RLR: Domains looking for a Darklord 2: Lamordia

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Who should be the darklord of Reanimated Lamordia?

Adam
0
No votes
Dr. Victor Mordenheim
2
20%
Both (As co-darklords)
8
80%
Another character (Please explain)
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 10

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WolfKook
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RLR: Domains looking for a Darklord 2: Lamordia

Post by WolfKook »

Unlike other domains in our list, Lamordia isn't a domain looking for a darklord: It already has two very probable candidates to take the mantle.

Canon-wise, the darklord of Lamordia is Adam, the creature. However, there has been discussion in these forums as to how much he deserves such status. There are opinions in favor and against him being the darklord, but in our recent poll -although he got enough votes to assure his mention -he ended up second.

Second to his creator: Dr. Victor Mordenheim, who some people have qualified as even more monstrous than his creation, but who has never been the true darklord of the domain. As with Adam, there are strong opinions on why he should -and shouldn't -be the darklord...

So, what do you think? Should Adam keep his position as darklord of Lamordia? Should he pass the torch to his father? Should both share the title of darklord? Or should someone else be called darklord of Lamordia? If so, who should it be?
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

My favorite solution is as follows:

At the time of the creation of Lamordia, the gods of Mordenheim's home world (or, perhaps, the Dark Powers) played one final trick on him.

Mordenheim was utterly convinced that life and cognition were purely biological/mechanical phenomena, entirely rejecting the concept of a "soul", and he thought creation of his "Adam" would prove the point once and for all. The gods therefore decided to strip his own soul from his breast and implant it in his creation, while leaving his mind intact.

Now, Adam has the soul of Mordenheim, with its yearning for understanding and creation, but the body, mind and memories of the construct made by Mordenheim's hands. Adam is intensely frustrated by his desire to create new life because he lacks the mental acuity and knowledge necessary to bring it to pass; he is intensely jealous of his former master's abilities and yearns to succeed where Mordenheim failed, but he simply doesn't have the know-how to do so.

Mordenheim, on the other hand, is now the construct--immensely gifted in intellect, but essentially without imagination or desires. He is doomed to repeat the same series of experiments throughout eternity, not understanding why it all seems so empty and why he cannot replicate his first astonishing success.

The domain reflects Mordenheim, rather than Adam, to highlight to Adam the frustration and despair of his (literal) self-alienation (since everything reflects Mordenheim) and to highlight to Mordenheim his own essential emptiness and intellectual sterility (again, since everything reflects him).
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Post by Guzrath »

I just woke up so can't think straight....at least not completely.
But Nathan, that is a genius way of looking at it. It would keep the link between the two and keep both in the picture.
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Post by Irving the Meek »

Nathan Wins. That is absolutely perfect.

The only hitch I can see with this explanation is making sure that novel and unpleasant things keep coming out of Mordheim's lab. If the Good doctor's been stripped of his creativity, how can he produce something new?

This can be worked around, though. Mordheim's experiments were complex enough that redoing them in a different order could produce "partial" results. Or perhaps the Brain in a Jar is still in the lab, whispering in Mordheim's ear, trying to make him produce a body sufficient to get it out of its predicament...

Perhaps Mordheim is even aware of his own lack of creativity, and in a lumpish sort of way tries to correct it by experimenting with children. (City of Lost Children, anyone? I love that flick.)

I'll also point out that when I think of soul-switching in Ravenloft, I immediately think of the Apparatus... are we sure that that machine is (or was) in Mordent? It seems like that infernal device would be a natural fit for Lamordia on several levels.

Last, this design choice does bring us close to Tristen/Malken's story themes. That's not a problem per se - they're on our watch list to be discarded, and if Adam and the Doctor can occupy their story space better... Malken might even find a new home as an NPC in Lamordia.
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Post by Sorti »

Oh my goodness!!! :shock: Nathan wins an Internet and his idea gets stolen and implemented in my campaign in 3... 2... 1...
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Post by WolfKook »

Nathan wins, and apparently everyone agrees on that!!!!!

So, this one got solved faster than I thought... Should we move on to another domain in look for a Darklord?
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Post by Irving the Meek »

Yep. Stick a stake in this one, she's done.
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