds, 3 saves Cure).
Skills: Animal Handling +19 (+24 on Pleasure Island), Appraise: +24, Deceit: +19 (+24 as the Coachman), Diplomacy: +19 (+24 as the Coachman), Intimidate +19(+24 on Pleasure Island), Intuition: +18, Knowledge (Arcane)+24, Knowledge (Dungeon)+24, Knowledge (Geography)+24, Knowledge (Local)+24 (+30 for the city of Collodi), Knowledge (Nature)+30, Perception +18, Spellcraft+24, Use Magical Device: +19, Profession (Merchant) +23.
Feats: Combat Casting, Eschew Materials, Extended Spell, Focus Spell (Transmutation), Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Reach Spell, Spell Penetration, Specialized Spell (Transmutation), Superior Combat Casting, Superior Spell Focus (Transmutation), Superior Specialized Spell (Transmutation), Unstoppable Spell, Write Scroll.
Spells: 4/6/6/6/6/4/3/2 SL: 13 (15 Transmutation), DC Saving Throws: 18+Spell Level (+2 Trasmutation). Concentration: +27 (+32 on Pleasure Island).
Forbidden Schools: Divination and Conjuration, Specialized School Transmutation
Typical Prepared Spells: 0.Detect Magic, Magic Hand, Prestidigitation.
1: Burning Hands, Enlarge Person, Magic Fang, Magic Missile, Reduce Person, Vanish.
2: Bull's Strength, Charm Person, Disguise Self, Distanced Shocking Grasp (30 feet), Eagle's Splendor, Invisibility.
3: Dispel Magic, Monstrous Extremities, Spiked Pit, Stunning Barrier, Greater Suggestion.
4: Charm Monster, Earth Glide, Mnemonic Enhancer, Phantom Chariot, Reduce Person, Mass, True Form.
5: Baleful Polymorph (Quickened, Piercing), Break Enchantment, Dominate Person, Telekinesis.
6: Disintegrate, Flesh to Stone, , Mage's Elucubration.
7: Piercing Disintegrate, Limited Wish.
Challenge Rating: 17
Possessions: Intelligent +3 Strangling Whip, NE, Int 20, Wis 15, Cha 16, Ego 25, +8 Bracers of Armor, Ring of Protection+5, Practical Backpack, Boots of Grace +2, Band of Intellect +6, Amulet of Natural Armor +5. 1 scroll of every wizard spell existing from level 0 up to four.
Background:
Stefano Barbagallo was born in Busy Bees Town, 70 years before Collodi was taken by the Mists, the first son in a numerous family. His father Giovanni Barbagallo was a coachman, and Stefano had to forfeit his childhood to help his father. He grew up resentful of his younger siblings, who were spared his hardships, and started to loathe children in general. As a young adult he was apprenticed by a wizard who recognized his hidden talents for transmutation. Barbagallo studied many years, and became a powerful wizard; however when he emerged from his studies, his youth was gone. Bitter and enraged, Barbagallo swore to regain what he had lost, or failing that, destroy children’s lives. First, he worked to enrich himself, becoming the richest man in Collodi; then, by indebting Prince Giandomenico to himself he obtained total autonomy of the little island in front of Busy Bees Town, which he renamed Pleasure Island. Here he built a great permanent carnival, and started to lure in the children of all Collodi with promises of study-free and duty-free life. He especially enjoyed doing that in person, becoming known as the Coachman, driver of the Carriage which collected willing children. On Pleasure Island children were free to enjoy any kind of entertainment for a while, then the magic of Barbagallo kicked in, turning the children into donkeys. Barbagallo sold the donkeys to circuses, mines, farms and other places of hard labor, and used the energy collected from the children’s youth to restore his own. One day, the parents of some missing children traveled to Pleasure Island in search of them. Barbagallo hosted them at his estate, appearing willing to help them and sincerely moved by their worry. But it was a ruse; the sadistic man offered the parents their own children as a banquet roast, then mocked them by revealing the truth in front of Prince Giandomenico and other debauched guests. Finally, he transformed the broken parents into dogs and had them tossed to Monstro to eat them. This final cruelty, endorsed by the ruling class of Collodi, caused the entire princedom to be swallowed by the Mists.
