Grand Estate Cluster: Inspired by Darkest Dungeon

[Baron Von Stanton]

Your writeup for Veldesteen intrigued me, because I got the impression that the Dark Powers' act of snaring the Crystal might have been almost... benign. Like they wanted to insulate the Prime Material Plane from what might well be some monstrous disease from the Far Realm. In their own playground, they can stop the Crystal from spreading by reshaping reality -- or at least slow it to a crawl or confine it to its own prison.

Perhaps. Perhaps. Another way to look at it is a rare gem fell into their laps and they simply had to snap it up before it took root and became too large for them to fit in a container. With the Dark Powers, who can really guess their intent?

Some people are very picky about their gems: some see little triflings like inclusions, odd shapes, radioactivity and obsessively malign intelligence as "flaws." Others see these same, exact details as "delightfully quaint character"

[HyperionSol]

It was suggested a good-aligned Corbeau balance out all of the others who became Darklords so here is my first attempt at that.

Lachlan Corbeau - The Heir Apparent

After the lands of the Corbeau Estate were supposedly struck by a meteor and Henrietta Corbeau had been considered killed in the impact, the area was utterly abandoned and the people fled, believing the land was truly cursed. Only a few houses remained in the nearby hamlet, of which the name was forgotten as to many, it was simply home. The estate became a ruin and considered a place of evil and a curse, leaving it untouched as it continued to crumble, many hoping it would crumble completely and be forgotten. Any remaining Corbeau family members refused to take the land, believing it would only doom them in some way.

Eventually, the title passed to Lachlan Corbeau. Unlike many of his relatives, he did not see any truth in the stories of his ancestors although he readily believed they brought themselves to ruin. He came to visit the estate with some adventurer friends he had made. They came to the ruined estate and looked through it for what might be left behind. Like his ancestors before him, Lachlan found the books each of them had read in what remained of his great aunt Henrietta's chambers. Unlike his ancestors though, he did not try to take in the dark knowledge within. Instead, he tossed the books aside, uninterested in his own family history. His ancestors who took the manor destroyed themselves with their greed, arrogance, or a mixture of both. He wanted to break free from the Corbeau name and make it into something new, not try to redeem a tainted legacy.

Finding nothing which interested them, Lachlan and his companions left the manor with plans to tear it down and perhaps build something anew. Their path took them into the thick mists, clouding their vision.

In the Mists...

Emerging from the mists, Lachlan and his companions found themselves in a very different hamlet than the one they had traveled up from. It was, not thriving, but populated. The people were downtrodden and destitute. They called their home Crow's Nest and the land Corvania. It wasn't long before the people learned Lachlan's name and recoiled in fear of him. The name 'Corbeau' had become synonymous with evil in the Grand Estate Cluster, as each of the most terrible people there were all from that poisoned lineage.

Lachlan listened in horror as the people recounted tales of The Hag in Champignon, the Bloody Count in Bloedveld, the Deep Priest in Diepinham, The Swine Queen in Varkensteen, the Necromancer in Wandenheil, the Doom Prophet of Veldesteen, and the Heart of Darkness spawned in Corvania by Edmund Corbeau. All of them were members of his family, despite he ages that passed, and all of them had brought evil, torment, and destruction in their wake to the people of their lands.

Lachlan and his friends tried to escape, but every attempt to cross Corvania's borders only took them to one of the other lands. They found themselves assaulted by undead, swine, fungus mutant insects, and other horrors native to each of the lands. In each land, he saw a glimpse of the Corbeau Manor, a different iteration but unmistakable. And in each land, a friend was slain by the native horrors until Lachlan was left alone.

A lesser man would have broken, but Lachlan only saw what his family had wrought and realized he had been brought to this land for a reason. He had to end the heinous continuing crimes of his family members and atone for the atrocities they were all responsible for.

And so, Lachlan began his quest. Not to redeem his family line, but to end it once and for all.

