Creating a "backwards" domain...does this sound coherent?

[Buzzclaw]

Hi y'all, I've started working on a homebrew Domain. The only problem is that I'm not sure if some elements (religion/monsters) seem to out-of-nowhere for the general feel of it.

Summary:
On a Material Plane that veers more toward low fantasy, one where gods and monsters exist but they or the evidence of their existence is rarely seen, an Industrial Revolution started. One place that was not experiencing these revolutionary changes was notRussia, a land of simple, superstitious farmers and hedonistic nobles that also burgeoned with vast resources.
Fearing that his country would be at disadvantage in the future,the ruler of notRussia, Ivan Ilyevitch, began a vast campaign of industrialization. Mines, logging camps, and textile factories spread like wildfire. Ivan also brought strange, new notEuropean customs, fashions, and ideas; men were ordered to shave their beards, women were forbidden from wearing traditional veils, and new "preachers of reason" were sent to villages to discredit supernatural tales.
But the peasants protested these new changes: First, the violated old superstitions and folk beliefs; second, they disrupted the ecology and drove away game; third, it disrupted family and social dynamics.
Angered by the changes in their world, smashed machines, beat "preachers," and destroyed factories. Even more outrageous in Ivan's eyes was the defection of his nobles, who preferred to appease the nearby mobs rather than the faraway tyrant.
Ivan marched out from the capitol with his still loyal army and began a campaign of slaughter. Fields, farms, and chapels burned as he tortured and slew those who rebelled; by chance, he captured a fleeing priest in the wilderness carrying a message. Under intense torture he revealed that the old priesthood had supported and partially provoked the peasant rebellions that seized the countryside.
After this, Ivan continued his brutal suppression of the peasants, although now priests were sent to the dungeons at the capitol. When the rebellion had been crushed, Ivan returned to the capitol and ordered his engineers to construct a new machine; it was vast, monstrous machine made in mocking replication of the traditional altars used by the old priesthood.
Over a thousand priests were pushed into the massive, cage-like structure. The Ivan ordered his engineers to start the machine. They hesitated, and although he was not as educated as them, he grasped what was needed to start it. And so, with the flip of a heavy, metal switch, the blades inside the cage whirled to life, turning the priests into whirlwinds of blood and gore that rained upon on the assembled.
For almost five minutes after this gruesome spectacle, the crowd of citizens and soldiers remained silent.
"Butcher!"
"Murderer!"
"Madman!"
The cries rang out, wounding Ivan like piercing daggers. The cries of the few became the cries of the whole crowd, and Ivan miraculously evaded the blood thirsty mob, escaping his castle and diving into thick mists....

Current Domain:
Although his new domain resembles the world where he came from, Ivan's new home is distinctly different. First, there are many clerics and monsters and spirits are uncommon but very real. Secondly, there is no technological advancement; natives (including Ivan) forget any new knowledge of technology within 24 hours of learning it. Furthermore, all magical or nonmagical accounts of new technology (book, papers, etc.) become completely blank 24 hours after anyone has read them. (there's more "anti-industrialization" stuff but I have to think about it).

So for the religion I was thinking of a dualistic sun-god with a positive aspect and negative aspect associated with a bird (phoenix?). Also, the monsters, spirits, and demons are all birdlike in some way. Do these elements feel out of place with what I already established?

Also, sorry for being tl;dr :p

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Hi Buzzclaw,

I love the write up. It follows history pretty well, and builds up a great visual. I especially like the theme of sacrificing humanity on the alter of technology / modernism.

I only wonder if the domain is a too much in opposition to the darklord, rather than being self-defeating fantasy prison.
In any case, it would be interesting to see the return of the Machine God. Perhaps the darklord continues to sacrifice people inside of it as a means of driving away magic. He tries to conceal his depraved rites from the outside world, but fears that with each new bloody ritual his machine gains more sentience, more power, and more like the very gods that he despises.

[Sareau]

PreChristian Russia did indeed have a dualist pantheon-a good solar diety and an evil nocturnal one, so that fits-there wasn't a phoenix, but there were flying fire snakes, so that can be stretched to fit. Maybe read "Deathless" for more inspiration, but I think You are on the right track.

[HuManBing]

PreChristian Russia did indeed have a dualist pantheon-a good solar diety and an evil nocturnal one.

Is that Chernobog and Byelobog?

[Sareau]

PreChristian Russia did indeed have a dualist pantheon-a good solar diety and an evil nocturnal one.

Is that Chernobog and Byelobog?

Yep-Chernobog later cashed in on evil by working for Disney "Night on Bald Mountain" in Fantasia, while Byelobog sort of fell off the face of the earth

[Buzzclaw]

I only wonder if the domain is a too much in opposition to the darklord, rather than being self-defeating fantasy prison.

What seems to be missing?

In any case, it would be interesting to see the return of the Machine God. Perhaps the darklord continues to sacrifice people inside of it as a means of driving away magic. He tries to conceal his depraved rites from the outside world, but fears that with each new bloody ritual his machine gains more sentience, more power, and more like the very gods that he despises.

I like this idea. Maybe the only way he can gain knowledge is by following "visions" from a "machine god" and performing bizarre, bloody rituals?

PreChristian Russia did indeed have a dualist pantheon-a good solar diety and an evil nocturnal one.

Is that Chernobog and Byelobog?

I decided to make him/them a phoenix just because a realm where every bird was supernatural or potentially supernatural seemed to be an interesting set-up.

[ScS of the Fraternity]

What seems to be missing?

The one thing without which no one can truly feel damned: Hope!

Darklords always need success to be hanging just outside their grasp.

I like the visions idea. Its just the thing to keep your Czar hoping, committing evil, and failing again and again and again.