Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

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Deewun
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Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by Deewun »

I know a lot don't like the Burning Peaks in Ravenloft. But I've always been drawn to Tovag, much like Valachan - another mal-aligned domain for most DMs. A flavorful and interesting setting that implies a lot but doesn't say as much. And in starting a new small campaign, the player I started it for wanted to play a volcanic druid, which immediately lent itself to Tovag, allowing me to really flesh out the domain and make it feel more whole and usable for everyone else. And I figured I'd share my work. It is important to me that I add nothing to the map itself, as that feels too big a stretch. And if it is written, it is canon. It is just about finding the inbetween information to help make Tovag more usable.

So the major sin of Kas is betrayal. And I think that paranoia, and his war against Vecna, is what drives him. The Daggers constantly hunt for betrayers. Kas' best men are cursed to turn on him, eventually. The people hate him but can say nothing about it knowing he'll kill them. They are his tools, and he'll throw away the broken ones.

With all of those thoughts, I don't want to add any cities or anything. One major keep, and a huge stone road leading straight to Tor Gorak makes perfect sense. A huge darkstone city Kas has in the domain for utility, to keep all the people in one place. The problem is, the racial topography of the domain is one of the most diverse in the Demiplane. Every single character class and race is there, barring vistani and gypsies, which I suspect the Daggers execute on sight. Why are all these dwarves living in the city instead of the mountains? Or the elves?

People being how people are, and functioning aspects of society working how they are, I posit that there are other social groups within the domain. There is more farmland out there, since there are SO many people being born into the war, and Kas pays women and households per child. So I figure that there are some crossroad, ramshackle mill towns essentially around large farms, distilleries, mining operations, etc. Kas is not particularly hands on, so these go by unnoticed as long as the war machine is still cranking. But that independence will then inspire others to actually set out and make their own towns, monasteries, personal farms, etc. And the Daggers will crush those as soon as they catch wind of the "betrayal" the dominion of Kas. And unfortunately, sometimes functioning helpful small operations will get crushed as well, just in case.

So the landscape of Tovag is spotted with a few small settlements, tent cities that last more than likely no more than ten years, though that could be a person's whole life in Tovag because of its accelerated time curse on the soil, food, and water. The people who don't live in Tor Gorak have to make sure they do not make their small homes look like homes. A city arising outside of Tor Gorak is a betrayal and will be executed.

Places of Interest:
Ale Grounds: A large farm and brewery that functions along the central highway. A settlement has arisen there, feeding, clothing, and treating the workers of the farm and the brewery. It is allowed to exist because of the Daggers' greed for booze and finer things, but it also means there is almost as large of a Dagger presence here as there is in Tor Gorak.

Sawyer's Mill: Along the northern highway is a large stretch of open land as the Sawyer family provides lumber to Tor Gorak. The Sawyer family is known to marry freely and interracially, and is now in the hundreds, finding a small loophole that the Daggers tend to ignore. At least for the time being.

Unity Freehold: A destroyed town along the southern highway. Left as a corpse and an example by the Daggers to never abuse Kas' kindness. Rumors state that Kas the Destroyer himself came and smote every person within the freehold, and the dead city is now haunted by vampires and ghosts.

Current Sketch:
Humans work or war. If cannot fight, you work. If you cannot work, you can have families, as Kas pays per child. If you cannot provide for Kas' army and cannot provide for the city, the Daggers have no use for you, and you will either die by their kris or live in the slums like a halfling. The time curse affects humans the most, having them reach puberty and marrying/military age at roughly 9 years old. Though there is no forced draft, like in Falkovnia. The citizens choose to live a life in the army or elsewhere. Both decisions are terrible and grim. But there is at least a choice.
Dwarves, wishing to not have their stone homes and lineages and architecture and temples destroyed build all of them in the Burning Peaks, but live outside of it, hoping to avoid those precious buildings destruction. Many choose to join Kas' army, as a death by war is a noble death. Some work within Tor Gorak as masons and construction, keeping the city built, or fixing the immaculate stone highways.
Elves are nomadic. Living only on what they can carry and hunt, they do not set up settings at all. They avoid settlements until needing to trade, and different nomadic groups use different movement tactics. Some choose to roam the mountains and hills, hoping the undead and advancing armies are the least of their worries. Some stick to the misty border, which has its own inherent dangers and difficulties. And some separate into separate forests, avoiding the highways that cut across the land as best they can, because if they are spotted, they will more than likely be killed. This kind of living is hard, and even the long-lived elves feel the pull of the years in Tovag, so many find settlements to stay in for fear of death alone with out a burial. Those that live in Tor Gorak do so begrudingly, but know there is relative safety there.
Gnomes live within the walls of Tor Gorak almost exclusively. Working within the system allows them to accomplish more, and keep their families and society safe. Not much use to the military, as long as they keep the city moving, the Daggers tend to ignore them.
Halflings live in ghettos and slums outside the walls of Tor Gorak with the amputees and the impotent. "It is better to live free and die" is a halfling addage that is foolish, but abided by. The Daggers have too much to do to deal with all the Halflings, but are always on the look out to make their lives as miserable as they can be outside the walls. Some halfling do choose to join the army, making frontline ranged with their slings. Those that survive become hard and joyless, but rise in rank quickly for their skill.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by Deewun »

All right, first session, and a few things came up, so I figure I'll share 'em!