Current Sketch

Lachlan has established himself a network of brave souls who say no more to the evils that his extended family is imparting. Recruiting Wizards, Rogues, Fighters, and others who rally to the cause, Lachlan organizes raids into the territories of his relatives. Their targets are usually to slay prominent monsters who serve the Darklords, raid holdings for supplies, and collect spoils to pay the mercenaries and adventurers who are brave enough to sign on with him. He strategizes to learn what he can about his relatives, methods, and goals to undermine and destroy them.

Lachlan's quest is difficult thanks to the meddling of the Dark Powers. Although raids succeed well enough and powerful monsters can be felled with luck, tactics, and a few brave lives, actually fighting the Darklords is proving to be his greatest challenge. It is as if the land conspires against them as although Lachlan can guess that his relatives are holed up in their version of Corbeau Manor, he can never find it after he spied them the first time. His teams have been known to find the manor and raid it, although many die in the attempt. Lachlan himself never can find the manor when he is part of the raid despite having accurate maps or experienced wayfinders.

The operation is also costly. Although Lachlan's men can open safe routes for trade through his efforts, it is often said they generally lose a man per mile they secure. Recruitment is sometimes difficult and training new recruits is a long process. The lack of resources can sometimes stretch Lachlan thin and allow the Darklords to recover forces or special monsters. Still, they get windfall now and then, getting much-needed resources to pick up the fight again.

The Darklords despise Lachlan and his operations infuriate them as well as keep them from focusing on their goals. This is perhaps why Lachlan and his relatives rarely are able to confront one another since he adds to their torment just with his presence. They consider him a usurper, trying to steal their rightful inheritance as lord of Corbeau Manor and the surrounding lands, taking away what they believe is rightfully theirs.

Endmund considers Lachlan a nuisance, a nothing who constantly annoys him. He sends cultists or the odd monster to try and snuff him out, but otherwise he focuses more on trying to free himself from his prison.

Julianna sees Lachlan as an interloper who is trying to steal away her fame and glory. She does hope to capture him and experiment on him since they have the same blood and perhaps it might offer a clue to get her beautiful figure back.

Lucius silently applauds Lachlan killing off the mutants and members of the Bloody Court, but he hopes if he can just get Lachlan into his version of the Corbeau Manor, he can switch places with him and flee while leaving his descendant as the Bloody Countess' favorite companion/snack.

Richter seethes with hate for Lachlan, believing him to be trying to steal his fortune. He often tries to hunt for Lachlan's mercenaries if he discovers they are in his territory, making him one of the most active in their antagonism.

Siobhan considers Lachlan to be an ignorant child who doesn't understand the importance of her work. She will kill him just as easily as she would capture him to see if he knows anything about the designs of the aqueducts...and then kill him when she's done with him.

Wilhelm simply loathes Lachlan, although his hate is much more childish. He thinks Lachlan is another relative who is trying to show him up and take away what is now rightfully his.

Henrietta and Lachlan share a cordial relationship, although Henrietta is focused more on trying to push back the Crystal out of Space's influence and Lachlan does not trust her yet, fearing she may be just as evil as his other relatives. They rarely meet, usually when both happen to be in the fields of Veldesteen.

Dread Possibility: Although Lachlan did not take the books of his ancestors with him, one of his companions did, leaving the books which began his relative's corruption in his possession. If the darklords discover he has them, it may turn into an all-out war between the Corbeaus to possess them. On the other hand, Lachlan could be corrupted by the books as well, either becoming a darklord of a new domain in time or replacing one of his relatives.

Well, this is the good Corbeau. I tried to base him on the concept of the Heir from the game. Making a network of mercenaries and adventurers, revitalizing trade, helping the people, etc. His situation has hallmarks of Isolde's. Namely, the Dark Powers meddle with his affairs to keep him from having that climactic battle with his relatives and possibly risking the domains they have lordship over and doing away with one of their collectibles.

[Mistmaster]

Interesting take but it is builded on the idea of the Dark Powers as an active malevolent force. I rather see them as neutral.

[HyperionSol]

So maybe remove the parts where the Dark Powers are directly meddling and prevent Lachlan from directly fighting his relatives?