Isle of Ravens discussion

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Nathan of the FoS
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

NecrotiCarny wrote:
Another idea, since the Lady is constantly summoning creatures to do her bidding:

As her frustration grows, the Lady is courting stranger and stranger allies. Instead of summoning more fey, who have proved useless as their focus is more on protecting nature than on gaining information, she has decided to summon someone much more interested in things hidden: the fiendish Drigor. But this time, has she violated Aleister Crowley's first rule, that one should never summon up what one cannot put down?

And to follow on the Adventure Hook from the QtR 13 article... Will Drigor aid the Lady, simply as a pretense for spending time analyzing Styrix's Rift Spanner and thus finding out what his own design flaw was?
I'm not sure the Lady could or would summon Drigor, per se; but I'll bet he would give a good deal to be able to rummage around in the Tower of Flint for a while, and he might have enough information at his disposal to get the Lady's blessing...

How big is Drigor's reality wrinkle, anyway? Would that cause any weirdness in this situation?
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Lord Cyclohexane
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Post by Lord Cyclohexane »

Nathan of the FoS wrote:Here, it seems to me that those transformed by the Lady should all become "true" ravens, under her control; having the ravens lose their individuality is central to her darklord's curse.
Ah, good point. So yes, I agree that high-level characters shouldn't become a more powerful raven, as it does defeat the point of her curse.
Nathan of the FoS wrote:I think it makes sense to say the ravenkin would be able to have a chance to resist her "automatic takeover", just as familiars/dread familiars do; if they fail, they become ordinary ravens, but if they can resist they would make ideal spies and scouts for those who wish to work against the Lady. (For example, they could fly right into the Tower of Flint and even take out small valuables without necessarily being caught, which would be extremely difficult for almost any other kind of scout.)
Yeah, exactly. Although I slightly disagree: I think that, should a ravenkin fail its save, it'll follow the Lady's commands just as a normal raven would *but* only until she chooses to release her control (as you wrote in QtR 13, she rarely chooses to control the ravens, instead preferring to watch them live their lives freely).

Now, that said, if she catches on to the fact that the ravenkin is not a normal raven, she can always use her touch-attack to turn it into a normal raven. At that point all bets are off. And, to make sure her curse of loneliness isn't bypassed by a ravenkin who chooses to stay, I'd say that any ravenkin or other raven-related creature (dire ravens, wereravens, etc) who stay on the island subtly change into regular ravens, eventually losing all individuality anyway.

But a non-friendly ravenkin, I'd just say it's under her control only so long as she exerts her control; the second she lets go, that ravenkin can go back to sabotaging her plans as normal.
That could be interesting--a nice tie-in between the Lady of Ravens and Barovia. One could easily generate a mini-campaign from that, I think.
Especially if you add in everything between Barovia and the Sea, not to mention trying to find travel arrangements across to the Isle of Ravens.
This is a really fascinating possibility, although I'm not sure it's a workable one, given the Lady's personality...she's really pretty anti-human contact, let alone the intimacy that would be necessary here. I don't think she would trust anyone that much...
That's why I picked Dr. Tasker. He's doesn't seem like a real personable guy to begin with, so there's no worries of any intimate contact, nor even any social contact except for pleasantries. Everything on both sides is going to be about getting down to business. Even when she's telling him her darkest secrets, I can see him looking at her with a bored look on his face, not even giving a crap unless it specifically relates to the task at hand.

Additionally, on the trust issue, that's again why I picked Tasker. The Lady knows magic and knows what to fear. But this "psychology" nonsense... Truly there can't be any harm in it. But maybe it'll work. And if not, she'll just fry him with some *real* magic. Besides, he wouldn't dare betray her; she's a princess and she always gets her way, so if he does anything...
But, on the other hand, she's truly desperate, and her hold on reality is not all that strong to begin with. She might give Dr. Tasker a chance...and the good doctor might get more than he bargained for, and call up a dream which becomes too real to escape--marooning the Lady and himself somewhere on the borders of the Nightmare Lands!

If you wanted to get really Time of Ultimate Darkness with that, it might create a permanent junction between the Nightmare Lands and the Nocturnal Sea (the domain that replaced it geographically, remember!), allowing the nightmare inhabitants of the Land of Nod free access to the waking world simply by traveling from the top of the Tower of Flint, projecting into the Nightmare Lands, to the bottom in the Nocturnal Sea...

Waddya think?
To quote Keanu Reeves: "Woah." :)

I think that could be really cool. Especially if the Nightmare Court becomes directly involved (Nightmare Man did have a relationship with Tasker, after all) and start abusing access to the Lady's Library. Have a bastellus or two read about a few of the noble families, and all of the sudden the Nightmare Court knows who to give the worst nightmares to, thus creating the greatest misery in other countries, thus causing people to give into their own emotions and create the kind of dreams that the Nightmare Court feeds from... Things could get strange all around quite quickly.
I'm not sure the Lady could or would summon Drigor, per se; but I'll bet he would give a good deal to be able to rummage around in the Tower of Flint for a while, and he might have enough information at his disposal to get the Lady's blessing...

How big is Drigor's reality wrinkle, anyway? Would that cause any weirdness in this situation?
I'd say she could (she's an 18th Level Sorceror, after all), and if Drigor found out about the Library she's got, I'm sure he'd arrange to have her pawns unknowingly bring a volume or two of The Madrigorian specifically to tempt her. Especially with the information he could trade (as you'd mentioned)...