- The highways are 40' wide perfectly paved stretches of almost completely straight roads. They are paved in Ash-stone, a special brick-type created in Tovag that seems more resilient to weather than normal brick. It sparks when metal scrapes along it, releasing sulfer into the air.
- Horse ownership is only for the military in Tovag. Having a horse beyond strictly breeding them for the military is an executable offense.
- Plows are pulled by dog teams, great mastiffs and danes that are bred for manual labor. Halflings and gnomes ride some for travel, trade, and even military.
- Daggers travel in Hands of five. When official business is going down, two Hands are sent to take care of the potentially treasonous activity.
- Daggers are NOT lawful across the board. They are an equal mix of lawful, neutral, and chaotic, though all are evil.
- Daggers are reward positions for excellence in military endeavors. It is the goal of most military, and has been rumored to be rewarded in a few special cases after a single excursion into Cavitus.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by brilliantlight »

You recruiting? Because it sounds interesting.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by Deewun »

Sure, add on! Anything to help an under used domain.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by brilliantlight »

Deewun wrote:Sure, add on! Anything to help an under used domain.
I don't see it in Café de Nuit.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by GreenWood »

I still use the Burning Peaks! Great domains. I like to think of them as having a medieval Mad Max vibe. Grim and dry lands, lots of conflict. I believe Vecna reborn is the only true resource on the Cluster? I just replaced Vecna with another Lord of my creation, to account for Vecna acending to true godhood.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by Resonant Curse »

GreenWood wrote:I still use the Burning Peaks! Great domains. I like to think of them as having a medieval Mad Max vibe. Grim and dry lands, lots of conflict. I believe Vecna reborn is the only true resource on the Cluster? I just replaced Vecna with another Lord of my creation, to account for Vecna acending to true godhood.
Vecna Reborn, Die Vecna Die, and an RPGA adventure called Second Chance that you'll never be able to find has a tiny domain stuck on the border of the two that consists of basically a crypt are the only sources aside from the tiny bits in the core books from 2nd edition.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by GreenWood »

Thanks!!
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by The Giamarga »

Check out the background of Peregrine Wayfarer (Esp.these two passages of memories). He is Nathan's PC in Deepshadows Epic campaign. He used to be a dagger..

Also check out this excellent thread for info on the cluster. Includes a links to a fanfiction of Kas Betrayal by Rip Van Wormer, and some info on the Greyhawk history of Kas and Vecna...
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by brilliantlight »

I am using Tovag at the moment myself. One thing I did is have Kas create a law that everyone who is middle-aged or older killed as they are "Too old to breed, fight or work hard". Like it or not people start physically deteriorating at a quicker and quicker rate when they hit their late 30s and physical labor is all he cares about. Women start losing fertility altogether in their 40s or 50s and men have decreased fertility at that point , though they can father kids at any age. One more horror to add to the Lands of the Mists.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by nothri »

If Cavitus is still around when Vecna is awol I have a suggestion. Remember that adventure, Vecna Reborn, in which the lich attempts to reincarnate himself into a body outside his domain? The ritual failed, but what if the connection formed between the god and child causes what remains of his human soul is shunted into that mortal being. Vecna finds himself divorced from his higher god self, now merely a powerful...and alive...mage.
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Re: Fleshing out Tovag and the Burning Cluster

Post by brilliantlight »

nothri wrote:If Cavitus is still around when Vecna is awol I have a suggestion. Remember that adventure, Vecna Reborn, in which the lich attempts to reincarnate himself into a body outside his domain? The ritual failed, but what if the connection formed between the god and child causes what remains of his human soul is shunted into that mortal being. Vecna finds himself divorced from his higher god self, now merely a powerful...and alive...mage.
Actually I am doing something similar. Vecna left a piece of himself behind when he left RL. It is reforming itself and is now "merely" as powerful as the most powerful lich that ever existed instead of a full-fledged god. He tries to pretend he is still a demigod but deep down he knows he is just a pretender and is trying to ascend. An attempt that is doomed to failure.
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