Current Sketch
Barbagallo continues his activities, and is now one of the richest man in the Core; however, his victories are hollow. Pleasure Island doesn’t work as well anymore: children which are not really wicked often don't succumb to his spells, or do so incompletely; they often manage to escape and warn other children about him. What’s more, for three days every year his transmutation powers are suspended; if the donkey-children manage to reach Pleasure Island and drink from Barbagallo's own spring of youth before midnight of the third day, they are freed from the curse (some, like Lampwick, only partially), and Barbagallo becomes a donkey himself for a month. He hates this humiliation, but he is unable to prevent it, as his most powerful magics do not work on those children and he is physically hampered from damaging them. His henchmen fall into a magical stasis during those three days, and are forced to act as they were lawful good during the month of Barbagello’s transformation, though they stay loyal to him. Furthermore, while he maintains physical youth thanks to his spring, he once again looks like an old man; nothing can disguise his age for more than thirteen minutes every day.
Combat
Barbagallo usually leaves the dirty work to his henchmen; during the three days his powers cease, he retains his Child Hater and Harsh Punishment abilities, but can do only non-lethal damage.
Special Abilities:
Benign Face: When posing as the harmless Coachman, collecting children, every child’s (or childlike creature, including puppets and halflings) starting attitude towards him is friendly, giving him a +5 bonus to Diplomacy and Deceit attempts. [Changed from "Butter Face", for reasons given above]
Child Hater: +2 Hit, Damage, Spell Saving Throws DCs Special Ability's DC, against Children and Childlike creatures (including puppets and halflings)
Harsh Punishment: Using his whip, he can use his Intimidate Bonus for a single attack, which inflicts damage as usual, against any children, childlike being, henchman, or animal in his reach, once per encounter. If the victim fail a Will Save against DC 30 Barbagallo can inflict one of these conditions: Shaken, Frightened, Confused or Paralyzed (duration 13 minutes).
Baleful Polymorpher: Barbagallo can forget any prepared spell slot (for a total of five levels or more) to cast Baleful Polymorph. If he prepares the spell regularly, he can modify it with any Metamagic feat he has, without changing his effective slot level. On Pleasure Island he can ignore immunities to the spell.
True Polymorph: 8 times/day; DC 30; Will Save negates. Barbagello can cast this at will on Pleasure Island, and ignores immunities.
Charm Person, at will, works on any childlike creature, included Halflings and Puppets. Will Negate DC 25, 30 on Pleasure Island.
Limitless Resources: Thanks to his riches Barbagallo has access on any item given reasonable time. (reflected on his properties)
Lair:
Pleasure Island is a perpetual carnival, holding great stables, a market, a palace, inns, and a harbor; Barbagallo knows every hidden passage and shortcut on the island and its buildings.
On the island he has a bonus of +5 on any Charisma based check, +5 to initiative, and +5 to Will saves.
Closing the Borders:
If someone tries to leave or enter Collodi when the borders are closed, the person convulses with laughter (as per the hideous laughter spell), stopping only when they retreat from the border. Only totally mindless creatures are immune to the effect. Barbagallo can't close the border when he is a donkey.
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Those who are more familiar with current D&D skills and feats may want to update those for me. I haven't played since 3.x...
Mistmaster: Do you have plans for the really finicky details of the domain, such as Local Animals and Native Horrors, a skill/feat set for native heroes, coinage names, and so on?
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Mistmaster
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
It is in Pathfinder format, actually. And yes I will do something along that line.
And ab stands for abitanti, Inhabitants in Italian.
And ab stands for abitanti, Inhabitants in Italian.
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Gotcha. Sadly, I don't know much about Pathfinder so I may have to leave the crunch revising to others. Hopefully what I did with the fluff/descriptive text is acceptable?
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Mistmaster
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
More than acceptable, thank you very much.
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Mistmaster
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
I have edited the first post of this page to include some of Brandi's editing and some corrections I wanted to make.
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
I like this remake of Odiare. It certainly gives the domain much greater possibilities and variety then re-playing "The Created" for the umpteenth time or one-shot mixtures of "Escape from L.A." and the second half of "Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome". But I am generally a sucker for dark twists on childhood and fairy tales.
I'd rather make Stromboli a Dragonfire Adept and The Coachman a Warlock/Eldritch Theurge with the Dark Invocation Word of Changing (allowing him to spam Baleful Polymorph at-will). I'm certain someone did convert these two classic 3.5 classes for Pathfinder.
I'd rather make Stromboli a Dragonfire Adept and The Coachman a Warlock/Eldritch Theurge with the Dark Invocation Word of Changing (allowing him to spam Baleful Polymorph at-will). I'm certain someone did convert these two classic 3.5 classes for Pathfinder.