His reality wrinkle is 1 mile as of VRGtF, and he has no Land-based Powers. And I wouldn't imagine his reality wrinkle would cause any weirdness, though since Darklords inside of a reality wrinkle feel disconnected from their Land, she might end up feeling even *more* alone than usual as that was the only thing she had a connection to and so might enter a fierce depression or something. (shrugs)
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I know not who I am
And I await the crimson fires
That'll wash this world away!
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Post by Nathan of the FoS »

In the interest of clearing up space at the top of the General Forum, I've moved this topic here. The thread's still open--if you have an idea to pitch in, please do so!
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Post by nothrithree »

Okay, at the risk of blatantly ripping off a classic, here's an adventure idea that I invite you to take wholesale or pick apart for the pieces you like.

There are many tales of warning concerning the Isle of Ravens and its mysterious mistress. Not all follow the tale of woe sung by castaways, sole survivors of a crew that now nest about her tower. One tale deals with the Dread Pirate Sir Eliot Faergold, who apparently enjoyed several years of successful patronage from the lady.

Faergold began his life as a privateer in service to Prince Othmar of Nova Vaasa. At the time the Nocturnal Sea was born, the prince was eager to exploit her resources and profit from trade. With a weary eye to his weathly neighbor to the north, Othmar needed a way to secure the prosperity of his nation against the Darkonians (whose lands and wealth were so vast that they could undoubtedly raise a larger fleet then Vaasi). As such he commissioned several bands of sailors to harry, plunder and break any Darkonian vessels they came across in the Nocturnal Sea. In essence, Faergold was a licensed pirate.

Faergold was a man of high breeding, which made for a strange combination of scoundrel and gentlemen given his "profession". He was fond of grand tales, and had a way of twisting even the most outlandish rumor into a plausible yet entertaining tale of adventure. All agreed he was a man of rare luck and talent. His luck was called into question one night when he was swept off the bow of his ship in the midst of a sudden storm.

Eliot awoke in darkness, the sound of surf echoing around him. He had no idea where he was or how he survived. With only his wits and the dimmest of light reflecting off the glistening walls of the cave, Eliot made his way along twisting passages to the surface.

How he met the lady and why she spared him is a secret known only to the two of them. Perhaps she saw the potential advantage in information gathering the plunderer could provide her. Eliot had sailed every corner of the Nocturnal Sea by this point, and knew many secrets in his travels. Perhaps it was his strange charm combined with his talent for weaving tales that sparked some old pleasure from her child-hood. Or perhaps he bore a faint resemblance to her lost love. In any case, when his crew came ashore, fearing the worst and hardly expecting to survive themselves, he appeared before them whole and hardy.

Over the course of the next several months, Eliot's success became legendary. He visited the Isle of the Ravens several times between his plunders. Rumors hold that he brought the Lady any books or scrolls (which he had no use for) along with tales and rumors of possible leads to her identity. In return, she granted him use of her island to hide his material treasures. If rumors are true, Eliot used a secret cove hidden beneath the cliffs (only accessible at "the lowest ebb of the lowest tide") to hide his gains.

Eventually his fortune turned. Azalin Rex resurfaced in Darkon, and with him came talks of treaties and alliances. A new road connecting the two nations was commissioned through the badlands of Arak. Soon enough Othmar realized it was no longer to his benefit to have a group of pirates on his payroll. Ever the backstabber, Othmar declared his privateers no longer under his protection, and issued warrants for their arrest.

Eliot took the news better than some. He happily accepted his status as a fugitive, and just as happily turned his piracy on Vaasi vessels as readily as Darkonian. For a time he thought to hide upon the Isle of the Ravens. The lady soon made it clear that his crew was not welcome to stay for a prolonged period. Yet Eliot pleased her, in so much as the Lady could be pleased. To show her gratitude, she offered him a gift most precious. One of her prized Ravens. Eliot, of course, did not question the value.

With a magic all her own, the Lady formed a bond between the two not unlike that shared between wizard and familiar. She said the bird would offer Eliot an extra pair of eyes and ears, just as the Ravens acted for her. She warned him not to mistreat her gift.

As it hapopened, Eliot's luck turned soon thereafter. Forced by necessity to restock and resupply, Eliot tried to sneak into a Darkonian port town. Such raids had been child's play in the past. This time, though, Eliot discovered too late that the Kargat had resurfaced, and thier intelligence gathering was as impregnable as ever. Three men were lost in the assault, and Eliot barely made it back to ship with his life. His Raven proved invaluable by providing an overhead view of the happenings. However, a stray arrow ended that advantage just as Eliot had reached his ship.

Here the tale always turns dark with warnings of accepting any gift from a witch. The very next morning, Eliot awoke to the sight of hundreds of birds, of every shape and size, perching on his vessel. Every spare rigging, rail, and sail played host to a clawed talon. A thousand avians eyes seemed to lock upon the captain in unblinking accusation. And then, the birds swept down, tearing sail, pecking rope, and assaulting crew. As he ever would be hereafter, Eliot was untouched, though his cloths were ripped and torn with abandon. His ship became a wrecked heap, and his crew became crisscrossed with scars and scrapes. This was the case everywhere the wretched captain went. The birds would gather, stare, and attack. Their vengeance seemed to fall especially hard on those who offered the captain any kindness, for the avians would assault and torment such souls for days after the captain had left the area. In despair, the captain at last made his way back to the Isle of the Ravens, to accept whatever fate the lady had for the loss of her beloved creature. Most like, he has since replaced it.

There you go. A ready made curse that combines the best parts of the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. I imagine the ravens of the island are particularly useful as familiars, given their unusual intelligence. But let them die, and the Lady's curse falls on you. Also, it offers another potential hook for adventurers- the lost treasure of Sir Eliot. Perhaps his hidden storehouse can even provide some measure of sanctuary from the Lady or the fey. What sayest thou?
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