Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

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Mistmaster
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Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by Mistmaster »

I draw inspiration from the Arlington Farm domain, designed by "Wiccy" from Qtr 11. As I do not like Pocket Domains, I reworked it, enlarged it and transformed it in a small agricultural nation.

Harringhton Dale

Culture level: Chivalric
Ecology:Full
Climate & Terrain: Temperate small hills and river plains.
Languages:Mordentish (English), Dementlieuse and Lamordian.
Religions: Church of Ezra (L/N Sect), Church of Belenus, Church of the Lawgiver.
Races:Human (Harringtonian)) 98%,Other 2%.
Governement:Monarchy.
Ruler:Baron Henry Harringhton V.
Darklord:The Scarecrow King (Henry Harringhton I)
Analog: Rural America XVIII-XIX Centuries

Capital City: Harringtown (L/N, Non Standard, 9,000 ab.)
Important towns:Crownest (L/N, standard 3,000 in), Oldmill (L/G, Standard, 1000 in)
Borders: North: Mists, West: Dementlieu, South: Mists, East;Lamordia.

Domain Overview
Harringhton Dale is a land of farms and ranches; Two long rivers,the Cold River in the west and the Wound River in the east the nation are the main reason of the very special fertility and all-year around warm climate.
Harringtown is the capital and main city; here there is the only legal school of the domain, reseved for the landowners.
The main features of the town are the nearby Scarecrow Castle, seat of the Baron, the city-hall, and the Dome of the Lady, the main temple of the domain.
Little patches of forrest dots the otherwise field/pasture dominated land; on the banks of the wound river lays Crownest, more liberal and open minded than the capital; The Great Crow Library is a private owned, but opened to the public library, owned by Doctor Everlast, the bourgmaster of Crownest.
North of the Capital almost all the land is owned by the Harrington family; Harringhton Farm is the biggest farm known in the Core; many rural villages are populated exclusevly by the farm farmhands and theyr families.
Oldmill is a small town, but it guard the only crossway on the Cold River, and it is the main connection to Lamordia.

The People
Harringtonians are, all in all, Farmers; farmhands, landowners, breeders, and small traders, all get theyr livinghood from the soil; They are thus a litterally ground-rooted people, who does not like changing.
people needs to know only what they need to work and earn theyr livings; extra-knowledge is seen as dangerous, excepted in Crownest; people have responasbilities, both the low-born and the hight-born; the former works and pay tributes, the latter give them services and protection and administrate the nation wisely; people who leaves theyr workplaces are frowned upon (+1 outcast rank); however Harringtown Dale is a so fertile land than people thrives enought, so they are very ready to share. Arcane Magic is feared, as it's seen as by-product of knowledge; the exeption are sorcerers who are seen as gifted by the gods, expecially when theyr powers are linked to nature, weather and the soil.
While there is no serfdom, leaving it's own job as a farmhand is discouraged with taxes and fees.
Harringtonians often serves in the Militia, because it is seen as an acceptable alternative to farm-work.

The Famed and the Infamous:


Baron Henry Harringhton V
(Male Adult Human, L/N, Aristocratic 3/Fighter 3.)
Henry is the 12th Baron of Harringhton Dale, and he takes his responsabilities very seriously; a stern-looking, tall and broad-shouldered man, with short black hairs, well groomed black moustaches, and steely grey eyes, he is a conservative man, believing in tradition and hard-work; he can be seen roaming the vast properties of his family, or attending audiencies in Scarecrow Castle or in the city hall; A practical man, he doesn't give any ctredit to the legends about the Scarecrow King; Bandits and wild animals worry him way more than legends about living scarecrows. He frowns upon Crowsnest, but he reckognizes that tecnically, the Old Crow, Everlast, is not violating any law.

Conestable John Morris
(Adult Human Cavalier 7 (Lion Order), L/G)
Conestable John Morris is the Commander of Harringhton Dale Milice, and he is a thoroughtly honest person; he put the wellbeing of the Dale above his own; he has a secret, however; his daughter has been bitten by a werewolf, last year; He has recurred to Doctor Everlast to conceal her status, and until now, it's working; he fears for some of his enemies to uncover hos secret. Werewolves are to be put down, technically, but only (and that is the loophole he is exploiting) once the threat they pose is certified.

Reverend Arthur Calloushand
(Old Human L/E Cleric of Ezra 9)
Arthur Calloushand is an hypocrite of the worst kind; on the exterior he is a rightous and pious man, a protector of the poors and of the infirms, and a mediator between conservatives and progressives; in truth, he dabbles in black-magic and, on his pay roll, there are the bandits who plague the otherway prosper country; he is, also, an agent of the Scarecrow King, and signales to him any wannabe reformers who ask him for advice.

Mad Tony
(Middle-Age Human Commoner 5, C/E)
Tony Brom was an harmless drunk until he met the Scarecrow King; The monstrous being tortured him and took his right eye, but let him living, on the condition he accepted to be his spy; thanks a button he gave to Tony, hidden under his eyepatch, the Scarecrow King can see and hear everything happens near his mad henchman; Mad Tony is no more a drunk; now, he preach about the risk of people who goes against the customs.

The Grunning Sisters (L/E Green Hags, 2 Rank Hag)
Elisabeth, Eveline and ELeonore Grunning are three rich nubile landowners which own the third largest amount of land in the domain, and they use theyr richness to help people. What nobody knows, is that they are three green hags in disguise, cursed for killing theyr abusive father. They are trying to reverse the curse, doing every kind of charitable action, but theyr selfish motives and theyr refusal to admit that killing theyr father instead of denouncing him, only to get his money, was an evil act, keep them grounded in theyr evilness; they still keep trying, however.

The Headless Knight (Dullahan 15 HD, L/E)
Once a mercenary bandit who ran afoul with the Scarecrow King, now he roams the hills were he died, by night; at down, he returrn on his grave in a pumpkin field. He use a pumpkin as a substitutive head.


Jonas mcCrook
(Middle Aged Human Expert3/Rogue1, N/E)
McCrook is the corrupted Manager of the Harlinghton Farm; On reverend Calloushand payroll, he is yet another pawn in the Scarecrow King hand; He is very able to hide his shortcomings from his stern master, Baron Harringhton, and he pose skillfully as a zealous and competent manager; not even his closer co-workers suspect how much he is embezzling for himself.

Jeremy, the Piper Boy
(Human Youth, Bard 3, C/G)
Jeremy is the orphan son of a traveling bard, Master Kyle; his father was killed by a mob, secretely incited by reverend Calloushand at the behest of the Scarecrow King. Taken under Dr Everlast protection, he is, today, his errand boy; Jeremy knows the roads of the Dale like the palm of his hands and often offers to guide strangers he deems friendly.

Theobald Everlast
(Old Human Lich Savant 11, L/G)
Dr Theobald Everlast is a man of knowledge and learning, firmly convinced that prosperity can't be achieved without knowledge and culture; appearing as a very old, smiling man, with smiling blue eyes and little bespectacles on his aquiline nose, always has a book in his hand; he is the Bourgmaster of Crownest, and also the most renrwed phisician in the domain; he is the last of a long line of knowledgeable man, who fight against the stagnant mentality of the domain; In truth, he is his whole line, as he is a Lich; in his case lichdom has been an unexpected, unrequested boon, the reward for his unyelding rightousness, who made him sacrificing his life in the attempt to stop Baron Harry I, three centuries ago; dying because of the ritual dark energy, with the only regret of failing to protect the people of the Dale, he reopened his eyes in his study, alive, sort of; It's also a sort of burden, as the mists made him the "lightlord" of the Dale, and he have to continue to live on seeing his dear ones passing as he keep on trying the mindset of his fellow people, with very slow successes, and many setbacks.

Pumpkin Head
(Awakened Dread Scarecrow Wizard 7 Abjurer N/G)
One of the victims of the Scarecrow King, an Abjurer called Samwell Trane; the process of his creation was interrupted by Everlast, and he retained his free will, nowaday, he is Doctor Everlast secret assistant.
He is trying to reverse the transfoermation to regain humanity, somehow.

The Straw Army
170 Dread Scarecrows (Scarecrows with +2 Str, +2 Dexterity, +5 DR) and 30 Greater Dread Scarecrows (Large Size Dread Scarecrows) leaded by 5 Awakened Dread Scarecrows (5 Level 7 Fighters).

Rotten Pumpkin
(Awakened Dread Scarecrow, Wizard, Necromancer 7, L/E)
Rotten Pumpkin is the Scarecrow King's second in command, and once he was Nathan Malgrym, Baron Henry I adviser; He is cursed to serve is master as Rotten Pumpkin as loyally as he never did as an human being. He is ruthless and devious.

The Darklord

The Scarecrow King

Large Constuct L/E Fighter 11 (144 HP)
Speed:30
Initiative:+7 (+11 on Harringhton Farm grain fields)
Armor Class:36 (41 on Harringhton Farm grain fields) (+3 Dex, +10 Natural Armor, +12 Armor, +2 Shield, -1 Size)
Space/Reach: 4 squares /2 squares (3 with his trident)
Combat Manouver Defense/Combat Manouver Bonus:40/+27
Str:25, Dex:16, Con:-, Int:13, Wis:16, Cha 12.
Saving Throws: Fort:+15, Ref:+10, Wil:+10
Special Qualities: Construct Traits, Damage Reducrtion:15/Magic and Slashing.
S.R. 25, Curse of the Darklord, Vulnerable to fire, Immune to electricity and cold, senses of the Scarecrow King, Brave (+3 against fear), Weapon Specialist(Spears+2, Slam +1), Armor Specialist( Fullplate 2, Hide 1) +3 Mastery.
Special Attacks: Create Spawn, Animate Scarecrows, Summon Straw Soldier, Dexterity Damage, Flesh to Wood, Bane of the Learned.
Attack: Melee: +3 Axiomatic Unholy Trident (+33/+28/ +23/+18, crit 19/20 x3, Damage 2d6+14, +2d6 vs Good, 2d6 vs Chaos and 1d6 Dexterity Drain (DC 22 Fortitude deny) and Slam (+27, Crit.x2, dam 1d8+7+Dexterity Drain (DC 22) or two Slams
Skills:Climb:+26, Insight:+13, Intimidate+23, Knowledge (Arcana): +23, Knowledge (Nature): +23, Perception:+13.
Feats:Cleave, Greater Cleave, Greater Grapple, Iron Will, Focus Critical (Trident), Focus Fury, Focus Weapon (Trident), Greater Focus Weapon (Trident),Lightning Reflexes,Improved Critical (Trident), Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Piercing Attack, Piercing Attack, Power Attack, Toughtness, Weapon Specialization (Trident).
Challenge Rating: 19
Proprieties: Axiomatic Unholy +3 Trident, +3 Ironwood Fullplate, +1 Ironwood Buckler..

Background:
Three hundred years ago, Harry Harringhton I was a an open minded member of the Mordentish gentry who discovered and purchased the very fertile land beetween Dementlieu and Lamordia. He relocated there with his family and he became the first de facto, than the Jure Baron of Harringhton Dale; He was an hard-worker, and also a strong military leader, who riid the land from bandits and protected the people from the incursions of werewolves; he also was a patrion of learning and progress.. However, he was a prideful man, and pride washis downfall;one day, an infestation of vermin hit the Dale; desperate for his people and his family, he accepted the nefarious advice of an evil wizard, Nathan Malgrym, and created the first Dread Scarecrows, sacrificing some petty criminals in a dark ritual; increasingly more corrupted and tyrannical, Harringhton soon started to sacrify innocent people, on the ground of minor offenses; the ritual to create the Dread Scarecrows was opened even to non-spellcasters, so when he casually discovered the thyrst beetwen Malgrym and his wife, he sacrificed both, turning Malgryn in one of the Scarecrows; When his sons discovered the fact they confronted him, on his favourite grain field , but Harry, now already on the path of complete corruction, mortally wounded his eldest, and killed his second, leaving only his youngest alive; but, before he could finish him off, the eldest killed him; he was buried under a big Scarecrow, and the Mists swallowed the Dale; That very night the Scarecrow King was born.

Current Sketches
After being reborn as a living Scarecrow, Henry realized the horror he had imposed on so many persons; instead that admit his own responsabilities, thought, he accused Malgrym and his damned knowledge; Able to act only by night, in daytime he listens and watches, throught many void eyes; His son initiated the crusade against knowledge and learning, and Henry, in this three centuries as the Scarecrow King, have worked to enforce this order; His curse however hinders his efforts; helped in this by his many henchmen, he keeps the people of the dale in a grip of fear and ignorance; his descendents have been unwittingly partners in this crime. However, his ultimate goal to have people resign to live in a stagnating, dull world stay out of his grasp; culture and knowledge still thrives in the Dale, and progress do happens, if slowly. Everytime he acts in persons, people recurs to knowledge to explain it.
His curse keep him paralyzed over his grave, in day-time, persecuted by the Noonwraith of his death wife; no one seems able to notice them in this moment however; on night time, he can directly act only against person who violates directly the law of the land; he is also bound to spare the life of any person who apologize, if she is not a murderer; murderers, he can kill and curse.

Combat
Usually, he prefer using his Straw Army, when forced in one on one combact, he try to immobilize his opponent in Grapple, and to use his Dexterity Drain power to quickly turn him defenseless. When outnumbered, he uses his Flesh to Wood ability to even the ground, summoning normal and Dead Scarecrows to help him .

Special Abilities:

Animate Scarecrows(Su): He can animate and control any Scarecrow he can see as a standard action.

Bane of the Learned (Ex): +4 on attacks and damage rolls an on DCs of saving throws against Wizards, Bards, Savants, Knowledge Domain Clerics, and other scholars, at DM discretion.

Create Spawn(Sp): If he kills a person he can stauff it's remains in a normal Scarecrow or Large Sized Scarecrow, which immediatly becames a Dread Scarecrow or a Greater Dread Scarecrow under his command; With a one hour lasting ritual he can create Awakened Scarecrows faithfull to him.

Dexterity Drain (Ext): DC 22 Fortitude negates.

Flesh to Wood (Su): DC 22, Fortitude Negates, three times a day.

Rejuvenation: If destroyed he will be reborn in the nearest Greater Scarecrow in the domain, the next night; It moves istantly over Henry's burial place. if all the Greater and animated Scarecrows of the domain are destroyed or removed, he will reborn in a week from the closest scarecrow. Without scarecrows in the dominion the process is arrested, but he will be permanently destroyed only if a natural herded (without magic) swarm of rats will devour his corpse.

Senses of the Scarecrow King : At will he can see and listen from any scarecrow in the domain.

Summon Straw Soldier(Su): As a standard action he can summons 1d12 of his own Straw Army Dread Scarecrows, 1d6 Greater Scarecrows, or 1d2 of Awakened Scarecrows.

Lair:
Harlinghton Farm Grain Field is the place where Henry was buried; It's a level 3 Sinkhole of Evil, and can inspire Desperation, Fear and Rage; (DC 22 Will Negates)

Closing the Border:
If someone try to cross the Harlinghton Dale's borders when they are closed, they are attacked by 1d6 Scarecrows + 1 Greater Scarecrows every Round they advance; People can, theorically force the borders fighting off the scarecrows or escaping. The Scarecrow King can close the border up to a maximum of 3 weeks.

Fauna: Haringtonians breed cats as vermin hunters; Harringhtonians cats are sensible to thearcane and will hiss and spit to any construct, undead, wizard or not earth and nature-related sorcerers; They do like bards and Everlast, however.

Flora: Any cultivated plant, up to the most exotic ones are cultivated in the Dale; the patches of forrest produce many rare herbs and fungi. The Harringtonians Catnip is really strong, attracting cats from miles in a windy day.

Feedback would be very appreciated.
Last edited by Mistmaster on Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:47 am, edited 4 times in total.
jamesfirecat
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Re: Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by jamesfirecat »

Skimmed over it, looked interesting, but one thing that stood out was that there was no "escape clause" so to speak to his Darklordship.

Most Darklords have some possible vulnerability that the PCs/players could in theory use to destroy them for good, Poisoning Jaqueline Renier with dove feathers, finding Strhad's hidden backup coffin, Azalin Phylactery, if all the wolves were somehow chased out of Kartakass (though that's quite a tall order) Malken being killed by a woman who truly loves Tristen... do you have any thoughts on what conditions should/would need to be met to kill off the scarecrow king for good?

Also for Archibald Everlast while I see how being a lich is appropriate given his interest in knowledge, it sort of rubs me the wrong way for someone to just die and wake up as a lich, since becoming a lich is supposed to involve a big important ritual and not something that just happens by random chance. That said, you might want to consider looking up/adding some info on him being "deathless" rather than "undead" if deathless are allowed to exist in Ravenloft/don't go against the setting's themes too much.
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Re: Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by Mistmaster »

Jamesfirecat you are correct, and destroying all the scarecrows of the Dale is not as difficult than driving away all the wolf in Kartakass.
In regard of Everlast he was killed in a magical ritual, to be exact trying to stop it; read his paragraph with attention; He was taken by the mist and carryed back to his study as a Lich; As the idea of deathless, I prefer true undeath as it's a good narrative device (a secret, a possible reason of mistrust and conflict, etc etc)
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Re: Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by ewancummins »

It looks fun.

RE Everlast


http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Archlich


Does Mad Tony keep that button in his empty socket, under an eyepatch?
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)
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Re: Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by Mistmaster »

The Archilich needs to be fitted for Pathfinder but can work; and yes, Mad Tony keep the buttom under the eye patch.
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Re: Harringhton Dale (Aka, my take on Arlington Farm)

Post by brilliantlight »

ewancummins wrote:It looks fun.

RE Everlast


http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Archlich


Does Mad Tony keep that button in his empty socket, under an eyepatch?
I will be playtesting it here http://www.fraternityofshadows.com/foru ... f=7&t=9848 if and when I get enough players. You are free to join. If you have any homebrew domains of your own that you want playtested I will run it, that is why I created it.
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