Nun gut, es sei dir überlassen!
Zieh diesen Geist von seinem Urquell ab
Und führ ihn, kannst du ihn erfassen
Auf deinem Wege mit herab.
- Faust I
Zieh diesen Geist von seinem Urquell ab
Und führ ihn, kannst du ihn erfassen
Auf deinem Wege mit herab.
- Faust I
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Mistmaster
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Thank you, I will take that in consideration.
Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
having read Brandi's edited version i really like this rework of the domain. i found a couple of points i think could use a little work theses are just suggestions and you can take them or leave them:
first in Geppetto's details it says that he made 15 new puppets. only 12 are named. is that on purpose or a typo?
second there is a lot going on with the curses, both The Coachman's and Stromboli's. could they be streamlined a little, if only in the paragraphs describing them to make it easier to understand?
and the my biggest thing is may merely be a flavor thing, i know you are basing the a good portion of the domain on the story of Pinocchio but you might want to consider changing some of the names (thinking along the lines of Geppetto and Stromboli). taking the names directly from either the original tale or the Disney Cartoon does tend to put limits on what players expect from a creature / person. While this works great for a twist taking the characterization wholesale might not be the route you want to go and it may be a reason why Giuseppe was never given a last name to begin with. if that makes sense.
Other than these things i like where this domain is headed and look forward to seeing it completed. the coachman's story along with what you've got for the brothers fowlfellows i really like
first in Geppetto's details it says that he made 15 new puppets. only 12 are named. is that on purpose or a typo?
second there is a lot going on with the curses, both The Coachman's and Stromboli's. could they be streamlined a little, if only in the paragraphs describing them to make it easier to understand?
and the my biggest thing is may merely be a flavor thing, i know you are basing the a good portion of the domain on the story of Pinocchio but you might want to consider changing some of the names (thinking along the lines of Geppetto and Stromboli). taking the names directly from either the original tale or the Disney Cartoon does tend to put limits on what players expect from a creature / person. While this works great for a twist taking the characterization wholesale might not be the route you want to go and it may be a reason why Giuseppe was never given a last name to begin with. if that makes sense.
Other than these things i like where this domain is headed and look forward to seeing it completed. the coachman's story along with what you've got for the brothers fowlfellows i really like
Not every Angel alights the sky with feathery wings of Glory,
Nor every Demon with cloven hoof hunts unwary Quarry.
No, but evil exists in this world and in the hearts of us all,
For let us not forget even the greatest of Angels fell.
Nor every Demon with cloven hoof hunts unwary Quarry.
No, but evil exists in this world and in the hearts of us all,
For let us not forget even the greatest of Angels fell.
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Mistmaster
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Thank you for reviewing;
Now about the point you make:
1)I didn't state it specifically, but they were stolen by Stromboli and never got a soul thanks the Blue Fairy, so they did not get a proper name, either;
2) I shall give it an eye.
3)You could be right, but, right now I can't personally see the fault of them being characterized the way they are.
Now about the point you make:
1)I didn't state it specifically, but they were stolen by Stromboli and never got a soul thanks the Blue Fairy, so they did not get a proper name, either;
2) I shall give it an eye.
3)You could be right, but, right now I can't personally see the fault of them being characterized the way they are.
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brilliantlight
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
I like the idea of the coachman being the Dark Lord instead of an evil Pinocchio. You don't have to change anything to make that guy evil, he already was. He definitely deserves Dark Lordship. I also like the fact not all constructs are evil. Why would they all have to be evil even when made by a good person? That doesn't make sense to me.
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ewancummins
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Constructs in published Ravenloft have never all been evil. The first MC introduces a number of new constructs, most of them neutral. Doomguards and golems.
VRtG adds the Ravenloft flesh golem, listed as CE or CN.
Golems "born
" of obsession seem much more likely to be evil than other sorts of constructs, which makes sense to me.
VRtG adds the Ravenloft flesh golem, listed as CE or CN.
Golems "born
" of obsession seem much more likely to be evil than other sorts of constructs, which makes sense to me.
Delight is to him- a far, far upward, and inward delight- who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self.
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
-from Moby Dick (Hermann Melville)
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The Lesser Evil
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Re: Collodi, aka Odiare Reload
Here's a mapped version of Commodi on how I imagined it based on the description above. The borders don't match b/c I'm using it as part of a twisted fairy tale cluster.
VIEW CONTENT:
